BAGHDAD

Head of northern Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Masrour Barzani, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have underlined the importance of implementing the Sinjar Agreement signed with Baghdad.

This came during a meeting of the two sides on Saturday on the sidelines of a regional security summit in the Bahraini capital, Manama, according to a statement issued by the KRG.

Austin reaffirmed KRG as “an important ally and partner of the United States in the region” and renewed Washington’s “commitment to continue supporting the Kurdistan region and the Peshmerga forces in confronting Daesh/ISIS," the statement said.

The statement noted that Barzani and Austin stressed the importance of "implementing the Sinjar Agreement, and resolving outstanding issues between Baghdad and Erbil."

On October 9, 2020, Baghdad announced a "historic deal" with the KRG to bolster the federal government's authority in Sinjar under the constitution in terms of governance and security.

The agreement also stipulates ending the presence of the PKK terrorist organization in Sinjar and canceling any role for entities associated with it in the region.

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

Some 450,000 Ezidis escaped Sinjar after Daesh/ISIS took control of the region.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US, and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar