IraqKey figures
Who is fighting
Iraqi state forces
- Iraqi Security Forces (army, federal police)
- Counter-Terrorism Service
- Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, state-funded umbrella)
- Kurdistan Region Peshmerga
- United States (training and intelligence after the 30 September 2026 withdrawal)
- Iran (influence over PMF factions)
Islamic State - Iraq Province
- ISIS cells in Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Anbar and Nineveh
Iran-aligned militias (Islamic Resistance in Iraq)
- Kata'ib Hezbollah
- Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba
- Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada
- Kata'ib al-Imam Ali
- Other PMF factions
- Iran (IRGC Quds Force)
United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia (2026 strikes on militias)
- US Central Command
- Israel Defense Forces
- Royal Saudi Air Force (joint strikes, July 2026)
- Kuwait (reported launch point for rockets, April 2026)
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
The 2003 US-led invasion was followed by insurgency and sectarian civil war; Iraq Body Count documents 200,065-226,628 civilian deaths from violence since 2003 and about 300,000 deaths including combatants. The Islamic State seized Mosul and a third of Iraq in 2014, prompting the formation of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella of mostly Shia militias, and a US-led coalition campaign. Iraq declared victory over ISIS in December 2017.
Since then ISIS has operated as a rural insurgency, concentrated in the Hamrin basin, the Kirkuk-Salah al-Din-Diyala triangle and the Anbar desert. The UN Monitoring Team estimated in July 2025 that the group retained up to 3,000 fighters across Iraq and Syria. Attacks in Iraq in 2026 have been sporadic: a mortar attack in Kirkuk killed a woman in September, and an attack near Hawija killed a policeman on 5 October 2026, the first after the US departure, while Iraqi F-16 strikes and ground operations continue against hideouts.
The second strand of violence involves Iran-aligned factions nominally inside the PMF (Kata'ib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and others, grouped as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq), which attacked US bases in 2023-24 and, after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February 2026, launched hundreds of drones and missiles at US facilities and the Kurdistan Region. US and Israeli strikes on PMF positions in Akashat, Habbaniyah, Kirkuk, Nineveh and Baghdad killed, by Iraqi government count, 73 PMF members, 10 soldiers, 3 police and 6 civilians by the 7 April ceasefire; Iranian and militia attacks killed 32 people in the Kurdistan Region, including 27 Peshmerga. Joint US-Saudi strikes on 29 July 2026, after drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, killed at least 20 more PMF members.
Politically, the November 2025 election led, after months of deadlock and US pressure against Nouri al-Maliki, to a government under Ali al-Zaidi approved on 14 May 2026. Muqtada al-Sadr dissolved his Saraya al-Salam militia in May 2026 and some factions agreed to put weapons under state authority, while Kata'ib Hezbollah and al-Nujaba refused. Under the 2024 US-Iraq agreement the coalition mission in federal Iraq wound down in 2025 and the last US forces left Erbil Air Base on 30 September 2026, ending Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq; Washington says it will continue training and intelligence support. Turkey also maintains troops and conducts operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region (covered under the Turkey-PKK entry).
Recent developments
- 5 October 2026ISIS gunmen attack a police position near Hawija, Kirkuk, killing one officer and wounding four, the first such attack after the US withdrawal. source ↗
- 30 September 2026The Pentagon announces the orderly departure of US forces and equipment from Erbil Air Base; CENTCOM says ISIS attacks are at their lowest level since 2013. source ↗
- 20 September 2026An ISIS mortar attack on al-Malha village in Kirkuk kills a woman and wounds several civilians. source ↗
- 11 September 2026An Iraqi airstrike near Kirkuk kills two ISIS members. source ↗
- 29 July 2026US and Saudi aircraft strike PMF sites in several governorates; the PMF says at least 20 members were killed and 32 wounded. source ↗
- 2 June 2026Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kata'ib al-Imam Ali agree to place weapons under state authority; Kata'ib Hezbollah and al-Nujaba refuse. source ↗
- 14 May 2026Parliament approves Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister with 14 ministers, six months after the election. source ↗
Timeline
- 10 June 2014ISIS captures Mosul; the Popular Mobilization Forces are formed and a US-led coalition intervenes.
- 9 December 2017Iraq declares victory over ISIS; the group reverts to a rural insurgency.
- 3 January 2020US drone strike at Baghdad airport kills Qasem Soleimani and PMF deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
- 17 October 2023Islamic Resistance in Iraq begins drone and rocket attacks on US bases over the Gaza war.
- 27 September 2024US and Iraq agree to end the coalition mission in federal Iraq by September 2025 and in the Kurdistan Region by September 2026.
- 11 November 2025Parliamentary elections; government formation stalls for months.
- 28 February 2026US-Israeli war on Iran begins; Iraqi militias attack US facilities and US and Israeli strikes hit PMF positions across Iraq.
- 12 March 2026Strikes on PMF sites at Akashat kill at least 35 fighters, the deadliest single incident of the campaign.
- 7 April 2026US-Iran ceasefire; Iraqi militias suspend operations.
- 14 May 2026Parliament approves Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government.
- 27 May 2026Muqtada al-Sadr dissolves Saraya al-Salam and urges all factions to surrender weapons to the state.
- 29 July 2026Joint US-Saudi strikes on PMF sites after militia drone attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure kill at least 20 PMF members.
- 30 September 2026US forces complete their withdrawal from Erbil Air Base, ending the 12-year anti-ISIS mission in Iraq.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 200,065 | 300,000 | Iraq Body Count: 200,065-226,628 documented civilian deaths from violence since 2003, and about 300,000 violent deaths including combatants (running total, no fixed date). The post-2017 insurgency phase accounts for a small fraction of this. iraqbodycount.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | – | – | No total for the post-2017 phase. In 2026: 73 PMF (Iraqi government count to 7 April) to 101+ PMF (compiled, including 20 killed on 29 July), 7-10 soldiers and 3 police killed by US, Israeli and Saudi strikes; 32 killed, including 27 Peshmerga, in the Kurdistan Region by Iranian and militia attacks (Rudaw). rudaw.net ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 200,065 | 226,628 | Iraq Body Count documented civilian deaths, 2003 to date. Civilian deaths in the 2026 Iran-war phase were small (6 per the Iraqi government to 7 April; 3 near Basra on 7 April; 1 in Kirkuk on 20 September). iraqbodycount.org ↗ |
| Wounded | – | – | No cumulative figure. 2026 Iran-war phase: 270-320 PMF wounded (PMF figures) and about 154 injured in the Kurdistan Region (Rudaw). rudaw.net ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 92 | 200 | Derived range, not a published total: low = Iraqi government count of deaths from US/Israeli strikes through 7 April 2026 (73 PMF, 10 soldiers, 3 police, 6 civilians; Drop Site News); high = Wikipedia-compiled 146+ deaths from the Iran-war phase (including 20 PMF killed on 29 July) plus 32 killed in the Kurdistan Region (Rudaw) and roughly a dozen ISIS-related deaths reported February-October 2026, rounded. For comparison UCDP recorded 346 deaths in Iraq for August 2024-August 2025 (EUAA). en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Internally displaced | – | – | IOM DTM Master List Round 135 (reference date 31 December 2025) tracks remaining IDPs from the 2014-17 ISIS war; the national total was not extracted here. iraqdtm.iom.int ↗ |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | No current figure compiled; see the UNHCR Iraq operational data portal. data.unhcr.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: Roughly 90-200 conflict deaths in Iraq in the past 12 months, almost all from US, Israeli and Saudi strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces and from Iranian and militia missile and drone attacks during the 2026 Iran war (March-July 2026). ISIS attacks are at their lowest level since 2013 (CENTCOM, Lead Inspector General report for April-June 2026). UCDP recorded 346 deaths in Iraq for August 2024-August 2025 (EUAA). Low intensity, included because the 2026 spillover pushed deaths well above the 25-death threshold..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the Iraq: ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militia conflict?
Iraqi state forces (Iraqi Security Forces (army, federal police), Counter-Terrorism Service, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, state-funded umbrella), Kurdistan Region Peshmerga), supported by United States (training and intelligence after the 30 September 2026 withdrawal), Iran (influence over PMF factions); against Islamic State - Iraq Province (ISIS cells in Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Anbar and Nineveh); against Iran-aligned militias (Islamic Resistance in Iraq) (Kata'ib Hezbollah, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Kata'ib al-Imam Ali, …), supported by Iran (IRGC Quds Force); against United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia (2026 strikes on militias) (US Central Command, Israel Defense Forces, Royal Saudi Air Force (joint strikes, July 2026)), supported by Kuwait (reported launch point for rockets, April 2026).
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 200,065–300,000 killed as of 5 October 2026. Iraq Body Count: 200,065-226,628 documented civilian deaths from violence since 2003, and about 300,000 violent deaths including combatants (running total, no fixed date). The post-2017 insurgency phase accounts for a small fraction of this. Civilian deaths are put at 200,065–226,628. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the Iraq: ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militia conflict still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Low intensity — Iraq's territorial war against the Islamic State ended in December 2017, leaving a low-level insurgency of ISIS cells in Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Anbar and Nineveh that still kills a handful of security personnel each year. In 2026 the larger source of violence was the US-Israeli war on Iran: Iran-aligned Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) factions fired on US facilities in Baghdad and Erbil, and US, Israeli and later Saudi strikes killed more than 100 PMF fighters, Iraqi soldiers and civilians before an April ceasefire and again in July. The United States completed its military withdrawal from Iraq on 30 September 2026; a new government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is trying to bring militia weapons under state control.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 9 December 2017, but the underlying conflict dates back to 2003 — 8 years, 10 months ago.
Sources
- Iraq Body Count iraqbodycount.org
- EUAA - Iraq security situation (UCDP/ACLED figures) euaa.europa.eu
- UN Monitoring Team report S/2025/496 (via Long War Journal) longwarjournal.org
- Washington Institute - PMF expansion by the numbers washingtoninstitute.org
- EPIC - Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor enablingpeace.org
- Wikipedia - Iraq in the 2026 Iran war (index to primary reports) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia - Timeline of the Iraqi insurgency (2026) en.wikipedia.org
More conflicts
Iran war (United States and Israel vs Iran and allied groups)
Israel–Hamas war (Gaza) and West Bank violence
Israel–Hezbollah conflict (Lebanon)
Syria post-Assad conflicts (transitional government vs Druze militias and ISIS remnants; Israeli strikes)
Yemen civil war (Houthis vs government and Saudi-led coalition)
Turkey-PKK conflict (Kurdistan Workers' Party insurgency)Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Iraq: ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militia conflict (2026). Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/conflicts/iraq-insurgency-and-militia-conflict/<a href="https://glostats.com/conflicts/iraq-insurgency-and-militia-conflict/">Iraq: ISIS remnants and Iran-aligned militia conflict (2026)</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
This page summarises publicly available reporting and does not take sides. Casualty and force figures are estimates compiled on 19 October 2026; see each figure's source for its method and date. Page generated 2026-10-20. How this tracker works.