Anbar Operation And Turkey’s Bombing Of Kurdistan Leads To Jump In Casualties In Iraq

July 2015 saw a jump in casualties in Iraq. That was due to two events. First, Baghdad finally launched its operation to recapture Anbar province from the Islamic State. The government flooded the media with propaganda limiting casualty reports, but a little glimpse into what the offensive was costing slipped through. Second, Turkey also began bombing and shelling the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Kurdistan, and claimed it hit hundreds of the group’s fighters. It wasn’t possible to determine whether that was hype from Ankara or not. Either way, the reported number of dead and wounded was much higher in July then the previous month.

There were 607 security incidents reported in the press in July. That was roughly the same as June’s 622. The real number was probably much higher as there was a dip in the middle of the month after the Anbar operation started. The media focused upon that province and not others. Baghdad had the most incidents with 215, followed by 148 in Anbar, 95 in Salahaddin, 55 in Ninewa, 43 in Diyala, 19 in Babil and Kirkuk each, 6 in Basra, 4 in Dohuk, and 1 each in Irbil and Wasit.

July averaged out to 19.5 attacks per day, just a bit down from June’s 20.7. Incidents had been declining from the start of the year, which began with an average of 26.9 in January and then hit a low of 18.6 in May. They have been creeping up ever so slightly during the summer.

Musings On Iraq counted 2,165 dead and 3,085 wounded in July. That was up from June’s 1,804 killed and 2,012 injured. July’s deaths consisted of 2 Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) fighters, 9 Peshmerga, 19 Sahwa, 259 Hashd al-Shaabi, 273 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, 446 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 1,157 civilians. 30 Sahwa, 45 Peshmerga, 265 ISF, 286 Hashd, 413 PKK, and 2,046 civilians were also injured. Hundreds more probably lost their lives or limbs but never got into the press, because the government is suppressing casualty reports.

Avg. # of Attacks Per Day In Iraq 2015

Month	Avg # Of Attacks Per Day
Jan	26.9
Feb	24.0
Mar	22.7
Apr	21.6
May	18.6
Jun	20.7
Jul	19.5

Violence In Iraq By Week 2015

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
Jan 1-7	189	466	464
Jan 8-14	172	733	518
Jan 15-21	189	403	528
Jan 22-28	195	492	899
Jan 29-31	91	306	568
JAN	836	2,400	2,977
Feb 1-7	155	408	688
Feb 8-14	177	443	566
Feb 15-21	169	592	383
Feb 22-28	171	391	705
FEB	672	1,834	2,342
Mar 1-7	176	373	595
Mar 8-14	137	398	656
Mar 15-21	146	1,304	505
Mar 22-28	174	273	406
Mar 29-31	72	205	219
MAR	705	2,553 + 4	2,381 + 150
Apr 1-7	127	218	422
Apr 8-14	137	676	542
Apr 15-21	172	729	717
Apr 22-28	163	497	483
Apr 29-30	50	162 + 7	182 + 299
APR	649	2,282	2,346
May 1-7	154	626	450
May 8-14	154	420	549
May 15-21	124	963	387
May 22-28	108	341 + 1,499	348
May 29-31	38	66	164 + 646
MAY	578	2,416 + 1,499	1,898 + 646
Jun 1-7	132	431	476
Jun 8-14	126	522 + 405	394
Jun 15-21	141	365	373
Jun 22-28	162	306	474
Jun 29-30	61	122	189
JUN	622	1,804	2,012
Jul 1-7	162	436	725
Jul 8-14	140	384	570
Jul 15-21	109	359	597 + 4,024
Jul 22-28	145	527	590
Jul 29-31	51	451 + 8	603
JUL	607	2,165	3,085 + 4,024

Violence In Iraq July 2015 by Province

Province	July
Anbar	148 Incidents 791 Killed: 6 Sahwa, 157 Hashd, 260 ISF, 368 Civilians 779 Wounded: 3 Sahwa, 127 ISF, 163 Hashd, 486 Civilians 75 Shootings 30 IEDs 28 Suicide Car Bombs 3 Car Bombs 12 Mortars 3 Rockets 32 Suicide Bombers Killed 30 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 45 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil	19 Incidents 27 Killed: 3 ISF, 24 Civilians 77 Wounded: 12 ISF, 65 Civilians 4 Shootings 12 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Grenade
Baghdad	215 Incidents 436 Killed: 7 Hashd, 11 Sahwa, 49 ISF, 369 Civilians 1,108 Wounded: 12 Hashd, 20 Sahwa, 53 ISF, 1,023 Civilians 45 Shootings 112 IEDs 25 Sticky Bombs 4 Suicide Bombers 1 Suicide Car Bomb 18 Car Bombs 1 Mortar 1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Basra	6 Incidents 2 Killed: 2 Civilians 3 Shootings 2 IEDs
Diyala	43 Incidents 219 Killed: 1 Peshmerga, 4 ISF, 15 Hashd, 199 Civilians 294 Wounded: 1 Peshmerga, 4 ISF, 289 Civilians 12 Shootings 17 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs 6 Car Bombs 3 Mortars 1 Rockets
Dohuk	4 Incidents 12 Killed: 12 PKK 16 Wounded: 13 PKK, 3 Civilians 2 Turkish Air Strikes 2 Turkish Shelling
Irbil	1 Incident 3 Killed: 1 PKK, 2 PJAK 1 Turkish Air Strike
Kirkuk	19 Incidents 26 Killed: 6 Peshmerga, 20 Civilians 33 Wounded: 1 Civilian, 32 Peshmerga 12 Shootings 2 IEDs 1 Mortar
KRG	260 Killed: 260 PKK 400 Wounded: 400 PKK Turkish Air Strikes
Ninewa	55 Incidents 149 Killed: 2 Peshmerga, 40 ISF, 107 Civilians 44 Wounded: 12 Peshmerga, 32 Civilians 33 Shootings 18 IEDs 1 Mortar 1 Rockets 1 Artillery 1 Suicide Bomber Killed 3 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 8 Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin	95 Incidents 238 Killed: 2 Sahwa, 67 Civilians, 80 Hashd, 89 ISF 329 Wounded: 7 Sahwa, 67 ISF, 111 Hashd, 144 Civilians 35 Shootings 28 IEDs 1 Suicide Bombers 1 Suicide Motorcycle Bomb 10 Suicide Car Bombs 5 Car Bombs 1 Mortar 1 Rockets 16 Suicide Bombers Killed 2 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 17 Car Bombs Destroyed
Sulaymaniya	1 Incident 1 Killed: 1 Civilian 3 Wounded: 3 Civilians 1 Mortar
Wasit	1 Incident 1 Killed: 1 Civilian 2 Wounded: 2 ISF 1 IED

 

Anbar led the way with 791 reported deaths and 779 wounded. Government shelling and air strikes killed 287 civilians, and injured another 429. As soon as the Fallujah-Ramadi offensive began coverage of those types of incidents faded away so a lot more people were likely hit, but did not get into the press. Likewise, the government does not report losses during these major operations, but in the middle of July a few security sources leaked that 233 soldiers and Hashd had died and 130 were wounded in just two days of fighting in the province. The Islamic State also executed 73 Anbaris during the month.

Besides IED fields and snipers the main way IS responded to the Anbar offensive was to launch a massive number of car bombs against the government’s forces. 31 vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) hit their targets and another 75 were destroyed.

Baghdad had the most casualties with 436 dead and 1,108 injured. Besides Anbar, the capital has been the other main focus of the Islamic State. That has meant more car bombs, but more importantly, more IEDs and sticky bombs, which are the main drivers of violence in Baghdad. There were 19 car bombs during the month, with another discovered before it exploded. There were also 112 IEDs and 25 sticky bombs. The majority of these bombings occurred in the eastern and southern sections of the province that saw 69 and 77 incidents respectively. 41 bodies were also discovered dumped on the streets, fields or in lots. The number of extrajudicial killings is in direct relation to the threats felt by the population. When there was an influx of displaced from Anbar who were then blamed for violence and believed to be IS supporters there was a jump in these types of murders in February and May. Afterward they dropped. Baghdad and its belts have the largest concentration of ISF units, but they have not been able to protect the capital as attacks have skyrocketed there since the winter of 2014.

Attacks In Baghdad July 2015

Center: 16 – 2 Car Bombs, 2 Kidnappings, 2 Shootings, 3 Sticky Bombs, 8 IEDs

East: 58 – 1 Car Bomb Dismantled, 1 Burning, 1 Robbery, 3 Car Bombs, 3 Suicide Bombers, 5 Kidnappings, 6 Sticky Bombs, 18 Shootings, 21 IEDs

Outer East: 11 – 2 Shootings, 9 IEDs

North: 16 – 1 Suicide Car Bomb, 1 Suicide Bomber, 1 Kidnapping, 3 IEDs, 3 Shootings, 4 Sticky Bombs, 4 Car Bombs

Outer North: 15 – 1 Sticky Bomb, 3 Shootings, 11 IEDs

South: 51 – 2 Sticky Bombs, 3 Car Bombs, 3 Kidnappings, 4 Car Bombs, 10 Shootings, 31 IEDs

Outer South: 26 – 2 Shootings, 5 Sticky Bombs, 20 IEDs

West: 8 – 2 Sticky Bombs, 2 Shootings, 4 IEDs

Outer West: 6 – 1 Mortar, 3 IEDs, 3 Shootings

Extra Judicial Killings In Baghdad

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul
Bodies Found	47	61	42	38	65	45	41

Diyala has been relatively quiet since the summer, but in July casualties jumped due to a massive car bombing. On July 17 a VBIED went off in Khan Bani Saad killing 130 and wounding 155. That was the major reason why there were 219 fatalities and 294 wounded there during the month, up from 87 dead and 157 injured in June. IS has been increasing its car bombings in Diyala recently as July showed with 6 total compared to 2 in June.

149 people died and 44 were wounded in Ninewa in July. Of those 89 were executed by the Islamic State, and another 39 were discovered in two separate mass graves. Every week the militants also attacked Kurdish positions in the northern and eastern sections of the governorate. That included 1 suicide bomber, 3 suicide car bombs, and 8 car bombs, which were killed or destroyed before reaching their targets.

Salahaddin saw 238 deaths and 329 injured. The government continued to try to retake Baiji and the nearby refinery. That attempt was met with a steady stream of car bombs. IS also continued to carry out operations in the southern section of the province from Samarra down to the towns just outside of Baghdad such as Taji and Tarmiya. IS has used Salahaddin for diversionary attacks to hold down government forces while it concentrates on seizing territory in Anbar. That worked out successfully until this month when Baghdad finally moved on Fallujah and Ramadi.

Turkey also got American approval to attack the PKK in northern Kurdistan in return for fighting the Islamic State in Syria. Ankara’s real intention is to take on the former as PKK areas have faced a steady bombing and artillery campaign starting at the end of July. The PKK reported 13 of its fighters and 2 PJAK fighters dying in these attacks, along with 13 PKK and 3 civilians being wounded. Turkey claimed it killed 260 PKK members and wounded another 400. It was impossible to tell whether that was propaganda or a good estimate of the real losses.

Car Bombs In Iraq, July 2015

Date	Location	Dead	Wounded
Jul 1	Riyahah, Salahaddin		1
Jul 2	Nukhaib, Anbar Fatah & Tal Abu, Salahaddin Baiji-Tikrit Road, Salahaddin– 2 destroyed	9	12
Jul 3
Jul 4	Baya x2, Baghdad Baiji x2, Salahaddin Khursabad & Nouran, Ninewa – 3 destroyed	20	22
Jul 5	Amil & Dora, Baghdad Baladrooz, Diyala Hadith Dam, Anbar – 7 destroyed	16	55
Jul 6	Jubba, Anbar New Baghdad, Baghdad Haditha, Outside Haditha & Saqlawiya, Anbar - 12 destroyed Baiji, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed	11	11
Jul 7	Baiji x3, Salahaddin Sinjar, Ninewa – 3 destroyed Tal Abu Jarad, Salahaddin – 3 destroyed	10	35
Totals	16 & 32 Destroyed	66	136
Jul 8	Sakran, Anbar Ramadi, Anbar – 1 destroyed	1	1
Jul 9	Alwa, Baghdad Husaiba, Anbar – 1 destroyed Tal Abu Jarad, Salahaddin – 3 destroyed		1
Jul 10	Khalidiya x7, Anbar Amil & Zafaraniya, Baghdad	23	48
Jul 11	Abu Fleis x3, Anbar Husaiba & Saqlawiya, Anbar – 11 destroyed Bjara, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed	8	5
Jul 12	Bunuk, Iskan, Kadhimiya, &Shaab, Baghdad Tarmiya, Salahaddin Sadr City, Baghdad – 1 destroyed Albu Juari & Hawi, Salahaddin – 4 destroyed	43	103
Jul 13	Fallujah x5, Anbar
Jul 14	Nukhaib, Anbar Khalis, Diyala East of Husaiba, Saqlawiya, Shehan, Anbar – 13 destroyed	8	16
Totals	26 & 36 Destroyed	83	174
Jul 15	Baiji, Salahaddin	1	10
Jul 16	Nukhaib, Anbar
Jul 17	Khan Bani Saad, Diyala East of Ramadi, Anbar – 3 destroyed	130	155
Jul 18	Khalidiya, Anbar	2	3
Jul 19	Hardan, Ninewa – 5 destroyed
Jul 20	Khalis, Diyala	4	18
Jul 21	New Baghdad & Zafaraniya, Baghdad Mandali, Diyala Tarmiya, Salahaddin North of Fallujah, Anbar – 2 destroyed	39	83
Totals	9 & 10 Destroyed	176	259
Jul 22	Fallujah, Anbar Baya & Shaab, Baghdad Fallujah, Anbar – 3 destroyed East of Tikrit, Salahaddin – 3 destroyed	50	58
Jul 23	East & North of Fallujah, Anbar	81
Jul 24	Fallujah x2, Anbar Husaiba, Anbar – 1 destroyed	21	24
Jul 25	Albu Bali, Anbar – 1 destroyed
Jul 26	Anbar University, Anbar – 3 destroyed
Jul 27	Bob al-Sham, Baghdad Sijer, Anbar – 3 destroyed		4
Jul 28	Baiji x3, Salahaddin Anbar University & East Husaiba, Anbar – 4 destroyed	28	44
Totals	11 & 18 Destroyed	180	130
Jul 29	Anbar Univ x2 & Deraa Dijla, Anbar New Baghdad & Shomook, Baghdad Mandali, Diyala Baghdad-Samarra Hwy, Salahaddin Saqlawiya, Anbar – 2 destroyed	34	60
Jul 30	Baghdad & Mazraa Army Base, Anbar North of Ramadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed	14	24
Jul 31	East of Ramadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Totals	9 & 10 Destroyed	48	84
Grand Total	71 & 106 Destroyed	553	783

Finally, IS started its new car bomb campaign in July. There were a total of 71 successful VBIEDs with another 106 destroyed. Anbar had the most with 31 exploding there and another 75 being destroyed. 15 went off in Salahaddin with 19 destroyed. There were 19 successful car bombings in Baghdad and 1 dismantled. Finally there were 6 bombings in Diyala, and 11 destroyed in Ninewa. Of the 177 total VBIEDs, over 100 of them were used in tactical attacks against the government’s forces mostly trying to repel offensives in Anbar and Salahaddin or attacking the Kurds in Ninewa. The rest were terrorist attacks upon civilians. The intensity of the campaign was shown by the fact that there were car bombs every day of the month except July 3, and bombings 28 days straight from July 4-31.