Anbar campaign (2013–2014)

Anbar campaign (2013–2014)
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Conflict	Anbar campaign (2013–2014)
Partof	Iraq War (2003–2011)
Date	2013–2014
Place	Anbar Governorate, Iraq
Result	Islamic State territorial gains; collapse of provincial control; Iraqi Government counteroffensives
Combatant1	Iraq Iraqi Armed Forces Iraqi Police Iraqi Army
Combatant2	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Commander1	Nouri al-Maliki Haider al-Abadi Abadi (disambiguation) Iraqi Ministry of Defense
Commander2	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Omar al-Baghdadi Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)
Strength1	Thousands (est.) Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service Popular Mobilization Forces (later)
Strength2	Thousands (est.) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant order of battle
Casualties1	Heavy
Casualties2	Heavy

Anbar campaign (2013–2014) was a sequence of insurgency operations, territorial contests, and urban battles in Al Anbar Governorate during the wider Iraqi insurgency (2011–2013) and the rise of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The campaign featured rapid advances by ISIL and allied Sunni militias against Iraqi Army positions, collapse of local security, and major impacts on neighboring provinces including Salahuddin Governorate and Nineveh Governorate. International attention focused on the fall of key cities and the humanitarian crisis that followed.

Background

Anbar's history includes the Iraq War (2003–2011), the Battle of Fallujah (2004), and the 2006–2007 Al Anbar campaign (2006–2007), which involved actors such as United States Armed Forces, Marines, and local tribal movements like the Anbar Awakening. After the 2011 withdrawal of United States combat forces from Iraq, the allegations of corruption and policies of Nouri al-Maliki's Prime Minister of Iraq administration exacerbated Sunni grievances, contributing to the resurgence of Al-Qaeda in Iraq affiliates and the formation of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Regional dynamics involving Syria and the Syrian Civil War allowed foreign fighters and weapons smuggling to strengthen insurgent networks across borders.

Combatants and forces

On one side, Iraqi government forces included the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police, elements of the Iraqi Air Force, and later units linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces; political leaders such as Nouri al-Maliki and later Haider al-Abadi shaped strategy. On the opposing side, ISIL cadres led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi drew from former Saddam Hussein loyalists, foreign fighters, and local Sunni tribes; allied groups included remnants of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and smaller jihadi factions. External actors such as Iran-backed militias, Turkey, regional intelligence services, and the United States Department of Defense influenced logistics, airpower access, and diplomatic responses.

Course of the campaign

ISIL launched coordinated offensives in 2013–2014 seizing desert towns, provincial capitals, and border crossings. Initial attacks targeted security checkpoints and Ramadi outskirts, followed by assaults on Fallujah and Al-Qaim. The campaign accelerated with the capture of Mosul in June 2014, which energized operations across Anbar Governorate, producing routs of Iraqi units in urban centers and along the Euphrates River. Iraqi countermeasures included defensive stands in Haditha and attempts to retake lost ground with limited air strikes and reorganized brigades, while tribal alliances shifted between accommodation and resistance.

Key battles and incidents

Major engagements included the Second Battle of Fallujah (2014) episodes when ISIL overran the city, the Fall of Ramadi phases with sieges and urban combat, and the seizure of Hit and Qaim which controlled routes to the Syria–Iraq border. Incidents of note comprised the mass killing of security personnel at checkpoints, high-profile executions and propaganda by ISIL, the targeting of Palestinian refugee camps in Iraq in Baghdad-adjacent violence, and clashes near strategic infrastructure such as the Haditha Dam. The campaign featured improvised explosive devices, suicide bombing tactics, and coordinated assaults that exploited weak command-and-control in Iraqi units.

Humanitarian impact and displacement

The offensive produced large-scale displacement across Anbar Governorate, with civilians fleeing to Baghdad, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, and neighboring Jordan and Syria. Humanitarian crises involved shortages of food, water, and medical supplies in refugee camps and temporary shelters managed by organizations such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and International Committee of the Red Cross. Reports documented civilian executions, sectarian reprisals, and damage to cultural heritage sites while disease and infrastructure collapse elevated mortality and morbidity among internally displaced persons.

Political and administrative consequences

The collapse of provincial control in parts of Anbar undermined the Iraqi central government's authority, prompting debates in the Council of Representatives of Iraq and shifts in national leadership culminating in the replacement of Nouri al-Maliki by Haider al-Abadi. The crisis accelerated international coalitions, including diplomatic engagement by the United States and calls for regional coordination with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Provincial administrations faced legitimacy crises as tribal sheikhs and militant governors influenced local governance, while disputes over federalization, oil revenue, and de-Ba'athification policies intensified.

Aftermath and legacy

The Anbar campaign of 2013–2014 marked a turning point in the Iraq War trajectory, facilitating ISIL's self-declared caliphate and prompting multinational military responses culminating in the Iraq War (2013–2017) counteroffensives. It influenced later operations such as the Battle of Ramadi (2015–2016), the Siege of Fallujah (2016), and the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017). The campaign reshaped Iraqi security institutions, spurred reform efforts in the Iraqi Armed Forces, and served as a case study in counterinsurgency, sectarian politics, and the role of transnational jihadist networks, leaving enduring effects on regional stability and post-conflict reconstruction.

Category:Al Anbar Governorate Category:Conflicts in 2013 Category:Conflicts in 2014