Iraq Integrates 2,500 Yazidi Fighters Into National Security Forces

Approximately 2,500 fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units, or YBS, officially joined the Iraqi state security apparatus this week. A state ceremony on Monday marked the formal integration of the group, which had operated as a dominant armed force in the Sinjar governorate for years.

Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi announced the measure last month following a meeting with a delegation from the Yazidi Cause Alliance. The alliance is led by MP Murad Ismael. Ismael stated that implementation began immediately when YBS members handed over positions atop Mount Sinjar to the Iraqi Army. He noted that lists of names were submitted to the state to facilitate the administrative steps required for the transition.

The YBS, formed in the 2000s with links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, was originally created to protect the Yazidi minority. The group mobilized in August 2014 to fight the Islamic State, which killed at least 5,000 Yazidis and abducted thousands of women and girls during a genocide in the region.

The move has triggered a dispute between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, or KRG. KRG Interior Minister Reber Ahmed told reporters on Tuesday that the federal government failed to consult with Erbil before acting. He argued that the steps taken would not restore stability or enable displaced Yazidis to return home. The KRG maintains that Baghdad should have implemented the UN-backed 2020 Sinjar agreement, which called for the removal of non-state actors from the area.

Baghdad defended its authority over the district. Sabah al-Numan, a spokesperson for the prime minister, said the reorganization falls under the Iraqi government's vision to regulate weapons under federal institutions. He described the process as a comprehensive effort to reinforce the rule of law in Sinjar.

Turkey, which has long opposed the YBS due to its PKK ties, welcomed the integration. The Turkish Ministry of Defence announced on Wednesday that it supported Iraq's efforts to strengthen state authority. This stance follows a peace process between Ankara and the PKK that began in October 2024. Mehmet Alaca, a senior adviser at Babil Research, explained that Turkey's main concern was external PKK cadres rather than local forces. He predicted the situation would normalize similarly to the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria.

Journalist Ahmad Shingali, based in Sinjar, described the ongoing struggle as a proxy conflict driven by the interests of Iran and Turkey. He noted that the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in 2024 reduced the area's strategic value to Iran. The KRG feels sidelined by the federal government's unilateral actions, particularly after Peshmerga forces withdrew from the city in 2017.

The immediate administrative future of Sinjar remains uncertain. The district has lacked a mayor since provincial elections in 2023 due to factional disputes. The Nineveh Provincial Council recently opened a nomination window for the post. Former MP and district mayor Mahma Khalil argued that Sinjar requires its own administration in accordance with the constitution. He emphasized the need for compensation for victims and the rebuilding of destroyed homes.

According to an August report by the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency, 89,709 people, mostly Yazidis, remain displaced in camps within the Kurdistan Region. These residents have not returned home due to security concerns, weak governance, and a lack of reconstruction. Yazidi activist Mirza Dinnayi stated that the government's ability to resolve these complex issues remains a grey zone. He said success depends on the political will of all partners to avoid excluding local actors.

Prime Minister's spokesperson Numan said Baghdad is working with local authorities in Nineveh to select a competent local administration. The government plans to establish comprehensive security and service conditions to facilitate the safe return of displaced families. Resolving the administrative stalemate and addressing the status of the displaced remain the two largest hurdles to restoring normalcy to the district.