Yazidi and Shia militias backed by Baghdad took control of the Kurdish-held town of Sinjar, near Iraq’s border with Syria, today as the central government reasserts its control over regions contested by Iraqi Kurds (Washington Post)
Iraqi Forces Launch Offensive in Kurdish-Held Kirkuk
Casualties have been reported in the Kurdish-held Iraqi city of Kirkuk as forces from the central government backed by Shia militias launched a major offensive early today to take the city. The operation marks the first use of force by Baghdad in response to an independence referendum held in the autonomous Kurdistan region last month that was opposed by the Iraqi and U.S. governments (New York Times)
UN Says 5.4 Million Iraqis Displaced
The United Nations estimated that 5.4 million Iraqis have been forced to flee their homes since 2014 due to the Islamic State, which now controls only a strip of territory along the border with Syria (BBC)
Iraq Retakes Last Islamic State Urban Stronghold
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that Iraqi forces have retaken the northern city of Hawija from the Islamic State, the last city in Iraq under the militant group’s control. Iraqi forces continue to fight the Islamic State in a series of towns along the Euphrates River in Anbar province (New York Times)
Iraq to Cut Kurdistan Flights in Retaliation for Vote
The Iraqi government is expected to block international flights to Erbil and Sulaimaniya starting September 29 in retaliation for the independence referendum held by Iraqi Kurdistan’s regional government (Reuters)
Regional Government: Iraqi Kurds Overwhelmingly Back Secession
The Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq said that 92 percent of people who cast ballots in a Monday referendum favored independence. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he would “never have dialogue” about the vote with the regional government (BBC)
UN Team to Probe Islamic State War Crimes in Iraq
A new UN team will help Iraq investigate possible war crimes committed by the Islamic State (DW)
Iraqi Forces Begin Operation to Retake Hawija From the Islamic State
Iraqi forces began their ground assault on the city of Hawija, one of the Islamic State’s last holdouts (Al Jazeera)
Dozens Dead in Islamic State Attacks in Iraq
The Islamic State said it was behind two attacks yesterday that killed at least eighty people and wounded almost one hundred more in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah (Wall Street Journal)
Iraqi Government Asks for UN Help Investigating Islamic State Crimes
The Iraqi government has asked the United Nations for help in its investigation of crimes against humanity committed by the Islamic State (Radio Free Europe)
Iraqi Forces Carry Out Air Strikes Ahead of Ground Invasion
The Iraqi military is bombing targets in Tal Afar, a city fifty miles west of Mosul, in preparation for a ground invasion (Reuters)
Islamic State Mines and Bombs Kill Returning Civilians in Northern Iraq
The self-proclaimed Islamic State laid explosive devices in Mosul and northern Iraq, killing civilians returning to the previously Islamic State controlled region (Reuters)
Iraqi Forces Recapture Village South of Mosul
Iraqi forces recaptured a village south of Mosul from the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The Islamic State had taken the village after losing control of Mosul (Reuters)
Rights Group: Iraq Punishing Islamic State Families
Iraq has forcibly relocated at least 170 families of alleged members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State to so-called rehabilitation camps, according to rights organization Human Rights Watch (Reuters)
Syria Monitoring Group Says Islamic State’s Al-Baghdadi Dead
Commanders from the self-proclaimed Islamic State have confirmed the death of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi according to the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The U.S. Defense Department could not confirm his death (Al Jazeera)
Iraqi Prime Minister Declares Victory Near in Mosul
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Mosul to declare that victory against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in the city is near after a military campaign of nearly nine months. The prime minister said he will only declare victory after all areas are cleared of militants (New York Times)
Iraqi Forces Recapture Mosul Mosque
Iraqi troops recaptured the twelfth-century Great Mosque of al-Nuri from the self-proclaimed Islamic State on June 29. The mosque was almost entirely destroyed by the militant group in fighting over control of Mosul earlier in June (Telegraph)
Iraqi Army Regains Control of Two More Districts in Mosul
The Iraqi army captured two districts in the Old City of Mosul. With the loss of these two districts, the self-proclaimed Islamic State now controls only half of the Old City (Reuters)
Mosul Battle Intensifies With Mosque Explosion
An Iraqi general accused the self-proclaimed Islamic State of blowing up Mosul’s eight-hundred year-old Grand Mosque of al-Nuri, where Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the creation of a caliphate in 2014. Islamic State media said the mosque was struck by coalition warplanes, a charge U.S. and Iraqi commanders have denied (Voice of America)
EU Considers Security Mission in Iraq
European Union diplomats are meeting to discuss sending a security team to Iraq after the expected recapture of Mosul by Iraqi and allied forces from the Islamic State. Iraq has formally requested such assistance from the bloc (Middle East Eye)
Iraqi Forces Fend Off Islamic State Attack in Mosul
Militants from the self-proclaimed Islamic State attacked Iraqi police forces in Mosul, using snipers, mortars, and suicide vests. Iraqi police forces eventually forced the militants back to their strongholds in the Old City and Medical City (Reuters)
Islamic State Kills Hundreds in Mosul
The Islamic State has shot and killed hundreds of civilians in Mosul over the past two weeks in an attempt to keep them from fleeing as Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition approach the city, the United Nations said. The deadliest single incident saw at least 163 civilians killed, the United Nations said, warning that the group seeks to use human shields (New York Times)
Islamic State and al-Qaeda Said to Be Negotiating Alliance
Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi said the Islamic State and al-Qaeda are negotiating an alliance as Iraqi troops come closer to retaking Mosul (Reuters)
United States Will Send at Least 200 More Troops to Iraq
The United States announced plans to send at least 200 more troops to aid with the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul from the self-proclaimed Islamic State (NYT)
Iraq: Islamic State Booby Trap Cause of Mosul Blast
The Iraqi military said the March 17 blast that killed civilians was due to a booby trap placed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The announcement came a day after the United States confirmed the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition carried out an airstrike at the location (WSJ)