Timeline of the War in Iraq (2015)

This is a timeline of events during the War in Iraq in 2015.

Chronology

January

• January 8 – A suicide bomber targets a police checkpoint in the town of Youssifiyah, killing seven people.^[1]
• January 21 - Beginning of the Mosul Offensive in which Peshmerga forces captured large amount of territory surrounding Mosul.^[2]
• January 25 As many as 21 Arab-Iraqi civilians were killed in the village of Kocho by Yazidi militias in retaliation for the Sinjar massacre.^[3]
• January 26 – Iraqi forces recapture the entire province of Diyala from Islamic State.^[4]
• January 29 – Battle of Kirkuk (2015) begins.

February

• February 1 – Kurdish forces overcome ISIL militants in the city of Kirkuk.^[5]
• February 24 – Multiple bomb attacks around Baghdad kill 37 people and wound dozens.^[6]

March

• March 2 – Second Battle of Tikrit begins.^[7]
• March 25 – American airstrikes on Tikrit, several Shiite militias go on strike.^{[citation needed]}

April

• April – May: Al-Karmah offensive
• April 1 – After a month of hard fighting, Iranians, Iraqis and Shiite militia overcome ISIL fighters and take Tikrit.^{[citation needed]}

May

• May 15: ISIL seizes control of the main Government building and city centre in Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar Province.^{[citation needed]}
• May 20: ISIL captures Ramadi.

June

• June 4: ISIS fighters close Ramadi dam gates, cut off water to loyalist towns^[8]
• June 13: Militants attack government forces near Iraq's Baiji refinery, killing 11 near the city of Baiji as part of the battle for control of Iraq's biggest refinery.^[9]

July

• July 13: Anbar offensive begins.^[10]
• July 17: A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb in a marketplace in the city of Khan Bani Saad during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, killing 120–130 people and injuring 130 more. Twenty more people were reported missing after the bombing.^[11][12]
• July 23: Turkey begins bombing alleged PKK bases in Northern Iraq.

August

=== August 1 === Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a new offensive against ISIS near Kirkuk and Sinjar. The US-led coalition conducted multiple airstrikes around Mosul targeting ISIS facilities.^[13]

=== August 2 === Iraqi forces advanced south of Ramadi in Anbar Province with support from US airstrikes. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced an upcoming major reform plan amid widespread anti-corruption protests.^[14]

=== August 3 === On the anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, UN officials reaffirmed that ISIS crimes against the Yazidis constitute genocide. Kurdish forces fortified Sinjar Mountain against possible ISIS attacks.^[15]

=== August 4 === ISIS executed dozens of civilians in Falluja for allegedly collaborating with Iraqi forces. Anti-government protests intensified in Baghdad amid a severe heatwave.^[16]

=== August 5 === Iraqi forces made limited advances around Haditha in Anbar Province. Shiite militias under the Popular Mobilization Forces launched operations west of Baghdad targeting ISIS cells.^[17]

=== August 6 === Coalition airstrikes targeted ISIS positions in Mosul, reportedly causing heavy casualties. Political pressure mounted on Prime Minister Abadi to implement reforms.^[18]

=== August 7 === Thousands of protesters gathered in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, demanding an end to sectarian quotas and systemic corruption. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani publicly endorsed the protests.^[19]

=== August 8 === Prime Minister Abadi presented a seven-point reform plan, including ending sectarian quotas and downsizing the government. ISIS shelled Kurdish-held villages near Kirkuk.^[20]

=== August 9 === Iraqi Parliament voted unanimously to approve Abadi’s proposed reforms. Mass rallies across the country showed rare unity among different ethnic and sectarian groups.^[21]

=== August 10 === The Iraqi government began abolishing senior governmental posts, including the positions of vice presidents and deputy prime ministers. ISIS executed alleged defectors in Mosul.^[22]

=== August 11 === Iraqi forces retook the University of Anbar in Ramadi. ISIS counterattacks south of Mosul were repelled by Kurdish forces.^[23]

=== August 12 === Fresh protests erupted in Baghdad, calling for reforms within the judiciary system. ISIS car bomb attacks killed dozens in mainly Shiite areas of the capital.^[24]

=== August 13 === ISIS suicide bombers attacked a Shiite mosque in Baqubah, Diyala province, killing at least 20 people. Iraqi forces consolidated control over key supply routes in Anbar Province.^[25]

• August 13: 2015 Baghdad market truck bombing
• August 21: ISIS imposes a curfew on Mosul after residents spray anti-ISIS graffiti on several walls.^[26]

September

October

• On October 22, Iraqi Security forces and the Popular Mobilization forces finished recapturing the city of Baiji, Iraq, its oil refinery and the surrounding region.

November

• November 13: Kurdish forces take control of Sinjar from ISIS after it was seized by IS forces in August 2014.^[27]

December

• December 16–17: Nineveh Plains offensive in which hundreds of ISIL fighters mount an attack against Kurdish positions but are repelled.^[28]

See also

• 2015 in Iraq
• Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2015
• Timeline of ISIL-related events (2015)
• Timeline of the Iraq War (2014)
• Timeline of the Iraq War (2016)
• Timeline of the Iraq War (2017)