Peshmerga say ISIS gunmen attempted infiltration near Tuz Khurmatu

SALAH AL-DIN — Peshmerga forces said they repelled an attempted infiltration late Tuesday night by four gunmen they identified as members of ISIS near the Dawda area along the Khurmatu border in Salah al-Din governorate.

Hama Chawri, a Peshmerga commander in the area, told 964media that the gunmen, whom Peshmerga forces believe were ISIS militants, were armed with sniper rifles and attempted to slip into Peshmerga positions from the village of Qala.

“The gunmen tried to infiltrate the positions and settle inside an old building that was previously used by Peshmerga forces,” Chawri said.

He said Peshmerga units detected the movement, monitored the area and prevented the infiltration, forcing the gunmen to flee. “We monitored them and prevented them,” Chawri said, adding that the gunmen retreated toward the village of Shora, about one kilometer from Qala, east of Khurmatu, between the Khurmatu and Kifri borders.

According to information obtained by 964media, Peshmerga forces moved early Wednesday morning to the area where the gunmen were spotted and launched a wide search operation along the border to track their movements.

• ISIS remnants continue to exploit security gaps between Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces in disputed and remote areas, particularly around Tuz Khurmatu and Kifri in Salah al-Din governorate. These regions have long been used by ISIS cells to launch attacks on civilians and security forces because of the lack of fully sealed front lines between different forces.

To address this challenge, a joint brigade of Peshmerga and Iraqi Army units was deployed to key areas between Tuz Khurmatu and Kifri, covering a wide area previously exploited by ISIS militants. The purpose of this deployment is to close security gaps and reduce insurgent activity that has persisted since the group lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017.