SHINGAL, Kurdistan Region— As Kurdish forces gear up for a final offensive to drive militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) from the predominantly Kurdish Yezidi town of Shingal, the frontlines move closer to the enemy with each passing day. The ISIS positions are easily seen from the Peshmerga posts just outside the main gate of Shingal. The Kurdish forces captured this strategic entrance to the town in the December offensive last year that pushed the militants deeper into the city. The Peshmerga advance was halted at that time because of the many landmines planted in the roads and alleys of the city which the Kurdish authorities say could take months to clear. In some neighborhoods, such as the Nasre district, the distance between Peshmerga and ISIS positions is less than 50 meters. Peshmerga fighters say sometimes they can hear conversations among militants when there is a lull in the shooting. “Sometimes we curse at them in both Arabic and Kurdish and they curse back at us,” said a Peshmarga who requesteded anonymity. “They often make dirty jokes about the Kurdish state, asking ‘Where is Kurdistan located on the map anyway?’” the officer said. It is not just the Peshmerga forces that are here surrounding much of the city. Judging by the color of the banners flying on top of the positions and the enormous pictures of various Kurdish leaders, it is clear that the forces of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its local affiliates are present. So, too, are the forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) along with the troops of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is by far the largest military group in the area. Shingal is located inside Kurdish-controlled territories but beyond the official borders of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s administration. In the township of Snoone, located just half an hour from Shingal, one can see Peshmerga patrolling the deserted town along with guerrilla fighters of the PKK and YPG, or People’s Protection Units from the Kurdish area of Syria. Snoone had some 140,000 inhabitants before the ISIS war, but now it is a ghost town with only armed Kurdish men walking in the war-torn streets.
