ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Islamic State group (ISIS) fighters attacked a village in southwest Kirkuk early on Tuesday, killing livestock, according to villagers. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they have targeted the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic). At around 1:30 am, ISIS fighters attacked Dogshman village in the Rashad sub-district of southern Kirkuk province. Villagers told Rudaw they locked themselves in their homes while the militants burned houses and vehicles, and killed cows, sheep, and goats. Hussein Zedan lost his father during an uptick of ISIS activity two years ago in the same area. Today, he lost almost all his property. “The losses are huge,” he told Rudaw. "At around 1:30 am they came to our village. We locked ourselves inside our homes. We didn't even open the doors. They were walking around the houses and wanted us to come out, but we did not,” he said. When the villagers did not come out of their homes, the militants attacked their livestock and properties. At least 25 cows and seven sheep and goats were killed, and five cars and tractors and two houses were burned. Villagers said ISIS fighters used rocket-propelled grenades (RPG). ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on its propaganda channel on Telegram, saying they had targeted members of Sunni brigades of the PMF. It claimed the vehicles and houses they set on fire belonged to PMF members. Villager Khatab Mustafa said they want the Iraqi government to provide them with security, hoping that ISIS will leave the village alone if it is under the protection of government forces. “If such attacks continue, the village will be evacuated,” he said. “There should be night vision cameras so they do not attack. People should be armed, and security checkpoints should be increased,” said another villager, Mohammed Salih. There is a security checkpoint near the village, but their forces arrived too late to stop the ISIS militants. Kirkuk province lies within disputed areas claimed by both the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. There is a security gap between Iraqi and Kurdish forces in these areas that ISIS exploits as a safe haven from which to launch attacks on civilian and military targets. ISIS has carried out 134 attacks in these areas so far this year. Baghdad and Erbil are working to close this gap. This summer, they established joint coordination centres in the disputed provinces, including Kirkuk, to improve their cooperation and they are in talks to create joint brigades. Iraqi forces daily carry out operations against ISIS. On Tuesday, security forces arrested 19 terror suspects in Kirkuk, according to a military statement. Reporting by Hardi Mohammed
