Peshmerga Push Back IS in two Strategic Towns

KHANAQIN – Peshmerga forces launched a multi-pronged attack against Islamic State (IS/ISIS) fighters in the Jalawla and Sadiya on Friday, pushing back the militants and advancing to the gates of both towns, Kurdish military officials said.

Mahmoud Sangawi, the commander of the Peshmerga forces in Jalawla, said that his troops had begun attacks on IS positions before dawn, on the orders of Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani.

He said that two Peshmerga commanders had been killed in the fighting, and that the militants had left 11 bodies behind. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), meanwhile, reported that the Peshmerga forces had killed 80 militants and captured eight others.

In Baghdad, meanwhile, a Sunni lawmakers pulled out of talks on forming a new Iraqi government after at least 64 people were killed in attacks. The talks were suspended because it was not immediately clear if Shiite militiamen, or IS militants, were responsible for the bombings.

"Peshmerga forces attacked the terrorists from 4:30 am in three fronts to clear them from the Jalawla and Sadiya areas," Sangawi said in a phone interview with Rudaw. "There has been good advance by the Peshmerga forces. Many villages and roads are clear of (IS) until the entrance to Jalawla."

Sangawi said the Peshmarga had dealt “a lethal blow” to the militants on the outskirts of Jalawla and Sadiya districts.

“The Peshmarga forces were also able to advance towards the Naqshbandi checkpoint,” he said. “We have launched attacks from several directions and we were able to capture the Kubashi checkpoint, which is six kilometers from Sadiya.”

The commander added that the Peshmerga “have reached their goals and executed the plan. They struck a blow against the terrorists," said Sangawi. “The attacks by the Peshmerga forces will continue until terrorists are cleared.”

Sangawi rejected the reports that Peshmerga forces had withdrawn. "We have not withdrawn and have advanced in a very good way."

"Unfortunately the bombs exploded and destroyed some of our vehicles and wounded some Peshmergas. But the casualties have been minimal as compared to the big number of bombs planted by (IS)," he noted.

Jalawla is a strategic point, only 30 kilometers from the Iranian border. It has remained one of the deadliest flashpoints along the Peshmerga's 1,000-kilometer front with Islamic State.