Conflict archive

War against the Islamic State Weapons and Equipment

International and local campaigns against Islamic State forces in Iraq, Syria, and related theaters.

The War against the Islamic State covers the multinational campaign and local partner-force offensives that pushed ISIS from major territorial control in Iraq and Syria, followed by continuing operations against insurgent cells and support networks.

This archive tracks sourced weapons and equipment used by coalition, partner, and Islamic State forces in campaigns against the Islamic State.

Entries focus on directly documented systems rather than broad counterterrorism activity or unsourced service history.

7 weapon systems

Context

Status
Published archive
Location
Iraq and Syria, centered on the Tigris-Euphrates corridor
Countries
Iraq, Syria
Regions
Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, Anbar and western Iraq, Raqqa and northern Syria, Middle Euphrates River Valley
Domains
land, air, missile strikes, UAV, insurgency

The archive for this conflict is shaped by coalition-enabled ground campaigns, airpower, artillery fires, protected mobility, and partner-force train-and-equip programs. Current entries emphasize directly documented coalition or partner-force systems such as CAESAR artillery and HMMWV mobility vehicles; Islamic State equipment is harder to represent unless a source ties a specific captured or improvised system to the conflict and side.

Map

Iraq and Syria, centered on the Tigris-Euphrates corridor

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. ISIS takes Mosul

    ISIS captured Mosul during its rapid 2014 expansion in Iraq, giving the group a major urban base and large quantities of captured equipment.

    Sources: CJTF-OIR History, Long War Journal Mosul Capture

  2. U.S. airstrikes begin in Iraq

    U.S. operations against ISIS began with targeted airstrikes in Iraq, later retroactively folded into Operation Inherent Resolve.

    Sources: CENTCOM Operation Inherent Resolve Designation

  3. Air campaign expands into Syria

    U.S. and partner aircraft and cruise missiles struck ISIS targets in Syria around Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, Hasakah, and Abu Kamal.

    Sources: CENTCOM Syria Airstrikes

  4. CJTF-OIR is established

    The Department of Defense established Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve to command the defeat-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria.

    Sources: CJTF-OIR History

  5. Mosul is liberated

    Iraqi forces, backed by the coalition, declared victory in Mosul, removing one of ISIS's two principal urban centers.

    Sources: DoD Mosul Liberation

  6. Raqqa is liberated

    The Syrian Democratic Forces announced Raqqa's liberation from ISIS occupation after coalition-supported urban fighting.

    Sources: CENTCOM Raqqah Liberation

  7. Territorial caliphate collapses

    The United States and coalition partners announced that ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria had been liberated, while warning that the group remained a threat.

    Sources: White House ISIS Territory Statement, CJTF-OIR History

  8. Iraq mission shifts toward advising

    Task Force Iraq transitioned to a Military Advisor Group as the coalition adjusted from territorial combat toward support for Iraqi defeat-ISIS operations.

    Sources: CJTF-OIR History

Phases

Jun 13, 2014 - Oct 17, 2014

ISIS expansion and emergency intervention

ISIS's 2014 expansion brought Mosul, Tikrit, and other areas under its control, prompting U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria and the creation of a dedicated coalition command.

Oct 18, 2014 - Nov 24, 2015

Degrade and partner-force buildup

Coalition operations focused on blunting ISIS advances, striking targets across Iraq and Syria, and building Iraqi and Syrian partner-force capacity.

Nov 25, 2015 - Mar 23, 2019

Counterattack and urban liberation

Iraqi forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces, Kurdish forces, and coalition enablers fought through major urban and Euphrates Valley campaigns, including Mosul, Raqqa, Hajin, and Baghuz.

Mar 24, 2019 - present

Stabilization and insurgency containment

After ISIS lost territorial control, coalition activity shifted toward advising, intelligence, reconnaissance, logistics, and partner-force support against insurgent cells.

External Support

Outside support was central to the campaign: the Global Coalition brought 90 members to military, stabilization, finance-disruption, foreign-fighter, and propaganda-countering lines of effort. CJTF-OIR reports training, equipping, advising, and enabling partner forces in Iraq and Syria, including more than 240,000 Iraqi security-force personnel trained or mentored and major equipment deliveries such as Humvees, support vehicles, weapons, ammunition, intelligence support, fires, and reconnaissance.

Images

Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service soldier using night vision during urban operations training near Baghdad in 2016
Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service training near Baghdad before the Mosul campaign, part of CJTF-OIR partner-force capacity building.U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alex Manne | Public domain, U.S. Army
U.S. Army paratrooper shaking hands with a child in Mosul during Operation Inherent Resolve in July 2017
A U.S. paratrooper in Mosul during the coalition advise-and-assist mission near the end of the Mosul battle.U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Rachel Diehm | Public domain, U.S. Army
French CAESAR self-propelled howitzer firing in Iraq during Operation Inherent Resolve in 2018
French CAESAR artillery firing in support of the Middle Euphrates River Valley campaign against ISIS.U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Mikki Sprenkle | Public domain, U.S. Army

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

1
Mi-28, Attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMi-28Attack helicopterSide: Anti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesRole: Attack helicopter support against ISISBuilt: Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant / Rostvertol / RussiaThe Mi-28 Havoc is a Russian two-seat attack helicopter developed for anti-armor, close air support, and armed reconnaissance missions. Modern Mi-28N/NM-family aircraft combine armored tandem cockpits, a 30 mm chin cannon, guided missiles, rockets, and day/night sensors; Russian forces have used the type in the Russia-Ukraine War, where helicopters have faced dense ground-based air-defense and drone threats.

Category

Armored Vehicles

Troop carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and protected mobility.

1
HMMWV, Light tactical wheeled vehicle, Armored VehiclesArmored VehiclesHMMWVLight tactical wheeled vehicleSide: Anti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesRole: Partner-force troop transport and patrol mobilityBuilt: AM General / United StatesThe High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as the HMMWV or Humvee, is an AM General 4x4 light tactical vehicle family used for troop movement, command, ambulance, cargo, and weapons-carrier roles. In the Russia-Ukraine War it appears as U.S.-supplied protected mobility at scale, with official U.S. security-assistance reporting listing more than 5,000 HMMWVs committed to Ukraine.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

1

Category

Infantry Weapons

Portable weapons used by soldiers and small units.

3
PKM/PK, 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsPKM/PK7.62 mm general-purpose machine gunSide: Islamic StateRole: Infantry and mounted fire supportBuilt: Kovrov Mechanical Plant and licensed producers / Soviet Union, Russia, and licensed-production countriesThe PK and lighter PKM are Soviet-designed, belt-fed 7.62x54R general-purpose machine guns used from bipods, tripods, vehicles, and improvised mounts. Their low weight for the class, non-disintegrating belt feed, quick-change barrel concept, and wide Warsaw Pact distribution make the family a common infantry fire-support weapon in the Russia-Ukraine War, where Ukrainian units continue to operate PKM-pattern guns alongside newer and foreign-supplied machine guns.
9M133 Kornet, Laser beam-riding anti-tank guided missile system, Infantry WeaponsInfantry Weapons9M133 KornetLaser beam-riding anti-tank guided missile systemSide: Anti-ISIS coalition and partner forcesRole: Militia anti-armor guided weaponBuilt: KBP Instrument Design Bureau / RussiaThe 9M133 Kornet is a Russian heavy anti-tank guided missile system using laser beam-riding guidance and tandem HEAT or thermobaric warheads. Developed by KBP as a portable and vehicle-integrated ATGM family, it appears in recent conflicts as a Russian-origin anti-armor weapon documented with state forces and non-state armed groups, including captured examples in Ukrainian service.
RPK/RPK-74, Squad automatic weapon / light machine gun, Infantry WeaponsInfantry WeaponsRPK/RPK-74Squad automatic weapon / light machine gunSide: Islamic StateRole: Squad automatic fire supportBuilt: Vyatskiye Polyany Machine-Building Plant Molot / Soviet Union / RussiaThe RPK and RPK-74 are Kalashnikov-pattern squad automatic weapons that extend the AK family with a longer, heavier barrel, bipod, and higher-capacity magazines for sustained fire by infantry sections. The 7.62 x 39 mm RPK paralleled the AKM, while the 5.45 x 39 mm RPK-74 followed the AK-74; both remain relevant in the Russia-Ukraine War because legacy Soviet and Russian stocks continue to appear in front-line small-arms holdings.

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

1

Conflict Sources

Official coalition and U.S. government sources are strong for campaign chronology, partner-force support, and public-domain imagery, but they tend to foreground coalition activity. Catalog entries still require direct system-level sourcing, especially for Islamic State captured or improvised equipment.

  • CJTF-OIR HistoryPublisher: Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve | Note: Supports the conflict overview, location focus, establishment of CJTF-OIR, campaign progression, territorial defeat milestone, and post-2019 transition. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Long War Journal Mosul CapturePublisher: FDD's Long War Journal | Note: Supports the June 10, 2014 Mosul capture date and ISIS control of Iraq's second-largest city. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • CJTF-OIR MissionPublisher: Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve | Note: Supports current mission framing, partner-force support, training totals, Iraq and Syria focus, and continuing threat language. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • CJTF-OIR CampaignPublisher: Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve | Note: Supports phase structure, coalition lines of effort, strikes, train-equip-advise activity, and support-stabilization framing. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • CENTCOM Operation Inherent Resolve DesignationPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports the August 8, 2014 start of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and the retroactive designation of Operation Inherent Resolve. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • CENTCOM Syria AirstrikesPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports the September 2014 expansion of strikes into Syria and the use of fighter, bomber, remotely piloted aircraft, and Tomahawk missiles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • DoD Mosul LiberationPublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports the July 2017 liberation of Mosul by Iraqi forces with coalition backing. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • CENTCOM Raqqah LiberationPublisher: U.S. Central Command | Note: Supports the October 2017 liberation of Raqqah by Syrian Democratic Forces with coalition support. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • White House ISIS Territory StatementPublisher: White House Archives | Note: Supports the March 2019 announcement that ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria had been liberated and that vigilance against ISIS continued. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Global Coalition MissionPublisher: The Global Coalition Against Daesh | Note: Supports the external-support summary, 90-member coalition framing, stabilization work, and non-military lines of effort. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • DoD Partner Force SupportPublisher: U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports partner-force training and equipment context, including Humvees, support vehicles, weapons, ammunition, fires, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Task Force Wagram DissolutionPublisher: Operation Inherent Resolve | Note: Supports CAESAR artillery context from Mosul to Baghouz and French Task Force Wagram's coalition fire-support role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • CTS Urban Training ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page; identifies a U.S. Army public-domain photograph by Staff Sgt. Alex Manne. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • Mosul Paratrooper ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page; identifies a U.S. Army public-domain photograph by Cpl. Rachel Diehm. | Accessed: 2026-06-20
  • French CAESAR Iraq ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page; identifies a U.S. Army public-domain photograph by Sgt. 1st Class Mikki Sprenkle. | Accessed: 2026-06-20