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Revision as of 13:04, 22 December 2014 by Saeed alaee (talk | contribs) (→Background)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Sinjar offensive | |||||||
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| Part of the Iraqi insurgency (2011–present) | |||||||
.png) Situation in Iraq, as of 16 December 2014:
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| Belligerents | |||||||
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 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Masoud Barzani | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000 Peshmerga | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 300 killed (Peshmerga claim) | ||||||
The Sinjar offensive is an ongoing operation launched by the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq in 17 December 2014, to recapture the regions formerly lost to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in their August offensive. Reportedly, Masoud Barzani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan, is personally directing the offensive. According to a Kurdish statement, the aim of the offensive was to recapture territory covering about 2,100 square kilometers.
Background
Main article: Sinjar massacreIn August of 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant launched an offensive in Northern Iraq and pushed into Kurdish held areas of the Nineveh Province, capturing the city of Sinjar, among others. Some ten thousand Yazidis fled to and remained on Mount Sinjar, located to the city's north. Recently formed Yazidi militias(known as YBS), along with YPG and PKK fighters, held ground against ISIL. By mid-December, Mount Sinjar was completely besieged by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Peshmerga offensive
Zumar offensive
The offensive, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes that had started the night before, was launched by the Peshmerga forces at 7am (04.00 GMT) in 17 December 2014. About 8,000 Peshmerga forces started advancing westward from Zumar, which itself was recaptured by the Peshmerga in October. A total of 45 airstrikes had been conducted by the end of the day.
Breaking the siege of Mount Sinjar
The next day, the Peshmerga advanced furthermore and managed to recapture a total of 700 square kilometers of territory and open a corridor from Zumar to Mount Sinjar, thus breaking the siege of the mountain. According to a statement from the Kurdish command, large numbers of ISIL militants were fleeing, westward into Syria, and eastward into Mosul. A total of 53 airstrikes had been carried out as of Thursday evening. According to Pentagon, the strikes near Sinjar had targeted ISIL storage units, bulldozers, guard towers, vehicles and three bridges. Kurdish officials on Thursday said more than 100 ISIL militants had been killed so far.
Rabia offensive and closing in on Tal Afar
On 19 December, one day after breaking the siege of Mount Sinjar, Peshmerga launched a new offensive from Rabia border crossing southward to Mount Sinjar. The new offensive was launched at 8am (05.00 GMT) with the aim of further clearing the area north of Mount Sinjar. Simultaneously, Peshmerga forces on Mount Sinjar started pushing northward and captured Snuny, located on the road to Rabia. Also, it was reported that the Peshmerga, on a different front, were approaching Tal Afar and had started firing artillery at ISIL positions nearby. Tal Afar, a Turkmen city, is located on the road that connects Sinjar to Mosul and was captured by ISIL in their June offensive.
Battle for Sinjar
YPG offensive
The Syrian Kurdistan's army, known as People's Protection Units (YPG), announced on 19 December that they were moving south towards the Iraqi border to reopen a corridor connecting Mount Sinjar to the Syrian border. The YPG had first opened that corridor in August to relieve tens of thousands of Yazidies stranded on Mount Sinjar. Two days later the YPG said they had captured three villages on the Syrian side of the border and four villages on the Iraqi side and had successfully reopened the corridor.
See also
References
- "Jihadists in retreat as Iraqi Kurds retake Mt Sinjar". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ "Iraqi Kurds claim more territory after breaking siege of Sinjar". Trust. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- ^ "Kurds press Sinjar operation in north Iraq". Gulf News. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ "An Early Success for the Kurds in Sinjar". The New Yorker. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- "Kurdish peshmerga forces launch offensive to retake Isis held areas". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2014.
- ^ "Isis latest: Kurdish forces 'break' the siege of Mount Sinjar". The Independent. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- "Backed by U.S. Airstrikes, Kurds Reverse an ISIS Gain". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- "Kurdish pershmerga forces prepare escape route for Yazidis trapped on Sinjar". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
- "Kurdish fighters move on ISIL's Mosul hub". Aljazeera. Retrieved 21 December 2014.