Kurdistan Regional Government


 

Prime Minister Barzaniā€™s statement on the liberation of Sinjar

 

On behalf of the Kurdistan Regional Government, I am pleased to join the people of Kurdistan and the free world to congratulate MasoudBarzani, President of Kurdistan Region, Commander in Chief of Peshmerga forces and supervisor of Sinjar liberation operation and all the brave Peshmergas for liberating Sinjar.

I would also like to congratulate the people of Kurdistan in general and in particular the Yezidi Kurds, the Mir of Yezidis, Baba Sheikh and the members of the spiritual council of Yezidis on the liberation of Sinjar. I offer my deepest condolences to the fallen Peshmergas and wish a speedy recovery for the wounded.

I express my utmost appreciation for the government and the people of the United States for their vital support to the Peshmergas during the Sinjar liberation operation. We, as the people of Kurdistan Region, are also grateful for the contributions of the Counter-ISIS Coalition members as well as our neighboring countries and our friends in the international community for supporting our region in combating the ISIS terrorists and preserving stability and peaceful coexistence in Kurdistan.

Liberation of Sinjar is very important to the people of Kurdistan and the civilized world. The ISIS terrorists have committed grave crimes in Syria and Iraq but the most barbaric and heinous crimes were committed in Sinjar. ISIS committed another Anfal against Kurds in Sinjar. Hundreds of Yezidi women and girls were kidnapped. Although we have managed to rescue a large number of Yezidi women and girls, still a considerable number of them remain in ISIS captivity. I would like to reiterate that we will not rest and we will not forget the pain of Sinjar mass killing until we rescue all Yezidi women and girls from ISIS.The Kurdistan Regional Government will also continue its efforts to gain international recognition for the crimes committed against Yezidi Kurds as acts of genocide.

Barbaric attacks of ISIS terrorists on Sinjar have caused mass destruction. As I promised during my visit to the Shrine of Sheikh Sharaffadin, reconstruction and development of the Sinjar area and delivery of public services will be our top priority, we call upon the international community to help us rebuild Sinjar.

I am pleased to inform the beloved people of Sinjar that we will take all the legal and administrative measures in support of their demand to turn Sinar into a province.


NechirvanBarzani
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister
13 November 2015