Thursday, April 30, 2015

Islamic State Offensives Subside In Iraq 4th Week of April 2015


The Islamic State’s offensives in Anbar and Salahaddin began to trail off in the fourth week of April 2015. That was not before it was able to seize another army base in northern Anbar. IS also continued with a high rate of car bombings throughout the country. The government responded with concerted efforts to retake lost ground in the Ramadi and Thar Thar areas of Anbar, and the Baiji Refinery in Salahaddin. A sweep began through northern Diyala’s Qara Tapa as well in response to insurgent attacks there. The result was that casualties declined in Iraq from the previous two weeks.

There were 160 reported attacks in Iraq from April 22-28. The real numbers were probably much higher. Baghdad led the way with 66 security incidents, followed by 39 in Anbar, 19 in Salahaddin, 16 in Diyala, 11 in Ninewa, five in Kirkuk, and four in Babil.

Attacks have been going down in the near year. In January there were an average of 26.2 incidents per day. That went down to 23.3 in February, 22.2 in March, and 20.8 so far in April.

There were a reported 483 dead and 483 wounded in the fourth week of April. The former consisted of 2 peshmerga, 11 Hashd al-Shaabi, 231 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and 239 civilians. The latter was 36 Hashd, 50 ISF, and 397 civilians. Those figures were down from the previous weeks when there were 722 killed April 15-21, and 626 from April 8-14. Actual casualties are higher than what gets into the media.

The fighting in Anbar led to 254 fatalities. After that there were 108 in Baghdad, 39 in Kirkuk, 27 in Salahaddin, 26 in Diyala, 22 in Ninewa, and seven in Babil.

Violence In Iraq By Week 2015
Date
Incidents
Dead
Wounded
Jan 1-7
184
434
464
Jan 8-14
170
730
493
Jan 15-21
182
390
515
Jan 22-28
189
466
894
Jan 29-31
90
288
529
JAN
815
2,308
2,895
Feb 1-7
155
380
688
Feb 8-14
170
406
559
Feb 15-21
165
573
364
Feb 22-28
165
371
687 + 386
FEB
655
1,730
2,683
Mar 1-7
172
372
587
Mar 8-14
133
348
656
Mar 15-21
142
1,299
503
Mar 22-28
170
235
406
Mar 29-31
72
205
219
MAR
689
2,459 + 4
2,371 + 150
Apr 1-7
121
212
422
Apr 8-14
133
626
525
Apr 15-21
169
722
714
Apr 22-28
160
483
483

Violence In Iraq By Province Apr 2015
Province
Apr 1-7
Apr 8-14
Anbar
22 Incidents
60 Killed: 4 ISF, 56 Civilians
72 Wounded: 72 Civilians
13 Shootings
2 IEDs
4 Mortars
1 Rocket
33 Incidents
411 Killed: 66 ISF, 3 Sahwa, 343 Civilians
128 Wounded: 9 ISF, 31 Sahwa, 88 Civilians
21 Shootings
2 IEDs
4 Suicide Bombers
7 Suicide Car Bombs
1 Car Bomb
5 Mortars
1 Rockets
Babil
3 Incidents
4 Killed: 1 ISF, 3 Civilians
11 Wounded: 4 ISF, 7 Civilians
2 IEDs
1 Sticky Bomb
4 Incidents
7 Killed: 7 Civilians
16 Wounded: 16 Civilians
1 Shooting
3 IEDs
1 Car Bomb
Baghdad
44 Incidents
63 Killed: 7 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 55 Civilians
196 Wounded: 13 ISF, 183 Civilians
8 Shootings
25 IEDs
4 Sticky Bombs
2 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
1 Rocket
1 Grenade
36 Incidents
90 Killed: 1 Sahwa, 7 Hashd, 82 Civilians
299 Wounded: 1 ISF, 5 Sahwa, 16 Hashd, 277 Civilians
5 Shootings
17 IEDs
4 Sticky Bombs
1 Suicide Bomber
1 Suicide Car Bomb
8 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
Basra
1 Incident
1 Killed: 1 ISF
1 Shooting
-
Diyala
10 Incidents
23 Killed: 10 ISF, 1 Hashd, 12 Civilians
92 Wounded: 12 ISF, 69 Hashd, 11 Civilians
7 Shootings
1 IED
1 Car Bomb
8 Incidents
6 Killed: 2 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 3 Civilians
18 Wounded: 7 ISF, 4 Sahwa, 7 Civilians
3 Shootings
5 IEDs
Kirkuk
4 Incidents
1 Killed: 1 Hashd
2 Shootings
1 IED
3 Incidents
7 Killed: 7 Civilians
6 Wounded: 3 Hashd, 3 Civilians
1 Shooting
1 IED
1 Mortar
Maysan
-
1 Incident
1 Killed: 1 Civilian
Ninewa
7 Incidents
12 Killed: 2 YPG, 4 Hashd, 6 Civilians
2 Wounded: 2 Peshmerga
5 Shootings
17 Incidents
34 Killed: 34 Civilians
8 Wounded: 4 Peshmerga, 4 Civilians
13 Shootings
3 IEDs
Salahaddin
30 Incidents
48 Killed: 26 ISF, 3 Sahwa, 14 Hashd, 5 Civilians
50 Wounded: 25 ISF, 14 Hashd, 11 Civilians
22 Shootings
3 IEDs
2 Suicide Bombers
2 Mortars
1 Grenade
30 Incidents
70 Killed: 34 ISF, 4 Sahwa, 11 Hashd, 21 Civilians
50 Wounded: 11 ISF, 2 Sahwa, 24 Hashd, 13 Civilians
21 Shootings
5 IEDs
5 Suicide Bombers
4 Suicide Car Bombs
2 Car Bombs
2 Mortars

Province
Apr 15-21
Apr 22-28
Anbar
38 Incidents
123 Killed: 37 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 85 Civilians
221 Wounded: 106 ISF, 1 Hashd, 114 Civilians
27 Shootings
3 IEDs
4 Suicide Car Bombs
5 Car Bombs
4 Mortars
39 Incidents
254 Killed: 216 ISF, 38 Civilians
95 Wounded: 33 ISF, 62 Civilians
24 Shootings
2 IEDs
10 Suicide Car Bombs
1 Car Bomb
2 Mortars
Babil
4 Incidents
5 Killed: 4 ISF, 1 Civilian
17 Wounded: 6 ISF, 11 Civilians
4 IEDs
4 Incidents
7 Killed: 7 Civilians
26 Wounded: 3 ISF, 23 Civilians
2 IEDs
1 Car Bomb
1 Mortar
Baghdad
50 Incidents
97 Killed: 7 ISF, 4 Sahwa, 86 Civilians
261 Wounded: 17 ISF, 5 Sahwa, 239 Civilians
7 Shootings
35 IEDs
5 Sticky Bombs
2 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
66 Incidents
108 Killed: 3 ISF, 105 Civilians
264 Wounded: 7 ISF, 257 Civilians
15 Shootings
29 IEDs
11 Sticky Bombs
6 Car Bombs
1 Rockets
Basra
1 Incident
-
Diyala
22 Incidents
25 Killed: 5 ISF, 1 Sahwa, 2 Hashd, 17 Civilians
22 Wounded: 6 ISF, 3 Sahwa, 5 Hashd, 8 Civilians
11 Shootings
6 IEDs
2 Rockets
16 Incidents
26 Killed: 1 ISF, 25 Civilians
15 Wounded: 5 ISF, 10 Civilians
7 Shootings
4 IEDs
1 Sticky Bomb
1 Car Bomb
1 Mortar
Irbil
1 Incident
5 Killed: 5 Civilians
17 Wounded: 2 Peshmerga, 15 Civilians
1 Car Bomb
-
Kirkuk
11 Incidents
55 Killed: 2 ISF, 4 Hashd, 18 Peshmerga, 31 Civilians
131 Wounded: 8 ISF, 39 Peshmerga, 58 Hashd, 26 Civilians
6 Shootings
2 IEDs
1 Suicide Bomber
1 Suicide Car Bomb
1 Mortar
1 Rockets
5 Incidents
39 Killed: 5 Hashd, 34 Civilians
33 Wounded: 33 Hashd
5 Shootings
Ninewa
13 Incidents
26 Killed: 4 ISF, 18 Peshmerga, 4 Civilians
9 Shootings
3 IEDs
11 Incidents
22 Killed: 5 ISF, 2 Peshmerga, 15 Civilians
15 Wounded: 15 Civilians
7 Shootings
1 IED
1 Artillery
Salahaddin
29 Incidents
386 Killed: 27 ISF, 3 Sahwa, 35 Hashd, 321 Civilians
45 Wounded: 28 ISF, 8 Hashd, 9 Civilians
23 Shootings
4 IEDs
1 Car Bomb
1 Mortar
19 Incidents
27 Killed: 6 ISF, 6 Hashd, 15 Civilians
35 Wounded: 2 ISF, 3 Hashd, 30 Civilians
13 Shootings
3 IEDs
1 Suicide Car Bomb
1 Mortar

Car Bombs in Iraq Apr 2015
Date
Location
Dead
Wounded
Apr 1



Apr 2
Bab al-Mudham, Baghdad
7
26
Apr 3



Apr 4
Mansour, Baghdad


Apr 5



Apr 6
Imam Abdullah bin Imam Ali al-Hadi shrine, Diyala
4
7
Apr 7



Total
3
11
33
Apr 8



Apr 9



Apr 10
Albu Faraj x5, Ramadi x2, Anbar
Karrada, Baghdad
5
13
Apr 11
Baiji Refinery x3, Salahaddin


Apr 12
Amiriya Fallujah, Anbar
Baiji Refinery x2, Salahaddin


Apr 13
Amil & Baya, Baghdad
15
60
Apr 14
Mahmudiya, Babil
East, Mashtal, Waziriya, Wihda x2, Yarmouk, Baghdad
Baiji Refinery, Salahaddin
46
97
Total
24
66
170
Apr 15
Shjariya & Sufiya x4, Anbar
1

Apr 16



Apr 17
Baghdadi, Anbar
Amil & Habibiya, Baghdad
Irbil, Irbil
41
73
Apr 18
Baghdadi x3, Anbar
Bashir, Salahaddin
2
7
Apr 19



Apr 20
West of Baiji, Salahaddin
2
4
Apr 21



Total
14
46
84
Apr 22
West of Albu Hayat, Anbar
Talibiya, Baghdad
Ishaqi, Salahaddin
16
36
Apr 23
Thar Thar x3, Anbar


Apr 24
Thar Thar & Trebil x4, Anbar
21
20
Apr 25
Sakarah, Anbar


Apr 26
Nukhaib, Anbar
Mahmudiya, Babil
Amil & Khilani Sq, Baghdad
22
58
Apr 27
Amil, Baya, Mansour, Baghdad
Qazanya, Diyala
19
50
Apr 28



Total
21
78
164

IS maintained its high level of vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). From April 22-28 there were 21 such attacks leading to 78 dead and 164 wounded. Far more were destroyed before reaching their targets. There were 11 in Anbar during the week. Four were used in assaults in Thar Thar, four on the Trebil border crossing, and one against an army convoy outside of Albu Hayat, one against an army base in Nukhaib, and another one killed the commander of the army’s 1st Division in Anbar. The other ten were all against civilians in Babil, Baghdad, Diyala and Salahaddin. In previous months IS had moved away from hitting Baghdad, but that has returned as a prime target with six during the week.

For the last two weeks there has been intense fighting in Anbar. IS continued its push in the province seizing another army base in Thar Thar north of Fallujah. That was the third that fell in the area in the last month. This followed IS’s surge in the Ramadi area when it took several of the surrounding villages and made another attempt at taking the entire city the week before. From April 22-28 IS carried out attacks in Ramadi, Albu Jassim, Jazeera, Shurta, Shjariya, Baghdadi, and a border crossing with Saudi Arabia. The government forces responded by trying to retake Sufiya, Albu Soda, Albu Khanafar, Albu Salman, Albu Dhiab, Thar Thar, and sections of Ramadi. It also finally began its push to take back Garma to the east of Fallujah after having surrounded the city for several weeks. Still the militant’s attacks seemed to seize the initiative in the governorate and disrupted Baghdad’s plans for a major push in the area. It also led to a heated debate over whether the Hashd forces would be allowed into Anbar in large numbers. There are already Hashd units in the province in Garma for example, but there is no consensus about their presence amongst Anbaris.

There was a decided uptick in attacks in Baghdad. There were 66 reported incidents during the week the most since July 15-21. In the last two days of the week there were 19 and 15 attacks respectively when before the province only had around 5-7 per day. There were six car bombs from April 22-28, but IEDs, 29 for the week, were the main drivers of violence. Despite the increase the number of casualties remained largely the same with 97 dead the week before and 108 last week and 261 wounded April 15-21 compared to 264 April 22-28. Despite all the fighting in places like Anbar and Salahaddin, Baghdad has continued to be the most dangerous part of the country routinely having the most attacks.

In Diyala, insurgent activity remained at the same steady level. There was a car bomb in Qazanya in the Baladrooz area on April 27. On April 22 and 23 two mass graves were discovered in Sadiya and Akbai respectively with 11 and 8 bodies each. A U.N. official was also kidnapped in Baquba on April 26. The Diyala security committee has been warning of IS sleeper cells in the province. That led to a security sweep through Qara Tapa in the north starting on April 26. Like many other provinces the government lacks the manpower to hold many areas in Diyala after they are cleared.

IS continued to fight for the Baiji Refinery in Salahaddin. The Islamic State attacked the facility the same time it began its assault in Ramadi. Like Anbar this up ended government plants to secure the area. Fighting was on going at the refinery and the neighboring villages during the week.

SOURCES

AIN, "A security source: the martyrdom and wounding of 18 people including a local official in the attack on Trebil," 4/25/15
- "Tank explosion on an army convoy without injuries west of Ramadi," 4/22/15
- "Urgent martyrdom and wounding 13 visitors in a suicide attack south of Samarra," 4/22/15

Alsumaria, “Diyala Security warns of worsening security sleeper cells activities creating ‘sectarian sedition,”” 4/25/15
- "Qara Tapa area of Diyala announce the start of a broad campaign to hunt down sleeper cells," 4/26/15, - "Two dead and four wounded toll of bombing southwest Baghdad neighborhood," 4/27/15

Associated Press, "Car bombs kill at least 18 civilians in Iraq," 4/26/15
- "Iraqi officials: Car bomb kills at least 7 civilians in busy Baghdad commercial area," 4/27/15

Al Forat, "Death toll of Mahmodiya bombing reach 18 deaths, injuries," 4/26/15
- "MoD: ISF is about to end ISIL presence north Fallujah," 4/25/15,
- "MoD: Old road of karma sub district liberated along with 4 villages southeast Anbar," 4/23/15,
- "Southwestern Baghdad bombing result in killing, injuring 18 civilians," 4/26/15

Al Mada, "14 Daash elements killed east of Fallujah in clashes," 4/22/15
- "Death toll rises to 29 dead and wounding in bombing in Jamila," 4/22/15
- "Killing and wounding 23 people in a suicide bombing targeting visitors to western country of Samarra," 4/22/15

Al Masalah, “Popular crowd involved in Garma clearing operations,” 4/28/15

NINA, "A car bomb driven by a suicide bomber exploded at an army point east of al-Ratba," 4/25/15
- "Commandos and Special Operations forces are trying terrorism I Anbar and Al-Sajaria," 4/25/15
- "Security forces repel an attack by Daash in central Ramadi," 4/22/15
- "Three civilians wounded in east of Baquba," 4/27/15
NINA, "Two Areas In Ramadi Liberated," 4/23/15,

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "4/28/15

Radio Free Iraq, "22 April 2015," Daily Updates from Anbar, 4/22/15
- "23 April 2015," Daily Updates from Anbar, 4/23/15,
- "26 April 2015," Daily Updates from Anbar, 4/26/15

Reuters, "Car bombs, suicide attack kill at least 22 in Iraq," 4/26/15

Rudaw, “Shiite leader: Hashd al-Shaabi will move to Anbar ‘even without authorization,’” 4/28/15

Salaheddin, Sinan and Yacoub, Sameer, "Car bombs driven by foreigners hit Iraq-Jordan border post," Associated Press, 4/25/15
- "Iraqi army claims progress in Anbar amid Baghdad bombings," Associated Press, 4/26/15

Shafaq News, "Abduction of Director of United Nations mission office in Diyala," 4/26/15
- "Recovered eight bodies from a mass grave and obtaining approval to dig up another one in Diyala," 4/23/15
- "Recovered the remains of 11 bodies from a cemetery of victims executed by Daash in Diyala," 4/22/15

Shafiq, Mohammed, "Interior thwarts an attempt by Daash on a border station near the Iraqi-Saudi border," Alsumaria, 4/25/15

Xinhua, "Iraqi troops wage tit-for-tat battles with IS in Anbar," 4/23/15

Zee News, "Senior officers killed in Iraq's Anbar: General," 4/25/15

Review Williamson Murray Kevin Woods, The Iran-Iraq War, A Military and Strategic History, Cambridge University Press, 2014

Murray, Williamson, Woods, Kevin, The Iran-Iraq War, A Military and Strategic History , Cambridge University Press, 2014   The Iran-Iraq...