WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday authorized a major expansion of the military campaign against rampaging Sunni militants in the Middle East, including American airstrikes in Syria and the deployment of 475 more military advisers to Iraq. But he sought to dispel fears that the United States was embarking on a repeat of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a speech to the nation from the State Floor of the White House, Mr. Obama said the United States was recruiting a global coalition to “degrade and ultimately destroy” the militants, known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He warned that “eradicating a cancer” like ISIS was a long-term challenge that would put some American troops at risk.
“We will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are,” Mr. Obama declared in a 14-minute address. “That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq,” he added, using an alternative name for ISIS. “This is a core principle of my presidency: If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven.”
Some background on goals, tactics and the potential long-term threat to the United States from the militant group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Video Credit By Natalia V. Osipova and Christian Roman on
Publish Date September 10, 2014.
Image CreditReuters
The president drew a distinction between the military action he was ordering and the two wars begun by his predecessor, George W. Bush. He likened this campaign to the selective airstrikes that the United States has carried out for years against suspected terrorists in Yemen and Somalia, few of which have been made public.
After enduring harsh criticism for saying two weeks ago that he did not have a strategy for dealing with ISIS in Syria, Mr. Obama outlined a plan that will bolster American training and arming of moderate Syrian rebels to fight the militants. Saudi Arabia has agreed to provide a base for the training of those forces.
Mr. Obama called on Congress to authorize the plan to train and equip the rebels — something the Central Intelligence Agency has been doing covertly and on a much smaller scale — but he asserted his authority as commander in chief to expand the overall campaign, which will bring the number of American troops in Iraq to 1,600.
“These American forces will not have a combat mission; we will not get dragged into another ground war in Iraq,” Mr. Obama pledged, adding that the mission “will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; it will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.”
President Obama said that military strategy against ISIS will resemble U.S. efforts in Somalia and Yemen, where airstrikes and other operations have been reported since 2002. The scale of U.S. airstrike operations in Pakistan was much larger, though it has tapered in recent years.
Estimated U.S. airstrikes by year
Somalia
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
Yemen
1
2
4
10
41
26
16
Pakistan
1
2
3
5
35
53
117
64
46
28
7
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
Estimated U.S. airstrikes by year
Pakistan
Yemen
Somalia
2002
1
2003
2004
1
2005
2
2006
3
3
2007
5
2
35
2008
53
2
1
2009
117
2010
4
64
10
1
2011
46
41
1
2012
28
26
1
2013
2014
16
7
2
For all of Mr. Obama’s efforts to reassure the public, his remarks were a stark acknowledgment of the threat posed by the militants, whose lightning advance through Iraq and Syria and videotaped beheading of two American journalists have reignited fears of radical Islamic terrorism.
There is no evidence that ISIS is plotting an attack on the United States, Mr. Obama said. But he added, “If left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat” to Americans because of foreign fighters, including some from the United States, who have traveled to Syria and Iraq and who could return home to carry out attacks.
Standing just outside the Blue Room, steps from where he announced the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011, Mr. Obama delivered a message that seemed worlds away from his confident assertions that the United States had decimated Al Qaeda. The United States, he said, was locked in a long battle with a successor to Al Qaeda, “unique in their brutality.”
The president’s remarks, on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, will thrust the United States into a civil war in Syria that he had long sought to avoid, and will return a significant American military presence to Iraq, not quite three years after the last American troops withdrew.
Photo
President Obama telephoned King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to request Saudi support in training and equipping Syrian rebels opposed to ISIS.Credit
Stephen Crowley/The New York Times
Unlike Mr. Bush in the Iraq war, Mr. Obama has sought to surround the United States with partners. Earlier on Wednesday, he called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to enlist his support for the plan to step up training of the Syrian rebels.
Mr. Obama is acting as polls show rapidly shifting public opinion, with a large majority of Americans now favoring military action against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, even as they express deep misgivings about the president’s leadership,
Mr. Obama is also facing difficult crosscurrents on Capitol Hill, where Republican lawmakers, initially reluctant to demand congressional authorization of military action, have begun agitating for a vote, even as some Democrats warn of a stampede to war.
On Wednesday, Senate Democratic leaders prepared legislation on the narrow issue of authorizing the American military to train the Syrian rebels. House Republicans appeared ready to follow their lead.
Having occupied crucial sections of Syria over the past year and more recently seizing vast areas of Iraq, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria controls territory greater than many countries and now rivals Al Qaeda as the world’s most powerful jihadist group.Related Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
American fighter jets and drones attacked 68 targets in northern Iraq in the first week and a half of airstrikes, according to the U.S. Central Command.Related Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
Note: Strikes were not reported comprehensively day by day, so some may be missing from daily tallies.
Strikes Reported
Each Day
Area of
detail
AugUST 8
IRAQ
Baghdad
KURDISH
AUTONOMOUS
REGION
Mosul Dam
AUGUST 18
0
15
Mosul
Mount Sinjar
Erbil
Iraq
Kirkuk
Near Mount Sinjar
At least 13 strikes
Near Mosul Dam
At least 35 Strikes
Near Erbil
At least 20 Strikes
Strikes Reported Each Day
15
0
AUG. 18
Aug. 8
Area of detail
Baghdad
KURDISH
AUTONOMOUS
REGION
Mosul Dam
Mosul
Mount Sinjar
Erbil
Iraq
Near Mount Sinjar
At least 13 strikes
Near Erbil
At least 20 Strikes
Near Mosul Dam
At least 35 Strikes
Mount Sinjar
Thousands of Yazidi refugees were trapped on the mountain after fleeing Islamist fighters. Targets included:
Strikes in this area helped repel militants approaching the regional capital. Targets included:
7 armed vehicles1 mobile artillery7 vehicles2 mortar positions1 mine-resistant vehicle
Note: Strikes were not reported comprehensively day by day, so some may be missing from daily tallies.
A Closer Look At Mount Sinjar
Updated August 15
Tens of thousands of Yazidis, a religious minority group in Iraq, were trapped on Mount Sinjar, besieged by ISIS militants who captured their towns at the foot of the mountain range in early August. Satellite imagery taken Aug. 7 indicates that many of the displaced fled ISIS by driving vehicles up the mountain, where some encountered road blocks and abandoned their cars.Related Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
Source: Vehicle locations from satellite imagery by DigitalGlobe via Amnesty International
SYRIA
IRAQ
NORTH
Red dots are vehicles visible in satellite imagery
About 13 miles
TO BORDER
Sinuni
ROADBLOCKS
Kursi
ABOUT 70 MILES
TO MOSUL
25 miles
Bara
Sinjar
Jaddala
Sinjar Mountains
Elevation 4,449 ft.
Area
visible
Area of
assessed
satellite
imagery
Mosul
IRAQ
Baghdad
ABOUT 250 MILES TO BAGHDAD
Area of assessed
satellite imagery
SYRIA
IRAQ
Sinjar
Red indicates
vehicles on mountain
Sinjar Mountains
Elevation 4,449 ft.
Source: Vehicle locations from satellite imagery by DigitalGlobe via Amnesty International
Iraqis Driven From Their Homes by ISIS
Published August 14
The United Nations estimates that militants with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria have forced nearly 180,000 families — or more than a million people — from their homes in Iraq. The exodus roughly breaks down into three phases.Related Maps and Multimedia »
Over 151 days, families, on average, were displaced daily.
Anbar Province
321,210 families known displaced
Months before it became something of a household name, ISIS took control of much of Anbar Province, displacing an estimated 500,000 Iraqis.
June 1 to July 31
Over 61 days, families, on average, were displaced daily.
Anbar Province
321,210 families known displaced
Another half-million Iraqis were displaced in June and July when ISIS captured Mosul and advanced south toward Baghdad.
August 1 to August 6
Over 6 days, families, on average, were displaced daily.
Anbar Province
321,210 families known displaced
In early August, ISIS seized several towns under Kurdish control, displacing Yazidis, Christians and other religious minority groups. Although the United Nations says that the capture of Sinjar may have displaced as many as 33,000 families, that number is not yet included in the official data.
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 Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
Sources: American and Kurdish officials
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
Mahmour
Bombed by
American jets
on Friday.
Gwer
Bombed on
Thursday.
Mosul
Islamist militants have
controlled Iraq's second-largest
city since June 10.
Mosul Dam
Captured by militants
on Thursday.
Iraq
About 40 miles
TO ERBIL
About 35 miles
TO ERBIL
Historic citadel
of Erbil
United States Consulate
is in this neighborhood
Area
visible
Erbil
Kurdish capital
Erbil
IRAQ
Baghdad
NORTH
Mahmour
Bombed by American
jets on Friday.
Mosul Dam
Captured by militants
on Thursday.
Gwer
Bombed on
Thursday.
Mosul
About 40 miles TO ERBIL
Erbil
Kurdish
capital
Iraq
NORTH
Sources: American and Kurdish officials
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 »
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 Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
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 Maps and Multimedia »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
THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES
AT DESTINATION
10
100
Mosul
Aleppo
syria
Kurdish
autonomous
region
Leb.
Damascus
Baghdad
iraq
jordan
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.
turkey
Mosul
Erbil
Aleppo
Kirkuk
syria
leb.
Damascus
iraq
Baghdad
jordan
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.
Source: United Nations
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 Maps and Multimedia »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
Ottoman provincial borders
Current borders
Turkey
Adana
Persia
Aleppo
Aleppo
Mosul
Zor
Iran
Beirut
Syria
Lebanon
Lebanon
Damascus
Baghdad
Syria
Beirut
Baghdad
Iraq
Tel Aviv
Israel
Basra
Jerusalem
Saudi Arabia
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
Sykes-Picot
Current borders
Turkey
French
Control
Independent Arab states
under French influence
Iran
Syria
British
Control
Damascus
Baghdad
Iraq
International
Zone
Independent
Arab states under
British influence
British
Control
Israel
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
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
Shiite
Sunni
Shiite/Sunni mixed
Other religions
Kurdish
Turkey
Aleppo
Iran
Syria
Lebanon
Damascus
Baghdad
Iraq
Tel Aviv
Israel
Jordan
Saudi Arabia
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.
Sykes-Picot Agreement
In 1916, Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, British and French diplomats, secretly drew the first map to divide up the Ottoman Empire, beginning a series of border negotiations that led to the establishment of British and French mandates in 1920.
Religious and Ethnic Regions Today
Iraq's current boundaries bring together different, often adversarial, groups under one mixed national identity that has been strained by conflict. Still, if Iraq were to split, partition would not be so simple as drawing new borders along religious or ethnic lines.
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)
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 Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
Key Sunni majorityShiite majorityChristian majorityMixed 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.
2003
Sadr
City
Kadhimiya
Adhamiya
BAGHDAD
Green Zone
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.
• 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.
2009
Adhamiya
Huriya
BAGHDAD
Green Zone
Amiriya
Baghdad
Airport
Tigris River
2 miles
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.
• 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.
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 Maps and Multimedia »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
1 MILE
Oil refinery
Power
plant
ABOUT 100
MILES TO
MOSUL
Employee
dormitories
Village
Employee
village
Tigris
River
Village
Baiji
Smoke plume
at 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday.
ABOUT 115 MILES
TO BAGHDAD
Source: Satellite image by NASA
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 Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
Several clashes occurred at the outskirts of Samarra, where Shiite militiamen have been sent to protect the Al-Askari Shrine.
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. Later, 44 Sunni prisoners were killed in a government-controlled police station.
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. The bodies of four young men were found shot on June 17 in a neighborhood controlled by Shiite militiamen.
Sadr City
Kadhimiya
Falluja
Bab al-Sheikh
Al-Bab Al-Sharqi
Baghdad
Saidiyah
KeyTowns attackedBomb attacks
Miles from
Central Baghdad
70
Adhaim
Samarra
60
Al-Mutasim
Dhuluiya
Muqdadiya
Ishaqi
40
Dujail
30
Baquba
Tarmiyah
20
10
Falluja
Baghdad
Several clashes occurred at the outskirts of Samarra, where Shiite militiamen have been sent to protect the Al-Askari Shrine.
The Iraqi army retook control of Ishaqi and Muqdadiya on June 14. In Muqdadiya, a Shiite militia assisted the government forces.
Militants took control of several neighborhoods in Baquba on June 16 but were repulsed by security officers after a three-hour gun battle. Later, 44 Sunni prisoners were killed in a government-controlled police station.
At least five bomb attacks occurred in Baghdad, mainly in Shiite areas, in the week after the rebel group took Mosul. The bodies of four young men were found shot on June 17 in a neighborhood controlled by Shiite militiamen.
Falluja and many towns in the western province of Anbar have been under ISIS control for about six months.
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 Maps and Multimedia »Related article »
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
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
100
80
Attacks That Could
Be Attributed to ISIS
60
40
20
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
Mosul
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.
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.
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.
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 Maps and Multimedia »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.
June 10
Mosul
captured
Area of
detail
Mosul
Tikrit
Iraq
Baghdad
Basra
About
110
miles
Kirkuk
Tigris R.
Attacks in
the days after
Mosul captured
June 11
Parts of Baiji
captured
30
June 11
Tikrit captured
June 13
Jalawla
30
June 11-12
Samarra attacked
June 12
Dhuluiya
captured
Sadiyah
20
June 14
Ishaki
Lake
Tharthar
Dujail
Taji
Euphrates R.
Ramadi
Baghdad
Falluja
June 10
Mosul
captured
June 11-12
Samarra
attacked
June 12
Dhuluiya
captured
June 13
Jalawla and
Sadiyah
attacked
June 14
Ishaki and
Dujail
attacked
June 11
Parts of
Baiji captured
June 11
Tikrit
captured
Kirkuk
Tigris R.
20
30
About 110 miles
30
Attacks in
the days after
Mosul captured
Baghdad
Taji
Falluja
Lake Tharthar
Mosul
Area of
detail
Ramadi
Tikrit
Euphrates R.
Baghdad
Iraq
Najaf
Basra
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
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
turkey
Hasakah
Mosul
Aleppo
Kirkuk
syria
iran
Tikrit
Homs
leb.
Samarra
Damascus
Baghdad
iraq
israel
saudi
arabia
jordan
kuwait
Source: “The Islamic State in Iraq Returns to Diyala” by Jessica Lewis, Institute for the Study of War
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
Mosul
MosulIraq
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.
Moises Saman for The New York Times
Falluja
FallujaIraq
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.
Max Becherer for The New York Times
Tikrit
TikritIraq
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.
Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Samarra
SamarraIraq
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.
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
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.Related Maps and Multimedia »
The surge of activity means Congress is likely to weigh in on the military action before the midterm elections in eight weeks. Former Vice President Dick Cheney further roiled the political atmosphere on Capitol Hill when he gave a speech on Wednesday blaming Mr. Obama’s “arbitrary and hasty” withdrawal of troops in 2011 for the chaos in Iraq.
Senator Richard J. Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and a political ally of Mr. Obama, rejected Mr. Cheney’s critique, saying, “We want to be careful that we don’t engage ourselves for a long period of time in a long-term war involving the vulnerability of our troops.”
Mr. Obama’s speech amounted to a strategy for a problem he has long said would defy an American remedy: sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in countries with deeply disaffected minorities and no history of democratic government.
Among the questions that Mr. Obama did not answer: How will the United States and its allies reinvigorate a moderate Syrian opposition that has been marginalized by more extremist forces? And how can the United States act against ISIS in Syria without benefiting President Bashar al-Assad?
While Mr. Obama said that Mr. Assad had lost his legitimacy to govern Syria, he did not call again for his ouster. Instead, he spoke of strengthening the moderate rebels to give them a seat at the table in a political settlement with the Assad government.
Administration officials indicated that airstrikes in Syria could still be weeks away, while American surveillance planes continue to gather intelligence on the location of ISIS targets.
They also tried to manage expectations about whether the United States could truly destroy ISIS. Wiping out a group whose roots go back to the start of the Iraq war is a formidable challenge, a senior official said in a briefing for reporters, speaking on the condition of anonymity under White House ground rules.
“What we can do is systematically roll back the organization, shrink the territory where they’re operating, decimate its ranks, cut off its sources of support in terms of funding and equipment, and have the threat methodically and relentlessly reduced,” he said.