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Revision as of 04:17, 12 August 2014 by MrAustin390 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Not to be confused between Gulf War and Iraq War
| 2014 United States intervention in Iraq | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive | |||||||
 A F/A-18C Hornet aboard the USS George H.W. Bush prior to the launch of operations over Iraq | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Supported by:
Supported by:
Supported by: |
File:IAILogo.png Islamic Army in Iraq
 Al-Nusra Front (alleged limited involvement) | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Barack Obama |
 Ali Hatem al-Suleiman | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
US:
UK: Reconnaissance, Cargo aircraft |
Islamic State: 8,000–15,000
Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order: 5,000+ | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown |
Hundreds of fighters killed
| ||||||
Iraqi Kurdistan
Sunni Islamist militias
In the summer of 2014, in response to the deteriorating conditions in Iraq, President Barack Obama began to deploy US forces to Iraq to safeguard American interests and to advise Iraqi government forces. In August 2014 the United States Military began an air campaign directed against radical Islamists in northern Iraq. In addition to military efforts, the United States has also mounted a considerable humanitarian effort aimed at beleaguered minorities in northern Iraq who are under the threat of extinction.
In August, when asked about a possible timetable for US involvement in Iraq the President told reporters that "This is going to be a long-term project".
Military aid
Former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad wrote on August 5 in the Washington Post that the United States is involved in “the direct supply of munitions to the Kurds and, with Baghdad’s agreement, the shipment of some Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program weapons to the Kurds.”
United States ground forces
In July, President Obama announced that owing to the continuing violence in Iraq and the growing influence of non-state actors such as the Islamic State, the United States would be elevating its security commitment in the region. Aproximately 800 US troops secured American installations like the Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate in Erbil as well as seizing control of strategic locations like the Baghdad airport.
The US troops also undertook a mission to "assess and to advise as they confront and the complex security situation on the ground.” Reports from these American units about the capabilities of the current Iraqi military have been consistently grim, viewing them as "compromised" by sectarian interests.
US forces have been undertaking reconnaissance missions over northern Iraq, both by drone and F-18, since the early summer of 2014.
August air campaign
On August 7, global media widely quoted Kurdish and Iraqi government sources as saying that the United States had begun carrying out airstrikes against IS positions in northern Iraq, showing evidence of the strikes and their aftermath. The US government immediately denied the involvement of American warplanes.
On the evening of August 7, President Obama gave a live address to the Nation. He described the worsening conditions in Iraq and said that the plight of the Yazidis, a religious minority in northern Iraq threatened with extinction at the hands of the Islamic State, in particular had convinced him that US military action was necessary. The President said that he had ordered military action to protect American lives, protect minority groups in Iraq, and to stop a possible Islamic State advance on Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region.
On August 8, U.S. McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighters bombed Islamic State artillery units. Four U.S. fighters later bombed an Islamic State military convoy. Another round of U.S. airstrikes in the afternoon struck 8 Islamic State targets near Erbil. Armed drones as well as fixed wing aircraft were used in the U.S. attacks.
On August 9, US Forces again launched a series of 4 air attacks against Sunni fighters, this time primarily aimed at armored fighting vehicles. A combination of US warplanes and drones destroyed four armoured personnel carriers and at least one unarmored fighting vehicle near Sanjin, in northwestern Iraq.
On August 10, US forces launched a series of 5 air attacks against the Islamic State, which targeted armed vehicles as well as a mortar position. Assisted by these air attacks, Kurdish forces claimed to have recaptured the towns of Mahmour and Gweyr from Islamic State control. Additional Iraqi airstrikes conducted in Sinjar claim to have killed 45 ISIS militants and injured an additional 60 militants. The Kurdistan Regional Government said it had received heavy weaponry from the Baghdad federal government "and other governments" in the past few days.
Humanitarian efforts
The United States, supported by international partners, has undertaken a large humanitarian effort to support refugees stranded in northern Iraq with airdropped supplies. In particular, on August 7, 2 Lockheed C-130 Hercules's and 1 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III dropped tens of thousands of meals and thousands of gallons of drinking water to Yazidi refugees stranded in the Sinjar mountains by advancing IS-Forces.
On August 9, US planes again dropped humanitarian supplies over northern Iraq, this time 4,000 gallons of drinking water and 16,000 MREs.
The United Kingdom's primary role at the moment is the supporting humanitarian efforts using Royal Air Force C-130's operating from RAF Akrotiri along with surveillance provided by Panavia Tornado GR4's. The first such airdrop was made on August 10.
France plans to contribute to ongoing humanitarian efforts in Iraq, in addition to offering asylum to Iraqi Christians fleeing the violence.
See also
- Christians in Iraq
- Yazidi genocide
- Assyrian exodus from Iraq
- Spillover of the Syrian Civil War
- 2014 Northern Iraq offensive
References
- http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28701642
- http://news.yahoo.com/french-fm-iraq-boost-aid-efforts-120044422.html
- http://www.smh.com.au/world/australia-readies-to-send-hercules-to-iraq-20140809-3dfe0.html
- Van Heuvelen, Ben. "Amid turmoil, Iraq's Kurdish region is laying foundation for independent state". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
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 , and they aren't bothering us – or the civilians," said Lt. Gen. Shaukur Zibari, a pesh merga commander.
- http://blogs.mediapart.fr/blog/maxime-azadi/070814/les-combattants-du-pkk-arrivent-erbil-et-interviennent-contre-les-jihadistes
- https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/13236-syrian-kurds-provide-iraqs-peshmerga-support-against-isis
- http://www.frequency.com/video/ypg-mfs-arrived-in-shingal-mountains/185402086?cid=5-618
- Iraq crisis: Isis declares its territories a new Islamic state with 'restoration of caliphate' in Middle East - Middle East - World - The Independent
- ^ Hassan, Hassan (17 June 2014). "More Than ISIS, Iraq's Sunni Insurgency". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
- "Islamic Army of Iraq founder: Isis and Sunni Islamists will march on Baghdad". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- IŞİD Nedir, IŞİD'in Hedefi Nedir, IŞID'i Kimler Destekliyor (in Turkish)
- ^ "U.S. and Iraqis Try to Fragment Extremist Group". The New York Times. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
- ^ "Iraq Crisis: Saddam Hussein's Generals Fighting with Jihadist ISIS Insurgency". International Business Times. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- Sam Frizell (21 June 2014). "Iraqi Official: Sunni Insurgents, Baathists Fighting One Another". Time. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- Jacob Siegel. "Someone Is Spilling ISIS's Secrets on Twitter". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/world/middleeast/former-loyalists-of-saddam-hussein-crucial-in-helping-isis.html?hpw&rref=world&_r=0
- "Military council of the rebels starts setting governors on their captured cities". Elaph. Osama Mahdi. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- IŞİD ve El Nusra'nın birleştiği iddia edildi (in Turkish)
- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/13/world/middleeast/iraq.html?hpw&rref=world
- Brian Ries (13 June 2014). "Iraq Implodes: What You Need to Know". Mashable.com. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- ^ http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/07/will-u-s-troops-stand-by-while-isis-starves-thousands.html
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/06/12/u-s-companies-pulling-contractors-from-iraqi-bases-as-security-crumbles/
- http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304851104579361170141705420
- Marlin Dick (19 June 2014). "ISIS offensive or fragmented Sunni uprising?". Stanford.edu.
- "ISIS, Inc. – Jihadists attract investors, fighters with annual reports & glossy PR". RT. 19 June 2014.
{{cite web}}: Text "author" ignored (help) - Knights, Michael (1 July 2011). "The JRTN Movement and Iraq's Next Insurgency". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
- Colin Freeman (18 May 2013). "Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri: the King of Clubs is back, and he may yet prove to be Saddam Hussein's trump card". The Telegraph.
- Daniel Cassman. "Islamic Army in Iraq | Mapping Militant Organizations". Stanford.edu. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- usatoday.com (9 October 2012). "Al-Qaeda making comeback in Iraq, officials say". Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press.
- http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-launch-air-strike-campaign-islamic-state-militants-northern-iraq-1460366
- ^ http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/iraq-turmoil/u-s-launches-four-more-airstrikes-against-isis-iraq-n176926
- http://www.politico.com/story/2014/08/air-strikes-begin-in-iraq-109844.html
- http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2014/08/centcom_videos_shows_airstrike.php
- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/world/middleeast/us-airstrikes-on-militants-in-iraq.html?_r=0
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/zalmay-khalilzad-to-fight-the-islamic-state-kurdish-and-iraqi-forces-need-expedited-aid/2014/08/05/746d8680-1c24-11e4-ae54-0cfe1f974f8a_story.html
- http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/06/30/231985/480-us-troops-now-in-baghdad-as.html
- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-175189/Baghdad-airport-seized-US-troops.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/14/world/middleeast/us-sees-risks-in-assisting-a-compromised-iraqi-force.html?_r=0
- http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/report-iraqi-army-infiltrated-with-extremists-from-both-side.html
- http://thehill.com/policy/defense/212135-pentagon-report-warns-of-security-risks-for-us-advisers-in-iraq
- http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-secretly-flying-unmanned-drones-over-iraq-1402605640
- http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/27/world/meast/iraq-crisis/
- http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/27/us-iraq-security-usa-flights-idUSKBN0F22DR20140627
- http://hotair.com/archives/2014/08/07/kurdish-tv-u-s-bombs-isis-targets-in-iraq/
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2014/08/08/the-evolution-of-a-new-york-times-story-on-iraq-airstrikes
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/07/us-strikes-iraq_n_5659946.html
- http://pando.com/2014/08/07/pentagon-disputes-ny-times-report-that-the-us-launched-airstrikes-in-iraq/
- http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/07/statement-president
- http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/iraq-options/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/09/world/middleeast/iraq.html
- http://www.businessinsider.com/military-air-strikes-2014-8
- ^ 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
- http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/10/world/meast/iraq-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
- http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-begins-humanitarian-airdrops-iraq/story?id=24884633
- http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122886
- http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/09/world/meast/iraq-crisis/
- "British May Use RAF Tornados In Iraq Mission". Sky News. Retrieved August, 11 2014.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-28729361
- http://online.wsj.com/articles/france-pledges-support-for-kurdish-forces-in-iraq-1407435756
