The fires are still burning after an assault by the militant Sunni group ISIL in northern Iraq.<br/> <br />The Islamic movement briefly seized this village, just outside of the city of Kirkuk.<br/> <br />But Kurdish forces and Kirkuk police pushed back, fending off the insurgents.<br/> <br />Now the Kurd soldiers are fanning the area, searching for any remaining militants.<br/> <br />In the past week, ISIL's made a lightening advance through the north.<br/> <br />There's been heavy fighting and casualties on both sides but for these Kurds the conflict has brought them one step closer to their long cherished dream -- full independence.<br/> <br />At the expense of the Iraqi army, the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters have rushed in and occupied areas they've always believed were part of their ethnic homeland.<br/> <br />Their main concern now is guarding their region and their newly acquired territory.
