| Sinjar Resistance Units | |
|---|---|
| Yekîneyên Berxwedana Şengalê(YBŞ) | |
 YBŞ flag | |
| Leaders | Sheikh Khairy Khedr † Zeki Shingali †[1] Daniel Kınık |
| Dates of operation | 2007–present[2] |
| Headquarters | Sinjar,Nineveh Governorate,Iraq |
| Ideology | Yazidiregionalism Democratic confederalism |
| Political position | Left-wing tofar-left |
| Status | Active |
| Size | 4,000+[3] |
| Part of |  Sinjar Alliance Popular Mobilization Forces[4] |
| Allies |  Kurdistan Workers' Party (until 2025) Sinjar Women's UnitsÊzîdxan Protection Force (Until March 2017) Syrian Democratic Forces Iraq (sometimes) |
| Opponents |  Islamic State Syrian National Army TurkeyIraq (sometimes) ENKS(2017) |
| Battles and wars | |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | Turkey |
| Website | Official website |
TheSinjar Resistance Units (Kurdish:Yekîneyên Berxwedana Şengalê;YBŞ) is aYazidi militia formed inSinjar, northernIraq. It was formed in 2007 to protect Yazidis in the wake of theQahtaniyah bombings.[7] It is the second largest Yazidi militia, after the pro-KRGÊzîdxan Protection Force (HPÊ).[8] However, it is much more active than the HPÊ in fighting against theIslamic State.[8]
Together with its newly founded all-women offshoot, theÊzîdxan Women's Units (YJÊ), and the Sinjar Protection Units (HPŞ), in October 2015 it founded the all-Yazidi joint command umbrella structureSinjar Alliance. YBŞ and YJÊ are part of theKurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and work with thePeople's Defence Forces (HPG) of theKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[9][8] Parts of the YBŞ eventually joined thePopular Mobilization Forces (PMF) as part of an initiative to integrate into the regularIraqi Armed Forces; these elements are officially known as the80th Regiment.[4]
The militia was formed in Iraq in 2007 to protect Yazidis in Iraq in the wake ofattacks by Sunni Islamist insurgents as the Malik Al-Tawus Troop.[10] The Sinjar Resistance Units took part in the August 2014Northern Iraq offensive, killing at least 22 fighters of theIslamic State and destroying five armored vehicles in the vicinity of theSinjar Mountains.[2]
Hundreds of Yazidis received training fromPeople's Protection Units (YPG) instructors at the Serimli military base inQamishli, Syria, before being sent back to the Mount Sinjar frontlines.[11] These forces were re-branded as the "Sinjar Resistance Units".[12][13]
Its commanderSheikh Khairy Khedr waskilled in action during the October 2014 clashes in Sinjar.[14][15]
There have been increased tensions between the YBŞ and theKurdistan Regional Government (KRG). KRGPeshmerga forces fled Mount Sinjarwhen the Islamic State first attacked, leaving many Yazidis resentful and distrustful.[16]
In October 2015, the YBŞ participated in the foundation of theSinjar Alliance as an all-Yazidi joint commando umbrella structure. Besides their all-women offshoot, theÊzîdxan Women's Units (YJÊ), the formerlyPeshmerga-alignedProtection Force of Sinjar (HPŞ)[1] and other independent Yazidi units committed to the united Yazidi front.[17]
Sinjar clashes (2017) of 3 March 2017 occurred between pro-PKK forces, namely the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) and theÊzîdxan Women's Units (YJÊ), and theRojava Peshmerga that serve as the Kurdish National Council's paramilitary wing. After KNC forces entered the town of Khanasor in the Iraqi Sinjar Mountains, fighting broke out among unclear circumstances, resulting in dozens of casualties.
Under the joint command of the Sinjar Alliance, the Sinjar Resistance Units took part in theNovember 2015 Sinjar offensive.[18] In 2017, KRG-aligned media outlets claimed that around 800 members had left the YBŞ, and that 400 of them had joined the Peshmerga.[19][20]
In accordance with an agreement of the Iraqi government, parts of the YBŞ joined thePopular Mobilization Forces as the "80th Regiment", while transferring several positions in the Sinjar Mountains to theIraqi Army. However, the Iraqi military demanded that the YBŞ and other local militias withdrew from further posts as of early 2021; these demands were fuelled by the Iraqi government's desire to remove the PKK's presence from the Sinjar area. The YBŞ and other groups initially refused to follow these orders, arguing that they were not affiliated with the PKK.[4]
Malik al-Tawus is a self-defense group, believed to have been set up in 2007 to protect the Yazidi community in Iraq against attacks by radical Islamists.
'We have formed a troop of the brave and faithful from the Yazidi clan called the Malik Al-Tawus [King Peacock] troop'
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