The Fall of Baiji was a battle that took place in and around

Baiji The baiji (''Lipotes vexillifer'') is a probably extinct species of freshwater dolphin native to the Yangtze river system in China. It is thought to be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans. This dolphin is ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

in June 2014. It was fought between

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIL) forces and those of the

Iraqi government The government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution, approved in 2005, as a democratic, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government is composed of the executive, legislative, and judicial branche ...

. Its first stage included clashes in the city from 11 to 18June. The second stage was fighting over the control of Baiji oil refinery from 18 to 21June. Initially, ISIL captured both the town and parts of the refinery, but on 19June 2014, the

Iraqi Army The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), also referred to as the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was formerly known as the Royal Iraq ...

reinstated full control of the refinery in a counter-attack. Fighting continued in Baiji until October 2015, when government forces finally established full control.

Background

On 4June 2014, the

(ISIL) and its allies attacked

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

launching their northern Iraq offensive. The following day, they started the Salahuddin campaign in

Saladin Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...

. ISIL and its allies captured

on 10June 2014. after a six-day battle. When the city fell, there were reports that the group was advancing from Mosul to Kirkuk. After capturing the city, the group freed nearly 1,000 prisoners. On 11June, ISIL and its allies also started the siege of Amirli.

The battle

On 11June, around 60 ISIL vehicles entered the city of Baiji. They set the main court house and police station on fire. They also took control of Baiji prison and freed all 2,400 inmates. Later that day, the militants reportedly retreated from

, before the Iraqi Army's Fourth Armored Division arrived in the city, allegedly due to persuasion from local tribal leaders. However, the next day it was confirmed ISIL was still in control of the town. On 18June, ISIL attacked the oil refinery near Baiji. An official inside the refinery stated the militants had captured 75 percent of the facility, while a military spokesman claimed the attack had been repelled, with 40 militants killed. On 19June, Iraqi government forces launched a counter-attack and claimed to have regained full control of the oil refinery after heavy fighting that left 100 militants dead. ISIL created watchtowers and checkpoints within Baiji. On 20June 2014, ISIL forces surrounded the refinery and attacked it for a second time, but failed to capture it. They launched a third attack on 21June, killing 36 Iraqi soldiers, but failed to recapture the refinery.

Aftermath

On 29 October 2014, the operation to recapture the city of Baiji begun. Fighting continued for approximately a year until the Iraqi armed forces and the PMF fully liberated Baiji in October 2015. Since then, the city has been under Iraqi control but has faced periodic ISIL attacks. The city's infrastructure has been severely damaged by the prolonged fighting.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baiji 2014 Battles of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) Battles in 2014 2014 in Iraqi Kurdistan June 2014 in Iraq History of Saladin Governorate Military operations of the Iraqi Civil War in 2014 Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Military operations of the War in Iraq (2013–2017) involving the Iraqi government