In Anbar Iraq’s forces had mixed news on their progress,
while in Salahaddin’s Baiji district the Islamic State (IS) struck back during
the second week of August 2015. IS’s on going car bomb campaign also continued
with a sharp increase in those types of attacks compared to the previous week.
That resulted in a jump in casualties.
From August 8-14, 2015 Musings On Iraq counted 132 security
incidents. That was a drop from 154 the week before. Baghdad had the most
attacks with 48, Anbar and Ninewa had 18 each, Salahaddin had 17, Diyala 11,
Babil 10, Kirkuk 9, and Karbala 1. The reason for the drop appeared to be the
media’s focus upon the protests that occurred during the week against
corruption and to demand better services. Iraq lacks good national news
coverage so when there is a major event it gets all the headlines and the rest
of the country gets neglected.
There were 726 deaths and 654 wounded in the press during
the week. That was a jump from the first week of August when there were 650
killed and 298 injured. The increase was due to several large car bombs in
Baghdad and Diyala. Even then casualties always get under reported in Iraq
largely because the government is not revealing its losses. The second week of
August was a perfect example as there were no official casualties in Anbar
despite constant fighting there.
During the week there were 2 Sahwa, 8 Hashd al-Shaabi, 13
Peshmerga, 55 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), 130 fighters from the
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and 518 civilians killed. Another 1 Hashd, 4
Sahwa, 5 Peshmerga, 25 ISF, and 610 civilians were wounded.
By province there were 254 dead in Ninewa, 130 in Baghdad,
73 in Diyala, 49 in Salahaddin, 45 in Anbar, 31 in Kirkuk, and 14 in Babil.
Another 404 were wounded in Baghdad, 123 in Diyala, 44 in Anbar, 26 in Babil,
24 in Salahaddin, 13 in Kirkuk, 10 in Ninewa, and 1 in Karbala.
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
|
161
|
435
|
719
|
Jul 8-14
|
140
|
384
|
570
|
Jul 15-21
|
109
|
359
|
597
+ 4,024
|
Jul 22-28
|
145
|
527
|
590
|
Jul 29-31
|
53
|
453
+ 8
|
603
|
JUL
|
608
|
2,166
|
3,079 + 4,024
|
Aug 1-7
|
154
|
650
+ 760
|
298
|
Aug 8-14
|
132
|
726
|
645
|
Violence
In Iraq August 2015 by Province
Provinces
|
Aug
1-7
|
Aug
8-14
|
Anbar
|
46 Incidents
76 Killed: 5 Hashd, 6 Sahwa, 22 ISF,
43 Civilians
42 Wounded: 5 Sahwa, 17 ISF, 20
Civilians
22 Shootings
4 IEDs
3 Suicide Car Bombs
2 Mortars
4 Suicide Bombers Killed
12 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
2 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
18 Incidents
45 Killed: 14 ISF, 31 Civilians
44 Wounded: 10 ISF, 34 Civilians
6 Shootings
2 IEDs
10 Suicide Bombers
6 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
6 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
Babil
|
6 Incidents
5 Killed: 2 Sahwa, 3 Civilians
15 Wounded: 1 ISF, 2 Sahwa, 12
Civilians
3 IEDs
2 Sticky Bomb
|
10 Incidents
14 Killed: 4 ISF, 10 Civilians
26 Wounded: 5 ISF, 21 Civilians
3 Shootings
3 IEDs
2 Sticky Bombs
1 Car Bomb Destroyed
|
Baghdad
|
46 Incidents
57 Killed: 1 Sahwa, 3 ISF, 53
Civilians
154 Wounded: 1 Sahwa, 2 ISF, 151
Civilians
9 Shootings
22 IEDs
7 Sticky Bombs
2 Car Bombs
1 Rocket
3 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
48 Incidents
130 Killed: 130 Civilians
404 Wounded: 404 Civilians
11 Shootings
29 IEDs
2 Sticky Bombs
3 Car Bombs
8 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
Diyala
|
8 Incidents
15 Killed: 1 Hashd, 3 ISF, 11
Civilians
29 Wounded: 29 Civilians
1 Shooting
4 IEDs
2 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
|
11 Incidents
73 Killed: 1 Hashd, 2 Sahwa, 5
ISF, 65 Civilians
123 Wounded: 123 Civilians
2 Shootings
1 IED
2 Suicide Car Bombs
1 Car Bomb
1 Mortar
|
Irbil
|
1 Incident
12 Killed: 3 PKK, 9 Civilians
13 Wounded: 13 Civilians
1 Turkish Air Strike
|
-
|
Kirkuk
|
7 Incidents
64 Killed: 7 ISF, 57 Civilians
2 Wounded: 2 Civilians
6 Shootings
1 Grenade
|
9 Incidents
31 Killed: 11 Civilians, 20 ISF
13 Wounded: 13 Civilians
4 Shootings
3 IEDs
1 Car Bomb
|
Ninewa
|
24 Incidents
374 Killed: 30 ISF, 344 Civilians
+ 760 Civilians
4 Wounded: 4 Civilians
12 Shootings
2 Rockets
|
18 Incidents
254 Killed: 13 Peshmerga, 241
Civilians
10 Wounded, 5 Peshmerga, 5
Civilians
6 Shootings
10 IEDs
2 Rockets
3 Mortars
|
Salahaddin
|
16 Incidents
47 Killed: 5 ISF, 8 Civilians, 34
Hashd
39 Wounded: 5 ISF, 34 Civilians
11 Shootings
3 IEDs
1 Sticky Bomb
1 Suicide Motorcycle Bomb
1 Suicide Bomber Killed
|
17 Incidents
49 Killed: 7 Hashd, 12 ISF, 30
Civilians
24 Wounded: 1 Hashd, 4 Sahwa, 10
ISF, 9 Civilians
11 Shootings
1 IED
1 Sticky Bomb
1 Suicide Motorcycle Bomb
12 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
1 Car Bomb Destroyed
|
Car
Bombs In Iraq, August 2015
Date
|
Location
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
Aug 1
|
Saqqara, Anbar – 8
destroyed
|
||
Aug 2
|
|||
Aug 3
|
|||
Aug 4
|
Balladries,
Diyala
|
7
|
10
|
Aug 5
|
?
x3, Anbar
Sadr
City x2, Baghdad
Khalkis,
Diyala
Anbar Unit,
Saqlawiya, South of Fallujah, Anbar – 6 destroyed
Amiriya,
Husseiniya & Sadiya, Baghdad – 3 destroyed
|
32
|
40
|
Aug 6
|
|||
Aug 7
|
|||
Totals
|
7 & 17 Destroyed
|
39
|
50
|
Aug 8
|
Ramadi, Anbar
– 4 destroyed
Amiriya, Baghdad
– 1 dismantled
|
||
Aug 9
|
Abadi,
Mukhayb, Tal Al-Mushahid, Anbar – 4 destroyed
|
||
Aug 10
|
Howaider
& Kanaan, Diyala
Baghdad – 7
destroyed
|
63
|
101
|
Aug 11
|
Samarra,
Salahaddin – 1 destroyed
|
||
Aug 12
|
New
Baghdad & Shomook, Baghdad
Khalis,
Diyala
|
10
|
40
|
Aug 13
|
Sadr
City, Baghdad
East Husaiba
& Saqlawiya, Anbar – 2 destroyed
Mahawil, Babil
– 1 destroyed
|
76
|
221
|
Aug 14
|
Yarmouk,
Kirkuk
Baiji
x 12, Salahaddin
Albu Jassim,
Anbar – 2 destroyed
|
3
|
4
|
Totals
|
19 & 22 Destroyed
|
152
|
366
|
The Islamic State’s latest car bomb campaign entered its
second month. The number of vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs)
went from 24 launched the first week of August to 41 the next. 22 of the latter
were destroyed with only 19 hitting their targets. Several of these caused mass
casualties. Starting on August 10 VBIEDs hit Howaider and Kanaan
in Diyala leaving 63 dead and 101 injured. This was part of IS’s new campaign
of hitting that province roughly every other week with a car bomb. On August 13
Sadr City was bombed leaving 76 fatalities and 221 wounded. In total there were
13 such attacks upon Salahaddin, 12 in Anbar, 11 in Baghdad, 3 in Diyala, and
one each in Babil and Kirkuk. The intensity of the bombings was shown by the
fact that from August 1-7 were only three bombings out of seven days. The next
week there were VBIEDs every day.
The operation to free Fallujah and Ramadi started on July 13
with mixed news about its progress. On the good side, Ramadi was finally
surrounded, and the government’s forces entered the southern and eastern neighborhoods.
At the same time the government’s forces have found it difficult to hold some
of the larger towns it has taken. East Husaiba for example was declared cleared
on July 21, 23 and August 6, with another sweep through the area starting on
August 10. Likewise an operation to clear Khalidiya Island was begun on August
4, and then a second one on August 12. The operation to clear Garma, which
started back on June 1 has been stalled for weeks with IS holding the center of
the town. The government is unlikely to be able to hold all of these towns due
to a lack of manpower. That raises a larger question of whether the joint
forces will be able to secure Ramadi and Fallujah. IS will not be able to hold
those two cities against a concerted government offensive. The militants can
however continue to threaten those two cities for the foreseeable future
afterward as shown by their ability to re-infiltrate the surrounding towns
during the government’s current effort.
In Baghdad IS slightly changed its focus. The first week of
the month there were 17 incidents in the eastern section of the province and 15
in the south. The next week the south had the most attacks with 16, while the
north had the second most going from 7 to 11. Despite the differences, the
insurgents still have access to every sector of the capital as shown by the
fact that it detonated two car bombs in the east, one in the south, were able
to plant one in the west, although it was defused, and seven more were discovered
in undisclosed locations across the city.
Attacks In Baghdad Aug 8-14, 2015
Center – 3: 1 Shooting, 1
Attempted Kidnapping, 2 IEDs
East – 8: 2 Shootings, 2 Car
Bombs, 5 IEDs
Outer East – 1: 1 IED
North – 6: 2 Shootings, 5
IEDs
Outer North – 5: 1 Shooting,
1 Sticky Bomb, 3 IEDs
South – 9: 1 Kidnapping, 1
Car Bomb, 1 Shooting, 1 Sticky Bomb, 5 IEDs
Outer South – 7: 1 Shooting,
6 IEDs
West – 4: 1 Car Bomb defused,
3 Shootings
? – 1 IED, 7 Car Bombs
defused
Diyala was hit by three car bombs during the week. This is
part of a new trend where IS has been targeting the province with VBIEDs more
and more. In January there were just two car bombs during the entire month. The
next month there were five, then just one in March, and two in April, four in
May, and two in June. Then in July there were six. So far there have been five
in August. There is a reported car bomb plant in Baladrooz in the middle of the
governorate. Otherwise, IS has mostly used Diyala as a base for launching
operations into neighboring Salahaddin and most importantly Baghdad.
The Turkish government released another figure for the
number of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters it killed with its air
strikes into Kurdistan. Compared to previous numbers Ankara claimed to have
eliminated another 130 PKK members.
The Islamic State continued with its mass executions in
Ninewa. In Mosul 149 people were executed including doctors, sheikhs, and
reporters from August 8-14. IS killed four former candidates from Mutahidun and
the Kurdish Alliance in Badush, and a mass grave with 70 Yazidis was discovered
in the Sinjar district. That was a total of 223 people murdered by IS. The week
before they killed another 392 in the province.
Finally, the government’s effort to retake the Baiji
district in Salahaddin faced some setbacks. The current operation was begun at the
start of July. By July 21 the center of Baiji was reached, and then by July 30
the government claimed that only one neighborhood of the city was still held by
the insurgents. Starting in August however IS began counter attacking moving
into one new area on August 6 and then two more on August 8. Progress in the
refinery been very slow and contradictory statements have been given. The day
the Baiji operation started on July 6 the joint forces claimed they controlled
40% of the facility. By August 3 it was still at 40%. August 5 however it was
said they’d taken 60%. The renewed insurgent effort in the district is likely
to be another diversionary effort to draw Baghdad’s attention away from Anbar.
Just like there the security forces and Hashd’s control over Baiji and the
refinery is likely to be tenuous as well. IS controls most of the surrounding
towns and countryside allowing it to re-infiltrate the area seemingly at will
to harass the joint forces.
SOURCES
Agence
France Presse, "Bomb attacks in Iraq's Diyala kill at least 33:
police," 8/10/15
AIN, "2nd phase of campaign to liberate Ramadi begins,
minister says," 8/12/15
-
"Found two car bombs in Nukhayb heading towards Karbala," 8/9/15
- "ISF
dismantles car bomb west of Baghdad," 8/8/15
Alsumaria,
"Killing and wounding 10, mostly security men in a suicide bombing east of
Baquba," 8/10/15
Independent Press Agency, "Federal police burned four
cars and kill 12 Daash in East Husaiba," 8/10/15
NINA,
"/4/ civilians killed and wounding /13/ others in eastern Baghdad,"
8/12/15
-
"/8/ terrorists of Daash killed in east of Ramadi," 8/8/15
-
"10 terrorists killed in east of Ramadi," 8/13/15
-
"/11/ civilians killed and wounded in southeast of Baghdad," 8/12/15
-
"12 elements of the security forces killed and wounded in Baiji of
Salahuddin," 8/14/15
-
"The Joint Operations announce the killing of a number of terrorists and
destroy their hideouts and vehicles in Anbar," 8/9/15
- "A Major Military Operation Launched To Liberate
Eastern And Southern Neighborhoods In Ramadi," 8/13/15
-
"A number of people killed and wounded in Diyala," 8/12/15
- "Security forces , fighters of the popular
mobilization and the sons of the tribes are able to circumvent al-Ramadi
completely," 8/9/15
Al
Rafidayn, "Join Operations thwart the bombing of a military camp in
Samarra, two suicide bombers arrested," 8/11/15
Al
Rayy, "9 car bombs found in Baghdad and Nukhayb and arrested a terrorist
network," 8/10/15
-
"The destruction of two tank bombs and killed Daash in Army Aviation
bombings in Garma," 8/14/15
- "Media cell declares Humera area south of Ramadi
cleared," 8/8/15-
"Popular crowd burned a truck bomb in the village al-Abadi southeast of
Garma," 8/9/15
Shafaq
News, "Daash responsible for explosions in Baquba killing around 60,"
8/10/15
-
"Four people were injured by a car bomb in Kirkuk," 8/14/15
- "Security and PMU kill 28 ISIS elements and control
al-Karma Bridge," 8/11/15
Solomon,
Erika, "Scores killed as Isis truck bomb rips through Baghdad
market," Financial Times, 8/13/15
Sotaliraq,
"Dismantling of a car bomb north Babylon," 8/13/15
-
"Islamic State attacking the town of Baiji and its surroundings,"
8/14/15
- "The joint forces carried out a military operation to
cut off Daash supply lines in Khalidiya Island," 8/12/15
-
"Popular crowd thwarts suicide attack targeting defensive lines in
Saqlawiya," 8/13/15
Xinhua,
"IS claims deadly bombings in Iraq's Diyala, nearly 60 killed,"
8/11/15
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