ISIS in pre-dawn assault on Peshmerga in Mosul's Tal Afar; fighting ongoing
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Islamic State militants launched a pre-dawn assault on Peshmerga frontlines on Wednesday in the village of Qasabatal Raai, near the ISIS-held town of Tal Afar in eastern Mosul, and the fighting is ongoing, a Peshmerga official said.
"At 5 am ISIS attacked Peshmerga frontlines with mortars and rockets. Clashes have been ongoing for two hours and the Peshmerga have fiercely been repulsing the attackers," a Peshmerga commander told Rudaw.
He added that that the number of ISIS casualties was not immediately clear, “but it is apparent for us that they have slain and injured."
“Coalition warplanes have been watching ISIS maneuvers and help the Peshmerga by bombing targets" from where the attacks against the Peshmerga are taking place,” the official said.
Tal Afar in western Nineveh Province is located approximately 63 kilometers west of Mosul, 52 km east of Shingal and 200 km northwest of Kirkuk.
The Kurdish Peshmerga have been repelling major ISIS attacks on different fronts since the extremists suffered a major setback at the hands of the Peshmerga in the village of Bashir on Sunday.
On Tuesday, ISIS waged multiple attacks against Peshmerga forces with 400 fighters in the town of Tel Skuf in northern Mosul, where 40 extremists were killed and one taken captive. An American serviceman was also killed.
"At 5 am ISIS attacked Peshmerga frontlines with mortars and rockets. Clashes have been ongoing for two hours and the Peshmerga have fiercely been repulsing the attackers," a Peshmerga commander told Rudaw.
He added that that the number of ISIS casualties was not immediately clear, “but it is apparent for us that they have slain and injured."
“Coalition warplanes have been watching ISIS maneuvers and help the Peshmerga by bombing targets" from where the attacks against the Peshmerga are taking place,” the official said.
Tal Afar in western Nineveh Province is located approximately 63 kilometers west of Mosul, 52 km east of Shingal and 200 km northwest of Kirkuk.
The Kurdish Peshmerga have been repelling major ISIS attacks on different fronts since the extremists suffered a major setback at the hands of the Peshmerga in the village of Bashir on Sunday.
On Tuesday, ISIS waged multiple attacks against Peshmerga forces with 400 fighters in the town of Tel Skuf in northern Mosul, where 40 extremists were killed and one taken captive. An American serviceman was also killed.