At a Glance

• A total of 4,200 YBŞ members are transitioning into the Iraqi security forces, beginning with 2,500 fighters on Monday.

• All YBŞ checkpoints, bases, and headquarters on Mount Sinjar will be formally transferred to the Iraqi government.

• The Kurdistan Regional Government representatives are not participating in the ceremony.

Thousands of members of the Shingal Resistance Units (YBŞ) forces will join the ranks of the Iraqi security forces on Monday. 

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Hadi Elias, spokesperson for the YBŞ, told Channel8 that 2,500 of their members will join Iraqi forces. 

• Elias stated that in the second phase of the process, 1,700 members in Shingal (Sinjar) will join the Iraqi security forces, bringing the total number of YBŞ members integrating into the Iraqi army to 4,200.

The YBŞ checkpoints on Mount Shingal in the Chil Mera area will be handed over to security forces. 

Additionally, all bases, headquarters, and locations previously held by the group on the mountain will be formally transferred to the Iraqi government.

Channel8 has learned that representatives of the Kurdistan Regional Government are not participating in the formal ceremony. 

An Iraqi government military delegation visited Mount Sinjar on Saturday to hold a series of meetings with YBŞ forces. 

Following the merger, Iraqi security forces are scheduled to deploy to the bases, headquarters, and locations previously held by the group.

FYI

The Shingal Resistance Units is a Yazidi armed group formed in 2014 to protect the Yazidi community following the attacks carried out by ISIS in the region. 

This merger follows a directive issued on September 30, when Abdullah Ocalan sent a message calling on the YBŞ to merge into the Iraqi army. 

This development built upon a framework established on September 11, during a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi and a delegation from the Yazidi Cause Alliance. 

Following those talks, Zaidi announced that local resistance groups in Shingal would systematically hand over their weapons to the state, guaranteeing that the legal rights of members would be fully protected under Iraqi law.

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