US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

US-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021)

Part of the War against the Islamic State (Operation Inherent Resolve), the War in Iraq (2013–2017), Islamic State insurgency in Iraq (2017–present), and the War on terror

An American F/A-18C Hornet aboard USS George H.W. Bush prior to the launch of operations over Iraq in 2014.

Date	15 June 2014 – 9 December 2021 (7 years, 5 months, 3 weeks and 3 days)
Location	Iraq
Result	Coalition and Iraqi victory Tens of thousands of ISIL fighters killed 14,616 U.S. and allied airstrikes on ISIL positions in Iraq Heavy damage dealt to ISIL forces; military defeat in Iraq Iraq declares military victory against ISIL on 9 December 2017 Low-intensity ISIL insurgency following December 2017 Multinational humanitarian and arming of ground forces efforts Ongoing U.S.–led Coalition advising and training of Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces U.S.-led coalition forces begin discussing a withdrawal from Iraq following March 2020 U.S. maintains limited military presence, approximately 2,500 U.S. military personnel remain in Iraq as of December 2021, providing assistance, advice and training to Iraqi forces Coalition ends combat mission in December 2021, but remain in an advisory and assistance capacity
Territorial changes	Iraqi government forces regain control of all parts of Iraq previously controlled by ISIL

Belligerents

Coalition of foreign countries:
CJTF–OIR

Local forces:
Iraq

Iraqi Armed Forces
ISOF
IrAF
Nineveh Plain Protection Units
Peshmerga

Islamic State Of Iraq and The Levant

White Flags

Strength

United States:

5,200–6,000 troops
7,000 contractors
USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group
USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group (replaced USS George H.W. Bush in late October)
USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group (replaced USS Carl Vinson in late March)
F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet, AV-8B Harrier and F-22 Raptor fighter jets
B-1 Lancer bomber aircraft
EA-6B Prowler & EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft.
Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters
MQ-1 Predator, MQ-9 Reaper drones

Australia:

400 RAAF personnel
200 special forces troops
300 regular soldiers (combined with 150 New Zealand soldiers)
6 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

Belgium:

6 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters (withdrawn "due to financial constraints" in June 2015)
120 supporting troops (for the now withdrawn aircraft)
35 military advisers

Canada:

600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel
100 special operations forces
6 McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet
2 Lockheed CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft
1 Airbus CC-150 Polaris refueling tanker
C-130J Hercules & C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft

Denmark:

7 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters
1 C-130J Hercules transport aircraft
1 mobile radar station
400 troops (support, special forces and trainers)

France:

1,000 armed forces
7 Dassault Rafale, 8 Mirage 2000
1 Breguet Atlantique
1 French frigate Forbin (D620)

Germany:

127 troops inside Iraq
6 Panavia Tornado Recce jets
1 Airbus A310 MRTT for in-flight refueling

Italy:

280 troops
4 Panavia Tornado
1 Boeing KC-767 for in-flight refueling
2 MQ-1 Predator

Netherlands:

6 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters + 2 spare
250 supporting troops
130 trainers for the Iraqi Army
2 Patriot missile batteries and 200 supporting troops in Turkey to defend its NATO ally against cross-border attacks.

New Zealand:

10 military advisers.

Spain:

300 trainers for the Iraqi Army
6 Patriot missile batteries and 130 supporting troops in Turkey to defend its NATO ally against cross-border attacks.

United Kingdom:

1 Boeing RC-135 Reconnaissance aircraft
8 Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft
2 armed MQ-9 Reaper
1 Type 45 destroyer
1 Trafalgar-class submarine (SSN)
Special forces including the Special Air Service (SAS) and additional cargo aircraft and air-to-air tanker aircraft on standby in the area.

5,000–10,000 (UN Security Council 2019 report)

28,600–31,600 (2016 US Defense Department estimate)

Around 100,000 fighters (according to Kurdistan Region Chief of Staff.)
At least a few hundred tanks

3 Drones

Casualties and losses

United States:

69 soldiers killed (including non-hostile)
2 HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters crashed
1 F-15 damaged

France:

1 soldier killed (possibly in Syria)

United Kingdom:

1 servicemen killed
2 civilians executed

Canada

1 soldier killed, 3 wounded (friendly fire)

Saudi Arabia:

3 border guards killed

Turkey

4 Turkish soldiers wounded

70,000+ killed (end of 2017)
32,000+ targets destroyed or damaged (including Syria; 2/3 of targets were hit in Iraq) (per Coalition sources)

164 tanks
388 HMMWVs
2,638 pieces of oil infrastructure
1,000+ fuel tanker trucks

Estimated 6,000+ civilians killed by Coalition airstrikes in Iraq
At least 28,000 civilians killed by ISIL in Iraq, with potentially up to 20 thousand more. (per Iraqi Body Count)(UN)

Over 550,000 civilians displaced

In 2014, the United States and other countries started a military effort in Iraq. This was in response to a group called the Islamic State (IS or ISIL) that was taking over parts of Iraq. The goal was to help the Iraqi government fight against ISIL.

On June 15, 2014, then-U.S. President Barack Obama sent American forces to Iraq. They went to check on the Iraqi army and see how big of a threat ISIL was. This mission was part of a larger effort known as Operation Inherent Resolve.

How the Fight Against ISIL Began
Helping Iraqi Forces
Changes and Withdrawal
The Mission Today
Images for kids
See also

How the Fight Against ISIL Began

In August 2014, ISIL launched a major attack in northern Iraq. To help stop them, the United States began sending weapons to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces on August 5. A few days later, on August 8, the U.S. started launching airstrikes against ISIL.

Many other countries joined the U.S. in these airstrikes. These air attacks worked together with ground troops from the Kurdish and Iraqi governments. By December 2017, ISIL had lost all the land it once controlled in Iraq.

Helping Iraqi Forces

Besides direct military action, the group of countries led by the U.S. gave a lot of help to the Iraqi Security Forces. This help included training soldiers, sharing important information, and providing staff. By March 2019, the cost of this support was about $3.5 billion. Over 189,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers received training from these international forces.

Changes and Withdrawal

In January 2020, the Iraqi parliament asked U.S. troops to leave Iraq. This request came after a U.S. airstrike killed some important Iraqi and Iranian leaders. Following this, the United Kingdom and Germany also decided to reduce their troops in Iraq.

Canada also moved some of its troops from Iraq to Kuwait. However, French and Australian forces in Iraq did not agree with a full withdrawal at that time. By August 2020, the United Nations estimated that more than 10,000 ISIL fighters were still in Iraq and Syria.

The Mission Today

The main combat mission of the international group in Iraq officially ended in December 2021. However, some U.S. troops are still in Iraq. Their job now is to advise, train, and help the Iraqi security forces. They continue to support Iraq in fighting the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.

Images for kids

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Norwegian QRF preparing for nighttime training at Al Asad Airbase, 8 July 2021
CJTF-OIR hosts a meeting between Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces at Camp Zarvani in Erbil, 17 February 2021
A Royal Danish Air Force F-16, October 2016
A German Air Force Tornado ECR refuels near Mosul, November 2016
Spanish (Task Force Toro) and American (Task Force Phoenix) soldiers at Al Asad Airbase, June 2021
A U.S. Army Soldier advises & assists Iraqi soldiers during a training exercise at Besmaya Range Complex, Iraq, 10 November 2015
Locations where the U.S. bombed ISIL in Iraq (between 8 August and 16 September.)
An Australian soldier conducts bayonet training alongside Iraqi soldiers at Camp Taji, January 2016
General Stephen J. Townsend observes a HIMARS strike that destroyed a building near Haditha, September 2016
A U.S. Army M109A6 Paladin near Mosul, 16 October 2016
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis during his visit to Iraq, 20 February 2017
Australian Army trainers demonstrate close-quarters combat techniques to Iraqi soldiers at Camp Taji, July 2017
1st Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army drill with the Battelle DroneDefender in Iraq, 30 October 2018. U.S. troops anticipate ISIL units deploying drones during reconnaissance or attacks
French and American soldiers in support of the CJTF-OIR in Iraq, 2019. Coalition forces supported SDF advances with airstrikes and cross-border artillery from Iraq
Contractors load an MRAP onto a flatbed as the CJTF-OIR coalition transfers the K-1 Air Base to Iraqi security forces, 21 March 2020
Water is loaded on a U.S. C-17 for an airdrop on 8 August 2014
British aid for Iraq is loaded at RAF Brize Norton
President Donald Trump visits U.S. troops at the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq, 26 December 2018