Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)

Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
Part of the Military intervention against ISIL

Present territorial control of Iraq, ISIL (Gray), Iraqi Government (Red), Kurdish forces (Yellow), as of 28 April 2015
Date13 June 2014 – present
(10 months, 2 weeks and 2 days)
LocationIraq
Result

Ongoing

  • Iranian airstrikes on ISIL positions in Iraq
  • Iranian troops engaging ISIL in Iraq
  • Ground contact between Iranian-affiliated Iraqi militias and ISIL troops
Belligerents

 Iran
Hezbollah[1][2]

 Iraq
 Iraqi Kurdistan[3]

Shia militias:
Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq[4]
Badr Organization[4] Kata'ib Hezbollah[5]
Muqawimun[6]
Peace Brigades[7]
Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada[8]
Kata'ib al-Imam Ali[9]

Sunni tribal militias:

Christian militias:

Kataib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam[12]

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Ba'ath Party Loyalists[13]
Commanders and leaders
Units involved

Iran Iranian Armed Forces

Iraq Iraqi Armed Forces

Kurdistan Regional Government

 Military of ISIL
Strength

Iran Iran:

Around 100,000 fighters (according to Iraqi Kurdistan Chief of Staff.)[23]
1 Mi-28 or Mi-24 Helicopter[24]
At least a few hundred tanks[25]

3 Drones[26][27][28]
Casualties and losses

Iran Iran:

Hezbollah:

  • 1 commander killed
 Unknown

Following the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) into northern Iraq in the summer of 2014, Iran began to provide military aid to counter the militant advance. Iran launched airstrikes against ISIL positions and provided combat troops and technical advisers to the Iraqi government, Shia militias, and Iraqi Kurdistan.[30][31][32]

The Quds Force, along with Iran's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, are equipping, training, advising, and directing the Iraqi Shia militia (such as Kata'ib Hezbollah, Badr Organization, and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq) against ISIL. The militia became increasingly powerful after the 2014 advance of ISIL and comparable to the Iraqi security forces.

Intervention

Iran and Iraq locator map
Iraq's U.S.-trained army, shown here in 2008, largely disintegrated in the face of the ISIL offensive.

Strategy and tactics

Tehran's strategic objectives in its intervention in Iraq include keeping Iraq's allied Shia-led government in power and stabilizing its own border.[33][34]

Iran has attempted to limit its overt military involvement in Iraq as a strategy geared toward avoiding the polarization of Iraq's Sunni minority, creating popular backlash against Iran among Iraqis, or deepening sectarian tensions.[34] Most Iranian aid has thus far come in the form of technical assistance, the commitment of special forces troops, and air support. Iranian Brigadier-General Massoud Jazayeri stated that Iran could best help Iraq by providing it direction on its "successful experiments in popular all-around defense" that included "mobilizing masses of all ethnic groups."[35] Iran believes cooperation and unity among Iraq's fractious militias is essential in its battle against ISIL.[33] Ali Khamenei, in remarks delivered on September 15, 2014, credited "the people of Iraq, the Iraqi Armed Forces and the popular forces" for halting the ISIL advance of the previous summer.[36]

The Washington Post reported Iran has sent more than 1,000 military advisers to Iraq, airstrikes and spent more than $1 billion on military aid.[37]

Timeline

June 2014

In June, Iran deployed approximately 500 soldiers of the Revolutionary Guard's Qods Force to Iraq.[17] Qods Force personnel were deployed to Samarra, Baghdad, Karbala, and the former U.S. military post known as Camp Speicher.[16] In early summer, Iran also began shipping small arms and ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga at the request of the Kurdistan government.[3]

On June 13, Iraqi troops backed by Qods Force units operating out of Samarra claimed to have regained control of Dhuluiyah in Saladin Province,[38] Meanwhile, former Qods Force commander Qassem Suleimani arrived in Baghdad where he reportedly assumed the role of Iraq's "chief tactician" in dealing with ISIL.[4]

On June 19, ISIL troops attacked Iranian border guards near Iran’s border city of Qasre Shirin.[39]

By the end of the month, Iran had established a special control center at Al-Rasheed Air Base in Baghdad and was flying a "small fleet" of Ababil drones over Iraq. According to the reports, an Iranian signals intelligence unit had also been deployed at the airfield to intercept electronic communications between ISIL fighters and commanders.[40] That same day, Qods Force soldier Shojaat Alamdari was killed in Samarra.[16]

Also in June, Hezbollah reportedly set-up a dedicated command center in Lebanon to monitor developments in Iraq.[41] Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah later said that the party was "ready to sacrifice martyrs in Iraq five times more than what we sacrificed in Syria in order to protect shrines."[42]

July 2014

Between June 30 and July 1, seven Su-25 aircraft were sent by Iran to al-Rashid and, later, to al-Muthanna air base.[17] The aircraft were supported by bi-national Iranian/Iraqi ground crews who had been trained in Iran.[16] (During the 1991 Gulf War, seven Su-25s had been flown by the Iraqi air force to Iran as a temporary safe haven; Iran later kept the aircraft. It has been suggested these may be the same Su-25s.[43]) Later that month, Hezbollah sent an undisclosed number of technical advisers and intelligence analysts to Baghdad in support of the Iranian deployment in Iraq. Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah commander Ibrahim al-Hajj was reported killed in action near Mosul.[44] The news was followed by an August Reuters story which reported there were "dozens" of Hezbollah "battle-hardened veterans" in Iraq, while the Christian Science Monitor reported the party had deployed a 250-man unit "responsible for advising, training, and coordinating the Iraqi Shiite militias."[1][2]

August 2014

See also: Siege of Amirli

On August 21, Kurdish activists claimed to have spotted elements of Iran's 81st Armored Division entering southern Kurdistan near Jalawla. The reports have not been confirmed.[45] Al Jazeera reported a joint Iranian-Kurdish operation near Jalawla involving hundreds of Iranian troops who left the next day, but Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham dismissed the reports of any Iranian military presence in Iraq.[31]

There were unconfirmed reports of clashes between ISIL forces and Revolutionary Guard Corps units near Urmia on August 28.[46]

Between August 31 and September 1 the Iranian-equipped and Hezbollah-trained Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq and the Iranian-backed Kata'ib Hezbollah joined an Iraqi army assault to break the ISIL siege of Amerli. The attack was supported by the U.S. Air Force at the request of the Iraqi army, according to a statement by the U.S. Central Command.[5][47] (As of early 2014, reports characterized Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq as "controlled by Iran" and operating under the patronage of Qasem Soleimani.[48])

September 2014

In late September, Iranian general Ahmad Reza Pourdastan threatened to "attack deep into Iraqi territory" should ISIL forces approach the Iranian border.[49] Earlier in the month, the Iranian government announced it had arrested Afghan and Pakistani nationals attempting to "cross Iran" to join ISIL.[50]

There have been sporadic reports of ISIL troops in Iranian Kurdistan, these claims are unverified.[51]

October 2014

Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was reportedly "present on the battlefield" during Operation Ashura. The operation included Shi'ite paramilitary groups such as Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Kata'ib Hezbollah and the Badr brigades along with their leader Hadi Al-Amiri. Hezbollah was also present to provide technical advice and combat support for the allied offensive against the town of Jurf al-Sakhr.[52]

November 2014

See also: Battle of Baiji

On November 14, it was reported that the army had taken full control of Baiji, forcing ISIL forces to withdraw, and on 18 November, the anti-terrorism force Mosul Battalion entered the refinery for the first time since June. However, this could not be confirmed independently. If confirmed, it would be a major victory for Iraqi forces. State television said that they had entered the gates of the refinery.[53] Meanwhile, it was confirmed that Iraqi forces were in full control of Baiji. Iraqi state television said Baiji's recapture was a "Graveyard for ISIS".[54] Later, the US Department of State congratulated the Iraqi forces for retaking the country's largest oil refinery, confirming the Iraqi victory.[55]

At the end of the month,video showing Iranian airstrikes of ISIL targets in Iraq surfaced.[56] The US confirmed that F-4 Phantom jets from the Iranian Air Force had been targeting ISIL positions in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala but that it was up to Iraq to coordinate airspace use and the US was not coordinating with Iran.[57]

December 2014

On 27 December, IRGC Brigadier General Hamid Taqavi was killed in Samarra, Iraq, reportedly by an ISIL sniper.[58] He is the highest ranking Iranian military official to die in Iraq since Iran's military intervention began.[59] He was also reported to have participated in Operation Ashura which liberated areas south of Baghdad in and around the city of Jurf al-Sakhr.[60]

Early 2015

The Quds Force is heavily involved in supporting and directing the operation to liberate Tikrit from ISIS control, with Qasem Soleimani himself taking the lead in the battle of encirclement (the above diagram portrays the military situation as in early-mid March 2015).[61][62]

The offensive to liberate Tikrit was launched in the beginning of March[63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] (with the official start day of 1 March, when the president of Iraq, Hairar Al-Abadi formally ordered the retaking of Tikrit),[72] after many weeks of preparatory actions & manoeuvres. The offensive is reported to involve anywhere from 20,000,[73][74][75][76][77](including Sunni tribal militias), up to 30,000[78][79] allied fighters overall, with the most credible estimate coming from the chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey who based on intelligence reports gives the total count of 23,000 government & militia fighters.[80][80][80] The forces consist of 20,000 Shi'ite paramilitaries, 3,000 Iraqi security forces in addition to roughly 1,000 Sunni tribesman.[81]

As for the number of ISIS militants participating in the battle of Tikrit, there are fewer sources but the most plausible estimates put their numbers at a total of 13,000 fighters.[73][82][83] Although the chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey has put the estimated number of militants somewhere in the "hundreds",[84] however it is not clear whether he was referring to the number inside the city of Tikrit only, or the number of militants involved in the entire struggle in central Salahuddin province in defence of the provincial capital of Tikrit. The estimate of "hundreds" is put into further doubt after we take into consideration that even after losing many cities and suffering very heavy casualties,[85] the militants that were boxed into the heart of the city of Tikrit were reported to be somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 strong.[85][86]

The battle in central Salahuddin province is one of encirclement where the allies are attempting to surround the city of Tikrit by capturing the adjacent settlements and geographic features.[87] As seen on the military diagram on the right, the last remaining node which provides ISIS with a land bridge with the rest of its' territory is the town of al-Alam to the north east which is currently under assault by the allies (with the Badr brigades playing a leading role).[88] The city of al-Dour, located to the south of Tikrit on the east bank of the Tigris river, has been reportedly surrounded and captured in its entirety, however some government officials spoke of ongoing activities in the city.[89]

Although the U.S.-led coalition has not been directly involved in the offensive, Gen. Martin Dempsey has mentioned that the continuous air-strikes along the length and breadth of ISIS territories in Syria and Iraq have depleted the groups' capacity significantly and that the current offensive against Tikrit would not be militarily feasible if it were not for the air-strikes campaign in the preceding months throughout the country. The chairmen of the joint chiefs also maintained that Iran's overt role could be positive and could only become problematic if it descended into sectarianism.[90][91]

The operation involves an extremely heterogeneous force both politically as well as militarily, as it is made up of a multitude of Shi'ite paramilitary groups, the Iraqi armed forces, as well as a collection of Sunni tribal fighters, any of which are differently equipped, trained and organised. In these circumstances any coordination and combined operation is set to become a difficult or near impossible task and unsurprisingly the offensive is not considered "a sophisticated military manoeuvre".[84]

Progress throughout the battle has been relatively slow, due to the high number of IEDs (improvised explosive devices) ISIL has planted along the possible routes of advance towards Tikrit, necessitating that the allied commanders operate with diligence and caution. Another factor contributing to the slowed advance of the allied forces are the large number of snipers ISIS is utilizing in the battle for Tikrit.

On March 9 the allied forces extracted the city of Al-Alam from ISIL control and secured the crucial city which lies to the north east of Tikrit, in effect the last line of communication ISIS militants had left with their territories to the north. Thus the militants have been encircled and trapped.[92] Despite ISIS' efforts to forestall the rapid advance of the allies on the east of the Tigris river by blowing up the bridge leading to the city over the Tigris, the allies managed to mount an aggressive push across the river and establish a bridgehead,[71] though other sources report that the destruction of the bridge momentarily held up the advance in this sector with a source saying that “ISIS jihadists blew up a vital bridge over the Tigris River, which may delay the progress operations in the eastern parts of Tikrit”.[93][94] ISIS has been suffering heavy casualties, with reports of their dead littering the streets[85] and with only 2,500-3,000 militants left to make a last stand in the city of Tikrit itself.[85]

Casualties

Iran

In late June 2014, three Iranian border guards were killed along the border in western Kermanshah province by an alleged “terrorist group”, however it is unclear if the assailants were members of PJAK or ISIL.[95]

There are at least 11 confirmed Iranians killed in Iraq:

Name Rank/Affiliation Date Place
Alireza Moshajari Captain, Saberin Special Forces[96] 14 June 2014[97] Disputed[97]
Kamal Shirkhani Colonel, Quds Force[98] Mid-June 2014[98] Samarra[98]
Shoja'at Alamdari Mourjani Colonel, Aerospace Force Fighter pilot[98] early July 2014[98] Samarra[98]
Hamid Taqavi Brigadier General, Quds Force[99] 28 December 2014[99] Samarra[99]
Mehdi Norouzi Unknown, Basij[100] 10 January 2015[100] Samarra[100]
Hossein Shakeri Unknown, alleged "War photographer"[101] 23 January 2015[101] Samarra[101]
Reza Hosseini-Moghadam Unknown, alleged "IRGC Commander"[102] 7 February 2015[102] Samarra[102]
Mohammad-Hadi Zolfaghari Unknown[103] mid February 2015[103] Samarra[103]
Sadeq Yari Goldarreh Unknown, alleged "Quds Force Commander"[104] 20 March 2015[104] Tikrit[104]
Ali Yazdani Unknown, IRGC[105] 23 March 2015[105] Tikrit[105]
Hadi Jafari Unknown, IRGC[105] 23 March 2015[105] Tikrit[105]

Hezbollah

In late July 2014, it was reported Ibrahim al-Haj, a Hezbollah "technical specialist involved in training" was killed near Mosul.[106][107]

Political dimension

In Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said "we do respect this Iranian commander and our collaboration with him is not a secret", adding that Iran was quick in sending arms to Iraq and helping Baghdad when ISIS captured the country’s Sunni provinces.

Iraqi leader Hadi al-Amiri said that "If it were not for the cooperation of the Islamic republic of Iran and General Suleimani, we would not today have a government headed by Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad".[108] During the Second battle of Tikrit, Hadi al-Amiri said US has failed to live up to its promises to help Iraq fight ISIL, unlike the "unconditional" assistance being given by Iran.[109]

On December 31, 2014, Defence Ministers of Iran and Iraq signed a military pact to combat ISIS.[110]

"Iranians will try to calm the fears of the Sunnis instead of persecuting them because the Iranian officials know that it is in their best interest to keep the Iraq united," said Hadi Jalo, a Baghdad-based political analyst. "For the Iranians, it is easier to dominate one country instead of three separate states."[111]

Iran's attempts at a non-sectarian and inclusive policy in Iraq are also evident in its programmes of arming & training Sunni and more recently Christian militias[12] in the effort to fight ISIL both militarily & politically by de-legitimising the militant groups sectarian philosophy.

International reaction to Iranian intervention

Iran, Hezbollah Reaction to American-led intervention in Iraq

At the same time as the Iranian intervention into Iraq, a parallel American-led intervention was occurring. Neither nation is known to have cooperated with the other in combating ISIL. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has dismissed U.S. involvement, noting that "Iran, from the very first moment, did not hesitate in fighting against terrorism. Other countries apparently had their doubts for quite some time ... they acted quite late in the game.”[125] Rouhani went on to question the level of American commitment, noting that the U.S. had not committed ground troops, as Iran had[126] - with, according to The Economist, Iranian officials boasting of being the ground force for America’s air strikes.[127]

On September 29, in response to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the United States wanted "to find out if they [Iran] will come on board" the American-led intervention, Ali Khamenei declared the U.S. position on ISIL as "absurd, hollow and biased.” Nonetheless, Khamenei also noted that some Iranian government officials were "not against" cooperation with the United States, explaining that he had personally quashed the suggestion of joint action against ISIL.[36] In follow-up remarks, the Iranian-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah declared it would "not fight alongside the American troops under any kind of conditions whatsoever," adding that its only contact with the United States military would be “if we fight each other.”[114]

At least one Hezbollah official has indicated the party will continue to operate independently, or in concert with Iraqi and Iranian forces, against ISIL and will not cooperate with the U.S.-led coalition concurrently operating against ISIL. Mohammad Raad dismissed the NATO-centered coalition as neither serious nor sufficient to counter ISIL and noted that Hezbollah had initiated military operations against the ISIL prior to United States involvement.[128]

Despite the cool reception given by Iran and its allies to the United States intervention, some observers believe the U.S. coalition will eventually be forced into brokering an alliance with Tehran. Eyal Zisser of Tel Aviv University has explained that “the West is helpless and does not know what to do against the Islamic State" and that it will ultimately conclude it has no choice but to ally with Iran.[129]

See also

References

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