Kurdish security forces kill 3 ISIS militants in retaliation for December Makhmour attack: KRSC

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region's security forces killed three members of ISIS who played a role in last December's attack in Makhmour that killed over 10 civilians and Peshmerga forces. 

In a video statement on Thursday, the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said it "retaliated" for that attack by killing the three ISIS fighters. They also arrested a taxi driver that supplied the militants with basic commodities. 

Without specifying how the extremists were killed, the KRSC said they were "targeted" in collaboration with Iraqi and US-led coalition forces on the evening of July 5, according to the statement. 

One of those killed in the attack was Salih Mahmood' Atiya Al-Jaboori, known by his alias "Al-Nuseib". He was in charge of an ISIS unit on Makhmour's Mount Qarachokh. Two other members of the group were killed. 

Having been arrested by the security forces, the 63-year-old man "confessed" in the video that he had provided the group with "logistics" for their operations. 

In early December, a group of ISIS fighters attacked Khidr Jija village in the Makhmour district. Villagers resisted the attack, and the ensuing firefight killed three members of one family, including a minor. 

While on its way to rescue the embattled villagers, a unit of Peshmerga forces, consisting of 10 fighters, were ambushed by ISIS and killed. ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The heinous attack drew widespread condemnation domestically, reinforcing the repeated claims of Kurdish officials that ISIS still poses a significant threat.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani visited the site where the civilians were killed to express his sympathy and reassure locals.