ISIS blow up Shingal buildings as Peshmerga tighten the noose around the group

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Islamic State (ISIS) militants blew up a number of major buildings in the Kurdish Yezidi town of Shingal Wednesday as they came under heavy Peshmerga fire from several fronts, said a commander.

Cpt. Aziz Muhammad of the 433rd operation command said that the militants detonated “a number of large and tall buildings especially those that overlook the main road between Kurdistan Region and Rojava,”

Cpt. Muhammad told Rudaw that ISIS “fears the buildings would soon fall to the Peshmerga who will use them to target the radical militants,”

On Wednesday Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a major offensive on several fronts against ISIS west of Mosul and captured more than 500 square kilometers from the group.

Masrour Barzani, head of Kurdistan Region’s Security Council told reporters that the bodies of 200 ISIS militants were left on the battlefield while the Peshmerga destroyed 16 car bombs.

Cpt. Muhammad said that the Peshmerga forces are also tightening the noose around ISIS militants in Shingal and that the group is about to be cut off from their main base in Mosul and Syria.