Security In Iraq, Apr 22-28, 2016

Violence jumped in Iraq the fourth week of April 2016. The Islamic State picked up its terrorist operations and executions during the week leading to the increase. There was also the usual fighting in areas where the government was carrying out security operations. The week’s spike may mean that in fact, IS is carrying out a spring offensive.

There were 160 incidents during the fourth week of April. That compared to 124 the third week, 141 the second, and 144 the first. Attacks often go up and down throughout each month, and April 22-28 was one of those high points.

Baghdad had the most incidents with 72 followed by 24 in Ninewa, 22 in Anbar, 16 in Diyala, 14 in Salahaddin, 9 in Kirkuk, 2 in Babil, and 1 in Karbala.

There were 413 deaths and 524 wounded during the week. That was the highest total casualties, 937, since the last week of February when there were 1,061 reported in the press.

The dead were made up of 5 Sahwa, 29 Peshmerga, 30 Hashd, 42 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 307 civilians. 2 Sahwa, 14 Peshmerga, 42 Hashd, 56 ISF, and 410 civilians were also wounded.

Ninewa had the highest number of deaths with 204. There were another 113 in Baghdad, 45 in Salahaddin, 33 in Anbar, and 9 in Diyala and Kirkuk each.

There was still major fighting going on in Anbar. In the middle of April the town of Hit in western Anbar was freed. Since then the Iraqi forces have tried to clear out the surrounding towns and moved into the Hit-Haditha valley. A new Garma operation was announced the second week of April, but was going through the same areas like Subhait and Albu Jasim that were fought over in February and March. The effort to take the Garma district has gone on for two years now. The government’s forces got to the center of the town, but were never able to take it from the Islamic State, and as time passed, they got caught churning through the outside areas again and again. The Hashd led effort outside Fallujah led to the clearing of Albu Khanfj and Albu Abdul. Finally, at the start of March a massive sweep was made from Samarra in central Salahaddin to the Thar Thar Lake in northern Anbar. The Iraqi forces claimed this as a huge victory, but during the fourth week of April, they went right back into Thar Thar. This is a huge rural area, which the government has no possibility of holding for any length of time. All this fighting in Anbar took a toll on the leadership of the ISF. The chief of staff of the 7^th Division, the commander of the 27^th Brigade from that division were both killed, and the 7^th Brigade commander was wounded. On another front an estimated 200 people died and were injured by IEDs in Ramadi after political and religious leaders encouraged them to return to the city before removing the bombs had seriously begun. Overall, the government is expanding its control over the major areas in Anbar. The problem continues to be holding onto the smaller towns, which continue to switch hands in many places.

Violence in Baghdad shot back up from April 22-28. During the third week of April the number of incidents in Baghdad saw a large drop to just 59. That was due to demonstrations in the capital demanding government reforms. Every time they occur the Islamic State has reduced its attacks. In the fourth week, incidents went back up to 72 with very high levels of violence on days when there were no protests. As usual the south was the hardest hit with 2 car bombs, 1 sticky bomb, 5 shootings, and 13 IEDs for a total of 26 incidents. After that there were 14 in the north, 13 in the west, 12 in the east, and 5 in the center. The four car bombings from April 22-28 were the most in the province since the first week of October 2015 when there were also four. Those bombings pointed to another escalation in terrorist activity by the Islamic State in Baghdad, which has been going on for months now as it losses on the battlefield.

In Diyala there was a new wave of attacks on the capital of Baquba. That included a suicide bomber attacking a market, a car bomb being discovered and dismantled before it could go off, and two mortar attacks.

Ninewa saw clashes and attacks upon the ISF and Peshmerga, and a new string of large scale executions by the Islamic State. The Makhmour operation got going again with two towns taken at the end of the week. IS counterattacked four times in the district. The militants also fired rockets on Peshmerga positions twice. In Mosul, Qayara and Makhmour IS executed 141 people and blew up two churches. Finally a coalition air strike was blamed for killing 36 civilians in Mosul.  

Tensions in Tuz Kharmato got out of control again in ethnosectarian violence between Arab Shiite Hashd units, Shiite Turkmen, Peshmerga, and Kurdish irregulars. This was a replay of the heavy fighting that occurred in the town in November. In total, the press had 43 dead and 65 wounded. The town is explosive because of all the agendas at work. There are several different Hashd groups in the area, all competing with each other. Attacks and harassing Kurds is one outgrowth of this rivalry. Local Turkmen and Kurds feel threatened by each other and the armed forces in Tuz, and regularly carry out small scale violence against each other, and readily join in when heavy fighting breaks out. That all adds up to an explosive situation, which will continue to go off in the foreseeable future as long as armed groups instead of the government are in charge of the area.

In a further sign that the Islamic State was moved back into the Baiji district in Salahaddin, the Hashd started a new operation in Siniya at the very end of the month, and a suicide car bomb was destroyed there as well. The Hashd led forces moved to the northeast after it freed Baiji and this has allowed the militants to re-infiltrate.

Finally, there were four successful car bombs in Iraq during the week, all in Baghdad. They cost the lives of 23 people and wounded another 79. The Iraqi forces claimed to have destroyed another 28 with one each in Diyala and Salahaddin, 7 in Ninewa, and 19 in Anbar.

Violence In Iraq 2015-16

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
JAN	911	2,656	3,032 + 150
FEB	730	2,345	2,366
MAR	820	2,665	2,529
APR	751	2,753	2,621
MAY	674	2,565 + 1,499	1,952 + 646
JUN	708	2,153 + 405	2,174
JUL	688	2,716	3,198 + 4,024
AUG	684	2,440 + 760	1,777
SEP	649	1,731	1,668 + 3,003
OCT	589	1,144	1,555
NOV	530	1,174	1,455 + 124 + 1,322
DEC	553	1,155	1,252 + 5,920
Jan 1-7	150	808	421
Jan 8-14	140	436	417
Jan 15-21	135	275	227
Jan 22-28	132	392	322
Jan 29-31	41	81	334
JAN	598	2,052	1,721
Feb 1-7	146	575	313
Feb 8-14	119	146	323
Feb 15-21	130	225	239
Feb 22-29	153	371	690
FEB	549	1,281	1,566
Mar 1-7	183	321	478
Mar 8-14	168	408	415
Mar 15-21	130	349	409
Mar 22-28	135	213	420
Mar 29-31	49	172	121
MAR	665	1,463	1,843
Apr 1-7	144	239	444
Apr 8-14	141	271	391
Apr 15-21	124	436	242
Apr 22-28	160	413	524

Security By Province Apr 22-28, 2016

Province	Incidents
Anbar	22 Incidents 33 Killed: 11 ISF, 22 Civilians 110 Wounded: 9 ISF, 101 Civilians 4 Shootings 1 IED+ 1 Suicide Bomber 5 Mortars 1 Rockets 9 Suicide Bombers Killed 12 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 7 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil	2 Incidents 5 Wounded: 5 Civilians 1 Shooting 2 IEDs
Baghdad	72 Incidents 113 Killed: 3 Hashd, 5 Sahwa, 15 ISF, 90 Civilians 315 Wounded: 2 Sahwa, 3 Hashd, 36 ISF, 274 Civilians 18 Shootings 40 IEDs 4 Sticky Bombs 1 Suicide Bomber 3 Suicide Car Bombs 1 Car Bomb 1 Suicide Bomber Killed
Diyala	16 Incidents 9 Killed: 1 ISF, 8 Civilians 16 Wounded: 2 ISF, 14 Civilians 3 Shootings 2 IEDs 1 Suicide Bomber 4 Mortars 1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Karbala	1 Incident 1 Rockets
Kirkuk	9 Incidents 9 Killed: 9 Civilians 5 Wounded: 2 ISF, 3 Civilians 4 Shootings 2 IEDs 1 Mortar 1 Suicide Bomber Arrested
Ninewa	24 Incidents 204 Killed: 9 ISF, 20 Peshmerga, 175 Civilians 8 Wounded: 8 Peshmerga 9 Shootings 28 IEDs 2 Rockets 8 Suicide Bombers Killed 7 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin	14 Incidents 45 Killed: 3 Civilians, 6 ISF, 9 Peshmerga, 27 Hashd 65 Wounded: 6 Peshmerga, 7 ISF, 39 Hashd, 13 Civilians 8 Shootings 3 Mortars 1 Suicide Car Bomb Destroyed

Car Bombs In Iraq Apr, 2016

Date	Car Bombs	Dead	Wounded
Apr 1	Hit, Anbar
Apr 2	Hit, Anbar – 3 destroyed
Apr 3
Apr 4	Baghdadi x2, Anbar Meshada & Taji, Baghdad Basra, Basra Baghdadi, Rashad, Shihabi, Subhait, Anbar – 21 destroyed Abu Ghraib, Baghdad – 2 destroyed Nasir, Ninewa – 6 destroyed Siniya, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed	16	35
Apr 5	New Baghdad, Baghdad Baghdadi & Subhait, Anbar – 9 destroyed Tal Ahmed, Kirkuk – 1 destroyed Makhmou, Nasir, Ninewa – 13 destroyed	3	14
Apr 6	Kubaisa, Anbar – 3 destroyed Nasir, Ninewa – 7 destroyed
Apr 7	160 Kilo, Garma, Hit, Anbar – 7 destroyed Tal Ahmed, Kirkuk – 3 Destroyed Hardan, Ninewa – 2 destroyed Shirqat-Baiji Road, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed
Totals	7 – 81 Destroyed	19	49
Apr 8	Hit, Anbar – 10 destroyed Makhmour, Ninewa – 7 destroyed
Apr 9	Albu Bali, Anbar Hit & Subhait, Anbar – 6 destroyed	12	2
Apr 10	Bashir, Kirkuk – 3 destroyed Nasir, Ninewa – 1 destroyed Baiji, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed
Apr 11
Apr 12	Hit, Anbar – 1 destroyed Nasir, Ninewa – 2 destroyed
Apr 13	Makhmour & Nasir, Ninewa – 3 destroyed
Apr 14	Makhoul, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed
Totals	1 – 36 Destroyed	12	2
Apr 15
Apr 16	Haj Ali, Ninewa – 4 destroyed
Apr 17	Khasfa, Anbar – 1 destroyed
Apr 18	Bashir & Tel Ahmed, Kirkuk – 5 destroyed
Apr 19	Baghdadi, Anbar – 3 destroyed
Apr 20
Apr 21	Saqlawiya, Anbar – 1 destroyed Bashir, Kirkuk – 1 destroyed Siniya, Salahaddin – 4 destroyed
Totals	0 – 19 Destroyed	-	-
Apr 22
Apr 23	Arab Jabour & Rashidiya, Baghdad Siniya, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed	10	36
Apr 24
Apr 25	New Baghdad & Shakha, Bahgdad Baghdadi, Anbar – 3 destroyed	13	43
Apr 26
Apr 27	Albu Tapah, Garma, Hit Valley, Thar Thar – 10 destroyed
Apr 28	Boutaya & Dolab, Anbar – 6 destroyed Baquba, Diyala – 1 destroyed Mahana, Ninewa – 7 destroyed
Totals	4 – 28 Destroyed	23	79

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Commander of army's commandos regiment wounded in confrontations west of Ramadi," Iraqi News, 4/23/16

- "International coalition foils suicide attack on Baghdadi's eastern entrance," Iraqi News, 4/25/16

eKurd, "iraqi Kurdistan News in brief - April 27, 2016, 4/27/16

Al Maalomah, "17 martyrs and wounded from the security forces north of Baghdad from a suicide bomber blowing up," 4/23/16

- "The death of one civilian and wounding three others in a suicide bombing east Baquba," 4/26/16

- "The destruction of three Daash car bombs east of Fallujah," 4/27/16

- "The martyrdom and wounding more than 200 people by booby-trapped houses in Ramadi," 4/29/16

- "Security forces clear three areas in Fallujah, killing 20 Daash members," 4/24/16

- "Two suicide bombers killed by aerial bombardment in Thar Thar," 4/27/16

Al Mada, "Daash bombed in al-Baghdadi complex by Internatoinal Alliance targeting rocket launchers," 4/27/16

- "Death toll in suicide bombing north Baghdad up to 35 dead and wounded," 4/23/16

Mamoun, Abdelhak, "6 Iraqi army members killed, wounded in car bomb explosion south of Baghdad," Iraqi News, 4/25/16

- "150 ISIS fighters killed in cleansing battles of al-Karma District," Iraqi News, 4/23/16

- "ISIS military official al-Karma killed in cleansing battles in eastern Fallujah," Iraqi News, 4/6/16

- "ISIS security official of Karma District killed in eastern Fallujah," Iraqi News, 4/10/16

- "Jazeera Operations forces kill 21 ISIS members west of Ramadi, 203 IEDs dismantled," Iraqi News, 4/28/16

- "Security forces foil suicide attack in Karma District, 7 ISIS members killed," Iraqi News, 4/28/16

- "Security forces fully liberate Doulab area, dozens of ISIS members killed," Iraqi News, 4/26/16

- "Security forces liberate Albu Naim area in Heet, dozens of ISIS members killed," Iraqi News, 4/23/16

NINA, "30 Terrorists Killed, A Village South of Mosul Controlled By Daash Besieged," 4/27/16

- "Defense Ministry announces the return of more than /41/ thousand families to Haditha District," 4/23/16

- "Federal Police: A Military Operation Starts To Liberate Tharthar Area," 4/22/16

- "Four families killed in bombing by the international coalition east of Mosul," 4/22/16

- "The popular crowd confirms the liberation of more than 5000 square kilometers of the basin in the Thar Thar operations," 3/6/16

- "Security Forces Foil An Attack For Daash South Of Mosul," 4/28/16

Salaheddin, Sinan, "Iraq: Car Bombing in Baghdad Kills at Least 12 Civilians," Associated Press, 4/25/16

Sarhan, Amre, "Army brigadier wounded by ISIS shelling in al-Doulab area west of Heet," Iraqi News, 4/25/16

- "Iraqi joint forces kill 18 ISIS fighters in batles in al-Karma east of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 3/19/16

Sotaliraq, "Car Bomb dismantled near Baquba government building," 4/28/16

- "Killing Chief of Staff of 7th Division commander in explosion west Baghdad," 4/23/16

- "Killing and wounding of 11 soldiers in a second car bomb attack in Baghdad," 4/23/16

Al-Sumaria, "Baghdad Operations announced the death of one soldier and wounding four others blown up in Husseiniya," 4/23/16

- "Start process of freeing the regions in valley in Anbar," 4/23/16