Peshmerga forces continue operations against ISIS: MOP

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Peshmerga forces on Monday carried out another clearance operation against ISIS in the Garmiyan region, the Ministry of Peshmerga (MOP) announced.

"Today, we carried out another clear search operation in the Garmaser sector," the ministry tweeted. 

#Peshmerga continue to conduct clearance operations to #DefeatDaesh! #PeshmergaProfessionalism https://t.co/pKZD4vJxWW

— Deputy Director MAG-North Colonel Todd Burroughs (@DepDirMAGN) March 14, 2022

"The operation began at 0700 a.m. in the villages of Daka Sarcham to Kani Masi village, in the Garmian border, where #Peshmerga were able to completely search (and) clear the area of the operation #defeatdaesh (defeat ISIS)," it added. 

Peshmerga forces previously launched clearance operations against ISIS in that region in Mar. 5-6. 

Read More: Peshmerga carry out another operation against ISIS near Garmiyan

"#Peshmerga continue to conduct clearance operations to #DefeatDaesh!" tweeted Colonel Todd Burroughs, Deputy Director of the US-led coalition's Military Advisor Group North, on Monday. 

Several years after it was declared territorially defeated in Iraq, ISIS still launches hit-and-run attacks against military forces and civilians, mainly in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad. 

Following the Kurdistan Region's 2017 independence referendum, Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed groups of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) pushed the Peshmerga out of the disputed territories.

Since then, ISIS has exploited the large security vacuum between Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Peshmerga front-line positions. 

The Iraqi and Kurdistan Region forces recently increased their coordination to combat these ISIS remnants and plug security gaps between them.

The US-led coalition has supported the efforts of Iraqi and Kurdish security forces to work against ISIS.

In early February, Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army launched a joint operation in the disputed province of Kirkuk.