Beginning Of June 2014 Deadliest In Iraq

 

The first week of June 2014 proved to be the deadliest of the year so far. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) launched major operations throughout central Iraq, which left behind a deadly toll. June 5 there was an attack upon the city of Samarra in Salahaddin. June 6 a counter-terrorism office in Baquba was struck, and major fighting started in Mosul, which continues to this day. June 7 ISIS was able to seize control of Anbar University in Ramadi and temporarily held several hundred students hostage. Finally the Islamic State was able to launch car bombs six out of seven days of the week. These large-scale assaults that the Islamic State of Iraq carried out may define the summer.

ISIS set about to challenge the Iraqi government in June like it hasn’t done in ten years. There were 217 attacks June 1-7, an average of 31.0 per day up from May’s 29.1. The real story was with the casualties. There were 587 killed, an average of 83.8 per year along with 1,022 wounded, 146.0 per day. Those were by far the most seen in 2014 and nearly doubled the yearly averages in both categories. It was also the first time the number of injured pass the 1,000 mark. The cause for the jump was the number of large-scale high profile attacks launched by ISIS.

Violence In Iraq 2014

Date	Attacks	Deaths	Wounded
Jan 1-7	245	363	736
Jan 8-14	273	364	683
Jan 15-21	205	358	616
Jan 22-28	236	305	618
Jan 29-31	57	93	237
Jan Total	1,016	1,483	2,890
Avg.	32.7	47.8	93.2
Feb 1-7	204	296	700
Feb 8-14	226	258	505
Feb 15-21	264	346	703
Feb 22-28	251	374	618
Feb Total	945	1,274	2,526
Avg.	33.7	45.5	90.2
Mar 1-7	253	412	702
Mar 8-14	206	324	612
Mar 15-21	216	423	736
Mar 22-27	211	279	580
Mar 28-31	110	168	271
Mar Total	996	1,606	2,901
Avg.	32.1	51.8	93.5
Apr 1-7	238	259	550
Apr 8-14	223	362	646
Apr 15-21	251	406	786
Apr 22-28	226	347	744
Apr 29-30	61	82	179
Apr Total	999	1,456	2,905
Avg.	33.3	48.5	96.8
May 1-7	198	246	483
May 8-14	257	469	752
May 15-21	183	256	426
May 22-28	204	407	817
May 29-31	63	81	129
May Total	905	1,459	2,607
Avg.	29.1	47.0	84.0
Jun 1-7	217	587	1,022
Avg.	31.0	83.8	146.0

Aftermath of car bombing in Nasiriyah June 2 (AFP)

 

The start of June witnessed the latest wave of car bombs by the Islamic State. From June 2 to 7 31 car bombs went off across Anbar, Baghdad, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Kirkuk Najaf, Ninewa, and Salahaddin. That was the third most of 2014. On June 2 vehicle borne IEDs (VBIEDs) went off outside Ramadi in Anbar, Iskandiriya in Babil, two neighborhoods in Baghdad, Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar, and Najaf city in Najaf leaving behind 25 dead and 118 wounded. This marked the return of attacks upon southern Iraq and was the first time Najaf had been struck this year. June 4 saw car bombs in Hillah, Babil, Adhamiya, Baghdad, Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Baiji, Sulaiman Bek and Tuz Khormato in Salahaddin resulting in 35 fatalities and 101 injured. June 7 Ramadi, and six parts of Baghdad were hit with 23 people losing their lives and another 91 wounded. In total there were 123 killed and 383 wounded by car bombs during the week. Coordinated bombings across several provinces on the same day is a trademark of ISIS.

Car Bombs June 1-7, 2014 In Iraq

Date	Location	Dead	Wounded
6/1/14	-	-	-
6/2/14	Outside Ramadi – Anbar, Iskandiriya – Babil, Meshahda, Tarmiya– Baghdad, Nasiriyah – Dhi Qar, Najaf – Najaf	25	118
6/3/14	Outside Ramadi - Anbar	2	2
6/4/14	Hillah – Babil, Adhamiya – Baghdad, Kirkuk x2 – Kirkuk, Baiji, Sulaiman Bek, Tuz Khormato – Salahaddin	35	101
6/5/14	Jamila, Shaab – Baghdad, Baiji, Shirqat, Tikrit– Salahaddin	12	27
6/6/14	Baquba – Diyala, Kirkuk – Kirkuk Tehraoh x2, Kawir – Ninewa	26	44
6/7/14	Outside - Ramadi, Karrada, Sabi Bakr, Baya, New Baghdad, Amil, Ur – Baghdad	23	91
Total	31	123	383

 

Next were the armed assaults. That started June 5 when ISIS elements stormed into Samarra in Salahaddin. The Islamic State fighters drove in from neighboring Diyala and set siege to the city. Army helicopters and units from the elite Golden Division were able to retake the city by the end of the day leaving behind 40 ISIS members, three bodyguards, six police, and eight soldiers dead. June 6 the counter-terrorism bureau in Baquba, Diyala was hit by a car bomb, and mortar and small arms fire that killed 1 police officer and wounded five others. This might have been a failed prison break. More importantly major fighting broke out in Mosul that day, which lasts to the present time. ISIS has dubbed it the “Battle of Ninewa” meaning that they are hoping that this will be a long-term battle not a raid like Samarra. On the first day alone 95 members of the security forces and civilians were killed. Major reinforcements and air power have been sent there to try to clear the western half of the city. Finally, June 7 ISIS temporarily seized the campus of Anbar University in Ramadi holding several hundred students hostage for a few hours. Since insurgents seized control of most of Anbar province, the Islamic State has slowly ratcheted up its operations. It has gone into smaller towns across central Iraq, raised its flag, sometimes fought the security forces and then left. These attacks are of a far greater magnitude. Samarra is a major city in Salahaddin and home to the Askari shrine, which was bombed in 2006 leading to a more intense civil war. Mosul is one of the largest cities in the country, and the financial hub of the insurgency, which runs the place like a mafia. Now ISIS has decided to try to seize parts of the city. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) has been able to subdue the other attacks by the Islamic State, but the situation in Mosul is inconclusive so far. This is part of ISIS’s attempt to regain the territory that it lost during the Surge period, and was laid out in its Soldiers’ Harvest campaign that started in July 2013. The organization has already gained land and urban spaces in Anbar, and is now looking to stretch out its influence to the rest of central Iraq.

ISIS fighters in Mosul (AFP)

Aftermath of fighting in Samarra (Reuters)

Students escaping from Anbar University during siege by ISIS (EPA)

The events at the beginning of June could be a foreshadowing of the rest of the summer. The Islamic State could launch more of these headline grabbing attacks and even hold onto sections of Mosul for days more. Even though it is suffering losses and is being repelled it is stretching the security forces that are already heavily committed to Anbar. The plan may be to tie up the ISF in several different locations simultaneously and push the army and police to the breaking point. ISIS can then move on to its ultimate goal, which is to have open fighting in Baghdad again and restart the civil war.

SOURCES

AIN, "Officer killed, 3 security elements injured in Beiji," 6/4/14

Alsumaria, "Detonated a truck bomb on Kawir bridge northeast of Mosul," 6/6/14

- "The explosion of a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber on Japanese Bridge northeast of Ramadi," 6/2/14

BBC, “Iraq violence: Dozens killed by Baghdad bombings,” 6/7/14

Buratha News, “Extra security forces from Baghdad to Mosul in preparation for the liberation of the western areas of the city,” 6/7/14

- "Four civilians were wounded by a car bomb in the neighborhood of Kirkuk military said," 6/6/14

- "Four police officers inured by a car bomb at the entrance to the University of Tikrit," 6/5/14

- "The high number of victims in the explosion at Alexandria leads to 13 deaths and injuries to people," 6/2/14

- "Martyrdom and injury of a number of elements of the army blown up "Hummer military bomb" south west of Ramadi," 6/7/14

- "Martyrdom and wounding eight soldiers blown up by a suicide car bomb north of Tikrit," 6/5/14

- "Martyrdom and wounding seven people blown up in a car bomb in Shaab district in northeastern Baghdad," 6/5/14

- "The outcome of the end of the Hilla bombing yesterday at 68 martyrs and wounded," 6/5/14

Al Forat, "9 civilians killed, injured northern Baghdad," 6/7/14

- "9 policemen killed, injured in Salman Bek's suicide bombing," 6/4/14

- "Another car bombing hits downtown Kirkuk," 6/4/14

- "Death toll: 13 deaths, 8 injuries in Kirkuk bombing," 6/4/14

Iraq Times, "Martyrdom and wounding 13 people, the bombing targeting Alwa eastern Baghdad," 6/5/14

- “Martyrdom and wounding 20 people in a car bombing in downtown Nasiriyah," 6/2/14

- "Martyrdom and wounding 20 worshippers targeting Shiite shrine in the neighborhood of Ur," 6/7/14

- "Martyrdom and wounding 21 civilians by a car bomb in western Baghdad Bayaa," 6/7/14

-"Martyrdom and wounding seven policemen in a suicide bombing in Baiji," 6/5/14

- "Martyrdom and wounding ten civilians by a car bomb north of Hilla," 6/2/14

Al Jazeera, "Deaths in fresh wave of Iraq violence," 6/4/14

Al-Khafaji, Osama, "Killing two soldiers and wounding nine others, suicide bombing on checkpoint north of Baghdad," Alsumaria, 6/2/14

Al Mada, "The fall of six elements of the security forces in mortar and car bomb in on going clashes near the Directorate of Intelligence and Investigations central Baquba," 6/6/14

- "Killing and wounding at least eight soldiers blown up by a suicide car bomb north of Baghdad," 6/2/14

- "Najaf Health confirms killing and injuring 21 people in neighborhood blown up," 6/2/14

Al Masalah, "Killed 12 civilians and wounded 35 by a roadside bomb in central Hilla," 6/4/14

NINA, "83 killed , wounded in Najaf car bomb, medic sources say," 6/2/14

- "BREAKIGN NEWS. 60 people killed and wounded by two car bombs explosion targeted Shabak village east of Mosul," 6/6/14

- "Breaking News..Death toll of the car bomb in al- Amil district rose to 3 killed and 11 wounded," 6/7/14

- "Breaking News…Seventeen people killed and wounded in a car bomb attack in eastern Baghdad," 6/7/14

- "Four policemen killed and injured by a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber northeast of Ramadi," 6/3/14

- "A security element killed, five others wounded in a mortar attack and a car bomb in central Baquba," 6/6/14

- "A soldier, a policeman killed, six others including a senior police officer, injured in Kirkuk," 6/4/14

Radio Nawa, "Baghdad bombings toll rises to 13 dead and 79 wounded," 6/7/14

Al Rayy, "The death of three people and wounding two members of the military by a car bomb north of Tikrit," 6/5/14

- "Martyrdom and wounding 13 people, including officers, by a car bomb east of Tikrit," 6/4/14

Salaheddin, Sinan, "Attacks across Iraq kill at least 15 people," Associated Press, 6/2/14

- "Car bombs strike Iraq's Kirkuk as attacks kill 17," Associated Press, 6/4/14