Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Conflict	Campaigns against ISIL
Date	2014–2021 (principal)
Place	Iraq, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan (spillover), Sinai Peninsula
Result	Territorial defeat of ISIL caliphate; ongoing insurgency and global network
Combatants	United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Kurdistan Regional Government, NATO, United Nations (member states), Hezbollah, Shia militias (Popular Mobilization Forces)

Military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The international military response to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was a multi‑national, multi-domain effort to degrade, dismantle, and ultimately uproot the proto‑state proclaimed by Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi and successors after 2013–2014. Coalition actions combined air power, special operations, proxy partnerships, and advisory missions across Iraq and Syria, producing rapid territorial reversals yet persistent insurgency and transnational terrorism. The intervention involved an array of state and non‑state actors with divergent legal claims, strategic aims, and operational methods that shaped the course of the Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017), the Syrian Civil War, and related regional conflicts.

Background and Origins of ISIL

ISIL evolved from al‑Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), rooted in insurgencies following the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq and amplified by the 2011 Syrian uprising and Syrian civil war fragmentation. Key figures such as Abu Musab al‑Zarqawi and Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi transformed AQI into the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant through territorial seizure in Mosul, Raqqa, and other cities during 2013–2014, declaring a Caliphate in 2014. The group financed expansion via oil smuggling, antiquities trafficking, taxation, and kidnapping, while exploiting sectarian tensions between Sunni Arab communities, Shia militias, and state institutions such as the Iraqi Army and Syrian Arab Army.

International Coalition and Legal Basis

In response to ISIL's transnational threat, states formed coalitions asserting different legal bases: United States operations often invoked collective self‑defense of Iraq and UN Security Council resolutions addressing terrorism, while Russia and Iran invoked invitations from Syrian Arab Republic institutions. The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS gathered more than 70 member states including United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates to coordinate airstrikes, training, and stabilization. Legal debates encompassed UN Charter norms, sovereignty claims by Baghdad and Damascus, and differing mandates for counter‑terrorism versus support to non‑state proxies like the Syrian Democratic Forces and Peshmerga.

Major Military Campaigns and Operations

Major campaigns included the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017), the Battle of Raqqa (2017), operations in Anbar Province, and the Siege of Kobani (2014–2015). Coalition airstrikes and artillery supported offensives by the Iraqi Security Forces, Popular Mobilization Forces, Syrian Democratic Forces, and Free Syrian Army factions against ISIL strongholds. Bilateral operations by Turkey targeted YPG elements while combating ISIL in northern Syria. Russian Armed Forces intervention in 2015 prioritized protection of the Assad regime and resulted in engagements with ISIL and opposition groups. These campaigns combined urban warfare, siege operations, and combined arms approaches that led to the collapse of ISIL's territorial caliphate by 2019.

Role of Regional States and Non-State Actors

Iran backed Iraqi Shia militias and Hezbollah with advisors and materiel, influencing campaigns in Tikrit and other locales; Turkey conducted cross‑border incursions and established Operation Euphrates Shield and Operation Olive Branch. Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates provided logistics and intelligence to coalition partners. Kurdish forces—including the Peshmerga and People's Protection Units—were pivotal in northern campaigns. Non‑state actors such as Al‑Nusra Front and Islamist factions both confronted and competed with ISIL, complicating alliances and battlefield dynamics across Idlib Governorate and Deir ez‑Zor Governorate.

Air Campaigns, Special Operations, and Intelligence Efforts

Air campaigns conducted by US Central Command, Royal Air Force, and Armée de l'Air delivered precision strikes, close air support, and suppression of ISIL infrastructure; Russian aviation provided strategic bombing in support of Syrian Arab Army. Special operations by US Special Operations Command, SAS, GIGN‑style units, and allied SOF executed raids, hostage rescues, and targeting raids that eliminated leaders including Abu Bakr al‑Baghdadi and Abu Ibrahim al‑Hashimi al‑Qurashi. Signals intelligence from National Security Agency, GCHQ, DGSE, and regional services enabled targeting, while reconstruction of Syrian and Iraqi airspace management involved NATO liaison and coordination with Coalition partners.

Humanitarian Impact and Civilian Consequences

ISIL's governance and the ensuing campaigns produced mass displacement, with millions becoming internally displaced persons and refugees crossing to Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. Urban sieges and air campaigns generated extensive civilian casualties and destruction of cultural heritage sites such as Palmyra and museums in Mosul. Humanitarian agencies including United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Committee of the Red Cross, and Médecins Sans Frontières faced access constraints, while allegations of indiscriminate strikes prompted investigations by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch into wartime conduct by state and non‑state forces.

Aftermath, Stabilization, and Counter‑extremism Efforts

After territorial defeat, priorities shifted to stabilization, governance reform, demining, and reintegration of detainees and returnees under programs supported by United Nations Development Programme, European Union, and bilateral donors. Persistent ISIL insurgent cells in Iraq and Syria conducted guerrilla attacks, while affiliates in Libya, Sinai Peninsula, and Afghanistan sustained international counter‑terrorism attention. Debates over rule of law, reconciliation between Sunni Arab communities and central authorities, and the role of foreign military presence—exemplified by tensions among Washington, Ankara, Moscow, and Tehran—continue to shape regional security and counter‑extremism policies.

Category:Conflicts in 2014 Category:Conflicts in 2015 Category:Conflicts in 2016 Category:Conflicts in 2017