5 YBŞ members jailed by Iraqi court on terror charges

According to local sources, five members of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ), which are affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), were arrested on terrorism charges by an Iraqi court in Nineveh province. This development followed the security forces’ response to a series of criminal incidents, including the kidnapping of an engineer and a hand grenades attack on an Iraqi army checkpoint, which left two officers injured. The YBŞ, predominantly comprising Yazidi combatants, functions under the direction of the PKK and has been designated as a terrorist entity, a label the group rejects. The group has denied the charges of kidnapping, claiming that the incident was the result of a conspiracy supported by an Iraqi security agency. This agency is said to have orchestrated the incident, resulting in the capture of five fighters who were subjected to ill-treatment by the army. The Iraqi Security Media Cell has confirmed the release of the engineer following a military operation that resulted in the wounding of two of his captors and the arrest of five others in northern Sinjar. Concurrently, concerns are mounting for the safety of the local population due to the recurrence of confrontations between Iraqi forces and YBŞ fighters, resulting in casualties on both sides.