Peshmerga forces backed by coalition air strikes seized territory southwest of Kirkuk on Wednesday in an offensive designed, at least in part, to mitigate the Islamic State (IS) militant group’s ability to threaten key oil infrastructure.”The main goal of this military operation is to push back the Daesh threat to oil and gas facilities to the southwest of Kirkuk,” said one Peshmerga official involved in the offensive. “There was a direct threat by mortars and rocket attacks targeting the ar… This content is for registered users. Please login to continue. If you are not a registered user, you may purchase a subscription or sign up for […]