Kurdish rebel group withdrawing from Sinjar in N. Iraq after threats of Turkish attack

A Kurdish rebel group has said it is withdrawing from the town of Sinjar in northern Iraq. The move follows threats of an attack by Turkey. The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) said in a statement on Friday that they moved into Sinjar to protect the Yezidi people “from genocide” at the hands of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), and are now withdrawing “having reached that aim.” PKK fighters moved into Sinjar – about 120km west of Mosul – in 2015 with an offensive backed by the US-led coalition. The Turkish prime minister has threatened military strikes against the group who Ankara and its allies consider to be terrorists.