ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish Peshmerga forces early Friday repelled an attempted attack by Islamic State (ISIS) militants on a frontline position in the Tuz Khurmatu district of Salahaddin province, an official said.
“We are aware of recent movements by Daesh [ISIS] militants in our region, and our forces are always on standby,” Peshmerga commander Mohammed Chawri told Rudaw. “We have observed their movements in recent days through surveillance cameras.”
According to Chawri, the militants attempted to advance toward Peshmerga positions but were met with gunfire. “The militants wanted to advance to martyr Peshmerga. Our forces repelled them and opened fire. They failed to advance, returned fire, and eventually fled,” he said.
Chawri noted that any pursuit operations against ISIS elements in the area require coordination and approval from both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Peshmerga.
Iraqi army units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces regularly conduct operations against ISIS in the disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad, which include parts of Nineveh, Salahaddin, Diyala, and Kirkuk provinces.
ISIS seized large swathes of Iraqi territory during a sweeping offensive in 2014 but was declared territorially defeated in 2017 following a campaign by Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by a US-led international coalition. Despite its defeat, the group continues to operate in remote areas, exploiting security gaps in the disputed territories.
Tuz Khurmatu, located about 65 kilometers south of Kirkuk, is a diverse district inhabited by Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. ISIS has been particularly active in the district’s remote areas, posing persistent threats to local villagers.
The district saw major security changes after Iraqi forces retook control in October 2017, following the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, leading to the withdrawal of Kurdish security forces and many Kurdish residents.
The latest attack comes amid reports of the transfer of 150 ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria (Rojava) to a secure location in Iraq. Officials have indicated that as many as 7,000 ISIS prisoners could eventually be relocated.