SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Peshmerga forces foiled an Islamic State (ISIS) attack near Prde town south of Erbil early on Saturday, according to the ministry of Peshmerga.
ISIS militants carried out an attack against Peshmerga frontlines near Prde town, also known as Altun Kupri, in Kirkuk province in the early hours on Saturday.
“The Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan thwarted the ISIS attack and destroyed them,” the ministry of Peshmerga said in a statement.
“A large number of ISIS militants were killed and their bodies were left. Sadly, there are martyrs and injuries among the Peshmerga forces,” the ministry added, saying further information will released.
A source in the Peshmerga force told Esta Media Network that three members of the Kurdish forces were killed and two others were wounded.
A commander of the Peshmerga forces said the militants used mortar shells, PKC guns and AK-47 rifles during the attack.
Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism service said the situation was under the control of the Peshmerga forces after they foiled the attack.
Kurdish officials have warned that the militant group is using a “security vacuum” between the Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army in the disputed areas to attack the Kurdish and Iraqi forces.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
*This story was updated at 09:24 a.m. EBL time
