ERBIL — At least three civilians were killed on Thursday night in an Islamic State (IS) attack on two villages in the disputed Makhmour district.

According to the information BasNews has obtained, the jihadists targeted the villages of Khidirja and Lawar near Makhmour, southwest of Erbil, where the locals took arms to repel the attack.

The Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan Region also arrived at the scene to help the villagers against the militants, a source said.

As a result of the attack, however, three civilians, who were said to be the sons of the chief of Khidirja village, were killed. Other unconfirmed reports claimed that there were also casualties among the Peshmerga soldiers.

No further details were immediately available.

This comes as the Islamic State has seemingly regrouped in most parts of Iraq, particularly in the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, continuing to challenge the security in the region.

The militant group, during this week alone, has conducted three separate attacks on the Peshmerga forces near the village of Kulajo in Garmiyan Administration, where nearly 10 Kurdish soldiers were either killed or injured.