At 0200hrs on 25 April, as a result of Turkish airstrikes, targeting Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK, positions on and around Mount Sinjar, five Peshmerga were martyred and nine wounded.
 
This painful and unacceptable attack on Peshmerga forces by Turkish warplanes is a result of PKK's presence in and around Sinjar. PKK has been problematic for the people of the Kurdistan Region and, despite broad calls to withdraw, refuses to leave Sinjar.
 
We call upon PKK to withdraw from Mount Sinjar and surrounding areas. PKK must stop destabilizing and escalating tensions in the area to allow life to return to the people of the region.