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| Battle for Sinjar: Kurdish forces enter IS-held town in Iraq | Battle for Sinjar: Kurdish forces enter IS-held town in Iraq |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Kurdish fighters have entered Sinjar in northern Iraq, a day after launching an offensive to retake it from Islamic State (IS) militants. | Kurdish fighters have entered Sinjar in northern Iraq, a day after launching an offensive to retake it from Islamic State (IS) militants. |
| The Kurdistan Regional Security Council said in a tweet that Peshmerga forces had entered "from all directions" and were clearing the town of IS. | The Kurdistan Regional Security Council said in a tweet that Peshmerga forces had entered "from all directions" and were clearing the town of IS. |
| The Kurdish offensive is supported by US-led coalition air strikes. | The Kurdish offensive is supported by US-led coalition air strikes. |
| Meanwhile, the Iraqi army says it has launched an offensive to recapture the western city of Ramadi from IS. | Meanwhile, the Iraqi army says it has launched an offensive to recapture the western city of Ramadi from IS. |
| The army press office said the offensive was under way "along the northern, western and south-western axes, with air support", the official al-Iraqiyah TV reports. | |
| However, Reuters news agency quotes a municipal official and a police officer from the area as saying the advance has not yet begun. | |
| 'They stole our dignity' | 'They stole our dignity' |
| Witnesses in Sinjar said the Kurdish fighters, some carrying rocket-propelled grenades, moved into the town on foot. | |
| A hospital, several public buildings, a silo and cement factory have all been secured, the Kurdistan Regional Security Council (KRSC) said in another tweet. | A hospital, several public buildings, a silo and cement factory have all been secured, the Kurdistan Regional Security Council (KRSC) said in another tweet. |
| A senior Peshmerga source told the BBC's Ahmed Maher, reporting from just outside Sinjar, that Kurdish special forces have managed to enter the northern parts of the town and raised the Iraqi Kurdistan flag on a number of buildings, including a primary school, a medical centre and a government office. | |
| He said clearing the town "was a work in progress" and Kurdish forces "might take between seven to 10 days to reach the centre... as there is a large scale clean-up operation due to booby traps and suicide bombings, heavily used by IS militants who depend on guerrilla tactics". | |
| The offensive to retake Sinjar began in earnest at dawn on Thursday, with some 7,500 Peshmerga fighters closing in on three fronts after coalition warplanes bombed IS positions, command-and-control facilities and weapons stores. | The offensive to retake Sinjar began in earnest at dawn on Thursday, with some 7,500 Peshmerga fighters closing in on three fronts after coalition warplanes bombed IS positions, command-and-control facilities and weapons stores. |
| Within hours, they had successfully blocked Highway 47, the main road between Mosul, to the east, and Raqqa to the west, and secured three surrounding villages. | Within hours, they had successfully blocked Highway 47, the main road between Mosul, to the east, and Raqqa to the west, and secured three surrounding villages. |
| The Kurds estimated that there were almost 600 IS militants in Sinjar before the offensive began, but the coalition said they believed some 60 to 70 had been killed in Thursday's air strikes. | The Kurds estimated that there were almost 600 IS militants in Sinjar before the offensive began, but the coalition said they believed some 60 to 70 had been killed in Thursday's air strikes. |
| Thousands from the Yazidi religious minority are reportedly taking part in the offensive. Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels have trained a Yazidi militia, while others have joined the Peshmerga. | |
| IS killed or enslaved thousands of Yazidis when they captured Sinjar in August 2014. Many more became trapped on nearby Mount Sinjar without food or water for days until they were rescued by Syrian Kurdish forces. | |
| The risk of genocide was a key factor in the US decision to launch air strikes in Iraq. | |
| Hussein Derbo, the head of a Peshmerga battalion made up of 440 Yazidis, told the Reuters news agency: "It is our land and our honour. They [IS] stole our dignity. We want to get it back." | Hussein Derbo, the head of a Peshmerga battalion made up of 440 Yazidis, told the Reuters news agency: "It is our land and our honour. They [IS] stole our dignity. We want to get it back." |
| Sinjar - a strategic town | Sinjar - a strategic town |
| Who, What, Why: Who are the Yazidis? | Who, What, Why: Who are the Yazidis? |
| Iraq: The minorities of Nineveh | Iraq: The minorities of Nineveh |