Ancient Yazidi city Sinjar based within Nineveh province on the northwest of Iraq, had come to the fore of worldwide public opinion with ISIS attack carried out two years ago.
The claim that Peshmerga, Iraqi Kurdish force, had picked up the armaments of Yazidis had been frequently uttered at that time. A vast number of Yazidis had been slaughtered, approximately 3,500 Yazidi women had been enslaved and thousands of Ezidis had struggled for life running away to the Mount Sinjar as a result of ISIS attack.
Intervention of Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and USA had commenced under these circumstances.
CORRIDOR OPENED FROM SINJAR TO USA
The group dispatched to defend Sinjar was arrested by Peshmerga as PKK field commander Murat Karayılan claimed in that period. At this point, PKK and YPG precluded Sinjar from being besieged by ISIS, succeeding to open a corridor from Sinjar to Rojava.
As a reminder, this success had attracted USA attention. Although it was the time of ISIS attack for Syrian town of Kobani, Washington leadership “paid tribute to” the Sinjar performance of YPG while Kurds had come to fore worldwide.
Thereafter, cooperation of USA helicopters with Yazidis stucked in Mount Sinjar would indicate where that corridor extended over.
AFTER SALVATION
However, Sinjar case became critical after ISIS removed from the region.
First, Sinjar locates at a strategical position between Iraqi Kurdistan and Haseke. Second, although it is not close to Turkish border, it stands withinside of Kurdistan as a logistical base. Third, Yazidis are worthy motive in terms of national narrative and forming Kurdish national unity. Fourth, it is a city that PKK challenged to Iraqi Kurdistan government and got success militarily.
Consequently, PKK continouosly denied to leave Sinjar. While Turkey asserts PKK would make Sinjar “a second Qandil” (PKK headquarters in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq) USA claimed that people who ran away from Sinjar could not come back because of PKK. “We believe that PKK, which is a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, should have no role in Sinjar” USA State Department spokesman Mark Toner remarked on December 27th.
Iraqi Kurdistan's Barzani government, or, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) mentioned that they couldn’t begin reconstruction of Sinjar because of PKK. As to Baghdad leadership it’s not ranked of top priority. But occasionally there are considerable rumors about Yazidi troops’ integration to Hashd al-Shaabi. Baghdad pays salaries of militia forces of Sinjar as Barzani government asserts.
Last November, Hisham Al Alawi, Iraqi ambassador in Ankara noted that PKK presence at Sinjar arose beyond Baghdad leadership’s knowledge.
Ultimately, Barzani government threatened PKK to drive it out of Sinjar by using force. Besides, AKP claimed that “In case of Barzani fails at Sinjar Turkish Army would step in”.
PKK’s armed wing HPG, coming up with an explanation against Barzani’s threats of using force, said “History proved that nobody can afford to drive our forces out of Sinjar by using force”.
