Kurdish Peshmerga

Iraq: Kurdish, Yazidis fighters battle Islamic State for strategic town of Sinjar

It would also give a huge strategic victory to both the Iraqi Kurds and the central government in Baghdad, as the Kurdish fighters could then cut the highway from Syria to Mosul, a vital supply line for Islamic State.

Iraq: On Mount Sinjar, Yazidis cheer on Kurds for breaking Islamic State siege

It was the plight of those trapped on the mountain, together with Islamic State's advance towards the Kurdish capital Arbil, that prompted US President Barack Obama to order air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq in August.

Blow to Islamic State as Iraqi Kurds claim to break Mount Sinjar siege

The peshmerga said they recaptured eight villages on the way and killed about 80 Islamic State fighters in the initial phase of the offensive launched from Rabia on the Syria border and Zumar on the shores of Mosul dam lake.