War against the Islamic State

For previous American interventions in Iraq, see Gulf War (1990–91), Operation Desert Fox, and Iraq War (2003–11).

War against the Islamic State
Part of the Global War on Terrorism, Iraqi Civil War, and Syrian Civil War
An American F/A-18C Hornet aboard the USS George H.W. Bush prior to the launch of operations over Iraq
Date 16 June 2014 – present (10 years, 3 months, 1 week and 6 days) Location Iraq Nineveh Province Saladin Province Kirkuk Governorate Iraqi Kurdistan Anbar Governorate Syria Ar-Raqqah Governorate (hostage rescue attempt 4 July 2014) Eastern Syria (surveillance flights 26 August 2014 – present) Syria (US and coalition airstrikes 23 September 2014–present) Result Ongoing U.S. and French airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Iraq British Royal Air Force sorties in Northern Iraq U.S. and Arab airstrikes on Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra positions in Syria Multinational humanitarian effort 2 American journalists, 2 British humanitarian worker and 1 French tourist executed; expansion of intervention
Belligerents
Assyrian Forces Syriac Military Council Assyrian Patriotic Party Assyrian Democratic Movement Hezbollah Iran Qods Force Syria Syrian Armed Forces National Defence Force Jaysh al-Sha'bi Popular Front for the Liberation of the Liwa of Iskandarun Iraq Shiite militias Kurdish Forces Iraqi Kurdistan Peshmerga Syrian Kurdistan People's Protection Units Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan Kurdistan Workers' Party Coalition Forces Intervening in Syria & Iraq: United States Only intervening in Iraq: Australia Belgium Canada Denmark France Netherlands United Kingdom Only intervening in Syria: Bahrain Jordan Qatar Saudi Arabia UAE Humanitarian support With military aid: Spain Germany Greece Italy Unnamed Middle Eastern countries Unnamed Eastern European countries Netherlands Czech Republic Albania Bulgaria Croatia Without military aid: European Commission Slovakia Sweden Norway Poland	Islamic State Iraqi Ba'ath Party loyalists Naqshbandi Army General Military Council for Iraqi Revolutionaries Supreme Command for Jihad and Liberation al-Qaeda Ansar al-Islam al-Nusra Front (alleged limited involvement) Khorasan Sunni Islamist militias File:IAILogo.png Islamic Army in Iraq Mujahideen Army 1920 Revolution Brigade Hamas of Iraq
Commanders and leaders
Barack Obama Lloyd Austin Andrew J. Loiselle Tony Abbott David Johnston Craig Orme François Hollande Jean-Yves Le Drian Pierre de Villiers Mark Rutte Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert David Cameron Nick Clegg Bashar al-Assad Ali Abdullah Ayyoub Ali Khamenei Hossein Hamadani Qassem Suleimani Hassan Nasrallah Masoud Barzani Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa Mustafa Said Qadir Fuad Masum Nouri al-Maliki Haider al-Abadi	Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Abu Mohammad al-Adnani Abu Hajar al-Souri † (Top Aide) Ali Mohammed al-Shayer †(Senior ISIL Leader) Adnan Khudhair †(Senior ISIL Leader) Okasha al-Baghdadi †(Senior ISIL Leader) Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri File:IAILogo.png Ismail Jubouri Ali Hatem al-Suleiman
Strength
United States: 1,800 troops 7,000 contractors USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group F-15 Eagle, F-16 Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-22 Raptor fighter jets B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft EA-6B Prowler & EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft Australia: 600 troops 200 special forces troops 8 F/A-18 Super Hornet 1 Boeing 737 AEW&C surveillance aircraft 1 KC-30A refueling plane C-130J Hercules & C-17A Globemaster transport aircraft 1 Transport Ship Netherlands: 6 F-16 Falcon fighters 250 supporting troops 130 trainers for the Iraqi Army Denmark: 7 F-16 Falcon fighters 250 supporting troops Belgium: 6 F-16 Falcon fighters 120 supporting troops Canada: 100 troops Cargo flights Germany: 40 troops United Kingdom: 1 Boeing RC-135 Reconnaissance aircraft 8 Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft 1 Type 45 destroyer 1 Trafalgar-class submarine (SSN) Special forces including the Special Air Service (SAS) and additional cargo aircraft & air to air tanker aircraft on standby in the area. Spain: Spain planned to station a Patriot missile battery and 130 troopers in Turkey in case of any cross-border attacks against its NATO ally, but only after January 2015. Islamic Republic of Iran: 500 troops 7 Su-25 fighters	Islamic State: 20,000 troops Army of the Men of the Naqshbandi Order: 5,000+ Islamic Army in Iraq: 10,400 (2007) Free Iraqi Army: 2,500
Casualties and losses
United States 1 American soldier dead (non-combat) 1 American soldier wounded 1 American civilian captured 2 American civilians (James Foley and Steven Sotloff) executed 1 American F-15 damaged. 1 UAV crashed France 1 French civilian executed United Kingdom 2 British aid worker executed. 1 British civilian captured Jordan 1 Jordaninan soilder wounded (Unconfirmed)	Unknown number of fighters killed 162 vehicles 21 weapons systems (as of mid-September) 1 weapons depot destroyed

The 2014 military intervention against ISIS began after a year of minimal conflict with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) in which fighting intensified between the Syrian Arab Army and ISIS forces following a major ISIS offensive in northeastern Syria. ISIS gains resulted in the capture of Syrian army equipment and a general strengthening of its position both in Syria and in neighboring Iraq.

In response to the rapid advance of ISIS forces, Iran began in June deploying ground troops and aircraft to Iraq. The US followed in August when United States President Barack Obama began to deploy US military forces to Iraq, to defend American assets and to advise Iraqi government forces. In August 2014, the US military began an aerial campaign against radical Islamists in northern Iraq, followed by a similar campaign against Islamic State and Al Qaeda militants in Syria. In addition to military efforts, the United States also mounted a considerable humanitarian effort to assist ethnic minorities in northern Iraq who are under the threat of genocide by ISIS.

In August, speaking about US involvement in Iraq, President Barack Obama said "this is going to be a long-term project". The military effort subsequently expanded to protect Iraqi infrastructure and provide air cover to Iraqi troops. Since the commencement and expansion of American airstrikes against the Islamic State, Kurdish and Iraqi forces have been able to reverse significant extremist advances and retake control of the Mosul Dam, the largest dam in Iraq. In late August, when asked by reporters about his plans regarding military options in response to gains made by ISIS, President Obama replied “we don’t have a strategy yet”. President Obama announced on 10 September 2014 that he would begin to pursue airstrikes in Syria with or without Congressional approval; he also announced that the number of airstrikes in Iraq would increase. The French Air Force joined the US and initiated airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq on 19 September 2014. On 23 September 2014, the US military as well as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan initiated airstrikes in the vicinity of Raqqa, Syria. Meanwhile, in uncoordinated operations, Syrian forces have further engaged ISIS in a ground offensive.

Offensive operations by American military forces did not have an official code name at the onset of airstrikes in Iraq, unlike previous campaigns in the country such as Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003–10 and Operation New Dawn from 2010–11. In late September 2014, six weeks after the US began attacks against the Islamic State in Iraq and five days after operations expanded into Syria, the Department of Defense said that there were still "no plans at this point" to assign the operation a code name. On 3 October, after 55 days and 324 airstrikes conducted in total, the U.S. decided it would give the operation a codename. There is no official reason why one had not been assigned by that point and several names are being considered.

Syrian air and ground forces

In fierce fighting in mid-July, ISIS troops captured the headquarters of the Syrian Arab Army's 17th division in Raqqa. Approximately 250 Syrian troops captured by ISIS during the attack on Raqqa were subsequently executed. A week later, the group overran the base of the Syrian army's 121st Regiment in Hasakah. The 93rd Brigade capitulated to ISIS fighters on August 6.

On 28 August, Syria began airstrikes against ISIS forces in Deir al-Zor as a prelude to ground action. On September 15, Syrian special forces destroyed a bridge in Deir al-Zor that was being used by ISIS to move supplies between Syria and Iraq. The attack occurred simultaneous with sweeping Syrian Arab Air Force airstrikes against ISIS positions in the central and eastern parts of the country.

United States ground forces

In July, Obama announced that owing to the continuing violence in Iraq and the growing influence of non-state actors such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the United States would be elevating its security commitment in the region. Approximately 800 U.S. troops secured American installations like the Embassy in Baghdad and the Consulate in Erbil as well as seizing control of strategic locations like the Baghdad airport.

U.S. forces also undertook a mission to "assess and to advise [Iraqi security forces] as they confront [ISIS] and the complex security situation on the ground.” Reports from these American units about the capabilities of the current Iraqi military have been consistently grim, viewing them as "compromised" by sectarian interests.

On 13 August, the U.S. deployed another 130 military advisers to Northern Iraq.

On 13 August, up to 20 U.S. Marines and special forces servicemen landed on Mount Sinjar from V-22 aircraft to coordinate the evacuation of Yazidi refugees. A team of British SAS was already in the area.

On 3 September, a net increase of 350 servicemen was announced to be sent to Baghdad, increasing U.S. forces in Baghdad to 820, and increasing U.S. forces in Iraq to 1,213.

On 10 September, Obama gave a speech in which he reiterated that American troops will not fight in combat. He also said that about 500 more troops will be sent to Iraq to help train Iraqi forces.

Attempts to rescue James Foley

Main article: 2014 American rescue mission in Syria

On 4 July, U.S. fighter planes bombed the "Osama bin Laden" ISIS military base in the village of Uqayrishah, Syria. Two dozen American Delta Force commandos then touched down near the village in an effort to rescue American journalist James Foley. American forces blocked off the road to the village from the city of Raqqa, but soon encountered resistance from ISIS fighters. On the ground, the American commandos killed several of the fighters, while suffering one casualty. U.S. forces soon came to the conclusion that the hostages were not at the site and abandoned the hostage rescue attempt.

On 19 August 2014, a video emerged over the internet of an ISIS man clothed in black, holding a dagger and standing over an orange-clothed Foley. The video shows Foley criticizing the U.S. government, saying that he desired to have more time to be with his family. The ISIS man in the video, speaking English with a British accent, is seen berating the Obama administration over U.S. attacks against the Islamic State, claiming that ISIS represents the entire Muslim population around the world, who have supposedly accepted them as a caliphate. He then goes on to behead Foley with a knife. In the latter part of the video, he is shown holding another man by the collar – Steven Joel Sotloff, and threatens to murder him if the U.S. government does not comply with ISIS demands.

Military intervention in Iraq

Main articles: 2014 Iranian-led intervention in Iraq and 2014 American-led intervention in Iraq

Iranian airstrikes and ground operations

In June, Iran committed approximately 500 soldiers of the elite Qods Force to Iraq to help shore-up that nation's government in the face of ISIS advances. Qods Force personnel were deployed to Samarra, Baghdad, Karbala, and the abandoned U.S. military post formerly known as Camp Speicher.

Between June 30 and July 1, seven Su-27 aircraft were sent by Iran to al-Rashid and, later, to al-Muthanna air base, where they operated against ISIS with bi-national Iranian/Iraqi crews. On July 25, Qods Force soldier Shojaat Alamdari was killed in Samarra while operating as a forward air controller in action against ISIS.

In addition to its commitment of ground troops and air support, an unknown number of drones have been supplied by Iran to Iraq. Further reports have indicated that former Qods Force commander Qassem Suleimani is acting as the Iraqi government's "chief tactician" during the anti-ISIS operations.

Hezbollah ground operations

In July, Hezbollah sent an undisclosed number of technical advisers and intelligence analysts to Baghdad in support of the Iranian deployment in Iraq. Later the same month, Hezbollah commander Ibrahim al-Hajj was reported killed in action near Mosul. At least one Hezbollah official has indicated the party will continue to operate independently, or in concert with Iraqi and Iranian forces, against ISIS and will not cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition concurrently operating against ISIS. Mohammad Raad dismissed the NATO-centered coalition as neither serious nor sufficient to counter ISIS and noted that Hezbollah had initiated military operations against the Islamic State prior to United States involvement.

Russian operations

In July, Russia began supplying Mi-35 helicopters and Su-25 aircraft to Iraq in fulfillment of previously signed contracts. A spokesman indicated Russia would accelerate other previously agreed-upon deliveries in consideration of ISIS advances.

On 7 August, global media widely quoted Kurdish and Iraqi government sources as saying that the United States had begun carrying out airstrikes against IS positions in northern Iraq, showing evidence of the strikes and their aftermath. However, the U.S. government immediately denied the involvement of American warplanes and anonymous sources told The Daily Beast that the aircraft were being flown by Russians.

In September, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov informed Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi that Moscow was "ready to continue supporting Iraq in its efforts in fighting the terrorist threat, and, first of all, the one from the Islamic State.”

American airstrikes

President Obama speaks about the "game plan" for dealing with ISIL.

Locations where the U.S has launched airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq (as of September 16th.)

U.S. Navy F/A-18 fighters bomb Islamic State artillery targets on August 8, 2014.

U.S. forces have been undertaking reconnaissance missions over northern Iraq, both by drone and F-18 Hornet aircraft, since the early summer of 2014.

On the evening of 7 August, President Obama gave a live address to the Nation. He described the worsening conditions in Iraq and said that the plight of the Yazidis, a religious minority in northern Iraq threatened with extinction at the hands of the Islamic State, in particular had convinced him that U.S. military action was necessary. The President said that he had ordered military action to protect American lives, protect minority groups in Iraq, and to stop a possible Islamic State advance on Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region.

On 8 August, U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighters bombed Islamic State artillery units. Four U.S. fighters later bombed an Islamic State military convoy. Another round of U.S. airstrikes in the afternoon struck 8 Islamic State targets near Erbil. Armed drones as well as fixed wing aircraft were used in the U.S. attacks. The F/A-18s were launched from the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. A Navy official said that the two planes involved in the airstrikes were Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing 8, of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

On 9 August, U.S. forces again launched a series of 4 air attacks against Sunni fighters, this time primarily aimed at armored fighting vehicles. A combination of US warplanes and drones destroyed four armored personnel carriers and at least one unarmored fighting vehicle near Sanjin, in northwestern Iraq.

On 10 August, U.S. forces launched a series of 5 air attacks against the Islamic State, which targeted armed vehicles as well as a mortar position. Assisted by these air attacks, Kurdish forces claimed to have recaptured the towns of Mahmour and Gweyr from Islamic State control. Additional Iraqi airstrikes conducted in Sinjar claim to have killed 45 ISIS militants and injured an additional 60 militants.

The Pentagon characterized airstrikes as stopgap military actions that would not be able to significantly disrupt Islamic State activities.

On 14 August, U.S air-strikes and Kurdish ground forces had broken the ISIS siege of Mount Sinjar, allowing thousands of Yazidi refugees to escape. This made an American ground intervention to rescue the Yazidis stranded on the mountaintop unlikely. The U.S. announced a shift in focus to arming the Kurds and reversing ISIL gains.

On 16 August, U.S. drones and warplanes began a close air campaign aimed at supporting the advance of Kurdish fighters moving toward the Mosul Dam. Kurdish sources commented that this was the largest American air effort yet seen in the war. The fate of the dam is not contested as of 18 August. The air campaign drove the Islamic State from the dam, for now. This marked a shift in the use of U.S. Forces. In a letter to Congress, President Obama explained that he would now also be using American power to protect Iraqi infrastructure and to pursue ISIS, even when they did not threaten the interests that he laid out during the initial commitment to the conflict.

On 8 September, the Iraqi army with close air support from U.S. F-18 aircraft manage to retake the key Haditha dam. Following the recapture, Iraqi troops moved on to recapture the town of Barwana. Iraqi state television reported that 15 Islamic State militants were killed in the battle. Following the recent Iraqi victory, ISIS responded with the public execution of David Haines.

On 16 September, following a speech by Barack Obama on the expansion of the air campaign over Iraq, the Iraqi Army requested U.S. close air support over an Islamic State firing position near the city. This indicated the first round of airstrikes authorized by Barack Obama to go outside the original plan and engage Islamic State militants with the authority of the Iraqi government. This marks the 162nd airstrike against the Islamic State.

By the end of September 2014, the United States Navy and Air Force had conducted 240 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, as well as 1,300 tanker refueling missions, totaling 3,800 sorties by all types of aircraft. A tactical arrangement is being used by local ground forces and American aircraft to coordinate close air support without needing U.S. troops in actual combat zones to call in strikes. In this arrangement, Kurdish and Iraqi forces in close contact with Islamic State fighters call in suggested targets to U.S. Joint terminal attack controllers (JTACs) based at Joint Operations Centers in Irbil and Baghdad. The JTACs then check the suggested targets through live-streaming video provided by intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft overhead to know where ground positions are to plan strike missions.

British airstrikes

Main article: Operation Shader

On September 26, the House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favor of British airstrikes in Iraq, with 524 votes in favor and 43 votes against. Hours later, six Tornado GR4 strike aircraft of No. 2 Squadron RAF stationed at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus were prepared for their first armed sorties over Iraq. The operation was given the code name "Operation Shader" by the Royal Air Force. Although the UK Parliament has only backed airstrikes in Iraq, Prime Minister David Cameron has insisted that there is also a "strong case" for airstrikes in Syria and British operations may extend to the country if a "humanitarian catastrophe" unfolds. He went on to state that any extension of airstrikes from Iraq into Syria would not require another House of Commons vote.

On September 27, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that the first two Tornado GR4 strike aircraft had begun flying armed sorties over Iraq.

French airstrikes

Main article: Opération Chammal

On September 19, the French air force used its Rafale jets to conduct airstrikes on ISIS targets in Mosul. The airstrikes were approved by French President François Hollande, which indicated that France was committed to fighting ISIS using air power alongside America. Hollande mentioned that no ground troops would be used in the conflict.

Military intervention in Syria

Further information: 2014 American intervention in Syria

Aerial surveillance

On 26 August, the U.S. began sending surveillance flights, including drones, into Syria as part of 2014 American Intervention in Syria to gather intelligence on ISIS targets in Syria. The flights started gathering intelligence that would aid any future U.S. airstrikes, however airstrikes have not yet been authorized. No approval was sought from the Syrian Arab Republic for the flights entering Syrian airspace.

Arming rebels

Also, on September 17, the House of Representatives voted on whether to allow the executive branch to train and arm Syrian rebels. The vote authorized the president to start doing so until December 11, paving the way for the US intervention in Syria.

Multi-national airstrikes

On 23 September, the U.S. and five Arab partners began airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria. Involved countries were the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain. Airstrikes involved fighters, bombers, and launching Tomahawk cruise missiles. The first night at least 20 targets were hit including command and control structures, Brigade 93 (a Syrian army base that the militants recently seized), and weapons and training facilities. Other airstrikes targeted the towns of Tabqa and Tel Abyad in Raqqa province according to reports from the ground.

Additionally, US forces launched eight strikes against Khorasan. At least 70 IS fighters, 50 fighters affiliated with al Qaeda, and civilians were killed in the strikes according to the SOHR.

Humanitarian efforts

See also: Persecution of Yazidis by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Sinjar massacre

Bottled water containers are loaded on a U.S. Air Force C-17 for an airdrop on August 8.

The United States, supported by international partners, has undertaken a large humanitarian effort to support refugees stranded in northern Iraq with airdropped supplies. In particular, on August 7, 2 Lockheed C-130 Hercules's and 1 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III dropped tens of thousands of meals and thousands of gallons of drinking water to Yazidi refugees stranded in the Sinjar mountains by advancing IS forces. On 9 August 2014, American planes again dropped humanitarian supplies over northern Iraq, this time consisting of 4,000 gallons of drinking water and 16,000 ready-to-eat meals.

On the night of 13/14 August a 16-aircraft mission including US C-17s and C-130Hs, a British C-130J, and an Australian C-130J airdropped supplies to Yezidi civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar in what was later described as "the first mass air delivery of humanitarian cargo since the outbreak of violence in East Timor in 1999."

Military aid

On 5 August 2014, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and the U.N., wrote in the Washington Post that the United States is involved in "the direct supply of munitions to the Kurds and, with Baghdad's agreement, the shipment of some Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program weapons to the Kurds."

The United States moved from indirectly supplying Kurdistan with small arms through the CIA to directly giving them weapons such as man-portable anti-tank systems.

Involvement by other countries

Further information: International Conferences on Peace and Security in Iraq (2014) and Spillover of the Syrian Civil War

The United Kingdom's initial role was supporting humanitarian efforts using Royal Air Force C-130's operating from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus along with surveillance provided by Panavia Tornado GR4s. The first such airdrop was made on August 10. It has also been announced that Boeing Chinooks will also be deployed. The British placed the Special Air Service on the ground briefly and are airlifting munitions to the Kurds from an unnamed Eastern European nation. Members of the 2nd Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment, has also been deployed to the area.

Australian involvement began after C-130J transport aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force based in the Middle East started airdropping humanitarian aid in Northern Iraq on August 13/14, 2014. RAAF C-17s were subsequently used to airlift arms and munitions to forces in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq in September. On 14 September the government announced that an Air Task Group (ATG) of up to eight F/A-18F Super Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C aircraft, and a KC-30A air-to-air refuelling tanker, along with a Special Operations Task Force would be deployed to the Middle East in preparation for possible operations against Islamic State forces. Australian armed forces operate from Al Minhad Air Base located in nearby United Arab Emirates. The ATG commenced operations on 1 October.

France plans to contribute to ongoing humanitarian efforts in Iraq, in addition to offering asylum to Iraqi Christians fleeing the violence. France is planning to ship arms directly to the Kurds. French Rafale fighter aircraft operating from the UAE have conducted reconnaissance flights of IS positions. On 19 September 2014, France bombed and destroyed an ISIS depot, marking the first military intervention by a Western country other than the U.S on Iraq.

Germany has a policy of not supplying arms to active combat zones, so Germany initially ruled out supplying military aid to the Kurds but ramped up humanitarian spending in Northern Iraq and sent 4 transport aircraft. Germany is shipping non-lethal military equipment to the Iraqi Central Government and the Kurdish Regional Government. Given the brutal situation, Germany continues to debate the direct shipment of arms.

Italy started Humanitarian support and then decided to give military aid to the Kurds. The prime minister of Italy Matteo Renzi visited Iraq and the Kurds on 20 August to consider the response to the terrorists of the ISIS. He said that without international involvement it would be a "new Srebrenica".

The European Commission announced it would boost humanitarian aid to Iraq to €17m, and approved special emergency measures to meet the crisis. On 15 August 2014, 20 of the 28 EU foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss military and humanitarian assistance. The EU issued a statement "The EU remains seriously concerned about the deterioration of the security situation in Iraq, and condemns in the strongest terms the attacks perpetrated by [IS] and other associated armed groups." The EU welcomed the "decision by individual Member States to respond positively to the call by the Kurdish regional authorities to provide urgently military material."

A number of Middle Eastern nations, which don't want their role revealed according to American officials, have agreed to provide small amounts of weaponry.

Sweden expressed support for military assistance by others but for legal reasons will only provide humanitarian support. Denmark has committed a C-130 transport aircraft and money for relief efforts.

Erbil-based BASNEWS reported that the Kurdistan Regional Government, in cooperation with the Iraqi and American governments will open a military air base in Erbil. Spokesman for the Peshmerga Ministry Halgurd Hikmat said that seven countries so far have agreed to supply weapons and military goods, being the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, and Finland.

On 4 September 2014 Canadian Prime Minister Harper announced that Canada would deploy "about 100" military advisers to be based in Baghdad assisting the Iraqi Military in the fight against ISIS. These personnel are special operations forces which will work closely with US special forces to "provide advice that will help the government of Iraq and its security forces be more effective against ISIL", but their role is not expected to be direct combat. CBC News reports that about 100 Canadians will be deployed, primarily to help Kurdish forces. On 3 October, Stephen Harper tabled a motion in the House of Commons that would authorize the deployment of six CF-18 fighter jets along with two surveillance aircraft and an air-to-air refueling aircraft. The stated goal of the deployments would be to participate in airstrikes against ISIS targets. Parliament is expected to vote on this motion on 6 October.

In late August, Albania and Croatia began sending arms to the Kurds. With the help of Western air transport systems, Albania has sent 22 million rounds of AK-47 7.62 millimeter bullets, 15,000 hand grenades and 32,000 artillery shells to the Kurdish forces. The armaments from Albania and Croatia are both particularly useful to the effort because of the fact that they are compatible with the Kurds' Russian made weapons systems which make up the majority of their equipment. Also Czech Republic sent (with the help of Royal Canadian Air Force) ammunition to the Kurds. The supply consisted of 10 million rounds for AK-47, 8 million rounds for machinegun, 5,000 warheads for RPG and 5,000 hand grenades. On September 24, 2014, both Netherlands and Belgium announced they will send six F-16 planes each.

Intervention in Iraqi politics

American politicians and the U.S. government have called for embattled Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who the U.S. has viewed as incompetent and too close to Iran, to step aside. In August 2014 several American officials openly sent messages of support to Iraqi president, and al-Maliki rival, Fuad Masum. This immediately weakened al-Maliki's attempt to form a coalition government, and on August 11 government officials said that his time limit to form the government had expired. On that day, al-Maliki opponent Haider Al-Abadi was nominated for the position of PM with American support, but has not formed a new government yet. He must do so by September 10, 2014. Al-Maliki refused to step down, but he warned his supporters in the Iraqi Army, who have convened in Baghdad, not to take military action against Fuad Masum's coalition.

On 15 August 2014, al-Maliki announced that he would step down as prime minister. The move was lauded by the U.S. government. On September 9, 2014, Haider al-Abadi formed the new government and is the official prime minister. The US State Department expressed hope that this can unite the country.

Response

Template:Globalize/US The initial decision to intervene in Iraq was met with bipartisan support in the United States Congress. However, the extent and future of the intervention was disputed. Members of the Republican Party tended to favor greater intervention against ISIS. Members of the Democratic Party tended to support limited humanitarian missions, but feared for the emergence of mission creep.

US President Obama has received significant criticism for his decision to re-involve the US into a conflict in Iraq. The President's opponents on the right contend that this second Iraq conflict confirms that his earlier Iraq Withdrawal strategy was shortsighted, vindicating criticism from his previous electoral opponents, John McCain and Mitt Romney, who had campaigned on the platform that his withdrawal plan was flawed. Whereas critics opposed to intervention contend that past occupation policies such as De-Ba'athfication and disbanding Iraq's military served as a proximate cause for much of the sectarian strife and renewed intervention risks aggravating sectarian tensions and driving secular Sunni insurgents closer to ISIS.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed on 27 August 2014, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized efforts in September 2013 to attack the Syrian Assad regime in response to the Ghouta chemical attack. In particular he stated that if former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's supported airstrikes were conducted that the Syrian "new regime might well be ISIS." He also criticized "hawkish" Republicans for the same reason, while noting that the Islamic State is "a threat that should be taken seriously."

A Washington Post editorial criticized the American effort to reunite Iraq, claiming that the country was irreconcilably divided. William Hartung, writing in Stars and Stripes, worried that the intervention is likely to have negative consequences, noting the inability to leave the country during the Iraq War.

According to Seth Jones, a terrorism expert with RAND Corporation, US airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq “could increase the likelihood that ISIS or somebody inspired by ISIS, would strike against the homeland.” The experts believe that the group will be more eager to act against the US if they are attacked. Ramzi Mardini in the New York Times similarly wrote that armed intervention would lead to increase blowback risk of terrorism against US. On the other hand, according to Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy "they are likely planning attacks whether the U.S. conducts targeted air strikes or not." “In my opinion, we should destroy them as soon as possible.” he says. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the Republican party including John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and John Boehner have likewise called for greater military strikes in the region to contain the Islamic State.

Hillary Clinton criticized the need to intervene in Iraq as being driven by presidential policy that was weak on the Middle East, failing to stifle ISIS's creation, or to do enough to combat international jihadism in the region.

An editorial in Vox defined the intervention as being limited to Kurdistan, effectively allowing the Islamic State to control a large part of Iraq in the absence of any other occupying power. The editorial argued that Kurdistan is a stabler area and will be a better ally for the US, moreover defending just Iraqi Kurdistan will not be very costly.

The disclosure of the failed hostage rescue attempt of James Foley and Steven Joel Sotloff has been criticized by Congressman Buck McKeon, among others, claiming that carrying out similar S. military operations in the future would face greater risk. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that the operation was disclosed by the White House after consultation with the Pentagon and because news media were preparing to leak the story otherwise.

International responses

International organizations and nations both supported and opposed the military action against the Islamic State.

Support military action

Governments

• Syria has “no reservations” about airstrikes against ISIS and wants to work with Washington to tackle the militants, the country’s deputy foreign minister told NBC News. He urged the US to join with Syria in the fight against ISIS, suggesting a broad coalition against the militants that would also include Russia, China and Iran. One former official said that as long as the attacks were confined to ISIS the regime would not intervene.
• Vatican City

Supranational bodies

• Arab League
• NATO

Oppose military action

Governments

• Ecuador opposes airstrikes in Syria without the government's consent.
• Iran opposes airstrikes in Syria without the government's consent.
• Russia opposes airstrikes and arming rebels as a violation of Syrian sovereignty. Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that "There is reason to suspect that Syrian government forces could also come under fire, with serious consequences for further escalation of tensions."
• Venezuela – At the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations, President Nicolas Maduro stated that "It's President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian government which have stopped the terrorists" and continued by saying "Instead of bombing and bombing, we must make an alliance for peace".

See also

• 2014 American intervention in Syria
• Northern Iraq offensive (June 2014)
• Northern Iraq offensive (August 2014)
• Assyrian exodus from Iraq
• Christians in Iraq
• Yazidi genocide
• Spillover of the Syrian Civil War