Many Yazidis joined the PKK for "economic motives", Says PMF Official

Shafaq News/ A senior commander in Iraq's al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF) on Tuesday said that many Yazidis were driven to join the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by economic difficulties and the lack of job opportunities.

The Commander of Nineveh's PMF Operations, Khudair al-Matrouhi, told Shafaq News Agency that "75% of the PKK members consist of Arabs and Yezidis who joined the party due to living conditions and the lack of employment opportunities."

"The party provides its members with monthly salaries of up to $300," he elaborated.

"Dissuading the locals from joining PKK is the responsibility of the relevant government bodies, and we have raised this issue repeatedly," he said.

"The number of PKK members in Sinjar of Yazidi origins is small, and if Iraqi citizens can be integrated into the group and their needs secured, addressing the PKK threat would not be difficult."

Matrouhi also highlighted that "PMF forces from Brigades 74 and 60 are stationed to the south of Sinjar, fully securing the areas. They are far removed from any political or ethnic conflicts."