ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A senior ISIS militant, known as Abu Aisha, was killed by the Iraqi forces in Kharabardan village near the town of Makhmour, 68km south of Erbil, according to an announcement from the Iraqi army on Saturday. Fazil Badr, also known as Abu Aisha, was in charge of the security affairs for the group. He was reportedly trying to target Iraqi soldiers in the town. Kharabardan along with two other villages were recaptured by the local forces over the past weeks but were exposed to heavy ISIS shelling Thursday night. Makhmour area has been widely patrolled by the Peshmarga forces fighting off ISIS militants in the neighboring Nineveh Plains since the radical group took over Mosul city in June 2014. The Iraqi army launched its long-anticipated battle for Mosul in Makhmour earlier this month. The US Marines also set up a firebase near the town to provide artillery support for the Iraqi army.
