Kurdish Peshmerga Forces Took Control of a Series of Villages From Islamic State militants in Northern Iraq

Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers take up position in Makhmur town, northwest of Erbil, Kurdistan region, Iraq, August 28, 2014. Kurdish Peshmerga forces on 28 August took control of a series of villages from Islamic State militants in northern Iraq in a major push against the radical group. After having suffered setbacks at the hands of the Islamic State early this month, the Peshmerga, backed by US airstrikes, have been able to regain several areas from the al-Qaeda splinter group in the past two weeks. UPI/Mohammed al Jumaily