Iraq absorbs 2,500 Sinjar fighters into national security forces

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi’s government completed the integration of the Sinjar Resistance Units, or YBS, into state security forces on Monday. The ceremony marked the formal entry of an estimated 2,500 local fighters into the Iraqi security apparatus, ending years of their autonomous operation in the Sinjar governorate.

The YBS, linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, has defended the Yazidi minority in the region since the 2000s. The group mobilized in August 2014 to fight Islamic State forces, which killed at least 5,000 Yazidis and abducted thousands during a genocide in the area. Iraqi MP Murad Ismael stated that the practical implementation began with the handover of specific positions on Mount Sinjar to the Iraqi Army.

The KRG’s Peshmerga forces retook Sinjar city in 2015, while Baghdad-backed Hashd al-Shaabi forces control the southern district. Despite these prior shifts in control, political disputes between armed factions have persisted. The latest integration has intensified these tensions, with the KRG interior ministry arguing on Tuesday that Baghdad should have followed the UN-backed 2020 Sinjar agreement instead.

KRG Interior Minister Reber Ahmed warned that steps taken without coordination with the KRG would not produce stability. He stated that the current approach would not help displaced Yazidis return home. In response, Iraqi government spokesperson Sabah al-Numan defended the move as an exercise of Baghdad’s authority to regulate weapons under federal institutions.

Turkey, which has long opposed the YBS due to its PKK links, welcomed the integration. The Turkish Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that it supports Iraq’s efforts to strengthen state authority in Sinjar. This shift follows a joint announcement on September 23 in which Turkey agreed to hand over the Zilkan military camp in Bashiqa to the Iraqi military, provided Baghdad ends the presence of banned foreign elements in Sinjar.

Thousands of Yazidis remain displaced in camps in the Kurdistan Region. An August report by the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency found that 89,709 people, mostly Yazidis, have not returned due to security concerns and lack of compensation. Sinjar has also lacked a mayor since 2023, and the Nineveh Provincial Council has recently opened a nomination window for the post.

Sinjar district mayor Mahma Khalil called for the creation of a distinct administrative region for Sinjar. He emphasized the need to compensate residents and rebuild destroyed homes. The Iraqi government says it is working with local authorities in Nineveh to select a consensus-based administration and plans to invest in economic development to facilitate the safe return of displaced families.