Battle of Kirkuk (2016)

The Battle of Kirkuk took place in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq between Kurdistan and allies and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The battle occurred less than a week after the beginning of the Battle of Mosul launched by Iraqi security forces and allies.

The battle

On 21 October 2016, dozens of ISIL militants and suicide bombers, supported by local sleeper cells, entered Kirkuk and stormed a power station and police stations in the city, killing 18 members of security forces and power station workers, including 2–5 Iranian workers. The ISIL militants captured a mosque and an abandoned hotel and barricaded themselves inside. Hours later, ISIL captured 2 more hotels and holed themselves in. Over 20 ISIL militants were killed, as security forces recaptured most of the buildings.

By the next day, ISIL forces still held parts of the Aruba District and a hotel, though these were retaken later on. Government forces then began a mop-up operation to clear the city of remaining militants, with some of the latter blowing themselves as they were cornered. Many local civilians had also taken up arms, hunting, capturing and killing ISIL fighters.

On the third day of the battle, several remaining ISIL militants attempted to flee the city, with five being killed and the ISIL operations leader captured by security forces.