Key Facts
- Operation name
- Operation We Are Coming, Nineveh
- Duration
- 16 Oct 2016 – 10 Jul 2017 (~9 months)
- Estimated reconstruction cost
- $50 billion (2017 USD)
- Old City repair cost
- ~$1 billion
- Scale
- Largest conventional land battle since capture of Baghdad (2003)
Strategic Narrative Overview
The operation began on 16 October 2016 with forces besieging Nineveh Governorate villages surrounding Mosul. Iraqi Special Operations Forces entered Mosul from the east on 1 November 2016. Eastern Mosul was declared liberated on 24 January 2017. The offensive for western Mosul began on 19 February 2017, facing fierce urban combat, extensive booby traps, and large civilian populations that significantly slowed the advance.
01 / The Origins
ISIL seized Mosul in June 2014, making it the group's largest Iraqi stronghold. The city's fall represented a critical blow to Iraqi sovereignty and regional stability. By 2016, a broad coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and allied militias had rebuilt sufficient capacity to mount a large-scale offensive to retake the city, which had been under ISIL control for over two years.
03 / The Outcome
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul on 9 July 2017 to announce victory, with an official declaration issued on 10 July. Sporadic clashes continued in the Old City for nearly two more weeks. The battle left Mosul severely damaged, with estimated costs of $50 billion for citywide reconstruction and $1 billion for the Old City alone, marking a devastating human and material toll.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Haider al-Abadi, Stephen J. Townsend.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.