article_snippet: Kurdish forces drove Islamic State militants back from the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Monday, in an attack which was backed by heavy air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition.
article_snippet: Kurdish forces drove Islamic State militants back from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Monday in an attack which was backed by heavy air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition .
article_snippet: The Kurds took full control of Kirkuk last August as the Iraqi army collapsed in the north and Islamic State militants overran almost a third of The Kurds.
article_snippet: In late January, Islamic State briefly overran Kurdish defences around Kirkuk.
article_snippet: ISIS spearheaded a sweeping offensive last June that overran large parts of the country north and west of Baghdad, including in Kirkuk city.