US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021)
On 15 June 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama ordered United States forces to be dispatched in response to the Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014) of the Islamic State (IS) as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. At the invitation of the Iraqi government, American troops went to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL.
| US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) | |||||||||
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| Part of the War against the Islamic State (Operation Inherent Resolve), the War in Iraq (2013–2017), Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present), and the War on terror | |||||||||
An American F/A-18C Hornet aboard USS George H.W. Bush prior to the launch of operations over Iraq in 2014. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Coalition of foreign countries:
Local forces: |
Islamic State White Flags | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Barack Obama (2014–2017) David Cameron (2014–2016) Barham Salih (2018–2021) Fuad Masum (2014–2018) Nouri al-Maliki (2014) Haider al-Abadi (2014–2018) Adil Abdul-Mahdi (2014–2020) Mustafa al-Kadhimi (2020–2021) Masoud Barzani (2014–2017) Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa Mustafa Said Qadir |
Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi Sleiman Daoud al-Afari (POW) (ISIL chemical weapons chief) | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
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United States:
Australia:
Belgium:
Canada:
Denmark:
France:
Germany:
Italy:
Netherlands:
New Zealand:
Spain:
United Kingdom:
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Around 100,000 fighters (according to Kurdistan Region Chief of Staff.) | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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70,000+ killed (end of 2017)
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Estimated 6,000+ civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Iraq | |||||||||
In early August 2014, ISIL began its Northern Iraq offensive. On 5 August, the United States started supplying the Kurdish Peshmerga forces with weapons. On 8 August, the United States began airstrikes against ISIL positions in Iraq. Nine other countries also launched airstrikes against ISIL, more or less in concert with Kurdish and Iraqi government ground troops. By December 2017, ISIL had no remaining territory in Iraq, following the 2017 Western Iraq campaign.
In addition to direct military intervention, the American-led coalition provided extensive support to the Iraqi Security Forces via training, intelligence, and personnel. The total cost of coalition support to the ISF, excluding direct military operations, was officially announced at ~$3.5 billion by March 2019. 189,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers received training from coalition forces.
Despite U.S. objections, the Iraqi parliament demanded U.S. troops to withdraw in January 2020 following the deaths of Iraqi Deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Units and popular Iranian Quds leader Qasem Soleimeni in a U.S. airstrike. It was also announced that both the U.K and Germany were cutting the size of troops in Iraq as well, In addition to withdrawing some of its troops, the U.K. pledged to completely withdraw from Iraq if asked to do so by the Iraqi government and Germany "temporarily thinned out" its bases in Baghdad and Camp Taji. Canada later joined in with the coalition withdrawal as well by transferring some of its troops stationed in Iraq to Kuwait. French and Australian forces stationed in the country have also objected to a withdrawal as well. The United Nations estimated in August 2020 that over 10,000 ISIL fighters remained in Iraq and Syria.
The coalition officially concluded its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but U.S. troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist Iraqi security forces against the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.