Saturday, August 9, 2014

The Iraq-ISIS Conflict in Maps, Photos and Video

The Iraq-ISIS Conflict in Maps, Photos and Video

The Iraq-ISIS Conflict in Maps, Photos and Video

Refugees Displaced From Recent Fighting in Sinjar
Published August 8
As many as 40,000 people are trapped on Mount Sinjar and some 200,000 have fled to other parts of northern Iraq. American planes have dropped enough food and water for about 8,000 people in the area. Most of the refugees are Yazidis, members of a religious minority group allied with the Kurds, from towns at the foot of the mountain range. Related article »

SYRIA
IRAQ
NORTH
Sinuni
About 5 miles
From Sinjar

About 13 miles
TO BORDER
Khana
Sor
ABOUT 70
MILES TO
MOSUL
Sinjar Mountains
Elevation 4,449 ft.
Kursi
Road
controlled
by isis
25 miles

Bara
Sinjar
Jaddala
Area
visible
Sukainiya
Mosul
IRAQ
Baghdad
Armed clashes reported
this week
ABOUT 250 MILES TO BAGHDAD
U.S. Strikes Militants Near Erbil
Published August 8
American jets attacked mobile artillery vehicles that had been shelling Kurdish targets in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region. The city has boomed since the American-led invasion of Iraq. It is home to a growing expatriate community of investment consultants and oil executives, as well as to an American consulate. Related article »

Mosul
Islamist militants have controlled Iraq's second-largest city since June 10.
Mosul Dam
Captured by
militants on
Thursday.
ABOUT 150 MILES
TO BAGHDAD
Iraq
Mahmour
Bombed by American
jets on Friday.
Gwer
Bombed on Thursday.
About 40
miles TO
ERBIL
About 35
miles TO
ERBIL

Kalak
Historic citadel
of Erbil
United States Consulate
is in this neighborhood
Chammah
ERBIL
AIRPORT
Area
visible
Erbil
Erbil
Kurdish capital
IRAQ
Baghdad
NORTH
Sources: American and Kurdish officials
What Does ISIS Control?
Updated August 7
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has solidified control over large portions of both countries. Recent developments:1 ISIS militants captured the Mosul Dam.2 U.S. planes dropped food and water on Mount Sinjar, where as many as 40,000 Iraqis were stranded after death threats from ISIS.3 Bombings reported late Thursday were said to target ISIS fighters who had seized Gwer and Mahmour.4 Militants stormed Arsal, a town near the border in Lebanon. Related article »
Abu KamalMosulRaqqaSinjarFallujaHawijaDeir HafirArsalMosul DamKirkukJordanTurkeyIranKuwaitDamascusBaghdadAleppoHomsErbilBasraKarbalaNajafIraqSyria1234
Areas of ISIS Influence
Key controlled locations
Full control
Recurring attacks
Iraq’s Tangle of Insurgent Groups
Published July 12
Though ISIS has grown to be the most powerful militant group in Iraq, its foothold in the country relies on negotiating a shifting tangle of smaller groups and alliances. This is a snapshot of the active militant groups in provinces north and west of Baghdad, based on information from the Pentagon and other U.S. officials and reporting by Times journalists in Iraq. Related article »

Naqshbandia Order/J.R.T.N.

Baathist
Active in: Diyala, Salahuddin
ISIS relationship: Fighting
Established in 2007, the group's reputed leader was a high-ranking deputy in Saddam Hussein's regime. The group is believed to have initially assisted ISIS in its push south from Mosul.

1920 Revolution Brigades

Baathist
Active in: Diyala, Anbar
ISIS relationship: Fighting in some areas
Formed by disaffected Iraqi Army officers who were left without jobs after the Americans dissolved the military in 2003.

Islamic Army of Iraq

Salafist
Active in: Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar
ISIS relationship: Periodic fighting
ISIS has targeted family members of the leadership of this group, which has long had a presence in Diyala and has been involved in past sectarian battles.

Mujahedeen Army

Salafist
Active in: Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar
ISIS relationship: Truce
A nationalist Islamist group that advocates overthrowing the Iraqi government.

Khata'ib al-Mustapha

Salafist
Active in: Diyala
ISIS relationship: Truce
Islamic militants who fight against the government.

Army of Muhammad

Salafist
Active in: Anbar
ISIS relationship: Allies
Islamic militants who fight against the government.

Khata'ib Tawrat al-Ashreen

Anti-government Sunni Tribe
Active in: Diyala, Salahuddin
ISIS relationship: Truce
Sunni tribes opposed to the Iraqi government.

Ansar al-Islam/Ansar al-Sunna

Islamist Jihadist
Active in: Diyala
ISIS relationship: Fighting
An Al Qaeda-affiliated group that has led a number of deadly attacks in Iraq over the years.
Opportunity and Hazard for Iraq’s Kurds
Published July 10
In northern Iraq, Kurds control a semiautonomous region that is more economically secure because of access to oil, and relatively stable because of a well-trained military force known as the pesh merga.

Recent gains by militants in Iraq prompted the pesh merga to take control of towns (), including the oil-rich area around Kirkuk. The regional government hopes to hold a referendum on independence soon, but faces pressure from the United States and other countries to remain a part of Iraq.
Related article »
Sources: Dr. M. Izady, Columbia University’s Gulf 2000 project, Caerus Associates, Long War Journal, Institute for the Study of War

Turkey
PREDOMINANTLY
KURDISH AREAS
Iran
Al Kasik
military base
Rabia
Aleppo
Mosul
Sinjar
Kirkuk
Syria
Tuz
Khurmatu
Leb.
Khanaqin
Kurdish autonomous region
Damascus
Baghdad
Iraq
JORDAN
Amman
Najaf
Refugees From Two Countries in Turmoil
Published June 29
More than a million Iraqis have been displaced this year, according to new estimates by the United Nations, worsening a regional refugee crisis stemming from Syria’s civil war. Related article »
Source: United Nations

turkey
Syrian RefugeesMost of the Syrians who have been displaced have fled to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Nearly all of those fleeing to Iraq have gone to the Kurdish autonomous region.
iran
Mosul
Raqqa
Erbil
Aleppo
Kurdish
autonomous
region
Kirkuk
syria
lebanon
Damascus
Thousands of
refugees at
destination
Baghdad
iraq
ISRAEL
jordan
10
100
Saudi Arabia
turkey
iran
Displaced IraqisThe rapid advance of Sunni militants from Mosul toward Baghdad displaced an estimated 500,000 Iraqis in recent weeks, adding to the hundreds of thousands displaced earlier this year. Many have gone to the already crowded camps in the Kurdish autonomous region.
Mosul
Raqqa
Erbil
Aleppo
Kirkuk
syria
leb.
Damascus
iraq
Baghdad
jordan
Amman
ISRAEL
Saudi Arabia
How Syria and Iraq’s Borders Evolved
Published June 26
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is trying to establish its own Sunni state across borders that have their origins in the Ottoman Empire and post World War I diplomacy. Related article »
Sources: Rand, McNally & Co. World Atlas (1911 Ottoman Empire map); United Kingdom National Archives (Sykes-Picot); Dr. M. Izady, Columbia University’s Gulf 2000 project (religious and ethnic map)
  • Ottoman Empire
  • Sykes-Picot Agreement
  • Current Boundaries

Ottoman provincial borders
Current borders
Adana
Turkey
Persia
Aleppo
Aleppo
Nicosia
Mosul
Iran
Zor
Beirut
Syria
Lebanon
Beirut
Lebanon
Damascus
Baghdad
Syria
Iraq
Beirut
Baghdad
Tel Aviv
Amman
Jerusalem
Israel
Basra
Jordan
Jerusalem
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Kuwait

Sykes-Picot
Current borders
Turkey
French Control
Aleppo
Independent Arab states
under French influence
Nicosia
Iran
Syria
Lebanon
British
Control
Beirut
Damascus
Iraq
Independent
Arab states under
British influence
International
Zone
Baghdad
Tel Aviv
Amman
British Control
Jerusalem
Israel
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Kuwait

Shiite
Sunni
Shiite/Sunni mixed
Other religions
Kurdish
Turkey
Aleppo
Nicosia
Iran
Syria
Lebanon
Beirut
Damascus
Iraq
Baghdad
Tel Aviv
Amman
Jerusalem
Israel
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Kuwait

Ottoman Empire

Before WWI, the Middle East was divided into several administrative provinces under the Ottoman Empire. Modern Iraq is roughly made up of the Ottoman provinces of Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra.
Who Controls the Border Crossings?
Updated July 1
Beginning on June 20 and in a rapid succession, ISIS fighters captured the western border crossings at Qaim, Waleed and Trebil. More recently the Iraqi government claims to have retaken some crossings. Related article »
Key Border crossing Crossing controlled by ISIS

TO DAMASCUS
TO ALEPPO
TURKEY
Tanf
Controlled by
Syrian government
SYRIA
Euphrates
River
JORDAN
Yaroubia
Syrian
Kurdish
forces
Karamah
Jordanian
Army
SYRIAN
DESERT
Waleed
Unclear
Trebil
Unclear
Bukamal
ISIS
WESTERN
BORDER
OF IRAQ
Rabia
Iraqi Kurdish
pesh merga
Area of
detail
Qaim
ISIS
SYRIA
iraq
NORTH
IRAQ
JORDAN
30 MILES
TO BAGHDAD

Syria and
Jordan

Karamah

Control Jordanian Army
The Jordanian army has increased security at the crossing, which remains open, but with little traffic.

Tanf

Control Syrian government

Bukamal

ControlISIS
Seized June 25

A local agreement between ISIS and the Nusra Front on June 25 effectively placed Bukamal under ISIS control. By June 30, ISIS had wrested full control of the town and border crossing.

Yaroubia

Control Syrian Kurdish forces
Seized October 2013

This side is controlled by Syrian Kurdish forces affiliated with a party that is engaged in a power struggle with Iraqi Kurdish leaders.

Iraq

Trebil

Control Unclear
ISIS took this crossing on June 22 after Iraqi forces fled, but recent reports of vehicle traffic from Jordan indicate that the crossing may be back the hands of the government.

Waleed

Control Unclear
ISIS took this crossing on June 22. The Iraqi government said that it is back in control of the crossing, but this could not be confirmed.

Qaim

Control ISIS
Seized June 20

ISIS took control of the municipal council, customs office, border crossing and Iraqi police station, increasing its already significant presence on the main route between Baghdad and Aleppo. The Iraqi government said it abandoned the crossing in a strategic move to concentrate forces in Baghdad.

Rabia

Control Iraqi Kurdish pesh merga
Seized June 10

Kurdish pesh merga forces secured this crossing on June 10 immediately following the fall of Mosul.
Consequences of Sectarian Violence on Baghdad’s Neighborhoods
Published June 20
Baghdad became highly segregated in the years after the American-led invasion of Iraq. The city’s many mixed neighborhoods hardened into enclaves along religious and ethnic divisions. These maps, based on the work of Michael Izady for Columbia University’s Gulf 2000 project, show how the city divided from 2003 to 2009.
Key Sunni majority Shiite majority Christian majority Mixed areas

2003
Sadr
City
Kadhimiya
Adhamiya
BAGHDAD
Green Zone
Baghdad
Airport
Tigris River
2 miles

2009
Adhamiya
Huriya
BAGHDAD
Green Zone
Amiriya
Baghdad
Airport
Tigris River
2 miles

2003: Before the Invasion

Before the American invasion, Baghdad’s major sectarian groups lived mostly side by side in mixed neighborhoods. The city’s Shiite and Sunni populations were roughly equal, according to Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor and Middle East expert.

2009: Violence Fuels Segregation

Sectarian violence exploded in 2006. Families living in areas where another sect was predominant were threatened with violence if they did not move. By 2009 Shiites were a majority, with Sunnis reduced to about 10 percent to 15 percent of the population.
Kadhimiya, a historically Shiite neighborhood, is home to a sacred Shiite shrine.
Adhamiya, a historically Sunni neighborhood, contains the Abu Hanifa Mosque, a Sunni landmark.
• The Green Zone became the heavily fortified center of American operations during the occupation.
Sadr City was the center of the insurgent Mahdi Army, led by the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr.
Huriya was transformed in 2006 when the Mahdi Army pushed out hundreds of families in a brutal spasm of sectarian cleansing.
• More than 8,000 displaced families relocated to Amiriya, the neighborhood where the Sunni Awakening began in Baghdad.
Adhamiya, a Sunni island in Shiite east Baghdad, was walled and restricted along with other neighborhoods in 2007 for security.
• Neighborhoods east of the Tigris River are generally more densely populated than areas to the west.
Source: Dr. M. Izady, Columbia University’s Gulf 2000 project
Battle for the Baiji Oil Refinery
Published Jun 19
Witnesses reported that Sunni extremists seized Iraq’s largest oil refinery on June 18 after fighting the Iraqi Army for a week, but officials disputed the reports and the situation remains unclear. Workers were evacuated, and the facility, which provides oil for domestic consumption to 11 Iraqi provinces, including Baghdad, was shut down. Related article »
Source: Satellite image by NASA

ABOUT 100
MILES TO
MOSUL
ABOUT 50 MILES
TO KIRKUK
Power
plant
1
Tigris
River
Oil refinery
Employee
dormitories
Village
Employee
village
Village
Smoke plume
at 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday.
Baiji
ABOUT 115 MILES
TO BAGHDAD
1 MILE
Encroaching on Baghdad
Published June 18
Since seizing Mosul on June 10, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been attacking towns along the main highway heading south, coming closer and closer to the capital. Related article »

Key Towns attacked Bomb attacks
ABOUT 140 MILES
TO MOSUL
Miles from
Central Baghdad
ABOUT 80 MILES
TO KIRKUK
70
Adhaim
June 15
Samarra
JUNE 11, 13, 17
60
Al-Mutasim
JUNE 14
Dhuluiya
JUNE 12
50
Ishaqi
Muqdadiya
The Iraqi army retook control of Ishaqi and Muqdadiya on June 14. In Muqdadiya, a Shiite militia assisted the government forces.
40
Dujail
JUNE 14
30
Militants took control of several neighborhoods in Baquba on June 16 but were repulsed by security officers after a three-hour gun battle.
Baquba
June 16, 17
Tarmiyah
JUNE 11
20
Falluja and many towns in the western province of Anbar have been under ISIS control for about six months.
Tigris
River
10
At least five bomb attacks occurred in Baghdad, mainly in Shiite areas, in the week after the rebel group took Mosul.
Sadr City
Kadhimiya
Falluja
Bab al-Sheikh
Al-Bab Al-Sharqi
Baghdad
Saidiyah
Ten Years of ISIS Attacks in Iraq
Published June 15
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Sunni militant group that staged a stunning operation to seize Iraq’s second largest city, has been fueling sectarian violence in the region for years. Related article »

100
80
60
Attacks That Could Be Attributed to ISIS
40
20
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Mosul
Kirkuk
Baghdad
IRAQ
Basra
2004
51 attacks

2005
58 attacks
2006
5 attacks
2007
56 attacks
2008
62 attacks
2009
78 attacks
2010
86 attacks
2011
34 attacks
2012
603 attacks
2013
419 attacks
2004-05 The group emerges as “Al Qaeda in Iraq” following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Its goal is to provoke a civil war. 2006-07 The group’s February 2006 bombing of one of Iraq's most revered Shiite shrines ignites sectarian violence across the country. After merging with several other Sunni insurgent groups, it changes its name to the Islamic State of Iraq. 2008-10 I.S.I. claims responsibility for more than 200 attacks, many in densely-populated areas around Baghdad. 2011-12 The group is relatively quiet for most of 2011, but re-emerges after American troops withdraw from Iraq. 2013 Seeing new opportunities for growth, I.S.I. enters Syria’s civil war and changes its name to reflect a new aim of establishing an Islamic religious state spanning Iraq and Syria. Its success in Syria bleeds over the border to Iraq.
Note: Before 2011, less information was available on who was responsible for attacks, so the number of ISIS attacks from 2004 to 2010 may be undercounted.
Sources: Global Terrorism Database, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (attack data); Congressional Research Service; Council on Foreign Relations; Long War Journal; Institute for the Study of War
A Week of Rapid Advances After Taking Mosul
Updated June 14
After sweeping across the porous border from Syria to overrun Mosul, insurgents aligned with the jihadist Islamic State in Iraq and Syria continued to press south down the main north-south highway toward Baghdad. Related article »

Mosul
Area of
detail
Tikrit
June 13
June 10
Mosul captured
Baghdad
Iraq
Jalawla
Kirkuk
Sadiyah
June 11
Tikrit
captured
Basra
June 12
Dhuluiya captured
June 11-12
Samarra
Tigris R.
About 110 miles
Attacks in
the days after
Mosul captured
30
June 11
Parts of Baiji
captured
20
30
Baghdad
Ishaki   Dujail
June 14
Taji
Lake Tharthar
Falluja
Ramadi
Euphrates R.
After capturing Mosul, Tikrit and parts of a refinery in Baiji, insurgents attacked Samarra, where Shiite militias helped pro-government forces. Then, they seized Jalawla and Sadiyah but were forced back by government troops backed by Kurdish forces. They continued their moves south by Ishaki and Dujail.
What the Militants Want: A Caliphate Across Syria and Iraq
Published June 13
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has vowed to establish a caliphate — a unified Islamic government ruled by a caliph, someone considered to be a successor to Muhammad’s political authority — stretching from western Syria across Iraq to the eastern border with Iran. This map shows the boundaries envisioned by ISIS.
Source: “The Islamic State in Iraq Returns to Diyala” by Jessica Lewis, Institute for the Study of War

turkey
Hasakah
Mosul
Erbil
Aleppo
Raqqa
Kirkuk
Deir al-Zour
iran
Baiji
syria
Tikrit
Homs
Jalawla
lebanon
Samarra
Dhuluiya
Damascus
iraq
Baghdad
israel
saudi
arabia
jordan
kuwait
Attacks Follow Sectarian Lines
Published June 12
The insurgents, originating in Syria, moved through Iraq's Sunni-dominated north and west, occupying cities and towns surrendered by Iraqi soldiers and police. They have largely avoided the Kurd-dominated northeast, but have threatened to march on to Baghdad and into the Shiite-dominated areas of the south.
Source: Dr. M. Izady, Columbia University’s Gulf 2000 project

Mosul
Kirkuk
Baiji
Tikrit
Dhuluiyah
Samarra
Ramadi
Baghdad
Iraq
Falluja
Tigris
Euphrates River
Basra
Predominant group
Sunni Arab
Shiite Arab
Kurd
50 miles
Iraqi Cities, Then and Now
Published June 13
Many of the Iraqi cities that have been attacked and occupied by militants in recent days were also the sites of battles and other major events during the Iraq War.
Mosul
Then: American forces took control of Mosul in April 2003. What followed was a period of relative peace until mid-2004 when periodic insurgent attacks flared, resulting in a large-scale battle in November. The death toll reached dozens, including a number of Iraqi soldiers who were publicly beheaded. Related Article »
Now: In perhaps the most stunning recent development, Sunni militants drove Iraqi military forces out of Mosul on June 10, forcing a half-million residents to flee the city. Iraqi soldiers reportedly dropped their weapons and donned civilian clothing to escape ISIS insurgents.
Mosul Moises Saman for The New York Times
Falluja
Then: Falluja played a pivotal role in the American invasion of Iraq. It was the site of a number of large-scale battles with insurgents. In April 2003, it became a hot bed for controversy when American soldiers opened fire on civilians after claiming they had been shot at. Incessant fighting left the city decimated, leveling a majority of its infrastructure and leaving about half its original population. Related Article »
Now: Sunni militants seized Falluja’s primary municipal buildings on Jan. 3. The takeover came as an early and significant victory for the group, initiating a slew of attacks south of the city.
Falluja Max Becherer for The New York Times
Tikrit
Then: The home of Saddam Hussein, Tikrit became the target of an early American military operation during the Iraq war. Securing it proved cumbersome, however, as insurgents mounted continued attacks on the city for years afterward. On Dec. 14, 2003, Hussein was found hiding in an eight-foot deep hole, just south of Tikrit. Related Article »
Now: Tikrit fell to ISIS insurgents on June 11, clearing a path for them to march on to Baiji, home to one of Iraq’s foremost oil-refining operations. After taking the city in less than a day, militants continued the fight just south, in Samarra.
Tikrit Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Samarra
Then: Samarra is home to the Askariya shrine, which was bombed in 2006, prompting an extended period of sectarian violence across the country. Related Article »
Now: After an initial attack on June 5, ISIS insurgents have now positioned themselves just miles away from Samarra. It is unclear whether they are capable of capturing the city in the coming days, but the Shiite shrine makes it a volatile target.
Samarra Ayman Oghanna for The New York Times
Video: Iraq’s Factions and Their Goals
Published June 13
A look at the goals of of the three main groups in Iraq — Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish — as the country threatens to split apart along sectarian lines.
Growing Humanitarian Crisis
Published June 12
The United Nations estimates that at least 500,000 Iraqis were displaced by the takeover of Mosul. Food supplies are low and there is limited fresh water and little electricity. An additional 430,000 people were displaced by fighting In Anbar Province, which insurgents have controlled for more than six months.

Safin Hamed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
An Iraqi family, one of thousands who have fled Mosul for the autonomous Kurdish region, walks past tents at a temporary camp.
Video: Behind the Group That Took Mosul
Published June 10
Background on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Islamist group that appears to be in control of the second largest city in Iraq.


Reporting from Iraq and Jordan by TIM ARANGO, SUADAD AL-SALHY, C.J. CHIVERS, BEN HUBBARD, ROD NORDLAND and ALISSA RUBIN

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