ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Peshmerga official says ISIS has brought in forces from Mosul to its occupied districts of Hawija, Riaz and Rashad in southern Kirkuk as reinforcements. "ISIS has brought in forces from Mosul to Hawija in order to make advances into Peshmerga positions," said Brig. Mohammed Regr, commander of the Kirkuk Peshmerga forces. He is certain the Peshmerga are "familiar with ISIS tactics," that is why they "do not care about ISIS reinforcing its militants. "Let them come, we will welcome them," he said. Regr said his forces will prevail against any assault ISIS might launch, warning they will not "miss any militants during the battles, they will all end up dying." The Peshmerga have obtained early information that ISIS reinforcements are there for an onslaught on Peshmerga positions on fronts in southern Kirkuk. "We will not let ISIS avenge its defeats in Shingal by targeting the Peshmerga in Kirkuk,¨ Regr warned. In the meantime, Sheikh Jaafar Mustafa, commander of the Peshmerga ministry's Seventy Unit Forces, explained that, "after they (ISIS) were defeated in Ramadi, they are suffering a trauma. Therefore, they are freshly plotting to attack the Peshmerga through bringing new forces to Hawija, Rashad and Riaz." Mustafa is sure that the Peshmerga will foil ISIS attempts and "defeat them." ISIS reinforcing its forces in Hawija coincides with an anticipated Peshmerga battle against the extremist group in the district, as Kurdish officials have warned that the presence of ISIS in the region will pose a serious threat on Kirkuk city. The distance between Peshmerga watching posts and ISIS militants in Hawija is about 15 kilometers. ISIS attacks can easily be defeated, since the Peshmerga have fenced their frontlines southern Kirkuk with security trenches and fortified their bunkers.
