The Peshmerga say they have gone from defensive to a full-scale offensive mode against the ISIL militants in the town of Sinjar in the north and in Makhmur village - some 60 kilometers from Mosul.

They say their main aim is to cut off the supply and retreat routes the ISIL terrorists have established along the Iraqi-Syrian borders.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including members of Iraq's Yazidi religious minority, have been displaced in recent days after the ISIL terrorists captured Sinjar and nearby Zumar in northern Iraq.

The region is not officially a part of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), but fell under the protection of Peshmerga after the ISIL attacks.

The Kurdish troops have also vowed that they will not let the ISIL have one inch of their land and will fight to secure the return of the displaced.

However, the Peshmerga say they are underequipped. This is said to have given ISIL an edge over the Kurdish fighters.

With the recent backing of the Iraqi air force, the Kurdish troops say they will soon enter the heart of the territories captured by the ISIL.

Takfiri ISIL militants have taken control of large swathes of Iraq since early June and have vowed to continue their raid toward Baghdad.

BA/BA