Islamic State Ousted From Iraq's Sinjar in Key Kurdish Victory
- Militants had held town for about a year amid atrocity claims
- Offensive began with support from U.S.-led airstrikes
Smoke from a US-led airstrike rises above Sinjar in Iraq, on Nov. 12, 2015.
Photographer: Alice Martins/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Kurdish Peshmerga forces drove Islamic State fighters from the center of the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar on Friday, a significant advance in a campaign to regain territory seized by the militant group.
“ISIL is defeated and on the run,” the Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement. A 100-meter-long Kurdish flag was displayed in Sinjar, which appeared deserted and severely damaged in footage aired by local television. The Kurds said its hospital along with factories and several public buildings were all cleared of jihadists, while Kurdish combat engineers worked to remove explosive devices.