Swarms of Beetles Threaten Health of Kurdish Peshmerga in ISIS Fight

The life of a Kurdish peshmerga fighter is not easy. Rudaw reports on the latest hardship bedeviling those on the front lines against ISIS: Swarms of insects, large and aggressive enough to raise concerns about the health of those caught in their path.

“It is horrible. We cannot even take a rest. We cannot have our meals. If they are not stopped, then they might get to the town of Tel Askof. We are waiting for the medical team to come and check the state of the peshmergas’ health,” complained one fighter.

Another admitted that he and his comrades were “not in a good health condition” due to the insects but vowed that it would not affect their morale or weaken their determination to fight the Islamic State.

The major threat comes from vast swarms of black beetles, flowing across seven kilometers of the peshmerga line, a plague unlike anything the Kurdish peshmerga say they have seen before. A large number of grasshoppers are also said to be infesting farms in the Duhok province.