Rockets target Peshmerga forces on provincial border of Erbil, disputed Kirkuk

Mustafa Shilani 2021/12/07 20:56

A Peshmerga fighter stands guard in one of Iraq's disputed territories. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Peshmerga ISIS Disputed Territories Iraq Erbi

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Rockets appeared to target Kurdish Peshmerga forces stationed on the border of Erbil and Iraq's disputed province of Kirkuk on Tuesday, according to the autonomous Kurdistan Region's military force.

The deputy commander of the area, known as the Perde Axis, told Kurdistan 24 in a statement that "the front lines of the Peshmerga forces were attacked" with "six Katyusha rockets" northwest of Kirkuk.

He added that the attack did not cause any casualties or notable damage, pointing out that "one of the rockets landed near the village of Grtka," while the other landed in an empty area in nearby Sherawa, where one of the Peshmerga regiments is located.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

ISIS fighters have recently ramped up their attacks against both civilians and security forces across Iraq, particularly in territories disputed by the federal and regional governments, where the terrorist group has been able to exploit security gaps between the two sides.

Since Nov. 27, attacks carried out by ISIS have killed 23 civilians and Peshmerga fighters in the disputed territories.

A joint brigade of the Iraqi army and Peshmerga were deployed on Monday to a village northwest of Kirkuk following two deadly nighttime attacks in the vicinity.

Later that day, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met with top Peshmerga commanders and officials on Monday to discuss the latest security developments and ongoing challenges in the areas.

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 multiple of the contested areas, creating large areas where ISIS has consistently been able to exploit the resulting security vacuum to stage deadly and disruptive attacks.

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 security vacuum caused by gaps between Iraqi and Peshmerga forces.