After recent attacks in the area, “we suspected that [ISIS militants] had infiltrated into Peshmerga territories,” read a statement from the Peshmerga ministry.
The Peshmerga carried out search and clearance operations in the vicinity of Gwer district, 50 kilometers west of Erbil. The first operation in the morning lasted three hours and was followed by a second in the afternoon “to further ensure the residents of the area” that they are safe, according to the statement.
The ministry did not mention if any ISIS fighters were arrested or killed.
Abbas Mohammed is a resident of Kapran village. He said that some villagers have spotted four armed men they suspect were ISIS members.
“I personally saw a person running and we shot at him, but he was not hit due to trees,” he told Rudaw’s Behroz Faraidun on Friday, adding that a shepherd was briefly kidnapped and said after his release that the abductors were ISIS members.
The shepherd, aged 16 or 17, was seized by militants who called out to him and grabbed him when he approached. It is unclear how he was released but he was “terrified” after his ordeal, said Asi Ali, another resident of the same Kurdish village.
Some residents have reportedly abandoned their homes.
Gwer is located in an area disputed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). It has been a safe haven for ISIS sleeper cells because of the security gap between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, as well as the rugged landscape. ISIS has taken advantage of the situation to move around, harass local residents, and carry out attacks.
ISIS gunmen killed a resident of Kapran village late last month who was going fishing on a nearby river.
Erbil and Baghdad have discussed establishing joint brigades to secure areas between their forces such as around Gwer. Talks stalled because of elections and a year of political wrangling to form a government, but funds for two joint brigades are included in the draft 2023 budget.
