No Plans Made for Hawija Operation: Peshmerga Official

No preparations have been made for the operation to recapture Hawija city in western Kirkuk province and Tel Afar district in west of Mosul, and the Peshmerga forces have not been given a role in the operation.

Jabar Yawar, Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga Ministry, told BasNews that the plan of Hawija operation was made before the Mosul assault and the role of Peshmerga in the offensive had been determined, but the operation was delayed, noting that no meetings have been held on the operation ever since.

Yawar explained “No preparations or coordination have been made for the operation to retake Hawija and Tel Afar so far,” adding that the Peshmerga forces are ready to take part in any operation against the Islamic State (IS), particularly in Hawija operation.

Hawija, located in southwest of Kirkuk, is considered a strategic town for the IS which it has been keeping hold of it since mid-2014.

The Iraqi government is yet to come up with a plan to liberate the city while the extremist group is strengthening its foothold in the town. A large number of IS militants who fled Mosul moved to Hawija which is now considered the IS stronghold in Iraq.



https://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/357225