Global InformationSecond Battle of Tikrit information
| Second Battle of Tikrit | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War in Iraq and the Salahuddin campaign | |||||||||
 Military diagram illustrating the situation in central Salahuddin province, from early to mid-March 2015.[9][10] | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Iraq Iran[1]Airstrikes:  United States[2](25–31 March only)[3][4][5]  United Kingdom (25–29 March only)[6] France[7][8] |
 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
 Hadi al-Amiri(Head of Badr Organization)[23][24] Qais Khazali[25] Madi al-Kinani †[26] Ali al-Moussawi †[27] Maj. Gen. Fadhil Barwari(ICTS commander) |
Abu Suleiman (Replacement Military Chief)[28] Abu Nabil al-Anbari †(ISIL Governor of the Saladin Governorate) Abu Maria †(Top ISIL leader in Tikrit)[29] | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Iraq:
Sunni tribal militias[37]
Iran:
United States:
United Kingdom:
France:
| Military of ISIL | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
20,000–30,000+[37][41]
| 2,000–13,000[18][50] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 230[19]–1,000+[51] killed | 842–1,142 killed, 80 captured[17][18][29][52] | ||||||||
|
46 civilians killed[18][53] 28,000 civilians displaced[54] | |||||||||
The Second Battle of Tikrit was a battle in which Iraqi Security Forces recaptured the city of Tikrit (the provincial capital of the Saladin Governorate) from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Iraqi forces consisted of the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Forces (the bulk of the ground forces, consisting of Shia militiamen and also some Sunni tribesmen), receiving assistance from Iran's Quds Force officers on the ground, and air support from the American, British, and French air forces.[55]
The city of Tikrit, located in the central part of the Saladin Governorate in north of Baghdad and Samarra and lying adjacent to the Tigris River, was lost to ISIL during the huge strides made by the group during its offensive in June 2014. After its capture, ISIL retaliated with the massacre at Camp Speicher, a nearby training facility for the Iraqi Air Force. After months of preparation and intelligence-gathering, Iraqi forces engaged in offensive operations to fully encircle[56][57] and subsequently retake the city, starting on 2 March 2015.[58][59][60] The offensive was the largest anti-ISIL operation to date, involving some 20,000–30,000 Iraqi forces (outnumbering ISIL fighters more than two-to-one), with an estimated 13,000 ISIL fighters present.[37][61] It was reported that 90% of the residents of the city left out of fear both of ISIL and retaliatory attacks by Shia militias once the city is captured. As such, most of the residents fled to nearby cities, such as Baghdad and Samarra, or even further to Iraqi Kurdistan or Lebanon.[62]
On 4 April, after several days of heavy fighting and acts of vengeance committed by some Shia militias, the situation in the city was reported to have been stabilized,[63] and the last pockets of ISIL resistance were eliminated,[64] with an Iraqi Police Major reporting that "The situation now is calm."[65] However, on 5 April, continued resistance by 500 ISIL fighters in the city was reported in several pockets,[16] which persisted for another week as government forces continued combing Tikrit for hiding ISIL fighters, especially in the northern Qadisiya District. On 12 April 2015, Iraqi forces declared that Tikrit was finally free of all ISIL forces, stating that it was safe for residents to return.[66] However, pockets of resistance persisted until 17 April,[67] when the last 140 ISIL sleeper agents in the city were killed.[17][52] Cleanup and defusing operations in the city continued, but Iraqi officials predicted that it would take at least several months to remove the estimated 5,000–10,000 IEDs left behind by ISIL in Tikrit.[18]
- ^ Bezhan, Frud (4 March 2015). "Explainer: Iran's Role In Iraq's Fight Against Islamic State". Rferl.org. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "US-led coalition pounds ISIL targets in Tikrit". 26 March 2015.
- ^ Youssef, Nancy A. (25 March 2015). "U.S. Backs Iran With Airstrikes Against ISIS". The Daily Beast.
- ^ "Islamic State conflict: US launches Tikrit air strikes". BBC News. 24 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
OIR airstrike updateswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Update: air strikes in Iraq". 7 April 2015.
- ^ "France launches first bombing strike against ISIS in Tikrit". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ Abdelhak Mamoun (27 March 2015). "France launches its first air strike against ISIS in Tikrit". Iraqi News. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ Fadel, Leith (3 March 2015). "Battle Map: Iraqi Army Makes Steady Gains in Tikrit". Almasdarnews.com. Archived from the original on 30 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ Fadel, Leith (2 March 2015). "Monumental Battle Taking Place in Tikrit; ISIS Faces Encirclement". Almasdarnews.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ Matt Bradley & Raja Abdulrahim (29 March 2015). "U.S., Iranian-Backed Shiite Militias Share Uneasily in Battle for Iraq's Tikrit". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Iraq: US-Iran tensions amid offensive to retake Tikrit from ISIL". euronews. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ "Shia militias pull back as US joins battle for Tikrit". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
entry into central Tikritwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
ISIL holds onwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
hundredswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Abdelhak Mamoun (17 April 2015). "130 ISIS elements killed, sleeper cells found in Tikrit". Iraqi News. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Lessons From the Second Battle of Tikrit: March 2-April 4, 2015". The Huffington Post. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
gripwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iranian Military Mastermind Leading Battle to Recapture Tikrit From ISIS". Newsweek. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Iranian commander killed during clashes with ISIS in Iraqi Tikrit". Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ Muhandis is on the United States' list of designated terrorists: Lawrence, John (26 May 2015). "Iraq Situation Report: May 23–25, 2015". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 27 May 2015. See paragraph 5 of the report.
- ^ "Can ISIS be defeated in Tikrit?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Iraqi forces seek to encircle IS fighters in Tikrit". BBC. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ "Insurgent attacks in Iraqi capital kill at least 11 people". The Bellingham Herald. 5 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
hameedevanswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Volunteer's leadership: AL-Imam Ali Brigade field leader has martyred". Iraqi News. 14 March 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ Alessandria Masi (11 November 2014). "If ISIS Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Is Killed, Who Is Caliph Of The Islamic State Group?". International Business Times. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
ISIL leader in Tikrit killedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iraqi offensive to retake Tikrit underway". Al Arabiya. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ "التركمان يشاركون في معركة تحرير تكريت بلواء من 4 آلاف مقاتل". Almada. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC: Iranwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iranian-backed Shiite militias lead Iraq's fight to retake Tikrit". The Long War Journal. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ "In pictures: Shiite militias operating near Tikrit". Longwarjournal.org. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Iraqi militia loyal to radical cleric joins Tikrit offensive". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ "Hashd Formations of Iraq: Interview with Harakat Ahrar al-Iraq". 18 January 2019.
- ^ a b c Al-Jawoshy, Omar (2 March 2015). "Iraqi Offensive to Retake Tikrit From ISIS Begins". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ a b "5,000 Sunni Militiamen Fighting Alongside the Iraqi Security Forces in Tikrit". The Arab Source. 4 March 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
wsj.comwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "U.S. strikes bolster Iraqi offensive in Tikrit". USA Today. 26 March 2015.
- ^ "al-Araby al-Jadeed English – Iraqi government forces and militias begin Tikrit offensive". Alaraby.co.uk. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ Paul McLeary (2 March 2015). "Iranian General Again in Iraq for Tikrit Offensive". Defense News. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ Kareem Shaheen (5 March 2015). "Iraq: pro-government forces struggle to topple Isis in Tikrit". the Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ Kareem Shaheen (2 March 2015). "Iraqi army and militia begin assault on Isis strongholds north of Baghdad". the Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "WASHINGTON: Officials: U.S. watching for ethnic cleansing in Tikrit battle in Iraq – National Security & Defense – McClatchy DC". McClatchy DC. Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Washington Post: Tikritwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iraqi Kurdish officials claim Islamic State group used chemical weapons on peshmerga forces". Greenfieldreporter.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
csmonitorwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
ndtv.comwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Iraqi government forces and militias begin Tikrit offensive". alaraby. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
stalledwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Saddam Hussein's former deputy killed near Tikrit: report". New York Daily News. 17 April 2015.
- ^ "Iraq Body Count -- Database". iraqbodycount.org. Iraq Body Count. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ "Islamic State crisis: Thousands flee Iraqi advance on Tikrit". BBC News. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
- ^ Rod Nordland and Helene Cooper (26 March 2015). "U.S. Airstrikes on ISIS in Tikrit Prompt Boycott by Shiite Fighters". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
the American airstrike campaign against militants holed up in Tikrit
- ^ "BBC News – Iraqi forces seek to encircle IS fighters in Tikrit". Bbc.co.uk. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Iraqi forces try to seal off Islamic State around Tikrit". Reuters. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ "Iraq Launches Large-Scale Military Operation To Recapture Tikrit From Islamic State". The Huffington Post. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Iraq launches offensive to take back Tikrit from ISIS". Aljazeera.com. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Iraq launches major offensive to recapture Tikrit". Telegraph. London. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ "Connecting People Through News". 4 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015 – via PressReader.
- ^ "Iraq: pro-government forces struggle to topple Isis in Tikrit". The Guardian. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Tikrit freed but in ruinswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
ISIL expelled from Tikritwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Shiite militias leave Tikrit after lootingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
tears for Tikritwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Tikrit finally retakenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).