Implodes but Expands: How the ‘Islamic State’ Fights in Iraq

Abstract

The chapter is composed of seven sections. The second section overviews the military build-up of IS and its predecessors in Iraq from October 2002 – the date when the founding leader of its predecessor organizations, Abu Mus‘ab al-Zarqawi, arrived in the northeast of the country – to June 2014, the date of IS establishment and self-declaration as a “caliphate.” The third, fourth, and fifth sections outline the details of the three battlefronts of Fallujah, Mosul, and Ramadi, as a sample reflecting how ISIS/IS have fought in Iraq within specific timeframes. The sixth section of the chapter analyses how IS fights in Iraq, using empirical data and battlefield observations from the three battlefronts and elsewhere in Iraq. Finally, the concluding section focuses on the future of IS insurgency in Iraq, after losing territory and shifting back to guerrilla and terrorism strategies and tactics.