Security In Iraq, May 22-28, 2016

The fourth week of May 2016 saw a slight dip in the Islamic State’s on going spring campaign. Security incidents went up, but casualties went down, as there were no mass casualties bombings from May 22-28. On the government side, it continued with the process of freeing Fallujah, which accounted for most of the violence in the country outside of Baghdad that still faces a constant barrage of IS attacks.

From May 22-28 there were 142 incidents reported in the press. That was up from 121 the week before, but on par with the 141 from May 8-14. As usual, Baghdad was the most violent province with 60 incidents. That was followed by 37 attacks in Anbar, 12 in Ninewa, 12 in Kirkuk, 10 in Diyala, 7 in Salahaddin, 3 in Babil, and 1 in Basra.

Casualties dipped during the week. There were 200 dead and 397 wounded compared to 349 fatalities and 604 injured the previous week. There were 1 Iranian Basij, 1 Sahwa, 15 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), 55 Hashd, and 128 civilians killed from May 22-28. Another 1 Peshmerga, 15 ISF, 37 Hashd, and 344 civilians were wounded.

Baghdad led the country in deaths with 86. There were also 49 killed in Ninewa, 48 in Anbar, 7 in Diyala, 6 in Kirkuk, and 4 in Salahaddin.

Fighting happened throughout central Anbar as the government forces pushed on the Islamic State on several fronts. First, Garma was finally freed after more than two years of fighting on May 23. The district was declared cleared three days later. The security forces were still fighting over Amiriya Fallujah with a new operation started on May 25. Other efforts were made on Khalidiya Island and Saqlawiya. Those were all meant to secure the perimeter around Fallujah.

The main assault on that city started during the week. On May 22 the government called on civilians to leave Fallujah, and then the attack started the next day. In the following period seventeen surrounding towns were liberated including places like Subhait, Sjar, Niamiya, and Albu Jassim, which had been fought over for more than a year. IS can be expected to put up a tough and desperate fight, but it is no match for the forces arrayed against it. As usual, the Golden Division will lead the charge into the urban areas with the regular Iraqi forces and Hashd holding the outskirts and U.S. air strikes being called in for support. It would be hard to decipher that arrangement due to all the propaganda being put out by various Hashd elements to proclaim their role in the fighting. Iran’s General Suleimani also made his appearance on the battlefield. From the start however, officials have made it clear that the ISF will be in the forefront in Fallujah.

The Islamic State reacted with 34 counterattacks using infantry, suicide bombers and car bombs. The government claimed it destroyed 32 car bombs and killed 49 suicide bombers during the week, but those numbers are regularly inflated for propaganda purposes. The press had 1 Sahwa, 1 soldier, 35 Hashd and 1 Iranian member of the Basij killed during the fighting. Those are probably a fraction of the actual casualties as the government has been suppressing its losses to maintain morale.

During the operation there have been occasional reports of casualties within Fallujah and the surrounding area. There were two articles of 39 civilians being killed and 71 wounded in the city from government shelling. The true numbers are likely higher as it has been struck every day for more than two years now. Civilians trying to flee the fighting in Amiriya Fallujah were also hit by IS mortars leaving 2 dead and 20 injured.

In the fourth week of the month southern and northern Baghdad were hit the most. In the south there were 21 incidents with 11 in the outer towns and 10 in the city proper led by 14 IEDs. There were another 18 in the north with 12 in the outer regions and 6 in the city itself. That included a suicide bomber being killed and another arrested. There were no mass casualty bombings in the province after a slew of them earlier in May, but the suicide bombers showed that IS was still trying. All together there were 60 incidents leading to 86 dead and 232 wounded.

Violence In Baghdad, May 22-28, 2016

Center: 2 – 1 Mortar, 1 IED

East: 7 – 1 Sticky Bomb, 1 Kidnapping/Freed, 2 IEDs, 3 Shootings

Outer East: 2 – 1 Shooting, 1 IED

North: 6 – 1 Suicide Bomber Arrested, 1 Kidnapping Foiled, 1 IED, 3 Shootings

Outer North: 12 – 1 Suicide Bomber Killed, 2 Sticky Bombs, 3 Shootings, 8 IEDs

South: 10 – 1 Shooting, 9 IEDs

Outer South: 11 – 1 Stabbing, 1 Shooting, 9 IEDs

West: 7 – 1 Shooting, 1 Sticky Bomb, 5 IEDs

Outer West: 2 – 2 IEDs

In southern Iraq there was more political violence. The week before the offices of the Badr Organization were fired upon in Diwaniya, Qadisiyah, and an IED planted outside an Asaib Ahl Al-Haq building in Garraf, Dhi Qar. This week a grenade was thrown at a cultural center run by Dawa in Basra wounding a guard. Tensions have been growing between the Shiite ruling parties and the Hashd over influence and control of the government with many jockeying for position come the next election. That will mean more of these types of incidents will occur.

Ninewa saw a new slew of IS executions and attacks. 38 people were reportedly killed by the Islamists in Mosul for a variety of reasons including spying, apostasy, and other charges. IS also launched four assaults upon the Kurdish positions and one upon tribal Hashd in the Makhmour district. The latter was a suicide bomber who got through the lines and killed 11 Hashd. Chemical rockets hit Kahrez that left 35 civilians affected. Finally, IS blew up thirteen houses in Haji Ali that wounded five.

Salahaddin has been relatively quite in recent months with small scale fighting occurring in the Hamrin Mountains and Baiji district in the northeast. There was a car bomb at a checkpoint in Suleiman Bek however that killed 2 Hashd and wounded another 11. There has been no serious violence in that town for over a year so that was a change from normal IS operations in the province.

The Suleiman Bek incident was the only successful car bombing in Iraq during the week. The joint forces claimed another 34 were destroyed. Again, those numbers are regularly exaggerated so the true figure is impossible to confirm.

Violence In Iraq 2015-16

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
JAN	911	2,656	3,032 + 150
FEB	730	2,345	2,366
MAR	820	2,665	2,529
APR	751	2,753	2,621
MAY	674	2,565 + 1,499	1,952 + 646
JUN	708	2,153 + 405	2,174
JUL	688	2,716	3,198 + 4,024
AUG	684	2,440 + 760	1,777
SEP	649	1,731	1,668 + 3,003
OCT	589	1,144	1,555
NOV	530	1,174	1,455 + 124 + 1,322
DEC	553	1,155	1,252 + 5,920
Jan 1-7	150	808	421
Jan 8-14	140	436	417
Jan 15-21	135	275	227
Jan 22-28	132	392	322
Jan 29-31	41	81	334
JAN	598	2,052	1,721
Feb 1-7	146	575	313
Feb 8-14	119	146	323
Feb 15-21	130	225	239
Feb 22-29	153	371	690
FEB	549	1,281	1,566
Mar 1-7	183	321	478
Mar 8-14	168	408	415
Mar 15-21	130	349	409
Mar 22-28	135	213	420
Mar 29-31	49	172	121
MAR	665	1,463	1,843
Apr 1-7	144	239	444
Apr 8-14	141	271	391
Apr 15-21	124	436	242
Apr 22-28	160	413	524
Apr 29-30	30	61	121
APR	599	1,420	1,722
May 1-7	160	325	420
May 8-14	141	311	674
May 15-21	121	349	604
May 22-28	142	200	397

Security By Province May 22-28, 2016

Province	Incidents
Anbar	37 Incidents 48 Killed: 1 ISF, 1 Iranian Basij, 1 Sahwa, 10 Civilians, 35 Hashd 101 Wounded: 8 Hashd, 93 Civilians 15 Shootings 1 Suicide Bomber 1 Mortar 49 Suicide Bombers Killed 8 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed 24 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil	3 Incidents 2 Wounded: 2 Civilians 1 Shooting 2 IEDs
Baghdad	60 Incidents 86 Killed: 5 Hashd, 13 ISF, 68 Civilians 232 Wounded: 12 Hashd, 14 ISF, 206 Civilians 13 Shootings 38 IEDs 4 Sticky Bombs 1 Mortar 2 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
Basra	1 Incident 1 Wounded: 1 Civilian 1 Grenade
Diyala	10 Incidents 7 Killed: 7 Civilians 4 Wounded: 1 ISF, 1 Hashd, 2 Civilians 6 Shootings 2 IEDs 1 Mortar
Kirkuk	12 Incidents 6 Killed: 1 ISF, 1 Hashd, 4 Civilians 5 Shootings 4 IEDs 2 Rockets 1 Suicide Bomber Killed
Ninewa	12 Incidents 49 Killed: 11 Hashd, 38 Civilians 41 Peshmerga: 1 Peshmerga, 40 Civilians 3 Shootings 13 IEDs 2 Suicide Bombers 1 Rockets 6 Suicide Bombers Killed 2 Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin	7 Incidents 4 Killed: 1 Civilian, 3 Hashd 16 Wounded: 16 Hashd 6 Shootings 1 Car Bomb

Car Bombs In Iraq May, 2016

Date	Car Bombs	Dead	Wounded
May 1	Samawa x2, Muthanna Albu Hussein & West of Hit, Anbar – 3 destroyed	38	86
May 2	Sadiya, Baghdad Hit, Dabiya & Satamiya, Anbar – 4 destroyed Alas & Ajeel, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed	19	44
May 3	Bashiqa x2 & Tel Skuf, Ninewa South of Fallujah, Anbar – 1 destroyed Tel Skuf, Ninewa – 2 destroyed	1	2
May 4	Amiriya Fallujah, Anbar – 8 destroyed Tel al-Gol, Ninewa – 1 destroyed Mashak, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed
May 5	Thar Thar, Anbar – 1 destroyed Bashir, Kirkuk 1 destroyed Kharaib, Ninewa – 2 destroyed
May 6	Radwaniya, Baghdad	3	5
May 7	Thar Thar, Anbar – 7 destroyed
Totals	7 – 33 Destroyed	61	137
May 8	Salam, Anbar – 3 destroyed
May 9	Baquba, Diyala Albu Shihab, Anbar – 1 destroyed	16	54
May 10	Thar Thar, Anbar – 1 destroyed
May 11	Jamiya, Kadhimiya, Sadr City, Baghdad Jeraishi, Anbar – 2 destroyed	103	170
May 12	Jeraishi, Anbar Albu Aetha, Albu Diab, Albu Faraj, Albu Veab, Anbar – 19 destroyed Baiji, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed	17
May 13	Albu Aetha, Dwylih, Garma, Anbar – 10 destroyed
May 14	Albu Hayat, Anbar Albu Aetha & Barwana, Anbar – 2 destroyed	2	6
Totals	6 – 39 Destroyed	138	230
May 15	Latifiya & Taji x3, Baghdad Baghdadi, Anbar – 2 destroyed	21	56
May 16	Rutba, Anbar – 3 destroyed Khalis, Diyala – 1 destroyed
May 17	Rutba, Anbar Rasheed & Sadr City, Baghdad Barwana, Anbar – 3 destroyed Amil & Zafaraniya, Baghdad – 2 destroyed	47	99
May 18	Aski Mosul, Ninewa – 3 destroyed
May 19	?, Anbar – 3 destroyed
May 20	Southeast of Fallujah, Anbar	1
May 21
Totals	8 – 17 Destroyed	69	155
May 22	Suleiman Bek, Salahaddin	2	11
May 23	Fallujah & Garma-Sjar Road, Anbar – 8 destroyed
May 24	Albu Jassim, Albu Kanafar, Albu Shijil, east of Fallujah, Lahib, Anbar – 9 destroyed
May 25	Sjar, Anbar – 2 destroyed
May 26	Albu Hamad & Albu Shijil, Anbar – 6 destroyed
May 27	South of Fallujah & Sjar, Anbar – 3 destroyed Makhmour, Ninewa – 2 destroyed
May 28	Amiriya Fallujah & Hasa, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Totals	1 – 34 Destroyed	2	11

SOURCES

Adel, Loaa, "Anbar Operations announces starting Khalidiya Island liberation operation," Iraqi News, 5/25/16

- "Badr Organization announces liberating 2 areas northeast of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/23/16

- "Baghdad Operations: ISIS members flee from al-Zarka, Albu Jassim village liberated," Iraqi News, 5/24/16

- "Baghdad Operations liberates 2 villages near Karma, 13 ISIS militants killed," Iraqi News, 5/24/16

- "Federal Police announces liberating village in eastern entrance of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/24/16

- "Federal Police announces liberating 2 villages north of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/24/16

- "Federal Police Chief: Security forces advance toward east of Fallujah from 3 axes," Iraqi News, 5/24/16

- "Security forces destroy 2 vehicles south of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/28/16

- "Security forces liberate 2 villages northeast of Fallujah from ISIS control," Iraqi News, 5/24/16

- "Source: 35 civilians wounded by ISIS chlorine rockets attack in southern Nineveh," Iraqi News, 5/28/16

AIN, "Foiled Daash attack with 7 car bombs on federal police in Fallujah," 5/23/16

- "Freeing Garma and the dismantling of mined homes," 5/23/16

- "security forces control Nuaimiya area and up the bridge in Fallujah," 5/23/16

Bas News, "Car Bomb Hits Shi'ite Militia Checkpoint," 5/22/16

Al Forat, "The destruction of three car bombs near Amiriyah Fallujah," 5/28/16

- "Detonated a car bomb and dismantled 20 explosive devices on the road from Garma to Al Sjar," 5/23/16

- "Killing Daash and destruction of two car bombs in frustrating attack on west Makhmour," 5/27/16

- "Launching a military operation to liberate Saqlawiyah, northwest of Fallujah," 5/28/16

Hashim, Jamal, "Iraqi army advances to retake Fallujah as protests cast shadow on ongoing operations," Xinhua, 5/27/16

Al Maalomah, "Clearing Albu Nasser area north of Fallujah during security crackdown," 5/23/16

Al Mada, "Freeing Al-Sjar area and raise the Iraqi flags over the government buildings north of Fallujah," 5/25/16

Mamoun, Abdelhak, "ISIS shelling kills, wounds 22 civilians while trying to escape from Amiriyah Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/28/16

- "Joint forces liberate 2 areas in northern Fallujah, dozens of ISIS members killed," Iraqi News, 5/23/16

- "Security forces fully control al-karma District, Iraqi flag raised," Iraqi News, 5/26/16

- "Security forces launch military operation to liberate southern areas of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/25/16

- "Security forces liberate area in Amiriya Fallujah, 13 ISIS fighters killed," Iraqi News, 5/26/16

Al Masalah, "Freed two villages near Karmah, killing 13 Daash," 5/24/16

Morris, Loveday and Salim, Mustafa, "Iraqi military preparing to retake Fallujah from Islamic State," Washington Post, 5/22/16

New Sabah, "Starting the process to free Fallujah and restore more than 10 areas in the surroundings," 5/23/16

NINA, "Daash Blow Up 13 Houses In Mosul Belonging To Fled Citizens," 5/26/16

- "The martyrdom of eleven sons of the tribal crowd by suicide bombing southeast of Mosul," 5/28/16

- "Popular Mobilization Forces Cleanse The Blue Lab, South of Fallujah," 5/24/16

- "Unidentified gunmen targeted the Dawa Party cultural center in Basra," 5/22/16

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "Iraq Launches Operation To Retake Fallujah From Islamic State," 5/23/16

Rasheed, Ahmed and Kalin, Stephen, "Iraqi forces clash with Islamic State near Falluja, bombard city center," Reuters, 5/23/16

Rudaw, "82 civilians killed, wounded by random Shiite mortar shells on Fallujah," 5/26/16

Sarhan, Amre, "Security forces destroy ISIS communications center north of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/27/16

- "Security forces liberate Bakara village north of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/28/16

- "Security forces retake Makhtar village north of Fallujah," Iraqi News, 5/29/16

Sattar, Sardar, "Iraqi Forces Pushing Deeper Towards Falluja," Bas News, 5/23/16

Sotaliraq, "Thwarted a Daash attack by two car bombs northeast of Fallujah," 5/25/16

Al-Sumaria, "Anbar Operations announced the destruction of two cars, including one booby-trapped south of Fallujah," 5/27/16