Peshmerga and Iraqi Army launch joint operation against ISIS in Garmiyan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi Army launched a joint operation in remote areas of the Garmiyan against ISIS remnants on Thursday.

The forces are searching for suspected militants in remote areas of Dawooda between Saladin and Diyala provinces. The large swathes of land between the two Iraqi provinces are considered "disputed territories" between Erbil and Baghdad. In Kurdish, the general area is referred to as Garmiyan.

Thursday's operation was launched after ISIS kidnapped Kurdish shepherds. Iraqi Army helicopters are supporting it.

Lack of security cooperation between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the past enabled ISIS to use the area for hit-and-run attacks, the Peshmerga commander of the 2nd Sector, Mardan Salih, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

The militants acquire their "financial and logistics support" from Arab villages in the area, Salih added.

On Wednesday, a Kurdish shepherd was released after paying $30,000 in ransom to the ISIS members who abducted him in April. Another shepherd was also kidnapped in the area in early April.

ISIS kidnaps civilians for ransom to generate revenue for its remaining forces, which presently consist of a mere "two units", Nawshirwan Ahmed, the head of Garmiyan Asayish, told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday.

Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), presumably planted by the group, detonated during the operation. A Peshmerga sustained a minor injury as a result.

Additional reporting by Harem Jaff