NEAR SINJAR TOWN, Iraq, Nov 12: Kurdish forces launched an offensive today to retake the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar from Islamic State militants who overran it more than a year ago, killing and enslaving thousands of its Yazidi residents and triggering US-led air strikes. Operation Free Sinjar aims to cordon off the town, take control of Islamic State supply routes and establish a buffer zone to protect the town from artillery, a statement from the Kurdish national security council said. The offensive is supported by airstrikes from the US-led coalition. Sinjar is a symbolic and strategic prize, sitting astride the main highway linking the cities of Mosul and Raqqa – Islamic State’s bastions in Iraq and Syria. (AGENCIES)
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