congressman ryan zinke, thank you so much. a day after veterans day, thank you for your service, sir. thank you. and god bless. from lebanon to iraq now where a major offensive is under way to retake a key northern city from the bloody hands of isis. u.s. forces now providing critical air support for the more than 7,000 kurdish troops taking the fight to the terrorist group. the city of sinjar, a strategic stronghold captured last year and serves as a vital isis supply route between iraq and syria. residents there have been forced to flee. cnn cameras of course capturing heart wrenching moments of desperation from last year as dozens, dozens of innocent civilians battled to board a military chopper as they fled. they were escaping near certain death. right now kurdish peshmerga forces in control of a number of villages in the area as well as a major stretch of highway. but the intense fighting in sinjar itself has only just begun. cnn senior international correspondent nick paton