Battle of Pirde

Battle of Pirde
	Part of the Battle of Kirkuk (2017)
Date	20 October 2017
Location	Altun Kupri, Iraq
Result	Kurdish victory Peshmerga thwarts attempt to take Erbil; KRG loses Kirkuk and around 20% of their territory to Iraq;
Belligerents
Kurdistan Region;	Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Masoud Barzani; Sirwan Barzani ; Jamal Kirkuki ; Husein Yazdanpanah;	Haider al-Abadi; (Commander-in-chief); Maj. Gen. Fadhil al-Barwari; (ISOF commander)
Units involved
Peshmerga; Parti Azadi Kurdistan	Popular Mobilization Forces
Casualties and losses
350 killed	12 Humvees, 1 M1A1 Abrams, 1 T-72

The Battle of Pirde was a minor military confrontation between the Peshmerga and the Popular Mobilization Forces during the 2017 Iraqi–Kurdish conflict. It was the first military confrontation between both sides since the Battle of Kirkuk (2017).

Background

The battle first started when Hashd al-Shaabi soldiers captured Kirkuk and made an attempt at capturing Erbil.^[3]

The battle

The fighting began at 7:00 in the morning on the Erbil-to-Kirkuk road near the village of Pirde, when Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service began to mortar Kurdish units. An apparent 81-millimeter mortar exploded not far from a group of Kurdish generals standing outside a command post.^[4] The battle ended with a Peshmerga victory as the Popular Mobilization Forces were denied the chance to capture Erbil, despite Iraqi forces capturing Kirkuk and other strategic areas.

References

^ ""Pirde Epic" in its fifth year...when the Peshmerga executed the plans of the dreamers to eliminate the Kurdistan experience-ARK NEWS". www.arknews.net.
^ https://www.newarab.com/analysis/iraqi-kurds-are-tired-being-attacked-us-made-weapons
^ Iddon, Paul (2018-10-21). "Holding the line: Why the Peshmerga's stand at Pirde matters". Rûdaw. Archived from the original on 2024-07-31.
^ Kleinmann, Yomi (2017-10-23). "Kurdish Troops Halt Iraqi Forces on the Kurdistan Border". War is Boring. Archived from the original on 2024-07-31.

[1] ""Pirde Epic" in its fifth year...when the Peshmerga executed the plans of the dreamers to eliminate the Kurdistan experience-ARK NEWS". www.arknews.net.

[2] ttps://www.newarab.com/analysis/iraqi-kurds-are-tired-being-attacked-us-made-weapons

[3] Iddon, Paul (2018-10-21). "Holding the line: Why the Peshmerga's stand at Pirde matters". Rûdaw. Archived from the original on 2024-07-31.

[4] Kleinmann, Yomi (2017-10-23). "Kurdish Troops Halt Iraqi Forces on the Kurdistan Border". War is Boring. Archived from the original on 2024-07-31.

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