At least 3 Peshmerga killed and 13 wounded in Kirkuk offensive

KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region - At least three Peshmerga soldiers were killed in Kirkuk early Friday and 13 wounded, some with life-threatening injuries, after Kurdish forces launched a ground offensive to recapture areas south of Kirkuk city, military officials told Rudaw.

General Yaseen Abdulla of the 9th Peshmerga  Brigade said the offensive was supported by coalition airstrikes targeting positions of the Islamic State group (ISIS).

He said the Peshmerga casualties were from ISIS snipers and buried landmines around the villages.

“We have two mobile hospitals with us there which treat the wounded,” Abdulla said, adding that US military doctors were also involved in treating wounded Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Region.

The Peshmerga launched a three-pronged ground offensive to drive out ISIS militants from 13 villages on Friday morning.  Abdullah said at least two of them, Talrabaa and Albu Muhammad, had been fully recaptured.

A statement issued by the US-led coalition forces said Thursday that 28 rounds of airstrikes had targeted ISIS positions in the past 24 hours, including in Kirkuk.

It added that coalition air power targeted 18 sites in Khurmatu, Shingal, Mosul, Ramadi and other Iraqi areas, destroying “technical units and vehicles” belonging to ISIS.