Kurdish fighters say they have taken over five key villages from Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) fighters. These villages, located in an area known as Gweir and Makhmour, 28 miles to the south of Erbil, have been changing hands for months. Iraq’s army, backed by Shia and Kurdish fighters and U.S.-led air strikes that started in August, have made some gains against ISIL, pushing back its advance into Kurdish territory. The army last week recaptured towns in Diyala province, on the road from Baghdad to Iran. At least 50 fighters of the ISIL have also been killed in the past 24 hours in Syria’s Kobane, Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the biggest loss endured by the group since it launched its assault on the strategic border city on Sept. 16. ISIL had hoped to quickly seize the small border town and secure its grip on a large […]