KRG calls for a conference on Shingal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) called for an international conference regarding the reconstructing of Sinjar (Shingal).

On Tuesday, the KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) hosted a special session where the Minister of Interior and the Mayor of Sinjar briefed Kurdistan-based diplomats and representatives of the UN and INGOs on the reconstruction of Shingal.

According to a press release published on the DFR website, Karim Sinjary, the KRG Minister of Interior, “Called for urgent support from the members of the international community in reconstructing the city of Shingal, as 80 percent of the city has been destroyed.”

The Mayor of Shingal, Mahma Khalil, told Kurdistan24 that, “The purpose of this session was to invite the international community to participate in the reconstruction of Shingal.”

Khalil stated that the diplomats and the UN representatives voiced their support for the stabilization and reconstruction of Shingal.

The city was a battlefield between the Islamic State (IS) extremists and the Peshmerga forces backed by the US-led coalition airstrikes for over a year. IS used the main government buildings and major roads in Sinjar to shelter against the airstrikes and Peshmerga advancements.

The Joint Crisis Coordination Center (JCC), who also attended the special session, conducted a damage assessment report on the city in November 2015. According to the JCC report, the estimated budget for cleaning the city and restoring essential services is above $10 million.

Sinjar is located some 128 kilometers (80 miles) west of Mosul and 380 kilometers (236 miles) west of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region. The city is the historic land of the Ezidis, a Kurdish minority who practices an ancient religion.

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran

Editing by Ava Homa and Karzan Sulaivany