Key Facts
- Duration of battle
- 6 days (4–10 June 2014)
- Iraqi forces (official)
- ~60,000 soldiers and police
- ISIL attacking force
- ~3,000 fighters
- Civilians displaced
- ~500,000
- City under ISIL control
- ~3 years (until July 2017)
Strategic Narrative Overview
On 4 June 2014, roughly 3,000 ISIL fighters under Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi launched an assault on Mosul, defended nominally by up to 60,000 Iraqi soldiers and federal police. Actual troop numbers were far lower due to ghost soldier fraud. Within six days, mass desertions and a controversial withdrawal order — later attributed to al-Maliki — left the city undefended. ISIL seized Mosul International Airport, its helicopters, and full control of Iraq's second-largest city.
01 / The Origins
By mid-2014, ISIL had grown from a fragmented insurgency into a formidable military force exploiting sectarian tensions and governance failures in post-US-withdrawal Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government faced widespread Sunni discontent and a hollowed-out military plagued by ghost soldiers — personnel listed on rosters but absent from duty — dramatically reducing the effective strength of Iraqi security forces stationed in Mosul.
03 / The Outcome
The fall of Mosul triggered the flight of approximately 500,000 civilians and shocked the international community. ISIL held the city for three years, using it as a key administrative hub. Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, launched a liberation offensive in October 2016. After months of urban combat, the Battle of Mosul concluded in July 2017 with Iraqi government forces retaking the city, though at enormous human and material cost.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lieutenant General Mahdi al-Gharrawi, Ali Ghaidan (former ground forces commander).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.