ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Iraqi military denied the description by Shingal mayor of "bad" conditions and called on media outlets not to follow such statements on Thursday.
On Monday, Mayor Mahma Khalil told Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) party media, KDP Info, that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a reference to the affiliated Shingal Protection Units (YBS), was moving freely across the Iraq-Syria border.
He also said the presence of the PKK-affiliated forces, in addition to the Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias, were preventing Shingal from enjoying security.
“As long as there are PKK and Hashd al-Shaabi in Shingal, the conditions of the area will never become stable and will remain bad,” Khalil said. The YBS denies deploying foreigners among its ranks in Shingal.
The Security Media Cell of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command rebuffed Khalil's remarks on Thursday.
“The Cell emphasizes that the security situation in Sinjar is under control, backed, and bolstered by the cooperation of the citizens and local forces in the district,” it stated on Thursday, using the Arabic name for the district.
The mayor told Rudaw English on Thursday that security conditions in Shingal weren't good, while urging the Iraqi government to establish control over the border with Syria.
"This isn't a dictatorship," said Khalil, adding that as the head of the Shingal administration and with its security portfolio by law, he is entitled to speak the "truth."
"These forces need to leave," he said, referring to the YBS. He added that the onus is on Baghdad to solve the issue because the Iraqi government had paid their salaries.
Khalil told Rudaw TV on Sunday night that the clashes occurred when a YBS military vehicle came under fire from the Iraqi Army as it was attempting to cross into Iraq.
The Security Media Cell renewed its request for civilian authorities to abstain from press statements regarding evaluating the security situation in all of the areas of the country without knowing or being informed
"We urge the media outlets not to follow such statements and to depend on information coming from specialized sources," the media cell added.
The Chief of Staff of Iraqi Armed Forces Gen. Othman al-Ghanimi visited Shingal on Wednesday.
“[We came here] to check the security conditions, especially in light of the final fights east of Euphrates undergoing [in Syria] to check out the stationing [of army] sectors. And we might bereinforcing them,” Ghanimi told media and Ministry of Defense during the visit.
He also addressed the recent reported clashes between the Iraqi Army and YBS.
“There was a very big exaggeration of the topic,” Ghanimi said.
He revealed Iraqi forces will increase their control in Shingal and to the west.
“What happened in Sinjar is a normal event that can happen. We have formed an investigative committee to find the truth and make the appropriate decision," he added.
On Sunday, clashes occurred between Iraqi Army and YBS. Each side blamed the other. On Tuesday, following talks and with the Iraqi Army demanding that the YBS handover culprits, clashes restarted.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said the situation is "totally under control" during his weekly press conference on Tuesday night.
In Shingal various armed factions operate including the YBS, Hashd al-Shaabi, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga, local police and security, federal police, and provincial authorities.
Through parts of the ISIS conflict, Baghdad paid YBS salaries in Shingal. However last year, former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said all foreign fighters should leave the country.
Lacking a security agreement between Erbil and Baghdad, the security situation in the Yezidi homeland of Shingal remains uncertain.