Security In Iraq Nov 15-21, 2021

Security has remained relatively the same for the last nine weeks. Attacks by the Islamic State have been in the teens to tens while incidents by Pro-Iran groups have fallen off since the October elections.

 

From November 15-21 there were just 14 security incidents reported in the media. There were 15 the week before and 20 the first week of the month.

 

4 of those incidents were by pro-Iran groups. A logistics convoy working for the U.S. was hit by an IED in Dhi Qar and another bomb was dismantled along the international highway in Babil. Rockets were also fired at a Turkish military base in Ninewa while a truck full of missiles was also discovered in that province and destroyed. These factions considered Turkey’s presence in northern Iraq as a second occupation and have occasional attacked it as well.

 

There were just 10 incidents by the Islamic State. There were 14 the second week of November, and 18 the first week. During the winter IS routinely goes dormant after its Ramadan and summer offensives. This is not related to the weather but rather the trend that was set starting in 2003 that has continued since then.

 

These attacks took place in Anbar (1), Babil (1), Diyala (4), Kirkuk (1), Ninewa (1) and Salahaddin (2).

 

These incidents led to just two people being killed, one member of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and one civilians, while four were wounded, 2 ISF and 2 civilians. 5 of those casualties happened in Diyala and the other in Ninewa.

 

In Anbar three shepherds were kidnapped in the Rutba district in the west. This was likely for ransom to raise money.

 

Three IEDs were dismantled in Iskandiriya in northern Babil. If IS doesn’t attack the Jurf al-Sakhr district it usually targets Iskandiriya instead.

 

Diyala had the most incidents during the week with four. That included two shootings, an IED and mortar fire. Two of these incidents occurred in the Khanaqin district in the northeast, one in Muqdadiya in the center and one in Khan Bani Saad in the southwest. All were low level and likely meant to keep the security forces and civilians out of insurgent areas.

 

In southern Kirkuk two suicide bombers were killed. Suicide bombers are very rare these days and they might have just been two IS members moving through territory who were intercepted by the security forces.

 

Ninewa had the biggest incident as the militants attacked the Hashd in Hatra in the south. IS has been carrying out offensive operations there in the last few weeks which is a change because the group usually just focuses upon moving in men and material from Syria through the governorate. IS is either trying to keep the Hashd out of the area or expanding into it and trying to assert its dominance. An old IED also wounded a person in the western Tal Afar district.

 

Finally there was a gun battle in the Yathrib district in southern Salahaddin and a sniper took a few shots at a checkpoint in Dhuluiya. Incidents have gone up and down each week in the province.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province	Nov 1-7	Nov 8-14	Nov 15-21
Anbar	1	1	1
Babil	2	-	2/1 Pro-Iran
Baghdad	1 Pro-Iran	-	-
Dhi Qar	-	-	1 Pro-Iran
Diwaniya	-	1 Pro-Iran	-
Diyala	6	3	4
Kirkuk	4	3	1
Ninewa	3/1 Pro-Iran	3	3/2 Pro-Iran
Salahaddin	1	4	2
Sulaymaniya	2	-	-
TOTAL	20/2 Pro-Iran	15/1 Pro-Iran	14/4 Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province	Nov 1-7	Nov 8-14	Nov 15-21
Anbar	4 (4W)	-	-
Babil	1 (1K)	-	-
Baghdad	6 (6W)	-	-
Diyala	7 (1K, 6W)	3 (1K, 2W)	5 (2K, 3W)
Kirkuk	-	12 (3K, 9W)	-
Ninewa	2 (2W)	1 (1K)	1 (1W)
Salahaddin	3 (1K, 2W)	13 (6K, 7W)	-
TOTAL	23 (3K, 20W)	29 (11K, 18W)	6 (2K, 4W)

 

	September Totals – 11
10/13/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US - Basra
10/19/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar
10/21/21	3 IEDs dismantled – Babil
10/22/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar
10/28/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad
10/31/21	Rockets – Landed in Mansour, Baghdad
	October Totals – 5 (1)
11/7/21	Drone Strike – PM Kazemi’s residence – 6 Wounded
	Rockets – Turkish military base, Bashiqa, Ninewa
11/9/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US - Diwaniya
11/16/21	IED dismantled – Babil
	Rockets – Turkish military base, Bavian, Ninewa
11/19/21	Rockets dismantled Ninewa
	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar
	November Totals – 5 (2) – 6 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
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
Oct 8-14	14/1	4	13
Oct 15-21	9/2	3	2
Oct 22-28	21/1/1	36	42
Oct 29-31	11/1	7	7
OCT	72/6/1	61	86
Nov 1-7	20/2	3	20
Nov 8-14	15/1	11	18
Nov 15-21	14/4	2	4

 

Violence By Province Nov 15-21, 2021

Province	Violence	2018 Avg	2019 Avg	2020 Avg	2021 Avg
Anbar	1 Incident	12.6 incidents/ month	8.6 incidents/ month	7.0 incidents/ month	5.3 incidents/ month
Babil	2/1 Pro-Iran Incidents   4 IEDs	4.0 incidents/month	3.0 incidents/month	2.75 incidents/month	2.6 incidents/month
Baghdad	-	33.0 incidents/month	11.6 incidents/month	7.3 incidents/month	6.7 incidents/ month
Dhi Qar	1 Pro-Iran Incident   1 IED
Diyala	4 Incidents 2 Killed 1 Civilian 1 ISF 3 Wounded 1 Civilian 2 ISF   2 Shootings 1 IED 1 Mortar	34.5 incidents/month	30.0 incidents/month	30.6 incidents/month	22.9 incidents/month
Kirkuk	1 Incident   2 Suicide Bombers Killed	36.5 incidents/month	18.6 incidents/month	13.9 incidents/month	12.3 incidents/month
Ninewa	3/2 Pro-Iran Incidents 1 Wounded 1 Civilian   1 Shooting 1 IED 2 Rockets	20.0 incidents/month	14.0 incidents/month	10.6 incidents/month	8.7 incidents/month
Salahaddin	2 Incidents   2 Shootings	21.7 incidents/month	10.6 incidents/month	11.2 incidents/month	12.3 incidents/month

 

SOURCES

 

NINA, "3 Explosive Devices Detonated Under Control In Babylon," 11/20/21

- "A civilian was injured by an explosive device left behind by ISIS, west of Mosul," 11/15/21

- "Gunmen Assassinate A Soldier Near His Home, Northeast Of Baquba," 11/18/21

- "ISIS Kidnaps 3 Shepherds In Al-Rutba, Anbar," 11/20/21

- "The Popular Mobilization Forces repel an ISIS attack in Nineveh," 11/17/21

- "Two people killed and injured in an explosive device explosion in Diyala," 11/19/21

- "Two Suicide Bombers Killed South Of Kirkuk," 11/15/21

 

NRT, "Three Rockets Fired At Turkish Base In Nineveh: Local Official," 11/16/21

 

Shafaq News, "A double attack by ISIS on a disputed area leaves wounded Iraqi soldiers," 11/18/21

- "An explosion targeting the international coalition in southern Iraq," 11/19/21

 

Sotaliraq, "Ninewa: The missile launchers were aimed at the camp of the Turkish forces, and we do not want useless proxy wars," 11/19/21

 

Al Sumaria, "The crowd announces the response to a new ISIS attack in Salahaddin," 11/19/21

- "Dismantling an explosive device prepared to target the logistical support in Babil - Urgent," 11/16/21

- "Exposed repulsion of ISIS south of Samarra," 11/19/21