Fall of Mosul
The fall of Mosul occurred between 4 and 10 June 2014, when Islamic State (IS) insurgents, initially led by Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, captured Mosul from the Iraqi Army, led by Lieutenant General Mahdi Al-Gharrawi.
| Fall of Mosul | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War in Iraq | |||||||||
A Humvee damaged after an IS attack in Mosul on 14 June 2014 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Iraq | Islamic State | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Mahdi Al-Gharrawi |
Muhammad Sa'id Abdal-Rahman al-Mawla Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi † | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Military of the Islamic State | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
60,000
| 800–1,500 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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2,500 killed or wounded 4,000 prisoners executed Thousands deserted | At least 105 killed | ||||||||
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6,605+ killed overall Around 500,000 civilians displaced from Mosul | |||||||||
On 4 June, the insurgents began their efforts to capture Mosul. The Iraqi army officially had 30,000 soldiers and another 30,000 federal police stationed in the city, facing a 1,500-member attacking force. The Iraqi forces' actual numbers were much lower due to ghost soldiers, severely reducing combat ability. After six days of combat and massive desertions, Iraqi soldiers received orders to retreat. The city of Mosul, including Mosul International Airport and the helicopters located there, all fell under IS's control. An estimated 500,000 civilians fled from the city.
A former commander of the Iraqi ground forces, Ali Ghaidan, accused former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of being the one who issued the order to withdraw from the city of Mosul. Mosul would remained under IS control for a few years. Iraqi forces initiated an offensive to retake the city in 2016; the Battle of Mosul ended in its liberation in July the following year.