Popular Peshmerga commander killed, seven wounded in ISIS attack
KIRKUK, Kurdistan Region - A Peshmerga brigadier whose face was known in Kurdistan from his frequent TV appearances to comment on the war with ISIS, was killed Friday morning south of Kirkuk.
Brigadier Sherko Shwani, the commander of the 1st Peshmerga Brigade, was killed when ISIS fighters attacked Kurdish positions with car bombs and suicide bombers, triggering fierce clashes.
Officials said that seven Peshmerga soldiers were wounded in the attack.
Fighting still continues on several fronts between Peshmerga forces and ISIS militants, mainly south of Kirkuk.
Shortly before he was killed Shwani spoke to a Rudaw correspondent at the frontline, saying that his forces had repelled three ISIS attacks in the early hours of Friday.
“We will give our blood and not let terrorists set foot in Kirkuk,” Shwani said.
Shwani was one of the frontline commanders south of Kirkuk, known to the people of Kurdistan for his regular appearances on TV and speaking about the war on various frontlines.
ISIS militants took advantage of heavy fog and bad weather to launch attacks on Peshmerga forces on three frontlines, including Gwer and Khazir.
Security officials in Kirkuk declared a curfew on vehicles from 10 AM until further notice.
“This is to assist the security forces to maintain security for the people of Kirkuk,” said the province’s security committee in a statement.
The curfew was announced after two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the city and two other bombers were shot dead by police, local officials said.
The Peshmerga forces also repelled an ISIS attack near Gwer, killing a number of militants.
A Rudaw correspondent said the bodies of three ISIS militants were left behind as the rest retreated.
Shwani’s death comes just two days after ISIS militants in Mosul beheaded captured Peshmerga soldier Hujam Surchi in a video the group posted online.