BAGHDAD

The president of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) on Saturday urged implementation of the Sinjar agreement signed with the country's central government, demanding that the terrorist PKK and all other illegal groups leave Sinjar.

Speaking in the KRG capital Erbil at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Sinjar massacre, Nechirvan Barzani said the terrorist PKK presence in the region must end.

"The PKK and all other illegal groups must leave Sinjar," in the eastern KRG, Barzani said. "The Ezidis must take control of their administration. For the Ezidis to return to their homes, Sinjar must be rebuilt, its infrastructure must be established, and stability and peace must be ensured."

Barzani stressed the necessity for Iraq’s central government to work in coordination with the KRG to implement the Sinjar agreement and restore normalcy to the region.

The people of Sinjar must take control of their administration and no longer be prisoners of external forces, Barzani said, adding: “To rebuild security and life in Sinjar and provide hope for the future, the PKK and all other illegal forces must leave Sinjar."

Reflecting on the 2014 Sinjar massacre, Barzani said: "The massacre of the Ezidis is one of the most brutal massacres in history. Even 10 years later, the wounds have not healed. We must mobilize all resources to ensure the perpetrators are punished. Ameliorating the consequences of the genocide is the duty of Iraq, the KRG, and the international community. The fate of the missing Ezidis must also be determined."

Daesh/ISIS terrorists attacked Sinjar, a region with an Ezidi-majority population, in August 2014.

The terror group has kidnapped and killed thousands of people, including women and children, or detained them in areas under its control.

The terrorist group PKK managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar in 2014 under the pretext of protecting the Ezidi community from Daesh/ISIS terrorists.

Sinjar has a strategic position, lying some 120 kilometers (74 miles) from the key city of Mosul, close to the Turkish-Syrian border.

Estimates put the total Ezidi population across the world at nearly 700,000 people. They are concentrated in northern Iraq but also live in countries like Syria and Türkiye.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.