Salahuddin campaign

Last updated
Salahuddin campaign
Part of the War in Iraq (2013-2017) and
the Military intervention against ISIL
Salah ad-Din in Iraq.svg
A map of the Salahuddin Province, located in north-central Iraq, north of the capital city of Baghdad
Date5 June 2014 – 8 October 2016
(2 years, 4 months and 3 days)
Location
Salahuddin Province, Iraq
Result

Major Iraqi victory: Iraqi Government forces retakes nearly all ISIL-held parts of the province.

Contents

Territorial
changes		 The eastern, central, and southern parts of the Salahuddin Province are captured by Iraqi Security Forces, by late October 2016
Belligerents

Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq
Flag of Kurdistan.svg  Kurdistan Region [1]


Iranian-led intervention :
Flag of Iran.svg Iran [2]
InfoboxHez.PNG Hezbollah [2]
Shia militias:
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq [3]
Flag placeholder.svg Badr Organization [3]
Kata'ib Hezbollah sans logo.JPG Kata'ib Hezbollah [4]
Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg Muqawimun [5]

U.S.-led intervention :
Flag of the United States.svg  United States [6]
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom [7]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada [8]
Flag of France.svg  France [9] [10] 		Islamic State flag.svg Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Iraq.svg Haidar al-Abadi
Flag of Iraq.svg Khaled Obeidi
Flag of Iraq.svg General Ayub Khalif  † [11]
Flag of Iraq.svg Saleh Jaber [12]
Akram al-Kaabi [13]
Flag placeholder.svg Hadi Al-Amiri
Flag of Iran.svg Qasem Soleimani [13]
Flag of the United States.svg Barack Obama
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg David Cameron (Until 2016)
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Theresa May (From 2016)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Stephen Harper (Until 2015)
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Justin Trudeau (From 2015)
Flag of France.svg François Hollande

Islamic State flag.svg Abu Ayman al-Iraqi   †
(Head of Military Shura) [14] [15]
Islamic State flag.svg Abu Suleiman  †
(Replacement Military Chief) [15]

Islamic State flag.svg Abu Muslim al-Turkmani   †
(Deputy, Iraq) [16]
Islamic State flag.svg Abu Nabil al-Anbari   †
(ISIL Governor of the Saladin Governorate)
Islamic State flag.svg Abu Maria  †
(Top ISIL leader in Tikrit) [17]
Units involved

Flag of Iraq.svg Iraqi Armed Forces
Flag of Kurdistan.svg Peshmerga
Flag of Iran.svg Iranian Armed Forces

Flag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg  Royal Air Force

Royal Canadian Air Force ensign.svg  Royal Canadian Air Force
Logo of the French Air Force (Armee de l'Air).svg French Air Force

Islamic State flag.svg Military of ISIL

Flag of Iraq (1991-2004).svg Anti-Government fighters

Strength
20,000–30,000+ [22] [23] 14,000+ [24] [25]
Casualties and losses

Several thousand killed or executed [26] [27] [28]

4,000+ captured [29] 		6,000+ killed [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]
46 civilians killed [31] [37]
28,000 civilians displaced [38]
28,000 civilians displaced [38]
100 civilians abducted by ISIL [39]

The Salahuddin Campaign was a military conflict in the Saladin Governorate (Salahuddin Governorate), located in north-central Iraq, involving various factions (both internal & external) fighting against a single common enemy, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The province exited Iraqi government control during ISIL's Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) when large swathes of the north of the country were captured by the militant group with the Iraqi national army quickly disintegrating in the path of its advance. In light of the sweeping gains of the militants, Nouri Al-Maliki, the Prime Minister of Iraq at that time, attempted to declare a state of emergency though the Iraqi Parliament blocked his efforts to do so. [40]

The cities of Baiji and Tikrit (Saddam Hussein's birthplace and stronghold) fell to ISIS and the group even reached the city of Samarra itself but could not wrest control of it due to the resistance it encountered by the Iraqi security forces in conjunction with the Shi'ite paramilitaries. [41] Both the United States and Iran intervened in order to stem the tide against ISIS and were relatively successful in the breaking of the Siege of Amirli in which both parties played a significant role (however they did not and still do not officially cooperate or coordinate their respective efforts with one another). Although in the First Battle of Tikrit ISIS consolidated their control over the city and strongly repulsed any attempts at its recapture by Iraqi security forces and militia contingents.

After months of preparatory maneuvers and intelligence gathering, a force of over 23,000 [42] allied fighters including the Iraqi armed forces, Shi'ite private militias and Sunni tribal militias began an offensive in early March [43] [44] to encircle ISIL and entrap their fighters in Tikrit and its environs in the Second Battle of Tikrit. The operation met with decisive success, with all the ISIL militants being encircled and subsequently killed or captured in Tikrit.

ISIL gains in 2014

In the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq back in 2003 the insurgency in the Sunni areas of the country took on a distinct Islamist nature of their own. After the departure of the U.S. from Iraq the insurgency gained some long-lost momentum and the casualty statistics started to increase once again. However, it was not until the advent of the Syrian Civil War that the instability created in a neighbouring country provided the fertile ground for the group formerly known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq to blossom into a formidable and distinct rebel-faction strong enough to eventually turn on the lesser rebel groups and easily expel them from eastern Syria and soon establish a state with a de facto capital in Raqqah. This enabled it to launch a formidable assault on what would prove to be an irresolute and demoralised Iraqi army from a secure base across the Syrian-Iraqi border. The result was a devastating collapse in the military infrastructure of the Iraqi government with entire divisions throwing down their weapons and fleeing ISIS without a fight as happened in the Fall of Mosul.

Allied progress

Despite recapturing both Baiji (only temporarily) and Amirli from ISIS, the Iraqi government was still struggling to drive out the militants who seized large swathes of the country in the face of the crumbling Iraqi Army. The most recent concerted effort is the Second Battle of Tikrit where the combined forces of the allies (with extensive military & intelligence support from Iran) are attempting to encircle the Jihadists in Tikrit by capturing Al-Dour and Al-Alam in the south and the north respectively, in order to cut them off and begin a siege against ISIS-occupied Tikrit. According to numerous sources the city of Al-Dour has already fallen and operation have commenced against Al-Alam in the north.[ citation needed ] ISIS has sent reinforcements to Tikrit from other parts of its self-proclaimed caliphate further north, where it came under attack on Monday from Kurdish forces around the oil-rich-city of Kirkuk. [12]

The advance against ISIS however has been quite slow due to the extensive use of asymmetric tactics such as planting IEDs along routes of advance, the use of suicide bombers, tactically placed snipers etc. all of which has prompted the Iraqi officers to progress with particular caution against the enemy in order to minimise casualties as well as to guard against unnecessary civilian deaths as Isis fighters are said to be holding "an unspecified number of civilians as human shields" in Tikrit and other cities. [45] [46] An indication of the intensity and volume to which these tactics are being utilised by ISIS is given by the report mentioning over 382 IEDs by 11 of March. [47] An Iraqi major general has been quoted as saying "We don't want to be rushed because we want to avoid casualties. Tikrit is sealed off from all sides." [48]

At least 50 ISIS fighters have turned themselves into the allied forces' hands in the town of Al-Dour on 8 March. [49] On the following day, 9 March, the town of al-Alam was captured by the allied forces and completely secured, in effect completing the encirclement of ISIS in Tikrit. [50] On March 11, ISIL was driven from Tikrit hospital complex in the south of the city. [51]

Despite ISIS' efforts to forestall the rapid advance of the allies on the east of the Tigris river by blowing up the bridge leading to the city over the Tigris, the allies managed to mount an aggressive push across the river and establish a bridgehead, subsequently advancing into Tikrit via the east. [52] ISIS has been suffering heavy casualties, with reports of their dead littering the streets and with only 2,000 to 3,000 militants left to make a last stand in the city of Tikrit itself. [53]

On 25 March, the allied forces were supposed to resume their offensive, [54] as the American-led coalition launched its first airstrikes on ISIL targets in Tikrit. [55] [56] That night, US aircraft carried out 17 airstrikes in the center of Tikrit, which struck an ISIL building, two bridges, three checkpoints, two staging areas, two berms, a roadblock, and a command and control facility. [6] As a result of the US entry into the battle, most of the Shi'ite militias present pulled out of the battle on 27 March, with the exception of the Badr Organisation. [57]

On 31 March, the Iraqi security forces advanced into the city center, [58] seizing the Salaheddin provincial government headquarters and the Tikrit hospital, as they moved towards the presidential complex. [59] [60] By On 2 April, the allied forces had secured nearly all of central Tikrit. [61] where a few hundred ISIL fighters were still present. [62]

On 4 April, Iraqi forces had recaptured most of Tikrit city; [63] however, on 5 April, it was reported that 500 ISIL fighters were still holed up in the northern Qadisiya District, [64] with resistance from the remaining ISIL fighters persisting for another week. [65] [66] On 12 April 2015, the Iraqi Government declared that Tikrit was free of ISIL forces, [67] although continued resistance would persist until 17 April, when the last 130 ISIL sleeper agents in the city were killed. [32] [68] Cleanup and defusing operations in the city continued, but Iraqi officials predicted that it would take at least several months to remove the estimated 5,000–10,000 IEDs left behind by ISIL in Tikrit. [31]

Asymmetric blow-back

The continuing success of the allied forces (which are composed of mostly Shi'ite paramilitary groups, though they also contain a significant Sunni contingent), [69] particularly in Sunni areas such as Tikrit, where ISIS has been losing a series of conventional battles, has prompted them to utilise more guerilla-like stratagems such as sending out coordinated teams of suicide-bombers to Baghdad, the capital and political nerve centre of the Iraqi government, in order to bring some pressure to bear on the allies. [53] The strategic logic of these operations was explicated by an Iraq expert & security analyst Sajad Jiyad; "It's keeping the ISF on their toes. It's to let them know that they can strike anywhere, to force them to spread their forces thin. By letting off such a large series of explosions, it's sending a message that they are going to have to put their forces everywhere. It shows that ISIS can carry out these attacks at will and the ISF cannot relax its guard." [53]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)</span> ISIL military offensive in northern Iraq against Iraqi government (2014)

The Northern Iraq offensive 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 Kurdish forces, following earlier clashes that had begun in December 2013 involving guerillas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Tikrit</span> Part of the War in Iraq and the Salahuddin campaign

The First Battle of Tikrit was fought for the Iraqi city of Tikrit following the city's capture by the Islamic State and Ba'athist Loyalists during the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive. The battle took place between 26 and 30 June 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Iraq (2013–2017)</span> War between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State

The War in Iraq (2013–2017) was an armed conflict between Iraq and its allies and the Islamic State. Following December 2013, the insurgency escalated into full-scale guerrilla warfare following clashes in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in parts of western Iraq, and culminated in the Islamic State offensive into Iraq in June 2014, which lead to the capture of the cities of Mosul, Tikrit and other cities in western and northern Iraq by the Islamic State. Between 4–9 June 2014, the city of Mosul was attacked and later fell; following this, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for a national state of emergency on 10 June. However, despite the security crisis, Iraq's parliament did not allow Maliki to declare a state of emergency; many legislators boycotted the session because they opposed expanding the prime minister's powers. Ali Ghaidan, a former military commander in Mosul, accused al-Maliki of being the one who issued the order to withdraw from the city of Mosul. At its height, ISIL held 56,000 square kilometers of Iraqi territory, containing 4.5 million citizens.

Between 1 and 15 August 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) expanded territory in northern Iraq under their control. In the region north and west from Mosul, the Islamic State conquered Zumar, Sinjar, Wana, Mosul Dam, Qaraqosh, Tel Keppe, Batnaya and Kocho, and in the region south and east of Mosul the towns Bakhdida, Karamlish, Bartella and Makhmour

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Amirli</span> 2014 siege in Iraq

The siege of Amirli was a siege of the predominantly Shi'ite Turkmen town of Amirli in Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) during the War in Iraq. The town was besieged by ISIL forces for 50 days from June 2014, lacking access to food, electricity, and water. Most of the residents are Shia Turkmen, who had organized local self-defense militias to fight against ISIL. On August 31, the Iraqi military reportedly broke the siege and entered the town. It has been described as "Iraq's biggest victory against ISIS", as of September 2014.

The following lists events that happened during 2014 in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Baiji (2014–2015)</span> 2014–2015 battle

The Battle of Baiji took place in Baiji, Iraq, lasting from late October 2014 to late October 2015. In mid-November 2014, Iraqi forces retook the city of Baiji, and re-entered the Baiji Oil Refinery. However, fighting continued in the region, and on 21 December 2014, ISIL forces took Baiji and put the Baiji oil refinery under siege once again, before Iraqi forces recaptured the city on 22 October. It gave Iraqi forces complete control of the highway stretching from Baghdad to Baiji, and allowed Iraqi forces to use Baiji as a base for launching a future assault on Mosul.

The Battle of Ramadi, also called the Fall of Ramadi, was part of an ISIL offensive to capture all of the Anbar Province. Ramadi was one of the Iraqi government's last strongholds in Anbar, after ISIL's success in a previous campaign. The battle began in November 2014, and drew to a close on 14 May 2015, as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) insurgents seized hold of government buildings. On 17 May, the Iraqi Army and special forces fled the city, with 500 civilians and security personnel dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 2014 Sinjar offensive</span>

The Sinjar offensive was a combination of operations of Kurdish Peshmerga, PKK and People's Protection Units forces in December 2014, to recapture regions formerly lost to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in their August offensive.

This is a timeline of events during the War in Iraq in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Tikrit</span> 2015 battle of the War in Iraq

The Second Battle of Tikrit was a battle in which Iraqi Security Forces recaptured the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Iraqi forces consisted of the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Forces, receiving assistance from Iran's Quds Force officers on the ground, and air support from the American, British, and French air forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Karmah offensive</span>

The Al-Karmah offensive, codenamed Fajr al-Karma, was an offensive launched by the Iraqi Army and anti-ISIL Sunni tribal fighters to recapture the Al-Karmah district taken by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Iraq. The offensive began on 14 April 2015. During the offensive the anti-ISIL forces captured part of the city of Al-Karmah, and the old road of Al-Karmah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the War in Iraq (2014)</span>

The Timeline of the War in Iraq covers the War in Iraq, a war which erupted that lasted in Iraq from 2013 to 2017, during the first year of armed conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosul offensive (2015)</span> 2015 offensive against ISIL

The Mosul offensive (2015) was an offensive launched by Kurdish Peshmerga forces on 21 January 2015, with the objective of severing key ISIL supply routes to Mosul, Iraq, and to recapture neighboring areas around Mosul. The effort was supported by US-led coalition airstrikes. The Iraqi Army was widely expected to launch the planned operation to retake the actual city of Mosul in the Spring of 2015, but the offensive was postponed to October 2016, after Ramadi fell to ISIL in May 2015.

In early 2014, the jihadist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant captured extensive territory in Western Iraq in the Anbar campaign, while counter-offensives against it were mounted in Syria. Raqqa in Syria became its headquarters. The Wall Street Journal estimated that eight million people lived under its control in the two countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ramadi (2015–2016)</span> Battle between Iraq and ISIL

The Battle of Ramadi was a battle launched by the forces of Iraq to successfully recapture the city of Ramadi from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which had taken the city earlier in 2015 in a previous battle. Air power was a major component of the battle, with the United States and other nations conducting over 850 airstrikes in the Ramadi area from July 2015 to late February 2016, and the US crediting airstrikes with 80% of the reason why the city was recaptured. By February 2016, Iraqi forces successfully recaptured the city after two and a half months of fighting. It was predicted that it would take several months to clear the city of the bombs ISIL left behind, with at least 9 months needed to clear the city's Tamim District. At the time, Ramadi had suffered more damage than any other city or town in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirqat offensive (2016)</span> 2016 offensive against ISILs positions in Mosul and the surrounding region

The Shirqat offensive, codenamed Operation Conquest or Operation Fatah, was an offensive against the positions of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in and around the district of Al-Shirqat District to reach the city of Mosul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anbar campaign (2015–2016)</span> Military campaign

The Anbar campaign (2015–2016) was a military campaign launched by the Iraqi Armed Forces and their allies aimed at recapturing areas of the Anbar Governorate held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), including the city of Ramadi, which ISIL seized earlier in 2015. The United States and other nations aided Iraq with airstrikes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Fallujah (2016)</span> Offensive that the Iraqi government launched against ISIL

The siege of Fallujah was an offensive launched in February 2016 by the Iraqi government against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in al-Karmah and in the city of Fallujah, with the aim of enforcing a siege of the latter. During the early stages of the operation, local Sunni residents revolted against ISIL for a period of three days. On 22 May, after completing preparations around the city, the Iraqi Army and supporting Shi'ite militias launched the third Battle of Fallujah.

The Battle of Hit, code named Operation Desert Lynx by Iraqi forces, was an offensive launched by the Iraqi Government during the Anbar offensive, with the goal of recapturing the town of Hīt and the Hīt District from ISIL. After the Iraqi forces recaptured the city of Ramadi, Hīt and Fallujah were the only cities still under the control of ISIL in the Al Anbar Governorate. Iraqi Forces fully recaptured Hīt and the rest of the Hīt District on 14 April 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Iraqi Town Besieged by Islamic State Pleads for U.S. Help". Wall Street Journal. August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Iraq admits Lebanese Hezbollah and Iranian RG fight alongside Iraqi security forces".
  3. 1 2 Black, Ian (16 June 2014). "Qassim Suleimani: commander of Quds force, puppeteer of the Middle East". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Roggio, Bill (10 September 2014). "US aided Hezbollah Brigades in breaking ISIL siege of Iraqi town". Long War Journal . Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Khedery, Ali (22 August 2014). "How Isis came to be". Guardian . Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Operation Inherent Resolve Strike Updates". United States Department of Defense. January 26, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  7. ↑ "RAF air strikes in Iraq: November 2014". gov.uk. 22 January 2015.
  8. ↑ "ISIS Weapons Hit by CF-18 Jets in Northern Iraq". CBC News. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  9. ↑ "France launches first bombing strike against ISIS in Tikrit". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  10. ↑ Abdelhak Mamoun (27 March 2015). "France launchs [sic] its first air strike against ISIS in Tikrit". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Abdelhak Mamoun (21 April 2015). "Funeral honors General Khalif and soldiers who defended Baiji refinery against ISIS". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  12. 1 2 "Iraqi security forces enter Baiji refinery". Al-Arabiya. 2014-11-18. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  13. 1 2 3 "Iraqi forces, Iranian-supported militias report success in Baiji - The Long War Journal". 14 November 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  14. ↑ Hubbard, Ben; Schmitt, Eric (27 August 2014). "Military Skill and Terrorist Technique Fuel Success of ISIS". New York Times . Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  15. 1 2 Alessandria Masi (11 November 2014). "If ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed, Who Is Caliph Of The Islamic State Group?". International Business Times. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  16. ↑ Matt Bradley and Ghassan Adnan in Baghdad, and Felicia Schwartz in Washington (10 November 2014). "Coalition Airstrikes Targeted Islamic State Leaders Near Mosul". WSJ. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  17. ↑ Kukil Bora (13 April 2015). "ISIS Leader Abu Maria Killed By Iraqi Forces In Tikrit: Report". International Business Times. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  18. ↑ "BBC News - Iran jets bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq - Pentagon". BBC News. 3 December 2014.
  19. ↑ Hassan, Hassan (17 June 2014). "More Than ISIS, Iraq's Sunni Insurgency". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Military council of the rebels starts setting governors on their captured cities". Elaph. Osama Mahdi. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Former Loyalists of Saddam Hussein Crucial in Helping ISIS". The New York Times . 18 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  22. ↑ Al-Jawoshy, Omar (2 March 2015). "Iraqi Offensive to Retake Tikrit From ISIS Begins". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  23. ↑ "al-Araby al-Jadeed English - Iraqi government forces and militias begin Tikrit offensive". Alaraby.co.uk. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2015-03-14.
  24. ↑ Al-Araal-Jadeed/Associated Press (2 March 2015). "al-Araby al-Jadeed English - Iraqi government forces and militias begin Tikrit offensive". alaraby. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  25. ↑ Abdelhak Mamoun (14 April 2015). "Hundreds of ISIS fighters arrive on Salahuddin outskirts". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  26. ↑ Aryn Baker (15 June 2014). "ISIS In Iraq Claims Massacre of 1700 Soldiers". Time . Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  27. ↑ "ISTANBUL: Operation to retake Tikrit from Islamic State stalled by heavy casualties, discord - Iraq - McClatchy DC". McClatchy DC. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "البشمركة وقوات عراقية تدخلان بلدة سليمان بيك" . Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  29. ↑ "(4000)". 7 September 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  30. ↑ Combat vehicle
  31. 1 2 3 "Lessons From the Second Battle of Tikrit: March 2-April 4, 2015". The Huffington Post. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  32. 1 2 Abdelhak Mamoun (17 April 2015). "130 ISIS elements killed, sleeper cells found in Tikrit". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  33. ↑ "Saddam Hussein's former deputy killed near Tikrit: report". NY Daily News. New York. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  34. ↑ 160+ killed in the Battle of Baiji
  35. ↑ "Baghdad: oil town Baiji in 'almost fully' under control". Rudaw. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  36. ↑ "Deadlock in battle for Iraq refinery casts doubts on Mosul campaign". Reuters. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  37. ↑ "Iraq Body Count -- Database". www.iraqbodycount.org. Iraq Body Count. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
  38. 1 2 "Islamic State crisis: Thousands flee Iraqi advance on Tikrit". BBC News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  39. ↑ Amre Sarhan (9 April 2015). "ISIS militants abduct 100 civilians north of Tikrit". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  40. ↑ "Obama's Iraq dilemma: Fighting the ISIL puts US and Iran on the same side" . Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  41. ↑ "Iraq dislodges insurgents from city of Samarra with airstrikes". Reuters. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  42. ↑ "Islamic State will be forced out of Tikrit, says top US general". the Guardian. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  43. ↑ "Advancing Iraq troops enter strategic town on edge of Tikrit". Reuters. 7 March 2015. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  44. ↑ "Top US general optimistic about outcome of Tikrit battle". Daily Times. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  45. ↑ "ISIL militants slow Tikrit advance with bombs and snipers". 4 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  46. ↑ Simon Tisdall (2 March 2015). "Iraq's assault on Isis sparks fears of new atrocities in the Sunni triangle". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  47. ↑ "Iraqi forces enter parts of Tikrit in major offensive" . Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  48. ↑ "Wary Iraq forces tighten noose on IS in Tikrit". Yahoo News UK. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  49. ↑ Leith Fadel (8 March 2015). "The Iraqi Army has Captured a Strategic Town Near Tikrit". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  50. ↑ Leith Fadel (9 March 2015). "Breaking: Iraqi Security Forces Capture Al-'Alam; Tikrit is Encircled". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  51. ↑ Kareem Khadder and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN (11 March 2015). "Iraqi forces take military hospital from ISIS as Tikrit offensive continues". CNN. Retrieved 12 March 2015.{{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  52. ↑ Al-Masdar News (11 March 2015). "Battle Map Update: Iraqi Army Encircles ISIS at Tikrit". Al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  53. 1 2 3 "Facing Defeat in Tikrit, ISIS Escalates Attacks Closer to Baghdad". Newsweek . 11 March 2015.
  54. ↑ "Iraqi Volunteers Fighting For Tikrit Say The Army Is Nowhere To Be Found". International Business Times. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  55. ↑ "Islamic State conflict: US launches Tikrit air strikes". BBC News. 25 March 2015.
  56. ↑ "Opening New Iraq Front, U.S. Strikes ISIS in Tikrit". The New York Times. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  57. ↑ "Shia militias pull back as US joins battle for Tikrit" . Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  58. ↑ "Iraq premier: Troops in center of Islamic State-held Tikrit - AOL.com". AOL Article. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  59. ↑ "Iraqi forces retake government HQ in Tikrit from ISIS - Business Insider". Business Insider. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  60. ↑ "Iraqi forces drive Islamic State out of central Tikrit: PM". Reuters. 31 March 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  61. ↑ Nordland, Rod (2 April 2015). "Iraq Forces, Pushing ISIS Out of Tikrit, Give Few Thanks for U.S. Airstrikes". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  62. ↑ "Iraqi Explosives Experts Dismantle Bombs in Liberated Tikrit". ReliefWeb. 3 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  63. ↑ "Iraq Tikrit: looting and lawlessness follow recapture". BBC News. 4 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  64. ↑ "Hundreds of ISIS fighters, suicide bombers holed up in Tikrit district". Rudaw. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  65. ↑ "Nocookies". The Australian. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  66. ↑ "Mosul beckons". The Economist. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  67. ↑ Sinclair Broadcast Group. "Iraq: Tears For Tikrit". keyetv.com Austin News, Weather, Traffic KEYE-TV Austin. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  68. ↑ "Liberated from Islamic State, Tikrit struggles with reconciliation". PBS NewsHour. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  69. ↑ Cunningham, Erin (11 March 2015). "Iraqi forces break militants' hold on Tikrit in major battle against Islamic State". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.