The two killed were Ismael Fars, a father of two from Halabja, and Surkew Rashid, a father of three from Sulaimani.
Rashid spoke to his wife and children just one hour before the attack, his father told Rudaw.
Local Peshmerga told Rudaw their comrades rushed to the scene after they spotted around ten ISIS fighters on Garmiyan security force CCTV footage, alongside members of the Asayesh (security forces); they were met with sniper fire from the militants on arrival. Irfan Hamakhan, a Peshmerga commander, told Rudaw that the incident took place at 10:45 pm.
ISIS was declared territorially defeated in Iraq in December 2017. But the group has continued to operate in sleeper cell formation, conducting deadly attacks on military personnel and civilians, as well as acts of extortion of locals in order to fund their fight.
Parts of the Garmiyan region have long been disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi federal government. The area remains a hotbed of ISIS activity due to the lack of cooperation between Kurdish and Iraqi security forces.
Kurdish security forces in Garmiyan on Thursday announced the arrest of a local Islamic State (ISIS) leader who has confessed to taking part in several attacks on Peshmerga forces in Diyala, a neighbouring province. Eleven ISIS militants have been arrested in Garmiyan since the beginning of 2020, according to local Asayesh – including three leaders, known as emirs.
Iraqi and Kurdish military officials have warned of a resurgence of the militant group in Iraq and in neighbouring Syria, as has the Pentagon.
Some of the Kurdistan Region's most prominent political leaders published messages of both condolence and defiance in response to the deaths of Fars and Rashid, including Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
"The fight against #ISIS is not over & brave #Peshmergas like Surkew Rashid & Ismael Fars, who sadly lost their lives in defending #Kurdistan, are proof of the ongoing battle with terrorism. My condolences to the families of these courageous men, we will continue in your stead," tweeted Lahur Talabani, co-leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) on Wednesday, alongside images of those killed.I extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of our fallen Peshmerga heroes, Surkew Rasheed and Ismail Faris, who made the ultimate sacrifice last night in a clash with ISIS terrorists in Garmiyan.
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) April 8, 2020
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani said the attack "is a reminder that the #ISIS terrorists continue to constitute a threat. It is imperative that the anti-terrorism efforts by Erbil, Baghdad and the coalition remain a priority."
Updated at 11:03 pm on April 8, 2020
