Peshmerga Fighters Take Key Ridgeline in Iraq - US Central Command

The United States Central Command said that Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters assisted by the international anti-ISIL Coalition cleared an important ridgeline in Northern Iraq and took back 70 square kilometres of land.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters assisted by the international anti-Islamic State Coalition cleared an important ridgeline in Northern Iraq and took back 70 square kilometres of land, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

“Peshmerga Fighters supported by Combined Join Task Force — Operation Inherent Resolve, seized a key ridgeline in Northern Iraq west of Kirkuk,” the statement, issued on Thursday, said.

The offensive pushed the Islamic State militants away from the Kirkuk oilfields.

“These forces overcame ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] resistance in this section of Iraq, and denied the terrorist group its freedom of maneuver in the area,” the statement explained.

The Peshmerga fighters took control of important positions on Route 80 within Iraq during the operation, three-to-five kilometers over a large front, taking back 70 square kilometers, according to the statement.

The statement added that Operation Inherent Resolve military forces utilized air strikes in support of the Peshmerga forces, destroying ten ISIL fighting positions, five tactical units and weapons systems.

Peshmerga fighters are poised to retake more territory from IS after the gains they made in Northern Iraq, according to the statement.

Operation Inherent Resolve is a coalition of nations whose goal is to defeat the IS and eliminate the threat the militants pose to Iraq, Syria, the Middle East and the world.