MOSCOW, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - Islamic State (IS) militants seized three towns in addition to an oil field in northern Iraq, Reuters reported Thursday.
Witnesses reported to Reuters that the latest advance ended with the capture of Makhmur along with Tilkaif and Al Kwair, increasing the group’s presence near Kurdistan Region.
The advance began last weekend when Sunni militants defeated Kurdish forces in the north. The attack Sunday resulted in the capture of Zumar, Sinjar and Wana.
IS continued its attacks Wednesday, fighting Kurdish forces in Makhmur located near Arbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
The weekend’s attack was focused on Zumar and its nearby oil field and refinery, RT news reported. IS also took control of the largest dam in Iraq, the Mosul Dam near the captured town of Wana.
The Islamic State, formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) has declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria already under its control. The capture of oil fields provide the Islamic militants with additional funding for their goal of controlling Muslim-inhabited regions of the world. IS started its operation in northern Iraq in June.
