Joint Iraqi-Peshmerga operation destroys ISIS caves and hideouts

The Ministry of Peshmerga did not confirm where the operation was carried out.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/01/01 19:01

A Peshmerga fighter stands guard at an outpost near territories disputed between the KRG and Iraqi government. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A joint Iraqi-Peshmerga operation destroyed ISIS hideouts and caves, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga said in a tweet on Saturday.

17th Infantry Brigade forces of @KRG_MOPE & #ISF did a successful joint operation, in that operation they destroyed some caves & hideouts of #ISIS terrorists plus some weapons & explosives. #defeatdaesh #StrongerTogether #cnn #bbcnews. pic.twitter.com/rcyJWdj1og
— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) December 31, 2021

"17th Infantry Brigade forces of @KRG_MOPE & #ISF did a successful joint operation, in that operation they destroyed some caves & hideouts of #ISIS terrorists plus some weapons & explosives," the ministry tweeted.

The Ministry of Peshmerga did not say where the operation was carried out.

General Sirwan Barzani, the Peshmerga Commander at the Gwer-Makhmour front line, earlier told Kurdistan 24 that five ISIS terrorists were killed in two separate operations by the Peshmerga forces in coordination with the US-led coalition and the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).

The operations were carried out against ISIS positions near the Qarachokh Mountain.

Since Nov. 27, ISIS militants have killed 23 people, including Peshmerga fighters and civilians of the Kurdistan Region.

After the Kurdistan Region's 2017 independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed armed groups of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) pushed the Peshmerga out of Kirkuk and other disputed territories, creating a large security vacuum that ISIS was able to use for staging hit-and-run attacks against the Peshmerga and ISF.

As a result of the increased ISIS attacks, cooperation increased between the Peshmerga and ISF in recent weeks.

In a sign of increased cooperation, a joint brigade of the Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga was deployed to the disputed village of Lheban northwest of Kirkuk on Dec. 6 following an ISIS attack there.