Under pressure from Kurds ISIS threatens deserters with execution

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Kurdish forces reached the town of Shingal (Sinjar) in the early hours of their offensive against the Islamic State (ISIS) on Thursday and by controlling a major highway they have disabled the group from reinforcing its positions in the area, said the region’s security council.

“Control of these key ISIL supplies routes will both reduce ISIL's ability to reinforce its positions at Sinjar and, importantly, limit ISIL’s freedom of movement between Iraq and Syria. This will in turn allow the International Coalition increase its pressure on ISIL.” said the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) in a press release Thursday evening.

The KRSC said that by 5:00 pm Thursday the Peshmerga were in control of a significant part of a road leading to the ISIS stronghold of Ba’aj from where the group had deployed most of its suicide missions against the Kurdish forces.

“Ba'aj is an ISIL stronghold and a staging ground for VBIEDs for use against Peshmerga positions. Video footage from this morning shows ISIL mobilising VBIEDs from Ba'aj to Sinjar in an effort to prevent Peshmerga advances.” KRSC said.

Operation Free Sinjar that was launched by thousands of Peshmerga soldiers is supported by coalition airstrikes and is according to the KRSC closely supervised by Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani.

The Peshmerga forces also managed to reach Mount Shkefte which is close to the town of Tal Afar and overlooks a wide area of ISIS territory.

“This vantage point, previously used by ISIL to fire mortars at Peshmerga positions, will enable the Peshmerga to monitor ISIL activity and target their positions,” said the KRSC.

Tal Afar was the site of several days of intense fighting between ISIS militants and a group of Iraqi soldiers held up in the town’s airbase last summer.

According to the Kurdish security, more than 150 square kilometers of territory was taken from ISIS on the first day of the offensive.

“Peshmerga units will continue from three fronts to set up defensive positions, allowing engineering teams to clear the heavily mined area. Peshmerga forces have already achieved two of three strategic goals, dealing a significant blow to ISIL morale,” read the KRSC statement.

The main objective of the offensive is to retake the Yezidi town that was overran by ISIS August last year where hundreds of civilians were killed, thousands taken captive and thousands more displaced.

Rudaw correspondents in the area reported that dozens of ISIS militants were killed in the operation and their bodies left in the field, and according to radio communications intercepted by the Kurdish forces ISIS leaders threatened any deserters with execution.

The Kurdish security hailed the offensive as “a resounding success for the International Coalition in its efforts to isolate ISIL and target its strongholds both in Syria and Iraq, including in Raqqa and in Mosul.”