Alleged ISIS members attacked Makhmur Refugee Camp

Nineveh, Makhmur Refugee Camp, 2019. Photo: Human Rights Watch

Soran Mohammed

Security forces of Makhmur refugee camp confronted gunmen attacks for two hours. The forces claim that the gunmen were ISIS sleep cells.

Source confirmed to KirkukNow that at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, numerous gunmen attacked Shahid Rostam Judi camp in Makhmur district, south east of Nineveh province.

Jawhari Forces, which is responsible for the security of the camp, confronted the offensive.

Shorsh Chakdar, a member of the force, said, “ISIS started the offensive from the Qara Chokh mountain to the west side of the camp. The offensive lasted two hours.”

In the confrontation, two members of Jawhar forces were injured and later one of them died due to his bad injury.

“Two dead ISIS bodies were left. We do not know how many they were but they carried out an intense attack,” Chakdar added.

Qara Chokh Mountains in the west of Makhmur district is located between the Iraqi and the Peshmerga forces and in the past months, both forces have launched mutual offensive against the sleep cells of ISIS in the area.

Earlier, numerous gunmen attacked the camp on January 28, but left after confrontations with the security forces.

ISIS war finished in 2017 and its defeat was announced in the same year, but still they carry out attacks occasionally.

Makhmur Refugee Camp, 60 km south western of Erbil province, houses at least 12 thousand Kurds from Tukey, who have left the country since 1990s. The camp is officially registered by the Iraqi government and the United Nations.

Makhmur is a disputed district between the federal and regional government. Kurdistan Regional Government administered the district from 2003 to late 2017 when the Iraqi forces put the entire disputed areas under the federal administrations.

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