Iraq Situation Report: August 22, 2014
August 22, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
The attack on worshipers in Diyala was most likely carried out by Iraqi Shi’a militias or Iraqi Shi’a volunteers.
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Publications
Iraq Situation Report: August 20-21, 2014
August 21, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
Since August, 8, the U.S. carried out 90 airstrikes against ISIS in northern Iraq. Of these strikes, 57 supported the ISF and Iraqi Kurdish forces on and around the Mosul Dam.
Iraq Situation Report: August 18-19, 2014
August 19, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
On August 19, ISIS released its first video in response to the U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq. The video showed the beheading of a U.S. journalist who was kidnapped in Syria in November 2012.
Control of Terrain in Iraq: August 19, 2014
August 19, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
President Obama stated that the Mosul Dam was retaken and cleared by Iraqi forces with U.S. air support.
Control of Terrain in Iraq: August 18, 2014
August 18, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
Iraqi Kurdish officials announced that the Peshmerga cleared ISIS from the Mosul Dam but added that ISIS rigged some buildings with explosives.
Iraq Situation Report: August 16-17, 2014
August 17, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
The Peshmerga launched a counter offensive in northern Iraq against ISIS.
Iraq Situation Report: August 15, 2014
August 15, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
On August 14, 2014 ISIS clashed with the military wing of the Sadrist movement, the Promised Day Brigade (PDB), now called the Peace Companies, west of Samarra.
Dabiq: The Strategic Messaging of the Islamic State
August 15, 2014 - Harleen Gambhir
The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s (ISIS) assault on the city of Mosul on June 10, 2014 demonstrated its formidable military strength. ISIS’s activities across Iraq and Syria also reveal that the organization is engaged in governance programs, ranging from Shari’a courts to aid distribution and law enforcement. These efforts underscore ISIS’s desire to erect a functional Caliphate within the boundaries of its controlled territory. That effort requires political and religious control in addition to military victory, and ISIS has a vision for how the Caliphate will form. ISIS has begun to explain its grand strategy to achieve this end through extensive public outreach, including a digital magazine series entitled Dabiq. This backgrounder will examine the contents of the first issue of Dabiq in detail, explaining the significance of this strategic messaging approach by ISIS in conjunction with the announcement of a Caliphate.
Iraq Situation Report: August 14, 2014
August 14, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
Nouri al-Maliki announced he would step down and support Haider al-Abadi’s nomination as Prime Minister, ending the political crisis that intensified on August 10, 2014 and existentially threatened Iraq’s political system.
Iraq Situation Report: August 13, 2014
August 13, 2014 - Institute for the Study of War
ISIS and the Peshmerga continue to challenge one another for territorial control along the Kurdish internal boundaries in northern and eastern Iraq.