CRI听力:Iraqi Peshmerga Continue Their Offensive on Islamic State Positions

Kurdish fighters are now pushing their way into the town of Sinjar, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes against Islamic State militants who captured the town last summer.

Colonel Kamran Kochar is a Peshmerga fighter from the Netherlands.

"Now the fighting is in Sinjar and we have freed most of the city. Last night the Islamic State militants tried to attack two or three times, but failed. Those left and fled to Jordan and Syria."

Loud explosions and gun battles were heard from inside the town and coalition drones could be seen and heard flying overhead.

Two commanders of the Islamic State have been killed by coalition forces.

Kurdish fighters earlier launched the operation to retake Sinjar and opened up a passageway to Mount Sinjar to evacuate some of the thousands of Yazidis trapped on the mountain by the fighting.

In the meantime, an Iraqi official said Iraqi forces were fighting to retake the Tal Afar military airport from the IS group.

The town of Tal Afar is to the east of Sinjar, strategically close to the Syrian border.