U.S. Army TRADOC Report: The Battle for Sinjar, Iraq
April 25, 2016
Battle for Sinjar, Iraq
Page Count: 11 pages
Date: April 2016
Restriction: None
Originating Organization: U.S. Army, TRADOC G-2 ACE Threats Integration
File Type: pdf
File Size: 1,216,880 bytes
File Hash (SHA-256): BABCBF1726FA96A35298B2B84BECABB7AFC5AE61ECD5D285BBAA67F70819B18F
In the summer of 2014, ISIL forces pushed Peshmerga forces from key areas in Nineveh province, Iraq, threatening the government seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil and capturing Mosul.
Pressure to respond to a growing humanitarian crisis, fueled by media coverage of Sinjar’s Yazidis fleeing ISIL violence, led to calls for an international response that included US and allied bombing of ISIL positions.
ISIL mitigated the effects of bombing by building a sophisticated network of tunnels that connected key buildings.
ISIL used marksmen, snipers, ambushes, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and suicide bombers to slow the Kurdish advance, but eventually conserved most of its force by exfiltrating the area and not engaging in a decisive battle.
In November 2015, an alliance of Kurdish factions resulted in recapturing ISIL-held territory in Nineveh province—including Sinjar, which sits on ISIL’s Highway 47 supply route connecting ISIL-held Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul Iraq.
While successful in Sinjar, the alliance of the KRG’s Peshmerga, Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), the Syrian Popular Protection Unit (YPG), and Yazidi militias (YBS) is fraught with ISIL-exploitable fault lines.
…
This Tactical Action Report (TAR) provides information on the capture and subsequent recapture of Sinjar, a town at the foot of the Sinjar Mountains. The Nineveh Offensive, of which Sinjar was a key target, led to the capture of a large part of northern Iraq and included the occupation of Mosul. ISIL pushed Peshmerga forces from the area and threatened Erbil, the government seat of the KRG in 2014. A growing humanitarian crisis developed as ISIL began purging villages in the Sinjar area of the minority group known as Yazidis. Thousands were killed, kidnapped, or forced to flee their homes. Many Yazidis retreated to the Sinjar Mountains where they were besieged by ISIL fighters. These circumstances led to President Barack Obama ordering air strikes to protect Erbil, where US military advisors were headquartered, and to relieve the displaced Yazidi civilians. Over a year later Peshmerga fighters, with the help of other Kurdish factions, pushed ISIL forces out of Sinjar and other surrounding areas and severed a key supply route connecting ISIL-held Raqqa, Syria, with Mosul, Iraq.
Operational Environment Background—Sinjar
Sinjar1 is a strategically-located Iraqi town in northwestern Nineveh province. It lies along a major ISIL east-west supply route that connects Mosul in Iraq with Raqqa in Syria—two important ISIL-held cities. Sinjar is approximately 52 km east of the Syrian border and 117 km west of Mosul. It is positioned at the foot of the Sinjar Mountains, an east-west mountain range rising 1,463 m above the surrounding alluvial steppe plains.
Sinjar is populated primarily by a Kurdish religious minority called the Yazidis. The Yazidis are particularly vulnerable to violence and persecution, having been the object of hatred for centuries because of their religious practices. Yazidis are ethnically Kurdish, but their religion combines elements of Islam, ancient Persian Zoroastrianism, and Eastern Mediterranean Mithraism. While Yazidis are monotheists, they believe in a fallen angel who serves as an intermediary between God and man. To Muslims, this intermediary resembles the Quranic devil. Yazidis are, therefore, considered devil worshippers by their Muslim neighbors. With isolated geography and a history of persecution, the Yazidis rarely intermarry and do not accept converts, further distinguishing themselves.
In June 2014, ISIL began an offensive in Nineveh province and captured Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, that same month. This ISIL victory gave momentum to a push throughout Kurdish Peshmerga-held Nineveh province. On 1 August 2014, ISIL attacked a Peshmerga unit in the town of Zumar, a small Kurdish-majority outpost 40 km northwest of Mosul. ISIL killed 14 Peshmerga soldiers, while the group sustained 100 casualties and 38 members were taken prisoner in the attack. On 2–3 August, in a serious setback for Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers, ISIL succeeded in taking three strategic towns: Zumar, Wana, and Sinjar. Zumar is an oil-rich area that also lies on a road leading to Syria; Wana is a town on the Tigris river within striking distance of the Mosul dam; and Sinjar is a town on a major supply line that connects ISIL-held Mosul in Iraq with ISIL-held Raqqa in Syria. The towns form a triangle west from Mosul to the borders of Syria and Turkey. The capture of these towns gave ISIL both momentum and proximity to seriously threaten those protecting the Mosul dam, which was temporarily captured and then lost by ISIL between 7–18 August.
Us Army Ranks, Us Army Corps Of Engineers, Us Army Rangers, Us Army Logo, Us Army Reserve, Us Army Uniforms, Us Army Special Forces, Us Army Jobs, Us Army Infantry, Us Army Size, Us Army Ako, Us Army Airborne, Us Army Air Corps, Us Army Address, Us Army Airborne School, Us Army Artillery, Us Army Academy, Us Army Aircraft, Us Army Airborne Units, Us Army Aviation, Us Army Bases, Us Army Birthday, Us Army Basic Training, Us Army Branches, Us Army Boot Camp, Us Army Badges, Us Army Band, Us Army Boots, Us Army Beret, Us Army Benefits, Us Army Corps Of Engineers, Us Army Cavalry, Us Army Cadet Command, Us Army Cif, Us Army Combat Engineer, Us Army Cid, Us Army Camo, Us Army Colors, Us Army Chain Of Command, Us Army Combat Medic, Us Army Dress Uniform, Us Army Divisions, Us Army Delta Force, Us Army Draft, Us Army Dress Blues, Us Army Dog Tags, Us Army Dts, Us Army Deployment, Us Army Division Patches, Us Army Drill Sergeant, Us Army Enlisted Ranks, Us Army Europe, Us Army Emblem, Us Army Ees, Us Army Email, Us Army Equipment, Us Army Enlistment, Us Army Engineer, Us Army Eod, Us Army Engineer School, Us Army Flag, Us Army Field Band, Us Army Field Artillery, Us Army Founded, Us Army Firefighter, Us Army Forms, Us Army Font, Us Army Field Manual, Us Army Facts, Us Army Formal Uniform, Us Army Green Berets, Us Army Generals, Us Army Golden Knights, Us Army Gear, Us Army General Orders, Us Army Gas Mask, Us Army Guns, Us Army Garrison Hawaii, Us Army Germany, Us Army Game, Us Army Hrc, Us Army Helicopters, Us Army Helmet, Us Army History, Us Army Hat, Us Army Headquarters, Us Army Honor Guard, Us Army Helicopter Pilot, Us Army Handgun, Us Army Humvee, Us Army Infantry, Us Army Insignia, Us Army In Syria, Us Army Intelligence, Us Army In Afghanistan, Us Army Intelligence Support Activity, Us Army Infantry School, Us Army Images, Us Army In Korea, Us Army Iperms, Us Army Jobs, Us Army Jacket, Us Army Jrotc, Us Army Japan, Us Army Jag, Us Army Jeep, Us Army Jag Corps, Us Army Jump School, Us Army Jungle School, Us Army Jets, Us Army Knife, Us Army Korea, Us Army Korean War, Us Army Knowledge Online, Us Army Kabar, Us Army Kevlar Helmet, Us Army Kilt, Us Army Keychain, Us Army Khaki Uniform, Us Army Kuwait, Us Army Logo, Us Army Logo Vector, Us Army Leadership, Us Army Leave Form, Us Army Logistics, Us Army Loadout, Us Army Lanyard, Us Army Letterhead, Us Army Lieutenant, Us Army Lapel Pins, Us Army Medals, Us Army Mil, Us Army Mos, Us Army Motto, Us Army Military Police, Us Army Medic, Us Army Medical Corps, Us Army Museum, Us Army Memes, Us Army Medical Command, Us Army News, Us Army National Guard, Us Army Name Tapes, Us Army Numbers, Us Army New Pistol, Us Army North, Us Army New Rifle, Us Army Nurse Corps, Us Army Nurse, Us Army Nco Ranks, Us Army Officer Ranks, Us Army Officer, Us Army Organization, Us Army Officer Pay, Us Army Ocs, Us Army Officer Uniform, Us Army Ocp, Us Army Officer Jobs, Us Army Old Guard, Us Army Ordnance Corps, Us Army Pay Scale, Us Army Patches, Us Army Phone Number, Us Army Pay, Us Army Pt Test, Us Army Population, Us Army Pay Chart 2017, Us Army Pathfinder, Us Army Pistol, Us Army Pathfinder School, Us Army Quotes, Us Army Quartermaster, Us Army Qualifications, Us Army Quartermaster Museum, Us Army Quartermaster School, Us Army Qualification Badges, Us Army Quartermaster Corps, Us Army Questions, Us Army Quiz, Us Army Quartermaster Officer, Us Army Ranks, Us Army Rangers, Us Army Reserve, Us Army Recruiter, Us Army Requirements, Us Army Records, Us Army Ranger School, Us Army Rank Insignia, Us Army Ribbons, Us Army Reserve Jobs, Us Army Special Forces, Us Army Size, Us Army Salary, Us Army Symbol, Us Army Seal, Us Army Song, Us Army Skillport, Us Army Sniper, Us Army Sniper School, Us Army Signal Corps, Us Army Tanks, Us Army Trips, Us Army Tattoos, Us Army Training, Us Army T Shirts, Us Army Theme Song, Us Army Times, Us Army Transportation Museum, Us Army Tattoo Policy 2017, Us Army Tacom, Us Army Uniforms, Us Army Unit Patches, Us Army Units, Us Army Unit Sizes, Us Army Uniform Guide, Us Army Uniform History, Us Army Uniform Regulations, Us Army Unit Structure, Us Army Unit Awards, Us Army Uniform 2017, Us Army Vehicles, Us Army Veteran, Us Army Vietnam, Us Army Values, Us Army Vs Marines, Us Army Veteran Hat, Us Army Video Game, Us Army Veterinary Corps, Us Army Videos, Us Army Vs Russian Army, Us Army War College, Us Army Weapons, Us Army Wallpaper, Us Army Webmail, Us Army Wtf Moments, Us Army Warrant Officer, Us Army Wiki, Us Army Ww2, Us Army Website, Us Army Watch, Us Army Xctc, Us Army Xm17, Us Army Xm25, Us Army Xo, Us Army Xm8, Us Army X Ray Tech Mos, Us Army X Ray Program, Us Army Xviii Airborne Corps, Us Army Xbox Controller, Us Army Xii Corps, Us Army Youtube, Us Army Yuma Proving Ground, Us Army Yearly Salary, Us Army Yeti, Us Army Yongsan, Us Army Yellow Book, Us Army Yearly Budget, Us Army Yes Program, Us Army Yell, Us Army Ypg, Us Army Zippo, Us Army Zika Vaccine, Us Army Zero Target, Us Army Zonk, Us Army Zika, Us Army Zulu Time, Us Army Zodiac Boat, Us Army Zombie Apocalypse, Us Army Zombie Manual, Us Army Zip Up Hoodie, Syria News, Syria Map, Syria War, Syria Flag, Syria Population, Syria Chemical Attack, Syria Attack, Syria President, Syrian Civil War, Syria Chemical Attack 2017, Syria Attack, Syria Assad, Syria Aleppo, Syria Allies, Syria Airstrike, Syria And Israel, Syria Attack 2017, Syria Airport, Syria Army, Syria And Iraq, Syria Before And After, Syria Bomb, Syria Bombing 2017, Syria Bombing Trump, Syria By The Sea, Syria Bombing Video, Syria Bombing Us, Syria Breaking News, Syria Beaches, Syria Bombing Today, Syria Chemical Attack, Syria Chemical Attack 2017, Syria Capital, Syria Ceasefire, Syria Chemical Weapons, Syria Conflict, Syria Crisis, Syrian Civil War, Syria Chemical Attack Fake, Syria Current Events, Syria Death Toll, Syria Documentary, Syria Deeply, Syria Drama, Syria Demographics, Syria Definition, Syrian Dictator, Syria Deir, Syria Drought, Syria Destruction, Syria Explained, Syria Execution, Syria Essay, Syria Exports, Syria Election, Syria Egypt, Syria Economic System, Syria Explosion, Syria Enemies, Syria Events, Syria Flag, Syria False Flag, Syria Facts, Syria First Lady, Syria Fake News, Syria Flag Emoji, Syria Fighting, Syria False, Syria Fun Facts, Syria Fox News, Syria Gas Attack 2017, Syria Genocide, Syria Gdp, Syria Gas Attack Video, Syria Geography, Syria Gas Attack Fake, Syria Gas Attack False Flag, Syria Gdp Per Capita, Syria Google Maps, Syria Gas Attack 2013, Syria History, Syria Hoax, Syria Has Elected To Receive, Syria Human Rights, Syria Homs, Syria Hotels, Syria Human Rights Violations, Syria Holidays, Syria Humanitarian Crisis, Syria Hama, Syria Israel, Syria Isis, Syria In The Bible, Syria Iran, Syria Iraq, Syria Images, Syria Issues, Syria Iraq Map, Syria Iraq Map Common, Syria Isis Map, Syria Jokes, Syria Jordan, Syria Jordan Border, Sayria Jade, Syria Jobs, Syria Justice And Accountability Centre, Syria Jordan Map, Syria Jesus, Syria June 2017, Syria Jordan Border Map, Syria Kids, Syria Kurds, Syria Killings, Syria Korea, Syrian Kid, Syrian Kurdistan, Syria Kidnapping, Syrian King, Syria Kuwait, Syria Khan Sheikhoun, Syria Live Map, Syria Leader, Syria Language, Syria Location, Syria Latest News, Syria Life Expectancy, Syria Landscape, Syria Literacy Rate, Syria Local Time, Syria Lebanon, Syria Map, Syria Missile Strike, Syria Military News, Syria Memes, Syria Missiles, Syria Map Isis, Syria Missile Attack, Syria Middle East, Syria Military, Syria Mosque, Syria News, Syria Now, Syria Nerve Gas, Syria Natural Resources, Syria North Korea, Syria News 2017, Syria News Cnn, Syria News Youtube, Syria No Fly Zone, Syria News Arabic, Syria On Map, Syria Oil, Syrian Observatory, Syria Official Language, Syria Obama, Syria On A World Map, Syria Outline, Syria Oil Map, Syria Oil Pipeline, Syria Overview, Syria Population, Syria President, Syria Pipeline, Syrian People, Syria Peace Talks, Syria Pictures, Syria Peto, Syria Photos, Syria Problems, Syria Politics, Syria Quotes, Syria Qatar, Syria Qatar Pipeline, Syria Questions, Syria Quick Facts, Syria Queen, Syria Quora, Syria Quizlet, Syria Quagmire, Syria Quiz, Syria Russia, Syria Religion, Syrian Refugees, Syria Reddit, Syrian Refugee Crisis, Syria Russia News, Syria Raqqa, Syria Resources, Syrian Rebels, Syria Relief, Syria Sarin Gas, Syria Strike, Syria Sanctions, Syria Safe Zones, Syria Situation, Syria Sunni Or Shia, Syria Sarin, Syria Sarin Gas Attack, Syria Size, Syria Soccer Team, Syria Time, Syria Trump, Syria Today, Syria Timeline, Syria Tv, Syria Tourism, Syria Twitter, Syria Terrorism, Syria Turkey, Syria Then And Now, Syria Update, Syria Us, Syria Us Troops, Syria Us Bombing, Syria Un, Syria Unemployment Rate, Syria Undercover, Syria United States, Syria Uses Chemical Weapons, Syria Us Relations, Syria Video, Syria Virginia, Syria Vacation, Syria Va, Syria Vs Usa, Syria Vs Us, Syria Vs Israel, Syria Vox, Syria Vs Isis, Syria Vs Iraq, Syria War, Syria War Map, Syria War News, Syria Wiki, Syria World Map, Syria Weather, Syria White Helmets, Syria War Map 2017, Syria War 2017, Syria War Template, Syria Chemical Attack, Syrian Civil War, Syria Chemical Attack 2017, Syria Capital, Syria X Marks The Spot, Syria Chemical Weapons, Syria Conflict, Syria Crisis, Syria Xi, Syria Chemical Attack Fake, Syria Youtube, Syria Ypg, Syria Yemen, Syria Yahoo News, Syria Yahoo, Syria Yesterday, Syria Yemen Map, Siria Y La Biblia, Syria Yahoo Answers, Syria Ypj, Syria Zip Code, Syria Zoo, Syria Zones Of Control, Syria Zakat, Syria Zones, Syria Zionist, Syria Zombies, Syria Zionism, Syria Zerohedge, Syria Zip Code Damascus
