Violence In Iraq, March 8-14, 2017

Violence has remained steady in Iraq since the Mosul campaign restarted in the middle of February. Security incidents remained at a low level across the country, with almost all the attacks going on in Ninewa for obvious reasons.

There were a total of 170 incidents from March 8-14, 2017. 104 of those were in Ninewa, followed by 31 in Baghdad, 10 in Anbar, 7 each in Salahaddin and Kirkuk, 5 in Diyala, 3 in Basra, and 1 each in Babil, Dohuk, and Sulaymaniya.

There were 551 deaths and 613 injured during the week. The dead consisted of 1 Peshmerga, 4 Hashd al-Shaabi, 58 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 488 civilians. The injured were made up of 9 Hashd, 40 ISF, and 564 civilians.

Broken down by province there were 459 fatalities in Ninewa, 30 in Salahaddin, 19 in Babil, 18 in Baghdad, 14 in Anbar, 7 in Kirkuk, 2 in Diyala, and 1 each in Basra and Dohuk.

While the number of incidents did not change much in Anbar, the type did. There was one car bomb in Hit, while 11 suicide bombers were killed and 6 car bombs destroyed in two separate incidents. The Islamic State also carried out five attacks upon the security forces mostly in the western section of the province where the militants still hold territory. Usually the insurgents have been more interested in hit and run tactics so these confrontations were a decided escalation from the norm.

In Babil they discovered a new mass grave with 19 bodies in the Fudhiliya area. That was in the northwestern section of the governorate where the Islamic State used to have a major base.

When the Mosul campaign started last year IS started a car bomb campaign in the capital. That ended and for the last two weeks there have been no mass casualty bombings in Baghdad. A suicide bomber was killed, but otherwise attacks there have remained at a low level with a total of 31 leading to 18 dead and 61 wounded. The capital province is now averaging some of the lowest figures seen in several years.

Diyala and Salahaddin have been the two provinces where IS has been rebuilding. Local officials there are constantly complaining that the central government needs to do something about this. There are occasional sweeps through the rural and mountainous areas, but they don’t appear to have had a major effect. Numbers wise violence remains at a low level in both places. Diyala only had 5 incidents and there were just 7 in Salahaddin during the week. Still, there are constant reminders of the insurgents’ return. There are always attempts at mass casualty bombings in Diyala for example, such as the three car bombs discovered and dismantled, and a suicide bomber killed from March 8-14. During that same period there were three clashes with insurgents, three mortar incidents, and two suicide bombers exploded their drives at a wedding party killing 30 and wounding 26.

In Kurdistan a Peshmerga was killed in eastern Dohuk and a reporter’s house was fired upon in Sulaymaniya. The few incidents that usually occur in the region are usually political in nature as these two appear.

Ninewa was obviously the most violent area of the country. There were 104 incidents leading to 459 dead and 480 injured. Since the government is censoring its losses there were only 45 ISF fatalities reported and 11 wounded during the second week of March. Reporting on civilians is slightly better as there is limited access to west Mosul, and hardly anyone is reporting on the east anymore although the United Nations reports there is constant IS shelling in the northeast. Still, the vast majority of casualties are civilians with 414 losing their lives and 469 wounded.

Violence In Iraq 2017

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
Jan 1-7	188	509	1,346
Jan 8-14	168	363	1,044
Jan 15-21	137	583	1,264
Jan 22-28	145	289	310
Jan 29-31	74	127	338
JAN	712	1,871	4,302
Feb 1-7	123	388	176
Feb 8-14	164	433	391
Feb 15-21	145	381	505
Feb 22-28	181	630 + 399	1,386 + 1,634
FEB	613	1,832 + 399	2,458 + 1,634
Mar 1-7	179	749	622
Mar 8-14	170	551	613

Violence By Province Mar 8-14, 2017

Province	Violence
Anbar	10 incidents 14 Killed: 2 Hashd, 12 ISF 33 Wounded: 7 Hashd, 26 ISF 7 Shootings 1 IED 1 Car Bomb 11 Suicide Bombers Killed 6 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil	1 Incident 19 Killed: 19 Civilians
Baghdad	31 Incidents 18 Killed: 2 Hashd, 16 Civilians 61 Wounded: 2 ISF, 2 Hashd, 57 Civilians 6 Shootings 18 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Mortar 1 Suicide Bomber Killed
Basra	3 Incidents 1 Killed: 1 Civilian 1 Wounded: 1 ISF 1 Shooting 1 Sound Bomb 1 Grenade
Diyala	5 Incidents 2 Killed: 2 Civilians 5 Wounded: 5 Civilians 2 Shootings 1 Mortar 1 Suicide Bomber Killed 3 Car Bombs Dismantled
Dohuk	1 Incident 1 Killed: 1 Peshmerga 1 Shooting
Kirkuk	7 Incidents 7 Killed: 1 ISF, 6 Civilians 1 Wounded: 1 Civilian 3 Shootings 1 IED
Ninewa	104 Incidents 459 Killed: 45 ISF, 414 Civilians 480 Wounded: 11 ISF, 469 Civilians 11 Shootings 4 IEDs 1 Car Bomb 13 Mortars 3 Rockets 1 ATM Missile 1 Drone Strike 33 Suicide Bombers killed 2 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 105 Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin	7 Incidents 30 Killed: 30 Civilians 32 Wounded: 32 Civilians 5 Shootings 2 Suicide Bombers 3 Mortars
Sulaymaniya	1 Incident 1 Shooting

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Anbar Operations foils IS attack on army's headquarters near Ramadi," Iraqi News, 3/11/17

- "Car bomb explosion in Hit leaves 3 casualties," 3/9/17

- "Four IS militants killed in foiled attack east of Baiji," Iraqi News, 3/11/17

- "IS armed attack kills, wounds 6 army soldiers near Anbar," Iraqi News, 3/12/17

- "Joint forces kill 32 IS members north of Salahuddin," Iraqi News, 3/13/17

- "Joint security forces kill suicide bomber east of Baqubah," Iraqi News, 3/8/17

- "Security forces repulse IS attack on Sharqat, 15 militants killed," Iraqi News, 3/11/17

Baghdad Post, "30 Iraqi forces personnel killed, injured in Anbar," 3/11/17

- "Mass grave for ISIS victims discovered in Babel," 3/8/17

Buratha News, "Anbar Operations announces the destruction of three car bombs and killing four suicide bombers south west of Ramadi," 3/12/17

- "An armed group attacked a journalist's house in Sulaymaniyah," 3/11/17

Al Forat, "Surprise sleeper cells with a proactive operation south Baghdad," 3/13/17

Al Maalomah, "5 civilians injured by a car bomb west of Ramadi," 3/8/17

Mostafa, Mohamed, "Security-Islamic State clashes renew in western Anbar, 9 militants killed," Iraqi News, 3/10/17

NINA, "8 Terrorists, Including 3 Suicide Bombers, Killed, A Camp And 3 Car Bombs For Terrorists Destroyed In Anbar," 3/14/17

- "The popular crowd frustrated n attack by Daesh on villages between Diyala and Salahuddin," 3/12/17

- "Three car bombs dismantled in Baquba," 3/9/17

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "At Least 30 Killed By Double Suicide Bombing At Wedding Near Tikrit," 3/9/17

Shafaaq News, "Seven suicide bombers including a military official were killed in a pre-emptive operation in Anbar," 3/14/17

Al Sumaria, "Peshmerga officer killed in an armed attack east Dohuk," 3/8/17

- "Wounding six civilians in the fall of mortar shells on a village between Diyala, Salahuddin," 3/10/17