Part of the Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017), Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, and the American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
Map of the concurrent offensives in al-Hawl and Sinjar, on 12 November 2015
Date
12–15 November 2015[6] 3 days)
Location
Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
Result
PKK and Allies Victory
Peshmerga and PKK forces capture Sinjar[7][8] and Gabara[9]
Kurdish/Peshmerga forces cut three roads leading to Sinjar and ISIL's main Mosul–Raqqa supply route[9]
Belligerents
Kurdistan Êzîdxan Kurdistan/Peshmerga Command[1] PKK[1][2] Rojava[1] Supported by: CJTF–OIR[3]
Air support:
United Kingdom[4]
Canada[5]
United States[3]
MedEvac support:
Iraq[3]
Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Masoud Barzani Maj. Gen. Aziz Waisi[2] Brig. Gen. Seme Mala Mohammed[10] Sheikh Alo[11] (Duhok region commander) Gen. Zaim Ali[12] (western area commander) Gen. Wahid Kovli (eastern area commander) Haydar Shesho[2] (HPŞ chief commander) Mazlum Shengal[13] (YBŞ chief commander) Berivan Arin[13] (YJÊ chief commander) Murat Karayılan (PKK leader) İsmail Özden Newroz Hatim †[6] (PKK field commander) Sipan Hemo (YPG supreme commander)
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Mullah Ghareeb al-Turkmani Abu Askar al-Shammary Abu Eisa al-Azeri Abu A'isha al-Juburi[14]
Units involved
Iraqi Kurdistan:
Peshmerga
Zeravani[2]
Sinjar Alliance:
HPŞ[1][2]
YBŞ
YJÊ
PKK:
HPG[1][2]
YJA-Star
MLKP[15]
Rojava:
YPG
YPJ
United States:
U.S. Special Forces[16]
Unknown
Strength
7,500+[9]
~700[9] (in Sinjar city)
Casualties and losses
Unknown
300+ killed[17][18] 300+ wounded and captured [19][20]
v
t
e
War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Battles and operations
1st Anbar
1st Fallujah
1st Northern Iraq
1st Mosul
Badush prison
Camp Speicher
1st Kirkuk
2nd Northern Iraq
Zumar
Makhmour
1st Sinjar
Mosul Dam
Sharfadin
Musab bin Umair mosque
Suq al-Ghazi
Saqlawiyah
1st Hīt
Jurf al-Sakhar
Salahuddin
1st Baiji
Siege of Amirli
1st Tikrit
2nd Baiji
3rd Baiji
Dhuluiya
2nd Tikrit
1st Ramadi
2nd Sinjar
2nd Mosul
2nd Kirkuk
Al-Karmah
2nd Anbar
2nd Ramadi
2nd Fallujah
2nd Hīt
Ar-Rutbah
3rd Fallujah
3rd Sinjar
Nineveh Plains offensive
3rd Mosul
4th Mosul
Mosul airstrike
Western Nineveh
3rd Kirkuk
Hamam al-Alil
4th Sinjar
Turkish Sinjar airstrike
Tal Afar
Western Anbar
Hawija
Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
4th Kirkuk
Western Iraq
Major insurgent attacks
1st Hillah
1st Baghdad
Khan Bani Saad
2nd Baghdad
Sharaban
Ramadi
Mosul
3rd Baghdad
Miqdadiyah
2nd Hillah
Iskandariya
4th Baghdad
Samawa
5th Baghdad
1st Balad
Taji
6th Baghdad
7th Baghdad
2nd Balad
8th Baghdad
9th Baghdad
3rd Hillah
10th Baghdad
11th Baghdad
Tikrit
12th Baghdad
Nasiriyah
Foreign interventions
Iranian-led intervention
American-led intervention
Inherent Resolve
Shader
Okra
Chammal
Impact
IS genocide of minorities
Christian genocide
Yazidi genocide
Shia genocide
Turkmen genocide
IS war crimes
Mosul executions
Chemical weapons
Timeline
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
The November Sinjar offensive was a combination of operations of Kurdish Peshmerga, PKK, and Yezidi Kurd militias in November 2015, to recapture the city of Sinjar from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Kurdish forces, who expelled the ISIL militants from Sinjar and regained control of Highway 47, which until then had served as the major supply route between the ISIL strongholds of Raqqa and Mosul.
The offensive was code-named "The Fury of Melek Taus", in reference to Melek Taus, a figure from Yezidi religion.[21]
^ abcde"Barzani: "Only the Peshmerga have liberated Shingal, no other unit has been involved"". ÊzîdîPress. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
^ abcdefCite error: The named reference NYT13 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abc"News Transcript: Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Warren via DVIDS from Baghdad, Iraq". U.S. Department of Defense. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
^George Allison (13 November 2015). "Update: British Air Strikes In Iraq". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
^Justin Ling (14 November 2015). "Canada's Opposition Leader Urges Trudeau to Keep Bombing the Islamic State". Vice News. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
^ ab"Shingal: PKK and YBS fighters liberate villages in the west". Êzîdî Press. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
^Jason Hanna; Ed Payne (13 November 2015). "Sinjar has been liberated from ISIS, Kurds say". CNN. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^Cite error: The named reference cabinet.gov.krd was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abcdKurds, Backed by U.S. Air Power, Try to Regain Sinjar From ISIS
^Cite error: The named reference ontherun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"ISIS calls for 'jihad' against Peshmerga as it retreats in Shingal". Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^"NO ESCAPE: Peshmerga close in on ISIS in Shingal". Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^ ab"Yezidi forces form alliance against IS". Êzîdî Press. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
^"Opposition to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: The Testimony of a Former Amni (II)".
^"MLKP fighters also in Sinjar". Kurdish info. 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
^"Sinjar 'liberated' from Islamic State group control, Kurdish leaders say". 14 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
^"Kurds Say They Are Winning Battle For Sinjar". Sky News. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^"Peshmerga commander: 100 ISIS killed so far in Shingal". Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^"ŞENGAL'DEN NAKİL: Musul ceset ve yaralı dolu!". Rudaw.
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