Kurdish Peshmerga fighters claimed to take control Saturday of Sinjar , the northern Iraqi town that ISIS militants stormed this summer causing minority Yazidis to flee into nearby mountains and spawning a humanitarian crisis . The Kurdistan Region Security Council ( KRSC ) said on Twitter that its forces entered Sinjar district around 1:45 p.m. ( 9:45 a.m . ET ) and , just over an hour later , `` succeeded in taking complete control of it & nearby villages . '' The message ended `` # Shingal # Kurds . '' Shingal is another name for Sinjar . The advance is the latest in recent days by Kurdish forces against ISIS , which has been blamed for atrocities around the area for its treatment of those by any who resist or do n't subscribe to its extremist Islamist beliefs . And few , if any , have gotten worse treatment than the Yazidis -- one of the world 's smallest and oldest monotheistic religious minority groups . Yazidis , most of whom are ethnic Kurds , revere an angel figure that some Muslims believe to be the devil . Last summer , ISIS slaughtered Yazidis by the hundreds , according to Vian Dakhil , the only lawmaker representing the Yazidis in Iraq 's Parliament . Women in the group were `` treated like cattle , '' Kurdish Regional Government adviser Nazand Begikhani said . Many were enslaved , raped and sold by ISIS . The town of Sinjar became central to this drama , when Yazidi residents ran for their lives to Sinjar Mountain , just to the north . But they had very little food , medical care or water , shortages compounded by Iraq 's intense summer heat . Their dire situation , as well as the harsh treatment they got from ISIS simply due to their religious beliefs , spurred an international coalition to act . This effort began with the airdrop of supplies to Sinjar Mountain . Rescues came next . And now , the U.S.-led coalition is waging regular airstrikes targeting ISIS in Iraq and neighboring Syria -- an air campaign that helped pave the way for the recapture of Sinjar . Fight over Sinjar Mountain , surrounding area . This summer 's combination of humanitarian and military efforts helped , as thousands of Yazidis fled on foot to Syria . Still , a few hundred remained on Sinjar Mountain . And ISIS never really went away . In fact , the tug-of-war in the region has continued for months -- prompting a fresh allied onslaught in recent days . Tuesday night , coalition aircraft conducted 48 airstrikes near Sinjar -- the heaviest concentration of such airstrikes to date , according to two U.S. defense officials . Masrour Barzani , chancellor of the KRSC , said Thursday this ground-and-air operation helped `` open ... a corridor from south of Zummar to the Mountain Sinjar , '' giving direct access to those displaced on the mountain and in need of aid . ISIS fighters , meanwhile , fled toward the Syrian border and ISIS strongholds such as Mosul and Tal Afar , the Kurdish agency said . Kurdish agency : 'Morale remains high ' The Peshmerga are keeping up the heat . A press release Saturday from the Kurdistan Region Security Council indicated these fighters launched a new phase of the offensive around 8 a.m. ( midnight ET ) south of Rabia to Sinjar Mountain . Three hours later , the KRSC claimed its forces had taken `` complete control of Mushrefa '' but that they were n't done . `` The objective is to surround and clear an area of approximately 2,100 square kilometers ( 810 square miles ) , '' the Kurdish agency said . Meanwhile , humanitarian aid -- in the form of 32 truckloads of food , water and other needed aid -- began rolling out Saturday morning from Irbil , bound for Sinjar Mountain , the KRSC reported . `` Morale remains high as the Peshmerga continue to make advances on both fronts ( north and south of Sinjar Mountain ) , '' the Kurdish agency said . Everything to know about the rise of ISIS .
Kurdish council says Peshmerga takes town of Sinjar , nearby villages . Morale is high , ISIS fighters are fleeing toward strongholds , council adds . - Iraqi forces take control of the northern city of Mosul from IS militants. 32 truckloads of food , water , other aid head to those on Iraq 's Sinjar Mountain .