Baghdad reaches agreement to ease Sinjar tensions
Shafaq News/ Iraqi authorities have reached a security agreement to dismantle protest camps in Sinjar, a senior military source revealed on Saturday.
The source from the West Nineveh Operations Command told Shafaq News Agency that two days of negotiations—attended by the commander of Iraq’s ground forces as well as Yazidi tribal and religious leaders—resulted in a deal under which military reinforcements will be withdrawn from specific locations in the city center in exchange for ending the sit-in.
However, the source confirmed that the 20th Division of the Iraqi Army and other deployed forces will remain stationed at key checkpoints and city entrances to maintain security.
Recently, tensions escalated when the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) fighters reportedly threw a grenade at an Iraqi army unit, prompting Iraqi forces to detain five of the group’s members.
In response, hundreds of Yazidis staged protests, demanding the release of the detainees, and set up sit-in camps in central Sinjar. The deteriorating security situation led the government to dispatch additional military forces to the area.
Baghdad and Erbil reached an agreement on October 9, 2020, to normalize conditions in Sinjar, which included joint management of administrative, security, and service affairs. However, this agreement has not yet been effectively implemented due to political reasons, according to officials in the Kurdistan Region.
