Monday, September 7, 2015

Islamic State Executions Skyrocket In Iraq’s Ninewa In August 2015


Fighting in Iraq remained largely the same in August 2015. The number of attacks barely changed from July to August. The number of wounded was down almost 50% between the two months, but that was probably due to underreporting as much as a decline. The major differences were that the Islamic State executed a huge number of people in Ninewa province.

In August Musings On Iraq counted 616 security incidents. That was roughly the same as July’s 608. That averaged out to 19.6 attacks per day in July and 19.8 in August. The real number of incidents is always higher than what gets into the press.

As usual, Baghdad and Anbar led the way in violence. There were 192 incidents in Baghdad, and 134 in Anbar. After that Salahaddin had 96, Ninewa 78, Kirkuk 43, Diyala 38, Babil 30, Irbil 3, and Karbala 2.

In Iraq’s two most dangerous provinces attacks have actually been going down. In Anbar incidents dropped from an average of 5.2 per day in June to 4.7 in July to 4.3 in August. Baghdad went from 7.6 in June to 6.9 in July to 6.1 in August.

There were 2,180 deaths reported in the papers and another 1,762 wounded. The dead consisted of 28 Sahwa, 54 Peshmerga, 162 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, 176 Hashd al-Shaabi, 311 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), and 1,449 civilians. The injured were made up of 26 Sahwa, 35 Peshmerga, 59 Hashd, 232 ISF, and 1,410 civilians. The real numbers are always much higher. The fact that there was more dead then wounded last month, when there are usually 3-4 more of the latter was a sign of underreporting.

In August, Ninewa was the deadliest province with 822 fatalities. 733 of those were due to executions by the Islamic State. In the first two weeks of the month the group killed 615 people alone. That happened not only in Mosul, but in Hamam al-Alil, Baaj, Qayara, Badush, Sinjar, Ghazlani, and Issa. Another 760 people were reportedly killed by IS from June 2014 to the start of August in Mosul. No reason was given for the dramatic increase in executions. It wasn’t clear if these killings just got mentioned more or whether IS was responding to threats or trying to send a message or what motivated the Islamists.

There were 323 dead and 245 wounded in Anbar. Those numbers are not complete. For one week of August for example, the government reported no casualties amongst the joint forces in Anbar despite intense fighting. Also by the middle of the month Baghdad clamped down on coverage of civilian casualties from government shelling and air strikes in the province as well. In July for instance, there were nearly daily reports about people getting killed from government artillery, mortar fire, and air strikes mostly in Fallujah, which led to 287 dead and 429 wounded. By August, only 42 such deaths and 53 injured were mentioned.

Babil was one of the few provinces where attacks went up from July to August. The increase was only a fraction however from an average of 0.6 per day in July to 0.9 in August. That didn’t really have much affect upon casualties however as the number of deaths went from 27 in July to 35 in August. The Islamic State is using Babil as a base to launch attacks into southern Baghdad rather than destabilize the province itself.

The capital governorate led the country in attacks in August with 192, which resulted in 331 dead and 1,021 wounded. Southern Baghdad faced the most violence with 65 incidents including 6 car bombs and 22 IEDs. Eastern Baghdad was second with 45 incidents that involved 6 car bombs and 17 IEDs. There were also 37 attacks in the north, 28 in the west and 8 in the center. The widespread violence across Baghdad showed the Islamic State’s ability to strike any part of the capital. This is happening despite a heavy deployment of security forces to the area.

Attacks in Baghdad August 2015
Center: 8 – 1 Attempted Kidnapping, 2 Shootings, 6 IEDs
East: 39 – 4 Kidnappings, 5 Sticky Bombs, 6 Car Bombs, 8 Shootings, 17 IEDs
Outer East: 6 – 2 Kidnappings, 2 Shootings, 2 IEDs
North: 23 – 4 Sticky Bombs, 7 Shootings, 13 IEDs
Outer North: 14 – 1 Car Bomb dismantled, 2 Sticky Bombs, 4 Shootings, 7 IEDs,
South: 40 – 1 Car Bomb dismantled, 1 Rocket, 2 Sticky Bombs, 4 Kidnappings, 4 Shootings, 6 Car Bombs, 22 IEDs,
Outer South: 25 –1 Mortar, 1 Sticky Bomb, 4 Shootings, 18 IEDs
West: 21 – 1 Robbery, 2 Car Bombs dismantled, 3 Sticky Bombs, 5 Shootings, 10 IEDs
Outer West: 7 – 1 Shooting, 6 IEDs
?: 2 – 1 IED, 7 Car Bombs dismantled

Diyala has become a new target for IS car bombs. 5 went off during the month, with another 8 discovered before they were detonated. Overall, there were 108 fatalities and 166 wounded for the month. IS is still mainly using Diyala to launch attacks into eastern Baghdad.

There were a high number of casualties in Kirkuk due to IS executions. 104 people were killed by the Islamists out of a total of 142 deaths in August. 3 car bombs also went off in the province.

Turkey continued its airstrikes into Kurdistan against the PKK in August. That led to a reported 162 PKK fighters dying along with 9 civilians.

There were attacks up and down Salahaddin, but the heaviest fighting was in Baiji. IS launched a new wave of attacks there in August regaining some lost ground. That was a diversionary effort however to try to draw the government’s attention away from Anbar, which worked as reinforcements were sent to the area. In total, 248 died and another 153 were wounded in Salahaddin last month.

Finally, the Islamic State’s new car bomb campaign reached its second month. There were 49 successful vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) and 275 destroyed in August. August’s total of 324 dwarfed July’s 177. June was a transitional month in between the last offensive with just 107 total.

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
627
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
2,417 + 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
Aug 15-21
135
345
354
Aug 22-28
136
342
296
Aug 29-31
59
112 + 5
169
AUG
616
2,180 + 760
1,762

Violence In Iraq August 2015 by Province
Provinces
Violence
Anbar
134 Incidents
323 Killed: 21 Sahwa, 54 Hashd, 123 ISF, 125 Civilians
56 Shootings
16 IEDs
15 Suicide Car Bombs
6 Mortars
4 Rockets
33 Suicide Bombers Killed
31 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
46 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil
30 Incidents
35 Killed: 2 Sahwa, 6 ISF, 27 Civilians
79 Wounded: 2 Sahwa, 20 ISF, 57 Civilians
8 Shootings
13 IEDs
4 Sticky Bombs
1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Baghdad
192 Incidents
331 Killed: 1 Hashd, 3 Sahwa, 23 ISF, 304 Civilians
1,021 Wounded: 4 Sahwa, 33 ISF, 984 Civilians
39 Shootings
103 IEDs
19 Sticky Bombs
11 Car Bombs
1 Mortar
1 Rockets
12 Car Bombs Destroyed
Diyala
38 Incidents
108 Killed: 2 Sahwa, 4 Hashd, 9 ISF, 93 Civilians
166 Wounded: 2 Hashd, 164 Civilians
8 Shootings
10 IEDs
2 Sticky Bombs
2 Suicide Car Bombs
3 Car Bombs
2 Mortars
8 Car Bombs Destroyed
Irbil
3 Incidents
41 Killed: 32 PKK, 9 Civilians
13 Wounded: 13 Civilians
Turkish Air Strikes
Karbala
2 Incidents
1 Wounded: 1 Civilian
1 Shooting
1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Kirkuk
43 Incidents
142 Killed: 2 Hashd, 12 Peshmerga, 30 ISF, 98 Civilians
52 Wounded: 1 Hashd, 8 ISF, 24 Peshmerga, 19 Civilians
17 Shootings
6 IEDs
1 Grenade
1 Motorcycle Bomb
1 Suicide Car Bomb
2 Car Bombs
3 Rockets
KRG
130 Killed: 130 PKK
Turkish Air Strikes
Ninewa
78 Incidents
822 Killed: 42 Peshmerga, 77 ISF, 703 Civilians
32 Wounded: 11 Peshmerga, 21 Civilians
26 Shootings
14 IEDs
4 Rockets
8 Mortars
3 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin
96 Incidents
248 Killed: 43 ISF, 90 Civilians, 115 Hashd
153 Wounded: 4 Sahwa, 25 ISF, 56 Hashd, 68 Civilians
56 Shootings
14 IEDs
2 Sticky Bombs
2 Suicide Motorcycle Bombs
1 Suicide Car Bomb
14 Car Bombs
2 Mortars
5 Suicide Bombers Killed
11 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
162 Car Bombs 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
Aug 15
Habibiya & Shuhada, Baghdad
Salam Bridges, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed
17
75
Aug 16
Outside Fallujah x4, Anbar
Jisr Diyala, Baghdad
Husaiba, Anbar – 1 destroyed
Ajeel & Baiji, Salahaddin – 3 destroyed
20
28
Aug 17
Habibiya, Baghdad
5 Kilo & Ramadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Gwar, Ninewa – 3 destroyed
Albu Jwari, Durr Tal Abu Jarad & Baiji, Salahaddin – 56 destroyed
15
35
Aug 18
Asri, Salahaddin
Albu Athea, Garma & Humaira, Anbar – 12 destroyed
Ain al-Tamur, Karbala – 1 destroyed
Tal Abu Jarad, Salahaddin – 5 destroyed
21
4
Aug 19
Kirkuk, Kirkuk
Baiji, Salahaddin
Baiji & Tal Abu Jarad, Salahaddin – 16 destroyed
12
2
Aug 20
Hawish, Salahaddin
Albu Athea & Zaqareed, Anbar – 10 destroyed
Baiji, Salahaddin – 28 destroyed

27
Aug 21
Ramadi, Anbar – 1 destroyed


Totals
12 & 141 Destroyed
85
171
Aug 22



Aug 23
Albu Haya, Baghdadi, Haditha, Outside Fallijah – 4 destroyed


Aug 24
35 Kilo x3, Anbar
Baghdadi, Anbar – 4 destroyed
8
6
Aug 25
Southeast of Ramadi
Southeast of Ramadi – 1 destroyed
Zafaraniya, Baghdad – 1 destroyed
Baiji, Salahaddin – 60 destroyed
13
7
Aug 26
Shuhada, Baghdad
Albu Shajal, Garma, Husaiba – 5 destroyed
Hamrin Mountains, Diyala – 6 destroyed
2
9
Aug 27
North x2, Anbar
Kirkuk-Debas Road, Kirkuk
Albu Metairai – 1 destroyed
Baiji & Samarra Island, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed
8
18
Aug 28
Zafaraniya, Baghdad
6
10
Totals
9 & 84 Destroyed
37
50
Aug 29
East of Fallujah, Anbar
Samarra Island – 1 destroyed
6
9
Aug 30
Amiriyah & Khalidiya, Anbar – 3 destroyed


Aug 31
Haditha, Anbar
Baghdadi, Haditha, Sajariya, Sjar & ?, Anbar – 5 destroyed
Hamrin Mtns, Diyala – 2 destroyed
14
19
Totals
2 & 11 Destroyed
20
28

Month
Car Bombs
Dead
Wounded
Jun
31 & 76 Destroyed
191
324
Jul
71 & 106 Destroyed
553
783
Aug
49 & 275 Destroyed
333
665

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