2013 Hawija clashes

2013 Hawija clashes
Part of the Iraqi insurgency and the 2012–2013 Iraqi protests
Date23 April 2013 – 26 April 2013
(3 days)
Location
Initial clashes in Hawija, Kirkuk Governorate,
later spread to central and northern Iraq
Result
Belligerents

Naqshbandi Army

  • Intifada Ahrar al-Iraq[1]
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Iraq Iraqi Government

Kurdistan Region Peshmerga

Sahwa militia
Commanders and leaders
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Iraq Nouri al-Maliki
Iraq Babaker Shawkat B. Zebari
Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani

Iraq Ahmad Abu Risha
Strength
Naqshbandi Army: 1,500–5,000[2] Iraqi Army: ~300,000
Iraqi Police: ~300,000[3]
Peshmerga: ~200,000[4]
Sons of Iraq: 30,000 (June 2012)[5]
Casualties and losses
51 soldiers killed, 62+ injured
38 policemen killed, 41+ injured
6 Sahwa members killed, 1 injured[6][7][8][9][10]
111+ killed on 23 April (42 in Hawija)[6][11]
86+ killed on 24 April[7]
96+ killed on 25 April[8]
38+ killed on 26 April[9]
Total casualty toll (23 – 26 Apr):
330+ killed, ~600 injured

The 2013 Hawija clashes relate to a series of violent attacks within Iraq, as part of the 2012–2013 Iraqi protests and Iraqi insurgency post-U.S. withdrawal. On 23 April, an army raid against a protest encampment in the city of Hawija, west of Kirkuk, led to dozens of civilian deaths and the involvement of several insurgent groups in organized action against the government, leading to fears of a return to a wide-scale Sunni–Shia conflict within the country. By 27 April, more than 300 people were reported killed and scores more injured in one of the worst outbreaks of violence since the U.S. withdrawal in December 2011.[6][7][8][9][10][12]

  1. ^ "Comprehensive Reference Guide to Sunni Militant Groups in Iraq". Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  2. ^ "The JRTN Movement and Iraq's Next Insurgency". Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  3. ^ Collins, C. (19 August 2007) "U.S. says Iranians train Iraqi insurgents," Archived 7 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine McClatchy Newspapers
  4. ^ "Rudaw in English....The Happening: Latest News and Multimedia about Kurdistan, Iraq and the World - Peshmerga to Lose 130,000 Soldiers". Archived from the original on 29 January 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  5. ^ Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights Archived 8 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine p.18
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AntiwarApril23 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AntiwarApril24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AntiwarApril25 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b c "Iraq Unrest Unabated: At least 38 Killed, 109 Wounded". Antiwar.com. 26 April 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference AntiwarApril27 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Dozens killed in wave of Iraq violence was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Iraq PM warns of sectarian war as 179 killed (Channel News Asia)". Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2013.