ISIS expansion in Iraq, a case study of Mosul vs Erbil and Kirkuk

Abstract

This dissertation will examine the circumstances that led to the loss of Mosul and other primarily Sunni cities and investigates why ISIS could not control Erbil and Kirkuk. After three days of fighting between jihadists and the Iraqi Security Forces, Mosul was taken by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) in June 2014. The event occurred after the city had been under jihadist takeover since June 2014. After securing Mosul, the extremists attempted to continue their advancement further to the north, moving to Kirkuk and Erbil in Kurdistan. However, their quest in the Kurdish majority populated areas was unsuccessful. In this regard, particular attention will be placed on the more immediate factors that led to the invasion of Mosul by ISIS. To accomplish this objective, the researcher carried out secondary research by analysing journal articles and other reports to get insights on the topic. Content Analysis (CA) was used to analyse the data collected. The findings of the study showed that the Mosul’s population dismay with the practices of the central Iraqi government in Baghdad had a great impact on enabling ISIS’s advance in the Sunni populated areas, while the Kurdish population were more opposing to the rhetoric and ideologies of ISIS and their opinion with the Kurdistan administration was better that the opinion of Mosul population to the Iraqi central government. Recommendations for both theory and practice will be provided. Most importantly, the government should take advantage of the current stalemate to eradicate the enemy which has led to the unstable situation in the country and avoid re-emergence.