SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Region Peshmerga forces along with the Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) launched a large-scale joint operation with the Iraqi army to eradicate the Islamic State terrorists, covering the remote areas in the Garmian region on Thursday.
Esta Media Network reporter in Garmian Zmnako Yahiyai said since the early morning the Kurdish forces of Peshmerga and CTG have launched an operation in the remote areas of Khanaqin district, northeastern of Iraq.
The Iraqi forces have also begun an Islamic States terrorists uprooting campaign in Diyala governorate, and also joined the Kurdish forces in Salahadin governorate, according to the reporter.
“The operations aim to search for the terrorist in the mountain areas that lies between Kifri and Tuz-Khuramtu district and destroy their positions,” Yahiyai said.
“For years, the areas have turned into an important stronghold for the Islamic State militants” Yahiyai added.
Islamic State controlled roughly a third of Iraq between 2014 and 2017. Iraqi forces and Kurdish troops backed by U.S.-led Coalition forces as well as Iran-backed Shia militias defeated the militant group in 2017, but its members still roam in the dispute areas.
While Islamic State was driven out of most of the territory it once held in Iraq, but still many of the remnants of IS militants are still operating in the disputed territories between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government.
The areas created a security vacuum, and terrorists utilized it to operate in, and pursue their own harmful actions to destabilize the country’s security.
