Peshmerga repel Islamic State attack near Khazir

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces on Tuesday successfully defended an Islamic State (IS) attack on the Wardak front line near Khazir, east of Mosul.

On Tuesday, IS extremists launched a four-sided attack on the Peshmerga forces at the Shingal front line.

According to a Kurdistan24 reporter, IS attacked Peshmerga forces in Siteh, Qarqasha and Muftiya villages. 

Peshmerga forces thwarted the attack, killing 20 IS extremists and destroying five VBIEDs.

Peshmerga forces repelled another attack by IS on Bashik frontline, southeast of the IS-stronghold of Mosul at 6:00 PM.

A Peshmerga commander at Bashiq frontline, Brigadier-general Wriya Ziyararty, told Kurdistan24 on the phone, “Fifteen to 20 IS extremists attacked our frontline, but they were defeated. The group is now trying to take back the corpses of their killed fighters.”

Elsewhere, at 4:00 AM local time on Tuesday, IS insurgents attacked Peshmerga near Shingal, in Domiz, Tel Qasab, Gir Uzer, and Um Shabab fronts using weapons such as RPGs, BKCs, and snipers, a Peshmerga Commander told Kurdistan24.

The attack was foiled by the Kurdistan Region forces with support from the US-led coalition warplanes.

The Commander added that IS did not detonate any car bombs during the attack.

According to the Peshmerga Commander, 120 extremists participated in the IS attack with Peshmerga forces killing 60 of them and forcing the rest to retreat.

Moreover, Peshmerga forces launched a military operation on Sunday from Gwer and Khazir front lines, east of Mosul, liberating 11 villages from IS.

Peshmerga advanced 14 kilometers (8.6 miles) in the southeast of Mosul from Khazir front line, and 20 kilometers from Gwer front line, a Kurdistan24 reporter had revealed.

The Command of Peshmerga Forces in a statement on Monday declared the success of the Kurdish forces in the operation to liberate the villages on the Khazir front line, east of Mosul.

According to the Peshmerga statement, 150 square kilometers were cleared from IS.

The liberated villages included Himera, Qariyatakh, Sitah, Tal Hamid, Qaraqash, Abkhaz, al-Hasudiya, Small Kanhash, Big Kanhash, Shanaf and Omarmandan as well as the Gwer-Mosul road.

The statement added that nearly 130 IS extremists were killed during the two-day offensive.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa