Iraq Begins Integrating Shengal (Sinjar) Resistance Units into Federal Forces

Iraq has begun transferring military positions held on Mount Shengal (Sinjar) to federal forces after the Shengal Resistance Units (YBS) agreed to end their independent military structure, Iraqi officials and regional media reported on 26 October 2026.

Under the arrangements, some 4,165 YBS fighters are expected to be integrated into Iraq's official security institutions, according to figures announced by the Iraqi Security Media Cell, which said the process is overseen by the office of the Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief.

The move covers the predominantly Ezidi district of Shengal, some 100 kilometres west of Mosul, where the YBS has maintained its own armed presence since the 2014 ISIS genocide campaign against the Ezidi community, when the group was formed to defend the mountain and its residents.

The Kurdistan Regional Government reacted critically to the manner of the process. The KRG Interior Ministry warned against unilateral measures taken in Shengal without the involvement of regional authorities, saying such steps undermine coordination over a district that falls within a disputed zone under Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution.

Local Ezidi representatives remain divided over the integration, with some warning that the dismantling of the YBS structure could leave the community exposed, while Baghdad argues that state authority must be consolidated across all of its territory.

Observers say full implementation of the integration remains underway, with further detail still expected on the timeline for individual fighters and the future of weapons on the mountain. (Source: Kurdistan24 / Rudaw / SyriacPress)