The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA) on Monday announced that the 14th Infantry Brigade conducted an anti-ISIS clearing operation on Mount Qarachukh near Makhmur last Sunday.

“In order to provide greater security and stability in the area, on July 6, 2025, at 04:00 AM, the 14th Infantry Brigade under the 1st Infantry Division … conducted a clearing operation in the Qarachogh mountain range area,” the MoPA said in a post on Facebook.

With the aim of clearing ISIS hideouts & enhancing security & stability, the 14th infantry brigade affiliated with the 1st Infantry Division, carried out a clearance #operation in the Qarachogh Mountain area, its surrounding villages, & the areas of Gali Tarawa & Mala Kaga. pic.twitter.com/gmsu1StrHx

— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) July 7, 2025

“During the operation, the villages within that border region—Qarachogh Mountain, Tariwa Valley, and Mala Kawa—were searched and cleared.

“The mission aimed to detect and eliminate any ISIS terrorist hideouts or gatherings in those areas. The operation concluded at 08:00 AM, with the goal of preventing terrorist movement and ensuring greater safety for the local residents and surrounding villages.”

Read More: Peshmerga Forces Carry Out Anti-ISIS Operation

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, including Makhmur, 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.