Islamic State Unleashes A Wave Of Car Bombs During 2nd Week of June 2015 In Iraq

During the second week of June the Islamic State (IS) unleashed a new wave of car bombs in Iraq. On top of that IS carried out another mass execution in Ninewa, while a large number of bodies were discovered in Kirkuk. On the government side it was still trying to clear Garma in Anbar and take back the Baiji Refinery and surrounding area in Salahadddin.

In the second week of June 2015 there were 127 incidents reported in the press. That was just around the 131 from the previous week. Attacks have been very low for the last month. At the start of the year there was an average of 26.2 incidents per day in January. So far in June there has just been 18.3 per day. Baghdad saw the most violence during the week with 49 attacks, followed by 27 in Anbar, 21 in Salahaddin, 12 in Diyala, 9 in Ninewa, 5 in Babil, 2 in Kirkuk, and one each in Basra and Karbala. The number of incidents is always higher than what gets reported.

There were 523 deaths and 394 wounded in the media from Jun 8-14. A statement by the Peshmerga Ministry compared to previous reports also showed 405 Peshmerga had been injured since the start of fighting against the Islamic State back in June 2014. During the week the dead were made up of 3 Peshmerga, 9 Sahwa, 44 Hashd al-Shaabi, 88 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 379 civilians. The wounded consisted of 4 Sahwa, 13 Peshmerga, 43 ISF, 68 Hashd, and 266 civilians. Ninewa had the most fatalities for the week with 188. There were another 127 in Kirkuk, 78 in Baghdad, 55 in Anbar, 47 in Salahaddin, 18 in Diyala, 9 in Babil, and one in Basra.

Violence In Iraq By Week 2015

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
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	422
Apr 8-14	133	626	525
Apr 15-21	169	722	714
Apr 22-28	160	483	483
Apr 29-30	50	162 + 7	182 + 299
APR	633	2,212	2,625
May 1-7	154	626	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	2,416 + 1,499	1,898 + 646
Jun 1-7	131	431	476
Jun 8-14	127	523 + 405	394

Violence In Iraq By Province, June 2015

Province	Jun 1-7	Jun 8-14
Anbar	31 Incidents 181 Killed: 64 ISF, 23 Hashd, 40 Sahwa, 54 Civilians 162 Wounded: 77 ISF, 4 Sahwa, 7 Hashd, 74 Civilians 12 Shootings 3 IEDs 5 Suicide Car Bombs 1 Artillery 4 Mortars 2 Rockets 9 Car Bombs Destroyed	27 Incidents 55 Killed: 15 ISF, 27 Hashd, 13 Civilians 71 Wounded: 15 ISF, 24 Hashd, 32 Civilians 14 Shootings 2 IEDs 4 Suicide Bombers 8 Suicide Car Bombs 1 Missile 1 Rockets 18 Suicide Bombers Killed 5 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil	3 Incidents 4 Killed: 4 Civilians 13 Wounded: 13 Civilians 1 Shooting 2 IEDs	5 Incidents 9 Killed: 3 ISF, 2 Sahwa, 4 Civilians 26 Wounded: 3 Sahwa, 23 Civilians 4 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb
Baghdad	51 Incidents 73 Killed: 6 ISF, 2 Sahwa, 65 Civilians 185 Wounded: 13 ISF, 2 Sahwa, 170 Civilians 12 Shootings 28 IEDs 5 Sticky Bombs 2 Car Bombs 1 Grenade	49 Incidents 78 Killed: 7 ISF, 4 Sahwa, 68 Civilians 200 Wounded: 16 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 183 Civilians 17 Shootings 23 IEDs 5 Sticky Bombs 1 Sound Bomb 1 Suicide Car Bomb 2 Car Bombs 7 Car Bombs Destroyed
Basra	2 Incidents 1 Killed: 1 Civilian 2 Wounded: 2 Civilians 2 Shootings	1 Incident 1 Killed: 1 Civilian 1 Shooting
Diyala	10 Incidents 23 Killed: 1 ISF, 22 Civilians 41 Wounded: 41 Civilians 1 Shooting 4 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Suicide Car Bomb 1 Mortar	12 Incidents 18 Killed: 1 ISF, 1 Peshmerga, 3 Sahwa, 4 Hashd, 9 Civilians 8 Wounded: 8 Civilians 8 Shootings 2 IEDs
Karbala	-	1 Incident 7 Car Bombs Destroyed
Kirkuk	4 Incidents 3 Killed: 3 Civilians 2 Wounded: 1 Peshmerga, 1 Civilian 2 Shootings 2 IEDs	2 Incidents 127 Killed: 2 Peshmerga, 125 Civilians 13 Wounded: 13 Peshmerga 1 Shooting
Ninewa	13 Incidents 96 Civilians: 1 ISF, 95 Civilians 3 Wounded: 3 Civilians 8 Shootings 8 IEDs	9 Incidents 188 Killed: 33 ISF, 155 Civilians 13 Wounded: 13 Civilians 5 Shootings 3 Suicide Bombers Killed
Salahaddin	17 Incidents 50 Killed: 3 ISF, 36 Hashd, 11 Civilians 68 Wounded: 5 ISF, 44 Hashd, 19 Civilians 9 Shootings 5 IEDs 4 Suicide Bombers 1 Grenades 7 Car Bombs Destroyed	21 Incidents 47 Killed: 30 ISF, 13 Hashd, 4 Civilians 63 Wounded: 12 ISF, 44 Hashd, 7 Civilians 8 Shootings 3 IEDs 5 Suicide Car Bombs 1 Car Bomb 2 Mortars 29 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 2 Car Bombs Destroyed

Car Bombs In Iraq, June 2015

Date	Location	Dead	Wounded
Jun 1	Fallujah & Thar Thar x3, Anbar	58	57
Jun 2	Palestine St, Baghdad	6	13
Jun 3
Jun 4	Thar Thar, Anbar Baya, Baghdad	5	14
Jun 5
Jun 6	Baladrooz, Diyala	14	37
Jun 7
Totals	8	83	121
Jun 8
Jun 9	Palestine St, Baghdad	10	24
Jun 10	Shula, Baghdad	6	20
Jun 11
Jun 12	Baiji x2, Salahaddin	8	20
Jun 13	Garma x4 & Haiyakil x2, Anbar Hijjaj x4, Salahaddin	42	49
Jun 14	Baghdadi x2, Anbar Shaab, Baghdad	3	10
Totals	17	69	123

IS launched a large wave of car bombs during the week. 17 successfully detonated killing 69 and wounding 123. Anbar with 8 and Salahaddin with 6 were the main targets, as those two provinces remained the major battlefields in Iraq. Another 50 vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VIBEDs) were destroyed or discovered before reaching their targets. That was a total of 67 compared to 24 the week before.

The government has been trying to clear Garma to the northeast of Fallujah for weeks now. At the start of May the area was declared freed, but then ten days later government forces moved back in and have been fighting there ever since. This has been the pattern in Anbar with the ISF and tribes sweeping through an area, and then leaving to another spot, and the Islamic State moving back in. Baghdad is hoping with the deployment of the Hashd forces there will be more manpower to hold more territory, but that’s yet to be seen.

Baghdad had another violent week with 49 attacks. 3 car bombs were set off there with another 7 dismantled before they detonated. For a short period attacks dipped in the capital province, but now they are back up and IS has been planting car bombs there every week again.

7 car bombs were found in Karbala and dismantled on June 10. The south has not been hit by IS since March when a truck bomb went off in Basra. It obviously remains a target.

In Kirkuk, 125 bodies were discovered in a grave in Hawija. The bodies were found in a warehouse used by IS, and then buried.

The Islamic State continued with its executions in Ninewa. 130 were killed on June 10, six more in Badush on June 11, and another 27 members of the security forces were murdered there on June 13. A Coalition air strike was also blamed for the deaths of 20 civilians and another 13 wounded on June 8.

Heavy fighting continued in Salahaddin where the government was trying to take back Baiji and the refinery there. On June 10 a source claimed that 60% of the area had been cleared. The intensity of the conflict was shown by the fact that 2 car bombs exploded there against the government’s forces, and another 24 were destroyed before reaching their targets. Another 4 suicide car bombers hit a Hashd base in Hijjaj in the Baiji district on June 13.

SOURCES

AIN, "IFP blew up 12 car bombs in Baiji district," 6/14/15

Alsumaria, "Buried 125 unidentified bodies that were recovered from the warehouse site in Hawija, Kirkuk," 6/14/15

Associated Press, "ISIS attacks kill 10 Iraqi troops north of Baghdad," 6/13/15

Bas News, "Islamic State Kill Scores of Prisoners," 6/10/15

Al Mada, "26 dead and wounded final outcome of suicide bomber in Shula," 6/10/15

- "Killing and wounding 13 people by a car bomb in eastern Baghdad's Shaab," 6/14/15

Al Masalah, "The death of two brothers by a sticky bomb north Baghdad," 6/10/15

NINA, "/33/ Civilians killed and wounded in bombing by the international coalition aircraft in Mosul," 6/8/15

- "BN---Three Suicide Bomber Kill 9 and Wound 19 Of Police And PDF's Elements North Of Tikrit," 6/13/15

- "Daash executed 6 of the elements of the army, west of Mosul," 6/11/15

- "The destruction of an excavator and a vehicle bombs west of Samarra," 6/12/15

- "A security source: Elements of Daash executed (27) elements of the army and police, west of Mosul," 6/13/15

- "A Seventh Car Bomb Seized In Baghdad," 6/10/15

- "A tanker bomb destroyed in west of Samarra," 6/9/15

Pitarakis, Lefteris and Yacoub, Sameer, "Syrian Kurds Nearing IS Border Stronghold, Thousands Flee," Associated Press, 6/13/15

Radio Free Iraq, "14 June 2015," Daily Updates from Anbar, 6/14/15

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "Suicide Car Bombing Kills Six In Baghdad," 6/10/15

Shafaq News, "Dead and wounded from the popular crowd west and east of Baiji," 6/12/15

- "Iraqi forces reinforce the demarcation lines with Daash after restoring 60 percent of Baiji," 6/10/15

- "Police forces repel attack by Daash destroying 17 suicide bombers in Baiji," 6/13/15

Sotaliraq, "Foiled attempt to target security forces recently with three suicide car bombers," 6/13/15

Xinhua, "U.S. military advisers arrive in Iraq, 41 killed in car bombs in Anbar," 6/13/15

Yacoub, Sameer, "Bombings Kill 20 People in and Around Baghdad," Associated Press, 6/9/15