Ocalan sends a message regarding the Sinjar Resistance Units and the Iraqi army

This came in a message sent by Ocalan from Imrali prison to the Yazidi Kurds, and it was read on Wednesday during a mass gathering in Sinjar, in the presence of representatives of Yazidi civil society organizations and the people of the region, along with representatives of the Sinjar Resistance Units and the Sinjar Women’s Units (YJŞ).

Ocalan said that the joining of the Sinjar Resistance Units to the Iraqi army should not lead to their expulsion from the region, adding that "legitimate defense is a necessity in Sinjar," and that the units must "take their place within the Iraqi army."

He warned that the Yazidi people are "going through a stage of genocide" and do not enjoy legal protection, noting that there are discussions between the Sinjar Resistance Units and the Iraqi government to prepare an agreement document that was not signed by the Prime Minister.

He added that reports spoke of Türkiye blocking the agreement, saying that the Yazidis are not demanding an autonomous region, but rather “local democracy.”

Regarding the Kurdistan Workers' Party, Ocalan said that he removed the "obstacle" that the party represented to solving the problems in Sinjar, stressing that the party "exhausted its time and played its role," and that it decided to dissolve it and bears responsibility for that.

The message comes after a delegation from the Sinjar Resistance Units met with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Baghdad, on September 11. Following the meeting, Yazidi Kurdish MP Murad Ismail announced that an agreement had been reached to integrate the units into the official Iraqi security forces and hand over their weapons to the state.