Kurds Take the Offensive against the Islamic State

11-12-2015

Today more than 7,000 soldiers of the Kurdish military – known as the Peshmerga – launched an offensive against the Islamic State. Along with the help of U.S. airstrikes, they hope to retake the pivotal northern Iraqi city of Sinjar.

The campaign is important both strategically and symbolically – strategically because it runs along Highway 47 connecting the Islamic State capital of Raaqa in Syria with Iraq's second largest city Mosul. If the Kurds retake the city it will cut off this vital ISIS supply route.

It's also significant symbolically for two reasons: First, it will show the world the Kurds can take the offensive against ISIS. And second, it will redeem a significant defeat the Kurds suffered last year.

Last August, Kurdish fighters abandoned Sinjar as ISIS advanced on the city, leaving tens of thousands of Yazidis at the mercy of the Islamic State. ISIS massacred thousands. Thousands more fled and many died on the way.

Here's a story we did last year on the plight of these often persecuted people. As you'll see in this story, they suffered unspeakable horrors as they fled ISIS. One Yazidi man lamented, "They cut us like sheep."

Recently, we visited Kurdistan and interviewed some of those who were captured by ISIS and since have escaped. One was a 19-year-old girl abused as a sex slave for 10 months. Another 14-year-old boy was being trained to become a jihadi to kill his own people. We'll have their story soon.

In the meantime, here's our story from the front lines of the Kurdish military. When I was there, between the Kurdish military and ISIS, I had the deep sense I was on the front lines of the free world.

Make no mistake, this battle over Sinjar is important to you and me and the Western world. The Kurdish military is battling a group committed to destroying our freedoms, our civilization and way of life. They deserve our support and our prayers.

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