ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Two Peshmerga soldiers and at least eight members of the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi militia were killed in ongoing clashes in Khurmatu, in fighting that erupted the night before, sources told Rudaw on Sunday. “We can say there is an urban battle between the Hashd al Shaabi and the Kurds,” said Mala Kareem Shukr, a Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Peshmerga commander. He said that one civilian also was killed and several wounded. Peshmerga casualties include a Kurdish commander and two soldiers, he added. A Peshmerga force entered Khurmatu, targeting the Shiite fighters with heavy weapons and closing all main roads to stop the militia from bringing in reinforcements. Khurmatu is located on the main highway that connects the Kurdistan Region to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
