Iraq District-Level ISIS Control and U.S. Airstrike Data, 2014-2017

Two original datasets analyze the relationship between U.S. military intervention and the rise of ISIS in Iraq. The first is a district-level panel dataset covering 101 Iraqi districts across 12 time periods from 2014 to 2017, with 1,212 observations measuring ISIS territorial control. The second dataset contains 2,768 geolocated U.S. airstrike events compiled from Iraq Body Count and declassified U.S. Air Force records, created by author Adam Richards.

Use Cases

• Panel regression analysis of conflict drivers based on district-level control variables like population density and education.
• Spatial analysis of airstrike patterns based on geolocated event coordinates.
• Time-series analysis of ISIS territorial control based on the 12-period panel structure.
• Causal inference modeling of pre-2011 airstrikes on later insurgent control based on the described independent variable.

Strengths

• Panel dataset contains 1,212 observations from 101 districts across 12 time periods.
• Airstrike event dataset includes 2,768 geolocated and dated records.
• Dependent variable derived from georeferenced maps by the Institute for the Study of War.
• Dataset is structured for panel analysis with two-way fixed effects.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the airstrike dataset is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data covers a specific historical period (2007-2017); freshness for current analysis should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Institute for the Study of War, Iraq Body Count, and declassified U.S. Air Force records via Imai et al. (2022).

Collection Method

Merged and compiled by the author from the cited sources; variables derived from georeferenced and digitized maps.

Time Range

Airstrikes: 2007-2008 (pre-2011) and 2007-2017 (events). ISIS control: 2014-2017.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-23 18:11:06

Geography

Iraq, at the district level.