WATCH: Peshmerga repel IS attack north of Tal Afar during first day of Eid al-Adha

TAL AFAR, Iraq (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish Peshmerga forces early morning on Friday repelled an Islamic State (IS) attack north of the town of Tal Afar, on the first day of Eid al-Adha.

“In the early hours of Friday, three Da’esh militants attacked our front line. All of them were killed before reaching them,” Brigadier General Wazir, a Peshmerga Commander, told Kurdistan 24 correspondent Chakdar Jamal, using the pejorative Arabic acronym for IS.

As it shown in the video, the bodies of the IS militants remain on the ground as Peshmerga forces describe the event, standing next to the bodies.

“We thought they were unarmed and wanted to surrender, but then we noticed they are armed and approaching with explosives,” he said.

The attack took place near Ayadhiya district in the north of Tal Afar, 65 kilometers northwest of Mosul.

The Commander mentioned they had received intelligence beforehand that the jihadist group would attack the front line.

“There are Da’esh attacks on our front lines on a daily basis,” he added. “We wish a happy Eid al-Adha to all the people of the Kurdistan Region and as always, we assure them that we will continue to sacrifice our lives for their safety and peaceful co-existence.”

Foreign top military officials have repeatedly praised the Peshmerga as one of the most effective ground forces against IS. Since 2014, over 1,700 Peshmerga have fallen while fighting the jihadist group, and another 11,000 more were wounded, according to Peshmerga Ministry.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, announced the full liberation of Tal Afar from the jihadist group, after two weeks of the military offensive being launched in the area.

Editing by G.H. Renaud