The Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga forces backed by the coalition air force on Wednesday repelled a major attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, according to sources from the city.
“They are targeting Kirkuk and they want to control the oil sites,” said peshmerga Major General Westa Rasul, according to AFP.
The attack began early on Wednesday morning against three villages west of the city of Kirkuk, sparking fighting that lasted for hours, Rasul and two other officers said.
ISIS managed to seize one village, but Kurdish forces backed by air strikes later succeeded in retaking it.