In mid April, the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) of South Kurdistan sent armed forces to the mountain peaks above the village of Zînî Wertê in the Qandil Mountains. The area belongs to the region controlled by the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan).

The KDP’s move was widely criticized for serving the interests of the Turkish state that seeks to occupy the region as part of its genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people and their lands in three parts of Kurdistan.

Religious leaders in South Kurdistan went to Zînî Wertê Tuesday morning and called for the KDP to withdraw its forces here to Kirkuk.

Representatives of Muslim, Shia, Yazidi, Yarsani, Kakai faith groups, religious leaders and a group of writers in southern Kurdistan, northern Iraq, went to Zini Werte this morning to express their solidarity with the people living in the region. The group then made a statement to the press.

Speaking in the name of the delegation, religious leader Mele Nadir siad; “Zînî Wertê is a settlement of peace and calm. There is no need for the deployment of any force here. These forces must rather be sent to Kirkuk, Jalawla and Xanaqin which are under the threat of ISIS.”

Nadir emphasised that Zînî Wertê should not be turned into an intelligence center of the Turkish state.

The delegation highlighted the demands of the people in Zînî Wertê and called for the establishment of peace in the region.

Zînî Wertê, where the KDP is piling up its military forces, is located in the Şawrê Valley, in the region of Wertê, 35 kilometers from the town of Ranya. The road connecting the towns of Choman and Ranya passes through this region. It's a strait located between Qandil and Karox mountains.

This is a military strategic region and the forces deployed here can very easily control the valleys of Şawrê and Zergele in Qandil.

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