Kurdish commando chief: Peshmerga advance in Shingal

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Aziz Waisi, the commander of the Zeravani Special Forces, told Rudaw on Thursday morning that Peshmerga forces are advancing on the town of Shingal.

“The Peshmerga assault to liberate Shingal started Thursday at dawn and Peshmerga fighters are on the advance,” Waisi said.

Waisi said that Peshmerga forces are well-equipped and have the an adequate supply of weapons.

On Thursday, Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a dawn assault to liberate the town of Shingal from the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS, Rudaw correspondent Dildar Harki said from the scene of the fighting. 


“At least 20,000 Peshmerga fighters are participating in the Shingal operation. The Peshmerga commander said today is the decision day for Shingal," a Peshmerga commander told Harki.

The ISIS militants attacked the predominantly Kurdish Yezidi town of Shingal on August 1, 2014, triggering a grim humanitarian crisis as thousands of locals fled to the safety of the nearby Mount Shingal where they were trapped for weeks.