“The Peshmerga realized ISIS was gearing up to attack, but we took the initiative and defeated their plans, killing 15 ISIS militants,” said the source.
He said the Peshmerga and ISIS were locked in an intense hour-long battle that was aided by airstrikes from the US-led coalition. The source said three Peshmerga were killed in the clash.
The Peshmerga have regularly defeated ISIS militants in an ongoing campaign that began in March to push the group out of southern Kirkuk province.
The Islamic State, or ISIS, still controls the large mostly Sunni Arab city of Hawija farther to the south in Kirkuk province.
