Mortar missiles fired against Iraqi troops in northwestern Nineveh
Artillery shelling. File photo.
“The shelling first came from Peshmerga troops deployed in the vicinity of Rabia and Zummar, located northwest of Nineveh,” the source told Alghad Press.
“No casualties have been recorded among the Iraqi troops yet,” the source said, adding that troops did not respond to the sources, from which mortars came.
Earlier on the day, Peshmerga’s Zeravani troops gave orders earlier on the day to rally at the northern borders of Erbil.
Joint Operations Command had said that Kurdistan Region Government and its delegation stepped back from the draft agreement made with Baghdad. It added that Kurdish troops were building new defenses, while talks were ongoing.
Iraqi government forces approached the southern borders of Erbil, capital of semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region, after taking over Kirkuk province from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in October, fulfilling instructions made by Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi to retake areas where sovereignty is disputed with Kurdistan.
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.