Over 10 Peshmerga fighters killed, injured in IS attack in Salahuddin

Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) More than ten Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and injured as Islamic State militants attacked the troops in Salahuddin province.

“The attack, launched against the 11th brigade, occurred in Zarka region,” peshmerga spokesman Brigadier General Halgurd Hikmat said in Press remarks on Wednesday.

“The troops repulsed the attack, while militants ran away leaving three personnel killed and eleven others wounded,” Hikmat said adding that five IS members were killed.

Speaking to Xendan news website, a Peshmerga source said the attack targeted Tuz Khurmatu town on Tuesday evening and lasted until 2 AM on Wednesday.

Pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, are still held by the militants which poses threats to the liberated regions. Iraqi troops are urged to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.

Violence in the country has surged further with the emergence of Islamic State Sunni extremist militants who proclaimed an “Islamic Caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.

More than 500 Iraqis were killed and injured during July due to violence and armed conflicts, according to a monthly count by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).