Peshmerga

Kurdish Forces Pushed Out of Long-held Lands by Iraqi Army, Shia Militias

Kurdish forces, in a stunning series of events, have been forced to abandon lands they had controlled since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, after Iraqi troops and Iranian-backed Shia militias swept into areas that had been hoped to be an independent Kurdistan. These peshmerga units were forced out of the towns of Bashiqa, […]

Iraqi army marches into central Kirkuk as Kurdish forces flee

Iraqi forces marched into the centre of Kirkuk on Monday and flew the national flag as divisions among Kurdish groups led to factions of peshmerga refusing to fight in an act described as “treason” by their superiors. Forces including the Shia-dominated Popular Mobilisation Units took key facilities around Kirkuk, including the K1 military base, the […]

Iraqi forces launch operation for Kurdish-held oil fields, military base

Clashes broke out early Monday in northern Iraq as Iraqi forces moved to recapture Kurdish-held oil fields and a military base near the city of Kirkuk, setting the stage for a battle between two U.S. allies. After a three-day standoff, Iraqi forces advanced into the contested province with the goal of returning to positions they […]

World waits as votes are tallied in Kurdish independence vote

As votes continue to be tallied from the Iraqi Kurdish referendum election held on Monday, major powers in the region and around the world brace for the almost certain reality of a “yes” vote for Kurdistan independence. The Iraqi government has firmly said they will not negotiate with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over talks […]

Why I’ve gone back to leather holsters

With all the kydex and appendix carry rage going on, everybody is repping their favorite blaster carrier. Over the years I’ve owned, trained and carried various kydex brands. Most of them I really enjoyed and found met my needs adequately, some were terrible bulky masses of hard plastic that just didn’t cut it. Recently I’ve […]

ANALYSIS: Turkey seeks Iran ‘alliance’ against Kurds as US pull wanes

The symbolism was huge, as was the message that followed: The highest level talks in almost 40 years between Turkish and Iranian military commanders, then an announcement by Turkey’s president of a new “alliance”. After Hulusi Akar and Mohammad Hossein Bagheri met last week, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has traded barbs with the Iranian […]

Watch: American Peshmerga’s designated marksmanship rifle

The designated marksmanship rifle has a unique role to fill in combat. While it can never fill the role of a sniper rifle it is designed for on demand accuracy. Primarily used as a mid range precision weapon, the DMR allows the end-user to eliminate enemy personnel on a squad level while his colleagues deal […]

Watch: American Peshmerga fighters train in close quarters shooting

It’s important to maintain your marksmanship skills; it’s a perishable skill set, so it if you don’t stay on top of it your group quality drops off faster than you’d think. While shooting at longer distances is invaluable and arguably more important in the long run, given most rifle fights happen at an average of […]

My top four battlefield tips and tricks

I’m sure we’ve all seen the soldier in a movie (or real life) with his two magazines taped together upside down or the dude rocking the single knee pad so he can retain freedom of movement. My personal favorite comes from the days before Magpul Industries when high speed dudes used to tape 550 cord […]

US-backed Kurds release video showing them destroying a Turkish tank in Syria

US-backed Kurdish fighters battling ISIS in Syria released a video on Saturday showing them destroying a tank being used by Turkish-backed rebels in northwest Syria, Military Times first reported. “Today at about 9:30 am our forces targeted and destroyed a tank belonging to terrorist groups under the Turkish army’s command near Azaz hospital in Afrin’s Shera […]

A British volunteer fighting ISIS in Syria reportedly killed himself to avoid being captured

A British man who had volunteered with the Kurds to fight ISIS in Syria reportedly killed himself after getting surrounded by militants. Ryan Lock, 20, from West Sussex, sustained a leg injury while fighting in Raqqa on Dec. 21 before getting surrounded by ISIS fighters, The Guardian reported. He then shot himself to avoid getting captured. The YPG told the […]

Ex-Marine died fighting Islamic State in Syria

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A former Marine believed so strongly in the war against the Islamic State group that he secretly traveled to Syria, where he was killed this month while fighting for a Kurdish militia group. David Taylor, a 25-year-old former Florida resident, had kept his plans to join the Kurdish group a secret […]