Iraqi Kurdistan: Kurds retake Sinjar, IS melts away

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani declared a welcome victory with the 12-13 November ousting of Islamic State (IS, or Daesh) from Sinjar, liberating the Yazidi town more than a year after its traumatic occupation and severing Highway 47, a main supply route between IS-held territory in Iraq and Syria. Following the projection of US-led airpower – the US Department of Defence reported more than 30 airstrikes on Sinjar and surrounding areas during the offensive’s first day – the Kurdish advance, involving an estimated 7,500 troops, was largely unopposed.