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Kurd troops drive ISIS troops from Makhmur
[ARA News] ERBIL – Subsequent to fierce clashes with militants of the Islamic State (ISIS), the Peshmerga forces of Iraqi Kurdistan recaptured a strategic town in the vicinity of Makhmur in northern Iraq, military sources reported on Thursday.Kurdish forces of the Peshmerga launched an attack on ISIS headquarters in Makhmur suburb, bombing the militants’ positions with heavy artillery. After two days of clashes in the area, the Peshmerga troops, backed by local tribal forces, were able Thursday to recapture Koudellah in western Makhmur after expelling ISIS militants from the town. “Koudellah was constantly used by ISIS terrorists as a military base from which they have repeatedly attacked the Peshmerga army,” Peshmerga officer Reshid Sufi told ARA News in Erbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. “Recapturing the town would help the Peshmerga’s operations to eventually liberate the whole district from ISIS terrorists,” Sufi said. He added that the participation of local tribal groups in the battle against ISIS “reflects the people’s belief in the ability of the Peshmerga to regain areas under ISIS control”. Koudellah was also deemed a main supply route for ISIS militants between Mosul and Qayarrah, two important bastions for ISIS in northwestern Iraq. Backed by the western coalition’s air support, the Kurdish Peshmerga army has been combatting ISIS in northern Iraq for more than two years. Posted by: badanov 2016-02-05 |
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