{{Infobox military conflict , conflict = US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) , partof = the

War against the Islamic State Many states began to intervene against the Islamic State, in both the Syrian civil war and the War in Iraq (2013–2017), in response to its rapid territorial gains from its Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014), 2014 Northern Iraq offensives, u ...

(

Operation Inherent Resolve {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Operation Inherent Resolve , partof = the international military intervention against the Islamic State and the War on terror , image = , caption = U.S. Navy B ...

), the

War in Iraq (2013–2017) The War in Iraq (2013–2017) was an armed conflict between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State. Following December 2013, the Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013), insurgency escalated into a full-scale war following Anbar campaign (2013–2014 ...

Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) The Islamic State insurgency in Iraq is an ongoing low-intensity insurgency that began in 2017 after the Islamic State (IS) lost its territorial control in the War in Iraq, during which IS and allied White Flags fought the Iraqi military ( ...

, and the War on terror , image = FA-18C Fighter Iraq Airstrikes August 7 2014

, caption = An American F/A-18C Hornet aboard {{USS, George H.W. Bush, CVN-77, 6 prior to the launch of operations over Iraq in 2014. , date = 15 June 2014 – 9 December 2021
({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=15, year1=2014, month2=12, day2=9, year2=2021) , place =

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

, result = Coalition and Iraqi victory * Tens of thousands of ISIL fighters killed * 14,616 U.S. and allied airstrikes on ISIL positions in Iraq{{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0814_Inherent-Resolve, title=Airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, publisher=US Department of Defense, date=9 August 2017, access-date=10 February 2019 * Heavy damage dealt to ISIL forces; military defeat in Iraq{{cite web, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/isis-lost-40-percent-territory-iraq-20-percent-syria-coalition-n490426, title=ISIS Lost 40 Percent of Territory in Iraq, 20 Percent in Syria: Coalition Spokesman, work=NBC News, date=5 January 2016, access-date=15 June 2016 *

declares military victory against ISIL on 9 December 2017{{cite web, url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/politics/US-Starts-Iraq-Drawdown-After-Declaration-of-Victory-over-Islamic-State-472707963.html, title=Baghdad declares victory over ISIS, work=NBC News, date=5 February 2018, access-date=3 March 2019 * Low-intensity ISIL insurgency following December 2017 * Multinational humanitarian and arming of ground forces efforts * Ongoing U.S.–led Coalition advising and training of Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces * U.S.-led coalition forces begin discussing a withdrawal from Iraq following March 2020{{cite web, url=https://www.militarytimes.com/flashpoints/2020/04/04/us-hands-over-another-air-base-to-iraqi-forces/, title=US hands over another air base to Iraqi forces, author=Shawn Snow, date=4 April 2020, access-date=6 April 2020, website=

Military Times Sightline Media Group, formerly Gannett Government Media and Army Times Publishing Company, is a United States company that publishes newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications about the U.S. and other militaries. The company's '' ...

* U.S. maintains limited military presence, approximately 2,500 U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq as of December 2021, providing assistance, advice and training to Iraqi forces * Coalition ends combat mission in December 2021, but remain in an advisory and assistance capacity{{cite web, url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/9/iraq-official-says-us-combat-mission-in-the-country-has-ended, title=US-led combat mission in Iraq ends, shifting to advisory role, website=aljazeera.com{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iraq-security-adviser-says-international-coalition-ends-combat-mission-no-us-2021-12-09/, title=U.S.-led troops end Iraq combat mission, as planned - military officials, website=reuters.com, date=9 December 2021 , territory = Iraqi government forces regain control of all parts of Iraq previously controlled by ISIL{{citation needed, date=March 2022 , combatant1 = Coalition of foreign countries:
CJTF–OIR * {{nowrap, {{flag, United States, size=23px * {{flag, Australia, size=23px * {{flag, Belgium, size=23px * {{flag, Canada, size=23px
(2014–16) * {{flag, Denmark, size=23px{{Citation, newspaper=The Huffington Post, title=Denmark, Belgium Join Fight Against ISIS In Iraq , date=26 September 2014, access-date=6 March 2015 , url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/denmark-isis_n_5887230.html.{{cite web, place= SE, url=http://www.thelocal.se/20140815/sweden-rejects-military-support-to-iraq, title=Sweden rejects calls for military support to Iraq, work=The Local, date=18 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014 * {{flag, France, size=23px{{cite web, title=France bombs Isis depot in Iraq, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/19/france-bombs-isis-depot-iraq-islamic-state, work=The Guardian, access-date=19 September 2014, date=21 September 2014 * {{flag, Germany, size=23px * {{flag, Italy, size=23px * {{flag, Jordan, size=23px * {{flag, Morocco, size=23px
(2014–16) * {{flag, Netherlands, size=23px{{cite news, url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iraq-security-britain-idUKKBN0GF0L120140815, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160119055308/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iraq-security-britain-idUKKBN0GF0L120140815, url-status=dead, archive-date=19 January 2016, title=Britain ready to supply Kurds with arms, date=15 August 2014, work=Reuters, access-date=18 August 2014 * {{flag, New Zealand, size=23px * {{flag, United Kingdom, size=23px * {{flag, Turkey, size=23px
(2014–17) ---- Local forces:
{{flag, Iraq, size=23px
*

Iraqi Armed Forces The Iraqi Armed Forces are the military forces of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Iraqi Army, Ground forces, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, Army Aviation Command, the Iraqi Air Force, the Iraqi Air Defence Command, Air Defence ...

* ISOF *

IrAF IRAF (Image Reduction and Analysis Facility) is a collection of software written at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) geared towards the reduction of astronomical images and spectra in pixel array form. This is primarily data tak ...

Nineveh Plain Protection Units The Nineveh Plain Protection Units ( ; ) or NPU is an Assyrian people, Assyrian paramilitary organization that was formed in late 2014, largely but not exclusively by Assyrians in Iraq to defend themselves against Islamic State of Iraq and the L ...

Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

{{cite news, last=Van Heuvelen, first=Ben, title=Amid turmoil, Iraq's Kurdish region is laying foundation for independent state, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/amid-turmoil-iraqs-kurdish-region-is-laying-foundation-for-independent-state/2014/06/12/c1f22d7c-f26a-11e3-bf76-447a5df6411f_story.html, newspaper=The Washington Post, quote=Kurdistan's military forces... have taken over many of the northernmost positions abandoned by the national army, significantly expanding the zone of Kurdish control... 'In most places, we aren't bothering them

SIS Sis or SIS may refer to: People *Michael Sis (born 1960), American Catholic bishop Places * Sis (ancient city), historical town in modern-day Turkey, served as the capital of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. * Kozan, Adana, the current name ...

and they aren't bothering us – or the civilians,' said Lt. Gen. Shaukur Zibari, a pesh merga commander., access-date=13 June 2014 , combatant2 = {{flagdeco, ISIL

Islamic State Of Iraq and The Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

{{flagicon image, Flag of White Flags - Infobox version.png

White Flags White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...

, commander1 = {{flagicon, United States, size=23px

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

({{small, 2014–2017)
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Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

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Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

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{{flagicon, United States, size=23px

Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy Hagel ( ; born October 4, 1946)Ashton Carter Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the Be ...

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{{flagicon, United States, size=23px

James Mattis James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is an American military officer who served as the 26th United States secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019. A retired Marine Corps four-star general, he commanded forces in the Persian Gulf War, th ...

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{{flagicon, United States, size=23px

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{{flagicon, United States, size=23px

Lloyd Austin Lloyd James Austin III (born August 8, 1953) is a retired United States Army four-star General (United States), general who served as the 28th United States Secretary of Defense, United States secretary of defense from 2021 to 2025. Before ...

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{{flagicon, United States, size=23px

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{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Gary J. Volesky
{{flagicon, United States, size=23px Andrew J. Loiselle
{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron, Baron Cameron of Chipping Norton (born 9 October 1966) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016. Until 2015, he led the first coalition government in the UK s ...

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{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px

Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...

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{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...

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{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px

Michael Fallon Sir Michael Cathel Fallon (born 14 May 1952) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017. A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom ...

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{{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. He is to date the only prime minister to have come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ser ...

({{small, 2014–2015)
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

({{small, 2015–2016)
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Rob Nicholson Robert Douglas Nicholson (born April 29, 1952) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Niagara Falls in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2019 as a member of the Conservative Party. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harpe ...

{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Harjit Sajjan Harjit Singh Sajjan (, ; born September 6, 1970) is a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, Sajjan was elected to the House of Commons following the 2015 election, serving as the member of Parliament (MP) for Vancouver South. ...

{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px Thomas J. Lawson
{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Jonathan Vance General (Canada), General Jonathan Holbert Vance (born January 3, 1964) is a retired Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Forces officer who served as a General (Canada), general in the Canadian Army. Vance was the Chief of the Defence Staff (Canad ...

{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Yvan Blondin Lieutenant-General Joseph Aimé Jean Yvan Blondin CMM, CD, usually given as J Y Blondin or Yvan Blondin, is a retired senior Royal Canadian Air Force officer who was Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2012 until 2015. Early and fami ...

{{flagicon, Canada, size=23px

Michael Hood Lieutenant-General Michael John Hood is a retired senior Royal Canadian Air Force officer who was Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2015 until 2018. Early life and education In addition to holding a master's degree in International R ...

{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px

Tony Abbott Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is an Australian former politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parli ...

({{small, 2014–2015)
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px

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({{small, 2015–2018)
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...

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{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px

Marise Payne Marise Ann Payne (born 29 July 1964) is an Australian politician who was a Senator for New South Wales from 1997 until 2023, representing the Liberal Party. She held senior ministerial office in Coalition governments between 2013 and 2022, inclu ...

{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px Trevor Jones
{{flagicon, Australia, size=23px Tim Innes
{{flagicon, France, size=23px

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...

({{small, 2014–2017){{Citation, title=France strikes Islamic State group's depot in Iraq, newspaper=ABC News, publisher=Go, url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/france-strikes-islamic-state-groups-depot-iraq-25616007.
{{flagicon, France, size=23px

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

({{small, 2017–2021){{Citation, title=Présidentielle 2017 : revivez l'élection d'Emmanuel Macron, nouveau président de la République, newspaper=Le Monde.fr, url=http://www.lemonde.fr/election-presidentielle-2017/live/2017/05/07/suivez-la-soiree-electorale-en-direct_5123713_4854003.html.
{{flagicon, France, size=23px

Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under Preside ...

{{flagicon, France, size=23px

Pierre de Villiers Pierre François Marie Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon (born 26 July 1956) known as Pierre de Villiers is a retired Army General of the French Army, and a former Chief of the Defence Staff. Following a disagreement with President Emmanuel Ma ...

{{flagicon, Denmark, size=23px

Helle Thorning-Schmidt Helle Thorning-Schmidt (; born 14 December 1966) is a Danish retired politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015, and Leader of the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2015. She is the first woman to have held each p ...

{{flagicon, Denmark, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Denmark, size=23px Peter Bartram
{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px

Ursula von der Leyen Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (; ; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician, serving as president of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the Cabinet of Germany, German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding position ...

{{flagicon, Germany, size=23px Volker Wieker
{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px Sander Schnitger
{{flagicon, Netherlands, size=23px Dennis Luyt
{{flagicon, Turkey, size=23px

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

{{flagicon, Turkey, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Turkey, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Turkey, size=23px Necdet Özel
{{flagicon, Turkey, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Jordan, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Jordan, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Jordan, size=23px

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{{flagicon, Morocco, size=23px

King Mohammed VI Mohammed VI (; born 21 August 1963) is King of Morocco. A member of the Alawi dynasty, he acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II. Upon ascending to the throne, Mohammed initially introduced several ...

{{flagicon, Morocco, size=23px

Abdelilah Benkirane Abdelilah Benkirane (, born 1954) is a Moroccan politician who was the Prime Minister of Morocco from November 2011 to March 2017. After having won a plurality of seats in the 2011 parliamentary election, his party, the moderate Islamist Justi ...

{{flagicon, Morocco, size=23px Bouchaib Arroub ---- {{flagicon, Iraq, size=23px

Barham Salih Barham Salih (; ; born 8 September 1960) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the eighth president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He is the former prime minister of the Kurdistan Region and a former deputy prime minister of the Iraqi feder ...

({{small, 2018–2021)
{{flagicon, Iraq, size=23px

Fuad Masum Muhammad Fuad Masum Hurami (; , born 1 January 1938) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the seventh president of Iraq from 24 July 2014 to 2 October 2018. He was elected as president following the 2014 parliamentary election. Masum i ...

({{small, 2014–2018)
{{flagicon, Iraq, size=23px

Nouri al-Maliki Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki (; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is an Iraqi politician and leader of the Islamic Dawa Party since 2007. He served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and as Vice President ...

({{small, 2014)
{{flagicon, Iraq, size=23px

Haider al-Abadi Haider Jawad Kadhim al-Abadi (; born 25 April 1952) is an Iraqi politician who was Prime Minister of Iraq from September 2014 until October 2018. Previously he served as Minister of Communication from 2003 to 2004, in the first government afte ...

({{small, 2014–2018)
{{flagicon, Iraq, size=23px

Adil Abdul-Mahdi Adil Abdul-Mahdi al-Muntafiki (, born 1 January 1942) is an Iraqi politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq from October 2018 until May 2020. Abdul-Mahdi is an economist and was one of the vice presidents of Iraq from 2005 to 2011. He fo ...

({{small, 2014–2020)
{{flagicon, Iraq, size=23px

Mustafa al-Kadhimi Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat (; born 5 July 1967), known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi is an Iraqi politician, lawyer, bureaucrat and former intelligence officer who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq, prime minister of Iraq from May 2020 to October ...

({{small, 2020–2021)
{{flagicon, Kurdistan Region, size=23px

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({{small, 2014–2017)
{{flagicon, Kurdistan Region, size=23px Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa
{{flagicon, Kurdistan Region, size=23px Mustafa Said Qadir , commander2 = {{flagdeco, ISIS

Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi (; born Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli al-Salbi (); 1 or 5 October 1976 – 3 February 2022) was an Iraqi militant and the second caliph of the Islamic State. His appointment by a shura council was announce ...

{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Hamza al-Qurashi
{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Fatima al-Jaheishi
{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Jandal al-Masri
{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Yusaf
{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Ahmad al-Alwani
{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Muhammad al-Jazrawi
{{flagdeco, ISIS Sami Jasim Muhammad al-Jaburi{{POW
{{flagdeco, ISIS Faysal Ahmad Ali al-Zahrani
{{flagdeco, ISIS Zulfi Hoxha
{{flagdeco, ISIS {{ill, Abu Obeida Baghdad, fr, Ghazwan al-Zawbaï{{Executed
{{flagdeco, ISIS Bajro Ikanović
{{flagdeco, ISIS

Ahlam al-Nasr Ahlam al-Nasr () is a Syrian Arabic poet, and is known as "the Poetess of the Islamic State". Her first book of poetry, ''The Blaze of Truth'', was published in 2014 and consists of 107 poems written in monorhyme. She is considered one of the Isl ...

{{flagdeco, ISIS Abu Yasser al-Issawi{{KIA (Former deputy leader of ISIS)
{{flagdeco, ISIS Omar Jawad al-Mashhadani{{KIA (Chief ISIS suicide attack organiser in Baghdad)
{{flagdeco, ISIS Muthanna Shataran al-Marawi{{KIA (ISIS military commander in charge of the Al-Rutba region)
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri (28 July 1971 – 27 October 2019), commonly known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was an Iraqi militant leader who was the founder and first leader of the Islamic State (IS), who proclaimed hims ...

(Self-proclaimed Caliph){{KIA
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Alaa Afri{{KIA
(Deputy Leader of ISIL){{cite web, url=http://www.businessinsider.com/report-a-former-physics-teacher-is-now-leading-isis-2015-4, title=Report: A former physics teacher is now leading ISIS - Business Insider, date=23 April 2015, work=Business Insider, access-date=8 August 2015
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px

Abu Mohammad al-Adnani Taha Sobhi Falaha (1977 – 30 August 2016), commonly known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Muhammad al-Adnani al-Shami, was a Syrian-born militant leader who was the official spokesperson and a senior leader of the Islamic State. He was described a ...

{{KIA (Spokesperson)
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Ayman al-Iraqi{{KIA (Head of Military Shura){{cite web, url=http://www.ibtimes.com/if-isis-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-killed-who-caliph-islamic-state-group-1721638, title=If ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed, Who Is Caliph Of The Islamic State Group?, first=Alessandria, last=Masi, date=11 November 2014, work=International Business Times, access-date=8 August 2015
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Suleiman al-Naser{{KIA (Replacement Military Chief)
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px

Abu Muslim al-Turkmani Fadel Ahmed Abdullah al-Hiyali (died 18 August 2015), better known by his noms de guerre Abu Muslim al-Turkmani (), Haji Mutazz, or Abu Mutaz al-Qurashi, was the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) governor for territories held by the or ...

{{KIA (Deputy, Iraq){{cite web, url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-airstrikes-in-iraq-raise-questions-over-islamic-state-leader-1415540605, title=Coalition Airstrikes Targeted Islamic State Leaders Near Mosul, author=Matt Bradley and Ghassan Adnan in Baghdad, and Felicia Schwartz in Washington, date=10 November 2014, work=WSJ, access-date=8 August 2015
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px

Abu Waheeb Shaker Wahib al-Fahdawi (1986 – May 6, 2016), better known as Abu Waheeb ("''Father of Waheeb''"; Arabic: ابو وهيب), was an Iraqi militant jihadist who was the leader of the Islamic State in Anbar, Iraq. He was killed with three others ...

{{KIA{{cite web, url=http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/iraq/260193, title=IS Governor of Anbar killed in Airstrike - BasNews, work=basnews.com, access-date=15 June 2016 (Top Anbar Commander)
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Hajar al-Souri{{KIA
(Top Aide)
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Akram Qirbash{{KIA
(Top ISIL judge){{Citation needed, date=June 2020 {{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Ali Mohammed al-Shayer{{KIA (Senior ISIL Leader){{cite web, url=http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/newsbriefs/2014/09/11/newsbrief-04, title=3 ISIL leaders killed in Iraqi airstrike north of Mosul, publisher=Al Shorfa, date=11 September 2014, access-date=22 September 2014
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Radwan Taleb al-Hamdouni{{KIA (Former top ISIL leader in Mosul){{cite web, url=http://m.christianpost.com/news/top-isis-leader-killed-in-mosul-by-us-coalition-airstrike--130060/, title=Top ISIS Leader Killed in Mosul by US Coalition Airstrike, work=Christian Post, access-date=8 August 2015, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529002250/http://m.christianpost.com/news/top-isis-leader-killed-in-mosul-by-us-coalition-airstrike--130060/, archive-date=29 May 2016, url-status=dead
{{flagicon, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Hassan Saeed Al-Jabouri{{KIA (ISIL governor of Mosul)
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px "Prince of Nineveh"{{KIA (top ISIL commander in Mosul){{cite news, title=Jordan carries out air strikes in Iraq, killing 55 IS militants , url=http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/60008-150204-king-abdullah-lands-in-jordan-following-murder-of-pilot , access-date=4 February 2015 , work=i24 News , agency=i24 News , date=4 February 2015 , url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206072946/http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/60008-150204-king-abdullah-lands-in-jordan-following-murder-of-pilot , archive-date=6 February 2015
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu-Jihad Abdullah Dlemi{{KIA (ISIL Emir of Fallujah){{cite web, url=http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/050420152, title=Top ISIS leader who was once Saddam general killed in Fallujah, work=Rudaw, access-date=8 August 2015
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, size=23px Abu Maria{{KIA (top ISIL leader in Tikrit){{cite web, url=http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-leader-abu-maria-killed-iraqi-forces-tikrit-report-1879177, title=ISIS Leader Abu Maria Killed By Iraqi Forces In Tikrit: Report, first=Kukil, last=Bora, date=13 April 2015, work=International Business Times, access-date=8 August 2015
{{flagdeco, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, sizr=23px Sleiman Daoud al-Afari{{POW (ISIL chemical weapons chief) , strength1 = {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=United States: , 5,200–6,000 troops , 7,000 contractors , {{USS, George H.W. Bush, CVN-77, 6

carrier strike group A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer Squadron (naval), squad ...

, USS Carl Vinson

(replaced USS George H.W. Bush in late October) , USS Theodore Roosevelt

(replaced USS Carl Vinson in late March) ,

F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's des ...

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

F/A-18 Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The Super Hornet is in service with the armed forces ...

AV-8B Harrier The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) AV-8B Harrier II is a single-engine Attack aircraft, ground-attack aircraft that constitutes the second generation of the Harrier jump jet, Harrier family, capable of V/STOL, vertical or short takeoff and l ...

and

F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was de ...

fighter jets ,

B-1 Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the "Bone" (from "B-One"). , it is one of the United States Air Force's three strategic bombers, along with th ...

bomber aircraft{{Citation needed, date=December 2020 ,

EA-6B Prowler The Northrop Grumman (formerly Grumman) EA-6B Prowler is a twin-engine, four-seat, mid-wing electronic-warfare aircraft. Operated by both the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy between 1971 and 2019, it was derived from the A- ...

EA-18G Growler The Boeing EA-18G Growler is an American aircraft carrier, carrier-based electronic warfare aircraft, a specialized version of the two-seat Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet. The EA-18G replaced the Northrop Grumman EA- ...

electronic warfare aircraft. ,

Boeing AH-64 Apache The Hughes/McDonnell Douglas/Boeing AH-64 Apache ( ) is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. Nose-mounted sensors help target acquisition, acquire targets an ...

attack helicopters ,

MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the Predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ...

MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV, one component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS)) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations, developed by General Atomi ...

drones {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Australia: , 400 RAAF personnel , 200 special forces troops , 300 regular soldiers (combined with 150 New Zealand soldiers) , 6

, 1

Boeing 737 AEW&C The Boeing E-7 Wedgetail, also marketed as the Boeing 737 AEW&C, is a twin-engine airborne early warning and control aircraft based on the Boeing 737 Next Generation design. It has a fixed, active electronically scanned array radar antenna inst ...

surveillance aircraft{{cite news, last1=Cooper, first1=Hayden, title=Australians back air strikes against Isis in Iraq by three to one, poll shows, url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2014/oct/05/australians-back-air-strikes-isis-iraq-three-to-one-poll, work=TheGuardian.com, access-date=5 October 2014, date=5 October 2014 , 1 KC-30A refueling plane , C-130J Hercules & C-17A Globemaster transport aircraft{{Citation needed, date=June 2020 {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Belgium: , 6

fighters (withdrawn "due to financial constraints" in June 2015){{cite web, last1=McInnis, first1=Kathleen, title=Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State, url=https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44135.pdf, publisher=Federation of American Scientists, agency=Congressional Research Service, access-date=21 December 2015, pages=8, 10, date=18 November 2015, quote=(Page 8:) Belgium (Training Mission Contributions:) 35 (Airstrike Contributions:) Mission discontinued (b) ... (Page 10, Note b:) Belgium's contribution to the airstrikes against ISIL ended June 30, 2015, due to financial constraints. Six Belgian F-16 fighters spent nine months in Jordan. , 120 supporting troops (for the now withdrawn aircraft) , 35 military advisers {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Canada: , 600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel{{cite news, title=House approves combat mission against ISIS, url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/house-approves-combat-mission-against-isis-1.2042926, access-date=7 October 2014, work=ctvnews.ca, date=7 October 2014 , 100 special operations forces , 6

McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...

, 2

Lockheed CP-140 Aurora The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. "Aurora" refers to the R ...

surveillance aircraft , 1 Airbus CC-150 Polaris refueling tanker , C-130J Hercules &

C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...

transport aircraft {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Denmark: , 7

fighters{{cite web, title=FAKTA: Danmarks militære indsats i Irak og Syrien, language=da, url=https://www.information.dk/telegram/2016/04/fakta-danmarks-militaere-indsats-irak-syrien, publisher=

Information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

, date=16 April 2016 , 1 C-130J Hercules transport aircraft{{cite web, url=http://www2.forsvaret.dk/viden-om/udland/ISIL/Pages/defaultt.aspx, title=Danmarks bidrag til støtte i kampen mod DAESH, publisher=Forsvaret.dk, access-date=1 December 2014, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205202412/http://www2.forsvaret.dk/viden-om/udland/ISIL/Pages/defaultt.aspx, archive-date=5 December 2014, url-status = dead, df=dmy-all , 1 mobile radar station , 400 troops (support, special forces and trainers) {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=France: , 1,000 armed forces{{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gouv.fr/var/dicod/storage/images/base-de-medias/images/operations/cartes-des-theatres-d-operation/carte-chammal/4417824-28-fre-FR/carte-chammal.jpg , title=Carte-chammal , work=Defense.gouv.fr , access-date=28 July 2016 {{dead link, date=July 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes , 7

Dassault Rafale The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", or "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French Twinjet, twin-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft designed and ...

, 8

Mirage 2000 The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine, delta wing, fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French ...

, 1

Breguet Atlantique Breguet may refer to: * Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer **Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker ** Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work * Breguet Aviation, ...

, 1 French frigate Forbin (D620) {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Germany: , 127 troops inside Iraq , 6

Panavia Tornado The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany. There are three primary #Variants, Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS ...

Recce jets{{cite news, title= Syria conflict: German MPs vote for anti-IS military mission, url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35002733 , access-date=29 May 2016 , work=BBC, date=4 December 2015 , 1

Airbus A310 MRTT The Airbus A310 MRTT Multi-Role Tanker Transport is a military air-to-air refuelling, or in-flight refuelling tanker transport aircraft, capable of operating multi-role missions. The A310 MRTT tanker aircraft is a subsequent development from ...

for in-flight refueling {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Italy: , 280 troops , 4

, 1

Boeing KC-767 The Boeing KC-767 is a military aerial refueling tanker and transport aircraft developed from the Boeing 767-200ER. The tanker received the designation KC-767A, after being selected by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) initially to replace older KC ...

for in-flight refueling , 2

{{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Netherlands: , 6

fighters + 2 spare , 250 supporting troops , 130 trainers for the

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...

, 2 Patriot missile batteries and 200 supporting troops in Turkey to defend its

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

ally against cross-border attacks. {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=New Zealand: , 10 military advisers. {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=Spain: , 300 trainers for the

, 6 Patriot missile batteries and 130 supporting troops in Turkey to defend its NATO ally against cross-border attacks. {{Collapsible list , bullets=yes , title=United Kingdom: , 1

Boeing RC-135 The Boeing RC-135 is a family of large reconnaissance aircraft built by Boeing and modified by a number of companies, including General Dynamics, Lockheed, LTV, E-Systems, L3Harris Technologies, and used by the United States Air Force and ...

Reconnaissance aircraft , 8

Tornado GR4 The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS ( inter ...

ground attack aircraft , 2 armed

, 1

Type 45 destroyer The Type 45 destroyer, also known as the D or ''Daring'' class, is a class of six guided-missile destroyers built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in the early 21st century. The class is primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile ...

, 1

Trafalgar-class submarine The ''Trafalgar'' class is a class of nuclear-powered fleet submarines (SSNs) that was in service with the Royal Navy, and the successor to the . Like the majority of Royal Navy nuclear submarines, all seven boats were constructed at Barrow-in-Fu ...

(SSN) , Special forces including the

Special Air Service The Special Air Service (SAS) is a special forces unit of the British Army. It was founded as a regiment in 1941 by David Stirling, and in 1950 it was reconstituted as a corps. The unit specialises in a number of roles including counter-terr ...

(SAS) and additional cargo aircraft and air-to-air tanker aircraft on standby in the area.{{Citation needed, date=December 2020 , strength2 = * 5,000–10,000{{cite news, title= Eighth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat , url= https://www.un.org/sc/ctc/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/N1901937_EN.pdf , date=1 February 2019, location=UN, work=United Nations Security Council (UN Security Council 2019 report)
* 28,600–31,600 {{small, (2016 US Defense Department estimate) Around 100,000 fighters (according to

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Chief of Staff.){{cite web, title=ISIS militants have army of 200,000, claims senior Kurdish leader, url=http://www.el-balad.com/1247637, publisher=El-balad.com, access-date=16 November 2014, url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120081551/http://www.el-balad.com/1247637, archive-date=20 November 2014, df=dmy-all
At least a few hundred tanks{{cite web, url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/01/08/U-S-led-forces-drop-nearly-5-000-bombs-on-ISIS-.html, title=U.S.-led forces drop nearly 5,000 bombs on ISIS, work=Al Arabiya, date=8 January 2015, access-date=8 January 2015
3 Drones , casualties1 = {{flagicon, United States, size=23px United States: * 69 soldiers killed (including non-hostile){{refn , group=note , The numbers are given by the

U.S. Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, t ...

and includes ''"casualties that occurred in Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the Mediterranean Sea east of 25° Longitude, the Persian Gulf, and the Red Sea"''.{{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gov/casualty.pdf, title=OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR) U.S. CASUALTY STATUS, work=defense.gov, date=9 September 2015 * 2

HH-60 Pave Hawk The Sikorsky MH-60/HH-60 Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. The HH-60 Pave Hawk and its successor the HH-60W Jolly Green II are combat rescue helicopters, though ...

helicopters crashed * 1 F-15 damaged {{flagicon, France, size=23px France: * 1 soldier killed (possibly in Syria) {{flagicon, United Kingdom, size=23px United Kingdom: * 1 servicemen killed * 2 civilians executed{{cite news, title=David Haines's 'evil murder' condemned by PM, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29195872, work=BBC News, date=14 September 2014, access-date=14 September 2014 {{flagicon, Canada, size=23px Canada * 1 soldier killed, 3 wounded (friendly fire) {{flagicon, Saudi Arabia, size=23px Saudi Arabia: * 3 border guards killed {{flag, Turkey, size=23px * 4 Turkish soldiers wounded , casualties2 = 70,000+ killed (end of 2017){{cite web, url=http://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/once-promised-paradise-isis-fighters-end-up-in-mass-graves, title=Once promised paradise, ISIS fighters end up in mass graves, work=The Straits Times, date=15 October 2017, access-date=11 December 2017{{cite web, url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=79228, title=About 3 thousand citizens were killed by the International Coalition warplanes in Syria within about 10700 persons who were killed during 38 months of their military operations in Syria, publisher=Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, date=23 November 2017, access-date=11 December 2017
32,000+ targets destroyed or damaged (including

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

; 2/3 of targets were hit in Iraq) (per Coalition sources) * 164 tanks * 388

HMMWV The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of Military light utility vehicle, light, four-wheel drive Military vehicle#Military trucks, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It ...

s * 2,638 pieces of oil infrastructure * 1,000+ fuel tanker trucks , casualties3 = Estimated 6,000+ civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Iraq
At least 28,000 civilians killed by ISIL in Iraq, with potentially up to 20 thousand more. (per Iraqi Body Count)(UN){{Citation needed, date=June 2020
Over 550,000 civilians displaced{{cite web, title=Iraq crisis: Islamists force 500,000 to flee Mosul, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27789229, work=

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, access-date=11 June 2014, date=11 June 2014{{cite web, url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/10000-yezidis-rescued-through-safe-corridor-as-isil-militants-fire-on-aid-helicopters.aspx?pageID=238&nID=70199&NewsCatID=352, title=10,000 Yazidis rescued through safe corridor, as ISIL 'fire on aid helicopters', work=Hurriyet Daily News, date=10 August 2014 , access-date=1 December 2014 , title = Islamic State {{Campaignbox War in Iraq (2013–2017) On 15 June 2014

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

ordered

United States forces United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

to be dispatched in response to the

Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) The Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) began on 4 June 2014, when the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, assisted by various insurgent groups in the region, began a major offensive from its territory in Syria into Iraq against Iraqi and K ...

of the

Islamic State The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS ...

(IS), as part of

. At the invitation of the

Iraqi government The government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution, approved in 2005, as a democratic, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branche ...

, American troops went to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL.{{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=123542, title=DoD Authorizes War on Terror Award for Inherent Resolve Ops, date=31 October 2014, publisher=Department of Defense, access-date=22 November 2014 In early August 2014, ISIL began its Northern Iraq offensive.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/world/middleeast/iraq.html, title=Sunni Extremists in Iraq Seize 3 Towns From Kurds and Threaten Major Dam, work=The New York Times, last1=Arango, first1=Tim, date=3 August 2014, access-date=20 August 2014 On 5 August, the United States started supplying the Kurdish

forces with weapons. On 8 August, the United States began airstrikes against ISIL positions in Iraq. Nine other countries also launched airstrikes against ISIL, more or less in concert with Kurdish and Iraqi government ground troops. By December 2017, ISIL had no remaining territory in Iraq, following the 2017 Western Iraq campaign.{{cite web, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-parade/iraq-holds-victory-parade-after-defeating-islamic-state-idUSKBN1E407Z, title=Iraq holds victory parade after defeating Islamic State, first=Ahmed, last=Aboulenein, publisher=Reuters, date=10 December 2017, access-date=11 December 2017 In addition to direct military intervention, the American-led coalition provided extensive support to the Iraqi Security Forces via training, intelligence, and personnel. The total cost of coalition support to the ISF, excluding direct military operations, was officially announced at ~$3.5 billion by March 2019. 189,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers received training from coalition forces. Despite U.S. objections, the Iraqi parliament demanded U.S. troops to withdraw in January 2020 following the deaths of Iraqi Deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Units and popular Iranian Quds leader Qasem Soleimeni in a U.S. airstrike.{{cite news, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iran-live-updates/2020/01/07/896c70a2-30d5-11ea-9313-6cba89b1b9fb_story.html, title=More than a dozen missiles hit two bases in Iraq, Pentagon says, newspaper=The Washington Post{{cite news , url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-01-07/defense-secretary-mark-esper-refutes-iraqi-prime-minister-we-are-not-leaving-iraq , title=Esper Refutes Iraqi Prime Minister: 'We Are Not Leaving Iraq' , first=Paul D. , last=Shinkman , work=U.S. News & World Report , date=7 January 2020 , accessdate=18 June 2022 It was also announced that both the U.K and Germany were cutting the size of troops in Iraq as well,{{cite web, url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/germany-to-cut-troop-numbers-in-iraq-uk-reduces-staff-at-baghdad-tehran-embassies-150671, title=Germany to cut troop numbers in Iraq; UK reduces staff at Baghdad, Tehran embassies - World News, website=Hürriyet Daily News, date=7 January 2020 In addition to withdrawing some of its troops, the U.K. pledged to completely withdraw from Iraq if asked to do so by the Iraqi government and Germany "temporarily thinned out" its bases in Baghdad and Camp Taji.{{cite web, url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/07/germany-cuts-troop-numbers-in-iraq-after-suleimani-killing, title=Germany cuts troop numbers in Iraq after Suleimani killing, date=7 January 2020, website=The Guardian{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-britain-military-idUSKBN1Z61ZE, title=UK will leave Iraq if Baghdad asks us to go: defense minister, newspaper=Reuters, date=7 January 2020, via=www.reuters.com Canada later joined in with the coalition withdrawal as well by transferring some of its troops stationed in Iraq to Kuwait. French and Australian forces stationed in the country have also objected to a withdrawal as well. The

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

estimated in August 2020 that over 10,000 ISIL fighters remained in Iraq and

. The coalition officially concluded its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but U.S. troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist

Iraqi security forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

against the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.

Background

Previous U.S. involvement

In 2003, the United States led a controversial

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

, which was based on flawed intelligence that

had

weapons of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a Biological agent, biological, chemical weapon, chemical, Radiological weapon, radiological, nuclear weapon, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill or significantly harm many people or cause great dam ...

and links to al-Qaeda while under

Ba'athist Ba'athism, also spelled Baathism, is an Arab nationalist ideology which advocates the establishment of a unified Arab state through the rule of a Ba'athist vanguard party operating under a revolutionary socialist framework. The ideology ...

rule.{{cite web, url=https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030322.html, work=

whitehouse.gov whitehouse.gov or wh.gov is the official website of the White House and is managed by the Office of Digital Strategy of the White House Office under the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It was launched in 1994 by the ...

, title=President Discusses Beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, via=

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

, access-date=29 October 2011 By 2007, the number of U.S. forces in Iraq peaked at 170,000 soldiers. In 2011, the U.S. had withdrawn most of its troops from Iraq and later kept 20,000 employees in its embassy and consulates, including dozens of U.S. Marine Embassy Guards and approximately 4,500 private military contractors. Following the withdrawal, the U.S. resumed flying surveillance aircraft in order to collect intelligence about insurgent Islamist fighters targeting the Iraqi government.{{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/world/meast/iraq-crisis/ , title=U.S. has armed drones over Baghdad, official says, publisher =CNN, date=27 June 2014, access-date=20 November 2014

Old enemies

After the invasion, the previous incarnations of ISIL (

Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (), abbreviated as JTJ or Jama'at, was a Salafi jihadist militant group. It was founded in Jordan in 1999, and was led by Jordanian national Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for the entirety of its existence. During the Iraqi ...

ama'at the Mujahideen Shura Council SC and

al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

) interfered with occupation by the U.S.-led coalition. Jama'at and MSC started a campaign of terrorism in response to what resistance commander Abu Mohammed described as an occupation intended to humiliate and enchain the people of Iraq.{{cite web, publisher=PBS, url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/insurgency/etc/script.html, format=transcript, type=TV program, title =Frontline (U.S. TV series), date=21 February 2006, access-date=22 February 2015{{cite news, url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3727597.stm, title=Al-Qaeda group claims Salim death, work=BBC News, date=19 May 2004, access-date=31 December 2014 Attacks by Jama'at and MSC targeted hundreds of Muslim Iraqis, several U.S. soldiers, and included in 2010 a church full of Christians. These attacks are presumed{{By whom, date=February 2018 to include the beheadings in 2004 of three American civilians, one British, one South Korean, and one Japanese civilian.

ISIL advances in Northern Iraq

{{main, Iraq#2008–2018: Instability and ISIS, Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013), 2012 in Iraq, 2013 in Iraq, Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) After the December 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, violent insurgency of mainly

Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...

ic Islamist fighters targeting the

continued in what is called the Iraqi insurgency. Between 5 and 11 June 2014,

ic,

jihadist Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...

, '

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

' (ISIL) militants, already successful in the Syrian civil war, conquered the Iraqi cities of

Samarra Samarra (, ') is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Saladin Governorate, north of Baghdad. The modern city of Samarra was founded in 836 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim as a new administrative capital and mi ...

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

and

Tikrit Tikrit ( ) is a city in Iraq, located northwest of Baghdad and southeast of Mosul on the Tigris River. It is the administrative center of the Saladin Governorate. In 2012, it had a population of approximately 160,000. Originally created as a f ...

,{{cite web , url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2014/06/isis_take_control_of.php , title=ISIS takes control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, work=The Long War Journal , date=10 June 2014, access-date=22 November 2014, first =Bill , last=Roggio and threatened the Mosul Dam and

Kirkuk Kirkuk (; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate. The city is home to a diverse population of Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen, Iraqi Turkmens and Arabs. Kirkuk sits on the ruins of the original Kirkuk Cit ...

, where Iraqi Kurdish

troops took control from the

Internet beheading video campaign 2014–2015

{{main, Islamic State beheading incidents On 12 August 2014, ISIL started a campaign of beheading Western and Japanese civilian hostages (announced 12 August,{{cite news , title =Jihadists sent chilling email to Foley family before execution , url =http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/225005187, date=22 August 2014, access-date=20 October 2014, work=Big News Network James Foley 19 August,

Steven Sotloff Steven Joel Sotloff (; May 11, 1983 – September 2, 2014) was an American-Israeli journalist. In August 2013, he was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, and held captive by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On September 2, 20 ...

2 September, David Haines 13 September, Hervé Gourdel 24 September,

Alan Henning Alan Henning (15 August 1967 – ) was an English taxicab driver-turned-volunteer humanitarian aid worker. He became the fourth Western hostage killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) with his killing publicised in a beheadin ...

3 October, Peter Kassig 16 November, Haruna Yukawa sometime January 2015, Kenji Goto 30 January 2015) marketed via the internet.

U.S.-led coalition against ISIL

{{Main, International military intervention against ISIL#U.S.-led intervention in Iraq {{Further, International Conferences on Peace and Security in Iraq (2014), Spillover of the Syrian Civil War On 5 September, 15 September and 3 December 2014, different sets of countries came together to discuss concerted action against ISIL. Present at all three meetings were the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Turkey, and Denmark. The coalition of 5 September (10 countries) decided to support anti-ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria.'U.S. Forms Anti-ISIS Coalition at NATO Summit'
''Time'', 5 September 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015. The coalition of 15 September (26 countries) decided to support the Iraqi government militarily."International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq (Paris, September 15, 2014)"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918011834/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/iraq-304/events-2526/article/international-conference-on-peace , date=18 September 2014 . ''France Diplomatie'' (undated). Retrieved 14 June 2015. The coalition of 3 December 2014 (59 countries) agreed on a many-sided strategy, including cutting off ISIL's financing and funding and exposing ISIL's true nature.
''

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

'', 3 December 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2015.

U.S. naming controversy

{{main, Operation Inherent Resolve Unlike previous U.S. combat operations, no name was initially given to the 2014 military operation in Iraq and Syria by the U.S. government, until mid-October. The fact that the operation was still nameless drew considerable media criticism. U.S. soldiers remained ineligible for Campaign Medals and other service decorations due to the continuing ambiguous nature of the U.S. involvement in Iraq. On 15 October 2014, two months after the first airstrikes by the U.S., the operation was named ''Inherent Resolve''.

Support of the Iraqi government

After the United States in June 2014 started to send troops to Iraq to secure American interests and assets and advise the Iraqi forces (see section U.S. surveillance and military advising in Iraq), President

end of September planned to send 1,600 troops to Iraq as "advisers" to the

and Kurdish forces. 800 of them would provide security for soldiers and Marines and for property; hundreds would train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces how to fight ISIL.{{cite news, url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/219071-lines-blur-for-us-troops-in-iraq/, agency=The Hill, title=Lines blur for US troops in fight against ISIS, date=27 September 2014, access-date=2 October 2014 8–9 November Obama doubled the number of American soldiers in Iraq to some 3,100.Obama doubling US troop levels in Iraq
Stars and Stripes, 7 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2014. By February 2015, the U.S. had deployed 4,500 troops. In June 2015, the U.S. had deployed an additional 450 troops to Iraq, increasing the U.S. troop presence in Iraq to at least 4,850.{{cite news, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-idUSKBN0OT0BA20150613, title=Militants attack government forces near Iraq's Baiji refinery, work=Reuters, date=13 June 2015, access-date=8 August 2015 Canadian Prime Minister Harper announced on 4 September 2014 that Canada would deploy "about 100" military advisers to be based in Baghdad assisting the Iraqi Military in the fight against ISIL. These personnel are special operations forces which would work closely with U.S. special forces to "provide advice that will help the government of Iraq and its security forces be more effective against ISIL", but their role was not expected to be direct combat. CBC News reports that about 100 Canadians would be deployed, primarily to help Kurdish forces.{{Citation, title=Canadian military advisers join fight against Isis in Iraq , url=http://t.news.ca.msn.com/world/canadian-military-advisers-join-fight-against-isis-in-iraq-1 , publisher=MSN , url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006100638/http://t.news.ca.msn.com/world/canadian-military-advisers-join-fight-against-isis-in-iraq-1 , archive-date=6 October 2014 Portugal has worked with neighboring

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

to provide training to the Iraqi Army south of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Building Partner Capacity

Norwegian Quick Response Forces Conducts Night-Operations Training Excercise

The Building Partner Capacity (BPC) program is meant to help the Iraqi government to prepare forces for the counter-attack against ISIL and the regaining of its territory.'Australia to contribute to the Building Partner Capacity mission in Iraq'
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926162141/http://www.pm.gov.au/media/2015-04-14/australia-contribute-building-partner-capacity-mission-iraq-0 , date=26 September 2015 . Australian government, 14 April 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015. Australia in April 2015 committed 300 military personnel to the BPC training mission in Iraq. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, by May 2015 a dozen countries had committed themselves to the BPC program: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.'Counter-ISIL military coalition concludes operational planning conference'
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613004022/http://www.centcom.mil/en/news/articles/counter-isil-military-coalition-concludes-operational-planning-conference , date=13 June 2015 . U.S. Central Command News Release, 1 May 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015. Denmark sent 120 military personnel to Iraq in November 2014 to train the Iraqi Army. Germany began shipping non-lethal military equipment to the Iraqi government and the Kurdish Region early in the intervention. Italy offered to supply weapons, ammunition, and other aid to local forces in Iraq. The prime minister of Italy

Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi (; born 11 January 1975) is an Italian politician who served as prime minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016. He has been a senator for Florence since 2018. Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva (IV) since 2019, having bee ...

visited Iraq and the Kurds on 20 August 2014 to consider the response to ISIL. He said that without international involvement it would be a "new

Srebrenica Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War in 1995, Srebr ...

". New Zealand announced in November 2014 it would send up to 143 military personnel to help train local Iraqi security forces. 16 of which were to be trainers, the remaining personnel will be deployed to protect the trainers, and help with advisory/intelligence roles. New Zealand also sent up to $14.5m in humanitarian aid.{{cite news, last=Kitchin, first=Robert, title=NZ military personnel headed for Iraq, url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10704623/NZ-military-personnel-headed-for-Iraq, date=5 November 2014, newspaper=Stuff.co.nz Norway sent 5 headquarters personnel and 120 advisors in October 2014 to help train the Iraqi Army, and has used transport aircraft to deliver supplies to Iraq.'Norway to send 120 soldiers to Iraq to help train army'
''Al Arabiya News'', 30 October 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015. Spain provided 300 instructors to train the Iraqi Army and offered to provide weapons to both the Iraqi Army and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces;{{cite news, url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2014/10/09/actualidad/1412867011_131222.html, agency=El País, title=España enviará unos 300 militares a Irak para instruir a su Ejército, date=9 October 2014, access-date=11 January 2015 Spain also stationed a Patriot missile battery and 150 servicemen in Turkey in case of cross-border attacks against its

ally. By May 2015, the program had trained 6,500 Iraqi forces.

Military aid to the Kurds

Spokesman Halgurd Hikmat for the

Ministry confirmed that the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, and also Finland have agreed to supply weapons and military goods to Kurdish

. Erbil-based BASNEWS reported that the Kurdistan Regional Government, in cooperation with the Iraqi and American governments, will open a military air base in Erbil. On 5 October 2015, CJTF-OIR announced that it had given 50,000 rifles and machine guns, 56 million rounds of small arms ammunition, 677+ mortars, 73,000+ mortar rounds, 5,000+ anti-tank weapons, 56,000+ anti-tank rounds, and 150+ vehicles to the Iraqi Kurdish forces. * {{flagicon, USA The United States had begun on 5 August 2014, with the direct supply of munitions to the Iraqi Kurdish

forces and, with Iraq's agreement, the shipment of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program weapons to the Kurds, according to

Zalmay Khalilzad Zalmay Mamozy Khalilzad (born March 22, 1951) is an American diplomat and foreign policy expert. Khalilzad was the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation from September 2018 to October 2021. Khailzad was appointed by Preside ...

, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and the U.N., in ''The Washington Post'', and the following days the American

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

secretly sent arms to the Kurds. Before 11 August, U.S. and allies had started rushing antitank weapons etc. to Kurdish fighters, and the U.S. intended to provide longer-range weapons. * {{flagicon, UK The United Kingdom placed the

on the ground briefly and are airlifting munitions to the Kurds from an unnamed{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28800854, title=Iraq crisis: EU condemns 'atrocities' by IS militants, work=BBC, date=15 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014 Eastern European nation.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/14/world/middleeast/iraq-humanitarian-aid.html?module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Middle%20East&action=keypress®ion=FixedLeft&pgtype=article, title=Middle East, newspaper=The New York Times, date=13 August 2014 , access-date=1 December 2014, last1=Daley , first1=Suzanne , last2=Cowell , first2=Alan Members of the 2nd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, have also been deployed to the area. * {{flagicon, Germany Germany has provided instructors to train Kurdish Peshmerga troops. It is also supporting the Peshmerga with shipments of machine guns and ammunition, anti-tank missiles, armored transport vehicles and personal equipment like night vision goggles, helmets, vests, radio sets and other equipment. It hopes to provide equipment for 10,000 Peshmerga troops. It has also flown wounded Peshmerga fighters to German military hospitals. Germany has currently up to 150 paratroopers and other ground troops stationed in northern Iraq to train and advise Kurdish military forces. * {{flagicon, Greece Greece donated

Kalashnikov rifle Kalashnikov rifles (), also known as the AK platform, AK rifles, or simply the AK, are a family of assault rifles based on Mikhail Kalashnikov's original design. They are officially known in Russian as ''avtomat Kalashnikova'' (), and informally ...

s and ammunition.{{cite news, title=Greece joins fight against IS, Athens to send ammunition to Kurdish fighters, url=http://famagusta-gazette.com/greece-joins-fight-against-is-athens-to-send-ammunition-to-kurdish-fighter-p25726-69.htm, access-date=25 September 2014, agency=famagusta-gazette, date=25 September 2014, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019215950/http://famagusta-gazette.com/greece-joins-fight-against-is-athens-to-send-ammunition-to-kurdish-fighter-p25726-69.htm, archive-date=19 October 2014, url-status = dead"Who Has Contributed What in the Coalition Against the Islamic State?"
* {{flagicon, France France is planning to ship arms directly to the Kurds. * {{flagicon, Italy Italy decided to give military aid to the Kurds. * {{flagicon, AUS Australia in September began using RAAF C-17s and C-130Js to airlift arms and munitions to forces in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq. Then

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

n Prime Minister

said in October his country could dispatch up to 200 special forces troops to "advise" local forces in a "non-combat" role.{{cite news, url=https://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-commits-australian-forces-to-iraq-20141003-10prij.html, agency=Sydney Morning Herald, title=Tony Abbott commits Australian forces to Iraq, date=3 October 2014, access-date=2 October 2014 * {{flagicon, Croatia Croatia in late August began sending arms to the Kurds. The armaments from Croatia are particularly useful to the effort because they are compatible with the Kurds' Russian made weapons systems which make up the majority of their equipment. * {{flagicon, Czech Republic The Czech Republic has or will provide weapons to local forces. The Czech Republic offered to provide 10 million rounds for AK-47, 8 million rounds for machine guns, 5,000 warheads for RPG and 5,000 hand grenades. In September 2014 with the help of Royal Canadian Air Force it sent 8 millions rounds for machine guns to Iraq and in December 2014 another supply flight (provided by U.S. Air Force's C-17 Globemaster) with 5,000 warheads. * Estonia, Hungary, Greece, and Bulgaria have or will provide weapons to local forces. ** {{flagicon, EU The European Union welcomed the "decision by individual Member States to respond positively to the call by the Kurdish regional authorities to provide urgently military material." * {{flagicon, Albania Albania has or will provide weapons to local forces. Albania in late August began sending arms to the Kurds. With the help of Western air transport systems,

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

has sent 22 million rounds of AK-47 7.62 millimeter bullets, 15,000 hand grenades and 32,000 artillery shells to the Kurdish forces.{{cite news, url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/albania-starts-delivery-of-weapons-to-iraqi-kurds, title=Albania Starts Shifting Weapons to Iraqi Kurds, first=Besar, last=Likmeta, work=Balkan Insight, date=27 August 2014 The armaments from Albania are particularly useful to the effort because they are compatible with the Kurds' Russian made weapons systems which make up the majority of their equipment. * {{flagicon, Turkey Turkey in early November 2014 began training Kurdish

fighters in northern Iraq, Turkey and Peshmerga confirmed, 'as part of the struggle against ISIL', a Turkish official said.

U.S. troop presence

While some U.S. troops were already active in Iraq for several purposes since June 2014 (see section Background), on 13 August, the U.S. deployed another 130 military advisers to Northern Iraq, and up to 20 U.S. Marines and special forces servicemen landed on

Mount Sinjar The Sinjar Mountains (, , ), are a mountain range that runs east to west, rising above the surrounding alluvial steppe plains in northwestern Iraq to an elevation of . The highest segment of these mountains, about long, lies in the Nineveh Gover ...

from

CH-53E The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, ...

aircraft to coordinate the evacuation of Yazidi refugees. A team of British SAS was already in the area. On 3 September, an increase of 350 servicemen was announced to be sent to Baghdad, increasing U.S. forces in Baghdad to 820, and increasing U.S. forces in Iraq to 1,213. On 10 September, President Obama gave a speech in which he reiterated that American troops will not fight in combat. However, U.S. ground troops were still periodically engaged in combat with ISIL insurgents throughout the conflict. He also said that about 500 more troops will be sent to Iraq to help train Iraqi forces.{{cite web, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/09/obama-strike-wherever-it-exists-2014910223935601193.html, title=Obama outlines plan to target IS fighters, date=11 September 2014, access-date=11 September 2014, publisher=Al Jazeera English At the end of September, Obama planned to send 1,600 troops to Iraq as "advisers" to the Iraqi army and Kurdish forces. 800 of them would provide security for soldiers and Marines and for property; hundreds would train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces on how to fight ISIL. In early November 2014, President Obama announced that he would be doubling the number of U.S. troops present on the ground in Iraq to around 3,000 men. By early December 2014, the number of U.S. ground troops in Iraq had increased to 3,100, while other nations in the US-led Coalition decided to send 1,500 more ground troops to Iraq, increasing the total number of troops to 4,600.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30388718, title=Islamic State: Coalition 'pledges more troops' for Iraq, work=BBC News, date=8 December 2014, access-date=8 August 2015 In January 2015, the 1,000 Paratroopers of the "Panther Brigade" of the U.S. Army's

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

were deployed to Iraq. They came with an additional 300 soldiers, Airmen, and Marines, bringing U.S. troop levels deployed in the country to 4,400.{{cite web, url=http://www.stripes.com/news/us/1-000-soldiers-from-the-82nd-airborne-headed-to-iraq-1.320194, title=1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne headed to Iraq, work=Stars and Stripes, access-date=8 August 2015 According to ''The New York Times'', by 4 February 2015, the U.S. had 4,500 troops in Iraq. Over the next two years, this number seemed to plateau at around 4,500. As of Sept 28, 2016, according to the DOD, the United States authorized additional troops for

and

, for a total of 5,262. With the arrival of the new Trump administration in January 2017, a change in policy was instituted regarding the disclosure of current troop levels as well as the timing of any additional deployments to the area, thus making good on his campaign promises to utilize the "element of surprise". As of April 2017, according to the ''Los Angeles Times'',Hennigan, W. J.
"Trump administration stops disclosing troop deployments in Iraq and Syria"
''Los Angeles Times''. unbeknownst to both Congress and the general public, there had been two non-disclosed troop deployments in the month of March: a deployment of 400 U.S. Marines to northern Syria and 300 U.S. Army Paratroopers to the area around Mosul. As of 2 April 2017, the U.S. troop level, or "force management level"—the number of full-time troops deployed, was around 5,200 in Iraq and 500 in Syria, with about 1,000 more troops there on a temporary basis. As of 2 July 2018, the U.S. still maintained a limited military presence of 5,000 troops stationed in Iraq with the task of helping train and assist Iraqi forces. The U.S. FY 2021 Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) requested Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund (CTEF) of $645 million for operations in Iraq. As of April 2020, U.S.-led coalition forces handed back four military bases to Iraqi forces. The U.S. ended its combat mission in Iraq on 9 December 2021, leaving 2,500 troops in the country to serve as trainers and advisors to Iraqi security forces.

Air operations

Types of aircraft used

In the first U.S. airstrikes on 8 August, armed drones as well as fixed wing aircraft:

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

fighters, were used. The F/A-18s were that day launched from the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

{{USS, George H.W. Bush, CVN-77, 6. A Navy official said that the two planes involved in the airstrikes were Super Hornets from

Carrier Air Wing 8 Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier Mission The mission of Carrier Air Wing Eight is: " conduct off ...

, of

Naval Air Station Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The station is located on 23.9 square kilometers. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mi ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. A number of Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II's from the USAF's 163d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron were deployed on 17 November 2014.{{cite book, title=AirForces Monthly, date=February 2015, publisher= Key Publishing Ltd, location= Stamford,

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, pages=35, title-link=AirForces Monthly

Air bases and aircraft carriers

The following is a list of publicly disclosed air bases that have been used for the interventions in Iraq and Syria. It is likely that there are other, yet undisclosed air bases being used.

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

initially refused to allow using

Incirlik Air Base Incirlik Air Base () is a Republic of Turkey, Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of the city ...

for airstrikes against ISIL, but changed their position in July 2015 when they allowed U.S. fighters to use both it and

Diyarbakır Diyarbakır is the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. It is the administrative center of Diyarbakır Province. Situated around a high plateau by the banks of the Tigris river on which stands the historic Diyarbakır Fortress, it is ...

. *

Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base is a Kuwait Air Force base that is home to 3 Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 C/D squadrons: 9 Squadron, 25 Squadron, and 61 Squadron. The base also has an area designated for operations by the U.S. Air Force and its allies. H ...

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

Ali Al Salem Air Base Ali Al Salem Air Base is a military air base situated in Kuwait, approximately from the Iraqi border, and roughly west of Al Jahra. The airfield is owned by the Government of Kuwait, and hosted the Royal Air Force (RAF), United States Air For ...

(used by Denmark, Canada and Italy) * Isa Air Base,

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

* Al Dhafra Air Base,

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

(also used by France) *

Shaheed Mwaffaq Air Base Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (MSAB, , ) is a Royal Jordanian Air Force air base located in Azraq, Zarqa Governorate, Jordan. History In 1918, during World War I, T. E. Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) used the historic castle in Azraq ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

(also used by Belgium and Netherlands) *

RAF Akrotiri Royal Air Force Akrotiri, commonly abbreviated RAF Akrotiri (; ) is a large Royal Air Force (RAF) military airbase on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akroti ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

(used by United Kingdom) *

Al Udeid Air Base Al Udeid Air Base () is one of two military bases southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport (). It houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force, United States Air Force, Royal Air Force, and other foreign forces. It is host to a forward h ...

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

(used by United Kingdom and United States. Operated by the Qatari Air Force) * Al Minhad Air Base,

(also used by Australia) * {{USS, George H.W. Bush, CVN-77 in the Persian Gulf until mid October 2014{{cite web, url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/09/30/navy-replaces-ships-in-arabian-gulf-as-bombing-continues.html, title=Navy Replaces Ships in Arabian Gulf Bombing Continues, work=Military.com, access-date=8 August 2015 * {{USS, Carl Vinson, CVN-70 deployed to the Persian Gulf from mid October 2014 * Cruise missiles have been launched from various American ships or submarines (against targets in Syria at least)

Airstrikes

* {{flagicon, USA The United States began conducting airstrikes in Iraq on 8 August 2014. Fighter aircraft from the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, and military "advisers" on the ground, have been involved in combating ISIL in northern

, as well as in the north and west of

. Kurdish and Iraqi forces battling Islamic State fighters have been closely cooperating with U.S. air force controllers based in

and in

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

, suggesting ISIL targets to those U.S. air force controllers. The U.S. controllers then checked those suggestions with live stream video information (ISR), to avoid hitting Iraqi or Kurdish forces with their airstrikes.'Airstrike Agreement Keeps U.S. Air Controllers Away From Combat'
''Military.com'', 29 September 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014. * {{flagicon, AUS Australia (

Operation Okra Operation Okra was the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contribution to the military intervention against the Islamic State. The deployed forces formed part of Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East. The operation commenced on 31 August 2014, ...

)
Australia's Prime Minister at the time,

, announced on 3 October 2014 that Australia would commence airstrikes on ISIL. At least until 2 November, dozens of those airstrikes held on, in at least some cases hitting and killing ISIL people, but also targeting military equipment and an oil refinery. The Australian government is reticent with giving detailed information, out of concern for possible propaganda from the side of ISIL. * {{flagicon, Canada Canada (

Operation Impact On 3 October 2014, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that he would put forth a motion to send forces to participate in the coalition for military intervention against ISIL by deploying combat aircraft. On 7 October 2014, the Hous ...

)
On 7 October, the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

voted in favour of Canadian airstrikes against ISIL, and approved of deploying six

CF-18 The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...

fighter jets, an air-to-air refueling aircraft and two surveillance aircraft to participate in targeted airstrikes from an allied air base in

.'ISIS mission: MPs approve Canada's air combat role'
''CBCNews'', 8 October 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014. The first Canadian airstrike took place on 2 November 2014, targeting construction equipment near

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

.ISIS weapons hit by CF-18 jets in northern Iraq, DND says
CBCNews, 11 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014. The second airstrike was made on 11 November 2014, targeting ISIL artillery near Bayji, north of

Battle of Mosul - Royal Danish Air Force F-16

* {{flagicon, DEN Denmark
Danish Prime Minister Thorning-Schmidt promised 26 September 2014 to send four planes and three reserve jets (F-16s), with 250 pilots and staff, to launch airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq. The first mission by the Danish F-16s was flown on 16 October 2014.'Denmark drops its first bombs on Isis targets'
''The Local'', 20 October 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2015. When the seven F-16s returned to Denmark in September 2015 for refitting and refurbishment, they had flown a total of 547

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...

s against ISIL in Iraq.{{cite web, url=https://www.dr.dk/ligetil/indland/danske-f-16-fly-har-bombet-sidste-gang-i-irak, title=Danske F-16 fly har bombet for sidste gang i Irak, date=1 October 2015, access-date=18 October 2016, publisher= DR News , last=Larsen, first=L.K. A C-130J transport aircraft used in support of coalition operations{{cite web, url=https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R44135.pdf, title=Coalition Contributions to Countering the Islamic State, date=18 November 2015, access-date=22 December 2015, website=Federation of American Scientists, publisher=Congressional Research Service, last=McInnis, first=Kathleen and a mobile radar station remained in action.{{cite web, url=https://www.dr.dk/ligetil/indland/danske-f-16-fly-har-bombet-sidste-gang-i-irak, title=Dansk militær radar bliver i Irak et år mere , date=10 October 2016, access-date=18 October 2016, publisher= DR News , last=Larsen, first=L.K. In June 2016 the F-16s returned with a mission that had been expanded to include ISIL targets in both Iraq and Syria.{{cite web, url=http://nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2016-08-05-danske-kampfly-bomber-for-foerste-gang-islamisk-stat-i-syrien, title=Danske kampfly bomber for første gang Islamisk Stat i Syrien , date=5 August 2016, access-date=18 October 2016, publisher= TV2 News * {{flagicon, France France (Opération Chammal)
On 15 September,

fighter aircraft operating from the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

conducted reconnaissance flights on ISIL positions. On 19 September 2014, France conducted its first airstrike which targeted an ISIL depot, making it the first Western coalition partner to conduct airstrikes in Iraq. * {{flagicon, Germany Germany is supporting airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria with six Tornado reconnaissance aircraft and one Airbus A310 aerial refueling tanker aircraft. It also provides high resolution radar images by its

SAR Lupe SAR-Lupe is Germany's first reconnaissance satellite system and is used for military purposes. SAR is an abbreviation for synthetic-aperture radar, and "Lupe" is German for magnifying glass. The SAR-Lupe program consists of five identical (770&nb ...

reconnaissance satellites. * {{flagicon, Jordan (See also: Jordanian intervention in the Syrian Civil War)

ian officials said on 4 February 2015, after the release of a video showing captured RJAF pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh being burned alive by his ISIL captors in

, that the kingdom would consider joining the coalition by launching airstrikes against ISIL targets in Iraq.
The Jordanian Air Force on 4 February 2015 began targeting ISIL positions in Iraq in retaliation for ISIL's brutal burning of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, beginning the campaign with a large airstrike campaign centered on

, which killed 55 ISIL militants, including ISIL's top senior commander of Mosul known as the "Prince of Nineveh". * {{flagicon, Morocco Morocco in late November 2014, as the first

Arab state The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

joining this American-led military intervention in Iraq, responded to an American appeal to send several F-16 jets to the fight against ISIL. Four F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters from the

Royal Moroccan Air Force The Royal Moroccan Air Force (; ; ) is the air force of the Moroccan Armed Forces. History The Moroccan air force was formed on 14 May 1956 as the Sherifian Royal Aviation (). Its modern installations and bases were inherited from France (Bass ...

reportedly carried out airstrikes against ISIL positions on the outskirts of

, among other areas, around 10 December 2014. The Moroccan warplanes were to focus on hitting fixed targets, including training camps, oil refineries, and weapons depots. * {{flagicon, UK United Kingdom (

Operation Shader Operation Shader is the operational code name given to the contribution of the United Kingdom in the ongoing military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The operation involves the British Army providing ground su ...

)
The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

began attacking targets in Iraq on 30 September, with six and then later eight,

strike aircraft. Around four, and then later six,

unmanned combat aerial vehicle An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircra ...

s also began attacking targets on 10 November 2014.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29469520, agency=BBC News, title=Two more UK Tornados to join fight against Islamic State, date=2 October 2014, access-date=2 October 2014 Airstrikes have been supported by

Boeing E-3 Sentry The Boeing E-3 Sentry is an American airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft developed by Boeing. E-3s are commonly known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System). Derived from the Boeing 707 airliner, it provides all-weathe ...

and

Airbus Voyager The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refueling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 15 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 82 aircraft, of which 64 had ...

aircraft. On 16 January 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the UK was the second-largest contributor to the anti-ISIL coalition in Iraq, contributing over 100 airstrikes. The majority of British forces engaged in Iraq operate from

, though MQ-9 Reapers are based in

and a RC-135 Rivet Joint is based at RAF Al Udeid in

Facilitating or preparing for airstrikes

* {{flagicon, Greece Greece has served as a staging point for Belgian F-16s participating in airstrikes against ISIS. * {{flagicon, Italy Italy has offered to assist coalition partners in

air-to-air refueling Aerial refueling ( en-us), or aerial refuelling ( en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to an ...

and ISR operations with one KC-767, four Tornado IDS attack planes, and two UAVs Predators. Air operations continue. * {{flagicon, Spain Spain had in September announced that its contribution to 'a US-led anti-IS coalition' would remain limited to weapons, transport assistance, etc., for the Iraqi government,{{cite news, url=http://rudaw.net/english/world/240920141, agency=Rudaw, title=Wary Spain Remains Reluctant Partner in anti-IS Coalition, date=24 September 2014, access-date=2 October 2014 but has in October offered to assist coalition partners in transport, air-to-air refueling and ISR operations. * {{flagicon, Turkey The

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( ), usually referred to simply as the GNAT or TBMM, also referred to as , in Turkish, is the Unicameralism, unicameral Turkey, Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by ...

on 2 October allowed foreign soldiers to use Turkish bases for a fight against ISIL, after pressure from the

U.S. government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executi ...

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

to join the anti-ISIL coalition.

Airstrike campaigns in co-operation with other countries

* {{flagicon, Belgium Belgium decided on 26 September 2014 that it would send six

F-16 Fighting Falcons The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

and a number of

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

cargo planes, supported by 120 pilots and other staff, to support the military effort against ISIL in Iraq.{{cite news, url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-terror/which-countries-are-doing-what-isis-coalition-n212596, agency=NBC News, title=Which Countries Are Doing What in the ISIS Coalition?, date=26 September 2014, access-date=2 October 2014{{cite web, url=http://www.rtbf.be/info/belgique/detail_les-etats-unis-appellent-la-belgique-a-envoyer-ses-f16-en-irak?id=8362681, title=Feu presque vert pour l'envoi de six F16 belges pour combattre l'EI, author=RTBF Info, work=RTBF Info, date=24 September 2014, access-date=27 September 2014 Belgian air forces operate from

located in

.{{cite web, url=http://aviationweek.com/blog/belgian-and-rnlaf-f-16s-go-dutch-supporting-iraqi-forces, title=Belgian and RNLAF F-16s Go Dutch Supporting Iraqi Forces, work=Aviation Week, access-date=8 October 2014, archive-date=12 October 2014, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012190459/http://aviationweek.com/blog/belgian-and-rnlaf-f-16s-go-dutch-supporting-iraqi-forces, url-status=dead On 5 October, a Belgian F-16 dropped its first bomb on an Islamic State target, east of

. The contribution towards striking ISIL positions was discontinued on 30 June 2015 due to financial restraints, however 35 military advisors still remain in the country as of November 2015. The withdrawn F-16 aircraft spent six months in Jordan before returning home. After this The Netherlands took over from Belgium. Currently Belgium is still active due The Netherlands being unable to honor their commitment to take over from Belgium on 1 July 2017, therefore the Belgium government decided to extend the operation until the end of 2017 after which The Netherlands will take over again from Belgium. * {{flagicon, Netherlands The Netherlands ( Dutch military intervention against the Islamic State)
On 24 September 2014, the Dutch government decided to take part in "the military campaign" against ISIL which, as they claimed, had been started by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and sent six F-16 fighter jets to Iraq to bomb ISIL. Their motivations to join this war: ISIL's advance in Iraq and Syria, while displaying "unprecedented violence" and "perpetrating terrible crimes against population groups", formed "a direct threat for that region"; ISIL's advance in Iraq and Syria "causes instability at the borders of Europe" which threatens "our own utchsafety". Currently the

Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...

is not active, normally they would switch with Belgium every 6 months but due unknown reasons they decided that they would not take over from Belgium on 1 July 2017. The Belgian airforce will continue until the end of 2017 after which the Dutch should take over again from Belgium.{{citation needed, date=February 2021

Timeline

U.S. surveillance and military advising in Iraq

At the invitation of the Iraqi Government, on 15 June 2014 President Obama ordered dozens of United States troops to Iraq in response to offensives by ISIL (see previous section ' Background'), to assess Iraqi forces and the ISIL threat. Obama sent a total of 275 troops to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, following the capture of Mosul by

ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

. Probably between 15 and 26 June, the U.S. also began to fly missions with manned aircraft over Iraq in secret.{{cite web, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-security-usa-flights-idUSKBN0F22DR20140627 , title=Armed U.S. aircraft now flying over Iraq: defense officials, publisher=Reuters, date=27 June 2014 , access-date=20 November 2014 On 26 June 2014, the U.S. started to survey over Baghdad also with armed drones "primarily" for protection of 180 U.S. military advisers in the area. On 29–30 June 2014, the U.S. increased the number of its troops in Iraq from 180 to 480, to prevent ISIL from taking control of

Baghdad International Airport Baghdad International Airport , previously Saddam International Airport from 1982 to 2003, () is Iraq's largest international airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate. It is the home base for Ira ...

, which the U.S. said would be critical to any evacuation of Americans from Baghdad, and to protect U.S. citizens and property. In July, Obama announced that due to the continuing violence in Iraq and the growing influence of non-state actors such as the

, the United States would elevate its security commitment in the region.{{Citation needed, date= November 2014 Approximately 800 U.S. troops secured American installations like the Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate in

. Around 13 July, a classified military report concluded that many Iraqi army units were deeply infiltrated by either Sunni extremist informants or Shiite personnel backed by Iran, which would bring Americans advisors to Iraqi forces into danger. Around 5 August, the U.S. military forces in Iraq were acting to "assess and to advise

as they confront

ISIL The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signif ...

and the complex security situation on the ground."{{cite web, first=Jacob, last=Siegel, url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/07/will-u-s-troops-stand-by-while-isis-starves-thousands.html, title=Will U.S. Troops Stand By While ISIS Starves Thousands?, work=The Daily Beast, date=7 August 2014, access-date=14 November 2014

ISIL conquests and massacres; U.S. reaction

{{main, Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014) {{further, Sinjar massacre, Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL {{see also, #Humanitarian efforts During the first 15 days of August 2014, ISIL expanded its territories in northern Iraq. On 3 August, they conquered

Sinjar Sinjar (; , ) is a town in the Sinjar District of the Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq. It is located about five kilometers south of the Sinjar Mountains. Its population in 2013 was estimated at 88,023, and is predominantly Yazidi. History ...

and surrounding area, including Wana and Zumar, killing possibly 2,000

Yazidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

men in the

Sinjar massacre The Sinjar massacre () marked the beginning of the genocide of Yazidis by ISIL, the killing and abduction of thousands of Yazidis, Yazidi men, women and children. It took place in August 2014 in Sinjar city and Sinjar District in Iraq's Nineveh ...

.{{Citation needed, date=June 2020 On 7 August, ISIL conquered

Qaraqosh Qaraqosh (; (official name), or , also known as al-Ḥamdāniyya or Qara-Qūš; a Turkic placename meaning "Black Bird") is an Assyrian city in the Nineveh Governorate, of Iraq located about southeast of the city of Mosul and west of Erbil am ...

, the largest Christian town in Iraq, and neighbouring towns, causing 100,000 civilians to flee from ISIL troops.{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28686998, title=Iraq Christians flee as Islamic State takes Qaraqosh, work=BBC News, date=7 August 2014, access-date=21 March 2015 In reaction, on 5 August, the Iraqi military started dropping food and water for the tens of thousands of Yazidis stranded in the Sinjar mountains,{{cite news, last1=Salih , first1=Mohammed , last2=van Wilgenburg , first2=Wladimir , url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/iraqi-yazidis-if-move-they-will-kill-us-20148513656188206.html , title=Iraqi Yazidis: 'If we move they will kill us', date=5 August 2014, publisher=Al Jazeera, access-date=12 April 2015 and the U.S. started directly supplying Iraqi Kurds with weapons to fight ISIL. On 7 August the U.S. also started dropping food and water for the Yazidi Kurdish civilians trapped in the

Sinjar Mountains The Sinjar Mountains (, , ), are a mountain range that runs east to west, rising above the surrounding alluvial steppe plains in northwestern Iraq to an elevation of . The highest segment of these mountains, about long, lies in the Nineveh Gov ...

Obama's decision for airstrikes

On the evening of 7 August 2014, U.S. President

gave a live address to the nation. He described the recent ISIL advances across Iraq and said that ISIL's persecution and threatening the extinction of Yazidis, a religious minority in northern Iraq, including especially the

Yazidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish languages, Kurdish-speaking Endogamy, endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The major ...

who had fled into the

, in particular had convinced him that U.S. military action was necessary. The President said that he had ordered airstrikes: * to protect American diplomats, civilians and military in Erbil at the American consulate or advising Iraqi forces; * to prevent a potential massacre (genocide) by ISIL on thousands of

; and * to stop ISIL's advance on

, the capital of the

{{cite web, url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/07/statement-president, title=Statement by the President, date=7 August 2014, via=

, work=

, access-date=21 November 2014 where the U.S. had a consulate and a joint operations center with the Iraqi military.{{cite news, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/islamic-state-militants-seize-christian-town-in-northern-iraq-thousands-flee/2014/08/07/942a553a-1e2b-11e4-ab7b-696c295ddfd1_story.html?hpid=z1 , newspaper=The Washington Post, title=U.S. airstrikes target Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, date=8 August 2014, access-date=16 February 2015 Obama further defended his decision by saying:

...the world is confronted by many challenges. And while America has never been able to right every wrong, America has made the world a more secure and prosperous place. And our leadership is necessary to underwrite the global security and prosperity that our children and our grandchildren will depend upon. We do so by adhering to a set of core principles. We do whatever is necessary to protect our people. We support our allies when they're in danger. We lead coalitions of countries to uphold international norms. And we strive to stay true to the fundamental values -- the desire to live with basic freedom and dignity -- that is common to human beings wherever they are. That's why people all over the world look to the United States of America to lead. And that's why we do it.

The U.S. also started considering an operation with American ground troops to rescue the Yazidis in those

First U.S. airstrikes in the Erbil and Sinjar areas

{{Further, Sinjar massacre#Refugee crisis in the Sinjar Mountains On Friday, 8 August 2014,

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

F-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas and North ...

fighters used 500-pound laser-guided bombs to strike an ISIL

towed artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...

piece shelling

, and four U.S. fighters later bombed ISIL military convoys,U.S. jet fighters, drones strike ISIS fighters, convoys in Iraq
CNN, 9 August 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2015. some of them advancing towards the Kurdish forces defending Erbil. Another round of U.S. airstrikes in the afternoon struck 8 ISIL targets near

Predator Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common List of feeding behaviours, feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation ...

drones as well as fixed wing F-18 aircraft were used in the U.S. attacks.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/world/middleeast/iraq.html, work=The New York Times, title=U.S. Jets and Drones Attack Militants in Iraq, Hoping to Stop Advance , first1=Alissa J., last1=Rubin, first2=Tim, last2=Arango, first3=Helene, last3=Cooper, date=8 August 2014 , access-date=2 December 2014 On 8 and 9 August, Obama extended the purposes of the airstrikes of 8 August as to be: 1.) protecting Americans in Iraq; 2.) helping Iraqi minorities stranded on

; 3.) "break the siege of Mount Sinjar"; 4.) preventing massacres (genocides) on

and other minority groups as announced by ISIL; and 5.) helping Iraqis combat the threat from ISIL. On Saturday, 9 August, U.S. forces launched 4 airstrikes against ISIL fighters threatening civilians on Mount Sinjar, this time primarily aimed at armored fighting vehicles. A combination of U.S. warplanes and drones destroyed four

armored personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

s. The U.S. airstrikes that day killed 16 ISIL fighters, Iraqi officials reported.{{cite news, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/10/world/meast/iraq-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_t2, title=Iraq: Troops swell in Baghdad amid humanitarian chaos, publisher=CNN, date=11 August 2014, access-date=19 November 2014 On 10 August, U.S. forces launched a series of 5 air attacks which targeted ISIL armed vehicles as well as a mortar position. Assisted by these U.S. air attacks, Iraqi Kurdish forces claimed to have recaptured the Northern Iraqi towns of Makhmur and Gweyr{{cite web, url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2014/0810/Kurdish-forces-claim-to-recapture-2-Iraqi-towns-from-IS-with-US-air-support-video, title=Kurdish forces claim to recapture 2 Iraqi towns from IS with US air support (+ video), work=The Christian Science Monitor, date=10 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014 from ISIL control. An Iraqi airstrike conducted 9–11 August in

killed 45 ISIL militants, Iraqi officials reported. On 10 August, also the United Kingdom started with humanitarian airdrops for the—initially 50,000—

stranded in the

. Between 9 and 13 August, the Kurds and Americans enabled possibly 35,000 to 45,000 of the

stranded in the

to escape or be evacuated into Syria (see Sinjar massacre#Refugee crisis in the Sinjar Mountains). On Monday, 11 August, Lt. Gen. William Mayville Jr., director of the U.S. operations, said the airstrikes since 7 August near Irbil and Mount Sinjar had slowed ISIL's operational tempo and temporarily disrupted their advances toward Irbil. On 12 August, the U.S. carried out airstrikes against ISIL mortar positions north of

after ISIL had been firing on Kurdish forces protecting the Yazidis in the area.{{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/12/world/meast/iraq-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_t1, title=Officials: More U.S. advisers being sent to Iraq, date=13 August 2014, access-date=24 April 2015 , agency=CNN On 13 August, the U.S. government concluded that the situation of the remaining Yazidis in the Sinjar Mountains was "much more manageable" and less life-threatening, and that an American rescue operation was therefore not acutely necessary.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/14/world/middleeast/iraq-yazidi-refugees.html?_r=0 , date=13 August 2014, access-date=18 February 2015, title=Militants' Siege on Mountain in Iraq Is Over, Pentagon Says, newspaper=The New York Times Presumably a few thousand or between 5,000 and 10,000{{cite news, url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/140827/if-it-wasn-t-the-kurdish-fighters-we-would-have-died-there, title='If it wasn't for the Kurdish fighters, we would have died up there', last=Shelton, first=Tracey, date=29 August 2014, work=Global Post, access-date=11 February 2015 Yazidis still remained in those mountains.

Retaking Mosul Dam

{{further, Battle for Mosul Dam On 16 August, U.S. drones and warplanes began a close air campaign aimed at supporting the advance of Kurdish fighters moving toward the Mosul Dam. Kurdish sources commented that this was the "heaviest U.S. bombing of militant positions since the start of air strikes."{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28820509, title=Iraq crisis: US strikes aid Kurdish bid to retake dam, work=BBC, date=16 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28833519, title=Iraq crisis: Mosul dam recaptured from militants – Obama, work=BBC, date=18 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014 On 16 August there were 9 U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq, on 17 August 2014. U.S. President Obama, in a letter to Congress on 17 August, explained this use of U.S. Forces as support to the Iraqi forces' campaign against terrorist group ISIL. Obama said on 18 August that Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Iraqi troops, with help from the U.S., had retaken the Mosul Dam from ISIL.

Timeline

2014

= September 2014

On 8 September, the

with close air support from U.S. F-18 aircraft managed to retake the key Haditha Dam. Following the recapture, Iraqi troops moved on to recapture the town of Barwana. Iraqi state television reported that 15 ISIL militants were killed in the battle.{{cite web, url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/iraqi-forces-have-pushed-back-islamic-state-fighters-from-the-haditha-dam/, title=Iraqi Forces Have Pushed Back Islamic State Fighters From the Haditha Dam, publisher=Vice News, date=8 September 2014, access-date=14 September 2014, first=John, last=Beck Following the Iraqi victory, ISIL responded with the public execution of David Haines. On 18 September,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

decided to initiate airstrikes on ISIL as well (see Opération Chammal). Around 23 September,

, the general in charge of U.S. Central Command, has been confirmed to be the top officer in charge of the campaign against the ISIL in Iraq and Syria. On 24 September, the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

government decided to send six Fighter jets to contribute to the "international battle against ISIS (ISIL)" (see section '

Airstrikes An airstrike, air strike, or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighter aircraft, attack aircraft, bombers, attack helicopters, and drones. The official d ...

'). On 26 September, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Parliament decided to authorize British airstrikes on ISIL as well. Britain then announced to cooperate with Iraqi and Kurdish intelligence agencies (see

). Also the Belgian Parliament that day decided to start airstrikes on ISIL (see section '

'). Around 28 September 2014, airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition together with Iraqi Army ground forces clashing with ISIL militants halted an ISIL offensive by Amariya al-Falluja, 40 km (25 miles) west of

, the Iraqi capital, a BBC reporter on the spot reported. On 30 September, the U.S. launched eleven airstrikes in Iraq and the UK conducted their first two airstrikes in Iraq in this intervention. Together with eleven U.S. strikes in Syria against ISIL these 24 strikes were the highest number of strikes against ISIL on one day since 8 August. By the end of September 2014, the United States Navy and Air Force had conducted 240 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, as well as 1,300 tanker refueling missions, totaling 3,800 sorties by all types of aircraft.{{cite news , author= , title=US spending on ISIL growing , url=http://www.federalnewsradio.com/424/3727321/US-spending-on-ISIL-growing , newspaper=Federal News Radio , date=22 October 2014 , access-date=28 October 2014

= October 2014

= On 3 October 2014, the

n government authorized airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq (see

). On 2 October,

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

{{'s Parliament authorized airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq (see section '

').
On 7 October, the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

Parliament voted in favour of Canadian airstrikes against ISIL (see

).
On 11 October, 10,000 ISIL troops headed from

and

toward the Iraqi capital city of

,10,000 ISIS fighters head to Baghdad
CNN (video), 11 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014. and ISIL stood on the verge of taking the whole of

Al Anbar Governorate Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

just west of Baghdad.Leaders of Iraq's Anbar province call for U.S. ground forces to stop ISIS
CNN, 12 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014. The provincial council's deputy head, Al-Issawi, said they then requested Iraq's government to ask the U.S. to bring in ground forces; the Iraqi government however squarely denied having received such demand from Anbar. 12 October, ISIL came within 25 km (15.5 miles) of the Baghdad airport, U.S. General Dempsey reported. The U.S. then deployed low-flying Apache attack helicopters to keep ISIL at bay.ISIS could hold swath from northern Syria to the gates of Baghdad
CNN, 13 October 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.{{cite web, url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/12/politics/isis-baghdad-martin-dempsey/index.html?iref=allsearch, title=ISIS nearly made it to Baghdad airport, Dempsey says - CNN.com, author=Mary Grace Lucas, date=12 October 2014, publisher=CNN, access-date=1 December 2014 By 22 October, the U.S. had spent $424 million on both of its bombing campaigns against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

= November 2014

= {{See also, #Airstrikes Late November 2014,

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

responded to an American appeal and sent several F-16 jets to fight against ISIL.{{cite news , url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/27/us/us-adds-air-power-but-isis-presents-elusive-target.html , title=US Adds Planes to Bolster Drive to Wipe Out ISIS , last=Schmitt, first = Eric, newspaper=The New York Times , date=26 November 2014, access-date=16 July 2015

= December 2014

= During the early morning hours of 14 December, U.S. ground forces allegedly clashed with

alongside the

and Tribal Forces near Ein al-Asad base, west of Anbar, in an attempt to repel them from the base of which includes about 100 U.S. advisers in it, when ISIL attempted to overrun the base. A field commander of the Iraqi Army in Al Anbar Governorate, said that "the U.S. force equipped with light and medium weapons, supported by

F-18 The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather supersonic, twinjet, twin-engine, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, fighter and attack airc ...

, was able to inflict casualties against fighters of ISIL organization, and forced them to retreat from the al-Dolab area, which lies 10 kilometers from Ain al-Assad base." Sheikh Mahmud Nimrawi, a prominent tribal leader in the region, added that "U.S. forces intervened because of ISIL started to come near the base, which they are stationed in so out of self-defense," he responded, welcoming the U.S. intervention, and saying "which I hope will not be the last."{{cite news, title=First ground clash between ISIS and US forces in Iraq , url=http://english.shafaaq.com/index.php/politics/12492-first-ground-clash-between-isis-and-us-forces-in-iraq , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217212840/http://english.shafaaq.com/index.php/politics/12492-first-ground-clash-between-isis-and-us-forces-in-iraq , url-status = dead, archive-date=17 December 2014 , publisher=Shafaq News , date=16 December 2014 , access-date=17 December 2014 This was said to be the first encounter between the United States and the Islamic State, in four years, though this claim has been stated to be "false" by the Pentagon. In the Kurdish Sinjar offensive, 17–22 December, Kurdish troops, aided by U.S. airstrikes, connected the

territory, enabling the

who stayed on the mountains to be evacuated.{{cite web, url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/19/peshmerga-sinjarisil.html, title=ISIL land mines frustrate effort to get aid to freed Mount Sinjar Yazidis, publisher=Aljazeera America, date=19 December 2014, access-date=17 February 2015 On 22 December, Kurdish Peshmerga forces pushed into the city of

, taking control of much of the city. On 25 December 2014, Hassan Saeed Al-Jabouri, the ISIL governor of

, who was also known as Abu Taluut, was killed by a US-led Coalition airstrike in Mosul. It was also revealed that the U.S. planned to retake the city of Mosul in January 2015.{{cite news, last1=Per Liljas, title=Iraqi Police: Coalition Airstrikes Kill ISIS Governor of Mosul, url=https://time.com/3647361/iraq-isis-governor-mosul/, access-date=26 December 2014, magazine=Time, date=25 December 2014

2015

= January 2015

= In mid-January 2015,

soldiers at the front lines between

i and ISIL troops exchanged fire with ISIL fighters. Canadians were not hurt, but they "neutralized" an unknown number of ISIL militants.{{cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/world/americas/canada-troops-clash-with-isis-in-iraq.html?smprod=nytcore-ipad&smid=nytcore-ipad-share&_r=0, agency=The New York Times, title=Canada: Troops Clash With ISIS in Iraq, first=Ian, last=Austen, work=The New York Times , date=19 January 2015, access-date=16 February 2015 On 20 January 2015, the SOHR reported that al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL, had been wounded in an airstrike in Al-Qa'im, an Iraqi border town held by ISIL, and as a result, withdrew to Syria.{{cite web, url=http://syriahr.com/en/2015/01/iraq-isis-leader-baghdadi-injured-stays-in-syria/ , title=Iraq: ISIS leader Baghdadi injured, stays in Syria , work=Syrian Observatory For Human Rights , access-date=8 August 2015 , url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215064713/http://syriahr.com/en/2015/01/iraq-isis-leader-baghdadi-injured-stays-in-syria/ , archive-date=15 February 2015 , df=dmy On 21 January 2015, the U.S. began coordinating airstrikes with a Kurdish launched offensive, to help them begin the planned operation to retake the city of Mosul.Morris, Loveday (21 January 2015
Kurds say they have ejected Islamic State from large area in Northern Iraq
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. Retrieved 25 January 2015 On 29 January 2015, Canadian special forces in Iraq came under fire from ISIL forces, causing the Canadian troops to return fire, killing some ISIL militants.

= February 2015

, which had been conducting airstrikes on ISIL in Syria since September 2014, initiated airstrikes on ISIL targets in Iraq on 4 February 2015 (see details in the

section). On 17 February, it was revealed that ISIL had launched another major assault on

, coming within {{convert, 45, km, mi of the city.{{cite news, url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2015/02/17/ct-lister-iraq-isis-assault-near-irbil.cnn, title=Kurds: ISIS launches 'major' assault near Irbil, first=Tim, last=Lister, publisher=

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, date=18 February 2015, others=Catherine E. Shoichet By late February, it was reported that ISIL was beginning to use chemical weapons, due to the gradual weakening of the organization,{{cite news, last=Mohammed, first=Riyadh, url=https://news.yahoo.com/isis-turns-chemical-weapons-loses-120000404.html, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223051202/http://news.yahoo.com/isis-turns-chemical-weapons-loses-120000404.html, title=ISIS Turns to Chemical Weapons As It Loses Ground in Iraq, work=The Fiscal Times, archive-date=23 February 2015 and that the

was expected to join the Liberation of Mosul sometime in April 2015.{{cite web, url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/20/middleeast/iraq-isis/, title=Official: Iraqi troops plan Mosul offensive in spring - CNN.com, first1=Greg , last1=Botelho , first2=Barbara , last2=Starr , date=20 February 2015, work=CNN, access-date=8 August 2015

= March 2015

= At the beginning of March, the Iraqi government announced that they would soon launch a military operation with the Kurdish

and other allies to regain the city of

, which was under ISIL control since 10 June 2014. On 10 March, U.S.-led warplanes dropped scraps of paper in

, advising residents to evacuate the city and stay away from ISIL locations, because of those imminent military operations. On 11 March 2015, ISIL threatened over loudspeakers to behead any civilian who tries to leave Mosul.ISIS threatens: any civilian leaves Mosul to be beheaded
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314020406/http://aranews.net/2015/03/isis-threatens-any-civilian-leaves-mosul-to-be-beheaded/ , date=14 March 2015 . ARA News, 11 March 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015. 18 March 2015 Coalition airstrike at the al-Baaj District, in the

Nineveh Governorate Nineveh Governorate (; , ) is a governorate in northern Iraq. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,453,000 people as of 2003. Its largest city and provincial capital is Mosul, which lies across the Tigris river from the ruins of a ...

, near the Syrian border. It was reported that his wounds were so serious that the top ISIL leaders had a meeting to discuss who would replace him if he died. By 21 April, al-Bagdadi reportedly had not yet recovered enough from his injuries to resume daily control of ISIL.{{cite web, url=http://www.firstpost.com/world/islamic-state-head-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-seriously-injured-us-led-air-strike-iran-2206502.html, title=Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi seriously injured after US-led air strike in Iran, work=Firstpost, date=22 April 2015 On 25 March 2015, the American-led Coalition joined the

Second Battle of Tikrit The Second Battle of Tikrit was a battle in which Iraqi Security Forces recaptured the city of Tikrit (the provincial capital of the Saladin Governorate) from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Iraqi forces consisted of the Iraqi ...

, launching its first airstrikes on ISIL targets in the city center.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32035340, title=Islamic State conflict: US launches Tikrit air strikes, work=BBC News, date=25 March 2015 That night, U.S. aircraft carried out 17 airstrikes in the center of Tikrit, which struck an ISIL building, two bridges, three checkpoints, two staging areas, two

berm A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of Soil compaction, compacted soil) separating areas in a vertical way, especially partway up a long slope. It can serve as a terrace road, track, path, a fortification line, a b ...

s, a roadblock, and a command and control facility.{{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2014/0814_iraq/Airstrikes6.html , title=Map of Countries Supporting the Proliferation Security Initiative , access-date=31 March 2015 , url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324140710/http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2014/0814_iraq/Airstrikes6.html , archive-date=24 March 2015 The US-led Coalition continued conducting airstrikes in Tikrit until 31 March, when Iraqi forces entered the city center.

= April 2015

= On 8 April 2015, Iraqi forces, building on their advances in the Saladin Governorate, launched an offensive to liberate the

Anbar Governorate Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

from ISIL occupation, beginning with an offensive in the region around east Ramadi, backed by Coalition aircraft.{{cite web, url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/military-operation-began-to-liberate-anbar-says-anbar-council/ , title=Military operation began to liberate Anbar, says Anbar Council, first=Amre , last=Sarhan, work=Iraqi news , date=8 April 2015 , access-date=8 August 2015 In retaliation, ISIL executed 300 people in the western Anbar Province. It was also reported that 10,000 Sunni tribal fighters would participate in the Anbar offensive.{{cite web, url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/isis-executes-300-people-west-anbar/ , title=ISIS executes 300 people west of Anbar, first=Abdelhak , last=Mamoun , work=Iraqi news , date=9 April 2015 , access-date=8 August 2015 On 12 April, the Iraqi government declared that

was free of ISIL forces, stating that it was safe for residents to return home. Despite this, many refugees from Tikrit still feared returning to the city.{{Citation, publisher=Keye TV , url=http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/iraq-tears-tikrit-25267.shtml , place=Iraq , title=Tears for Tikrit , url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425100116/http://www.keyetv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/iraq-tears-tikrit-25267.shtml , archive-date=25 April 2015 . On 12 April, Abu Maria, the top ISIL leader in Tikrit, was killed by Iraqi forces at the Ajeel Oil Field near Tikrit, along with his top aide, after they were both caught trying to flee from the city. Reports revealed that ISIL resistance persisted until 17 April. By mid-April 2015, ISIL had lost 25–30%, 5,000 to 6,500 square miles, in Iraq since their peak territorial influence in August 2014 to Iraqi and American coalition forces, leaving them still possessing 15,000 square miles in Iraq.{{cite web , url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=128576 , title=ISIL Loses Control of Once-dominated Iraq Territory , place=US , publisher=Department of Defense , date=13 April 2015 , access-date=18 April 2015. On 17 April, Iraqi forces in Tikrit located and killed 130 ISIL sleeper agents, finally ending the

.{{cite web , url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/130-isis-elements-killed-sleeper-cells-found-tikrit/ , title=130 ISIS elements killed, sleeper cells found in Tikrit, first=Abdelhak , last=Mamoun, work=Iraqi news , date=17 April 2015 , access-date=8 August 2015{{cite web, url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/liberated-islamic-state-tikrit-struggles-reconciliation , title=Liberated from Islamic State, Tikrit struggles with reconciliation, work=

PBS NewsHour ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS Network affiliate#Member stations, member stat ...

, access-date=8 August 2015, date=17 April 2015 Following this, cleanup operations to remove the 5,000–10,000 IEDs left behind by ISIL were expected to take several months.{{cite web, url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com/joseph-v-micallef/lessons-from-the-second-b_b_7049430.html , title=Lessons From the Second Battle of Tikrit: March 2-April 4, 2015, work=The Huffington Post , access-date=8 August 2015, date=12 April 2015 On 22 April 2015 Iraqi government sources reported that Abu Alaa Afri, the self-proclaimed Caliph's deputy and a former Iraqi physics teacher, had been installed as the stand-in leader while Baghdadi recuperates from his injuries.

= May 2015

= On 3 May 2015, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' reported that ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was recovering from severe injuries he received from an 18 March 2015 airstrike, in a part of Mosul. It was also reported that al-Baghdadi's spinal injury, which left him incapacitated, means that he may never be able to fully resume direct command of ISIL.{{cite web, url=http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/isis-leader-al-baghdadi-incapacitated-says-guardian/ , title=ISIS leader al-Baghdadi is incapacitated, says the Guardian , first=Abdelhak , last=Mamoun, work=Iraqi news , date=3 May 2015 , access-date=8 August 2015 According to the Iraqi defence ministry Abu Ala al-Afri, ISIL's Deputy Leader, was killed on 12 May 2015, in a US-led Coalition airstrike on a mosque in

Tal Afar Tal Afar (, ; ) is a city in the Nineveh Governorate of northwestern Iraq, located west of Mosul, east of Sinjar{{cite web, url= http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/middleeast/isis-al-afri/ , title=ISIS' No. 2 leader Abu Alaa al-Afri killed, Iraq says , first1=Barbara , last1=Starr , first2=Nick Paton , last2=Walsh , first3=Hamdi , last3=Alkhshali , date=13 May 2015, publisher=CNN , access-date =8 August 2015 The U.S. Defense Department said that it could not corroborate the report.

= August 2015

= {{Main, CENTCOM analyst allegations In August 2015, fifty

intelligence analysts Intelligence analysis is the application of individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh data and test hypotheses within a secret socio-cultural context. The descriptions are drawn from what may only be available in the form of delibera ...

working for

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilit ...

(CENTCOM) complained to the Pentagon's Inspector General and the media, alleging that CENTCOM's senior leadership was altering or distorting intelligence reports on the

(ISIL) to paint a more optimistic picture of the ongoing war against ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria.{{cite web, url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/pentagon-confirms-investigation-skewed-intelligence-isis/story?id=33772763, title=Pentagon Confirms Probe Into 'Skewed' ISIS Intelligence, date=2015-09-15, work=ABC News, access-date=2017-10-06 They were subsequently joined by civilian and

Defense Intelligence Agency The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) specializing in military intelligence. A component of the Department of Defense and the United States In ...

analysts working for CENTCOM. Members of the groups began anonymously leaking details of the case to the press in late-August.{{Cite news, url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/253188-report-analysts-claim-us-military-altering-intelligence-on-isis-war/, title=Report: Analysts claim US military altering intelligence on ISIS war, last=Wong, first=Kristina, date=2015-09-10, work=TheHill, access-date=2017-10-06 In February 2017, the Inspector General of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

completed its investigation and cleared the senior leadership of CENTCOM, concluding that "allegations of intelligence being intentionally altered, delayed or suppressed by top CENTCOM officials from mid-2014 to mid-2015 were largely unsubstantiated."{{cite news, last1=Cohen, first1=Zachary, title=Report: Centcom leaders didn't cook ISIS intelligence, url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/01/politics/report-centcom-intelligence/index.html, access-date=10 April 2018, agency=CNN, date=1 February 2017

= October 2015

= On 17 October 2015, an MQ-1B Predator drone from 20th Attack Squadron,

432nd Wing The 432nd Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-170 Sentinel Unmanned aerial vehicles. The group operates unmanned ...

, USAF, crashed after "experiencing electronic systems failure and loss of control due to a lightning strike" southeast of Baghdad; the drone was destroyed on impact. On 22 October 2015 during 30 U.S. special forces from

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), also known as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) as Task Force Green, is a Special operation forces, special operat ...

and members of a Kurdish Counter-terrorism unit conducted a raid on an ISIL prison compound {{convert, 7, km North of the town of

Hawija Hawija (, Al-Ḥawīja) is the central town of Al-Hawija District in the Kirkuk Province of Iraq, west of Kirkuk, and north of Baghdad. The town has a population of about 480,000 inhabitants. Hawija District has approximately 520,000 inhabitan ...

in Iraq's Kirkuk province. The raid liberated approximately 70 hostages, including more than 20 members of the

Iraqi Security Forces The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is a term used by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to describe law enforcement and military forces of the federal government of the Republic of Iraq. During the Iraq War, these entities received trainin ...

asked U.S. special operations forces to support an operation to free hostages that were being held inside the prison and were going to be executed,

Master Sergeant A master sergeant is the military rank for a senior non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries. Israel Defense Forces The (abbreviated "", master sergeant) is a non-commissioned officer () rank in the Israel Defense Force ...

Joshua Wheeler Joshua Lloyd Wheeler (November 22, 1975 – October 22, 2015) was a United States Army soldier who was killed in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve. He was a master sergeant assigned to the elite Delta Force, and was the first American service ...

was killed in the raid, he was the first American service member killed in action as a result of enemy fire while fighting ISIL and at the time he was the first American to be killed in action in Iraq since November 2011.{{cite web, url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-identifies-american-killed-in-iraq-raid-as-master-sgt-joshua-wheeler-1445609315, title=U.S. Identifies American Killed in Iraq Raid as Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, work=The Wall Street Journal, date=23 October 2015, access-date=24 October 2015

2016

= January 2016

= The US-led coalition began targeting the IS

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

infrastructure with airstrikes and special forces raids, the coalition is focusing on destroying laboratories and equipment, whilst further special forces raids are planned to target IS chemical weapons experts.{{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/09/isis-chemical-weapons-leader-captured-iraq-us-special-forces, title=Head of Isis chemical weapons program captured by US in Iraq last month, work=The Telegraph, date=9 March 2016

= February 2016

= US officials reported that

operatives have carried out operations to target, capture or kill top ISIL operatives in Iraq, reportedly beginning in late February 2016, after several weeks of covert preparation such as setting up safe houses, establishing informant networks and coordinating operations with Iraqi and Peshmerga units. The Delta Force operators are part of an Expeditionary Targeting Force that is also made up of operators from the U.S. military's " Tier One" Special Operations units, numbering around 200 personnel. Their main objectives are to gather enough intelligence from raids on terrorist-occupied compounds and hideouts, then from intelligence gathered at those sites they will give the ETF more intelligence about ISIL networks and quickly attack additional and related targets, in what's known as "targeted" missions. This strategy was tested during the May 2015 raid on Deir Ezzor in Syria. The ETF has so far collected enough intelligence about ISIL operations in Iraq in up to half a dozen locations that raids and field operations are ready to take place. In late-February, U.S. special forces captured Sleiman Daoud al-Afari, an ISIL senior chemical weapons engineer, in a raid in Badoosh, north-west of Mosul, there were no U.S. casualties. Afari's capture is the first known major success of this new strategy.

= March 2016

= On 1 March 2016, a U.S. special operations assault force captured an ISIL operative during a raid in northern Iraq and is expected to apprehend and interrogate a number of others in coming months. On 19 March, Staff Sergeant Louis F. Cardin, a field artilleryman with the Battalion Landing Team,

2nd Battalion 6th Marines 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines (2/6) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Also known as "The Ready Battalion" or "2/6 Spartans", it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and ...

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) is one of seven such marine expeditionary units (MEUs) currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps. It is an air-ground task force with a strength of about 2,400 personnel when at full ...

, was killed by an ISIL rocket attack on Firebase Bell near Makhmur, 8 other Marines were also injured, the Marines returned fire with their artillery. The Marines from the 26th MEU first began moving into the area just 2 weeks before, deploying from the {{USS, Kearsarge, LHD-3, 6. The base will be used by the U.S. military to support the Iraqi 15th Division when they attempt to retake

and the Marines had finished setting up and testing their howitzers just 2 or 3 days before the attack. The joint taskforce overseeing the campaign against ISIL announced it was deploying additional Marines from the 26th MEU to Iraq to join the roughly 3,700 U.S. troops already deployed there to combat ISIS. There are already more than 4,000 Marines and sailors who have been deployed to Iraq since October.

= April 2016

= On 18 April 2016, U.S. Special forces and Kurdish forces launched a raid on Hammam al-'Alil which killed Salman Abu Shabib al-Jebouri; a senior IS commander who was a leading member of the IS military council, two of his aides were also killed. U.S. Defence Secretary

Ash Carter Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the B ...

announced that the U.S. is to send 200 extra troops; the majority of them being special forces and 8 Apache attack helicopters to Iraq, the remainder will include trainers, security forces for the advisers, and maintenance crews for the Apaches, increasing the number of U.S. personnel in the country to around 4,100. The U.S. also plans to give Kurdish Peshmerga forces, more than $400m in assistance. On 25 April, a U.S. warplane dropped a guided bomb that destroyed an SUV occupied by IS leader Raphael Saihou Hostey near Mosul, Hostey was a recruiter for IS, U.S. drone operators had been stalking him for days before the order came to kill him.{{cite web, url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/06/12/us-military-says-it-killed-more-120-islamic-state-leaders.html, title=U.S. Military Says it has Killed more than 120 Islamic State Leaders, publisher=military.com, date=12 June 2016

= May 2016

= On 3 May 2016, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV; a U.S. Navy SEAL, was killed by small arms fire during an ISIL assault on a Peshmerga position, approximately 3 to 5 kilometers behind enemy lines, near the town of Tel Skuf, 28–30 km north of Mosul, the SEAL killed was part of a 30-man SEALs unit deployed to Iraq as part of a special forces advise and assist mission. 125 ISIL militants broke into the position using three truck bombs followed by bulldozers which cleared the wreckage away, the U.S. responded with 11 aircraft; F-15s F-16s, A-10s, B-52s and 2 drones carrying out 31 airstrikes; which destroyed two more truck bombs stopping the attack, 58 militants were killed and more than 20 of their vehicles were also destroyed, Keating was part of a Navy SEAL

quick reaction force A rapid reaction force / rapid response force (RRF), quick reaction force / quick response force (QRF), immediate reaction force (IRF), rapid deployment force (RDF), or quick maneuver force (QMF) is a military or Law enforcement agency, law enf ...

called in by the Peshmerga. The IS attack is part of their attacks on multiple fronts overnight to obtain new ground, Iraqi military sources said that special forces had foiled an attack by five suicide bombers in the village of Khirbirdan and Peshmerga forces repelled an IS assault on Wardak. U.S. Army Colonel Steve Warren labeled the offensive as one of the most complex battlefield operations launched by ISIL since December 2015.{{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-36193142, title=US serviceman killed in Iraq as IS breaches Peshmerga lines, publisher=3 May 2016, work=BBC News, date=4 May 2016{{cite web, url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/inside-battle-isis-killed-us-navy-seal/story?id=38876899, title=Inside the Battle With ISIS That Killed a US Navy SEAL, work=ABC news, date=4 May 2016 As of early May 2016, there are more than 5,500 U.S. military personnel in Iraq; 3,870 are deployed to advise and assist local forces fighting IS militants, the rest includes special operations personnel, logistics workers and troops on temporary rotations. Small teams of American advisers operate from northern Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, providing commanders with help in military planning and logistical support. They have moved about freely to interact with commanders in the field as long as they remain well behind front lines, in the case of the firefight at Tel Skuf, a dozen U.S. troops who were advising and assisting the Peshmerga happened to be at an outpost behind the front lines that had been targeted by the large ISIL force. On 6 May, a U.S. airstrike killed

Abu Wahib Shaker Wahib al-Fahdawi (1986 – May 6, 2016), better known as Abu Waheeb ("''Father of Waheeb''"; Arabic: ابو وهيب), was an Iraqi militant jihadist who was the leader of the Islamic State in Anbar Governorate, Anbar, Iraq. He was killed ...

, a senior IS leader in Anbar, as well as 3 other ISIL militants in a vehicle in

Ar-Rutbah Ar-Rutbah ( ''ar-Ruṭba'', also Romanized ''Rutba'', ''Rutbah'') is an Iraqi town in western Al Anbar province, predominantly inhabited by Sunni Arabs. The population is approximately 28,400. It occupies a strategic location on the Amman–Bagh ...

. On 17 May, the ISF took control of the city

. ISIL lost control of the strategically important town and Anbar's mostly control. On 25 May, during Operation Breaking Terrorism, U.S. airstrikes killed the commander of Daesh forces in Fallujah; Maher al-Bilawai in Fallujah. In late May, a U.S. special forces operator was indirectly wounded in an ISIL attack near Irbil.

= June 2016

= On 12 June, a U.S. Apache attack helicopter carried out a strike that destroyed an ISIL car bomb near Qayyarah, 50 miles south of Mosul in support of Iraqi forces positioning ahead of an operation to retake Mosul from insurgents. It was the first time since President Obama authorized the helicopters' use in offensive operations earlier this year. On 25 June, a U.S. airstrike near Mosul killed 2 senior ISIL commanders: one was Basim Muhammad Ahmad Sultan al-Bajari, ISIL' deputy minister of war, who oversaw ISIS' efforts to capture Mosul in June 2014 and consolidated ISIL's control over Mosul, he also led the ISIL Jaysh al-Dabiq battalion known for using vehicle-borne IEDs, suicide bombers and mustard gas in its attacks. The other was Hatim Talib al-Hamduni, a military commander in the area and head of military police for self-proclaimed Ninawa state; together, they engaged in dictatorial rule and sectarian murder and oppression since 2014. On 29 June, in support of the 2016 Abu Kamal offensive—the offensive by the Syrian rebels from different factions that aims to capture

Abu Kamal Abu Kamal (), also known as Al-Bukamal (), is a city in eastern Syria located on the Euphrates river in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate and near the border with Iraq. It is the administrative centre of the Abu Kamal District and the local subdistr ...

in Syria and effectively split its territorial holdings in two and preventing the transfer of fighters and weapons between the two countries—on the Iraqi side of the border, U.S.-led coalition conducted five airstrikes near al-Qaim. Also that day in Fallujah, US-led coalition aircraft—including Iraqi aircraft, conducted airstrikes that killed at least 250 ISIL militants. Whilst Iraqi Security Forces fought them on the ground; the first strikes targeted a convoy of IS fighters trying to leave a neighborhood on the outskirts of southern Fallujah, destroying between 40 and 55 IS vehicles. A second convoy formed east of Ramadi later that day, coalition and Iraqi jets launched more strikes, destroying nearly 120 ISIL vehicles, but in both attacks, Iraqi Security Forces destroyed more. The figure of ISIL vehicles destroyed rose up to nearly 800—Iraq's Joint Operations Command said the country's forces destroyed 603 IS vehicles, whilst the Pentagon estimated that coalition strikes hit at least 175, but those figures could not be independently confirmed.

= July 2016

= On 11 July, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that the U.S. is sending 560 additional U.S. military personnel to Iraq, bringing the number of U.S. personnel in Iraq to about 4,650. They will be stationed at Qayyara airbase, which was recaptured on 9 July by Iraqi government forces being supported by U.S.-led airstrikes; most of them will serve in training and advisory roles, including engineers and logistics experts and with the airbase as a key staging area, they will assist local forces in the retaking of the IS stronghold of Mosul. Also, a new "Nineveh Liberation Operations Center" has been set up to coordinate the offensive, complete with dozens of U.S. and British advisers.

= August 2016

= On 5 August, the Pentagon announced about 400 U.S. soldiers would deploy south of Mosul to Qayarah airbase to aid in the operation to retake Mosul. 160907-M-UK315-530 HIMARS during Operation Inherent Resolve 2016

160907-M-UK315-530 HIMARS during Operation Inherent Resolve 2016

= September 2016

= On 28 September, ''The New York Times'' reported that U.S. officials said President Obama had authorized the sending of an additional 600 U.S. troops to Iraq to assist Iraqi forces in the upcoming battle to retake Mosul from IS.

= October 2016

Airmen load cargo onto an 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-17 Globemaster III

On 2 October, two Kurdish soldiers were killed and two French special forces operators were wounded by an IS drone north of Mosul, the drone was intercepted in flight and whilst they were examining the drone a small explosive device disguised as a battery blew up. Coalition forces are playing a key role in the Battle of Mosul, on 17 October, ''The Guardian'' reported that US, British and French special forces, which have been advising the Peshmerga, will play a prominent role in calling in airstrikes against ISIL targets inside the city. Adding that, according to the Pentagon, the U.S. deployed an additional 600 troops to aid in the city's capture, bringing the total number of U.S. personnel in Iraq to more than 5,200. On 19 October, '' Stars and Stripes'' reported that U.S. Apache helicopters joined the battle, launching night attacks against IS militants. On 20 October,

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards, usually above petty officer. By country Australia "Chief Petty Officer" is the second highest non-commissioned rank in the Royal Australian Navy ...

Jason C. Finan, of the U.S. Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 3 who was attached to a SEAL team that was advising the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service, was killed in an improvised explosive device attack.{{cite news, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/10/22/he-gave-his-life-for-his-teammates-jason-finan-34-is-first-u-s-casualty-of-mosul-battle/, title='He gave his life for his teammates': Jason Finan, 34, was killed serving alongside SEALs in Iraq, newspaper=The Washington Post, date=23 October 2016 ''The Washington Post'' reported that Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said the Iraqi troops were attacked by Islamic State fighters and the SEAL team members decided to pull back along with the troops they were advising. Finan was in a vehicle and was telling other members of his team that he had spotted a roadside bomb when he was killed. Fox News reported that there are upwards of 300 special operations forces embedded with Iraqi and Kurdish troops in the fight to take back Mosul. It was reported that about 100 U.S. advisers - mostly Special Forces and forward air controllers, are moving with Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes and rocket artillery fire, in the ground offensive to drive the IS from Mosul.

= November 2016

= On 1 November, ''Stars and Stripes'' reported that U.S. special operators were at the front line on the edge of Mosul – just outside the village of Gogjali, with elite Iraqi troops from the U.S.-trained Golden Division who were preparing to enter Mosul. The Americans wore black uniforms and drove black armoured vehicles to blend in with their Iraqi counterparts, U.S. special operators near Gogjali set up a mortar, unloaded a bazooka-style weapon and watched nearby fighting from a farmhouse roof; At around midday a drone the Americans had launched earlier stalled and crashed beside the farmhouse, breaking its wings and propeller. An Iraqi general told The Associated Press that later that day, Iraq's special forces entered the outskirts of Mosul, taking the state television building and advancing to the borders of Karama district despite fierce resistance by IS fighters. The Associated Press reported that as the sun went down, a sandstorm blew in, reducing visibility to only 100 yards and bringing the day's combat to an end, the AP reported. Meanwhile, U.S. Army engineers from the 101st Airborne Division also pushed closer to Mosul, searching for improvised bombs just west of the Great Zab River.

= December 2016

= On 4 December, a coalition airstrike in Mosul killed Falah al-Rashidi, an ISIL leader who was involved in ISIL's use of vehicle bombs in Mosul, a spokesman for CJTF–OIR, Colonel John Dorrian said "His removal further degrades ISIL's ehicle bombthreat, which has been the enemy's weapon of choice for attacking Iraqi security forces and civilians." Also that day Abu Turq was killed in Sharqat, Dorrian said "he was killed in an airstrike while fighting from a rooftop position in Sharqat, where he and several other fighters were moving a heavy weapon to fire upon partner forces. His removal increases pressure on the ISIL financial network, which is already severely disrupted by several hundred strikes on oil infrastructure and bulk cache sites."{{cite web, last=Cronk, first=Terry Moon, url=https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1041949/us-led-coalition-airstrikes-eliminate-key-isil-leaders-in-syria-iraq, title=U.S.-Led Coalition Airstrikes Eliminate Key ISIL Leaders in Syria, Iraq, publisher=Department of Defence, date=4 January 2017 {{PD-notice On 21 December, an airstrike in Qaim killed Ahmad Abdullah Hamad al-Mahalawi, al-Mahalawi was ISIL senior in Qaim, Colonel John Dorrian a spokesman for CJTF–OIR said "His removal will disrupt ISIL's ability to conduct operations along the Euphrates River Valley."

2017

= January 2017

= On 27 January ''Sky News'' reported that French special forces in Mosul discovered a warehouse and unloading area near the Tigris River where dozens of missiles were stored alongside makeshift launchers with Russian markings. The weapons are thought to have come from Syria, most were designed to be fired by jets but one was a 10 ft-long missile- beneath the cover of trees IS fighters had been working on building a Scud missile. Near the preparation site, three large refrigerated cargo carriers had been opened and were full of coking coal but buried inside, Iraqi soldiers found containers with an unidentified substance inside, the area smelt strongly of chemicals, French soldiers advised the Iraqi team that the whole area was contaminated; tests are now being carried out on what senior commanders called "poison". Iraqi special forces say IS were planning to launch long and short-range missiles tipped with chemical or biological war heads from western Mosul; Brigadier Ali of the Counter Terrorism Service, in charge of the weapons discovery, said he believed the production of the chemical weapons had been halted by the start of the offensive on Mosul and the targeting of IS fighters by coalition planes and drones. Later, ''The Guardian'' reported that Brigadier General Haider Fadhil from Iraqi special forces said French officials tested the chemical and confirmed it was a mustard agent.

= February 2017

= On 11 February, the ''Telegraph'' reported that Iraqi aircraft carried out an airstrike on a house in Anbar where ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was holding a meeting with senior ISIS commanders, killing more than a dozen.

= March 2017

= On 17 March, a U.S.-led coalition airstrike in Mosul killed more than 200 civilians. On 27 March, it was reported that 300 paratroopers from the

82nd Airborne The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

's 2d Brigade Combat Team will temporarily deploy to northern Iraq to provide additional advise-and-assist combating ISIS, particularly to speed up the offensive against ISIL in Mosul. On 29 March, ''Stars and Stripes'' reported that 400 soldiers from the 1st Armoured division's headquarters element will deploy to Iraq in summer 2017, where it will lead the coalition's ground efforts. A study published in the journal ''PLOS Medicine'' showed that U.S. Coalition forces killed more civilians than the Islamic State during the nine-month battle to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul than during the three-year occupation by the Islamic State

= April 2017

= On 1 April, ''Military.com'' reported that Iraqi fighter jets carried out airstrikes on IS militants-who had crossed over the border from Syria-in the town of Baaj near the Syrian border, killing between 150 and 200 militants. Reuters reported that Iraqi State TV said that, citing Iraq's military intelligence, an air strike in the region of al-Qaim killed Ayad al-Jumaili, who was believed to be the "second-in-command" of ISIL. On 29 April, ''Army Times'' reported that First Lieutenant Weston Lee of 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division died from wounds received from the detonation of an IED during a patrol outside Mosul.

= August 2017

= On 13 August, ''Stars and Stripes'' reported that 2 U.S. Soldiers of 2nd Battalion,

319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment The 319th Field Artillery Regiment, more commonly referred to as the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment (319th AFAR), is a parent regiment in the U.S. Army Regimental System. Four battalions of the regiment are currently active. The first ...

, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based at an undisclosed firebase in Iraq (where U.S. troops are supporting Iraqi forces in their ongoing offensive against ISIL militants after they ousted them from Mosul) were killed when an artillery round prematurely exploded, five others were also wounded in the blast.

= October 2017

= On 1 October, Specialist Alexander W. Missildine of the 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, was killed by an EFP (a type of improvised explosive that was first used by insurgents supplied by Iran with the help of Hezbollah for use against armored vehicles during the Iraq War) whilst traveling on a major road in Saladin Governorate or Nineveh Governorate, another soldier was wounded. ''The Washington Post'' reported that the device had not been used in Iraq for six years and that ISIL did not make any public claim of responsibility after the attack, but that it did coincide with threats from some of the Iranian-backed Shia militias who fought with the U.S. against the ISIL but now want U.S. forces to leave the country now that ISIL is almost defeated. According to Greg Robin, an expert in explosive devices for the Sahan Research Group, the bomb has been used in Afghanistan, by al-Shabaab in Somalia and

Palestinian Islamic Jihad The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine (, ''Harakat al-Jihād al-Islāmi fi Filastīn''), commonly known simply as Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), is a Palestinian Islamist paramilitary organization formed in 1981. PIJ formed as an offsh ...

group.

= December 2017

= {{Further, Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) On 9 December 2017, it is reported that ISIL had lost all strategic territory in Iraq. On 22 December, Australian Defense Minister

said that Australia will end air strikes against ISIL and bring its six Super Hornet planes back home. She also added that other Australian operations in the region would continue, with 80 personnel who are part of the Special Operations Task Group in Iraq, including Australian special forces, continuing their deployment. Australian soldiers have also been training Iraqi troops at the Taji military base outside Baghdad.

2018

= February 2018

= The U.S. announced that it would begin to reduce its troop levels in Iraq.

= July 2018

= As of 2 July 2018, the U.S. still maintains a military presence of 5,000 troops stationed in Iraq with the task of helping train and assist Iraqi forces.{{cite web , url=http://wesa.fm/post/along-iraq-syria-border-us-troops-focus-defeating-isis#stream/0 , title=Along the Iraq-Syria Border, U.S. Troops Focus on Defeating ISIS , date=2 July 2018

= October 2018

= On 4 October 2018, an operation against ISIL was started by the Iraqi military along with the military forces of

and the United States under the CJTF-OIR coalition in

around the city of Qaim and the Syrian border where ISIL continues to operate and maintain a strong and large presence. During the operation ISIL claimed to thwart an American-led assault near the Syrian border and also claimed to have killed 3 U.S. soldiers and wounded 4 others in the clashes, the U.S. military has not confirmed or denied the claimed losses. On 5 October 2018, US-led Coalition planes bombed an ISIL position in the village of Kushaf near the

Tigris The Tigris ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the eastern of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian Desert, Syrian and Arabia ...

river in the Kirkuk Governorate, reportedly killing 6 ISIL members, on the same day ISIL detonated a roadside bomb killing an oil employee and injuring 11 others in a bus in Baiji in the Saladin Governorate, and in a separate attack in Fallujah in the Anbar Governorate ISIL detonated a

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, van bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roug ...

injuring an Iraqi policeman and 3 others.

= December 2018

= On 15 December 2018, A U.S. airstrike from a

bomber targeted a cave entrance West of

in the Atshana Mountains killing four ISIL fighters.

2019

On 31 December, angry protestors attacked the United States embassy in Baghdad, in response to the U.S. airstrike two days earlier against

Kata'ib Hezbollah Kata'ib Hezbollah (), also known as the Hezbollah Brigades, is an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group which is a part of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), staffing the 45th, 46th, and 47th Brigades. During the Iraq War (2003–11), the g ...

militia.

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

reported that, in response, U.S. ambassador and staff have been evacuated, though this was denied by the U.S. Army. U.S. President

blamed

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

for the attack.

2020

= January 2020

Baghdad International Airport drone strike

{{Main, Assassination of Qasem Soleimani On 3 January 2020, United States forces carried out a missile strike that hit a convoy near

, killing

ian Major general

Qasem Soleimani Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...

and

Popular Mobilization Forces The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF; ), also known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), is an Iranian-backed paramilitary umbrella group that operates within Iraq. Although formally and legally part of the Iraqi Armed Forces and reportin ...

leader

Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis Jamal Ja'far Muhammad Ali Al Ibrahim ( ', 16 November 1954 – 3 January 2020), better known by his ''kunya'' Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (), was an Iraqi paramilitary leader and former chief of staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). At th ...

. PMU spokesman Ahmed Al Asadi confirmed the death of

Quds Force The Quds Force () is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It specializes in unconventional warfare and military intelligence operations. U.S. Army's Iraq War General Stanley McChrystal describes the Quds Fo ...

Commander Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike, blaming Israel and the United States. United States officials said "strikes adbeen carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad." In response to the airstrike, the Iraqi Parliament voted on 5 January 2020, to force foreign troops to withdraw from Iraq. U.S. President Donald Trump announced his objection to the withdrawal vote, and threatened to slap sanctions on Iraq if it were approved by the Iraqi government. On 7 January, Iraqi Prime Minister Abdul Mahdi held a Cabinet meeting, where he declared his support for a removal of foreign troops and stated that it was the only way to de-escalate growing tension This drew further objection from the U.S. government. The same day, however, both the U.K and Germany began reducing the size of their military presence in Iraq In addition to withdrawing some troops, U.K. Defence Minister Ben Wallace pledged a full withdrawal if asked to do so by the Iraqi government. Germany also "temporarily thinned out" its bases in Baghdad and Camp Taji. Canada later joined in with the coalition withdrawal as well by transferring some of its troops stationed in Iraq to Kuwait. About 400 British, 200 French, and 120 German forces, as well as dozens of other international troops, were stationed in Iraq to assist the approximately 5,200 U.S. soldiers stationed in the country. Like the U.S., the French and Australian governments have also shown resistance to withdrawing troops from Iraq.{{Cite web, url=https://www.voanews.com/a/middle-east_governement-source-france-not-planning-cut-troop-numbers-iraq-now/6182223.html, title={{sic, Gover, nement, nolink=y Source: France not Planning to Cut Troop Numbers in Iraq for Now {{pipe Voice of America - English, website=Voice of America, date=7 January 2020 {{Cite web, url=https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/don-t-throw-us-out-australia-pleads-to-stay-in-iraq-but-plans-for-the-worst-20200106-p53pcy.html, title='Don't throw us out': Australia pleads to stay in Iraq but plans for the worst, first=Bevan, last=Shields, date=6 January 2020, website=The Sydney Morning Herald France Defense Minister Florence Parly even stated that security had re-enforced for French troops stationed in and that they would continue to fight ISIS. Parly also warned Iran not to further escalate tensions.

Iranian ballistic missile attack

{{Main, Operation Martyr Soleimani On 8 January 2020, Iran's

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces, Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khom ...

(IRGC) launched numerous

ballistic missiles A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typica ...

at the Ayn al-Asad airbase in

, Western

, where U.S.-led coalition forces are stationed as well as another airbase in

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

, in response to the killing of Major General

by a United States

drone strike Drone warfare is a form of warfare using Military drone, military drones or Military robot, military robots. The robots may be Telerobotics, remote controlled or have varying levels of Autonomous robot, autonomy during their mission. Types of ro ...

.{{Cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jan/07/trump-news-today-live-impeachment-articles-iran-latest-updates-democrats, title=Iran launches missiles at US forces in Iraq at al-Asad and Erbil—live updates, last1=Singh, first1=Maanvi, last2=Greve, first2=Joan, date=8 January 2020, work=The Guardian, access-date=8 January 2020, last3=Doherty, first3=Ben, language=en-GB, issn=0261-3077, last4=Butler, first4=Ben, last5=Perraudin, first5=Frances, last6=Safi, first6=Michael, last7=Borger, first7=Julian{{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/world/middleeast/trump-iran.html, title=Iran Fires Missiles at Two U.S. Bases in Iraq: Live Updates, date=8 January 2020, work=The New York Times, access-date=8 January 2020, language=en-US, issn=0362-4331{{cite news, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/al-asad-base-had-minutes-notice-before-the-iranian-rockets-came-crashing-down-in-an-hour-long-barrage/2020/01/13/50fc9dd6-33e2-11ea-971b-43bec3ff9860_story.html, title=U.S. commanders at al-Asad base believe Iranian missile barrage was designed to kill, last=Loveluck, first=Louisa, date=13 January 2020, newspaper=The Washington Post, language=en, access-date=2020-01-14{{cite web, url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20130711cw10/, title=Listings – TheFutonCritic.com – The Web's Best Television Resource, work=thefutoncritic.com{{Cite news, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/world/middleeast/iran-fires-missiles-us.html, title=Iran Fires on U.S. Forces at 2 Bases in Iraq, Calling It 'Fierce Revenge', last1=Rubin, first1=Alissa J., date=7 January 2020, work=The New York Times, access-date=8 January 2020, last2=Fassihi, first2=Farnaz, language=en-US, issn=0362-4331, last3=Schmitt, first3=Eric, last4=Yee, first4=Vivian On 23 January, in regards to ISIL activity in Iraq and northeastern Syria, ambassador James Jeffrey stated there was no uptick in violence following the U.S. drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January that killed Soleimani. Jeffrey said U.S.-led coalition operations have been on pause in Iraq as the focus has been on force protection and talks with the Baghdad government on the way forward after Iraq's parliament voted to expel foreign troops. He acknowledged that a pause in Iraq could hamper the fight against Islamic State if it continues. On 24 January, hundreds of thousands marched in Baghdad to protest the American troops' presence in Iraq. On 26 January, at least five Katyusha rockets attacked the U.S. embassy in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, wounding one person.

= February 2020

= {{Further, Withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq (2020–2021)

Demand of U.S. troop withdrawal from military bases in Iraq

On 10 February,

Iraqi parliament The Council of Representatives is the '' de facto'' unicameral legislature of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, it is the lower house of the bicameral legislature of the country. As of 2020, it comprises 329 seats and meets in Baghd ...

member Ali al-Ghanimi reported that the United States began to withdraw its troops from 15

military bases A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

. The U.S. continued its presence in the Ain al-Asad airbase in the

Anbar province Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

and also at the one near the city of

. Following this, the Iraqi parliament pressed for American troops to "be withdrawn from all the bases".{{Citation needed, date=May 2021 In the meantime, U.S. President

mentioned that Iraq should pay back the U.S. for the facilities built there, if the U.S. military leaves, from Iraqi money held in the U.S. Otherwise the troops would stay in Iraq. Moreover, the Trump administration drafted sanctions against Iraq whether they expel U.S. troops. Later on, U.S. military offered to partially withdraw from bases near Shia-majority areas such as

Balad Air Base Balad Air Base () , is an Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad, Iraq. Built in the early 1980s, it was originally named Al-Bakr Air Base. In 2003 the base was captured by the United States Armed Force ...

, but Ain al-Asad was a "red line".

= March 2020

= {{see also, 2020 Camp Taji attacks On 9 March, the Pentagon released a statement claiming that two American Marines were killed during an anti-ISIS operation in a mountainous area of north central Iraq. Col. Myles B. Caggins III, a spokesman for the OIR coalition, later identified the Marines, who were also MARSOC Raiders, and that they died during an operation which also claimed the lives of four ISIS fighters during an American-led operation which involved clearing an ISIS cave complex in the Makhmur Mountains, south of Erbil. On 11 March, two Americans{{cite news , url=https://time.com/5801472/troops-killed-iraq/, title=At Least 2 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq Attack: Officials, access-date=11 March 2020 , date=11 March 2020 , newspaper=

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228041211/https://time.com/5801472/troops-killed-iraq/ , archive-date=28 December 2019 , url-status=dead and one British soldier from the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) was a specialist corps in the British Army which provided medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. On 15 November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army De ...

, were killed after targeting the

Camp Taji Camp Taji , also known as Camp Cooke, is a military installation used by Iraqi and Coalition forces near Taji, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq. The camp is located in a rural region approximately north of the capital Baghdad. Saddam era Al-Taji ...

with 15

Katyusha Katyusha () is a diminutive of the Russian name Ekaterina or Yekaterina, the Russian form of Katherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in c ...

rockets. The attack also left 12 other persons wounded of which 5 were critically injured. On 13 March after midnight, U.S. launched air raids against

facilities in

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

and

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

= April 2020

= On 7 April, the International Coalition withdrew from the Abu Ghraib operating base, the al-Sqoor base inside Nineveh operation command and the

Al-Taqaddum Air Base Al Taqaddum Airbase () or Al Taqaddum AB , called TQ in military shorthand slang, is an air base that is located in central Iraq, approximately 74 kilometers (46 miles) west of Baghdad, at Habbaniyah. The airfield is served by two runways 13,000 a ...

, handing the control to the Iraqi security forces.

= June–July 2020

= In June 2020, coalition aircraft destroyed three ISIL camps in northern Iraq. In early July 2020, a

rocket launched from the Ali al-Saleh area of Baghdad towards the Green Zone injured a child and damaged a house after it landed south of its target.

2021

{{Expand section, date=January 2022

= January 2021

= On 27 January 2021, during a joint operation led by the

Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service The Counter Terrorism Service (CTS; ) is an Iraqi security and intelligence agency tasked with counterterrorism. The Service’s operational arm is called the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF; ). They are an elite special operations force com ...

(CTS), the coalition killed ISIL's leader in Iraq, Abu Yasser al-Issawi, in an air strike on an underground hideout in Kirkuk. Al-Issawi was ISIL's "wali" (governor) of its Iraqi operations and allegedly the group's overall second-in-command according to Iraqi authorities, though that ranking could not be independently verified. The operation, which also included raids on guesthouses, killed nine other ISIL members and was in retaliation for the Baghdad bombings that killed 32 Iraqis a week prior, officials added.

= December 2021

= The U.S. formally concluded its combat mission in Iraq on 9 December 2021, leaving the 2,500 troops remaining in the country to serve as trainers and advisors to the

Humanitarian efforts

{{see also, Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL, Sinjar massacre The United States and international partners have undertaken a large humanitarian effort to support refugees stranded in northern Iraq with airdropped supplies. On 7 August, two

's and one

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...

dropped tens of thousands of meals and thousands of gallons of drinking water to

refugees who were stranded in the

by advancing ISIL forces.{{cite web, url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-begins-humanitarian-airdrops-iraq/story?id=24884633, title=Obama Authorizes Air Strikes in Iraq – ABC News, work=ABC News, date=7 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014{{cite web, url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122886, title=News Article: U.S. Conducts Another Humanitarian Airdrop in Iraq, publisher=U.S. Department of Defense, date=8 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014 On 9 August 2014, U.S. aircraft again dropped humanitarian supplies over northern Iraq, this time consisting of 4,000 gallons of drinking water and 16,000 ready-to-eat meals. The United Kingdom made humanitarian supply airdrops to

refugees on

starting on 10 August 2014,{{cite news, url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/sinja-exodus-1000-iraqi-families-flee-islamic-state-militia-war-torn-syria-1460867, agency=International Business Times, title=Sinjar Exodus: 1000 Iraqi Families Flee Islamic State Militia to War-Torn Syria, date=12 August 2014, access-date=4 October 2014 using

C-130's operating from

in Cyprus, while surveillance was provided by Panavia Tornado GR4s. It has been announced that Boeing Chinooks will also be deployed. New Zealand's foreign minister Murray McCully announced that New Zealand would provide $500,000 to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help people displaced by fighting in Iraq. UK Aid Awaiting Transport by Air to Iraq MOD 45157989

UK Aid Awaiting Transport by Air to Iraq MOD 45157989

On the night of 13–14 August, a 16-aircraft mission including U.S. C-17s and C-130Hs, a British C-130J, and an Australian C-130J airdropped supplies to

Yezidi Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

civilians trapped on

in what was later described as "the first mass air delivery of humanitarian cargo since the outbreak of violence in East Timor in 1999."{{cite press release, url=http://news.defence.gov.au/stories/2014/08/jtf633-supports-herc-mercy-dash/ , title=JTF633 supports Herc mercy dash , date=22 August 2014 , publisher=Department of Defence , access-date=25 August 2014 , url-status = dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826160817/http://news.defence.gov.au/stories/2014/08/jtf633-supports-herc-mercy-dash/ , archive-date=26 August 2014 C-130J transport aircraft from the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

based in the Middle East on 13/14 August 2014, started airdropping humanitarian aid in Northern Iraq. Denmark committed a C-130 transport aircraft and money for relief efforts. France planned to contribute to ongoing humanitarian efforts in Iraq, in addition to offering asylum to Iraqi Christians fleeing the violence. Germany ramped up humanitarian spending in Northern Iraq and sent 4 transport aircraft. Greece sent humanitarian aid to the Kurds of northern Iraq. and Italy also launched humanitarian support.{{cite web, author=Redazione ANSA, url=http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/mondo/mediooriente/2014/08/19/iraq-domani-renzi-a-baghdad-e-erbil_369e6de5-c47a-4191-b581-303ffaacc548.html, title=Iraq: Renzi, 'qui come Srebenica'. Armi ai curdi, ok delle Camere – Medio Oriente, publisher=ANSA.it, date=21 August 2014, access-date=21 August 2014 Sweden expressed support for military assistance by others but for legal reasons only provided humanitarian support.{{Citation needed, date=November 2014 The

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

of the European Union announced it would boost humanitarian aid to Iraq to €17m, and approved special emergency measures to meet the crisis. On 15 August 2014, 20 of the 28 EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss military and humanitarian assistance.{{cite web, url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/0815/637229-iraq/, title=EU ministers agree to back arming of Iraqi Kurds, publisher=RTÉ News, date=21 July 2014, access-date=18 August 2014{{cite web, last=Borschel, first=Amanda, url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/eu-seeks-regions-support-to-help-iraq-stave-off-islamic-state/, title=EU seeks region's support to help Iraq stave off Islamic State, publisher=The Times of Israel, date=16 June 2014, access-date=18 August 2014

Casualties

{{Update section, date=December 2021

Civilians

{{See also, 2017 Mosul airstrike According to

Iraq Body Count Iraq Body Count project (IBC) is a web-based effort to record civilian deaths resulting from the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. Included are deaths attributable to coalition and insurgent military action, sectarian violence and criminal violence, ...

, 118 civilians were killed by coalition airstrikes in 2014{{cite news, title=Iraq 2014: Civilian deaths almost doubling year on year, url=https://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/numbers/2014/, work=IBC, date=1 January 2015 and 845 in 2015.{{cite news, title=Iraq 2015: A Catastrophic Normal, url=https://www.iraqbodycount.org/analysis/numbers/2015/, work=IBC, date=1 January 2016 According to "Airwars", a team of independent journalists, between 1,687 and 2,534 civilians were killed by coalition airstrikes in 288 incidents in Iraq and Syria between 8 August 2014 and 18 October 2016; other incidents with thousands more civilian fatalities were also recorded by Airwars, but the US-led coalition's responsibility could not be confirmed with equal confidence in those cases. In February 2017, the

Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

administration stated that the U.S. would sharply escalate its support for the offensive in

.{{cite web, title=Mosul massacre, url=http://en.thegreatmiddleeast.com/2017/03/mosul-massacre/, website=en.thegreatmiddleeast.com, publisher=The Great Middle East, access-date=4 April 2017, date=27 March 2017 The Pentagon reported that around 1,400 separate munitions were used in the last two weeks of March. The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights reported, at the end of March 2017, an increase in the rate of

airstrike An airstrike, air strike, or air raid is an offensive operation carried out by aircraft. Air strikes are delivered from aircraft such as blimps, balloons, fighter aircraft, attack aircraft, bombers, attack helicopters, and drones. The official d ...

s and reported 3,846 civilian deaths and the destruction of 10,000 homes since the offensive into Western Mosul began in February 2017. Bassma Bassim, the head of the Mosul District Council, stated that air raids from 10 March to 17 March alone had killed "more than 500" civilians. including 278 civilians who were killed in an

on 17 March.

ISIL fighters

On 9 August, U.S. airstrikes killed 16 ISIL fighters, Iraqi officials reported. Between 9–11 August, in a concerted U.S.-Iraqi operation, an Iraqi airstrike killed 45 ISIL men. On 8 September, in an operation of Iraqi forces with U.S. airstrikes, Iraq reported that 15 ISIL fighters were killed. On 23 February 2015, it was revealed that over 8,500 ISIL fighters had been killed by US-led airstrikes, with at least 7,000 of the deaths in Iraq.{{cite web, url=http://www.worldbulletin.net/middle-east/155536/airstrikes-kill-8500-isil-fighters-says-us-general, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223225100/http://www.worldbulletin.net/middle-east/155536/airstrikes-kill-8500-isil-fighters-says-us-general, url-status=usurped, archive-date=23 February 2015, title= Airstrikes 'kill 8,500' ISIL fighters says U.S. general , date= 23 February 2015, work=World Bulletin{{cite web, url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/led-air-strikes-syria-isil-targets-kill-1600-150223095226393.html, title=US-led air strikes on Syria ISIL targets 'kill 1,600', work=Al-Jazeera, date=23 February 2014, access-date=23 February 2014 By early June 2015, ISIL had lost over 13,000 fighters to Coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, with 10,800+ of the deaths in Iraq.{{cite web, url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/28/middleeast/isis-how-to-stop-it/, title=Why ISIS is winning, and how its foes can reverse it , first=Tim, last=Lister, date=28 May 2015, publisher=CNN, access-date=8 August 2015{{cite web, url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/05/u-s-led-coalition-airstrikes-on-syria-kill-more-than-2500-in-the-past-8-months/, title=U.S led coalition airstrikes on Syria kill more than 2500 in the past 8 months, work=SOHR, date=23 May 2015, access-date=23 May 2015 By July 2015, ISIL had lost over 15,000 fighters to US-led Coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, with 12,100+ fighters killed in Iraq.{{cite web, url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/07/29/air-campaign-kills-15000-isis-militants-pentagon-iraq-syria/30750327/, title=Islamic State recruiting offsets 15,000 killed by airstrikes in past year, first=Jim, last=Michaels, date=29 July 2015, work=USA Today, access-date=30 July 2015, quote=The U.S.-led coalition confirmed the 15,000 casualty number but would not discuss it publicly.{{cite web, url=http://www.syriahr.com/en/2015/06/about-3000-people-including-162-civilians-killed-in-us-coalition-airstrikes-on-areas-in-syria/, title=About 3000 people, including 162 civilians, killed in US- coalition airstrikes on areas in Syria, publisher=Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, date=23 June 2015, access-date=23 June 2015

Peshmerga troops

"At least 999 Peshmerga troops lost their lives and 4,596 have been injured between June 10, 2014 and February 3, 2015," said Jabbar Yawar, secretary-general of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs to reporters at a press conference in Arbil on 4 February 2015. In late February 2015, it was revealed that the Peshmerga losses had increased to over 1,000 dead, and over 5,000 wounded.{{cite web, url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikegiglio/kurdish-forces-show-the-strain-of-isis-fight#.kbK7dBlaPj, title=Kurdish Forces Show The Strain Of The ISIS Fight, work=BuzzFeed, date=20 February 2015 , access-date=8 August 2015

U.S. soldiers

The

suffered its first casualty of the conflict on 2 October 2014, when a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

MV-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-use, tiltrotor military transport aircraft, military transport and cargo aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed ...

crashed in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

after takeoff from {{USS, Makin Island, LHD-8, 6, leaving one of its crewmen missing and presumed dead.

Reactions

The initial decision to intervene in Iraq was met with bipartisan support in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, albeit subject to a range of interpretations as to what constitutes legitimate intervention.

Barbara Lee Barbara Jean Lee (; born July 16, 1946) is an American politician who has served as the 52nd mayor of Oakland since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Lee previously served as a United States House of Repr ...

supported a strictly humanitarian intervention and opposed any

mission creep Mission creep is the gradual or incremental expansion of an intervention, project or mission, beyond its original scope, focus or goals, a ratchet effect spawned by initial success. Mission creep is usually considered undesirable due to how each ...

{{cite news, last=Davis, first=Julie, title=Bipartisan Support, With Caveats, for Obama on Iraq Airstrikes, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/us/politics/bipartisan-support-with-caveats-for-obama-on-iraq-airstrikes.html, work=The New York Times, date=8 August 2014 , access-date=14 August 2014{{cite web, url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/214752-left-frets-over-mission-creep-in-iraq/, title=Left frets over Iraq mission creep, work=The Hill, date=8 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014{{cite web, last=Vargas, first=Cesar, url=http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/obama-iraq-airstrikes-liberals-109860.html, title=Obama's liberal problem — Seung Min Kim and Jeremy Herb, work=Politico, date=10 August 2014, access-date=18 August 2014 as did

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal ( ; born February 13, 1946) is an American politician, lawyer, and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from ...

who argued for humanitarian relief, but opposed a prolonged direct military involvement.

Bob Corker Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Chair of the Senate Foreign Rela ...

expected greater clarity with regards to the intervention's objectives, time frame and source of authorization. while

Dick Durbin Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Dem ...

opined that he, "still had concerns" despite assurances from Obama that no U.S. ground troops would be deployed in Iraq. Congressional Democrats and Republicans who were more hawkish for their support for the intervention included the

Senate Armed Services Committee The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defen ...

Chairman

Carl Levin Carl Milton Levin (June 28, 1934 – July 29, 2021) was an American attorney and politician who served as a List of United States senators from Michigan, United States senator from Michigan from 1979 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (U ...

Senate Majority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and people of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as chief spokespersons for their respective political parties, holding the ...

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...

, chairwoman of the

Senate Intelligence Committee The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (sometimes referred to as the Intelligence Committee or SSCI) is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of ...

Dianne Feinstein Dianne Emiel Feinstein (; June 22, 1933 – September 29, 2023) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from California from 1992 until her death in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the 38th ...

and then-

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

John Boehner John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. representative ...

. Despite the bipartisan support, the President's{{which, date=May 2020 decision to re-engage the United States into a conflict in Iraq has attracted criticism from both the political left and right. Andrew Bacevich argued against military action, but not humanitarian assistance as did

Seumas Milne Seumas Patrick Charles Milne (born 5 September 1958)''Winchester College: A Register''. Edited by P.S.W.K. McClure and R.P. Stevens, on behalf of the Wardens and Fellows of Winchester College. 7th edition, 2014. pp. 582 (Short Half 1971 list hea ...

who argued against military, but not humanitarian intervention. On the contrary,

Cal Thomas John Calvin Thomas (born December 2, 1942) is an American syndicated columnist, author and radio commentator. Early life and education Thomas was born in 1942 in Washington, D.C. He attended American University for his undergraduate educati ...

accused Obama's decision to withhold American military assistance barring efforts by the Iraqi government to bridge the country's sectarian differences as tantamount to abandonment while an article in

the Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

cautioned that an American intervention "would kill both ISIS and MCIR fighters as well as many Sunni civilians and fail to fix the underlying issues."{{Update inline, date=November 2014 An article by the Associated Press wrote that critics of Obama drew a direct connection between his foreign policy approach that underestimated ISIS and his decision to withdraw all American troops from Iraq in late 2011. Mirroring the bipartisan congressional support for the interventions, polls, notwithstanding varying qualifications, show majorities of Americans supporting air strike in Iraq. The

editorial board The editorial board is a group of editors, writers, and other people who are charged with implementing a publication's approach to editorials and other opinion pieces. The editorials published normally represent the views or goals of the publicat ...

s of ''

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

'', and ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' penned editorials that were supportive of the intervention. Two editorials by ''The Washington Post'' argued that Iraqi's disintegration would threaten national, regional and global security{{cite news, title=Iraq's disintegration could haunt the U.S. for years to come, url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/iraqs-disintegration-could-haunt-the-us-for-years-to-come/2014/06/12/9aab1af4-f264-11e3-914c-1fbd0614e2d4_story.html, newspaper=The Washington Post, date=12 June 2014 and described efforts by the Obama administration to create a more inclusive Iraq government as presenting the best hope for the country in its fight against ISIS.{{cite news, title=A more inclusive Iraq presents the best hope for the country , url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-more-inclusive-iraq-presents-the-best-hope-for-the-country/2014/06/16/5e65eb94-f590-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html, newspaper=The Washington Post, date=16 June 2014 Two editorials written in August by ''

'' also supported the intervention, praising Obama's sagacity in delivering the necessary humanitarian assistance to the Christians, Yazidis and other minorities on Mount Sinjar while eschewing the redeployment of American ground troops, and describing the subsequent deployment of American military airstrikes and other forms of assistance as, although insufficient, a necessary component of a more comprehensive strategy to defeating ISIS. An editorial by ''

'' written in June opined that ISIS's June 2014 Iraqi offensive invited foreign intervention that included the United States and that Obama's conditionalization of aid on Iraqis working together was in the best interest of all of Iraq's regions. Similarly, an editorial in ''The Wall Street Journal'' written in August wrote of the strategic interest the United States had in defeating ISIL and positively assessed the efficacy of American airstrikes in "reducing the jihadists' room for maneuver and giving new confidence to the Kurdish forces."{{cite news, title=A Small Victory in Iraq, url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-small-victory-in-iraq-1408406198, work=

, date=19 August 2014 While condemning ISIS's savagery and acknowledging the threat to American national interests in the Middle East that the group posed, an editorial by the editorial board of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' argued that congressional authorization should override Obama's legal authority as the ultimate legal basis for the usage of military force in Iraq. Support for the intervention in the media was not unanimous. An editorial in ''The Washington Post'' criticized the American strategy of creating a unity government in order to fight ISIL was a mirage due to the country's political-religious cleavages and ISIS's numerical and technological superiority. William Hartung, writing in '' Stars and Stripes'' argued that the intervention would result in

. In an article for the BBC, Marc Weller, professor of international law at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, argued that the U.S. airstrikes are consistent with international law. Specifically, he argued that: the government in Baghdad invited international forces to join in the fight against IS; the newly reconstituted and religiously representative Iraqi government has a positive obligation to deliver on its constitutional promises and defend its population from subjugation by ISIS; and foreign intervention exercising the right of collective self-defense on behalf of Iraq can involve forcible action in IS-controlled territories in Syria that is proportional to the necessity of securing Iraq's borders. Similarly,

Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff ( ; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as leader of the Liberal Party and leader of the Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a historian, Ignatieff has ...

, professor of politics at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

discussed the international dimensions of American intervention in Iraq in an interview with

Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

in which he described the Islamic State as an "attack on all values of civilization" and that it was essential that America, "continued with their air strikes". Ramzi Mardini in ''The New York Times'' wrote an op-ed opposing armed intervention as it exacerbated the blowback risk of terrorism against U.S. although he did not object to humanitarian assistance aimed at helping the persecuted religious minorities living in ISIL controlled territories and instead called for greater diplomatic intervention in which the United States played a key role as an arbiter between Iraq's warring sectarian factions. On the other hand, Aaron Zelin of the

Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP), also known simply as The Washington Institute (TWI), is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WINE ...

argues that ISIL are "likely planning attacks whether the U.S. conducts targeted air strikes or not" and that, in his opinion, the United States, "should destroy them as soon as possible". Former Secretary of State

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

and members of the Republican party including John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and

have likewise called for greater military strikes in the region to contain the Islamic State.{{cite web, last=Davis, first=Susan, title=Lawmakers support airstrikes; some want more action, url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/08/08/congress-iraq-obama-airstrikes/13765801/, work=USA Today, access-date=15 August 2014 In an interview with the Atlantic, Hillary Clinton suggested that the current crisis in Iraq was a result of his [President Obama] refusal to arm Syrian rebels, which Obama, in a meeting with lawmakers before Clinton's interview, criticized as "horseshit". An editorial in ''Vox Media, Vox'' defined the intervention as being limited to Kurdistan, effectively allowing the Islamic State to control a large part of Iraq absent any other occupying power. The editorial argued that the stability of Kurdistan would make it a better ally for the US. The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani condemned the US-led coalition 2017 Mosul airstrike, airstrikes in Mosul in March 2017 which killed more than 200 civilians and accused the United States of committing war crimes, saying: "This war crime is similar to the behavior of Daesh [Islamic State] and other Takfiri groups in targeting civilians and innocent people and should be urgently addressed in courts of justice."{{Citation needed, date=November 2020

Aftermath

{{See also, Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present) Although the Presidency of Joe Biden, Biden administration ended the U.S. combat mission against the Islamic State in December 2021 and shifted remaining forces towards a training and advisory role—a largely formal decision as U.S. troops had already been training and assisting Iraqi forces for years—the Pentagon said troops remained in a "hazardous environment" and retained the ability to defend themselves, citing regional threats. "...We continue to see threats against our forces in Iraq and American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war, Syria by militia groups that are backed by Iran," said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby (admiral), John Kirby.{{cite news, url=https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/2887673/us-troops-in-iraq-remain-at-risk-retain-right-of-self-defense-press-secretary-s/, title=U.S. Troops in Iraq Remain at Risk, Retain Right of Self-Defense, Press Secretary Says, date=4 January 2022, access-date=28 January 2022, work=United States Department of Defense

Notes

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References

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External links

Operation Inherent Resolve airstrike updates

ISIL frontline maps (Iraq)
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