IraqSupported by: Iran[1] CJTF–OIR Iraqi Security Forces Military of ISIL Major insurgent attacks Foreign interventions IS genocide of minorities IS war crimes Timeline The Battle of Hawija was an offensive launched in September 2017 by the Iraqi Army, in order to recapture the town of Hawija and the surrounding areas from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Hawija, which is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Kirkuk city, had been a bastion of Sunni Arab insurgents since the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In return, Sunnis became convinced of using violence to counter Maliki's sectarian policies while also giving substantial support to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

[6] On 4 October, Iraqi troops entered the city of Hawija;[28] with the local ISIL garrison showing relatively little resistance, the government forces quickly sized several neighborhoods.

[29][30] On October 8, the Iraqi Army cleared out the remaining ISIL-held points, and with the victory in Hawija, Iraqi Defense Ministry's War Media Cell released an updated map of the country, showing the remaining areas of Iraq under ISIL control now limited to the western Anbar Province and southwestern Nineveh Province.