Iraqi Kurdistan president says Islamic State defeated in Sinjar

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani said on Friday that the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar had been seized from Islamic State militants in an offensive by Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led air strikes. "The liberation of Sinjar will have a big impact on liberating Mosul," Barzani told reporters atop Mount Sinjar, overlooking the town. The offensive could provide critical momentum in efforts to recapture Mosul, an Islamic State bastion. (Reporting by Isabel Coles;