Peshmerga forces receive bulldozers from coalition
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – US Col. Jeffrey Todd Burroughs, Deputy Director Military Advisor Group North, confirmed in a tweet on Tuesday that the Ministry of Peshmerga has received eight bulldozers through the US Department of Defense (DoD)-funded Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund (CTEF) program.
"Eight bulldozers divested this week to enable the #Peshmerga to #DefeatDaesh," Col. Burroughs added, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.
"As invited guests to Iraq, we are proud of our renewed partnership as advising, assisting, & enabling are key components for building our ISF (Iraqi Security Forces)/Peshmerga partners' capacity to deal Daesh (ISIS) a lasting defeat & create regional stability," the official account of the coalition tweeted on Wednesday.
Also, on Jan. 3, the Ministry of Peshmerga received construction vehicles from the coalition.
"The Coalition's commitment to #AdviseAssistEnable our partner forces is steadfast. This latest divestment enhances Peshmerga combat power by providing the equipment necessary for protection, mobility, and counter-mobility," Col. Burroughs previously told Kurdistan 24.
"We are committed to our partnership with the Peshmerga and we will enable the Peshmerga to secure the enduring defeat of Daesh."
Since Nov. 27, ISIS militants have increased attacks and killed 23 people in the disputed territories, including Peshmerga 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 both the Peshmerga and ISF.
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As a result of the increased ISIS attacks, cooperation increased between the Peshmerga and ISF.