ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—In a battle that lasted several hours the Kurdish Peshmerga expelled Islamic militants from the bases of the oil police near Zumar on the Syria-Kurdistan border, killing 20 and capturing 30 others.
Colonel Karasul Gardi of the Safeen Force told Rudaw that the militants of the Islamic State (IS) had captured the bases of the oil protection police near Zummar after killing one policeman and wounding several others.
“But in a joint offensive the 8th Brigade, Duhok Command and the Safeen Force attacked them from three fronts and retook Bardia and Hamad Agha villages from the ISIS,” said Col. Gardi.
Col. Gardi maintained that the Peshmerga killed 20 militants and captured 30 prisoners in the ensuing fight.
According to Col. Gardi, the Islamic militants have taken position in residential areas and “because families live there, we cannot advance further.”
He said that large numbers of weapons were also seized from the militants as they fled the scene.
“The weapons and vehicles are the ones that the group took from the Iraqi army,” the colonel said.
Col. Gardi added that some of the ISIS prisoners are high-ranking officers within the group.
According to Peshmerga officials, in some areas the distance between Kurdish forces and ISIS is less than half a mile.
The ISIS has launched sporadic attacks against the Peshmerga lines in the past two weeks with mortar shells and sniper rifles.
Today’s confrontation came just a day after Kurdish President Massoud Barzani told the region’s Peshmerga forces that they were soon to receive advanced weapons.
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