KIRKUK, Iraq — Peshmerga fighters around Kirkuk feel abandoned by the Peshmerga Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) amid the petty rivalry of the two main parties that command the force.

Falah, Arkan and Masoud served together near the village of Albu Mohammad, which marks the front line between the peshmerga and Islamic State (IS) militants to the south of Kirkuk. Just before midnight on Aug. 11, some three dozen IS militants snuck into the area and surrounded the peshmerga posts. A firefight broke out and most peshmerga fighters retreated, leaving the three friends on their own. In a video released later by IS, relaxed militants are shown walking around the peshmerga positions, setting them alight and emptying bullets into the body of one of the men. The body of another is seen under a militant's foot. By the end of the battle, the three friends lay dead and seven other fighters wounded. IS seized their weapons and ammunition.

"Peshmerga officials have abandoned us to our own fate. We are dying needlessly," said a fighter who asked to be identified by "Capt. Ahmad." He's been a member of the peshmerga for over two decades.

A furious peshmerga intelligence officer said he has been warning about the vulnerabilities of his forces in the area. He told Al-Monitor, "All we need is a number of infrared cameras to the south of Kirkuk to hold [IS] at bay." The young officer, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprimand by his superiors, said he is speaking out because no one listens to him and other fighters who are dying unnecessarily. He complained that the Popular Mobilization Units have infrared cameras "and [IS] is hardly able to launch attacks on their positions."