Within a short time span of a few months, even weeks, the political landscape has changed dramatically in Iraq. Political wrangling over the formation of the new government in Baghdad prevented Iraqi leaders from addressing the increasing presence of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) otherwise known as the Islamic State (IS), until they overran Mosul, Iraq's second largest city this past June. The quick defeat of the Iraqi military in Mosul coupled with the heavy weaponry that they were able to capture from collapsing Iraqi military units, emboldened ISIS leaders to continue their offensive elsewhere in Iraq. Like a wildfire, ISIS continued its advance, taking control of towns in western Ninawa province, the triangle area that encompasses the Mosul Dam, the Rabiyah border crossing with Syria, and the Sinjar district in July.
In early August, ISIS mobilized its forces towards the Kurdish-held territories in the north, governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq. Faced with a new opponent, one with a considerable amount of captured American made weapons including tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers, heavy mortars and rocket launchers plus a fanatical even suicidal zeal, the Iraqi Kurdish forces, the Peshmerga, were mobilized to block the ISIS offensive towards Iraqi Kurdistan. The Peshmerga took a heavy beating and were forced to fall back, some even retreating into the Syrian Kurdish-held area, Rojava. Gravely concerned with the ISIS advancements, KRG President Masoud Barzani stated “We have decided to go on the offensive and fight the terrorists to the last breadth.”
With ISIS on the verge of overtaking Erbil and the severe humanitarian crisis that was triggered by ISIS advances and subsequent repression of locals, in particular, minority Christian and Yazidi communities, in central and northern Iraq, it quickly became apparent that there was an immediate need for military and humanitarian support. Within a few days of ISIS's offensive towards Erbil, President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would conduct limited airstrikes on ISIS artillery and provide disaster relief support especially to a large group of Yazidis, who were trapped at the top of Mount Sinjar without food or water. On 8 August, using Predator drones and Navy F-18 fighter jets, the U.S. began to strike ISIS artillery, convoys and mortar positions. Baghdad also provided air support and badly needed ammunition from its existing arsenal. The U.S. has repeatedly expressed that the aim of the airstrikes is not necessarily to defeat ISIS. Rather instead, the purpose of the current military operation is to prevent ISIS from advancing on Iraqi Kurdish-held areas and to protect the civilian population particularly minority groups in the region. The airstrikes have essentially established a buffer for the Peshmerga to reorganize, reequip and reengage with ISIS. Still, concerns exist whether the on-going military operation will be enough to keep ISIS at bay.
On 15 August, the European Commission announced it would provide 17 million Euros in humanitarian aid to Iraq. Although many European Union members originally showed no interest in engaging in military action, they have however agreed to deliver weapons to the Peshmerga and to provide additional humanitarian support to internally displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees, many of whom have sought refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan. European Union initiatives follow American covert assistance and overt resupply of weapons and ammunition.
The new Prime Minister, Haidar al-Abadi, has an incredible task, some say even impossible task of forming an Iraqi government that reflects all the major political groups in Iraq and work towards peace and stability. Even as the former Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a divisive figure who had consolidated power by controlling particularly the judiciary and the security sector, finally agreed to relinquish power, the key coalition group formed around the Al-Dawa Party remains the same. The coming weeks will reveal if American support and Bagdad's new found enthusiasm for providing the KRG with ammunition and air support will insure that ISIS military zenith is over. If not, the concern remains that any continued wrestling over power-sharing will provide space for ISIS to disrupt stability in Iraq.
