YBŞ puts weapons under Iraq’s state control

Shafaq News- Nineveh

The Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) have agreed to integrate into Iraq's federal security forces and end their independent military status under a deal with Baghdad to bring their weapons under state control, the group said Monday.

The agreement covers the YBŞ and the Sinjar Women's Units, which together comprise 4,165 fighters, according to a statement. The group said joining state institutions would not erase its history or diminish the sacrifices made during years of fighting. Instead, it portrayed the deal as a shift from years of genocide and war to a new role within Iraq's security system.

"As ISIS seized large areas of Iraq, including parts of Nineveh province, local Yazidi fighters organized to defend Mount Sinjar, leading to the formation of the resistance units," the statement read, describing placing weapons under state control and unifying security decisions as "essential to preventing ISIS's return" and safeguarding stability across the country.

Earlier today, Sabah Al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces, confirmed that Baghdad would incorporate the YBŞ into state security institutions and transfer security responsibility in Mount Sinjar to federal authorities. The government also pledged to uphold Yazidis' rights, compensate victims' families, and fund the district's reconstruction.

YBŞ emerged after ISIS attacked Sinjar and carried out genocide against the Yazidi community in 2014. The group has close ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). In October 2020, Erbil and Baghdad signed the Sinjar Agreement, which called on armed groups operating outside the state system, including PKK-affiliated forces, to withdraw from the area.

Read more: Over 110,000 Sinjar residents still displaced after nearly 12 years