Iraq Insurgency (2011-)

The Iraqi insurgency, later referred to as the Iraq Crisis has reemerged since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011, resulting in violent conflict with the central government, as well as sectarian violence among Iraq's religious groups. The insurgency was a direct continuation following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Since the U.S. military's withdrawal, the level of violence has risen, as Sunni militant groups have stepped up attacks targeting the country's majority Shia population to undermine confidence in the Shia-led government and its efforts to protect people without American backup. Armed groups inside Iraq have been increasingly galvanized by the Syrian Civil War, with which it merged in 2012. Many Iraqi Sunni factions oppose the Assad regime, which Iraqi Shia groups have moved to support, and numerous members of both sects have also crossed the border to fight in Syria. In 2014, the insurgency has escalated dramatically following the conquest of Mosul and major areas in northern Iraq by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The United States has asked for a change of the Prime Minister, saying that that would alleviate sectarian tensions.

Musab bin Umair Mosque Massacre, Diyala Iraq, August 2014

Taken on: 2014-08-23
Source: Hashima20/Wikipedia

US Aircraft Ready to Strike IS Targets, Persian Gulf, August 2014

Taken on: 2014-08-08
Source: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Margaret Keith/Released

Obama Discusses Islamic State Crisis, Washington DC, August 2014

Taken on: 2014-08-07
Source: The White House/Flickr

Iraq Receives a Fresh Batch of M1A1 Tanks, January 2011

Taken on: 2011-01-06
Source: (U.S. Army photo by Pvt. 1st Class Daneille Hendrix/Released)