The U.S. and its allies overthrew long-reigning dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, leaving a massive power vacuum that has caused extreme instability in Iraq for nearly two decades. Since 2015, Iraq has been engaged in a military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to recapture territory lost in the western and northern portions of the country. More than 2 million people remain internally displaced and nearly 9 million remain in need of humanitarian assistance. In late April 2018, the U.S. military officially disbanded the command overseeing the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq, declaring an end to major combat operations against the group. Sectarian tension continues to plague the region and could possibly expand into a proxy conflict among various international groups.
Primary Terrorist Presence in Iraq –
Other Groups Engaged in the Conflict:
Human Rights, Humanitarian and Other Crises:
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