ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Kurdish Peshmerga forces repelled a major attack by Islamic State (ISIS) militants led by the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Saturday morning, said the region’s commander.
“The ISIS attack was defeated and the militants all fled,” Sirwan Barzani, the Peshmerga commander of the Gwer-Makhmour region told Rudaw. “The area is entirely under Peshmerga control.”
“Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi himself led the attack at the Namirdu frontline but he returned humiliated,” said Barzani.
The Peshmerga commander explained that the Islamist militants had infiltrated the area by taking advantage of Saturday night’s cold and foggy weather.
He said that the ISIS attackers targeted about 10 villages, including Sultan Abdullah and Tal Shaiir, two large villages that were captured by the Peshmerga last month.
“Around 160 militants had crossed the Tigris River on boats and rafts to this side,” Barzani said. “But the Peshmerga forces were immediately upon them.”
He added that the fighting had ended at 4:00 a.m.
“The Peshmerga are in hot pursuit of the militants to capture or destroy them wherever they may find them,” said the regional commander.
Barzani said that a number of ISIS militants were killed in the confrontations “and two of them drowned in the Tigris River.”
He maintained that the Peshmerga also suffered casualties without revealing specific numbers.
