ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Arab tribal militias backed by Peshmerga forces on Monday reportedly reclaimed a village from the Islamic State (ISIS) on the Makhmour front, a Peshmerga commander confirmed to Rudaw. "Earlier this morning, the Arab tribal militants in Makhmour managed to liberate the village of Karmrdi in the west of Makhmour," said Sirwan Barzani, commander of the Peshmerga forces on the Makhmour-Gwer front. He added that the Peshmerga, alongside warplanes from the US-led coalition, effectively did their part." Barzani claimed that the recapture of the village was of great importance to its original residents, who had been forced to flee to Erbil after the fall to ISIS. "After the sheikhs of the tribes met with the ministry of Peshmerga, it was decided that tribal militants would be armed," and later the Iraqi government armed them too, he revealed. The Kurdish commander explained that "the Peshmerga do not aim to liberate Arab villages by themselves in order to avoid unleashing sectarian conflicts" in the region.
