Kurdish forces recapture Zammar in northern Iraq

Kurdish forces on Saturday recaptured the northern Iraqi town of Zumar and a number of surrounding villages in the latest strike against 'Islamic State', Ministry of Defence spokesmen have confirmed.

With the assistance of US-led coalition airstrikes against ISIL, Kurdish intelligence officials in Zumar have said Peshmerga advanced from five directions in the early hours of the morning, facing fierce resistance before the recapture.

A Peshmerga commander told Rudaw, "We have taken control of Zumar, a strategic town on a highway connecting ISIL to their largest territorial city. ISIL have been evacuated completely.

On Saturday, Kurdish units took 13 villages surrounding Zumar before entering the town, where they drove out Islamic State fighters. A number of villages including Jaziri, Sinana Jadid, Boti, Grikafir, Girber, Kani Shirin, and Girbakir were used as a launching point to drive into Zumar itself.

Hemin Hawrami, head of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) foreign relations, wrote on Twitter that around 80 ISIS fighters were killed in the offensive as of 12pm.