Joint security operation launched between Peshmerga, Iraqi army against ISIS remnants

KRG Ministry of Peshmerga announced the launch of a joint security operation between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army in the Garmser and Qaratapa axis.

The Ministry of Peshmerga said in a statement, "A joint security operation began on Wednesday by the Peshmerga forces in the first axis of Garmaser and the second axis in Qaratapa, intending to remove the dangers of terrorists, destroy their hideouts."

The Ministry indicated that this joint operation between the Peshmerga forces and the army comes within the framework of the agreement that took place between the Peshmerga and Defense Ministries, and that these operations will continue until those areas are fully cleared.

Iraq has announced a military victory over ISIS in 2017 after 3 years of battle with the terrorists. However, remnants of the group continue to impose threats, especially in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, where terrorists exploit security gaps between Iraqi and Kurdish forces' military points. 

However, remnants of the terrorists still carry out insurgency attacks in attempts to regain their strength. Attacks on Peshmerga points increased recently as residents of Lahiban village in Sargaran district of Kirkuk evacuated their village following an ISIS attack. Iraqi forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have recaptured the village, but four Peshmergas were killed in the battle.

Last Thursday, a dozen Peshmerga personnel were martyred in an ISIS attack near Makhmur, 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Erbil. 

Before that, 5 Peshmerga members were also martyred last Saturday by a roadside bomb explosion following thwarting a terrorist attack in the Kulajo district of the Garmian region-Kurdistan Region.  

Kurdish officials have repeatedly warned that ISIS militants are using 'security gaps' between the Iraqi and Kurdish forces to carry out attacks in the disputed territories.

A series of meetings have been launched between the Peshmerga and Defense Ministries and it will continue with the aim of eliminating terrorists, filling security gaps, and carrying out joint military operations between the Peshmerga and the army.



PUKmedia