Late night ISIS attack in Diyala province kills 5 Peshmerga fighters

The aftermath of an ISIS attack in Diyala province's town of Kolajo that killed five Peshmerga fighters, Nov. 28, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
The aftermath of an ISIS attack in Diyala province's town of Kolajo that killed five Peshmerga fighters, Nov. 28, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An attack by ISIS militants late Saturday night has killed five Kurdistan Region Peshmerga fighters and wounded more in a disputed subdistrict of Iraq’s Diyala province, according to a Peshmerga source that spoke to Kurdistan 24.

“ISIS snipers injured four Peshmerga fighters in the beginning,” the source said, adding that the incident occurred in the town of Kolajo and included the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

“Then,” he continued, “ISIS attacked a Peshmerga military vehicle with IEDs, killing five Peshmerga members, including two Peshmerga officers and three Peshmerga fighters,” he added.   

Peshmerga forces then launched a counterattack to regain control of the situation, he explained.

Not long after the initial ISIS offensive, the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs tweeted the first public mention of the attack, mentioning only four of the casualties at the time.

“Unfortunately we have four injured #Peshmerga In a cowardly attack today by ISIS terrorists on a guard post of the fifth infantry Peshmerga brigade in kalan close to kolajo sector,” read the post. “Peshmerga responded heavily and everything is under control now.

Medical workers treat a Peshmerga fighter wounded in an ISIS attack in Diyala province's town of Kolaj, Nov. 28, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Health care workers treat a Peshmerga fighter wounded in an ISIS attack in Diyala province's town of Kolajo, Nov. 28, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

After the Kurdistan Region's 2017 independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed militias of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in October 2017 pushed the Peshmerga out of contested areas, including the oil-rich Kirkuk province

Since then, the areas have suffered from a lack of unified military strategy across large tracts of land ranging from Khanaqin in central Diyala province to Kirkuk and northward to multiple areas surrounding Mosul.

The Iraqi military announced in early November that it had launched a joint military operation with Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces to pursue ISIS remnants in territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil where the extremist organization has long exploited the lack of a unified security strategy.

Read More: Peshmerga warns of rising ISIS threat in post-election Iraq

The Kurdistan Region General Directorate of Counter Terrorism (CTD) announced in October that ISIS militants had killed two Peshmerga fighters in the disputed province of Kirkuk.

Read More: Two Peshmerga fighters killed in ISIS attack in disputed Kirkuk province: CTD

The CTD said in a statement that members of the terrorist organization attacked the 2nd division of the 10th Brigade of the Peshmerga Ministry in the Zurgazraw area of Pirde district.

“Unfortunately, two Peshmerga were martyred in the attack,” the CTD added.

The Iraqi military and the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces have conducted anti-terror operations against suspected ISIS cells in multiple disputed territories.

Read More: Iraqi military, Kurdistan’s Peshmerga conduct anti-terror operations in disputed areas