US alliance, Peshmerga hunt down Daesh in northern Iraq

By Serhad Shakir

NINEVEH, Iraq

The U.S.-led coalition and Kurdish Peshmerga forces on Monday launched a joint operation against the Daesh terrorist group in northern Iraq.

The offensive aims to eradicate Daesh’s presence in Qarachukh mountain in northern Iraq, the security council of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region said in a statement.

“The moping-up operation aims to hunt down Daesh militants who use the mountainous area to launch attacks,” it added.

The Qarachukh mountain is a disputed area between the central government in Baghdad and the Erbil-based Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

Since Iraqi forces -- with the help of the U.S.-led coalition – defeated Daesh in 2017, they have carried out frequent mopping-up operations aimed at eradicating the terror group’s lingering presence in the area.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in the country had been all but destroyed. The group, however, still appears to maintain a limited presence in northern and western Iraq.