Iraqi Kurdish fighters recaptures nine villages from ISIS

Kurdish Peshmerga forces has recaptured nine villages in a two day offensive of Mosul.

In a statement issued by Kurdistan Region Security Council on Monday, it said Iraq's Kurdish peshmerga forces has wrapped up an operation east of the Islamic State group's northern hub of Mosul after recapturing nine villages.

The Kurdistan Region Security Council said the operation which started before day light on Sunday "had accomplished its key objectives".

The statement also named the nine villages that had been taken over by IS since the summer of 2014.

About 5,500 peshmerga fighters armed by large caliber weapons and backed by US-led coalition air strikes took part in the offensive which recovered an area of 120 square kilometers.

The KRSC claimed that during the two-day operation, 140 IS terrorist were killed and 14 explosive destroyed.

"In the course of the two-day operation, nine villages were cleared: Mufti, Tel Asward, Upper Zahra Khatun, Lower Zahra Khatun, Tulebend, Gezekan, Chamakor, Kullabur and Wardak in an area measuring approximately 120 square kilometers. Further, approximately 140 ISIL [IS] terrorists were killed by Global Coalition warpalnes and Peshmerga forces," a statement posted on the council's Twitter account said

 Four Kurdish forces were killed and 34 others wounded during the operation said the peshmerga officer in charge of the region.