After Sinjar clashes: Yazidis urge Iraq’s al-Sudani to free fighters

Shafaq News/ On Sunday, the Yazidi Civil Society in the Sinjar district called on Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to secure the release of Yazidi fighters detained after clashes with the Iraqi army.

In a statement, the group expressed regret over what it called a "misunderstanding" that recently occurred between five Yazidi fighters and an Iraqi army unit, resulting in injuries on both sides.

The Yazidi Civil Society appealed to al-Sudani to resolve the issue by releasing the fighters, stating that "they played a crucial role in protecting Iraq." It emphasized that fair treatment of them "would strengthen trust among national components and reaffirm the government's commitment to the principles of tolerance."

The group also praised the government's efforts in adopting reconstruction projects in Sinjar, devastated by the ISIS attack in 2014, and called for their acceleration to ensure the provision of basic services and the safe, dignified return of the displaced.

On March 18, clashes broke out in Sinjar, Nineveh Province, between an Iraqi army unit and armed members of the Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ), affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), 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.