Security In Iraq Mar 1-7, 2022

Is the Islamic State’s insurgency over in Iraq? For all intense and purposes it is. Incidents by the group plummeted to an all time low in February and that continued into March. The group has also not chosen a new leader after Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi al-Quraishi was killed in a U.S. raid last month. Perhaps after it selects a new commander it will restart its operations but as of now it is doing little to nothing in Iraq.

 

There were only seven security incidents reported in Iraq from March 1-7, 2022. There were 8 the last week of February and 9 the week before that.

 

3 incidents were by pro-Iran groups. They hit U.S. convoys working for the U.S. with bombs in Dhi Qar, Diwaniya and Salahaddin. Like the Islamic State these factions have been winding down their operations over the last two months. It appears they are more concerned with talks over forming the next Iraqi government.

 

There were only four incidents by the Islamic State during the week, the same number as the last week of February. These are the lowest weekly totals ever recorded in Iraq since 2003. In Diyala there was a sticky bomb and a grenade was dismantled outside the house of a member of the Iraqi Security Forces. In Kirkuk an old IED killed a civilian, and in Salahaddin an attack was foiled by the security forces. That’s two failed attacks, a leftover bomb and only one real attack for the week.

 

It’s not just that there are so few incidents currently in Iraq. It’s also the fact that almost all of them are in remote rural areas. They have little impact upon the population and none upon the government. It can therefore be said that the Islamic State is not currently relevant to the country.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province	Mar 1-7
Dhi Qar	1 Pro-Iran
Diwaniya	1 Pro-Iran
Diyala	2
Kirkuk	1
Salahaddin	2/1 Pro-Iran
TOTAL	7/3Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province	Mar 1-7
Kirkuk	1 (1K)
TOTAL	1 (1K)

 

Attacks by Pro-Iran Groups

	January Totals 31 (9) – 3 Wounded
2/1/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar
2/3/22	Rockets – Turkish army base, Ninewa
2/6/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya
2/8/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya
2/9/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Muthanna
2/10/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin
2/13/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin
	2 IEDs dismantled – Muthanna
2/19/22	Grenade – Taqadum office, Anbar
2/22/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Anbar, Babil, Dhi Qar
	IED dismantled – Muthanna
	February Totals 11 (3)
3/1/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar, Diwaniya
3/4/22	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin
	March Totals 3

 

Security In Iraq 2021-22

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
Nov 22-28	15/4	10	14
Nov 29-30	3/1	1	3
NOV	67/12	27	59
Dec 1-7	17/2	29	22
Dec 8-14	14/4	4	6
Dec 15-21	22/8	11	12
Dec 22-28	18/8	11	27
Dec 29-31	7/1	5	4
DEC	78/23	56	67
Jan 1-7, 2022	18/9	3	4
Jan 8-14	35/21	3	18
Jan 15-21	12/5	17	12
Jan 22-28	16/3	8	19
Jan 29-31	6/2	2	6
JAN	87/41	33	59
Feb 1-7	11/3	1	10
Feb 8-14	14/6	8	3
Feb 15-21	9/1	-	11
Feb 22-28	8/4	1	5
FEB	42/14	10	29
Mar 1-7	7/3	1	-

 

Violence By Province Mar 1-7, 2022

Province	Violence	2018 Avg	2019 Avg	2020 Avg	2021 Avg	2022 Avg
Anbar	-	12.6 incidents/ month	8.6 incidents/ month	7.0 incidents/ month	4.6 incidents/ month	3.0 incidents/month
Babil	-	4.0 incidents/month	3.0 incidents/month	2.75 incidents/month	2.5 incidents/month	2.0 incidents/month
Baghdad	-	33.0 incidents/month	11.6 incidents/month	7.3 incidents/month	5.6 incidents/ month	3.0 incidents/month
Dhi Qar	1 Pro-Iran Incident   1 IED
Diwaniya	1 Pro-Iran Incident   1 IED
Diyala	2 Incidents   1 Sticky Bomb 1 Grenade	34.5 incidents/month	30.0 incidents/month	30.6 incidents/month	23.2 incidents/month	11.5 incidents/month
Kirkuk	1 Incident 1 Killed 1 Civilian   1 IED	36.5 incidents/month	18.6 incidents/month	13.9 incidents/month	11.6 incidents/month	7.0 Incidents/month
Ninewa	-	20.0 incidents/month	14.0 incidents/month	10.6 incidents/month	8.4 incidents/month	5.5 incidents/month
Salahaddin	2/1 Pro-Iran Incidents   1 IED	21.7 incidents/month	10.6 incidents/month	11.2 incidents/month	11.5 incidents/month	4.5 incidents/month

 

SOURCES

 

Bas News, "Iraqi Forces Foil IS Attack in Salahaddin," 3/5/22

 

NINA, "A Child Killed In An Explosion In Hawija District, West of Kirkuk," 3/5/22

 

NRT, “ISIS Leader Killed In US Special Forces Raid In Syria,” 2/3/22

 

Shafaq News, "An explosion targets a convoy in support of the International Coalition near Salahaddin," 3/4/22

- "In a second incident within hours, a logistical convoy of the International Coalition was targeted in southern Iraq," 3/1/22

- "A lawyer was injured in a failed assassination attempt in Diyala," 3/2/22

- "Security handles a grenade sent with a threatening message to an affiliate's home in Khanaqin," 3/4/22