The second quarter of February 2014 was just as violent as
the first, but there was a large drop in casualties. The number of dead and
wounded went down by around one-quarter from the first seven days of the month,
but that was not from a lack of trying as the number of attacks went up
slightly. Baghdad, Salahaddin, Anbar, and Ninewa accounted for the vast majority
of security incidents, while there were only a few in Tamim, Diyala, Babil, Dhi
Qar, Karbala, and Wasit. Overall, February is stacking up to be just as deadly
as the previous months.
There were 227 attacks reported in the press from February
8-14. That averaged out to 32.4 per day, up from 204 and 29.1 for the first
seven days of the month. Baghdad, 47 security incidents, Salahaddin, 46, Anbar,
45, and Ninewa, 36, were the most violent in the second quarter of February. 16
attacks in Babil, 12 in Diyala, and one each in Dhi Qar, Karbala, and Wasit
followed that. There were 116 bombings compared to 91 shootings. That included
10 suicide bombers and 9 car bombs. The latter usually account for the most
casualties. That was a decided decrease from the beginning of February when
there were 32 car bombs and 17 suicide bombers. That was a likely reason why
there were fewer casualties in the second quarter compared to the first.
Security Incidents
and Casualties Feb. 1-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/1/14
|
36
|
35
|
94
|
2/2/14
|
28
|
28
|
28
|
2/3/14
|
32
|
54
|
116
|
2/4/14
|
21
|
20
|
77
|
2/5/15
|
34
|
89
|
169
|
2/6/15
|
35
|
50
|
162
|
2/7/15
|
18
|
20
|
54
|
TOTALS
|
204
|
296
|
700
|
2/8/14
|
36
|
36
|
70
|
2/9/14
|
36
|
36
|
56
|
2/10/14
|
33
|
41
|
96
|
2/11/14
|
31
|
28
|
93
|
2/12/14
|
35
|
36
|
71
|
2/13/14
|
36
|
45
|
76
|
2/14/14
|
20
|
33
|
39
|
TOTALS
|
227
|
255
|
501
|
Breakdown of Violence
In Iraq, Feb. 1-7 vs. Feb. 8-14, 2014
Feb. 1-7
|
Feb. 8-14
|
|
Attacks
|
204
|
227
|
Deaths
|
296
|
255
|
ISF Deaths
|
88 + 12 Sahwa
|
127 + 15 Sahwa
|
Civilian Deaths
|
196
|
113
|
Wounded
|
700
|
501
|
ISF Wounded
|
185 + 43 Sahwa
|
175 + 22 Sahwa
|
Civilian Wounded
|
427
|
303
|
Gunfire
|
94
|
93
|
Bombs
|
101
|
116
|
Car Bombs
|
32
|
9
|
Suicide Bombers
|
17
|
10
|
For the second quarter there were 255 deaths and 501
wounded. That was made up of 127 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF),
113 civilians and 15 members of the Awakening/Sons of Iraq (Sahwa) killed, and
303 civilians, 175 ISF, 22 Sahwa and 1 Peshmerga injured. Baghdad did not have
the most deaths for a change. That was taken by Anbar with 55 dead, followed by
50 in Baghdad, 49 in Salahaddin, 38 in Ninewa, 33 in Babil, 14 in Tamim, 12 in
Diyala, 2 in Wasit, and one each in Dhi Qar and Karbala. Those figures were
roughly followed by the number injured at 131 in Anbar, 129 in Baghdad, 84 in
Salahaddin, 70 in Babil, 36 in Ninewa, 28 in Diyala, 19 in Tamim, and four in
Dhi Qar. Those figures averaged out to 36.4 killed per day and 71.5 injured.
Those were huge numbers, but unfortunately the norm in Iraq today.
Security Incidents By
Province, Feb. 8-14, 2014
Attacks
|
Deaths
|
ISF
|
Civilians
|
Wounded
|
ISF
|
Civilians
|
Gunfire
|
Bombs
|
|
Anbar
|
45
|
55
|
34
|
21
|
131
|
29
|
100
|
21
|
11
|
Babil
|
16
|
33
|
29
|
4
|
70
|
63
|
7
|
6
|
13
|
Baghdad
|
47
|
50
|
9
|
32
|
129
|
27
|
92
|
20
|
22
|
Basra
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Dhi Qar
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
Diyala
|
12
|
12
|
0
|
12
|
28
|
1
|
27
|
6
|
9
|
Karbala
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
Maysan
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Muthanna
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Ninewa
|
36
|
38
|
25
|
13
|
36
|
19
|
17
|
20
|
27
|
Qadisiyah
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Salahaddin
|
49
|
50
|
22
|
24
|
84
|
23
|
51
|
11
|
34
|
Tamim
|
20
|
14
|
9
|
3
|
19
|
13
|
5
|
8
|
11
|
Wasit
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
The fighting in Anbar made it the most violence place in
Iraq in the second week. The 45 security incidents left a total of 186
casualties. This was a mix of both fighting with insurgents, militant attacks,
and indiscriminate shelling by the government. February 11 was the worst day
when there were 10 security incidents leading to 11 dead and 45 wounded. That
included suicide bombers in Ramadi, Khalidiya, and in Habaniya on a
bridge, as well as 3 bombing of police stations in Albu Assaf, Albu Diab,
and another town outside of Ramadi. Government shelling and mortar fire
left 6 dead and 35 wounded in Fallujah, which was the worst incident of the
day. There were several smaller attacks as well. In comparison, on February
8 there were only 3 attacks with one soldier injured in Albu Bali. Despite repeated claims by Baghdad and locals in Anbar that the province is
generally secure with the exception of Fallujah, Ramadi saw the most attacks
for the quarter at 14, followed by 4 in Saqlawiya, and two each in Albu Diab,
Habaniya, and Khalidiya along with nine other locations. That shows that
violence is still widespread in and around the province’s major cities. The
fact that there were six suicide bombers there as well shows that the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is concentrating its resources there as
these are major weapons of the organization to carry out targeted attacks. Until
the urban areas are cleared of insurgents this will likely be the norm for
Anbar.
Security Incidents
And Casualties Anbar Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
3
|
0
|
1
|
2/9/14
|
6
|
8
|
11
|
2/10/14
|
4
|
9
|
27
|
2/11/14
|
10
|
11
|
45
|
2/12/14
|
3
|
6
|
13
|
2/13/14
|
13
|
10
|
19
|
2/14/14
|
6
|
11
|
15
|
TOTALS
|
45
|
55
|
131
|
Baghdad was next with its 47 security incidents leading to
179 casualties. There were an average of 6.7 attacks in the province with
February 13 being the worse. That day two bombs went off in the Shorja market
leaving 9 fatalities and 27 wounded. That was the deadliest incident of the
quarter. There were five car bombs as well, one in Sadr City and another in
Mahmudiya on February 9, another on February 10 in Bab al-Muadham, and
the last two near the Diyala Bridge in Tarmiya and one in Shaab on
February 12. All together those left 6 dead and 28 wounded. Otherwise most of
the other attacks were decidedly smaller such as two Sahwa being killed and two
more wounded by a roadside bomb on their patrol in Radwaniya on February 8, three bodies being found, made up of two Sahwa and one policeman in Tarmiya on
February 9, and two police wounded when their car was blown up by a sticky
bomb in Mahmudiya on February 14. Insurgents appeared to be trying to
re-establish themselves in Abu Ghraib, which is to the west of the capital city
where there were four attacks. ISIS also continued to target Shiite areas such
as Sadr City and Shaab in eastern Baghdad that received a total of 7 attacks. Baghdad
did not have half as many car and suicide bombers as it did during the first
part of February, 5 compared to 29. That accounts for why deaths dropped from
148 to 50 and injured went from 347 to 129. It appeared that the second week of
February was one of those times when ISIS was reloading.
Security Incidents
And Casualties Baghdad Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
4
|
4
|
6
|
2/9/14
|
9
|
12
|
20
|
2/10/14
|
10
|
4
|
35
|
2/11/14
|
6
|
6
|
16
|
2/12/14
|
9
|
7
|
17
|
2/13/14
|
5
|
12
|
28
|
2/14/14
|
4
|
5
|
7
|
TOTALS
|
47
|
50
|
129
|
Salahaddin had just around the same levels of violence as
Anbar and Baghdad did during this period. The 49 reported attacks left 134
casualties. Unlike previous months civilians were the major casualties in the
province instead of the security forces. 24 of the 50 killed were civilians,
while 51 of the 84 wounded were as well. There were no real mass casualties
bombings in Salahaddin. Most were small and many were targeted. On February 8
for instance, a sticky bomb went off in a car killing a police intelligence
officer, his driver, and wounding five bystanders. Shirqat in the north
and Tuz Kharmato in the east were hit the most with 13 attacks each. There were
ten or more attacks in three of the seven days during the quarter on February 8,
9, and 12. Salahaddin is one of two provinces where security incidents have
picked up in recent weeks.
Security Incidents
And Casualties Salahaddin Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
12
|
23
|
14
|
2/9/14
|
10
|
9
|
15
|
2/10/14
|
5
|
3
|
11
|
2/11/14
|
2
|
0
|
3
|
2/12/14
|
11
|
7
|
32
|
2/13/14
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
2/14/14
|
6
|
6
|
7
|
TOTALS
|
49
|
50
|
84
|
There were almost the same number of attacks and deaths in
Ninewa from February 8-14, but the number of wounded dropped dramatically. There
were 36 security incidents leading to 38 killed and 36 wounded. That was down
from 94 injured from the beginning of the month. February 10 was the worst day
with 7 attacks, 20 killed, and 14 wounded. Most of the casualties occurred in
Ain Jahash when insurgents killed and beheaded 15 soldiers. All the other
attacks were much smaller such as the shooting and killing of a soldier in
Mosul on February 8, a roadside bomb that left one policeman dead and two
wounded in Mishahda on February 11, and a policeman being gunned down in
Mosul in February 13. This has been the routine for violence in the
governorate for years now. ISIS is the most active group there and is most
concerned with maintaining its protection rackets in Mosul, and intimidating
the local population and government.
Security Incidents
And Casualties Ninewa Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
6
|
4
|
7
|
2/9/14
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
2/10/14
|
7
|
20
|
14
|
2/11/14
|
8
|
6
|
6
|
2/12/14
|
5
|
1
|
6
|
2/13/14
|
6
|
5
|
1
|
2/14/14
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
TOTALS
|
36
|
38
|
36
|
Babil is the other province where violence has picked in
recent weeks. In the start of the month there were only two attacks with no
casualties. By the second week that jumped to 16 attacks, 33 killed, and 70
wounded. Most of that violence was based in the town of Jurf al-Sakhr, which is
in the north of the province. On February 8 a large gun battle broke out
between insurgents and the army in Jurf al-Sakhr that lasted for several hours. By the end of the day there were two dead soldiers and 36 wounded. The
fighting continued into the next day with two soldiers wounded by a
roadside bomb. Then on February 11 4 IEDs went off in the town leaving 2 Federal Police and 2 soldiers dead, along with 11 policeman and 11
soldiers injured. February 12 two roadside bombs killed six soldiers and
mortar fire killed one civilian and wounded another. February 13 two
bodyguards of a parliamentarian were shot and killed, and the following
day fighting broke out again leaving 11 soldiers dead and three injured. ISIS
has re-established itself in the northern section of the province, but there
might be other groups active there as well. The fact that militants have
consistently stood and fought in Babil showed that they have become more
emboldened, and are moving from carrying out terrorist attacks to holding
ground.
Security Incidents
And Casualties Babil Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
3
|
2
|
36
|
2/9/14
|
2
|
0
|
2
|
2/10/14
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
2/11/14
|
2
|
4
|
22
|
2/12/14
|
4
|
13
|
2
|
2/13/14
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
2/14/14
|
3
|
11
|
5
|
TOTALS
|
16
|
33
|
70
|
Tamim, Diyala, Wasit, Karbala, and Dhi Qar only saw sporadic
violence for the period. Tamim had 20 attacks, 14 killed, and 19 wounded.
February 13 had the most casualties with 7 killed and 11 injured. For the other
days there were only 1-3 people killed each. In Diyala there were only 12
attacks, 12 deaths, and 28 injured. There were actually no incidents reported
on February 11 and 14. In both provinces there were just very small and
targeted incidents. Dhi Qar, Karbala, and Wasit only had one attack each. These
consisted of an IED in Karbala on February 8 that killed 1, and IED in a
market in Nasiriyah on February 10 that left one fatality and four wounded, and a shooting on February 13 in Aziziya in Wasit that killed two
brothers. Tamim, Diyala and the south have been relatively quiet for the
last several weeks. ISIS was carrying out several car bombings each month in
southern Iraq starting in December 2012, but that ended in November 2013. It
and other insurgents appear to be focusing upon other parts of the country
currently, which has benefited these provinces.
Security Incidents
And Casualties Tamim Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
2/9/14
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
2/10/14
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
2/11/14
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
2/12/14
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2/13/14
|
5
|
7
|
9
|
2/14/14
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
TOTALS
|
20
|
14
|
19
|
Security Incidents
And Casualties Diyala Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
3
|
1
|
5
|
2/9/14
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
2/10/14
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
2/11/14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2/12/14
|
2
|
2
|
0
|
2/13/14
|
2
|
5
|
17
|
2/14/14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
TOTALS
|
12
|
12
|
28
|
Security Incidents
And Casualties Southern Iraq Feb. 8-14, 2014
Date
|
Attacks
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
2/8/14
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2/9/14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2/10/14
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
2/11/14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2/12/14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2/13/14
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
2/14/14
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
TOTALS
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
Violence picked up in Anbar, Babil, and Salahaddin for the
quarter. That appears to be where insurgents are concentrating their forces. In
the first two there were direct confrontations with the security forces over a
series of days, which showed a large escalation from previous weeks. ISIS has
publicly stated that it wants to seize and hold territory as part of its new
Soldiers’ Harvest campaign, and is now following through with those plans.
There are other groups active as well in Anbar and Salahaddin. All these
militant groups now believe that the time is ripe for an uprising against the
government after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s miscalculations in Anbar that
started the on-going fighting. This period is much like 2004 when the
insurgency originally took off in Iraq.
SOURCES
A
note about sources. Usually all of the articles consulted are listed in the
bibliography. Since this report is based upon over 500 of them it is impossible
to have them all in the piece. For the sake of space then only the reports that
were linked are included here.
AIN, "4 Shells hit northern Babel," 2/12/14
- "13 soldiers killed, injured northern Babel," 2/11/14
- "IED explodes in northern Babel," 2/9/14
- "Urgent…3 ISIS leaders killed within northern Babel armed
clashes," 2/9/14
Alsumaria, "The bombing of three police stations northwest of
Ramadi," 2/11/14
Aswat al-Iraq, "2 civilians killed, 10+ wounded in Sadr
city," 2/9/14
Buratha News, "Martyrdom and injury 7 people, including an
officer in intelligence by a sticky bomb in his car east of Tikrit,"
2/8/14
Al Forat, "Car bomb partially goes off in Baghdad,"
2/10/14
Hamid, Ghassan, Shafiq, Mohammed, "Injury to associate the
two crimes directorate New Baghdad by a sticky bomb south of the capital,"
Alsumaria, 2/14/14
Al Mada, "Killing and wounding four members of the Awakening
explosion south-west of Baghdad," 2/8/14
- "Three bodies were found in the awakening of the elements
and the police dumped and shot dead north of Baghdad," 2/9/14
Al Masalah, "Killing one civilian and wounding four blast
amid Nasiriyah," 2/10/14
- "Killing one person and wounding three in bomb explosion in
Diyala Bridge area," 2/12/14
- "Toll rises explosion and fire in Shorja to 9 dead and 27
injured," 2/13/14
NINA, "BREAKING NEWS…14 soldiers killed, wounded north of
Hilla," 2/14/14
- "BREAKING NEWS. A suicide attack on a gathering of military
and police forces in Ramadi," 2/11/14
- "Car bomb goes off southern Baghdad," 2/9/14
- "A civilian and a policeman killed in two separate
incidents in Mosul," 2/13/14
- "Gunmen kill two brothers in Wasit province," 2/13/14
- "A Policeman Killed and Two Others Wounded by a Roadside
Bomb West of Mosul," 2/11/14
- "A Soldier Got Martyrdom by Gunmen in Eastern Mosul,"
2/8/14
Radio Nawa, "The bombing of a
bridge linking Fallujah, Ramadi suicide attack," 2/11/14
- "Killing and wounding five people explosion of a suicide
bomber targeting a checkpoint in Anbar," 2/11/14
Al Rayy, "The death of someone near the explosion at a
security checkpoint in Karbala," 2/8/14
- "The killing of four members of the "Daash" and
wounding a soldier in armed clashes east of Ramadi," 2/8/14
-"Martyrdom and wounding 13 soldiers, including two officers
by a roadside bomb north of Babylon," 2/11/14
- "Martyrdom of two MP protection in armed attack,"
2/13/14
- "Urgent…the martyrdom of one civilian and wounding four
civilians in a car bombing in the area of Madain south of Baghdad,"
2/12/14
Salah, Amjad, "Killing an officer and wounding 31 soldiers,
the bombing was followed by a gun battle north of Babylon," Alsumaria,
2/8/14
Salaheddin, Sinan "Gunmen attack army, kill 15 troops in
north Iraq," 2/11/14
Salman, Duriad, Al-Ani, Ammar, "Killing six people, including
a baby and injuring 35 others in bombing operations in Fallujah,"
Alsumaria, 2/11/14
Xinhua, "12 killed in Iraq's violence," 2/13/14
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