Battle of Kirkuk (2016)
The Battle of Kirkuk was a battle in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq between Iraqi Kurdistan and allies and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The battle occurred less than a week after the beginning of the Battle of Mosul launched by Iraqi security forces and allies.
Battle of Kirkuk (2016) | |||||||
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Part of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) | |||||||
Location within Iraq | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Islamic State | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Brig. Simko Rabati[2] (Kirkuk security commander) Idris Rafaat[2] (Kirkuk security official) Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir[2] (suburban police chief) Polad Talabani[3] (Peshmerga Counterterrorism Group commander) Lahur Talabani[3] (head of Zanyari)[4] |
Abu Islam (POW)[3] (operations leader)[1] Abu Qudama †[5] (Kirkuk raid commander) Nizar Mahmud Abdul Ghani (POW)[6] | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
Unknown | 100 militants[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
76 killed[3] | 84 killed[3] and several captured[1] | ||||||
21 civilians killed, 265+ security forces members and civilians wounded overall[3] |
The battle
On 21 October 2016, dozens of ISIL militants and suicide bombers, supported by local sleeper cells,[1] entered Kirkuk and stormed a power station and police stations in the city, killing 18 members of security forces and power station workers, including 2–5[9] Iranian workers. The ISIL militants captured a mosque and an abandoned hotel and barricaded themselves inside.[10] Hours later, ISIL captured 2 more hotels and holed themselves in. Over 20 ISIL militants were killed,[9] as security forces recaptured most of the buildings.[2]
By the next day, ISIL forces still held parts of the Aruba District and a hotel,[7] though these were retaken later on. Government forces then began a mop-up operation to clear the city of remaining militants, with some of the latter blowing themselves as they were cornered.[11] Many local civilians had also taken up arms, hunting, capturing and killing ISIL fighters.[7]
On 23 October, several remaining ISIL attackers attempted to flee the city, with five being killed[12] and the ISIL operations leader captured by security forces.[1] On 24 October, the last ISIL fighters in Kirkuk were killed, including the raid commander Abu Qudama, a senior ISIL military figure of Hawija,[5] so that the governor of Kirkuk, Nadschmeddin Karim, could declare the city completely cleared of militants.[1] On the next day, security forces arrested Nizar Mahmud Abdul Ghani, a cousin of former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein, for having participated in the Kirkuk raid.[6]
See also
References
- "IRAQI FORCES KILL 74 ISIS FIGHTERS IN KIRKUK, ENDING THREE-DAY ASSAULT". Newsweek. 24 October 2016.
- "LIVE UPDATES: ISIS attacks Kirkuk". Rudaw. 22 October 2016.
- Michael R. Gordon (29 October 2016). "Seeking Clues to ISIS Strategy in Corpses and Cellphones Left in Kirkuk". The New York Times.
- "Lahur Talabani". The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
- "Islamic State militants behind Kirkuk attack arrested, ringleader killed". ARA News. 25 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- "Saddam's cousin arrested for participating in ISIS attack on Kirkuk". Iraqi News. 25 October 2016.
- "ISIS attacks Kirkuk in attempt to delay Hawija operation, distract Mosul campaign". ARA News. 22 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- https://finance.yahoo.com/news/kirkuk-raid-offers-glimpse-post-caliphate-analysts-134927990.html
- "Peshmerga and security repel multiple IS attacks in Kirkuk". Kurdistan 24. 21 October 2016.
- "Islamic State attacks Kirkuk as Iraqi forces push on Mosul". Reuters. 21 October 2016.
- "Iraqi forces hunt IS militants in Kirkuk". SBS. 22 October 2016.
- "5 ISIS members killed while trying to flee south of Kirkuk". Iraqi News. 23 October 2016.