On Mount Shingal, Barzani vows to take on ISIS ‘wherever they are’

SHINGAL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani vowed to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) “wherever they are” and said Peshmerga forces are ready to support the Iraqi army in the battle for Mosul.

“We have no precondition when it comes to fighting the ISIS,” Barzani told reporters at Mount Shingal. “We will attack them wherever they are.”

“It is a dream come true to speak before you here and extend my congratulations to the Kurdish people, to our beloved Yezidis,” an emotional Barzani said.

“The Peshmerga have made history here by recapturing this area in just 24 hours. I’m sure our martyrs are happy to see this day,” he added.

Barzani said ISIS is in control of very little in Kurdistan, which he said the Peshmerga will recapture “very soon.”

Answering a question by Rudaw about the battle for Mosul, which has been under ISIS control since June, Barzani said: “If the Iraqi government and the people of Mosul have a plan, we will study it and see how to assist the Iraqi army in recapturing the city.”

Peshmerga forces entered Shingal late Saturday after recapturing 2,700 square kilometers of territory from ISIS, military sources have said.

Nearly 8,000 Peshmerga fighters launched their biggest operation against ISIS northwest of Iraq on Wednesday.