Page 69 - History of War - Issue 10-14

BRIEFING

when war officially broke out again and the
now infamous phrase would come to the fore,
‘weapons of mass destruction’. The Hussein
regime was quickly defeated and the country
was put under military rule in an attempt to
restore law and order. The power vacuum that
came with Saddam’s absence was far more
severe than many predicted as the beleaguered
country became gripped by civil war. These
conditions of unrest continued, with the
numbers of relief troops ebbing and flowing up
until 2011, when under the Obama presidency
the final US troops were recalled from Iraq. The
ground was now ripe for occupation by another
not altogether unfamiliar power.

2003-2014: The aftermath of the
Iraq War
After 24 years of the Hussein regime, Iraq
entered a period of de-Ba’athification, where
new groups and organisations emerged after
being nullified during the old government. Power
was originally held by the occupying Western Militants of Islamic State before and after an explosion from an air strike on Tilsehir hill near the
forces and a provisional US-led government, Turkish-Syrian border on October 23, 2014, from Yumurtalik village, in Sanliurfa province
but was transferred back to the Iraqi people in
2004 with the beginning of the new Republic different cultures and beliefs in and around undertake operations for the Islamic State.
of Iraq, which we still see today. After this, Iraqi politics provided a dangerous melting pot These actions contributed to the continual
mainstream politics became dominated by with no single politician or organisation able to escalation of violence between Sunnis and
the Islamic Dawa Party, which practiced the keep all cultures content. This, as well as the Shias. As-Zarqawi was killed in 2006 and
Shia branch of Islam and sought to return government’s reliance on American and Iranian extremist activity declined slightly as his group
Iraq to this identity. The key figure during aid, has created the volatile post-war situation grew weaker. By 2011, however, it returned and
these years was Nouri al-Maliki who became in the country that ISIS now utilises to its successfully freed its members that were being
prime minister in 2006 and only left office nefarious advantage. held prisoner by the government. In 2013, it
in September 2014. His rise to power came ISIS is an offshoot of the Iraqi branch of became officially known as ISIS and is now
after a year-long civil war between rival Shia al-Qaeda (AQI), which gained popularity after showing signs of overtaking al-Qaeda as the
and Sunni factions. What followed was a mass the Iraq War and spread its control over large primary extremist group in the region.
purge of Ba’ath elites and civil servants, as well regions of the country. Its pseudo-governments As the conflict progresses, reports suggest
as a reinstatement of Shia doctrines as the initially gained a vast following but its brutal that the key aim of ISIS is to establish a
dominant strand of Islam ahead of the Sunni. rule declined in an event that is now known hardline Sunni Islamic state not just in Iraq,
The downside to mass de-Ba’athification as the Anbar Awakening, where Sunni Iraqis but in other regions of the Middle East and
was the negative affect it had on the Iraqi army. that made up most of its fighting force and even North Africa. There is even a theory that
With the military hierarchy dismantled, the army support base, banded togetwher to protect former Iraqi military officers are supplying arms,
was now very weak, so struggled to contain their communities and rebelled against AQI rule manpower and tactical nous to ISIS. Experts
certain threats such as ISIS and al-Qaeda. with US-backing. With al-Qaeda’s influence in liken the current situation to the Afghanistan
Meanwhile, the country was now awash with decline from 2005, there was a clear vacuum takeover by the Taliban in 1994 and see the
former soldiers - jobless, disillusioned young for a new branch of Sunni extremism to fill. Kurds as possibly the main beneficiaries of
men with army training and easy recruits for ISIS was first formed in 2002 by Abu the future Iraq, with their heartland largely
militant factions. There were also close ties Musab al-Zarqawi, who had been asked to join untouched by Shia/Sunni conflict. Haider
between the new government, Iran and the al-Qaeda by Osama Bin Laden, but refused Al-Abadi became the new prime minister on 8
Bush administration, a fact that made al- in favour of his new organisation, the Tanzim September 2014 and is reportedly determined
Maliki gradually unpopular among the Sunni Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn. This new to halt the ISIS threat. In all likelihood, it’s only
community and his former Shia allies. The group was extremely violent – so much so that in the long-term that we’ll see the full effects of
president at this time was Jalal Talabani, who even al-Qaeda warned against its actions. This Al-Abadi’s administration.
was of Kurdish roots and was the first non- had the dual effect of alienating many Iraqis, Essentially, as long as the once-dominant
Arab president of Iraq. The sheer amount of but also attracting a hardcore militia willing to SunnipopulationofIraqfeelsalienatedand
marginalised by changing governments and
“In 2013, it is now showing signs of new threats, ISIS will continue to survive - and
thrive.Thisiswhatwouldhavetobechangedto
overtaking al-Qaeda as the primary end its threat, but Sunni equality cannot come
at the expense of Kurds and Shias. As we have
extremist group in the region” seen through Iraq’s history, this is easier said
than done.

2013 February 10 June 2014 23 June 7 August 19 August 8 September
IS change 2014 500,000 residents 2014 2014 2014 2014
their name Al-Qaeda are forced to leave ISIS take US President US journalist NourialMalikisteps Alamy; Corbis; Getty; freevectormaps.com
to ISIS after severs all ties Mosul, Iraq’s second over the city Barack James Foley is down as President
merging with with ISIS after largest city and of Tal Afar Obama the first to be of Iraq and becomes
Syrian terrorist an eight- the surrounding and 50,000 authorizes air killed in a series Vice-President.
group Jabhat month power province as ISIS residents are strikes on ISIS of televised He is replaced by
al-Nusra. struggle. assume control. forced to leave. strongholds. beheadings. Haider Al-Abadi.

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