ISLAMIC STATE: The main news story of 2014 – not just for Iraq, but for the
region – was the rapid advance of extremist Sunnis from the IS militant
group, who, with the help of various local Sunni groups and former Baathists,
moved beyond their strongholds in Al-Anbar and took Mosul and large parts
of northern Iraq in June, and declared a caliphate across the territories they
hold in Syria and Iraq. The US launched an air campaign (Operation
Inherent Resolve) against IS targets in August, and has since been joined by
a number of other nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain
and Jordan, though Abadi has said Baghdad does not want any foreign land
intervention. Months of airstrikes and army, Peshmerga and Shiite militia
efforts have contained IS and prevented the group reaching the capital, but
the jihadists retain considerable territory in Al-Anbar and Salahaddin. On 1
March, Iraq’s armed forces (who melted away in the face of IS’ rapid
advance), boosted by Shiite militia, began a major offensive north of
Baghdad, hoping to retake the town of Tikrit and the surrounding province
of Salahaddin. According to Reuters, a US official said in February that an
operation to retake Mosul could start as early as April, but others suggest it
is more likely to wait until the autumn.