Iraqi security forces on Oct. 26 have taken control of key military positions held by the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), a group affiliated with the PKK terrorist organization, as the group prepares to disarm and integrate into Iraq’s security institutions.
The handover is part of a broader process to bring the group’s members, weapons and military positions under state control, according to statements by Iraqi authorities.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell announced that the transfer of military positions in the Sinjar district began, confirming that Iraqi security forces took over several key sites previously held by the YBS. Additional positions were expected to be handed over later on Oct. 26.
A ceremony scheduled for Oct. 26 on Mount Sinjar will mark a new phase in the process, with around 2,000 YBS members expected to lay down their arms.
A further 3,000 to 4,000 members are expected to disarm in subsequent stages, while YBS personnel will be distributed among the Iraqi army, police and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), also known as al-Hashd al-Shaabi, an Iraqi state-sponsored paramilitary umbrella organization.
Sabah al-Numan, military spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, said the process would also involve reorganizing the group’s military ties with Iraqi security forces and transferring responsibility for security on Mount Sinjar to the relevant federal authorities.
Al-Numan said the initiative was part of the government’s policy to bring all weapons under state control, adding that Iraq’s Constitution prohibits the formation of armed groups outside the country’s official armed forces.
The developments come amid broader efforts by Ankara and Baghdad to strengthen state authority in Sinjar and eliminate the presence of unauthorized armed groups.
Türkiye and Iraq agreed on Sept. 23 to restore full state authority in Sinjar and end the presence of banned foreign armed groups, according to a joint statement issued after Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan met Iraqi al-Zaidi on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Under the agreement, Turkish forces are to gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan military compound to Iraq’s federal government, in line with progress on Baghdad’s security measures and an agreed mechanism and timetable.
The move also comes as Türkiye continues its “terror-free Türkiye” initiative, aimed at ending the PKK’s terror in the country. While the disarmament process is ongoing, Ankara has called for a broader regional approach, urging that all groups affiliated with the PKK across the region should lay down their arms.
