2,500 fighters enter Iraqi service in Sinjar shift

Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government are locked in a dispute over who controls security in Sinjar. The conflict centered on the integration of the Sinjar Resistance Units, a Yazidi-led armed group, into the Iraqi state apparatus. A state ceremony on Monday marked the formal start of this process.

Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi announced the measure last month following a meeting with the Yazidi Cause Alliance. The group, led by MP Murad Ismael, had pushed for the integration. An estimated 2,500 local fighters from the YBS are expected to join Iraqi security forces. Ismael said implementation began Monday with the handover of positions on Mount Sinjar to the Iraqi Army.

The YBS was formed in the 2000s to protect the Yazidi minority. The group mobilized in August 2014 to fight Islamic State fighters after the IS genocide, which killed at least 5,000 Yazidis and abducted thousands of women and girls. The integration mirrors the absorption of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the Syrian state.

The Kurdistan Regional Government objects to Baghdad's unilateral move. KRG Interior Minister Reber Ahmed argued on Tuesday that the 2020 UN-backed Sinjar agreement should have been implemented first. That agreement was designed to remove non-state actors from the governorate. Ahmed stated that steps taken without KRG consultation would not restore stability or help displaced Yazidis return.

The Iraqi government maintains that Sinjar falls under federal authority. Spokesperson Sabah al-Numan said the reorganization aims to reinforce the rule of law and regulate weapons under federal institutions. He noted that the government is working with local Nineveh authorities to select a competent administration. Baghdad also plans economic development and reconstruction to facilitate the safe return of displaced families.

Turkey, which previously opposed the YBS due to its links with the PKK, has shifted its stance. Ankara stopped strikes after initiating a peace process with the PKK in October 2024. Mehmet Alaca, a researcher at Babil Research, said Turkey supports the integration of armed groups into state institutions. The Turkish Ministry of Defence welcomed Iraq's efforts to strengthen state authority in Sinjar on Wednesday.

Despite the military integration, administrative and social challenges remain. The Nineveh Provincial Council recently opened a nomination window for the Sinjar mayoral post, which has been vacant since the 2023 elections. According to an August report by the IOM and UNHCR, 89,709 people, mostly Yazidis, remain displaced in camps in the Kurdistan Region.

Yazidi activist Mirza Dinnayi described the path forward as a grey zone. He said success depends on political will and avoiding the exclusion of other local actors. Former MP Mahma Khalil, the current Sinjar district mayor, emphasized the need for a local administration and compensation for destroyed homes. The displaced population remains in limbo, lacking final return documentation and compensation for losses.