By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Iraqi troops took control of a strategic position on Mount Sinjar on October 26 as Baghdad began integrating the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a Yazidi force linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), into state security institutions. The group has agreed to end its independent military status, but a full transfer of its positions and personnel has not been confirmed.
Federal Forces Take Mountain Post
Lt. Gen. Saad Maan, head of Iraq's Security Media Cell, said federal troops had taken the highest point on Mount Sinjar. The Qalaa area and other positions were also due to be handed over. Committees have been assigned to oversee the fighters' integration.
Sabah al-Numan, military spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, said Baghdad would assume responsibility for security on the mountain. The government also pledged to protect the rights of Yazidis who fought Islamic State, compensate victims' families and support reconstruction in Sinjar.
Integration Agreement Covers 4,165 Fighters
The YBS and the Sinjar Women's Units put their combined strength at 4,165 fighters. That is their declared total, not a verified count of personnel already enrolled in federal forces.
Rudaw, citing a senior YBS commander, reported that about 2,000 fighters were expected to join in the first phase. Yazidi lawmaker Murad Ismail said some could return to civilian life. Baghdad has not released a final breakdown of assignments to the army, police or Popular Mobilization Forces.
The YBS emerged after Islamic State's 2014 assault on Sinjar, when thousands of Yazidis were killed or abducted. Some members later joined Iraq's state-funded Popular Mobilization Forces, while the group maintained a separate armed presence.
Bashiqa Handover Still Has No Announced Date
The moves follow the September 23 Türkiye–Iraq agreement on Sinjar security and the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp near Mosul. Following talks in New York between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister al-Zaidi, the two governments agreed to restore Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and remove what their joint statement called outlawed foreign armed elements. The Turkish camp's phased handover was linked to progress on those measures.
The transfer of the mountain position does not establish that the wider Sinjar security arrangements have been completed. Although Ankara and Baghdad have agreed on a handover mechanism and timetable, neither government has publicly disclosed a transfer date for Bashiqa-Zilkan.
A separate 2020 agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government set out security and administrative arrangements for Sinjar. The latest military transfer does not establish whether its provisions on local administration, reconstruction and displaced Yazidis' return have been fulfilled.
Sources: Iraq's Security Media Cell, Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office, Sinjar Resistance Units statement, Türkiye's Directorate of Communications, Shafaq News, Rudaw, Associated Press, Reuters, Bosphorus News review and reporting.