Violence in Iraq has remained relatively stable for the last
six weeks. Attacks have remained between 120-130 a week with one exception,
while the number of dead and wounded have steadily declined. This is a result
of the insurgency being put on the defensive and regrouping in many parts of
the country. One sign of this change is that there have been fewer and fewer
car bombs launched in Iraq. Anbar and Salahaddin are the exceptions with
militants continuing to carry out major offensives there. This is a dramatic
change from the first half of the year when insurgents had the initiative and
were carrying out missions up and down the length of the country.
From December 15-21, 2014 there were 133 reported attacks.
That was down from 156 the week before, but in line with the previous four full
weeks when there were 137 from December 1-7, 138 from November 22-28, 134 from
November 15-21, and 128 from November 8-14. During that period there has been
an average of 19.6 attacks per day. That compared to June and July when there
was an average of 30.1 incidents. Attacks have been going down since August and
now have hit some of the lowest numbers seen during the year, which points to
the changing security situation within Iraq. At the start of the year militants
were ramping up their operations to prepare for a big summer push. Since then
they have only had a few big gains, while steadily losing ground. Coalition air
strikes have also been concentrated in certain areas limiting insurgent
mobility.
For the third week of December there were 377 killed and 340
wounded. The former was made up of 20 members of the Iraqi Security Forces
(ISF) and 357 civilians, while the latter consisted of 32 ISF, 24 peshmerga,
and 284 civilians. Baghdad led the way with 159 dead and 192 injured for the
week, followed by 77 killed and 24 wounded in Ninewa, and 68 fatalities and 50
injured in Salahaddin. Just like attacks the number of fatalities has been
steadily dropping since the summer. For December there has been an average of
44.4 people killed per day. That’s down from 56.2 per day in November, 75.7 per
day in October, 72.5 in September, 91.4 in August, 74.1 in July, and 139.0 in
June. In Total, Musings On Iraq has counted 9,957 attacks, 23,906 deaths, and
36,928 wounded in 2014.
Violence In Iraq By Week 2014
Date
|
Incidents
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
Jan 1-7
|
244
|
363
|
733
|
Jan 8-14
|
272
|
364
|
676
|
Jan 15-21
|
205
|
358
|
616
|
Jan 22-28
|
236
|
305
|
618
|
Jan 29-31
|
57
|
93
|
237
|
JAN
|
1,014
|
1,483
|
2,890
|
Feb 1-7
|
211
|
306
|
706
|
Feb 8-14
|
229
|
258
|
505
|
Feb 15-21
|
264
|
347
|
703
|
Feb 22-28
|
251
|
374
|
617
|
FEB
|
955
|
1,285
|
2,531
|
Mar 1-7
|
252
|
412
|
702
|
Mar 8-14
|
205
|
323
|
610
|
Mar 15-21
|
216
|
423
|
736
|
Mar 22-27
|
211
|
279
|
580
|
Mar 28-31
|
108
|
169
|
261
|
MAR
|
992
|
1,606
|
2,889
|
Apr 1-7
|
238
|
259
|
550
|
Apr 8-14
|
224
|
362
|
646
|
Apr 15-21
|
241
|
406
|
805
|
Apr 22-28
|
226
|
347
|
744
|
Apr 29-30
|
61
|
82
|
179
|
APR
|
990
|
1,456
|
2,924
|
May 1-7
|
198
|
246
|
483
|
May 8-14
|
257
|
466
|
752
|
May 15-21
|
183
|
256
|
426
|
May 22-28
|
203
|
403
|
810
|
May 29-31
|
64
|
91
|
131
|
MAY
|
905
|
1,462
|
2,602
|
Jun 1-7
|
228
|
612
|
1,020
|
Jun 8-14
|
234
|
1,889
|
890
|
Jun 15-21
|
179
|
803
|
759
|
Jun 22-28
|
203
|
733
|
777
|
Jun 29-30
|
59
|
127
|
236
|
JUN
|
901
|
4,172
|
3,701
|
Jul 1-7
|
203
|
526
|
651
|
Jul 8-14
|
214
|
577
|
628
|
Jul 15-21
|
230
|
444
|
1,009
|
Jul 22-28
|
224
|
589
|
801
|
Jul 29-31
|
66
|
163
|
230
|
JUL
|
937
|
2,299
|
3,319
|
Aug 1-8
|
269
|
1,122
|
885
|
Aug 9-14
|
179
|
710
|
1,152
|
Aug 15-21
|
150
|
354
|
499
|
Aug 22-28
|
156
|
523
|
798
|
Aug 29-31
|
59
|
125
|
289
|
AUG
|
813
|
2,834
|
3,623
|
Sep 1-7
|
168
|
616
|
751
|
Sep 8-14
|
156
|
433
|
722
|
Sep 15-21
|
166
|
620
|
749
|
Sep 22-28
|
153
|
395
|
573
|
Sep 29-30
|
47
|
112
|
252
|
SEP
|
690
|
2,176
|
3,047
|
Oct 1-7
|
170
|
451
|
687
|
Oct 8-14
|
188
|
532
|
875
|
Oct 15-21
|
156
|
449
|
770
|
Oct 22-28
|
159
|
345
|
592 + 1,230
|
Oct 29-31
|
68
|
570
|
227
|
OCT
|
741
|
2,347
|
3,151 + 1,230
|
Nov 1-7
|
153
|
601
|
828
|
Nov 8-14
|
128
|
420
|
593
|
Nov 15-21
|
134
|
283
|
464
|
Nov 22-28
|
138
|
321
|
640
|
Nov 29-30
|
40
|
62
|
123
|
NOV
|
593
|
1,687
|
2,648
|
Dec 1-7
|
137
|
323
|
476
|
Dec 8-14
|
156
|
233 + 166
|
444 + 1,113
|
Dec 15-21
|
133
|
377
|
340
|
2014
|
9,957
|
23,906
|
36,928
|
Violence In Iraq By Province Dec
2014
Province
|
Dec 1-7
|
Dec. 8-14
|
Anbar
|
19
Incidents
84 Killed:
16 ISF, 68 Civilians
58
Wounded: 6 ISF, 52 Civilians
11
Shootings
1 IED
|
38
Incidents
79
Killed: 28 ISF, 51 Civilians
146
Wounded: 28 ISF, 118 Civilians
22
Shootings
1 IED
3 Mortar
5 Suicide
Car Bombs
1 Car
Bomb
|
Babil
|
5
Incidents
6 Killed:
2 ISF, 4 Civilians
20
Wounded: 4 ISF, 16 Civilians
4 IEDs
1 Car
Bomb
|
2
Incidents
3 Killed:
1 ISF, 2 Civilians
10
Wounded: 2 ISF, 8 Civilians
2 IEDs
|
Baghdad
|
44
Incidents
97
Killed: 97 Civilians
262
Wounded: 7 ISF, 255 Civilians
11
Shootings
25 IEDs
1 Mortar
5 Sticky
Bombs
2 Car
Bombs
|
38
Incidents
49
Killed: 2 ISF, 47 Civilians
135
Wounded: 16 ISF, 119 Civilians
11
Shootings
18 IEDs
4 Stick
Bombs
1 Mortar
3 Rockets
|
Basra
|
1
Incident
2 Stun
Bombs
|
1
Incident
|
Diyala
|
8
Incidents
8 Killed:
2 Peshmerga, 6 Civilians
10
Wounded: 6 ISF, 4 Civilians
6
Shootings
2 IEDs
|
18
Incidents
18
Killed: 3 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 1 Peshmerga, 13 Civilians
28
Wounded: 1 ISF, 2 Peshmerga, 25 Civilians
6
Shootings
1 IED
1 Suicide
Bomber
3 Mortar
|
Kirkuk
|
6
Incidents
18
Killed: 18 Civilians
22 Wounded:
22 Civilians
1
Shooting
3 Mortar
1 Suicide
Car Bomb
|
9
Incidents
7 Killed:
7 Civilians
12
Wounded: 12 Civilians
3
Shootings
50 IEDs
1 Sticky
Bomb
1 Mortar
|
Ninewa
|
13
Incidents
15
Killed: 1 ISF, 4 Peshmerga, 10 Civilians
6
Shootings
6 IEDs
|
8
Incidents
7 Killed:
2 ISF, 5 Civilians
5
Wounded: 1 Peshmerga, 4 Civilians
3
Shootings
4 IEDs
|
Salahaddin
|
41
Incidents
95
Killed: 22 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 72 Civilians
104
Wounded: 4 ISF, 100 Civilians
24
Shootings
31 IEDs
3 Mortar
1 Suicide
Bomber
1 Suicide
Car Bomb
|
40 Incidents
69
Killed: 20 ISF, 49 Civilians
104
Wounded: 25 ISF, 79 Civilians
18
Shootings
11 IEDs
10 Mortar
3 Rockets
2 Suicide
Car Bombs
|
Province
|
Dec 15-21
|
|
Anbar
|
22
Incidents
38
Killed: 5 ISF, 33 Civilians
28
Wounded: 5 ISF, 23 Civilians
18
Shootings
|
|
Babil
|
8
Incidents
22
Killed: 22 Civilians
27
Wounded: 2 ISF, 25 Civilians
2
Shootings
3 IEDs
1 Sticky
Bomb
1 Car Bob
1 Mortar
|
|
Baghdad
|
51
Incidents
159
Killed: 8 ISF, 151 Civilians
192
Wounded: 18 ISF, 174 Civilians
14
Shootings
24 IEDs
5 Sticky
Bombs
1 Car
Bomb
2 Mortar
1 Rocket
1 Grenade
|
|
Basra
|
1
Incident
1
Wounded: 1 Civilian
1
Shooting
|
|
Diyala
|
10
Incidents
12
Killed: 3 ISF, 9 Civilians
18
Wounded: 1 ISF, 17 Civilians
6
Shootings
2 IEDs
3 Mortar
|
|
Kirkuk
|
3
Incidents
1 Killed:
1 Civilian
1 IED
|
|
Ninewa
|
7 Incidents
77
Killed: 77 Civilians
24
Wounded: 24 Peshmerga
5
Shootings
3 IEDs
1 Car
Bomb
|
|
Salahaddin
|
31
Incidents
68
Killed: 4 ISF, 64 Civilians
50
Wounded: 6 ISF, 44 Civilians
19
Shootings
63 IEDs
1 Suicide
Bomber
1 Suicide
Car Bomb
1 Mortar
|
Car Bomb Attacks In Iraq Dec 2014
Date
|
Location
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
Dec 1
|
|||
Dec 2
|
Mahmudiya, Babil
|
1
|
|
Dec 3
|
|||
Dec 4
|
Shaab & Sadr City, Baghdad
Shorja, Kirkuk
|
39
|
97
|
Dec 5
|
|||
Dec 6
|
|||
Dec 7
|
Salman, Salahaddin
|
9
|
17
|
1st Wk Totals
|
5
|
48
|
115
|
Dec 8
|
|||
Dec 9
|
Nikhaib, Anbar
|
||
Dec 10
|
Ramadi, Anbar
|
1
|
1
|
Dec 11
|
Ramadi, Anbar
Dijla & Mutasim, Salahaddin
|
12
|
25
|
Dec 12
|
|||
Dec 13
|
Haditha & Ramadi, Anbar
|
15
|
33
|
Dec 14
|
|||
2nd Wk Totals
|
7
|
28
|
59
|
Dec 15
|
|||
Dec 16
|
|||
Dec 17
|
|||
Dec 18
|
Mahmuidya, Babil
Husseiniya, Baghdad
|
10
|
25
|
Dec 19
|
Samarra, Salahaddin
|
2
|
5
|
Dec 20
|
|||
Dec 21
|
Makhmour, Ninewa
|
4
|
|
3rd Wk Totals
|
4
|
12
|
34
|
There has been a decided decline in the number of vehicle
borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) deployed by the Islamic State (IS)
in December. There were five the first week of the month, seven the second
week, and four in the third. In comparison there were 59 in November and 74 in
October. Another difference from previous months is that there has only been
one car bomb wave in December from December 9 to 11. Before that there was a
VBIED wave every week. IS has plenty of explosives from all the stocks it
captured during the summer, so supply is not an issue. Rather it appears that
it has lost some of its long time bases such as Jurf a-Sakhr, which might have
disrupted its networks and hence led to the current drop.
One place where the insurgents are still on the offensive is
in Anbar. Attacks there for the week have been concentrated on three major
cities. First Baghdadi and Al-Assad Air Base next by were relentlessly
assaulted throughout the week. On December 14,
the ISF claimed it had broken the siege there, but there was no let up in
fighting. The next day
for instance, IS came in from three sides and moved into parts of the town, but
were stopped by coalition air strikes. Radio Free Iraq also said that in fact
the town was still surrounded despite the announcement the day before. December 20
four villages in the area were cleared however. There were also battles in
Ramadi from December 15-19. Next, there were three attempts upon Haditha, which
is home to a major dam that IS has focused upon for quite some time now. Sheikh
Gazi al-Jigaifi was quoted
in Iraq Oil Report as saying that IS had brought in fighters from the Syrian
border region and heavy weapons to make another attempt on the city. Finally,
on December
15, IS surrounded 5,000
Federal Police and tribal fighters in Wafa near Ramadi. They were eventually
forced to withdraw from
the town when they ran out of ammunition. This was used as another example by
local sheikhs of how Baghdad has been neglecting them by not sending them
weapons and supplies they have continuously asked for to battle militants.
These claims were supported by the security
committee in parliament, which said that the pro-government forces were
only capable of defensive operations in the province due to a lack of
equipment. December
21, the ISF and tribes retook Wafa showing the back and forth nature of
much of the conflict in the province. On the other hand, the long awaited
government offensive to retake Hit began on December
11, but has shown no real progress so far. Overall, Anbar is not a priority
for Baghdad right now. It is much more concerned with places like Salahaddin,
and has sent much of its men and material there rather than to the west. The
reasons are many. First, Anbar is overwhelmingly Sunni, and having a
combination of ISF and militias retake towns there as has happened in other
parts of the country would be much more difficult to swallow by locals although
Shiite armed groups have been active there since January. Second, many of the
tribes now fighting the Islamic State were with the insurgency earlier in the
year. The Albu
Nimr for instance, which saw hundreds of its members executed by IS
recently was fighting the government back in January, but switched sides when
the Islamists became the dominant force in the governorate. That has made the
government weary of giving the sheikhs the guns that they have requested out of
fear that they might be turned back on the center sometime in the future.
During the week Reuters
ran an interesting piece documenting the government, militias, and insurgents’
attempts at the sectarian cleansing of the Baghdad belts area. It quoted a
deputy commander in the ISF in Abu Ghraib in western Baghdad province who said
that everyone in the area was considered a member of IS. As a result of this
attitude the ISF was shelling and bombing towns, while militias were destroying
homes to drive people out. The Islamic State has been no less relentless in
blowing up houses of members of the security forces and tribes that oppose it.
Combined these tactics have displaced approximately 83,000 people, mostly Sunni
from the belts area according to the International Rescue Committee. This is a
repeat of the previous civil war from 2005-2008 when insurgents, government
forces and militias carried out a relentless war of sectarian cleansing
throughout central Iraq.
Although the number of incidents in Diyala remains
relatively low there is a concerted battle for control of the governorate.
During the third week of December Muqtadiya in the center of the province was a
continued target of militants who hit it with indirect fire from mortars for
several days. IS also seized control of the Rose
River, which threatens the water supply of Baladrooz and around 150,000
people. Previously, insurgents had taken control of several dams in a water war
within Diyala. The eastern section of the governorate is said to be firmly
under militant control. In response, the ISF launched an operation in Sensl and
Arab Jabour on December 17,
two long time insurgent bases. Militias
were also trying to clear the road from Khalis in Diyala to Samarra in
Salahaddin under the supervision of Badr leader Hadi Ameri who is a Diyala
native. Shiite armed groups were also accused
of kidnapping and assassinating two councilmen from Bani Saad who were tortured
and found shot in the head. Violence is way down in the governorate from the
beginning of the year, but these events showed that the conflict in the area was
far from over.
The Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi army continued to make major
pushes in Ninewa. On December 17
the Kurds freed eight towns in the Zummar area with the support of coalition
air strikes. This was the start of a peshmerga drive on Mount
Sinjar, which had been surrounded by IS for weeks now. The next
day they broke through to the mountain, and entered Sinjar itself on December
20. Not to be outdone, the Iraqi army began an attack upon Tal Afar in the far west of the
province that day. Tal Afar is a strategic town along the Syrian border that
has traditionally been used as a transit point for insurgents to move back and
forth between the two countries. After these setbacks there were reports that IS
executed several of its fighters for abandoning their posts, which has been
matched by other stories of declining morale in Syria
as well. Finally, in the aftermath of clearing parts of the Sinjar area Kurdish
forces found a mass
grave with 70 Yazidi bodies in it executed by the Islamists. These types of
sites have been discovered throughout Iraq after militants have been pushed
out, and more are going to be found in the future.
Pro- and anti-government forces have continued to go back
and forth in Salahaddin. The ISF and militias launched an operation in Balad
in the south on December 15. Balad is important to maintain supply routes
between central Salahaddin and Baghdad. Insurgents on the other hand, were able
to gain control of Baiji after the government claimed it was under its control. The
ISF were forced to withdraw
from the center of the town to the south, because they were running out of
ammunition in the face of IS attacks. On December
20, the ISF moved back into the downtown area, but fighting was still on
gong by the end of the week. Militants were also able to launch operations in
places like Mutasim
and Ishaqi.
Members of the security forces have complained
about the spread and extent of militant attacks in the province, which have
stretched ISF resources. This is despite the insurgents having lost ground in
the province.
SOURCES
Abdulrazaq, Hawar, “EXCLUSIVE Video… Peshmerga Closes in on
Sinjar,” Bas News, 12/17/14
AIN, “35 ISIL terrorists killed southern Tikrit,” 12/18/14
- “Peshmerga liberates 3 towns of northwestern Mosul,”
12/17/14-
Alsumaria, “Security forces regain control of the main street
in Baiji,” 12/20/14
- “Tamimi: Daash cut a major river in Baquba, believes the
water serves more than 150 000 people,” 12/20/14
- “The withdrawal of security forces from the center of
Baiji to the south,” 12/18/14
Bas News, “Peshmerga Launches Three-Pronged Attack on
Sinjar,” 12/20/14
Bennett, Dalton, “Iraqi Kurds push into contested northern
town,” Associated Press, 12/21/14
Al Forat, “4 areas liberated of ISIL in Samarra city,”
12/21/14
- “ISF declares liberating Albo-Sewof area of ISIL,”
12/16/14
- “ISF declares liberating Wafa’a area of ISIL,” 12/21/14
- "Scores of terrorists killed in west of Iraq,"
12/15/14
- “Wide security operation conducted to liberate Balad
district,” 12/15/14
Habib, Mustafa, “Low Supplies, Political Disputes In Anbar:
Not Long Now Before Extremists Take Over,” Niqash, 12/18/14
Iraq Times, "Martyrdom and wounding seven police
recruits by tank bomb explosion in Samarra," 12/19/14
- "Ten martyrs and injured toll car bomb explosion
south of Baghdad," 12/18/14
Al Mada, “Popular crowd proceed with military campaign to
link Diyala with Samarra sources confirm: the work is done under the
supervision of Ameri,” 12/19/14
- “Security Committee: coalition will not break in Anbar…and
volunteers waiting arms,” 12/21/14
Al Masalah, “Broad attack Iraqi forces to liberate the towns
of Yathrib,” 12/19/14
Naji, Jamal and Van Heuvelen, Ben, “Anbar overwhelmed by
insurgent attacks,” Iraq Oil Report, 12/18/14
NINA, “/4/ Villages near al-Bahgdadi western Anbar,”
12/20/14
- "/9/ Elements of the IS killed in clashes with
security forces south of Tikrit," 12/14/14
- "/16/ Elements of the popular mobilization killed and
wounded in clashes with the IS elements in Tekrit," 12/15/14
- “Daash surround a federal police regiment and mobilized
fighters west of Ramadi,” 12/15/14
- “Four elements of Daash killed in northeast Baquba,”
12/17/14
- “Liberation of Aldolab county northwest of Heet,” 12/15/14
- “Peshmerga liberated /8/ villages south of Sinjar and
closed a road to supply the IS,” 12/17/14
- “Security Force Lift The Siege On Baghdadi Area in Western
Anbar,” 12/14/14
Parker, Ned and Rasheed, Ahmed, “Special Report: Inside
Iraq’s ‘killing zones,’” Reuters, 12/17/14
Radio Free Iraq, “15 December 2014,” Daily Updates from
Anbar, 12/15/14
- “16 December 2014,” Daily Updates from Anbar, 12/16/14
- “20 December 2014,” Daily Updates from Anbar, 12/20/14
Radio Nawa, "Discovery of a mass grave containing 70
bodies of executed Yazidis by Daash in Sinjar," 12/20/14
Al Rayy, “A joint force of the army and the Peshmerga waging
a massive offensive on Tal Afar to recover it form Daash,” 12/20/14
- “Nine Daash members killed in security operation southeast
of Fallujah,” 12/17/14
- “Salahuddin operations: security forces imposed control
fully over all of Baiji,” 12/16/14
Reuters, “Two local Iraqi officials killed execution style
after kidnap,” 12/16/14
Rudaw, "Car bomb near Makhmour front wounds four
Peshmerga," 12/21/14
- “Kurdish official: ISIS executed own militants to stop
more desertions,” 12/21/14
- “Peshmerga retake Sinune, tighten noose around ISIS,”
12/19/14
Sadiq, Hoshmand, “Peshmerga Forces Enter Sinjar Town,” Bas
News, 12/20/14
Salaheddin, Sinan, "Iraq PM drops lawsuits against
journalists," Associated Press, 12/18/14
Al-Salhy, Suadad, “Iraqi army to raid ISIL fighters’ ‘hub’,”
Al Jazeera, 12/17/14
Shafaq News, "Fighting renewed in the liberated areas
north of Tikrit," 12/15/14
- “Iraqi army and Peshmerga free villages of Tal Afar,”
12/21/14
- “Peshmarga liberate Tal al-Ward villages in Kirkuk after expelling
ISIS terrorists,” 12/15/14
- “Seven villages south of Tikrit liberated , army moves
slowly toward Yathrib center,” 12/21/14
Shafiq, Mohammed, “Brigade’s commander, Army free four areas
and killed 30 Daash south of Tikrit,” Alsumaria, 12/20/14
Solomon, Erika, “Iraqi Kurds retake besieged Mt Sinjar,”
Financial Times, 12/18/14
- “Isis morale falls as momentum slows and casualties
mount,” Financial Times, 12/19/14
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