Irak: Kurdische Offensive gegen ISIS

Die Geschichte entwickelt sich seit dem heutigen Morgen, deshalb als Sammler: Irakische Kurden haben nach verschiedenen Medienberichten eine Offensive gegen ISIS gestartet. Aus der AFP-Mittagszusammenfassung:

Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by US-led strikes launched a major operation Thursday to retake the town of Sinjar from the Islamic State group and cut a key supply line to Syria. Severing the supply line would hamper the jihadists‘ ability to move fighters and supplies between northern Iraq and Syria, two countries where IS has overrun significant territory. (…) „The attack began at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), and the (Kurdish) peshmerga forces advanced on several axes to liberate the centre of the Sinjar district,“ Major General Ezzeddine Saadun told AFP.

Weiter nach Entwicklung, gerne in den Kommentaren. (Und noch ein interessanter Hinweis für den morgigen Freitag:

Nachtrag: Die US-geführte Operation Inherent Resolve veröffentlichte ein Video, das Luftschläge zur Unterstützung der kurdischen Offensive zeigen soll:


(Direktlink: https://youtu.be/8UObneqgeME)

… und aus der Tageszusammenfassung von Reuters:

Kurdish peshmerga forces have started clearing parts of the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar and have established positions along an Islamic State supply route between its two main strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the coalition said on Thursday.
Backed by U.S.-led coalition air strikes, the Kurds launched an offensive in the early morning designed to cordon off Sinjar, take control of strategic routes and establish a buffer zone to protect the town from artillery. (…)
So far the Kurds have captured three villages and penetrated parts of Highway 47, a supply route between Raqqa in Syria and the Iraqi city of Mosul, both of them Islamic State bastions.