BAGHDAD,— At least 76 signatures have been collected in the Iraqi Parliament to question Massoud Barzani on the 2014 fall of Sinjar (Shingal) and Nineveh to Islamic State (IS) fighters.

Barzani, who’s term as President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) ended on August 20, was leader of the region during IS’ rampage across northern Iraq.

A member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Iraqi parliament, Bakhtiar Shaways, told Xendan and that the State of Law Coalition Deputy Awatif Nima has received the approval of 76 deputies and has delivered the demand to parliament leadership board.

Iraqi MP Bakhtiyar Shaways told NRT on Tuesday that Kurdish MPs have declined to sign the petition.

“Iraqi Parliament member from the State of Law bloc, Awatif Nima, sent the request to the Parliament’s leadership after she collected the signatures,” Shaways said.

Iraqi lawmakers claim Barzani bears responsibility for the fall of Sinjar and Nineveh and should face a hearing.

The KDP party led by Barzani was criticised for failing to protect the Yazidi minority during a major IS onslaught a year ago, while the PKK and its Syrian sister party are widely seen as the Yazidis’ saviors.

Islamic State has extended its control on most parts of Sinjar district on August 3, 2014 after Iraqi Kurdish KDP forces withdrew from Sinjar without a fight, leaving behind the Kurdish Yazidi civilians, which led thousands of Kurdish families to flee to Mount Sinjar, where they were trapped in it and suffered from significant lack of water and food, killing and abduction of thousands of Yazidis as well as rape and captivity of thousands of women.

The Yazidis beg the KDP Peshmerga to at least leave them their weapons so as to give them a chance at defending themselves against IS militants, but the Peshmergas refuse, Yazidi refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan said.

Thousands of Yazidi Kurdish women and girls have been forced to marry or been sold into sexual slavery by the IS jihadists, according to Human Rights organizations and observers.

Barzani is not the only leader to be called on for questioning regarding the fall of Iraq’s Nineveh province to extremists.

Iraq’s Parliament referred a report to the judiciary on August 16, calling for former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and dozens of top officials to face a trial for their roles in the fall of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.

Source: eKurd.com