Peshmerga dig trenches to hamper Iraqi troops advance toward exit

Duhuq (IraqiNews.com) Kurdish Peshmerga forces have dug trenches to hamper advance of Iraqi troops toward border crossing near Syria, senior military source said on Monday.

Speaking to Alghad Press on Sunday, the source said, “drones revealed the plan of Peshmerga that seeks hampering advance of Iraqi troops toward Faysh Khabur.”

“The digging is ongoing on the other side of Tigris reaching to Faysh Khabur, while negotiations between Federal Troops and Peshmerga are ongoing,” the source said. “Information indicates digging trenches with depth less than one meter and breadth of at least one and half meters, which is enough to hinder advance of troops for longer period of time.”

According to the source, Iraqi troops “are capable of passing the trenches easily, in case allowed by the Joint Operations Command using fighter jets to halt the artillery shelling against [Iraqi] troops.”

The negotiations, according to the source, did not come up with results. “It seems that the second round of talks is about to fail.

Faysh Khabur, contains 19 percent of the Kurdistan’s oil.It is considered as an alternative for Ibrahim al-Khalil exit, on borders with Turkey.

On Friday, Iraqi troops have reportedly given the Peshmerga troops two-hour ultimatum to withdraw from Faysh Khabur border crossing on Iraqi-Turkish-Syrian borders.

Later on the day, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi ordered “halting operations by military troops for 24 hours,” at the areas disputed on between Erbil and Baghdad.

Baghdad had declared intentions to retake areas disputed on with Erbil following the Kurdistan Region’s vote for independence from Iraq in September, urging Peshmerga to cooperate with federal troops.