Iraqi forces are advancing toward the city of Mosul in a long-awaited offensive to drive Islamic State militants from their main stronghold in the country. The group was known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria when it pushed into northern Iraq and seized Mosul in June 2014. By late that month, it had changed its name and declared a caliphate — a state under Islamic law — in territories it had seized in Syria and Iraq. The Islamic State continued to acquire land in Iraq until the end of 2015, when opposing forces started pushing the militants out of the cities. Mosul is the last large city held by the Islamic State in Iraq.
2014
2015
2016
Tikrit
Retaken
March 31, 2015
Fell to ISIS
June 12, 2014
Ramadi
Dec. 27, 2015
May 17, 2015
Fallujah
Jan. 3, 2014
June 26, 2016
Mosul
June 10, 2014
Battle began
Oct. 16, 2016
2014
2015
2016
Tikrit
Retaken
March 31, 2015
Fell to ISIS
June 12, 2014
Ramadi
Dec. 27, 2015
May 17, 2015
Fallujah
Jan. 3, 2014
June 26, 2016
Mosul
June 10, 2014
Battle began
Oct. 16, 2016
The current situation
The battle against the Islamic State in Iraq includes the Iraqi army, Kurdish forces, Shiite militias, Sunni tribal fighters and the U.S.-led coalition.
[ As Iraqi forces push toward Mosul, hundreds of thousands of people may flee]
Assad regime
Kurdish groups
Iraqi government
Sunni insurgents
Islamic State
2
1
3
4
SYRIA
Damascus
Baghdad
5
IRAQ
200 MILES
Opposition groups, backed by Turkish artillery, are advancing on Islamic State-held Dabiq.
Reports of additional Turkish troop and weaponry deployments along the Iraqi border to protect against crossing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militias.
All eyes are on the operation that began on Oct. 16 to retake the largest city in Iraq still held by the Islamic State.
An estimated 2,000 Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have redeployed from Syria to areas around Mosul and Hawija.
The Islamic State, while driven out of central Iraq, continues to target Shiite populations with suicide attacks in the Baghdad area.
1
2
3
4
5
Iraqi government
Assad regime
Islamic State
Sunni insurgents
Kurdish groups
TURKEY
2
1
Dabiq
IRAN
Manbij
3
Mosul
Aleppo
Irbil
Raqqa
Kirkuk
4
Deir al-Zour
Hawija
Hama
SYRIA
IRAQ
Homs
Tikrit
LEB.
Damascus
Baghdad
Ramadi
Fallujah
Rutbah
5
JOR.
Opposition groups, backed by Turkish artillery, are advancing on Islamic State-held Dabiq.
Reports of additional Turkish troop and weaponry deployments along the Iraqi border to protect against crossing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militias.
All eyes are on the operation that began on Oct. 16 to retake the largest city in Iraq still held by the Islamic State.
An estimated 2,000 Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have redeployed from Syria to areas around Mosul and Hawija.
The Islamic State, while driven out of central Iraq, continues to target Shiite populations with suicide attacks in the Baghdad area.
Diwaniyah
1
2
3
100 MILES
4
5
Reports of additional Turkish troop and weaponry deployments along the Iraqi border to protect against crossing Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militias.
Opposition groups, backed by Turkish artillery, are advancing on Islamic State-held Dabiq.
TURKEY
Dabiq
Manbij
All eyes are on the operation that began on Oct. 16 to retake the largest city in Iraq still held by the Islamic State.
Mosul
Med.
Sea
Irbil
Aleppo
Raqqa
Kirkuk
Hawija
Deir al-Zour
Hama
SYRIA
IRAQ
An estimated 2,000 Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militias have redeployed from Syria to areas around Mosul and Hawija.
Homs
Tikrit
LEB.
Baghdad
Damascus
Ramadi
Fallujah
Rutbah
IRAN
The Islamic State, while driven out of central Iraq, continues to target Shiite populations with suicide attacks in the Baghdad area.
JORDAN
Diwaniyah
Assad regime
Islamic State
Sunni insurgents
Kurdish groups
Iraqi government
100 MILES
Basra
The U.S. presence in northern Iraq
The Mosul campaign began months ago with “shaping operations” in the Tigris Valley as newer Iraqi army units tested their mettle in clearing out villages south of the city. Those operations came to a close with the units seizing Qayyarah.
U.S. forces are manning artillery, acting as advisers to Iraqi and Kurdish forces, and helping call in airstrikes. U.S. Special Operations forces are also playing a role, operating alongside the Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi Special Operations forces. U.S. and coalition aircraft are on-call to provide support.
According to airwars.org, a site that monitors international airstrikes in the region, there have been more than 15,000 coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since late 2014.
Coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria
as part of Operation Inherent Resolve
50
air strikes
25
2016
2015
Coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve
50
air strikes
25
0
A
A
A
A
D
J
M
J
J
S
D
J
M
J
J
S
F
M
O
N
F
M
O
2015
’14
2016
Kobane
Mosul
Aleppo
NINEVEH
Raqqa
Kirkuk
Ramadi
Damascus
ANBAR
Baghdad
Approximate
strike areas
Density of U.S. coalition
airstrikes since August 2014
Most
Least
Kobane
Mosul
Aleppo
NINEVEH
Raqqa
Kirkuk
Approximate
strike areas
Damascus
Ramadi
Baghdad
ANBAR
Density of U.S. coalition
airstrikes since August 2014
Most
Least
Russia in Syria
Russia has supported the Syrian government with airstrikes since September 2015. Although Russia says it is targeting the Islamic State, many of its strikes have have been in areas held by rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russia is currently moving ships into the region and establishing missile defense systems.
Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russia speaks, in front of a map of the Aleppo area in Syria at a briefing in Moscow on Oct. 19. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)
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