Peshmerga, IS Battle for Zumar

ZUMAR, Iraq — Peshmerga troops have entered Zumar northwest of Mosul and are engaged in fierce battles with Islamist militants for control of the district, Rudaw’s correspondent reported Saturday.

The Kurdish forces launched the offensive after capturing the Ain Zala oilfields just outside of Zumar on Wednesday. The Islamic State (IS) fighters torched three oil wells as they retreated from Ain Zala, 80 kilometers northwest of the IS stronghold, Mosul. 

Peshmerga forces on Wednesday also captured the strategic mountain of Batna, which overlooks Zumar and Ain Zala. The Peshmerga have been able to recapture several IS-controlled towns after receiving weaponry from the United States and other nations. The operations in Nineveh province over the past week were carried out without the support of US air strikes.