WATCH: 765 Kurdish Peshmerga finish 114-day military training

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Over 700 Peshmerga fighters from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region on Thursday finished their military training under the supervision by the US-led coalition.

The training was 114-day long and held in Erbil Province, with 765 Peshmerga fighters being taught theoretical and practical military tactics.

“We taught them how to defend and attack…. We also taught them how to use Doshka [DShK, known as Doshka in Iraq] and mortars,” Faqe Mohammed, the supervisor of the training course, told Kurdistan 24.

The fighters were trained by both local and the US-led coalition trainers, according to the commander.

“The training and lessons the Peshmerga learned will be very useful to them in battle and on the front lines,” Najat Ali, a senior Kurdish Commander with the Peshmerga forces, told Kurdistan 24.

The Kurdistan Region has about 240,000 Peshmerga fighters who have been effectively involved in the fight against the Islamic State since mid-2014.

They have often been referred to as one of the most efficient forces in defeating the jihadist group.

Over the past few years, about 2,000 Peshmerga were killed fighting the Islamic State and 12,000 more were wounded, according to the Peshmerga Ministry.

Editing by Nadia Riva

(Additional reporting by Teyfur Mohammed)