Kurds Claim Victory In Northern Iraq

Published December 19, 2014 at 1:06 PM EST

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A member of the Kurdish forces stands next to an armored vehicle destroyed by an improvised explosive device placed by Islamic State militants that killed several Peshmerga fighters and injured dozens late Wednesday, when they pushed towards Sinjar Mountain, as they inspect the aftermath of the site in Kasr Reej, Iraq, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014. Iraqi Kurdish forces battling Islamic State militants managed on Thursday to open up a corridor to the mountain so that thousands of people from the country's Yazidi minority who have been trapped there can flee, said a senior Kurdish official. (Zana Ahmed/AP)

Kurdish fighters are calling it their biggest victory yet over ISIS. They say they have broken the militants’ siege at Mount Sinjar, where thousands of minority Yazidis have been trapped for months.

The Kurds’ victory comes as the Pentagon reports that U.S. airstrikes have killed several high-ranking ISIS military leaders in Iraq. The BBC’s Jiyar Gol in Irbil, Iraq, brought us this report.

Read more on this story via BBC

Note: This BBC interview can be heard in the Here & Now podcast or with the WBUR app.

Guest

Jiyar Gol in Irbil, Iraq. He tweets @jiyargol.