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Peshmerga

The peshmerga are the military forces of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Since 2015, the peshmerga have been part of an international effort to defeat "Islamic State."

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All Content on this topic

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter firing a rifle

Iraq: 'Islamic State' launch attacks in contested region

At least two Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been killed after IS militants launched an attack near Kirkuk.
ConflictsDecember 6, 2021
German soldiers taking part in the anti-IS mission stand near a German military aircraft in Al Azraq,Jordan

Germany's Syria conundrum

What kind of a role can Germany play in Syria? Will it prolong its anti-IS mandate, as the new defense chief urges?
PoliticsSeptember 3, 2019
ice rink in Karlsruhe

IS terror suspect trial starts in Stuttgart

A German man accused of having plotted a major attack on an ice rink in Karlsruhe has gone on trial.
CrimeNovember 12, 2018
Irak Jesidin Kocher mit Kindern im Flüchtlingslager Sar-Dashte auf Mount Sinjar

Iraq's Yazidis 4 years after the genocide

For Kocher, life in Iraq is agony. The Yazidi woman and her children were enslaved by the "Islamic State" for two years.
SocietyJune 22, 2018
Griechenland, Jesiden-Familie aus dem Irak

Refugee women in Greek camps look to the future

DW talked to women in refugee centers in Greece who have fled from war, persecution and sexual abuse.
PoliticsDecember 27, 2017
A boy on a bicycle with an Iraqi flag in Kirkuk's Dibis area

Kurds quit last Kirkuk sector

Iraqi forces have seized a last Kurdish sector in Kirkuk. A key Kurdish oil pipeline has gone to Russia's Rosneft.
PoliticsOctober 20, 2017
Irak Erbil Reportage Protest

Kurds blame outside world for losses to Iraq

Iraqi Kurds grieve the return of Kirkuk returned to Iraqi control and their shattered dream of independence.
PoliticsOctober 19, 2017
German soldiers near Erbil in Iraq to train peshmerga fighters

Germany suspends training of Kurdish fighters

Germany has been a major partner of the peshmerga, providing them weapons and training.
ConflictsOctober 18, 2017
Iraqi civilians gather as Iraqi forces arrive in the first neighbourhood on the southern outskirts of Kirkuk

Kurds flee as Iraqi forces enter Kirkuk

Iraq's counter-terrorism forces have taken control of key government buildings in oil-rich Kirkuk.
ConflictsOctober 16, 2017
Irak Vor einem Jahr überrannte der IS Mossul

Kurds boost troop presence near Kirkuk

Kurdish authorities have boosted their troop presence in the oil region around Kirkuk to fend off threats from Baghdad.
ConflictsOctober 13, 2017
Türkei Kampfjet

Turkish airstrikes 'hit PKK targets'

Turkey's military says it has flown airstrikes on Kurdish rebel sites in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.
ConflictsApril 25, 2017
Irak Bundesaußenminister Sigmar Gabriel in Salahaddin

Gabriel: Germany security being protected in Iraq

Despite praise for the anti-IS fight, Gabriel noted that Berlin doesn't intend to expand military aid to in Iraq.
ConflictsApril 20, 2017
Irak Ausbildung Peschmerga durch Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr sends first soldier to Baghdad

The Bundeswehr will be helping to train the Iraqi army in Baghdad in 2017, as part of a NATO mission.
ConflictsDecember 23, 2016
Irak Karakosch al-Hamdaniya Zerstörte Kirche

Besieged Christians

Christians in Iraq have been driven from their homes, caught up in the conflict between Shi'ites and Sunnis
ReligionDecember 7, 2016
Irak bei Tal Afar Angriff auf Flughafen Schiitische Milizen

Iraq militias claim to have isolated Mosul

Mainly Shiite militia say they have reached peshmerga positions west of the city, isolating IS in its Iraq stronghold.
ConflictsNovember 24, 2016
Special forces jumping onto Humvee

Fierce fighting continues in Mosul

'IS' militants are fighting back as Iraqi forces continue to gain ground in the last majihadist-held stronghold in Iraq.
ConflictsNovember 19, 2016
Irak Baschiqa Kämpfe Peschmerga

Peshmerga suspected of 'war crimes' in Iraq

Human Rights Watch accuses Kurdish forces of razing entire Arab villages in Iraq's north.
CatastropheNovember 13, 2016
Irak Kampf um Mossul gegen den IS

The operation to liberate Mosul from "Islamic State"

What is happening in Mosul since the operation to retake the city from the so-called "Islamic State"
ConflictsNovember 8, 20168 images
A Peshmerga fighter on the outskirts of Mosul

'The battle starts the day Mosul is liberated'

DW speaks with Tomas Olivier of the security consultancy Lowlands Solutions to find out why.
ConflictsNovember 2, 2016
Panzer Irak Mossul Offensive

Iraqi Mosul offensive gains ground

Iraqi forces say they have moved closer to taking control of the jihadist-held city of Mosul.
ConflictsNovember 1, 2016
Irak Region Mossul Peschmerga Kämpfer

'IS' resistance stiffens near Mosul

A military offensive has forced more than 10,000 to flee Mosul, but a mass exodus may be imminent, the UN has warned.
ConflictsOctober 26, 2016
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Mosul: Amateur video shows strike on IS jeep

An amateur video from the north of Mosul shows a car of the Islamic State rapidly approaching Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. But shortly before the suicide bombers reach their goal their car is destroyed by an airstrike.
PoliticsOctober 25, 201600:27 min
Irak Mossul Offensive der Regierungstruppen

Iraqi elite troops seize Christian ghost town

Iraqi special forces have seized the abandoned Christian town of Bartella, despite some resistance.
ConflictsOctober 21, 2016
Kurdish Peshmerga move on Mosul

Kurds, Iraqi forces advance on Mosul

Iraqi special forces have joined the assault on the Islamic State-held Mosul, backed by US aircraft.
ConflictsOctober 20, 2016
Leipzig Waffenlieferung an Kurden verzögert sich 24.9.2014

Germany: No more weapons to pershmerga

The Defense Ministry says it is not preparing additional weapon supplies to Kurdish peshmerga forces in northern Iraq.
ConflictsOctober 17, 2016
Australier wählen neues Parlament Wyatt Roy

Australian PM slams 'stupid' Iraq frontline visit

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said former lawmaker Wyatt Roy has acted in direct defiance of Canberra's warnings.
PoliticsSeptember 30, 2016
Peshmerga fighters outside Mosul

Iraqi Kurds claim advances against IS near Mosul

Iraqi Kurdish forces have recaptured six villages from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).
August 14, 2016
Peshmerga und IS in Mosul

Peshmerga helping refugees

Civilians who are fleeing from the "Islamic State" group are actively helped by the Kurdish peshmerga forces.
July 30, 2016
Irak Daquq Peschmerga

Two days in the life of the Iraqi peshmerga

The word "peshmerga" means "one who confronts death." That is what the soldiers of the Kurdish Ninth Brigade do.
May 29, 2016
Irak Falludscha Schiitische Miliz Artillerie

Kurds, Iraqi army make advances against IS

A fresh push to remove "Islamic State" terrorists from their last strongholds in Iraq has made modest gains.
May 29, 2016
A makeshift community center serving food and drink to the local Shiite militias that retook Bashir from IS

Enemy brings foes together

In Bashir, a town recently liberated from IS, tensions that could lead to a new conflict in Iraq are palpable.
May 9, 2016
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Life on the frontline - a young Peshmerga woman fighting 'IS'

19 year-old Naishteman dreams about a life in peace, but a year ago she swapped her clothes for a uniform. She joined a women's troop of Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers in northern Iraq to fight the so-called Islamic State.
April 12, 201601:36 min
Iraqi army Humvees roll towards Nasr village at dusk

Iraqi army's failings come to light

A stalled offensive highlights the shortcomings of the Iraqi army as it fights the "Islamic State."
April 1, 2016
Syrien Kämpfer Islam Armee Jaish al-Islam Schatten Silhouette

American 'IS' fighter held in Iraq

Iraqi Kurdish sources claim that a US citizen fighting with "Islamic State" has been captured by peshmerga forces.
March 14, 2016
Peshmerga fighters training in a field near Irbil

Unpaid peshmerga vote with feet

Unpaid wages have zapped the morale of the Kurdish fighters on the front line against IS in Iraq.
February 2, 2016

Germany urges Kurds to control arms sales

Berlin has asked autonomous Kurdish representatives to explain possible sales of German weapons in northern Iraq.
January 22, 2016
German soldier training a Kurdish peshmerga fighter to use a G3 assault rifle.

Bundeswehr weapons 'resold' by Kurdish Peshmerga

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have reportedly resold assault rifles and pistols from German military stocks in Iraq.
January 21, 2016
Mali Friedensmission UN Minusma Soldaten UN Fahrzeuge Flagge

More German troops for Mali

The German army is expanding its military missions in Mali and Iraq.
January 6, 2016
Irak US-Luftangriff auf Sinjar

The Kurdish social media war against 'Islamic State'

As Kurdish-led forces storm the "IS" controlled city of Sinjar, online foot soldiers are also waging a social media war.
November 12, 2015
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@dwnews - #FreeSinjar: Kurdish social media offensive

November 12, 201502:11 min
Ursula von der Leyen being saluted by soldiers. Photo: Rainer Jensen/dpa +++(c) dpa - Bildfunk+++ +++ Copyright: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Jensen

More German weapons for peshmerga?

The German defense minister says Berlin will consider sending more arms to Kurdish soldiers fighting "IS" in Iraq.
October 27, 2015
Irak Besuch Verteidigungsministerin von der Leyen bei Khaled al-Obaidi

Germany mulls ways to help Iraq fight IS

erlin was examining ways to provide more support to Iraq's government, unclear what was being consid
October 26, 2015
Symbolbild Islamischer Staat Propaganda Video Still

Report: 'IS' might have used mustard gas

According to a US media report, US officials believe "IS" jihadists used chemical weapons in an attack.
August 14, 2015
Sinjar

An entrenched 'Islamic State'

"Islamic State" still dominates parts of northern Iraq a year after forcing thousands of Yazidis to flee.
August 9, 2015
Syrien Krieg IS Tel Abyad

Who are the Kurds?

Enemies of Turkey and key partners in Syria - DW looks at the Kurdish people and their political organization.
July 29, 2015
Irak USA Kurden Verteidigungsminister Ashton Carter bei Massoud Barsani in Erbil

Carter visits Irbil

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter has extended his surprise trip to Iraq by visiting Kurdish leaders in Irbil.
July 24, 2015
Life Links - Peschmerga

Female peshmerga fighters against 'Islamic State'

Shiwa left her home country Iran to fight against "IS". She feels it's her duty to try to stop them.
June 1, 2015
Nur für Life Links - Kurt

#readytofight: 'It is my obligation to fight 'Islamic State"

Former US Marine Kurt wants to act against "IS". He's preparing to fly to Iraq to fight with Kurdish forces in this war.
May 29, 2015
Stephen Harper

Canada to extend mission against 'IS' to Syria

Canada is set to extend and expand its military mission against 'IS' fighters, possibly to include airstrikes in Syria.
March 24, 2015
Hammelburg Ausbildung Peschmerga Kurden Soldaten Bonnland Bundeswehr

Fighting IS

German army instructors find Peshmerga fighters to be very disciplined.
March 12, 2015