World Bulletin/News Desk

Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani asked the international community on Sunday to provide the Kurds with weapons to bolster their battle against ISIL militants, whose dramatic push through the north has alarmed Baghdad and Western countries.

Speaking at a press conference with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Barzani said: "We are not fighting a terrorist organisation, we are fighting a terrorist state."

The United States' military has carried out a fourth wave of air strikes on ISIL militants near the northern Iraqi town of Mosul, according to U.S. officials in Iraq.

FA-18 fighter jets dropped laser-guided bombs on ISIL mobile artillery and fighters as they clashed with Peshmerga forces in an attempt to seize the Iraqi town of Mahur, they said.

An armored personnel carrier and artillery units were hit during the operation.

The attacks came after U.S. President Barack Obama authorized air strikes on Thursday in support of U.S. personnel in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil and forces in Iraq.

The US and UK have also dropped humanitarian aid supplies to thousands of Ezidi civilians stranded on Mount Sinjar after seeking refuge from ISIL militants.

Meanwhile, Peshmerga forces have reportedly entered Iraq’s northern town of Makhmur, repelling ISIL militants.

The Kurdish forces launched an assault on Makhmur on Sunday and were met with heavy resistance from ISIL, according to The Anadolu Agency’s correspondent.

Fighting is still going on and will continue until the town is cleared of militants, according to Peshmerga sources.

Makhmur, north of Mosul and close to the border with the autonomous Kurdish region, was attacked repeatedly on Thursday before being captured. The town is home to 12,000 Turkish Kurds.