Isis release over 200 captive Iraqi Yazidis to Kurdish forces - video

Reports said many were suffering from ill health, while others bore signs of abuse

Many of the released Yazidis were elderly or infirm (AP)

More than 200 north-western Iraqi Yazidis that had been held captive by Isis since last summer have been freed.

A report by Reuters on Wednesday said 216 people, mostly made up of the elderly and infirm, were released to Kurdish forces near the Kurdish held city of Kirkuk.

Around 40 children were also released.

It is still unknown why, in both cases, Isis decided to hand over such a large number of Yazidis.

One woman, who preferred not to be named, said she had been captured after Isis made notable advances in the Sinjar province last August.

She said since then Isis had terrorised the Yazidi population, killing hundreds and taking many more captive.

The Yazidis are a religious community that live mainly in north-west Iraq, north-west Syria and south-east Turkey. Their beliefs consist of an amalgamation of Christianity, Islam and the ancient Persian faith of Zoroastrianism.

The Iraqi army announced on Wednesday that it was making significant gains in the western province of Anbar, following a new offensive in the area.

Supported by US-led coalition air support, the Iraqi army said that it had managed to make inroads into the area near Sijariya area, east of the region's capital Ramadi, an Isis dominated area.

The new offensive comes after a recent over Isis in the battle for the city Tikrit.

Additional reporting by agency