Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Islamic State’s Revenge Of The Levant Campaign In Full Swing

(Baghdad Post)

In April the Islamic State announced its latest spring-summer campaign the Revenge of the Levant after the loss of its last territory in Syria. Things started slowly that month, but they were in full swing by May with the highest number of attacks since October 2018.

There were 137 incidents recorded in May with 136 of them by the Islamic State. The one exception was when a pro-Iranian group fired a rocket at the Green Zone as tensions between the U.S. and Iran increased. This was the highest monthly total since 171 in October 2018. Diyala and Kirkuk with 35 each led the country during the month. Anbar was the only province where violence went down, while attacks were flat in Babil and Baghdad.

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province
Province
May 1-7
May 8-14
May 15-21
May 22-28
May 29-31
TOTALS
Anbar
3
-
-
5
-
8
Babil
1
1
-
-
1
3
Baghdad
-
2
4/3
3
2
11
Diyala
5
4
17
8
1
35
Kirkuk
3
7
8
8
9
35
Ninewa
3
7
5
9
-
25
Salahaddin
4
3
3
10
-
20
TOTALS
18
24
37/36
43
13
137

Casualties In Iraq By Province
Province
May 1-7
May 8-14
May 15-21
May 22-28
May 29-31
Anbar
2 (1K, 1W)
-
-
13 (7K, 6W)
-
Babil
2 (2W)
3 (3W)
-
-
2 (2K)
Baghdad
-
23 (9K, 14W)
2 (2K)
3 (3K)
2 (2K)
Diyala
5 (2K, 3w)
5 (3K, 2W)
37 (10K, 27W)
7 (1K, 6W)
10 (6K, 4W)
Kirkuk
11 (5K, 6W)
12 (4K, 8W)
15 (9K, 6W)
19 (5K, 14W)
50 (6K, 44W)
Ninewa
8 (6K, 2W)
20 (10K, 10W)
47 (41K, 6W)
15 (7K, 8W)
-
Salahaddin
5 (1K, 4W)
9 (5K, 4W)
-
36 (16K, 20 W)
-
TOTALS
33 (15K, 18W)
72 (31K, 41W)
101 (62K, 39W)
93 (39K, 54W)
64 (16K, 48W)

There were 163 deaths and 200 people wounded in May. That included 35 Yazidis found in a mass grave in the Sinjar district of western Ninewa. In total, 1 Peshmerga, 18 Hashd al-Shaabi, 23 Iraq Security Forces (ISF), and 121 civilians lost their lives and 37 ISF, 43 Hashd, and 120 civilians were injured. Kirkuk with 29 dead and 78 wounded had the most casualties during the week.

Anbar saw a decrease in violence with 16 incidents in April and only 8 in May. However, that included two car bombs in the west. The last vehicle bomb in Anbar occurred in the first week of April.

There were 3 incidents in Babil in April and 3 again in May. Two of those occurred in Jurf al-Sakhr in the northeast and one in Mahawil in the center. This province is largely a forgotten front. When IS does attack it’s almost always in Jurf al-Sakhr, which is accessible from Anbar. The district was emptied of people who have not been allowed to return since then because it is along the main highways pilgrims use to go to Najaf and Karbala. It is now a military base for the Hashd, which is why IS usually strikes there.

Violence was flat in Baghdad with 10 incidents in May and 10 in April. IS has largely forgotten about the capital as it rebuilds. The group may be trying to return to the province however. A car bomb was discovered and dismantled in the west. There also might have been a suicide bombing in Sadr City during the month, but that was disputed. Returning to the urban centers is the Islamic State’s ultimate goal. That’s where the money is and how it can challenge the government so it eventually has to make a comeback in Baghdad.

Diyala is where IS has its strongest presence. It never seized any territory there in 2014 so it was the first place the militants reverted back to an insurgency. It has been rebuilding there ever since and now has access to all of the rural areas in the province. It has expanded northward into the Khanaqin district since the federal government took over the disputed areas from the Kurds. That’s because it does not have the forces to adequately secure those areas. 14 of the 35 attacks during the month were in Khanaqin. 35 was also the most incidents in Diyala since 35 in October 2018. Because of the Islamists’ strength there it was one of the first places Revenge of the Levant began with attacks going from 17 in March to 30 in April.

Kirkuk also had 35 incidents. That was up from 13 the month before. It was the site of the largest attack of the month when 6 IEDs went off in Kirkuk city with another two being defused before they could explode. That left 5 dead and 35 wounded. Kirkuk is one of the urban centers that IS still has regular access to.

Like Diyala, the new IS campaign started in April in Ninewa. There were 11 attacks in March, climbing to 19 in April and 25 in May. The insurgents were able to set off two motorcycle bombs in Mosul, and a truck bomb hit a market in the Rabia district in the west along the Syrian border. IS is active in the west and south of Mosul and still has elements in Mosul as well.

Salahaddin saw a large jump in incidents as well. There were 8 in March, 8 in April, and then 20 in May.  That included two attacks upon the Alas oil field in on week, both resulting in large gun battles.

The biggest story was the fires the Islamic State set in fields across central Iraq. This happened in one farm in Baghdad, 9 in Diyala, 13 in Kirkuk, 5 in Ninewa, and 5 in Salahaddin for a total of 33. IS used the blazes to intimidate farmers to pay taxes to them and to also drive people out of their towns so that the militants could use them as bases. There were far more fires that were the result of a mix of accidents, the start of the hot season, and local disputes over land.

Islamic State Activity in Iraq 2018-19
Anbar
Shootings
(Totals)
IEDs/
Sticky Bombs
(Totals)
Gun Battles
Attacks on Checkpoints
Attacks on Mukhtars/
Sheikhs
Kidnappings
Suicide Bombers
Car Bombs
2018
Totals
45
67
13
4
6
5
7
3
Jan 2019
6
4
1
-
2
1
1
1
Feb
10
11
4
1
1
4
-
-
Mar
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
Apr
1
8
1
-
-
1
-
1
May
3
3
-
-
1
-
-
2
2019
Totals
21
27
6
1
4
6
1
4

Diyala
Shootings
(Totals)
IEDs/
Sticky Bombs
(Totals)
Gun Battles
Attacks on Checkpoints
Attacks on Mukhtars/
Sheikhs
Kidnappings
Attacks on Towns
Suicide Bombers
Car Bombs
2018
Totals
219
198
47
43
5
13
25
3
1
Jan 2019
21
2
3
8
-
-
1
-
-
Feb
18
2
5
7
-
-
3
-
-
Mar
7
6
1
2
-
-
-
-
-
Apr
13
15
2
4
1
-
1
-
-
May
11
13
3
5
-
-
13
(9 Farms Burned)
-
-
2019
Totals
70
38
14
26
1
-
18
-
-

Kirkuk
Shootings
(Totals)
IEDs/
Sticky Bombs
(Totals)
Gun Battles
Attacks on Checkpoints
Attacks on Mukhtars/
Sheikhs
Kidnappings
Attacks on Towns
Suicide Bombers
Car Bombs
2018
Totals
172
182
39
18
10
14
29
9
6
Jan 2019
8
17
-
4
2
3
-
-
1
Feb
9
5
3
-
-
2
1
-
-
Mar
5
11
2
1
2
-
2
-
-
Apr
5
9
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
May
11
18
2
3
1
-
13
(13 Farms Burned)
-
-
2019
Totals
38
60
10
8
5
5
16
-
1

Ninewa
Shootings
(Totals)
IEDs/
Sticky Bombs
(Totals)
Gun Battles
Attacks on Checkpoints
Attacks on Mukhtars/
Sheikhs
Kidnappings
Attacks on Towns
Suicide Bombers
Car Bombs
2018
Totals
139
74
43
7
5
6
6
2
3
Jan 2019
6
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
Feb
8
3
2
2
-
-
1
-
1
Mar
6
1
3
-
-
-
1
-
1
Apr
6
6
1
-
1
2
2
-
-
May
8
8
1
-
1
2
6
(5 Farms Burned)
-
1
2019
Totals
34
18
7
2
3
4
10
-
3

Salahaddin
Shootings
(Totals)
IEDs/
Sticky Bombs
(Totals)
Gun Battles
Attacks on Checkpoints
Attacks on Mukhtars/
Sheikhs
Kidnappings
Attacks on Towns
Suicide Bombers
Car Bombs
2018
Totals
110
102
41
18
1
16
4
9
5
Jan 2019
5
5
3
1
-
3
-
-
1
Feb
7
11
3
-
-
2
1
1
-
Mar
3
5
2
-
-
-
-
-
1
Apr
2
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
1
May
8
6
4
1
-
-
6
(5 Farms Burned)
-
-
2019
Totals
25
29
13
2
-
5
7
1
3
(Gun Battles, Attacks on Checkpoints, Attacks on Mukhtars, Attacks on Towns are all subsets of the total number of shootings and IEDs/Sticky Bombs reported)

Suicide-Car Bombs In Iraq 2018-19
Month
Suicide Bombers
Car Bombs
Totals
Jan
7
(1- Diyala,
3 – Baghdad/Baghdad,
3 - Kirkuk)
6
(1- Anbar,
1 – Diyala,
1 – Kirkuk,
1 – Salahaddin,
2 - Babil)
13
Feb
4
(1 – Anbar/Ramadi
1 – Diyala
1 – Kirkuk
1 - Ninewa)
-
4
Mar
2
(1 – Kirkuk/Kirkuk
1 - Salahaddin)
1
(1 – Kirkuk)
3
Apr
4
(1 - Salahaddin
3 – Anbar)
1
(1 – Kirkuk/Kirkuk)
5
May
8
(1 – Diyala
1 - Salahaddin)
2 – Baghdad/1 - Baghdad
4 - Kirkuk)
-
8
Jun

1
(1 – Salahaddin/Tikrit)
1
Jul
1
(1 – Salahaddin/Tikrit)
1
(1 – Kirkuk/Kirkuk)
2
Aug
1
(1 – Salahaddin)
2
(1 – Anbar,
1 – Kirkuk)
3
Sep
6
(1 – Ninewa)
2 – Anbar
3 – Salahaddin)
2
(1 – Kirkuk
1 – Salahaddin)
8
Oct
2
(1 – Anbar/Fallujah
1 – Salahaddin)
3
(1 – Anbar/Fallujah
1 – Kirkuk/Kirkuk
1 - Ninewa)
5
Nov
-
3
(1 – Ninewa/Mosul
2 – Salahaddin/Tikrit)
3
Dec
-
1
(1 – Ninewa)
1
Jan
1
(1 – Anbar)
3
(1 – Anbar
1 – Kirkuk
1 – Salahaddin/Tikrit)
4
Feb
1
(1 – Salahaddin)
1
(1 – Ninewa/Mosul)
2
Mar
-
1
(1 – Ninewa/Mosul)
1
Apr
-
2
(1 – Anbar
1 - Salahaddin)
2
May
1
(1 – Baghdad)
3
(2 – Anbar
1 – Ninewa)
4

Security In Iraq 2018-19
Week
Security
Incidents
(Total/By IS)
Dead
(Total/By IS)
Wounded
(Total/By IS)
Jan 1-7
62/60
45
63
Jan 8-14
58/56
58/56
66/63
Jan 15-21
62/59
151
151
Jan 22-28
59/51
140/136
65/63
Jan 29-31
24
21
21
JAN 2018
265/
250 by IS
417/
409 by IS
(196 Violent Deaths)
366/
361 by IS
Feb 1-7
58/56
192/141
62/60
Feb 8-14
57
58
91
Feb 15-21
53/52
343
43
Feb 22-28
46/44
38/37
70/68
FEB
214/
209 by IS
631/
579 by IS
(215 Violent Deaths)
266/
262 by IS
Mar 1-7
68/64
115/108
79/77
Mar 8-14
52
75
59
Mar 15-21
64/59
165/119
98
Mar 22-28
77/64
210/87
61/60
Mar 29-31
19/18
26/25
34
MAR
280/
257 by IS
591/
414 by IS
(446 Violent Deaths)
331/
328 by IS
Apr 1-7
38/34
172/140
27/25
Apr 8-14
60/52
173/136
81/72
Apr 15-21
43/35
63/18
72/70
Apr 22-28
40/31
60/30
39/33
Apr 29-30
12/11
14/11
4
APR
193/
163 by IS
482/
335 by IS
(236 Violent Deaths)
223/
204 by IS
May 1-7
45/39
52/43
55/54
May 8-14
55/51
68/46
49
May 15-21
35/32
55/26
80/75
May 22-28
49/46
72/62
51/49
May 29-31
16/13
39/30
15
MAY
200/
181 by IS
286/
207 by IS
(261 Violent Deaths)
250/
242 by IS
Jun 1-7
50/44
96/87
29/28
Jun 8-14
67/59
107/47
88
Jun 15-21
40/35
82/28
19
Jun 22-28
45/44
53/38
62
Jun 29-30
17/15
21/16
14
JUN
219/
197 by IS
359/
216 by IS
(315 Violent Deaths)
212/
211 by IS
Jul 1-7
50/49
56/52
90
Jul 8-14
42/39
56/47
31
Jul 15-21
50/45
59/42
63
Jul 22-28
29/24
61/53
19/15
Jul 29-31
23/21
25/13
11
JUL
194/
178 by IS
257/
207 by IS
(212 Violent Deaths)
214/
210 by IS
Aug 1-7
43/39
49/45
30/29
Aug 8-14
43/42
38
44
Aug 15-21
38/35
24/21
40/37
Aug 22-28
35/31
25/19
61
Aug 29-31
27/24
68/30
43
AUG
186/
171 by IS
204/
153 by IS
(189 Violent Deaths)
218/
214 by IS
Sep 1-7
38
44
54
Sep 8-14
48/43
63/55
127
Sep 15-21
44/38
90/74
70
Sep 22-28
36/33
22/17
27/26
Sep 29-30
9/6
19/10
29/25
SEP
175/
158 by IS
237/
200 by IS
(179 Violent Deaths)
307/
302 by IS
Oct 1-7
54/49
85/25
92
Oct 8-14
43/41
161/152
41
Oct 15-21
54/50
87/72
35
Oct 22-28
24/23
24/20
53
Oct 29-31
23
10
24
OCT
198/
186 by IS
367/
279 by IS
(177 Violent Deaths)
245 by IS
Nov 1-7
32/31
75/69
36
Nov 8-14
39/31
111/63
19
Nov 15-21
30/27
51/43
29
Nov 22-28
26/21
35/25
30
Nov 29-30
9/8
4
27
NOV
136/
118 by IS
276/
204 by IS
(183 Violent Deaths_
141 by IS
Dec 1-7
22/15
21/8
11
Dec 8-14
22
15
22
Dec 15-21
23/21
23/16
17
Dec 22-28
30/28
24/18
37
Dec 29-31
15/14
225/220
4
DEC
112/
100 by IS
308/
277 by IS
(96 Violent Deaths)
91 by IS
Jan 1-7
32/31
17/10
24
Jan 8-14
32/30
97/94
53
Jan 15-21
22/18
17/11
16/14
Jan 22-28
27/22
36/17
31
Jan 29-31
12
7
6
JAN
114
139
130
Feb 1-7
29/28
76
30
Feb 8-14
24
26
18
Feb 15-21
40
112
12
Feb 22-28
25
36
70
FEB
118
250
130
Mar 1-7
13
22
45
Mar 8-14
19/18
75/10
37
Mar 15-21
12/11
66/37
21/11
Mar 22-28
13/12
8/5
1
Mar 29-31
6
8
7
MAR
61
147
101
Apr 1-7
20
22
13
Apr 8-14
41
28
42
Apr 15-21
17/16
9/8
26
Apr 22-28
19/18
45/10
15
Apr 29-30
2
1
4
APR
99
105
100
May 1-7
18/17
9
17
May 8-14
24
31
41
May 15-21
37/36
62
39
May 22-28
43
39
54
May 29-31
13
16
48
MAY
136/135
162
199

Violence By Province May 2019
Province
Violence
Anbar
7 Incidents
7 Killed
1 ISF
2 Civilians
4 Hashd
6 Wounded
1 Civilian
1 ISF
4 Hashd

2 Shootings
3 IEDs
2 Car Bombs
Babil
3 Incidents
2 Killed
2 Hashd
5 Wounded
2 Civilians
3 Hashd

1 Shooting
1 IED
1 Grenade
Baghdad
11 Incidents
16 Killed
16 Civilians
14 Wounded
14 Civilians

6 Shootings
1 IED
1 Suicide Bomber
1 Rocket
1 Field Burned
1 Car Bomb Dismantled
Diyala
35 Incidents
22 Killed
2 ISF
9 Hashd
11 Civilians
42 Wounded
3 ISF
10 Civilians
29 Hashd

11 Shootings
11 IEDs
2 Sticky Bombs
2 Mortars
9 Fields Burned
Kirkuk
35 Incidents
29 Killed
13 Civilians
16 ISF
78 Wounded
21 ISF
57 Civilians

11 Shootings
18 IEDs
13 Fields Burned
Ninewa
25 Incidents
64 Killed
1 Peshmerga
63 Civilians
26 Wounded
6 Hashd
20 Civilians

8 Shootings
6 IEDs
2 Motorcycle Bombs
1 Truck Bomb
5 Fields Burned
1 Motorcycle Bomb Dismantled
5 Suicide Bombers Killed
Salahaddin
20 Incidents
22 Killed
3 Hashd
4 ISF
15 Civilians
28 Wounded
1 Hashd
12 ISF
15 Civilians

8 Shootings
6 IEDs
1 Rockets
5 Fields Burned
8 Suicide Bombers Killed

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Security forces thwart bomb attack in Baghdad," Iraqi News, 5/27/19

Ali, Sangar, "Iraqi forces thwart ISIS attack on oilfields near Tikrit," Kurdistan 24, 5/28/19

Baghdad Post, "A car bomb in Ayman Mosul," 5/18/19

Bas News, "Latest Updates on Thursday Bombings in Kirkuk," 5/31/19

Ebraheem, Mohammed, "Bomb attack kills two paramilitary fighters in Iraq's Anbar," Iraqi News, 5/28/19
- "Bomb explosion leaves two civilians wounded in Mosul," Iraqi News, 5/4/19

Read, Russ, "Rocket fired at US embassy in Iraq the same model used by Iran," Washington Examiner, 5/19/19

Reuters, "Deadly Blasts Rock Iraq's Kirkuk," 5/30/19

Rudaw, "Several deadly explosions shake Kirkuk," 5/30/19

Shafaaq News, "Killed and injured six members of the energy police in Salahaddin," 5/22/19

Al Sumaria, "Ten terrorists killed, two vehicles destroyed and two tanker trucks destroyed in Al-Alas," 5/28/19

TRT World, "At least four killed after six blasts strike Iraq's Kirkuk," 5/30/19

Xinhua, "2 killed in car bomb attack near Iraqi border with Syria," 5/23/19
- "5 killed in truck bomb explosion in Iraq's Nineveh province," 5/26/19
- "8 killed, 12 wounded in suicide bombing in eastern Baghdad," 5/10/19

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