Peshmerga commander killed in ISIS dawn assault in northern Mosul

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A Kurdish Peshmerga commander was killed Wednesday morning in clashes that lasted for a half hour with Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Wanke, northeastern Mosul city.

 

“At 5:30 am, ISIS attacked the Peshmerga frontlines near the Mosul Dam on the Wanke front. Peshmerga commander Arshad Sanaa was killed,” said Brig. Bahjat Taiman, a Peshmerga official on the front.

 

Taiman added that the “the militants were defeated.”

 

He noted that the reason for the attack by ISIS was to “prove that they exist, otherwise they are no longer capable of capturing any territory from the Peshmerga.”

 

This month alone, ISIS has launched three attacks on the Peshmerga on the Wanke village, close to Mosul.

 

Two weeks ago another Peshmerga soldier was killed by an ISIS sniper in Wanke village.

Captain Sharif Abdulrahman, a Peshmerga commander stationed at the Mosul Dam, named the fallen comrade as Luqman Ramazan Rekani, 43, from the Kurdish town of Deralook in Duhok Province. 

 

On September 20, Peshmerga fended off a double ISIS suicide bombing attack, also in Wanke

 

The Wanke sub-district is located north of Mosul city. Because of its proximity to the city, ISIS routinely attacks the Peshmerga along this frontline.

 

As the extremist group has dwindled, it launches sporadic attacks on the Peshmerga just to inflict harm on the Kurdish forces. The militants are unable to occupy any territory since they are aware a massive offensive against them is to take place very soon.