36 american airstrikes, moved to retake the town of sinjar, and they cut a highway that is used by isis to carry supplies from raqqa, its stronghold in syria, to mosul, the largest city that isis holds in iraq with more than a million residents. charlie d agata is with the kurdish peshmerga forces. reporter: the battle to reclaim sinjar began in the air. u.s. air strikes pounded suspected isis targets throughout the day. thick smoke hung over the city as isis fighters lit banks of tires to try to block the bombers visibility. dug in on the mountain side, kurdish peshmerga forces searched for targets, passing the coordinates to u.s. advisers. this is one of the forward fighting position where s they re helping to pick targets for air strikes. soldiers here told us with aircraft overhead all the time, sometimes it s just five minutes from the moment they call it in to the time it s delivered. kurdish fighters are so close to isis militants, they can hear their conversations
iraqi kurdish troops, backed by 36 american airstrikes, moved to retake the town of sinjar, and they cut a highwhw that is used by isis to carry supplies from raqqa, its stronghold in syria, to mosul, the largest city that isis holds in iraq with more than a mililon residents. charlie d agata is with the kurdish peshmerga forces. reporter: the battle to reclaim s sjar began in the air. u.s. air strikes pounded suspected isis targets throughout the day. thick smoke hung over the city as isis fighters lit banks of tires to try to block the bombers visibility. dug in on the mountain side, kurdish peshmerga forces searched for targets, passing the coordinates to u.s. advisers. this is one of the forward fighting positioiowhere s they re heheing to pick targets for air strikes. soldiers here told us with aircraft overhead all the time, sometimes it s just five minutes to the time it s delivered. kurdish fighters are so close to isis militants, they can hear their conversations
from the moment they call it in to the time it s delivered. kurdish fighters are so close to isis militants, they can hear their conversations on simple two-way radios. there s an airplane in the air the voice said. stop, hide. sniper mazan maraq is watching. they re inside houses, he told us. they move from house to house. they re behind the rubble. maraq and his family fled sinjar when isis militants overran the city 15 months ago. tens of thousands were uprooted in the terror that followed as isis murdered, raped, and enslaved members of the yazidi sect. today, the 22-mile stretch of highway that kurdish forces took control of breaks a key isis supply route from syria. but the fight is only starting. as the day wore on, kurdish militants on the move and scrambled into position. maraq says he hopes isis will be defeated and his family can return home. and when do you think youill liberate sinjar? hopefully tonight, he said. this fight is going to go house to house
iraq today, opening an offensive that the pentagon hopes will be a breakthrough against the islamic extremists who are occupying much of syria and iraq. iraqi kurdish troops, backed by 36 american airstrikes, moved to retake the town of sinjar, and they cut a highway that is used by isis to carry supplies from raqqa, its stronghold in syria, to mosul, the largest city that isis holds in iraq with more than a million residents. charlie d agata is with the kurdish peshmerga forces. reporter: the battle to reclaim sinjar began in the air. u.s. air strikes pounded suspected isis targets throughout the day. thick smoke hung over the city as isis fighters lit banks of tires to try to block the bombers visibility. dug in on the mountain side, kurdish peshmerga forces searched for targets, passing the coordinates to u.s. advisers. this is one of the forward fighting position where s they re helping to pick targets for air strikes. soldiers here told us with aircraft overhead all t
captioning sponsored by cbs this is the cbs evening news with scott pelley. pelley: u.s. warplanes hammered the forces of isis in iraq today, opening an offensive that the pentagon hopes will be a breakthrough against the islamic extremists who are occupying much of syria and iraq. iraqi kurdish troops, backed by 36 american airstrikes, moved to retake the town of sinjar, and they cut a highway that is used by isis to carry supplies from raqqa, its stronghold in syria, to mosul, the largest city that isis holds in iraq with more than a million residents. charlie d agata is with the kurdish peshmerga forces. reporter: the battle to reclaim sinjar began in the air. u.s. air strikes pounded suspected isis targets throughout the day. thick smoke hung over the city as isis fighters lit banks of tires to try to block the dug in on the mountain side, kurdish peshmerga forces searched for targets, passing the coordinates to u.s. advisers. this is one of the forward fighting pos