Iraqi Army gives PKK-affiliated fighters two hours to leave Sinjar or face 'heavy blow'

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan 24's correspondent in Sinjar (Shingal) reported that the Iraqi Army had given PKK-affiliated fighters in the district two hours to leave the area or face a "heavy blow."

The Iraqi Army is demanding that the PKK-affiliated Sinjar Protection Units (YBS) fighters withdraw from all of their positions on Sinjar's outskirts to avoid being dealt a "heavy blow." 

The warning came shortly after an Iraqi Army statement reported "security incidents" in Sinjar's Sinuni district that began Sunday night and continued into Monday morning. 

The army statement said that "a group of so-called members of the Yabasha organization (the PKK-affiliated YBS) cut off several roads linking Sinuni and Khansur district with nearby compounds and villages, and set up barriers on these roads and prevented the movement of citizens between these areas." 

"With the first light of the day, the military units began to lead the operations of western Nineveh, and the units with them opened the roads, but they were subjected to heavy fire from snipers on the roofs of several buildings and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) on the roads," it added. 

According to the statement, these units "dealt with those elements in accordance with the rules of engagement to impose law and order, and they responded to the source of these fires with precision, and opened roads for the movement of citizens." 

The army pointed to "the great cooperation of citizens and the assistance of the security and military forces" to normalize the situation and reject "all illegal acts." 

"The Joint Operations Command issued its orders clearly to deal firmly and in accordance with the rules of engagement against any behavior or practice that would destabilize security and order and protect the citizens there," the statement concluded.