Mosul offensive (2015)

This article is about the 2015 offensive. For the battle for the city, see Battle of Mosul (2016–17). For other uses, see Battle of Mosul.
Mosul offensive (2015)
Part of the War in Iraq

Map of the Kurdish-launched Mosul offensive in early 2015
Date21 January – 10 February 2015
(2 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Mosul, Iraq
35°48′01″N 43°17′23″E / 35.8003°N 43.2897°E / 35.8003; 43.2897
Result

Peshmerga victory

  • Kurdish Peshmerga forces cut crucial supply routes to Mosul, retake some nearby villages, and open three fronts to the northwest of Mosul, near Badush Dam
  • The US-led Coalition intensifies airstrikes near Mosul to support the campaign to retake the city
  • Peshmerga forces continue to hold the areas and roads they captured, with Coalition airstrikes hampering ISIL operations in the region
Belligerents

 Kurdistan Region

CJTF-OIR (airstrikes)

List
 Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Commanders and leaders
Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani
United States Barack Obama
United Kingdom David Cameron
Canada Stephen Harper
Jordan Abdullah II		 Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
(Leader)
"Prince of Nineveh" †
(top ISIL commander in Mosul)[4]
Abu Malik † (ISIL chemical weapons expert)[6]
Strength

 Kurdistan Region

  • 5,000 soldiers[1]
 12,000+ fighters[7]
Casualties and losses
Unknown 256+ militants killed[1][8][6]
3 civilians killed[9]

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.[1] 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,[10] but the offensive was postponed to October 2016, after Ramadi fell to ISIL in May 2015.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference ejected was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Update: air strikes in Iraq". 17 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Operation IMPACT – Air Task Force-Iraq airstrikes". 25 November 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Jordan carries out air strikes in Iraq, killing 55 IS militants". i24 News. i24 News. 4 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Morocco Sends its F16s to Syria and Iraq to Fight ISIS". The Moroccan Times. Archived from the original on 2015-01-28. Retrieved 2015-06-25.
  6. ^ a b "Isis weapons engineer killed in airstrikes in Iraq, claims US military". TheGuardian.com. 31 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Expert: seizing Mosul may take 10 months, 30,000 troops". Rudaw. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Jordan carries out air strikes in Iraq, killing 55 IS militants". i24news. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Peshmerga rockets hit civilians was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Barnes, Julian (22 January 2015). "U.S., Iraq Prepare Offensive to Retake Mosul From Islamic State". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  11. ^ Jethro Mullen and Nima Elbagir, CNN (30 December 2015). "After Ramadi, Iraq sets sights on ISIS in Mosul". CNN. Retrieved 24 March 2016. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ "Defense chief: Mosul offensive to start in June with thousands o". Rudaw. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  13. ^ Blau, Max; Park, Madison; McLaughlin, Eliott C. (17 October 2016). "Battle for Mosul: Iraqi forces close in". CNN. Retrieved 17 October 2016.