ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Peshmerga forces repulsed major attacks across multiple fronts on Wednesday, killing more than 70 militants of the Islamic State group (ISIS or ISIL), the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said. “At approximately 1600hrs on 16 December, Peshmerga forces repelled several ISIL attacks across Newaran, Bashik, Tl Eswed, Khazir and Zerdk Mountain,” the KRSC said in a statement late Wednesday. “Over 70 ISIL terrorists have been killed in a major coordinated attack across several fronts,” it added. “This was an attempt by ISIL to breach Peshmerga defensive lines following significant losses in recent months.” The KRSC said that Peshmerga forces and coalition warplanes had cooperated in destroying 11 ISIS vehicles, foiling three car bombs and several suicide bombers. Milan anti-tank missiles were used against the vehicle bombs, which “were accompanied by bulldozers to fill trenches defending Peshmerga forces and nearby villages,” the statement said. Coalition warplanes launched more than 25 strikes against ISIS and continue to monitor the area in support of the Peshmerga, it added. “Pressure continues to build on ISIL as Peshmerga forces hold supply lines connecting their key strongholds in Iraq and Syria, including Highway 47,” the statement said, referring to the road that links the ISIS stronghold of Mosul in Iraq to the Syrian city of Raqqa, the militants’ so-called capital.
