Security In Iraq Oct 1-7, 2021

Violence in Iraq has remained steady for the last month. Attacks by the Islamic State have been in the teens each week. The major change at the start of October was there were no incidents by pro-Iran groups which tapered off at the end of September.

 

There were a total of 17 security incidents reported in the media from October 1-7. That was the same number as the last full week of September and similar to the week before that when there were 13 incidents.

 

All 17 were by the Islamic State across Anbar (1), Baghdad (1), Diyala (7), Kirkuk (2), Ninewa (1), and Salahaddin (5).

 

That led to 11 dead, 3 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and 8 civilians, and 22 wounded, 2 Hashd al-Shaabi, 8 ISF and 12 civilians. Salahaddin was the only province with casualties in double figures with 18.

 

Anbar and Ninewa are logistics hubs for the insurgency and see few incidents. There was a change in Anbar however when a suicide car bomb was blown up while moving down a road in Ramadi. The last such incident was a truck bomb in August. In Ninewa an IED went off in Tal Afar in western Ninewa that wounded 2 soldiers. That is more of the norm in the two governorates as IS is only interested in keeping people and the security forces away from their transit and smuggling areas.

 

After a lull in violence there was an incident in Baghdad’s Tarmiya district in the north. A man was beheaded and his car burned. This looks like an act of intimidation either to get his family to pay taxes or perhaps payback for cooperating with the government. IS reactivated its cell in this district a few months ago and was carrying out weekly attacks. The government responded with a series of sweeps which resulted in no incidents at the end of September.

 

Kirkuk saw two gun battles both in the south. One left two Hashd wounded and the other two police injured. IS has bases in southern Kirkuk but violence fluctuates up and down in the province.

 

Diyala and Salahaddin were the main targets of IS during the week. There were 7 attacks in Diyala including a kidnapping that resulted in a death, two checkpoints shot at by snipers, and a candidate in October’s election having his house sniped at which killed a bodyguard. Usually IS concentrates in Muqdadiya and Khanaqin in the center and northeast respectively which it has de facto control over. This week like September the group is hitting the northwest likely to establish its power over that area as well which is already a transit route from Salahaddin. That governorate saw 5 incidents including two gun battles. Violence has gone up and down there week to week.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province	Oct 1-7
Anbar	1
Baghdad	1
Diyala	7
Kirkuk	2
Ninewa	1
Salahaddin	5
TOTAL	17

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province	Oct 1-7
Baghdad	1 (1K)
Diyala	8 (5K, 3W)
Kirkuk	4 (4W)
Ninewa	2 (2W)
Salahaddin	18 (5K, 13W)
TOTAL	33 (11K, 22W)

 

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
Jul 15-21	20/1	48	75
Jul 22-28	10/1	10	7
Jul 29-31	16/5	30	30
JUL	110/20	106	164
Aug 1-7	44/5	12	19
Aug 8-14	31/6	17	23
Aug 15-21	25/8	12	18
Aug 22-28	21/9	8	10
Aug 29-31	12/2	5	12
AUG	133/30	54	82
Sep 1-7	21/3	12	24
Sep 8-14	28/3	24	36
Sep 15-21	13/1	5	17
Sep 22-28	17/4	13	9
Sep 29-30	2	-	-
SEP	81/11	54	86
Oct 1-7	17	11	22

 

Violence By Province Oct 2021

Province	Violence	2018 Avg	2019 Avg	2020 Avg	2021 Avg
Anbar	1 Incident   1 Suicide Car Bomb Destroyed	12.6 incidents/ month	8.6 incidents/ month	7.0 incidents/ month	5.4 incidents/ month
Babil		4.0 incidents/month	3.0 incidents/month	2.75 incidents/month	2.1 incidents/month
Baghdad	1 Incident 1 Killed 1 Civilian	33.0 incidents/month	11.6 incidents/month	7.3 incidents/month	6.6 incidents/month
Diyala	7 Incidents 5 Killed 2 ISF 3 Civilians 3 Wounded 1 ISF 2 Civilians   5 Shootings 1 IED	34.5 incidents/month	30.0 incidents/month	30.6 incidents/month	23.0 incidents/month
Kirkuk	2 Incidents 4 Wounded 2 Hashd 2 ISF   2 Shootings	36.5 incidents/month	18.6 incidents/month	13.9 incidents/month	12.2 incidents/month
Ninewa	1 Incident 2 Wounded 2 ISF   1 IED	20.0 incidents/month	14.0 incidents/month	10.6 incidents/month	8.5 incidents/month
Salahaddin	5 Incidents 5 Killed 1 ISF 4 Civilians 13 Wounded 3 ISF 10 Civilians	21.7 incidents/month	10.6 incidents/month	11.2 incidents/month	9.3 incidents/month

 

SOURCES

 

Azzam, "A sniper targets a candidate's home and kills a security guard," 10/6/21

 

Bas News, "IS Attacks Federal Police in Kirkuk," 10/6/21

 

NINA, "2 Soldiers Injured By An IED In Mosul," 10/4/21

- "An Athlete Killed And 2 Injured In An ISIS Attack In Diyala," 10/4/21

- "The Body Of The Kidnapped Fisherman Found In Diyala," 10/4/21

- "An Explosive Device Explodes Near A Poultry Farming Project In Diyala," 10/7/21

- "Gunmen Assassinated A Security Member In Diyala," 10/5/21

- "The PMF Repel A Terrorist Attack By ISIS In Hamrin Hills, East Of Salah Al-Din," 10/4/21

 

NRT, "Iraqi Soldier Killed In Clash With ISIS Near Tuz Khurmatu," 10/4/21

-"ISIS Kidnaps Two Fisherman Near Hamrin Lake: Police," 10/4/21

- "Ramadi Car Bomb Attack Thwarted A Week Before Election," 10/4/21

 

Shafaq News, "An armed attack kills 3 people in Samarra," 10/1/21

- "Four farmers injured in an explosion of an explosive device east of Tikrit," 10/2/21

- "ISIS attacks the crowd in Kirkuk, leaving two wounded," 10/4/21

- "ISIS attacks the Popular Mobilization Forces in Diyala," 10/2/21

- "ISIS controls a security point and inflicts a victim and wounded on the Iraqi army in Diyala," 10/6/21

- "Killing and wounding 6 children in targeting an electoral conference in Baiji (video)," 10/7/21

- "Militants believed to be affiliated with ISIS behead an elderly man and burn his car north of Baghdad," 10/3/21