ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Peshmerga forces carried out a raid in coordination with US-led coalition warplanes to trace the whereabouts of ISIS remnants around Mount Qarachogh on Saturday, killing a number of militants, according to an official.
Sirwan Barzani, commander of the Peshmerga forces on the Gwer-Makhmour front, told Rudaw the operation began around 6pm. Three ISIS militants were killed.
Coalition warplanes backed the operation, providing aerial support and targeting the group’s hideouts.
Mount Qarachogh lies near the town of Makhmour, around 60 kilometers southwest of Erbil.
Peshmerga have been stationed on the mountain since pulling out of Makhmour itself in the wake of the October 16 events, when Kurdish forces withdrew from the disputed or Kurdistani areas claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil.
Although the Iraqi government declared the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, there have been sporadic military confrontations between ISIS remnants and Iraqi Security Forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga — around Makhmour and in the Hamrin mountains in Saladin province.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)’s deputy leader in Kirkuk, Ravand Mala Mahmud, warned on Saturday that ISIS forces are able to move easily between the villages of the disputed province.
“The presence of ISIS in the Kirkuk area has increased. ISIS forces move between the villages near Havija, Rashad, Mala Abdullah, and Daquq. They put the life of the residents of these villages in danger,” Mahmud told Rudaw.
“The past experience tells us that if the movement of ISIS forces will not be stopped in these villages, they will expand their activities to Kirkuk city,” he added.
“We have not said that Kirkuk is on fire, but it is not as safe as some Iraqi officials say. The only solution is to return Peshmerga to Kirkuk.”
Sirwan Barzani, commander of the Peshmerga forces on the Gwer-Makhmour front, told Rudaw the operation began around 6pm. Three ISIS militants were killed.
Coalition warplanes backed the operation, providing aerial support and targeting the group’s hideouts.
Mount Qarachogh lies near the town of Makhmour, around 60 kilometers southwest of Erbil.
Peshmerga have been stationed on the mountain since pulling out of Makhmour itself in the wake of the October 16 events, when Kurdish forces withdrew from the disputed or Kurdistani areas claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil.
Although the Iraqi government declared the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, there have been sporadic military confrontations between ISIS remnants and Iraqi Security Forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga — around Makhmour and in the Hamrin mountains in Saladin province.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)’s deputy leader in Kirkuk, Ravand Mala Mahmud, warned on Saturday that ISIS forces are able to move easily between the villages of the disputed province.
“The presence of ISIS in the Kirkuk area has increased. ISIS forces move between the villages near Havija, Rashad, Mala Abdullah, and Daquq. They put the life of the residents of these villages in danger,” Mahmud told Rudaw.
“The past experience tells us that if the movement of ISIS forces will not be stopped in these villages, they will expand their activities to Kirkuk city,” he added.
“We have not said that Kirkuk is on fire, but it is not as safe as some Iraqi officials say. The only solution is to return Peshmerga to Kirkuk.”
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