KHURMATU—At least 24 members of Iraqi security forces were killed in the early hours of Friday as Islamic State (ISIS) militants rammed their base south of the town of Khurmatu, a commander told Rudaw, and three Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers died as they helped repel the attack.





Colonel Ghazi Mansour, commander of the Iraqi troops in the area told said that the militants launched the attack on his forces at 1:00am by blowing up two bombs before attempting to ram their base.





The attack took place at the villages of Pir Ahmad, Zanjar and Aboud.





“In a fierce battle that last four hours 24 members of the police were killed among them Colonel Mustafa Amirli, chief of the Khurmatu police,” Col. Mansour said. “His son was also killed in the same attack.”





He added that Colonel Hussein and his son were killed along with two first lieutenants and three national guards.





According to Col. Mansour Kurdish Peshmerga forces stationed in the area intervened in support of the Iraqi troops and Shiite militia and succeeded in repelling the attack after two hours of intense battle.





Two Peshmerga soldiers were killed in the fight and seven others injured.





Information obtained from the front suggested that the attack was carried out by 23 ISIS militants who employed three truck bombs. Eight of the militants were killed, the commander said.