The Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga are claiming significant territorial gains in the area around Daquq today, saying the offensive left them with roughly 250 square kilometers worth of territory, including 10 villages in the Kirkuk Province.
The area around Daquq is one of several front-lines in the Kurdish battle against ISIS in northern Iraq, and villages in this area have regularly change hands over the past year. Defending the relatively remote villages seems to be a struggle for both sides.
That doesn’t mean the territory is totally without value, however. The Peshmerga views this area as particularly important because it is adjacent to the main highway leading south from Kirkuk to the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, and as such is crucial to their hold on the oft-disputed city.
Though Kirkuk was not initially part of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG’s) territory, they quickly seized it when fighting between the central government and ISIS broke out, and KRG officials have indicated they have every intention of keeping the oil-rich city.
It is unclear how much fighting was actually involved in this latest exchange of territory. Kurdish officials reported five Peshmerga fighters killed, but they apparently were hit by IEDs, not in combat. ISIS tends to use front-line villages for hit and run attacks, but only shores up the defenses seriously in areas they intend to keep in the long-run.
Let's hope they can hold on to their gains.
The matter of Kurdish people that are fighting the Saudis barbarians where Turkish Erdogan regime killing them Needs to become an international responsibility of and by progressive people. Erdogan regime is a puppet set by Saudis, salafis, wahabbism and those in Europe and U.S. that are for this war to continue where Turkish Erdogan regime doing his part by killing Kurdish people. Head of NATO is a anti democratic, anti socialist, anti nations self rule and self reliant, previous head of NATO the ratmussen was and he is part of growing Europe neo fascism working hard for Europe to be militarized, as USA is a militarism regime, the newer one is following the same trend helping Turkish Erdogan regime to kill Kurdish people. These people, as they have in the past, will use barbarians, will use terrorism of all kind to achieve their goal serving Israel, Saudis and GCC kingdoms, as they own and have these people as their servants.