EXCLUSIVE: Peshmerga weed out ISIS infiltrators near Tal Afar

Peshmerga forces defeated dozens of ISIS fighters on Tuesday who had infiltrated Sahl al-Malih village near Tal Afar and the strategic Hardan intersection.

Witnesses said the extremists launched an assault in the village at 5am. 

"They started moving inside the village, at first firing at us with RPGs [Rocket-propelled grenade]. After that, they came closer to these houses over there, and then they threw a grenade at us," a Peshmerga told Rudaw. 

What resulted was five hours of house-to-house fighting in which all the ISIS infiltrators were killed, according to Peshmerga sources. 

"Around 30 to 40 infiltrators entered the village and the clashes took place inside the village. They could not escape us, we killed all of them," a Kurdish fighter said.

Following the recapture of the village, the Peshmerga are now reportedly searching for any of the group's remaining elements.