British report: 20 armed factions spread in Sinjar.. Half of them are linked to Iran

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[size=52]British report: 20 armed factions spread in Sinjar.. Half of them are linked to Iran[/size]

[size=45]Translation/ Hamid Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]A British report revealed the presence of 20 armed factions around and inside the Sinjar district of Nineveh Governorate, pointing out that these groups made the region an incubator for problems and conflicts and thwarted the implementation of the agreement concluded between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region regarding the management of the town, which is a haven for the Yazidi component in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]A report website stated to the British MEE, that "Sinjar district, the sanctuary of the Yazidi sect in Iraq, has become an incubator for problems and conflict, and a place where the interests of countries collide with the presence of spies and armed factions in order to gain a foothold and extend their influence there." . The report added, "The two most prominent forces appearing at this border town during the past few months are Turkey and Iran."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The two countries have a network of local and federal Iraqi officials and with political and military leaders and armed factions that have been working for years to implement the agendas of the two countries without disturbing the balance of power between them."[/size]
[size=45]The report spoke of “Turkish military operations in and around the Sinjar region targeting a group of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants and their allies from armed groups backed by Iran, which have increased tension in the region and may lead to the outbreak of fighting between Iranian and Turkish proxies.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, that "armed clashes occur from time to time, most of them are between the Iraqi army forces deployed in the vicinity of Sinjar and between local gunmen affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and he quotes military sources, that" the clashes last month lasted four days, in which five were killed. People, including a soldier.[/size]
[size=45]The report stated, "Eight years have passed since the bloody campaign of the terrorist organization ISIS in Sinjar against the members of the Yazidi sect, which resulted in the displacement of 70% of the town's population, which is still unsafe to live."[/size]
[size=45]And he added, "The situation is still a concern for the international community, and as stated in the latest report of the International Crisis Group in Brussels: what is happening there is caused by the armed groups that harbor the region, and that Sinjar has found itself in the midst of great competition between Turkey and Iran."[/size]
[size=45]And the report continues, that "the Kurdistan Workers' Party, since the eighties of the last century, has been waging military operations against Turkey, and among the factions that support it are the Kurdish People's Protection Units in Syria, which are largely present in the Sinjar region."[/size]
[size=45]According to an Iraqi military official, “The forces of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units had a role in rescuing many Yazidis when they fled to Syria, during the operations of the ISIS attack, and since that time Sinjar has turned into a magnet for a large number of armed factions and intelligence agents.”[/size]
[size=45]And the report added, "A part of these gunmen joined the Sinjar Protection Units (Yabsha) as Yazidi armed forces, and it is not known how many Kurdish People's Protection Forces fighters are in these units."[/size]
[size=45]It is expected, that "90 Yazidis have been receiving salaries since 2015 within these forces, and both the PKK and Kurdish People's Protection Units (PKK) fighters refuse to leave Sinjar and have maintained a presence in the area since its liberation from ISIS."[/size]
[size=45]An Iraqi official familiar with minority affairs says, "These militants consider Sinjar as an area they acquired, not as an area they helped liberate."[/size]
[size=45]While a source from the Iraqi government talks about "the recruitment of hundreds of Yazidis and the formation of six armed factions, including them linked to the crowd."[/size]
[size=45]The source said, "All these factions are still present in and around Sinjar, as well as other armed groups spread between Sinjar and Tal Afar to the east of it."[/size]
[size=45]An Iraqi official asserts that "there are approximately 20 local and regional armed factions present in and around Sinjar. Iran controls half of them, and there are no strategic alliances for the other half." The report added, "Attempts are being made to rid Sinjar of the presence of various armed factions in it," noting that "the federal government signed the Sinjar Agreement with the Kurdistan Region." He noted, "The agreement provides for the withdrawal of all armed factions from the area, with the expulsion of all PKK militants and its allies, and the return of Sinjar to its local administration, but these factions did not comply with the terms of the agreement and remained insistent on its presence."[/size]
[size=45]The report continued, "Iraqi officials said that this stubbornness and the failure to implement the Sinjar Agreement motivated Turkey to intervene militarily, and since that time the military operations have intensified."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, "The missile attacks targeting the Turkish base of Zlikhan in Bashiqa have multiplied," noting that "the Iraqi government's inability to stop the mutual attacks with the failure of the United States to intervene in favor of either party, has contributed to increasing the complexity of the scene and left everyone in the region to the mercy of the conflicting parties.[/size]
[size=45]"The conflict in Sinjar is a Turkish-Iranian conflict, and if the two countries agree on areas of influence, the situation will stabilize," said Elie Abu Oun, an analyst with the United States Institute of Peace.[/size]
[size=45]Abu Aoun added, "Turkey is currently trying to push Iran away from Sinjar a little, while Iran, in return, is trying to preserve its gains there."[/size]
[size=45]With the international community now preoccupied with what is happening in Ukraine and other regions, the analyst Abu Aoun does not expect "any major concessions or settlement in Sinjar," noting that "any attempt to open new fronts will be met with resentment."[/size]
[size=45]Abu Aoun went on to “rule out that things get out of control or go beyond attempts to compete for influence between Turkey and Iran in Sinjar.”[/size]
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