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| Iraq offers air support to Kurdish fighters | Iraq offers air support to Kurdish fighters |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has ordered the air force to provide support to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting Sunni militants in the north. | Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has ordered the air force to provide support to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting Sunni militants in the north. |
| It comes after the Islamic State (formerly known as Isis) seized the town of Zumar and two nearby oilfields from Kurdish forces on Saturday. | It comes after the Islamic State (formerly known as Isis) seized the town of Zumar and two nearby oilfields from Kurdish forces on Saturday. |
| Kurdish media said Zumar had been retaken by Peshmerga forces on Monday. | |
| IS was also reported to have taken over the town of Sinjar near Syria on Sunday. | IS was also reported to have taken over the town of Sinjar near Syria on Sunday. |
| Militants seized large parts of north Iraq from government control in June. | Militants seized large parts of north Iraq from government control in June. |
| In a statement on Monday, Iraqi army spokesman Qassem Atta said: "The commander in chief of the armed forces has issued orders to the leadership of the air force and the army's aviation units to provide air support to Peshmerga forces." | |
| Kurdish leaders have not yet responded to the offer. | |
| Earlier, senior Kurdish officials said that they were planning a counter-offensive against IS. | |
| One official told Reuters news agency that the Kurds had been overstretched but were now calling in large numbers of fighters to hit back. | |
| "It is a very dangerous situation for the region. Something needs to be done soon," the official said. |