The Kurds' most important military victory against the Islamists since the beginning of the war. The fighters have opened a humanitarian corridor to allow the escape of 1,200 families trapped since summer. However Yazidi sources have not confirmed the end of the siege or the positioning of Peshmerga troops. December US airstrikes killed high-ranking military leaders of IS.

Erbil (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Kurdish forces claim to have broken the siege of the Islamic State on Mount Sinjar, where since last August thousands of Yazidis and other members of ethnic minorities fleeing the jihadists had been trapped. It is the Peshmerga's most important victory against the militias of the Caliphate, that however continues to control large portions of territory in Iraq and in neighboring Syria. The Kurdish offensive against the Islamists on Mount Sinjar began in the early morning of December 17, with a series of air strikes conducted by US and coalition forces.

Meanwhile, on the ground about 8 thousand Kurdish Peshmerga fighters launched a two-pronged  attack thanks to which they claim to have opened a vast  humanitarian corridor - on the north-east  slope of the mountain - that will allow Yazidis and others to flee.

Masrur Barzani, son of the Kurdish president and chancellor of the Security Council of the Kurdistan region, speaks of "a very big operation which, thankfully was concluded successfully." The evacuation of refugees is expected to start today's day and quickly be concluded, to enable over 1,200 families who have been trapped for months to find a safe shelter.

However, according to some Yazidi sources there are no clear signs of surrender on the part of the jihadists and the situation does not seem fully under control. Said Hassan Said, a  Yazidi politician who has been trapped for months on the mountain, said that from his observatory there are no clear signs that the siege has ended. "I'm on top of the mountain - he said in a telephone interview - I can see the whole area from my position. And there are clashes, there are movements, there is no positioning of Peshmerga troops, at least as far as I can see ".

Kurdish troops however are claiming military success and confirm that a large number of jihadist fighters have fled to the west, in Syria, and to the east towards Mosul, a stronghold of the Islamic State since last June. The Peshmergas also claim to have recaptured eight villages and killed 80 militants during the offensive.

Analysts and experts on military issues speak of a "significant advance" - if it is confirmed, although there is still a long way to go to crush the Islamist extremists: the town of Sinjar, south of the mountain is still in the hands of the Islamic state, as are Mosul and the town of Tal Afar.

The attack in Sinjar was one of the reasons that prompted the US government to resume air strikes in Iraq in August, and the following month also in Syria. Pentagon sources report that in the air strikes perpetrated between 3 and 9 December everal Islamist fighters were killed, including some high-ranking leaders including Abd al-Basit, head of military operations in Iraq, Haji Mutazz, key adviser of the Islamic State leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

• iraq
• syria
• islam
• kurds
• islamic
• state
• siege
• war
• peshmerga