Leader of a semi-autonomous entity in northern Iraq where the terrorist group PKK has hideouts, called the group to leave Sinjar, a town liberated from the Daesh terrorist group.

The president of Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, 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 the town. Barzani was speaking at an event in the KRG capital Irbil to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sinjar massacre by Daesh.

He said the PKK terrorist presence in the region must end.

"The PKK and all other illegal groups must leave Sinjar," in the eastern KRG, Barzani said. "The Yazidis must take control of their administration. For the Yazidis 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 Yazidis 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 Yazidis must also be determined."

Daesh terrorists attacked Sinjar, a region with a Yazidi-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. Another terrorist group, the PKK, managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar in 2014 under the pretext of protecting the Yazidi community from Daesh 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 Yazidi population across the world at nearly 700,000 people. They are concentrated in northern Iraq but also live in countries like Syria and Türkiye.