Kurdistan's Interior Minister: PKK should leave Duhok

Shafaq News/ Kurdistan Region's Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed revealed ongoing communications between the Kurdish and Iraqi governments with Ankara regarding the Turkish incursion on the Iraqi territory.

Speaking to reporters, Ahmed said, "Fortunately, in recent days, the federal government has responded to the demands of the Kurdish government and the displaced people, issuing a new decision concerning the camps."

Kurdistan Region repeatedly announces its firm position of rejecting the forced return of displaced persons in camps to their original areas of residence.

The camps, housing approximately 155,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), predominantly Yazidis who fled the brutal onslaught of ISIS militants in 2014, are at the center of a contentious debate over safety and preparedness for return.

Ahmed revealed that a joint committee has been formed with the institutions affiliated with the United Nations to determine a mechanism for returning the displaced. "One of the tasks of this committee is to study the regional government's proposals."

Regarding the Turkish military incursion, the Interior Minister stated, "Both the Kurdish and Iraqi governments are in communication with Turkiye about the military incursion. The issue is that the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in these border areas justifies such activities."

Ahmed considered the presence of the PKK as "illegal," stressing that "we all believe that the PKK should leave these areas to avoid harming the residents."

On Sunday, the Turkish military advanced about 15 kilometers deep into Iraqi Kurdistan, targeting PKK fighters.

Ongoing operations have forced hundreds of villages in Duhok governorate to evacuate in fear of Turkish army shelling that has also scorched their farmland.