The Kurdistan Regional Security Council said Peshmerga forces began a “large-scale offensive” around 7:00 am Local Time.
The drive succeeded in cutting the road between ISIS’s stronghold Mosul, the first city the terrorists took in a June offensive, and Tal Afar, a large town to its west that the group has held for months, senior Kurdish security officials said.
A US-led anti-IS coalition announced it carried out six air strikes in the two areas from Tuesday to Wednesday — three near Tal Afar and three near Mosul. It did not specify the exact locations targeted.
The strikes hit targets including vehicles, IS units, buildings, heavy weapons and a bridge, a statement said.