Peshmerga forces foil IS suicide attacks in Kirkuk

The Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces repelled a major suicide attack on the Kirkuk frontline early morning on Saturday.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces repelled a major suicide attack on the Kirkuk frontline early morning on Saturday.

According to a Kurdistan24 reporter, Islamic State (IS) insurgents attacked Peshmerga with six suicide bombers on the Khraba Rut front.

Kamal Kirkuki, Commander of Peshmerga forces in western Kirkuk Province, told Kurdistan24 that IS suicide bombers were helped by local Arab residents in the area. “These extremists were sent from the [IS-occupied] city of Hawija,” he said.

“Thank God there were no Peshmerga losses [and] only a few Peshmerga soldiers were slightly injured,” Kirkuki added.

Kirkuki expressed his satisfaction with the Peshmerga forces' response and morale. “What makes me happy today is that some of our brave Peshmerga soldiers were not on duty, but when they heard about the attack they decided to return to the frontlines to support their brothers,” he said.

According to Kirkuki, the suicide bombers were both foreigners and local Arabs from the nearby village of Qushqaya near Duz. “[Some of] the villagers have been providing assistance to IS to attack Peshmerga forces,” he claimed. 

The Commander of the Second Brigades affirmed that Peshmerga were aware that IS leaders force suicide bombers to attack Peshmerga frontlines despite the fact that they have consistently failed in previous attacks.

“Our Peshmerga fighters bravely repelled the insurgents; they killed four suicide bombers before they breached the frontlines and reached the Brigadier building,” the Peshmerga Commander told Kurdistan24.

He also revealed that two injured suicide bombers detonated their bombs, blowing themselves up far away from the frontlines.

 

Reporting by Soran Kamaran and Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Benjamin Kweskin