PKK hands over Makhmour checkpoints to Iraqi army

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) evacuated its military checkpoints on the border between Makhmour camp and Mount Qarachogh and handed them over to the Iraqi army, who have further been able to establish more military checkpoints formerly belonging to the Peshmerga.

Kurdistan 24 has been informed by a reliable source that PKK fighters have given Iraqi forces control of several caves and seven military points around the camp, which were later seen hoisting the Iraqi flag as of Sunday evening.

According to the source, this was not a random event, as it was planned several months ago, and the Iraqi army is now seeking to take control of several other locations in the district as well.

The source added that the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces had prior agreements to form a joint brigade in the disputed territory, yet the takeover of the PKK checkpoints violates said agreements.

The source also indicated that the PKK is not prepared to coordinate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and its policies serve the interests of the KRG's opponents.

This news comes as the United Nations has previously requested the Iraqi government not to send aid to the people in the district, allegedly because the supplies have been compromised by the PKK. 

PKK officials have reported that the fighters who left the area around the camp have been transferred to Mount Qandil, encompassing a roughly defined border area between Turkey and the northern outskirts of the Kurdistan Region.

Following the 2014 attack by ISIS on Makhmour, PKK fighters entered Makhmour in coordination with Peshmerga forces.

Makhmour lies within the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad and was a critical point of conflict during the War on ISIS when the terror group attempted to seize the district from the Peshmerga.