Peshmerga repel renewed ISIS attacks, militant leader killed

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Peshmerga forces repelled an Islamic State (ISIS) assault Thursday on the Kaske font in western Mosul, killing 10 militants and wounding many others, a Peshmerga official said.

"ISIS militant launched a two-pronged assault against Peshmerga bunkers in the village of Shindokha on the Kaske front by taking advantage of the bad weather, but they were defeated," Majid Khalid, a Peshmerga commander, told Rudaw by phone.

Khalid added that two ISIS armored vehicles were destroyed before they reached the Peshmerga frontlines.

The Peshmerga were attacked on multiple fronts on Wednesday and killed at least 70 militants, the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) said.

In the confrontations at least six Peshmerga were killed by a group of ISIS suicide bombers.

“At approximately 1600hrs on 16 December, Peshmerga forces repelled several ISIL attacks across Newaran, Bashik, Tl Eswed, Khazir and Zerdk Mountain,” the KRSC added.

In coordination with U.S. air power they destroyed 11 incoming ISIS vehicles, foiling three car bomb attacks and killed several suicide bombers.

ISIS also fired a barrage of mortar shells on the Turkish training camp in Nineveh killing two members of the Sunni mobilization force, commanded by former governor Atheel Nujaifi, and wounding six others.

Nujaifi told Rudaw by telephone that Turkish trainers were unhurt. However Turkey’s official Anadolu Agency contradicted him when it reported that four Turkish soldiers were wounded in the attack.

Sarbast Trwanshi, commander of the Peshmerga forces on the Nawaran front, 10km northeast of the ISIS-occupied Mosul, confirmed the death of an ISIS leader known as Abu-Hamudia, who in clashes with Kurdish Peshmerga forces.