The Nineveh Plains offensive was a battle in which the

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...

(ISIL) mounted a multi–front attack against Peshmerga forces in the

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

north and east of

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second large ...

, in December 2015. The attack—the most significant ISIL military operation in the area in months, was successfully repelled by the Kurdish forces and was followed by a coalition air counter-offensive.Missy Ryan and Loveday Morris
"Islamic State offensive in northern Iraq, although repelled, shows group’s resilience"
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', Irbil, 17 December 2015. Retrieved on 19 December 2015.

Background

Over the past year, Kurdish forces had been slowly retaking positions around

under ISIL control as part of the

Mosul offensive (2015) The Mosul offensive (2015) was an offensive launched by Kurdish Peshmerga forces on 21 January 2015, with the objective of severing key ISIL supply routes to Mosul, Iraq, and to recapture neighboring areas around Mosul. The effort was supported ...

, notably retaking Sinjar in November. These positions threatened ISIL's control over Mosul. Disagreements between Kurds and Iraqi forces slowed the process of expelling ISIL. The Kurds appealed to the West for more military support. It was noted that U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter was visiting the nearby city of

Erbil Erbil, also called Hawler (, ar, أربيل, Arbīl; syr, ܐܲܪܒܹܝܠ, Arbel), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It lies in the Erbil Governorate. It has an estimated population of around 1,600,000. Hu ...

to meet a Kurdish official on the day of the attack.

Offensive

On December 16 and 17, ISIL launched a multi–front attack against the Kurdish defensive lines lasting 17 hours and involving at least 300 heavily armed ISIL fighters. The offensive involved at least four coordinated attacks, in the Newaran, Bashik, Tl Eswed, Khazir and Zerdk Mountain areas, as well as the Peshmerga bunkers in the village of Shindokha. The attack involved an element of surprise, and the ISIL fighters were able to briefly breach the lines before being repelled. The attack was described as "the hardest punch ISIL had thrown since this summer" by a USA military official. The military Zilikahn base, where 100–200 Turkish troops have been training local Kurd fighters, was also attacked by mortar fire and

Katyusha rockets The Katyusha ( rus, Катю́ша, p=kɐˈtʲuʂə, a=Ru-Катюша.ogg) is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in World War II. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area ...

. A spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said that the ISIL fighters were trying to target Peshmerga forces and attacked the Zilikan base by mistake.Michael R. Gordon
"ISIS Carries Out First 'Serious' Attack in Northern Iraq in Months, U.S. Says"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Erbil, 17 December 2015. Retrieved on 19 December 2015. Canadian special forces, numbering 69, were also in the area to train Kurdish forces and were involved in the battle, laying down supporting fire to back up the Kurds as they undertook a counter-offensive Thursday.The Canadian Pres
"Canadian forces strike back against ISIS offensive in northern Iraq"
"

CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...

", 17 December 2015. Retrieved on 19 December 2015. Canadian forces have also in the past acted as spotters for coalition planes. Brig. Gen Mark Odom, the senior American officer in the area, indicated that ISIL's principal objective may have been a "spoiling attack", meant to disrupt efforts to encircle and capture Mosul. Iraq Kurdish president

Masoud Barzani Masoud Barzani ( ku, ,مه‌سعوود بارزانی, translit=Mesûd Barzanî}; born 16 August 1946) is a Kurdish politician who has been leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) since 1979, and was President of the Kurdistan Region o ...

noted that the attack occurred on Kurdish Flag Day and speculated that it had been under preparation for a month.

Tactics

ISIL fighters used mortars, rockets and several vehicular suicide bombers. In one area—Nawaran—extremists set off nine car bombs, according to local reports. Trucks with mounted machine guns were also used in support, as well as armored bulldozers, to fill defensive trenches protecting the Kurdish positions. The attackers also took advantage of the bad weather to provide cover. The possible use of a

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

by ISIL, possibly to direct mortar fire, was noted by Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former governor of Iraq's Nineveh province. Initially assumed to belong to the coalition, contacts revealed that it was not theirs.

Air counterattack

American, British, French, and Canadian planes were involved in a series of airstrikes against the ISIL forces to assist the Kurds in repelling the attack. ISIL positions were also bombed. Some Kurdish commanders noted that while they were grateful for the Western air support, that they felt that the planes were somewhat late.

Casualties

Estimates of ISIL casualties were of 70 killed by the Kurdish defenders, and "at least 180" killed by airstrikes. Four Turkish soldiers were also injured. Kurdish losses amounted to at least 6 dead.

References