File Photo: Peshmerga commanders say their troops remain poorly armed compared with Islamic State militants. The attack took place late Thursday in a village in the Makhmour region, triggering a confrontation with Kurdish peshmerga forces. Among the dead were nine peshmerga and three civilians, private broadcaster Rudaw said on its website. REUTERS

File Photo: Kurdish fighters ordered a truck to stop Friday in Sinjar, Iraq. The Islamic State is using suicide drivers to attack their positions on a strategic highway. There was no claim by Islamic State militants for the attack and details were not immediately available. IS was defeated on the battlefield in 2017 but attacks targeting Iraqi security forces — including Kurdish peshmerga fighters — remain common. Credit: Bryan Denton for The New York Times

File Photo: Kurdish Peshmerga fighters gather north of Kirkuk, Iraq October 19, 2017. Militants are still active through sleeper cells in many areas, especially across a band of territory in the north under dispute between federal Iraq and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. REUTERS

File Photo: Military vehicles belonging to Peshmerga forces after an attack by Isis in Kirkuk. The U.S.-led coalition to defeat IS has announced the end of its combat mission and said troops will withdraw from Iraq by the end of December. Advisers will remain to continue to train Iraqi forces. REUTERS