One of the ways that the Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIS) has been able to rebuild itself has been through attacks
on prisons to release their commanders and hardened fighters. For the last
few years these operations have repeatedly occurred throughout central and
northern Iraq with great success leading to the escape of hundreds of
insurgents. ISIS actually failed twice to break out its members from Badush
prison in Ninewa, but that was not for a lack of trying.
For almost a year ISIS targeted prison guards at Badush in
order to facilitate an escape. That started in 2013, and resulted in 200
guards quitting in December after facing threats and assassinations. Those
attacks continued for those remaining on duty into 2014. On January
7 for example, one guard was shot down in Mosul. The point of these
operations was to soften up the prison for an attack, which was launched on February
6. ISIS fired
mortars at the facility while prisoners inside started a riot. The assault
was repelled, but not before 1
guard and three prisoners were killed, and 14 others wounded. The Islamic
State didn’t give up however. On February
9 it bombed a house of a guard. February
20 it kidnapped and killed a worker at the prison. February
23 it set off an improvised explosive device (IED) that killed another
guard. March
2 it shot a guard, and another
the next day. Again these were preparatory operations before another attempt to
break into Badush. That finally happened on March 22, but again the militants were
beaten off. In the aftermath the director of the prison was
replaced and put under investigation for possible links to the insurgents. This
was one of the few times that the Islamic State failed to break into a prison
and free its compatriots. It did reveal some of the organizations tradecraft.
It collected intelligence on where the guards lived and travelled to and from
work and hit them over and over for months. It also either bribed or threatened
the head of the prison to gain inside information about the prison population
and security practices. While this careful planning didn’t work in the case of
Badush it has at other prisons such as Abu Ghraib and Kadhimiya that were hit
last year.
While ISIS has been able to draw upon new recruits from
Syria and other countries, it has relied upon prison breaks in part to rebuild
its leadership. It has launched a number of attacks upon detention facilities
with varying degrees of success. While it failed to get its people out of
Badush it did severely weaken the facility’s staff through attacks,
intimidation, and likely bribery. Its months of preparation didn’t work in its
two attacks upon Badush, but it won’t stop from trying again either there or
upon another prison in another part of Iraq in the future.
SOURCE
AIN, “12 guards, prisoners killed, injured in attack on
Badush prison,” 2/6/14
- "IED explosion targets employee in Mosul," 2/23/14
- "Prison guard killed in Mosul," 1/7/14
- "Under-construction house detonated in western Mosul,"
2/9/14
Aswat al-Iraq, “200 Badush prison guards resignation
confirmed,” 12/3/13
Al Forat, "Security elements killed in Mosul," 3/2/14
Karim, Ammar, “7 bombs hit Baghdad as US lawmakers slam
Maliki,” 2/6/14
Al Mada, “Paralysis in Nineveh and university circles after
militant assassinations of staff,” 12/5/13
- “Referred Badush prison director
to investigation and appointed a new director to replace him,” 3/22/14
NINA, "A body of a worker in Badush prison found in
Mosul," 2/20/14
- "Gunmen assassinate a lawyer in Mosul," 3/3/14
Al Rayy, "The death of a policeman and killed a number of
militants outcome of an attempt to storm the Badush prison," 3/22/14
- "Foiled attempt to break into Badush prison northwest of
Mosul," 3/22/14
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