Al-Karmah offensive

Al-Karmah offensive
Part of the War in Iraq

Location of the Al Anbar Governorate in Iraq
Date14 April – 3 May 2015
(2 weeks and 5 days)
Location
Al-Karmah, Anbar Governorate, Iraq
33°23′59″N 43°54′32″E / 33.399722°N 43.908889°E / 33.399722; 43.908889
Result

Limited ISF gains

Belligerents
Iraq Iraq
United States United States[citation needed]
Air support:
 United Kingdom[1]
 Canada[2]		 Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Commanders and leaders
Iraq Haider al-Abadi
Iraq Ahmed al-Dulaimi
United States Barack Obama
United Kingdom David Cameron
Canada Stephen Harper		 Abu Suleiman al-Naser (Replacement Military Chief)[4]
Abu Waheeb
(ISIL Commander in Anbar)
Abu Khattab † (ISIL Wilayat al-Jazira governor)[5]
Abu Qatada † (senior ISIL commander)[6]
Abu Azam † (senior ISIL commander)[5]
Units involved
United States US Armed Forces
 Royal Air Force
 Royal Canadian Air Force

Islamic State Military of ISIL

Strength
  • Iraq Unknown number of Iraqi soldiers
  • 10,000+ Sunni tribal fighters[7]
    		•  Several thousand
    Casualties and losses
    Unknown 676+ killed (government claim)[8]
    Al-Karmah offensive is located in Iraq
    Al-Karmah offensive
    class=notpageimage|
    Location within Iraq

    The Al-Karmah offensive, codenamed Fajr al-Karma,[9] 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,[3] and the old road of Al-Karmah.[10]

    In response to the Iraqi state offensive, ISIL launched a counterattack in the region, attacking Ramadi, capturing three nearby villages on 15 April,[11] and taking control of the Tharthar Dam on 24 April.[12] By 15 May ISIS had taken control over the Iraqi government headquarters in Ramadi.[13]

    The ISIL attack on Ramadi prompted 114,000 people to flee the region, according to UN officials, increasing the total number of refugees from Anbar since 2014 to over 400,000 people.[14]

    1. ^ "RAF air strikes in Iraq: December 2014". 22 January 2015.
    2. ^ Pugliese, David (13 January 2015). "Update on RCAF bombing raids against targets in Iraq". Defence Watch. Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
    3. ^ a b "Iraqi forces advance against Daesh stronghold in west Anbar province". Albawaba. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
    4. ^ Masi, Alessandria (11 November 2014). "If ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed, Who Is Caliph Of The Islamic State Group?". International Business Times. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
    5. ^ a b Sarhan, Amre (15 April 2015). "Iraqi warplanes kill, wound 62 ISIS elements in western Anbar". Iraq News. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
    6. ^ Sarhan, Amre (19 April 2015). "ISIS leader Abu Qatada and 55 terrorists killed by Iraqi and coalition air strikes in Anbar". Iraq News. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
    7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ISIL executes 300 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    8. ^ 137+ killed on 14 April,[1][2] 43+ killed on 15 April,[3] 11+ killed on 17 April,[4] 77+ killed on 18 April,[5] 109+ killed on 19 April,[6][7] 35+ killed on 20 April,[8] 58+ killed on 21 April,[9] 21+ killed on 22 April,[10] 65+ killed on 27 April,[11] 14+ killed on 29 April,[12] 59+ killed on 2 May,[13] 47+ killed on 3 May,[14] a total of 676+ reported killed
    9. ^ "MoD: Iraqi army kills 14 terrorists, dismantles 95 IEDs in al-Karma District". Iraqi News. April 29, 2015.
    10. ^ "Iraqi army recaptures some areas from Daesh in Anbar province". Albawaba. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
    11. ^ "Islamic State opens major offensive in Iraq's Anbar province". SF Gate. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
    12. ^ "Islamic State takes military barracks, dam in Iraq's Anbar: sources". Reuters. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
    13. ^ Arango, Tim (15 May 2015). "ISIS Fighters Seize Government Headquarters in Ramadi, Iraq". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
    14. ^ "Over 114,000 flee fighting in Iraq's Ramadi area: UN". Your Middle East. 21 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 November 2022. Retrieved 27 April 2015.