Battle of Kirkuk (2015)

Last updated
Battle of Kirkuk (2015)
Part of the War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Kirkuk in Iraq.svg
Location in Iraq
Date29 January – 1 February 2015
(3 days)
Location
Result
  • Kurdish victory
  • Kurds defend Kirkuk
  • Last major ISIL offensive on Kirkuk
  • Start of the Kirkuk counteroffensive by Kurdish forces
Belligerents
Flag of Kurdistan.svg Kurdistan Region
Flag of Kurdistan Workers' Party.svg Kurdistan Workers' Party
Seal of Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve.svg CJTF–OIR (air support)
Islamic State flag.svg Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Flag of Jihad.svg Islamist Insurgents
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Kurdistan.svg Masoud Barzani
(President of Iraqi Kurdistan)
Flag of Kurdistan.svg Maj. Gen. Hussein Mansour  [1]
(Commander in Kirkuk)
Flag of Kurdistan.svg Brig. Gen. Sherko Fatih Shwani  [2] [3]
Flag of Kurdistan.svg Brig. Rasoul Qadi
Islamic State flag.svg Abu Khalid Al Ansari
Units involved
Islamic State flag.svg Military of the Islamic State
Strength
Flag of Kurdistan.svg 4,000+ Islamic State flag.svg 450-700 [4]
Flag of Jihad.svg 4 Inghimasi [5]
Casualties and losses
Flag of Kurdistan.svg ~30 killed and 173 wounded [6] [7] Islamic State flag.svg ~108 [6] [7] -253 [8] -400 [4] killed and 140 wounded [6]
Islamic State flag.svg +20 vehicles destroyed [9]
Flag of Jihad.svg 4 Inghimasi killed [5]

In the Battle of Kirkuk (2015) the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) launched its biggest and last offensive against Kirkuk, Iraq, which at the time was guarded by a coalition of Kurdish forces including Peshmerga soldiers and fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Contents

Background

In the previous year, a series of ISIL offensives culminated in the Battle of Kirkuk (2014), which resulted in a Kurdish victory after Peshmerga forces entered and defended the city following the withdrawal of the Iraqi Army.

The Battle

29 January

On the night of January 29, 2015, around 150 ISIL fighters attacked positions south and west of the city of Kirkuk, which were under the control of the Peshmerga. The ISIL offensive began under the cover of dense fog and heavy rain, and succeeded in overwhelming Peshmerga positions and seizing the towns of Mala Abdullah, Maryam Beg, Tel al-Ward and the Maktab Khalid crossing. Tel al-Ward was previously defended on three occasions during the Battle of Kirkuk (2014) and offered a strategic view over the city. Parts of the Khabbaz oil fields, which were being administered by North Oil Co, were also captured and 24 workers were taken hostage. [5] [10] [8] [11] [9]

Coalition aircraft were not able to provide close air support in Kirkuk due to the difficult weather conditions. [12] However in Hawija, coalition air strikes managed to destroy a ISIL convoy of 20 vehicles, which was on route to Kirkuk. [9]

30 January

On 30 January, ISIL used a combination of truck bombs, rockets, Humvees and Tanks, which were left behind by the fleeing Iraqi army, in its attacks. A few villages were temporarily lost during the fighting, and at least 25 Peshmerga fighters died including Brig. Gen. Sherko Shwani, commander of the 1st Brigade and the highest ranking head of Peshmerga forces in Kirkuk, while 46 more were wounded. [6] [13] [4] [14] Shwani was killed after being trapped and shot by attackers, according to a Peshmerga commander. [15] Around 16 other Peshmerga fighters were captured by ISIL, and later killed in a staged execution. [16] The Kurdish forces themselves managed to kill around 30 ISIL fighers on that day. [17]

Concurrently, on Friday four 'insurgents' took control of the empty Kirkuk Palace (Qasr Kirkuk) Hotel, in downtown Kirkuk. A car bomb detonated outside the hotel before insurgents stormed the building. Local security forces and federal police managed to secure the building after the ensuing firefight. A number of informal local fighters also took up arms to defend the city. The bodies of these insurgents were then dragged through the streets of Kurdish neighborhoods in Kirkuk. [5] [11] [12]

German geographer and orientalist Prof. Günter Meyer stated on the same day that "the Islamic State knows very well that it cannot succeed in capturing a predominantly Kurdish major city [Kirkuk].” [18]

31 January

On 31 January, Peshmerga soldiers, special forces of the elite Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG) and PKK fighters, with the support of coalition air strikes, staged a counter-assault to retake the villages they had lost. During the counterattack, Gen. Hussein Mansour, commander of the 2nd Support Forces, was killed by sniper fire, while leading a fight near Mala Abdullah village. [4] [19] The Peshmerga reported recovering 15 bodies of ISIL fighters left behind after the battle at Mala Abdullah village. [20] On the same day the Khabbaz oil fields were recaptured by Peshmerga troops, and Brig. Rasoul Qadir announced that the hostages were freed. However ISIL fighters set fire to some of the oil wells before the area was cleared. [21] [22] [23] In the operation to retake the oil fields alone, 40 ISIL fighters were reported killed. [24]

By the conclusion of the counter-assault on 31 January, more than 400 ISIL fighters were reported killed, while the remainder retreated to the town of Hawija, which at the time remained an ISIL stronghold. According to a doctor at Kirkuk’s Azadi General Hospital, 220 ISIL bodies were received at the morgue. [4]

A officer within the CTG stated, “More than 700 foreign and local ISIS fighters took part in the attack, following the personal orders of [ISIS leader Abu Bakr] al-Baghdadi to capture Kirkuk.” [4]

1 February

On February 1, the PUK Asayish, stated that they raided a home in southern Kirkuk. The forces clashed with ISIS members killing five of them while two Asayish members were killed. [7]

Aftermath

Analysts described the battle as a turning point for ISIS, as the group was unable to capture Kirkuk despite repeated offensives. [4]

Following ISIL's defeat, Peshmerga forces in the Kirkuk region started their first major counteroffensive. [4]

On March 8, 2015, Peshmerga forces, backed by coalition air support, liberated all the villages surrounding Kirkuk city. 22 villages near the Daquq and Taza sub-districts were liberated, and the offensive also cleared the Kirkuk-Baghdad road, where ISIL previously held positions only 200 meters away from the main road. By August 2015, Peshmerga soldiers and PKK fighters liberated another 11 villages south of Daquq, cutting off the supply lines from Hawija to ISIL fighters. [4] [25] [26]

In 2016, a raid by ISIL sleeper cells would culminate into the 3rd Battle of Kirkuk during the Iraqi War (2013-2017).

References

  1. "Second Kurdish commander killed as Peshmerga retake villages south of Kirkuk". rudaw.net. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  2. "Popular Peshmerga commander killed, seven wounded in ISIS attack". rudaw.net. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  3. "Second senior Kurdish commander killed as Peshmerga retake villages south of Iraq's Kirkuk". ekurd.net. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Kirkuk – Peshmerga Resilience and Triumph Against ISIS". Washington Kurdish Institute. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "As Battles Rage In Kirkuk, Political Solutions Are Needed | MERI". www.meri-k.org. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Iraq Situation Report: January 29-30, 2015" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 "Iraq Situation Report: January 31 - February 1, 2015". Institute for the Study of War. 2015-02-01. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  8. 1 2 "Relatives of captured Peshmerga urge prisoner exchange with ISIS". Rudaw. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  9. 1 2 3 "OCHA Flash Update No. 2: Iraq Crisis, Kirkuk violence, 31 January 2015". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  10. "Kurds retake oil facility in north Iraq, 15 workers still missing". Reuters. 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  11. 1 2 "Heavy Setback For Iraqi Kurds As Clashes With ISIS Kill Top Commander". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-01-24. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  12. 1 2 Salih, Mohammed A. (5 February 2015). "Kurds struggle to defend oil-rich Kirkuk". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  13. "ISIL fighters driven back from Iraqi oil town of Kirkuk". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  14. "Kurdish commander killed in Islamic State attack on Kirkuk". The Guardian. 2015-01-30. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  15. "Eight Peshmerga, dozens of militants killed in fighting on various fronts". Rudaw. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  16. "Terror group executed 21 captives?". www.arabnews.com. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  17. "ISIS Major Attack to Kirkuk killed Peshmerga Famous General". en.alalam.ir. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  18. ""Keine Chance in Kirkuk"" [No chance in Kirkuk]. Deutsche Welle (in German). 30 January 2015. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  19. Mamoun, Abdelhak (February 2015). "A Peshmerga brigade commander killed by ISIS sniper southwest of Kirkuk - Iraqi News". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news by Iraqi News. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  20. "Second Kurdish commander killed as Peshmerga retake villages south of Kirkuk". Rudaw. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  21. "Kurds retake oil facility in north Iraq, 15 workers still missing". Reuters. 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  22. Mamoun, Abdelhak (February 2015). "Peshmerga and police control Khabbaz field in Kirkuk, liberate North Oil Company employees - Iraqi News". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news by Iraqi News. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  23. "ISHM 2: January 30 - February 6, 2015 - EPIC - Enabling Peace in Iraq Center". 2019-12-13. Archived from the original on 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  24. "Kurds mark victories against IS". Deutsche Welle. 31 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  25. "ISIL and Peshmerga forces battle for ground near Kirkuk". Al Jazeera. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  26. "Coalition forces support Peshmerga operation against Daesh". CJTF-OIR Public Affairs. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2025.