Seventy IS insurgents killed in counterattack

Peshmerga and coalition warplanes repelled an IS attack on Kaske military base near Mosul, leaving 70 IS extremists dead.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Colonel Iskandar Haji, Commander of a Zeravani (armed forces) battalion, told Kurdistan24 on Friday that Peshmerga, aided by coalition warplanes repelled an Islamic State (IS) attack on Kaske military base near occupied Mosul, leaving 70 IS extremists dead.

"The fighting started in the early morning hours. IS attacked our front all the way--from the village of Aske Mosul to the village of Shindukh near Kaske, which is over 20 kilometers [12 miles] long," said Haji.

He added, “They attacked our positions from four fronts, but Peshmerga and the coalition forces repelled their advance."

Sherwan Mohhamad, a Peshmarga fighter said," During the first attack, [IS] filled the trenches surrounding our front; then an armored vehicle moved toward us which I hit [and destroyed].”

Peshmerga Commander Zaim Ali confirmed the news and said before IS' offensive, they sent ten armored vehicles driven by suicide bombers toward Peshmerga though they were all destroyed before reaching the Peshmerga fronts. "At least 70 IS bodies have been left here. Many other were killed by the coalition air strikes far from our fronts, but we do not have their exact number," Ali continued.

He pointed out that IS extremists have used fired rockets laden with chlorine mixed with other chemical substances that cause severe nausea and shortness of breath. “They started bombing this area yesterday evening and fired chemical rockets to destroy Peshmerga’s morale."

Chief of Staff of Peshmerga forces, Jamal Eminki said that IS had been preparing their latest attack for over 10 days. "They used the foggy weather today [Friday] to get close to the Kaske military base," Eminki said.

"As long as Mosul and Tal Afar are controlled by IS extremists, our front lines throughout the entire west of Dijla will be under constant threat," Eminki stressed.

 

Reporting by Gulala Khaled and Masoud Mohammd

Editing by Benjamin Kweskin and Ava Homa