Islamic State Executions Skyrocket In Iraq’s Ninewa In August 2015

Fighting in Iraq remained largely the same in August 2015. The number of attacks barely changed from July to August. The number of wounded was down almost 50% between the two months, but that was probably due to underreporting as much as a decline. The major differences were that the Islamic State executed a huge number of people in Ninewa province.

In August Musings On Iraq counted 616 security incidents. That was roughly the same as July’s 608. That averaged out to 19.6 attacks per day in July and 19.8 in August. The real number of incidents is always higher than what gets into the press.

As usual, Baghdad and Anbar led the way in violence. There were 192 incidents in Baghdad, and 134 in Anbar. After that Salahaddin had 96, Ninewa 78, Kirkuk 43, Diyala 38, Babil 30, Irbil 3, and Karbala 2.

In Iraq’s two most dangerous provinces attacks have actually been going down. In Anbar incidents dropped from an average of 5.2 per day in June to 4.7 in July to 4.3 in August. Baghdad went from 7.6 in June to 6.9 in July to 6.1 in August.

There were 2,180 deaths reported in the papers and another 1,762 wounded. The dead consisted of 28 Sahwa, 54 Peshmerga, 162 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, 176 Hashd al-Shaabi, 311 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 1,449 civilians. The injured were made up of 26 Sahwa, 35 Peshmerga, 59 Hashd, 232 ISF, and 1,410 civilians. The real numbers are always much higher. The fact that there was more dead then wounded last month, when there are usually 3-4 more of the latter was a sign of underreporting.

In August, Ninewa was the deadliest province with 822 fatalities. 733 of those were due to executions by the Islamic State. In the first two weeks of the month the group killed 615 people alone. That happened not only in Mosul, but in Hamam al-Alil, Baaj, Qayara, Badush, Sinjar, Ghazlani, and Issa. Another 760 people were reportedly killed by IS from June 2014 to the start of August in Mosul. No reason was given for the dramatic increase in executions. It wasn’t clear if these killings just got mentioned more or whether IS was responding to threats or trying to send a message or what motivated the Islamists.

There were 323 dead and 245 wounded in Anbar. Those numbers are not complete. For one week of August for example, the government reported no casualties amongst the joint forces in Anbar despite intense fighting. Also by the middle of the month Baghdad clamped down on coverage of civilian casualties from government shelling and air strikes in the province as well. In July for instance, there were nearly daily reports about people getting killed from government artillery, mortar fire, and air strikes mostly in Fallujah, which led to 287 dead and 429 wounded. By August, only 42 such deaths and 53 injured were mentioned.

Babil was one of the few provinces where attacks went up from July to August. The increase was only a fraction however from an average of 0.6 per day in July to 0.9 in August. That didn’t really have much affect upon casualties however as the number of deaths went from 27 in July to 35 in August. The Islamic State is using Babil as a base to launch attacks into southern Baghdad rather than destabilize the province itself.

The capital governorate led the country in attacks in August with 192, which resulted in 331 dead and 1,021 wounded. Southern Baghdad faced the most violence with 65 incidents including 6 car bombs and 22 IEDs. Eastern Baghdad was second with 45 incidents that involved 6 car bombs and 17 IEDs. There were also 37 attacks in the north, 28 in the west and 8 in the center. The widespread violence across Baghdad showed the Islamic State’s ability to strike any part of the capital. This is happening despite a heavy deployment of security forces to the area.

Attacks in Baghdad August 2015

Center: 8 – 1 Attempted Kidnapping, 2 Shootings, 6 IEDs

East: 39 – 4 Kidnappings, 5 Sticky Bombs, 6 Car Bombs, 8 Shootings, 17 IEDs

Outer East: 6 – 2 Kidnappings, 2 Shootings, 2 IEDs

North: 23 – 4 Sticky Bombs, 7 Shootings, 13 IEDs

Outer North: 14 – 1 Car Bomb dismantled, 2 Sticky Bombs, 4 Shootings, 7 IEDs,

South: 40 – 1 Car Bomb dismantled, 1 Rocket, 2 Sticky Bombs, 4 Kidnappings, 4 Shootings, 6 Car Bombs, 22 IEDs,

Outer South: 25 –1 Mortar, 1 Sticky Bomb, 4 Shootings, 18 IEDs

West: 21 – 1 Robbery, 2 Car Bombs dismantled, 3 Sticky Bombs, 5 Shootings, 10 IEDs

Outer West: 7 – 1 Shooting, 6 IEDs

?: 2 – 1 IED, 7 Car Bombs dismantled

Diyala has become a new target for IS car bombs. 5 went off during the month, with another 8 discovered before they were detonated. Overall, there were 108 fatalities and 166 wounded for the month. IS is still mainly using Diyala to launch attacks into eastern Baghdad.

There were a high number of casualties in Kirkuk due to IS executions. 104 people were killed by the Islamists out of a total of 142 deaths in August. 3 car bombs also went off in the province.

Turkey continued its airstrikes into Kurdistan against the PKK in August. That led to a reported 162 PKK fighters dying along with 9 civilians.

There were attacks up and down Salahaddin, but the heaviest fighting was in Baiji. IS launched a new wave of attacks there in August regaining some lost ground. That was a diversionary effort however to try to draw the government’s attention away from Anbar, which worked as reinforcements were sent to the area. In total, 248 died and another 153 were wounded in Salahaddin last month.

Finally, the Islamic State’s new car bomb campaign reached its second month. There were 49 successful vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) and 275 destroyed in August. August’s total of 324 dwarfed July’s 177. June was a transitional month in between the last offensive with just 107 total.

Violence In Iraq By Week 2015

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
Jan 1-7	189	466	464
Jan 8-14	172	733	518
Jan 15-21	189	403	528
Jan 22-28	195	492	899
Jan 29-31	91	306	568
JAN	836	2,400	2,977
Feb 1-7	155	408	688
Feb 8-14	177	443	566
Feb 15-21	169	592	383
Feb 22-28	171	391	705
FEB	672	1,834	2,342
Mar 1-7	176	373	595
Mar 8-14	137	398	656
Mar 15-21	146	1,304	505
Mar 22-28	174	273	406
Mar 29-31	72	205	219
MAR	705	2,553 + 4	2,381 + 150
Apr 1-7	127	218	422
Apr 8-14	137	676	542
Apr 15-21	172	729	717
Apr 22-28	163	497	483
Apr 29-30	50	162 + 7	182 + 299
APR	649	2,282	2,346
May 1-7	154	627	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	2,417 + 1,499	1,898 + 646
Jun 1-7	132	431	476
Jun 8-14	126	522 + 405	394
Jun 15-21	141	365	373
Jun 22-28	162	306	474
Jun 29-30	61	122	189
JUN	622	1,804	2,012
Jul 1-7	161	435	719
Jul 8-14	140	384	570
Jul 15-21	109	359	597 + 4,024
Jul 22-28	145	527	590
Jul 29-31	53	453 + 8	603
JUL	608	2,166	3,079 + 4,024
Aug 1-7	154	650 + 760	298
Aug 8-14	132	726	645
Aug 15-21	135	345	354
Aug 22-28	136	342	296
Aug 29-31	59	112 + 5	169
AUG	616	2,180 + 760	1,762

Violence In Iraq August 2015 by Province

Provinces	Violence
Anbar	134 Incidents 323 Killed: 21 Sahwa, 54 Hashd, 123 ISF, 125 Civilians 56 Shootings 16 IEDs 15 Suicide Car Bombs 6 Mortars 4 Rockets 33 Suicide Bombers Killed 31 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 46 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil	30 Incidents 35 Killed: 2 Sahwa, 6 ISF, 27 Civilians 79 Wounded: 2 Sahwa, 20 ISF, 57 Civilians 8 Shootings 13 IEDs 4 Sticky Bombs 1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Baghdad	192 Incidents 331 Killed: 1 Hashd, 3 Sahwa, 23 ISF, 304 Civilians 1,021 Wounded: 4 Sahwa, 33 ISF, 984 Civilians 39 Shootings 103 IEDs 19 Sticky Bombs 11 Car Bombs 1 Mortar 1 Rockets 12 Car Bombs Destroyed
Diyala	38 Incidents 108 Killed: 2 Sahwa, 4 Hashd, 9 ISF, 93 Civilians 166 Wounded: 2 Hashd, 164 Civilians 8 Shootings 10 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs 2 Suicide Car Bombs 3 Car Bombs 2 Mortars 8 Car Bombs Destroyed
Irbil	3 Incidents 41 Killed: 32 PKK, 9 Civilians 13 Wounded: 13 Civilians Turkish Air Strikes
Karbala	2 Incidents 1 Wounded: 1 Civilian 1 Shooting 1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Kirkuk	43 Incidents 142 Killed: 2 Hashd, 12 Peshmerga, 30 ISF, 98 Civilians 52 Wounded: 1 Hashd, 8 ISF, 24 Peshmerga, 19 Civilians 17 Shootings 6 IEDs 1 Grenade 1 Motorcycle Bomb 1 Suicide Car Bomb 2 Car Bombs 3 Rockets
KRG	130 Killed: 130 PKK Turkish Air Strikes
Ninewa	78 Incidents 822 Killed: 42 Peshmerga, 77 ISF, 703 Civilians 32 Wounded: 11 Peshmerga, 21 Civilians 26 Shootings 14 IEDs 4 Rockets 8 Mortars 3 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin	96 Incidents 248 Killed: 43 ISF, 90 Civilians, 115 Hashd 153 Wounded: 4 Sahwa, 25 ISF, 56 Hashd, 68 Civilians 56 Shootings 14 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs 2 Suicide Motorcycle Bombs 1 Suicide Car Bomb 14 Car Bombs 2 Mortars 5 Suicide Bombers Killed 11 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 162 Car Bombs Destroyed

Car Bombs In Iraq, August 2015

Date	Location	Dead	Wounded
Aug 1	Saqqara, Anbar – 8 destroyed
Aug 2
Aug 3
Aug 4	Balladries, Diyala	7	10
Aug 5	? x3, Anbar Sadr City x2, Baghdad Khalkis, Diyala Anbar Unit, Saqlawiya, South of Fallujah, Anbar – 6 destroyed Amiriya, Husseiniya & Sadiya, Baghdad – 3 destroyed	32	40
Aug 6
Aug 7
Totals	7 & 17 Destroyed	39	50
Aug 8	Ramadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed Amiriya, Baghdad – 1 dismantled
Aug 9	Abadi, Mukhayb, Tal Al-Mushahid, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Aug 10	Howaider & Kanaan, Diyala Baghdad – 7 destroyed	63	101
Aug 11	Samarra, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed
Aug 12	New Baghdad & Shomook, Baghdad Khalis, Diyala	10	40
Aug 13	Sadr City, Baghdad East Husaiba & Saqlawiya, Anbar – 2 destroyed Mahawil, Babil – 1 destroyed	76	221
Aug 14	Yarmouk, Kirkuk Baiji x 12, Salahaddin Albu Jassim, Anbar – 2 destroyed	3	4
Totals	19 & 22 Destroyed	152	366
Aug 15	Habibiya & Shuhada, Baghdad Salam Bridges, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed	17	75
Aug 16	Outside Fallujah x4, Anbar Jisr Diyala, Baghdad Husaiba, Anbar – 1 destroyed Ajeel & Baiji, Salahaddin – 3 destroyed	20	28
Aug 17	Habibiya, Baghdad 5 Kilo & Ramadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed Gwar, Ninewa – 3 destroyed Albu Jwari, Durr Tal Abu Jarad & Baiji, Salahaddin – 56 destroyed	15	35
Aug 18	Asri, Salahaddin Albu Athea, Garma & Humaira, Anbar – 12 destroyed Ain al-Tamur, Karbala – 1 destroyed Tal Abu Jarad, Salahaddin – 5 destroyed	21	4
Aug 19	Kirkuk, Kirkuk Baiji, Salahaddin Baiji & Tal Abu Jarad, Salahaddin – 16 destroyed	12	2
Aug 20	Hawish, Salahaddin Albu Athea & Zaqareed, Anbar – 10 destroyed Baiji, Salahaddin – 28 destroyed		27
Aug 21	Ramadi, Anbar – 1 destroyed
Totals	12 & 141 Destroyed	85	171
Aug 22
Aug 23	Albu Haya, Baghdadi, Haditha, Outside Fallijah – 4 destroyed
Aug 24	35 Kilo x3, Anbar Baghdadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed	8	6
Aug 25	Southeast of Ramadi Southeast of Ramadi – 1 destroyed Zafaraniya, Baghdad – 1 destroyed Baiji, Salahaddin – 60 destroyed	13	7
Aug 26	Shuhada, Baghdad Albu Shajal, Garma, Husaiba – 5 destroyed Hamrin Mountains, Diyala – 6 destroyed	2	9
Aug 27	North x2, Anbar Kirkuk-Debas Road, Kirkuk Albu Metairai – 1 destroyed Baiji & Samarra Island, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed	8	18
Aug 28	Zafaraniya, Baghdad	6	10
Totals	9 & 84 Destroyed	37	50
Aug 29	East of Fallujah, Anbar Samarra Island – 1 destroyed	6	9
Aug 30	Amiriyah & Khalidiya, Anbar – 3 destroyed
Aug 31	Haditha, Anbar Baghdadi, Haditha, Sajariya, Sjar & ?, Anbar – 5 destroyed Hamrin Mtns, Diyala – 2 destroyed	14	19
Totals	2 & 11 Destroyed	20	28

Month	Car Bombs	Dead	Wounded
Jun	31 & 76 Destroyed	191	324
Jul	71 & 106 Destroyed	553	783
Aug	49 & 275 Destroyed	333	665