The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA) announced on X on Monday that the peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army had conducted a joint anti-ISIS operation on the slope of Mount Qarachukh in Makhmur district.

The MoPA added that the goal of the operation was “to clear ISIS hideouts and enhance security and stability in the area.”

In a Facebook post, the MoPA said that the operation was launched at 7:00 am on Monday on the slopes of Mount Qarachukh, and included the 14th and 18th brigades of the 1st Infantry Division of the MoPA, the 1st regiment of the 3rd Zerevani Commando Brigade, and 50th and 51st brigades of the 14th Division of the Iraqi Army.

Read More: Peshmerga Forces Conduct anti-ISIS Operation

The operation involved sweeping and clearing the southern and northern areas of Mount Qarachukh and concluded at 2:00 pm.

A security vacuum was created in areas disputed between Baghdad and Erbil in October 2017 after Iraqi forces and the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces pushed peshmerga forces out of the disputed territories after the Kurdistan Region’s September 2017 independence referendum. 

This vacuum has been exploited by ISIS militants, who use the area as a safe haven and a base from which to stage attacks. The peshmerga forces have carried out several joint operations with Iraqi security forces against ISIS cells in these areas to prevent an ISIS resurgence.