After a decade of division: What the disarming of Yazidi forces means for their future - analysis

The Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a Yazidi armed group, have agreed to disarm and integrate into Iraqi security forces, a move announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi on September 11. The deal, brokered with Yazidi MP Murad Ismael, aims to consolidate state authority over Sinjar Mountain and the district. This follows a broader push by Baghdad to centralize weapons control, though progress with the YBS has been easier than with Iranian-backed militias. The agreement could pave the way for stability in the Yazidi region, which has been divided since the 2014 ISIS genocide.

The Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a Yazidi armed group, have agreed to disarm and integrate into the Iraqi security forces. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi announced on September 11 that the YBS will hand over their weapons to the state, placing Sinjar Mountain under full federal authority. The deal, reached with Yazidi MP Murad Ismael, is part of Baghdad's broader push to centralize weapons control, though progress with the YBS has been easier than with more powerful Iranian-backed militias. The agreement could pave the way for stability in the Yazidi region, which has been divided since the 2014 ISIS genocide. The YBS emerged after the YPG, linked to the PKK, helped Yazidis flee the ISIS attack. This led to Turkey targeting Sinjar with airstrikes over the years, objecting to the PKK-linked presence. The disarmament coincides with a Turkish-PKK peace process and the dissolution of the SDF in Syria. Baghdad has promised infrastructure projects, reconstruction, compensation for affected residents, and land for one million residential plots. The article frames the deal as historic, noting that it preserves the rights of Yazidis within the law and constitution.