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            Kurdish Peshmerga Fighters Waiting for Mosul Battle Plan

   by Sharon Behn, Ali Javanmardi

   Makhmour stands on the edge of the divide between the Iraqi Kurdish
   Peshmerga forces and Islamic State militants.

   From behind the sandbags at the final Peshmerga base, on the horizon
   you can see a water tower with the black IS banner draped across it.

   "That village," one Peshmerga soldier said, pointing to a line of
   houses on the horizon, "is under the control of Daesh."

   IS fighters are tough

   In 2014, the land the soldiers were standing on was also controlled by
   IS, or Daesh, as the group is known here.

   It took two months of bloody fighting to oust the militants from the
   area and regain what the Kurds consider their territory.

   At least one village still stands completely empty, it's walls
   pockmarked with bullet holes. A large sign to the right of the bumpy
   road cutting through the houses warned against touching anything.

   IS militants are known to plant bombs and booby trap areas they have
   occupied.'

   This is a familiar battlefield for Omar Mirhan, at 78 the eldest
   Peshmerga in the area. According to him, they killed all the IS
   fighters when they retook Makhmour's 14 surrounding villages.

   "They do not retreat," Mirhan said, standing on top of a hill
   surrounded by his younger fighters, gesturing to the town below.

   Highly respected fighter

   Although retired and now only a volunteer, Mirhan is highly respected
   by his fellow Kurdish fighters.

   He joined the Peshmerga in 1961, and has fought in every battle since
   then, including against former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

   Photo Gallery: Peshmerga Wait for Mosul Battle

   ''

   Inside his lookout post, Mirhan rolled a cigarette with golden Kurdish
   tobacco, sipped tea and started to smoke.

   The battle for Mosul, he said, was going to be tough, and he was not
   sure the Iraqi Army - which fled Mosul in 2014 - was up to the task.

   "Do you want the Iraqi army to take Mosul? Unless American ground
   troops or Peshmerga go there, I swear to God, they can't take Mosul,"
   he said.

   There is little love lost between the Kurdish and Iraqi forces. Their
   military bases here are separate, and even though Kurdistan is still
   considered part of Iraq, the Peshmerga bases fly the Kurdish flag and
   only the Iraqi bases fly the Iraqi flag.

   Cooperation

   Major General Sirwan Barzani, commander for the Makhmour frontline,
   known as Sector 6, says the forces are coordinating. He met with VOA
   during a short visit to one of the posts overlooking the town of
   Makhmour.

   WATCH: Peshmerga Commander Discusses Strategy Against IS

   ''

   "There is an operation room, there is a joint operation room between
   the Iraqi army, the Ministry of Defense, and the Peshmerga ministry and
   the Americans and the coalition," Barzani said.

   ''But a lot more will be needed. Islamic State is a difficult enemy, he
   said. To take Mosul, Barzani said, airstrikes by coalition forces would
   not be enough; they would need attack helicopters.

   More weapons, money

   He called for more weapons and ammunition for his cash-strapped
   soldiers. "I have a maximum of five percent of my needs," said the
   general.

   A steep economic crisis in the Kurdistan region, combined with a bitter
   budget spat with the central government in Baghdad, has meant that
   salaries for many Peshmerga are in arrears by several months.

   IS is developing new techniques, new ways of of using homemade bombs,
   it is using drones to gather intelligence and film its attacks, and it
   is experimenting with chemical weapons.

   "They are dangerous people," Barzani said.

   Keeping it

   But the real challenge, the Kurdish general said, was not just taking
   Mosul away from IS, but being able to keep it.

   "You know it is not only a question of pushing Daesh back, you have to
   hold the land also," said Barzani. "So I think they need at least
   25,000 Iraqi army for this operation, and almost 10,000 Peshmerga."

   According to Barzani, Iraqi security forces were already moving into
   Makhmour, an area that lies southeast of Mosul and about 125 kilometers
   southwest of Irbil.

   But he said it was unclear when and how the battle plan for Mosul will
   unfold, and what role the Iraqi Shi'ite militia will play in that
   fight.

   "The plan has changed more than four or five times. So until today we
   still don't have a final plan," Barzani said.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/kurdish-peshmerga-fighters-waiting-fo
   r-mosul-battle-plan/3234694.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kurdish-peshmerga-fighters-waiting-for-mosul-battle-plan/3234694.html