ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Fatal attacks by the Islamic State (ISIS) group against Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been on the rise, according to officials.
“We’ve been warning that ISIS [militants] are reorganizing since 2018. They have now reorganized in all the areas,” says Mohammed Syasi, a Peshmerga commander on the Qaratapa-Hamrin front.
“They bring groups of gunmen from Syria every now and then. As we have learned, there was a group known as Jundullah [Army of God] that previously did not support ISIS. Now they are allied with ISIS,” he added. “It is said that 200 militants have been brought from Syria to Iraq.”
Several Peshmerga fighters and three civilians were also killed with others injured in another ISIS attack in Erbil’s Makhmour town late on Thursday night.
Peshmerga forces in Sulaimani's Garmiyan administration were last attacked by ISIS on November 11.
The attack resulted in the deaths of two Peshmerga and injuries to two others.
Similarly, on November 27th, ISIS killed six Peshmerga and injured four in an attack in Diyala province.
As a result of recent ISIS attacks on Peshmerga, the forces have strengthened their positions in the area.
Militants often take advantage of security gaps between Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga. Occasionally, they attack surrounding villages, bringing about chaos.
Ibrahim Ahmed, a Peshmerga commander on the Qaratapa-Hamrin front, says over 100-150 militants are present in the area.
“They make chaos. They destroy people's social stability. They are not a defending force. They attack and retreat. Their living quarters are in the Gharra area [near Kifri]. People definitely help them,” he said.
“I don’t want to disclose their ethnicity. They are a mix of different ethnicities. There are Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Shiites, and Sunnies among them. Their food comes from these [neighboring] countries,” the commander added.
ISIS seized control of swaths of land in Iraq in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017, but continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces.
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed
