SAID SADIQ, Kurdistan Region— A Peshmerga fighter has grown famous in the Kurdistan region after mobile videos went viral on social media sites showing the young man single-handedly fighting off ISIS militants for seven hours.
The Kurdish fighter, Pola Osman, was later rescued by a group of Peshmerga in east Kirkuk province. He had refused to leave a wounded fellow Peshmerga despite being surrounded by militants.
“There were many of them there. But they didn’t come all at once. They came in groups of two and three and four,” Pola said of the ISIS militants who shelled the house he was positioned in with artillery and grenades.
The fighting was part of last week’s massive Peshmerga campaign in western Kirkuk province.
“I found a way to confront them: Jumping from one place to another and changing positions and firing at the same time. So they thought I wasn’t alone. I fired at them and deterred them not to come closer.”
Pola said his wounded comrade asked him not to leave him to the militants, so he stayed.
“Well, it was out of the question for me to abandon him,” Pola said.
Soon Pola’s brother and a group of Peshmerga arrived to his rescue, but his wounded comrade passed away. The rescuers brought Pola home as well as the body of the fallen Peshmerga.
Rudaw’s Rebin Yar Ahmad has the story.
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