Hawija offensive (2017)
| Hawija offensive (2017) | |||||||||
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| Part of the Iraqi Civil War (2014–present) and the American-led intervention in Iraq |
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 Popular Mobilization Forces firing a mortar at ISIL positions during the offensive |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Iraq IranSupported by:  CJTF–OIR
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 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Abdul-Amir Rashid Yarallah (operations commander) Qais Khazali(leader of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq) Akram al-Kaabi(HHN secretary general) Abu Mushtaq(PMF commander) Aghai Eghbali |
Qusay Hassan Wali Al-Bayati "Abu Haytham" (Wali of Wilayat Kirkuk and Wilayat Dijlah) Abu Nasser al-Zawbaei †(Wali of Hawija) Abu Abdullah al-Tajiki †(sniper commander) |
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| Units involved | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 42,000 soldiers | 1,500–2,000 militants | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | 942 killed, 1,000 captured or surrendered | ||||||||
The Hawija offensive (2017) was an offensive launched in September 2017 by the Iraqi Army, in order to recapture the Hawija District and the surrounding areas from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The offensive is concurrent with the Raqqa campaign conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIL's de facto capital city and stronghold in Syria, as well as the Central Syria Campaign, by the Syrian Army to capture ISIL territory towards Deir ez-Zor.
Hawija, which is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Kirkuk city, had been a bastion of Sunni Arab insurgents since the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. In 2013, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered his forces to open fire on peaceful protesters in Hawija. In return, Sunnis became convinced of using violence to counter Maliki's sectarian policies while also giving substantial support to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The group captured the city in June 2014 when it seized control of most of northern and western Iraq. It became isolated from the rest of the group's territory in July 2016 during the Mosul offensive and is its last stronghold in Iraq. The offensive had been repeatedly delayed due to various sectarian issues, as well as disagreements over the involvement of the Peshmerga and the Popular Mobilization Forces militia.
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