Thursday, September 10, 2015

Violence Across Iraq Remains Unchanged For Four Weeks


For the last four weeks violence across Iraq has remained relatively stable. There has been roughly the same number of attacks and casualties over that time span. The main battlefields also remained Anbar and Baiji in Salahaddin with fighting continuing to go back and forth between the two sides.

Musings On Iraq counted 139 security incidents from September 1-7, 2015. That was almost the same as the previous weeks when there were 136 August 22-28, 135 August 15-21, and 132 August 8-14. That all averaged out to 19.3 attacks per day. The real numbers are always higher.

There were 58 incidents in Baghdad, 25 in Anbar, 21 Ninewa, 19 in Salahaddin, 8 in Diyala, 4 in Kirkuk, 2 in Babil, and 1 each in Karbala and Qadisiyah. The last two consisted of sound bombs going off in Karbala city and an attempt to storm the local council head’s house in Diwaniya.

Those attacks resulted in 285 dead and 352 wounded. The former consisted of 8 Peshmerga, 10 Hashd al-Shaabi, 24 Sahwa, 26 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 217 civilians. The latter was made up of 2 Peshmerga, 10 Sahwa, 16 Hashd, 42 ISF, and 282 civilians.

For the second week in a row, Ninewa was the deadliest governorate in the country. There were 116 deaths there. 89 of those were due to Islamic State executions in Mosul and Qayara. Another 13 people were killed and 20 wounded in an air strike upon Mosul as well. IS mortar fire upon Kurdish positions in Tal Sasqif also cost the lives of 8 Peshmerga and wounded 2 more.

After that there were 73 killed in Baghdad, 52 in Anbar, 27 in Salahaddin, 14 in Diyala, 2 in Babil, and 1 in Kirkuk. Deaths have been so underreported that this was just the bare minimum of the number of lives lost in Iraq during the week.

Violence In Iraq By Week 2015
Date
Incidents
Dead
Wounded
Jan 1-7
189
466
464
Jan 8-14
172
733
518
Jan 15-21
189
403
528
Jan 22-28
195
492
899
Jan 29-31
91
306
568
JAN
836
2,400
2,977
Feb 1-7
155
408
688
Feb 8-14
177
443
566
Feb 15-21
169
592
383
Feb 22-28
171
391
705
FEB
672
1,834
2,342
Mar 1-7
176
373
595
Mar 8-14
137
398
656
Mar 15-21
146
1,304
505
Mar 22-28
174
273
406
Mar 29-31
72
205
219
MAR
705
2,553 + 4
2,381 + 150
Apr 1-7
127
218
422
Apr 8-14
137
676
542
Apr 15-21
172
729
717
Apr 22-28
163
497
483
Apr 29-30
50
162 + 7
182 + 299
APR
649
2,282
2,346
May 1-7
154
627
450
May 8-14
154
420
549
May 15-21
124
963
387
May 22-28
108
341 + 1,499
348
May 29-31
38
66
164 + 646
MAY
578
2,417 + 1,499
1,898 + 646
Jun 1-7
132
431
476
Jun 8-14
126
522 + 405
394
Jun 15-21
141
365
373
Jun 22-28
162
306
474
Jun 29-30
61
122
189
JUN
622
1,804
2,012
Jul 1-7
161
435
719
Jul 8-14
140
384
570
Jul 15-21
109
359
597 + 4,024
Jul 22-28
145
527
590
Jul 29-31
53
453 + 8
603
JUL
608
2,166
3,079 + 4,024
Aug 1-7
154
650 + 760
298
Aug 8-14
132
726
645
Aug 15-21
135
345
354
Aug 22-28
136
342
296
Aug 29-31
59
112 + 5
169
AUG
616
2,180 + 760
1,762
Sep 1-7
139
285
352

Violence In Iraq Sep 2015 by Province
Provinces
Sep 1-7
Anbar
25 Incidents
52 Killed: 5 Civilians, 10 Hashd, 13 ISF, 24 Sahwa
45 Wounded: 8 Civilians, 10 Sahwa, 12 ISF, 15 Hashd
10 Shootings
4 Suicide Bombers
3 Suicide Car Bombs
2 Mortars
19 Suicide Bombers Killed
20 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil
2 Incidents
2 Killed: 2 Civilians
5 wounded: 5 Civilians
1 IED
Baghdad
58 Incidents
73 Killed: 2 ISF, 71 Civilians
199 Wounded: 8 ISF, 191 Civilians
11 Shootings
28 IEDs
8 Sticky Bombs
2 Car Bombs
1 Grenade
2 Car Bombs Destroyed
Diyala
8 Incidents
14 Killed: 5 ISF, 9 Civilians
24 Wounded: 1 ISF, 23 Civilians
4 Shootings
2 IEDs
1 Car Bomb
1 Mortar
Karbala
1 Incident
2 Sound Bombs
Kirkuk
4 Incidents
1 Killed: 1 Civilian
1 Wounded: 1 Hashd
2 Shootings
2 Car Bombs Destroyed
Ninewa
21 Incidents
116 Killed: 8 Peshmerga, 108 Civilians
22 Wounded: 2 Peshmerga, 20 Civilians
10 Shootings
3 IEDs
1 Rocket
1 Mortar
Qadisiyah
1 Incident
Salahaddin
19 Incidents
27 Killed: 6 ISF, 21 Civilians
56 Wounded: 21 ISF, 35 Civilians
7 Shootings
4 IEDs
1 Mortar
12 Suicide Bombers Killed
1 Suicide Car Bomb Destroyed

Car Bombs In Iraq, September 2015
Date
Location
Dead
Wounded
Sep 1
Haditha x3, Anbar
Khalis, Diyala
Sadoun St, Baghdad – 1 destroyed
16
26
Sep 2
Garma & Tal al-Mushahid, Anbar – 3 destroyed


Sep 3
Shaab & Shuhada, Baghdad
Garma, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Siniya, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed
2
15
Sep 4
Haditha & Zoba, Anbar – 3 destroyed


Sep 5
Albu Aetha & Humaira Anbar– 5 destroyed


Sep 6
Bashir, Kirkuk – 2 destroyed


Sep 7
Albu Aetha, Anbar – 5 destroyed
Karrada, Baghdad – 1 destroyed


Totals
6 – 25 Destroyed
18
41

The Islamic State’s car bomb campaign continued into its third month in September. There were a total of 31 for the week. 6 successfully reached their targets. There were 3 suicide car bombs in Anbar, 2 in Baghdad, and 1 in Diyala costing 18 lives and wounding another 41. Another 25 were destroyed with 20 of those occurring in Anbar where the Islamic State is trying to hold off the current offensive there.

In Anbar there was some progress by the government’s forces, but also many setbacks as well. During the week the joint forces moved into several areas surrounding Fallujah and its suburbs such as Tahoona, Kroosh, and Hitaween. There was also fighting still going on over Saqlawiya and Albu Aetha. Many of the small towns around Fallujah and Ramadi continued to change hands over and over. That included Husaiba, which has been cleared five times since July, but a new sweep there was started on September 5 and East Husaiba that has been freed four times, the last on August 30, but by September 2 fighting broke out there again. There have also been five operations in Khalidiya Island with the latest on September 5. A manpower shortage exacerbated by being spread out across a large area, the lack of unity of command with many different fighting forces, and poor decision making such as responding to Islamic State diversionary attacks in western Anbar and Baiji have all led to the current situation where the joint forces are moving forward, but can’t hold areas behind them.

The insurgents shifted their focus in Baghdad at the start of September. In August, the south faced the most attacks, but from September 1-7 there were 17 incidents in the north including a car bombing. After that there were 14 attacks in the south and east, and 5 in the west.

Security Incidents In Baghdad Sep 1-7, 2015
Center: 6 – 1 Grenade, 1 Sticky Bomb, 2 Car Bombs Dismantled, 2 IEDs
East: 11 – 1 Kidnapping, 1 Sticky Bomb, 4 Shootings, 5 IEDs
Outer East: 3 – 1 Shooting, 1 Kidnapping, 1 IED
North: 12 – 1 Car Bomb, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 1 Shooting, 1 Kidnapping, 4 IEDs, 4 Sticky Bombs
Outer North: 5 – 1 Kidnapping, 4 IEDs
South: 8 – 1 Car Bomb, 1 Kidnapping, 1 Shooting, 5 IEDs
Outer South: 6 – 6 IEDs
West: 5 – 1 Sticky Bomb, 1 Shooting, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 2 IEDs
Outer West: 1 – 1 Shooting

Diyala witnessed another car bomb. On September 1 one went off in Khalis leaving 4 dead and 18 wounded. IS has attempted a car bombing in the province nearly every week, which is part of its new campaign. Otherwise the governorate was relatively calm with just 8 incidents there during the week.

In Salahaddin the fighting for the Baiji district continued. Government forces surrounded Siniya an infamous IS stronghold. Parts of Baiji town and refinery continue to switch hands. IS used 1 suicide car bomb and 12 suicide bombers in the area, but all of them were destroyed. IS has successfully used the fighting there to distract Baghdad’s attention away from Anbar. Every time IS makes a provocation there the government and Hashd respond there even though it has no real value anymore after the refinery was destroyed back in May.

SOURCES

Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, "Islamic State suicide attacks hit military positions in Iraq: officials," Associated Press, 9/1/15

AIN, "PMU foils ISIL attack on east of Fallujah," 9/2/15

Al Forat, "Attempt to storm into residence of Chairman of Diwaniyah PC," 9/2/15

Al Mada, "Anti-explosive unit dismantled car bomb in central Baghdad," 9/1/15
- "The destruction of three Daash car bombs and killed them in Anbar," 9/5/15

Mamoun, Abdelhak, "Media War Cell: 150 terrorists killed, including 25 Chechen suicide bombers," Iraqi News, 9/6/15

Al Masalah, "A car bomb explosion in northern Baghdad's Iaalbh," 9/3/15
- "Media Cell: the killing of 101 Daash during military operations," 9/4/15
- "Thwarted Daash suicide attack on Siniya," 9/3/15

New Sabah, "Security file," 9/7/15

NINA, "Federal Police launch An Attack On Headquarters And Nests Of Daash in Baiji, Killing Four Terrorists East of Ramadi," 9/2/15
- "A number of people killed and wounded in Diyala," 9/1/15
- "PDF Foil An Attack By Car Bomb In Qarma," 9/3/15
- "Ten Elements Of Peshmerga Killed And Wounded In Northern Mosul," 9/1/15
- "Tens of terrorists killed during operations of cleaning Anbar from Daash," 9/5/15
- "Two people killed, nine others wounded in southwest Baghdad," 9/3/15
- "Two sound bombs exploded in the center of Karbala without damage," 8/31/15

Al Rafidayn, "Our troops repelled an attack on Haditha," 9/2/15

Al Rayy, "The destruction of two car bombs in aerial bombardment southeast of Fallujah," 9/4/15

Sarhan, Amre, "Security forces kill 30 ISIS militants north of Ramadi," Iraqi News, 9/7/15

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