Liberation of Jurf Al Sakhar, codenamed Operation Ashura (Arabic: عملية عاشوراء), was a two-day military operation by Iraqi government forces and Iranian-backed PMU forces beginning on 24 October 2014, aimed at retaking the strategic city of Jurf Al Sakhar near Baghdad from ISIL.[4][5] The operation was mainly aimed at preventing ISIS militants from reaching the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, where ISIS threatened to carry out attacks against the millions of Shia visitors commemorating the Day of Ashura.
| Liberation of Jurf Al-Sakhar | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of War in Iraq and the Iranian-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present) | |||||||||
 Map of the Babil Governorate, where Jurf Al Sakhar is located | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Hezbollah[1] | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
 Brig. Gen. Hamid Taqavi[2] | Unknown | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Iraqi Army & Shiite militia: 7,000[3] Unknown number of others | unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| unknown |
498 killed 100+ IEDs defused | ||||||||
Background
editJurf Al Sakhar is a strategic town 50 kilometres south of the Iraqi capital. It is part of a predominantly Sunni ribbon that runs just south of Baghdad.
In 2014 Jurf Al Sakhar was captured by the Islamic State terrorist organization.
The town lies on a road usually taken by millions of Shia Muslim pilgrims who will be heading in droves to the holy Shia city of Karbala in the Day of Ashura in the holy month of Muharram in order to commemorate the death of Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein—one of the most revered figures in Shiite Islam. The Islamic State, which considers Shias apostates, was expected to attempt to target the observances.[6]
According to Iraqi security officials, Jurf Al Sakhar "presents a specific danger to Karbala" and clearing the area is a key priority ahead of Ashura.[7]
Five car bombings in the holy city of Karbala in the week preceding the operation added to its urgency.[7]
Operation
editOn 24 October 2014 the operation was launched in the area by the Iraqi government forces and Iranian-backed Shia militias and volunteers caused the liberation of the city.[7][8]
Badr Brigade commander Hadi al-Amiri claimed to have led the operation in tandem with the country's new interior minister, who is a member of his party. Unverified pictures circulated online showed Hadi al-Amiri with Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, during the operation. An Iraqi security official and a militia fighter also claimed that Soleimani was present on the battlefield.[7] There have been claims about presence of Iranian forces in the operation. According to a commander of the Shia militia group Kata'ib Hezbollah, there were no Iranian forces, "but if there was a presence of some individuals, it was all officially coordinated". A commander said that Suleimani planned the operation "three months ago".
According to Iraqi security officials, 498 ISIS militants were killed during the operation. 35 of whom were from Saudi Arabia, 30 from Chechnya, and 24 from Syria. 60 of them were snipers or gunman and 29 others were suicide bombers.[9][10]
On 29 October the Babil Government decided to lock the whole of Jurf Al Sakhar down to the area's displaced people for 8 months, so that to remove the numerous IEDs and clear the houses from bombs that has been placed by IS.[11] Some 100 explosive devices, left by insurgents as they retreated from Jurf al-Sakhar region, were defused and detonated by Iraqi forces.[7][12]
Babylon Provincial Council announced that the name of Jurf al-Sakhar (جرف الصخر, meaning "rocky bank") was changed into Jurf al-Nasr (جرف النصر, meaning "victory bank").[13]
Reactions
edit- Iraq – Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi praised Iraq's "hero forces" for delivering a "fatal blow" against the Islamic State.[14]
- Iran – Deputy Foreign Minister for Afro-Arab Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian congratulated the "Iraqi government and nation on liberation of Jurf Al Sakhar region".[15]
In media
editOn 5 March 2015, Iranian TV channel IRIB 1 broadcast a documentary titled Jurf Al Sakhar (Persian: جرف الصخر), directed by Morteza Shaabani and filmed by Mostafa Seyfi during the Operation Ashura, depicting the Iranian-backed Shia militia fighting ISIS and liberating the Jurf Al Sakhar region.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ "Iran general said to mastermind Iraq ground war". The Big Story. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Iraq owes many victories against ISIL to Iran: Hadi al-Ameri". Mehr News Agency. January 6, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Mysterious Iranian general fights ISIS in Iraq". 5 November 2014.
- ^ "URGENT: Iraqi Army forces take control over Jurf Al-Sakhar and Alroieih, Babylon". 25 October 2014.
- ^ "Al Etejah | News | Operation Ashura launched ahead of Muharram". Archived from the original on 2014-10-25. Retrieved 2015-02-14. Accessed on 25-10-2014
- ^ "Iraq soldiers retake Jurf al-Sakhar, town held by ISIS". CBC. 26 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Iraqi forces press to secure Shiite south ahead of Ashura religious commemorations Washington Post
- ^ http://en.alforatnews.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=12454 Archived 2019-06-10 at the Wayback Machine Accessed on 25-10-2014
- ^ "498 ISIS terrorists killed in Jurf al-Sakhar military operation". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news. 26 October 2014.
- ^ "Iraqi Forces Kill about 500 ISIL Terrorists in Jurf Al-Sakhar". 26 October 2014.
- ^ "حكومة بابل تقرر اغلاق ناحية جرف الصخر لمدة 8 اشهر لـ"تطهيرها" من العبوات الناسفة". Archived from the original on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 2017-01-31. Accessed on 30-10-2014
- ^ "Iraqi army recaptures Jurf al-Sakhar and defuses more than 100 IEDs". 28 October 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Iraqi soldiers set up first Husseini procession in Jurf al-Sakhar". November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
- ^ "Iraqi forces press to secure Shiite south ahead of Ashura religious commemorations". Washington Post.
- ^ "Iran congratulates Iraq for liberation of Jurf Al Sakhar region". 28 October 2014.
- ^ "مستند آزادسازی جرف الصخر به پخش میرسد/ تصاویری از مبارزه با داعش". 16 November 2014.
- ^ "مستند جرف الصخر+فیلم". Archived from the original on 2015-03-07. Retrieved 2015-03-05.