Battle of Tal Afar (2017)

This article is about the Iraqi offensive against ISIL. For Operation Restoring Rights, see Battle of Tal Afar (2005).
Battle of Tal Afar (2017)
Part of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) and
the American-led intervention in Iraq
Date20 August – 2 September 2017
(1 week and 6 days)
Location
Tal Afar, Northern Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
Result

Decisive Iraq-Kurdish victory

  • Iraqi forces capture Tal Afar city on 28 August
  • Iraqi forces capture Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah by 2 September[1]
Belligerents
 Iraq
Supported by:
CJTF–OIR
 Iraqi Kurdistan		  Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Iraq Lt. Gen. Abdel Emir Yarallah Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
(Leader of ISIL)
Islamic State Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi[2]
Islamic State Abu Qatada al-Afri †
Units involved

Iraqi Security Forces

Military of ISIL
Strength

Iraq 60,000+ fighters

1,500–2,000 militants (per Iraq and US)[7][8]
Casualties and losses
115 killed, 679 wounded[1] 2,000+ killed (Iraqi claim)[1][9]
212 captured[10][9]
1,000–1,200 killed (U.S. claim)[11]
Dozens of civilians killed and 40,758 civilians displaced[1][9]

The Battle of Tal Afar was an offensive announced on 20 August 2017 by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in order to liberate the Tal Afar region from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[12][13][14][15] Victory in the battle was declared by the Prime Minister al-Abadi following the capture of the last ISIL-held area in Tal Afar district.[16]

The offensive was concurrent with the Raqqa campaign conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIL's capital city and stronghold in Syria, as well as the Central Syria Campaign, by the Syrian Army to capture ISIL territory towards Deir ez-Zor.

  1. ^ a b c d "Over 2,000 IS militants killed in Iraq's Tal Afar". Xinhua News Agency. 3 September 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  2. ^ Al-Tamimi, Aymenn (11 September 2023). "A Brief Biography of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi: The Islamic State's Second Caliph". Middle East Forum. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Several regions regained in Tal Afar as Iraqi troops advance from southern direction". Iraqi News. 20 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e يارالله يعلن عن القوات المشاركة بمعركة تلعفر Archived 2018-12-26 at the Wayback Machine, (in Arabic), Shafaaq News, 20 August 2017
  5. ^ Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi (6 April 2019). "Hashd Formations of Ninawa: Interview with Nawader Shammar". Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  6. ^ "UPDATED: Iraqi forces launch military operation to liberate Tal Afar – West Mosul". Kurdistan24. 20 August 2017.
  7. ^ Iraq starts offensive to take back Tal Afar from Islamic State. Reuters. 20 August 2017.
  8. ^ "IS conflict: Iraqi jets bomb Tal Afar ahead of ground assault". BBC News. 16 August 2017.
  9. ^ a b c "Peshmerga kills 130 IS militants fleeing Tal Afar toward Syria". 29 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Iraqi Troops Retake Second Neighborhood of Central Tal Afar". Basnews English. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  11. ^ "Department of Defense Press Briefing by General Townsend via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq". U.S. Department of Defense. 31 August 2017.
  12. ^ "IS conflict: Iraq launches ground offensive in Tal Afar". BBC News. 20 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Iraq begins battle to retake Tal Afar, IS bastion near Mosul: PM". Yahoo News. Agence France Presse. 20 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Iraq starts offensive to take back Tal Afar from Islamic State". Telegraph. 20 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Iraq launches offensive to retake Tal Afar from ISIL". Al Jazeera. 20 August 2017.
  16. ^ "Iraqi prime minister: Tal Afar 'liberated' from ISIS". CNN. 31 August 2017.