Security In Iraq Jul 8-14, 2021

Violence in Iraq constantly ebbs and flows. The second week of July 2021 was one week where security incidents went down. Both the Islamic State and pro-Iran groups carried out fewer operations then the week before.

 

There were a total of 25 security incidents recorded in Iraq from July 8-14, 2021. 4 were by pro-Iran factions and 21 by the insurgency.

 

Groups tied to Iran hit convoys working for the U.S. with IEDs in Anbar, Basra and Diwaniya. They also fired rockets at Baghdad’s Green Zone. There have been a total of 10 attacks by these factions in July with 2 others thwarted.

 

There were 21 incidents by the Islamic State. Those happened in Anbar (1), Baghdad (3), Diyala (4), Irbil (1). Kirkuk (4), Ninewa (4), and Salahaddin (4).

 

They left 7 dead and 17 wounded. 2 civilians and 5 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) were killed and 4 civilians, 5 ISF and 8 Hashd al-Shaabi were injured. Ninewa had the most casualties with 10.

 

The Islamic State continued its campaign against Iraq’s electricity network. Power towers were bombed in Baghdad and Diyala. Repair workers were hit with an explosive in Salahaddin and IEDs were also dismantled in Baghdad, Diyala, Ninewa, and Salahaddin targeting the electricity infrastructure. This is meant to undermine the government during the summer heat.

 

Anbar and Ninewa are used for logistics by IS and usually have few incidents. In Anbar 4 trucks were burned in the Rutba district. In Ninewa there was a shooting and two IEDs all in the south. One bomb hit a group of Hashd wounding 8.

 

Two police were killed in northern Baghdad province. IS has reactivated its cell in Tarmiya in that area and is carrying out regular attacks there now.

 

There was a shootout with insurgents in northern Diyala and a sticky bomb targeted in mukhtar in the Baquba district. This is the heart of the Islamic State in Iraq but there have been few attacks there the last few weeks. The group is expanding out to the northeast along the Salahaddin border.

 

Violence in Kirkuk and Salahaddin were about the same as the last week. There were three shootings in southern Kirkuk which left 3 police dead and 5 wounded. A kidnapping also occurred. In Salahaddin there was an infiltration attempt in the Tuz Kharmato district in the east and a mukhtar’s house was shot up in the Samarra district in the center. IS has major bases in both provinces but attacks wildly fluctuate. It appears the group is focusing upon rebuilding in the two governorates more than carrying out operations.

 

Finally, in Irbil the insurgents released a man they kidnapped after a ransom was paid. This remains one of the main ways the Islamic State raises money within the country.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province	Jul 1-7	Jul 8-14
Anbar	7/3 Pro-Iran	2/1 Pro-Iran
Babil	1 pro-Iran	-
Baghdad	7/2 Pro-Iran	4/1 Pro-Iran
Basra	-	1 Pro-Iran
Diwaniya	1 Pro-Iran	1 Pro-Iran
Diyala	4	4
Irbil	1 Pro-Iran	1
Kirkuk	5	4
Ninewa	6	4
Salahaddin	6/1 Pro-Iran	4
TOTAL	38/9 Pro-Iran	25/4 Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province	Jul 1-7	Jul 8-14
Anbar	19 (5K, 14W)	-
Baghdad	-	2 (2K)
Diyala	7 (5K, 2W)	-
Kirkuk	2 (2W)	8 (3K, 5W)
Ninewa	6 (6W)	10 (1K, 9W)
Salahaddin	12 (1K, 11W)	4 (1K, 3W)
TOTAL	46 (11K, 35W)	24 (7K, 17W)

 

Attacks by Pro-Iran Groups July 2021

7/2/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil, Salahaddin
	Rockets dismantled - Baghdad
7/4/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US - Baghdad
7/5/21	Rockets – Anbar’s Ain Al-Asad Base
	Drone shot down - Baghdad
7/6/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Anbar, Diwaniya
	Rockets – Irbil Airport
7/7/21	Rockets – Anbar’s Ain Al-Asad Base – 2 US wounded
7/8/21	Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone
7/10/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Anbar
7/11/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Basra
	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya
	July Totals – 10 (2) – 2 US wounded

 

Security In Iraq 2021

Week	Security Incidents (Total/By IS)	Dead (Total/By IS)	Wounded (Total/By IS)
Jan 1-7	21/2	13	19
Jan 8-14	17/3	12	6
Jan 15-21	20/3	52	133
Jan 22-28	10/3	13	12
Jan 29-31	9/1	2	6
JAN	77/13	92	176
Feb 1-7	19/2	11	23
Feb 8-14	11/3	4	8
Feb 15-21	20/7	11	23
Feb 22-28	13/4	13	23
FEB	63/16	39	77
Mar 1-7	19/5	5	8
Mar 8-14	12/2	13	15
Mar 15-21	24/6	8	7
Mar 22-28	14/2	8	13
Mar 29-31	9/5	2	1
MAR	79/20	39	44
Apr 1-7	16/10	3	5
Apr 8-14	15/6	6	18
Apr 15-21	32/4	19	44
Apr 22-28	31/6	15	42
Apr 29-30	12/1	11	23
APR	107/27	54	132
May 1-7	36/8	33	37
May 8-14	31/5	14	25
May 15-21	15/2	3	3
May 22-28	20/9	3	24
May 29-31	11	6	11
MAY	113/24	59	100
Jun 1-7	12/5	6	29
Jun 8-14	22/10	7	7
Jun 15-21	24/4	14	14
Jun 22-28	19/2	10	17
Jun 29-30	5	-	21
JUN	83/21	36	87
Jul 1-7	38/9	11	35
Jul 8-14	25/4	7	17

 

Violence By Province Jul 8-14, 2021

Province	Violence
Anbar	2/1 Pro-Iran Incidents   1 IED
Baghdad	4/1 Pro-Iran Incidents 2 Killed 2 ISF   1 Shooting 2 IEDs 1 Rockets
Basra	1 Pro-Iran Incident   1 IED
Diwaniya	1 Pro-Iran Incident   1 IED
Diyala	4 Incidents   1 Shooting 3 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb
Irbil	1 Incident
Kirkuk	4 Incidents 3 Killed 3 ISF 5 Wounded 5 ISF   3 Shootings
Ninewa	4 Incidents 1 Killed 1 Civilian 9 Wounded 1 Civilian 8 Hashd   1 Shooting 3 IEDs
Salahaddin	4 Incidents 1 Killed 1 Civilian 3 Wounded 3 Civilians   2 Shootings 3 IEDs

 

SOURCES

 

Bas News, "Makhmour: IS Releases a Civilian Abductee after $50,000 was Paid," 7/10/21

- "One Iraqi Policeman Killed in Latest IS near Hawija," 7/15/21

- "One Iraqi Policeman Killed, Two Injured in Fresh IS Attack in Kirkuk," 7/13/21

- "One Iraqi Policeman Killed, Two Injured in Latest IS Attack," 7/9/21

 

Iraq Newspaper, "A logistical support convoy belonging to the American coalition was targeted with an explosive device in Diwaniya, southern Iraq," 7/11/21

 

NINA, "8 Fighters Of The PMF Wounded In An IED Explosion Southwest Of Mosul," 7/14/21

- "Anti-explosives experts treat two explosive devices that targeted electrical power transmission towers in Salah al-Din," 7/12/21

- "An Attempt To Bomb One Of The Main Towers Linking Baghdad And Al-Quds Electricity Station Thwarted," 7/13/21

- "A Civilian Injured In An Explosive Device Explosion South Of Mosul," 7/12/21

- "A Convoy Of Logistical Support For The Int'l Coalition Targeted With An IED In Basra," 7/11/21

- "Thwarting an attempt to blow up a tower to transmit electric power in Diyala," 7/11/21

- "Tribal crowd thwarts ISIS attack north of Diyala," 7/14/21

 

NRT, "ISIS attack in Baghdad kills security forces," 7/13/21

 

Rasheed, Ahmed, Al-Khalidi, Suleiman, "Series of attacks target U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria," Reuters, 7/8/21

 

Shafaq News, "A bombing targets logistical support for the international coalition in western Iraq," 7/10/21

- "Diyala .. A bomb exploded in a local official's car, killing two ISIS members," 7/13/21

- "An explosion targets cadres working to repair power lines in Salahaddin," 7/8/21

- "ISIS elements in military uniform kill the son of the mayor of a village south of Mosul," 7/13/21

- "ISIS kidnaps a civilian in Kirkuk, and the ransom is $100,000," 7/9/21

- "ISIS targets shepherds in western Anbar and a military directive to evacuate the grazing areas," 7/14/21

 

Sotaliraq, "A martyr and wounded in an armed attack targeting the house of a mukhtar of the Abbasiya area west of Samarra," 7/9/21

 

Al Sumaria, "Targeting a tower for transmitting electric power, southeast of Baghdad," 7/11/21

- "Thwarting an ISIS infiltration operation in Salahaddin," 7/8/21

- "Two attempts to blow up electric power towers in Ninewa and Diyala thwarted," 7/11/21

 

Xinhua, "IS militants bomb 2 power transmission towers in eastern Iraq," 7/12/21