Iraq begins integrating Sinjar Resistance Units into federal forces

SHIGUR (SINJAR), Iraq — Iraq began transferring strategic military positions on Mount Shigur (Sinjar) to federal forces on 26 October, as the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) agreed to end their independent military structure and integrate their members into the country’s official security institutions.

The move, overseen by Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Ali al-Zaidi, is intended to consolidate state authority in Shigur (Sinjar), a predominantly Yezidi district, with a Syriac and Armenian minority, in Nineveh Governate that has struggled to recover from the terrorist ISIS organization’s 2014 genocide.

Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, said the process was part of the government’s efforts to organize security responsibilities under federal authority and ensure that weapons remain under state control.

According to Iraqi security officials, specialized committees will oversee the integration of YBS fighters into official institutions. The group has put its combined strength, including the Sinjar Women’s Units, at approximately 4,165 fighters, although the process is expected to proceed in phases.

The YBS emerged following the terrorist ISIS organization’s August 2014 assault on Shigur, during which thousands of Yezidis, Syriacs, and others were killed or abducted and tens of thousands were forced to flee. Women and girls were subjected to systematic sexual enslavement, while homes and religious sites were destroyed.

The assault also forced Syriac families and members of other communities to flee their homes, adding to the region’s displacement crisis. The destruction and insecurity that followed affected Sinjar’s wider social fabric, leaving communities struggling to recover their homes, livelihoods and sense of security.

Mount Shigur became a refuge for civilians fleeing the militants, and Yezidi armed formations subsequently participated in efforts to defend and retake the area.

The YBS’s links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have made its presence a longstanding source of tension with Turkey, which regards the group as affiliated with the PKK, designated by Ankara as a terrorist organization.

Local armed formations, for many Yezidis, emerged in response to the failure to protect the community during the genocide. Integrating these forces into state institutions therefore raises important questions about how the government will maintain security while addressing the community’s concerns.

The handover also comes amid renewed efforts to implement the Shigur Agreement, signed by the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government in October 2020.

The agreement sought to reorganize security and administration in the district, remove armed groups operating outside the official framework, and facilitate reconstruction and the return of displaced residents. Its implementation has remained incomplete.

On 23 September 2026, Iraq and Turkey agreed to pursue full federal authority in Shigur and address the presence of armed groups operating outside state control. The latest handover represents a concrete step toward that objective, although the full integration process remains underway.