Violence in Iraq has been slowly receding since the peak of
the summer of 2014. There was a jump in March due to the fighting in Tikrit.
With that operation now over the numbers for attacks have gone down once again,
while casualties have remained largely the same.
For the first week of April 2015 there were 121 attacks
reported in the press. That was lower than any number recorded this year or
last. As usual, Baghdad had the most security incidents with 44. Salahaddin had
30, Anbar 22, Diyala 10, Ninewa seven, Kirkuk four, Babil three, and Basra one.
Casualties were largely unchanged from the last full week of
March. From April 1-7 there were 212 deaths in the news and 423 wounded. Again
that was the lowest number of reported fatalities over the last sixteen months.
It was made up of 63 killed in Baghdad, 60 in Anbar, 48 in Salahaddin, 23 in
Diyala, 12 in Ninewa, four in Babil, and one each in Basra and Kirkuk. By type
two members of the Syrian People’s Protection Unit (YPG), four Sahwa, 20 Hashd
al-Shaabi, 49 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 137 civilians
died at the start of April. The injured consisted of 2 peshmerga, 54 ISF, 83
Hashd, and 284 civilians. There were a total of 635 casualties during the week,
which was much the same as the 641 reported from March 22-28.
Violence
In Iraq By Week Jun. 2014-2015
Date
|
Incidents
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
Jun 1-7
|
228
|
612
|
1,020
|
Jun 8-14
|
234
|
1,889
|
890
|
Jun 15-21
|
177
|
804
|
755
|
Jun 22-28
|
207
|
740
|
800
|
Jun 29-30
|
59
|
127
|
236
|
JUN
|
905
|
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
|
270
|
1,122
|
885
|
Aug 9-14
|
180
|
710
|
1,152
|
Aug 15-21
|
150
|
731
|
499
|
Aug 22-28
|
156
|
523
|
798
|
Aug 29-31
|
59
|
125
|
289
|
AUG
|
815
|
3,211
|
3,623
|
Sep 1-7
|
169
|
616
|
751
|
Sep 8-14
|
168
|
467
|
731
|
Sep 15-21
|
170
|
625
|
794
|
Sep 22-28
|
157
|
396
|
576
|
Sep 29-30
|
49
|
126
|
287
|
SEP
|
713
|
2,230
|
3,139
|
Oct 1-7
|
175
|
456
|
687
|
Oct 8-14
|
189
|
560
|
880
|
Oct 15-21
|
159
|
499
|
780
|
Oct 22-28
|
160
|
346
|
596
+ 1,230
|
Oct 29-31
|
72
|
574
|
227
|
OCT
|
755
|
2,434
|
3,170 + 1,230
|
Nov 1-7
|
154
|
611
|
828
|
Nov 8-14
|
134
|
470
|
607
|
Nov 15-21
|
139
|
323
|
479
|
Nov 22-28
|
139
|
321
|
640
|
Nov 29-30
|
40
|
206
|
535
|
NOV
|
606
|
1,931
|
3,089
|
Dec 1-7
|
148
|
581
|
482
|
Dec 8-14
|
156
|
233
+ 166
|
444
+ 1,113
|
Dec 15-21
|
133
|
377
|
340
|
Dec 22-28
|
161
|
558
|
494
|
Dec 29-31
|
91
|
117
|
233
|
DEC
|
689
|
2,032
|
3,106
|
Jan 1-7
|
184
|
434
|
464
|
Jan 8-14
|
170
|
730
|
493
|
Jan 15-21
|
182
|
390
|
515
|
Jan 22-28
|
189
|
466
|
894
|
Jan 29-31
|
90
|
288
|
529
|
JAN
|
815
|
2,308
|
2,895
|
Feb 1-7
|
155
|
380
|
688
|
Feb 8-14
|
170
|
406
|
559
|
Feb 15-21
|
165
|
573
|
364
|
Feb 22-28
|
165
|
371
|
687
+ 386
|
FEB
|
655
|
1,730
|
2,683
|
Mar 1-7
|
172
|
372
|
587
|
Mar 8-14
|
133
|
348
|
656
|
Mar 15-21
|
142
|
1,299
|
503
|
Mar 22-28
|
170
|
235
|
406
|
Mar 29-31
|
72
|
205
|
219
|
MAR
|
689
|
2,459 + 4
|
2,371 + 150
|
Apr 1-7
|
121
|
212
|
423
|
Violence In Iraq By Province Apr 2015
Province
|
Violence
|
Anbar
|
22 Incidents
60 Killed: 4 ISF, 56
Civilians
72 Wounded: 72 Civilians
13 Shootings
2 IEDs
4 Mortars
1 Rocket
|
Babil
|
3 Incidents
4 Killed: 1 ISF, 3
Civilians
11 Wounded: 4 ISF, 7 Civilians
2 IEDs
1 Sticky Bomb
|
Baghdad
|
44 Incidents
63 Killed: 7 ISF, 1 Sahwa,
55 Civilians
196 Wounded: 13 ISF, 183
Civilians
8 Shootings
25 IEDs
4 Sticky Bombs
2 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
1 Rocket
1 Grenade
|
Basra
|
1 Incident
1 Killed: 1 ISF
1 Shooting
|
Diyala
|
10 Incidents
23 Killed: 10 ISF, 1 Hashd,
12 Civilians
92 Wounded: 12 ISF, 69
Hashd, 11 Civilians
7 Shootings
1 IED
1 Car Bomb
|
Kirkuk
|
4 Incidents
1 Killed: 1 Hashd
2 Shootings
1 IED
|
Ninewa
|
7 Incidents
12 Killed: 2 YPG, 4 Hashd,
6 Civilians
2 Wounded: 2 Peshmerga
5 Shootings
|
Salahaddin
|
30 Incidents
48 Killed: 26 ISF, 3 Sahwa,
14 Hashd, 5 Civilians
50 Wounded: 25 ISF, 14
Hashd, 11 Civilians
22 Shootings
3 IEDs
2 Suicide Bombers
2 Mortars
1
Grenade
|
Car Bombs in Iraq Apr 2015
Date
|
Location
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
Apr 1
|
|||
Apr 2
|
Bab al-Mudham, Baghdad
|
7
|
26
|
Apr 3
|
|||
Apr 4
|
Mansour, Baghdad
|
||
Apr 5
|
|||
Apr 6
|
Imam Abdullah bin Imam Ali al-Hadi shrine, Diyala
|
4
|
7
|
Apr 7
|
|||
Total
|
3
|
11
|
33
|
Over the last three months the Islamic State (IS) has been launching
more and more vehicle improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). At the start of
April however, there were only three. Two were in Baghdad and one was in
Diyala. Unlike most of the attacks this year these were all aimed at civilian
targets such as a shrine in Diyala. There were a total of 11 reported deaths
and 33 wounded from these bombings.
In Anbar, the security situation remained deadlocked. The
main struggle was over control of the provincial capital Ramadi. There was
fighting there during most of the week. During the end of 2014 IS gained ground
in the city and began assaulting the government center and security bases on
the perimeter. During the week IS also began firing mortars and rockets at
Amiriya Fallujah. On the other side, Baghdad was finally beginning to pay
attention to the province. On April
3, it was reported that reinforcements were being sent to the Habaniya army
base in preparation for a major campaign. Three days later Prime Minister
Haider Abadi authorized
Anbar’s governor to buy weapons to arm local tribes. Government forces also
made some progress in its month long offensive in Garma
clearing an eastern section of the area, while starting a new operation in Shjariya
outside of Ramadi.
Attacks declined in Diyala during the first week of April,
but the situation was still precarious. In January,
Badr Organization head Hadi Ameri claimed that the province was cleared after
an operation in Muqtadiya in the center of the governorate. That was a huge
exaggeration as there has been no change in the number of attacks there over
the last four months with 55 in December, 55 in January, 51 in February, and 59
in March. In April, a parliamentarian
and the district
head in Abu Saida both called for renewed security sweeps to restore order
and counter the Islamic State. This highlights a constant problem the security
forces and Hashd have been running into, which is a lack of manpower to hold
territories after they are cleared. The Muqtadiya sweep simply dispersed IS
fighters to other parts of the province. After the government forces moved on
to Salahaddin, the militants moved back in hence the lack of change in violence
over the last several months.
Last month the peshmerga began a push into southern Kirkuk
with the goal of reaching Hawija, the main IS base in the province. Some Hashd
forces joined in attacking from Salahaddin. Together they made steady progress
last month, but that apparently stalled in April as there were no reports on
that front. On the positive side insurgent activity has largely subsided in the
governorate. In the first week of April for example, there were only 4
incidents reported in the news.
One of the few other places where the Islamic State has been
massing forces and carrying out large scale attacks has been in Ninewa. Every
week, it launches attacks upon Peshmerga positions. In April it assaulted Khazar and Sinjar.
These have gained no ground and usually result in high losses for the
insurgents. IS also continued with its executions in Mosul killing 10 people.
Tikrit in Salahaddin was finally freed at the end of March,
but there were still clearing operations in the northern Qadisiya district, and
fighting around the Ajil and Alas oil fields outside of the city. IS also
launched three attacks in the Baiji area, and attempted a large thrust in the
Hamrin Mountain range. These clashes killed 26 members of the ISF, 3 Sahwa, 14
Hashd and five civilians, and wounded 25 ISF, 14 Hashd, and 11 civilians.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “Iraq battles IS in Tikrit week after
city ‘retaken,’” 4/7/15
AIN,
"ISF repel ISIL attack in Al-Alam, kill 14 terrorists," 4/1/15
Alsumaria,
"Diyala security announce foiling largest Daash attack inside Hamrin range
in Salah Din," 4/7/15
-
"Killed nine Daash militants including a French national suicide bomber
north of Tikrit," 4/7/15
-
"The outcome of the bombing of the holy door at seven dead and 26
injured," 4/2/15
Fox News, “Iraq claims victory over ISIS in Tikrit, but US
military official says ‘block-to-block’ fighting ongoing,” 4/1/15
Independent
Press Agency, "Tamimi demanding security forces be sent to Diyala
province," 4/7/15
Iraq
Times, "A car bomb explosion in the Mansour district in western
Baghdad," 4/4/15
Al Jazeera, “Iraq army hunts ISIL fighters after Tikrit
breakthrough,” 4/1/15
Kurd
Press, "IS receives new defeat from Kurds in Shingal," 4/4/15
Al
Mada, "17 members of Daash killed in clashes north of Tikrit," 4/2/15
Al Masalah, “The formation of a new organization by Daash in
Diyala,” 4/7/15
Millet,
"Two Gerilla Fighters Martyred in Shingal," 4/4/15
NINA, "Liberation of eastern area of Karma area from
Daash occupation," 4/4/15,
Radio Free Iraq, "07 April 2015," Daily Updates
from Anbar, 4/7/15,
Rudaw,
"Peshmerga fight off ISIS assault on Khazir front," 4/4/15
Shafaq News, “Abadi and al-Obeidi authorize the governor of
Anbar to buy weapons in preparation for the battle to liberate the province,”
4/6/15
- “The arrival of reinforcements from Baghdad to Anbar,”
4/3/15
-
"More than 70 elements including 13 Arab terrorists killed in attacks and
battles in Salahuddin," 4/6/15
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