Violence took a slight dip in Iraq in the third week of
August. Both incidents and casualties were slightly down from the week before. There
were still a large number of executions by the Islamic State. On the government
side, it was still clearing the Ramadi-Fallujah corridor in Anbar, and moving
slowly in Ninewa in the march towards Mosul.
From August 22-28, 2016 there were 134 recorded incidents in
Iraq leading to 267 deaths and 312 wounded. Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Baghdad were
the most violence provinces during the week. Kirkuk had 68 deaths, Ninewa 70,
and Baghdad 93.
In Anbar, the government was still clearing the Khalidiya
Island area between Ramadi and Fallujah. The area was declared freed on July
31, but heavy fighting continued. Finally, on August
27, the Iraqi forces again said that it had liberated the area again. The
Islamic State responded with several counter attacks there, but it was also
active in the towns around Ramadi, and in western Anbar in Haditha and Rutba.
Those attacks led to a reported 16 dead and 15 wounded, 27 of which were
members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).
With the Islamic State on the retreat in most of the
country, it continued to hit the capital. For several weeks, attacks in Baghdad
had been going down, but the last two weeks they jumped back up to double
digits almost every day. There were 78 incidents, 93 killed, and 242 injured
during the week. There was a car bomb in Arab
Jabour, along with 6 sticky bombs and 39 IEDs. The government launched
operations in Tarmiya
in the north and Arab
Jabour in the south, both long time militant bases. Unfortunately, security
in the capital is a mess with overlapping commands, intelligence agencies, and
security forces preventing any serious cooperation.
Diyala, which saw a doubling of incidents since the start of
the year was very quiet from August 22-28 with only 2 reported attacks.
On August 28,
the town of Ain
Tamur in Karbala was hit by a number of suicide bombers targeting a
wedding. First, they shot at the crowd, and then threw grenades, before two
were able to set off their devices. That left 18 dead and 28 wounded. The last
time the province was struck was at the start of June when a car bomb hit
Karbala city. Every few months the Islamic State attempts to infiltrate the
governorate through neighboring Anbar.
Kirkuk has seen an explosion of fatalities in recent weeks,
but not because of fighting with the insurgents, but rather due to executions.
The government is threatening the Hawija district, the last part of the
province that IS controls. In response, the group has been killing a large
number of civilians to maintain control. During the week 41 people were
executed with another 26 killed while trying to escape.
With the arrival of units from the Golden Division, the
government was finally able to free Qayara
in Ninewa. The operation to take the town was started on June
18. In just under a month the air base in the district was seized, and then
the Iraqi forces seemed to drastically slow down their push. It took another
month to finally get to Qayara itself. IS fought hard, but like recent battles
once the perimeter defenses were breached the town quickly fell. The group also
executed 35 people in the district, and hit a displaced camp in Makhmour with a
suicide
bomber. The bodies
of ten women were discovered in a former IS prison as well.
Salahaddin has become of secondary importance to IS in 2016.
There was a slight surge in attacks during the spring offensive, but since then
they have gone back down to only around one incident per day. During the third
week of August IS attacked the Makhoul Mountains, the Hamrin Mountains,
Shirqat, Baiji and Tuz Kharmato, mostly with car bombs that were destroyed
before hitting their targets. In total there were just 6 incidents with no
reported casualties.
There were just two successful car bombs in Iraq from August
22-28. One was in Anbar and the other in Baghdad. They caused 5 deaths and 10
wounded. The Iraqi forces claimed to have destroyed another 48, 3 in Anbar, 5
in Salahaddin, and 40 in Ninewa. Since the end of the spring offensive there has
been a large drop in car bombs each week.
Violence
In Iraq 2016
|
Date
|
Incidents
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
|
Jan 1-7
|
179
|
866
|
476
|
|
Jan 8-14
|
168
|
560
|
480
|
|
Jan 15-21
|
166
|
400
|
335
|
|
Jan 22-28
|
154
|
457
|
361
|
|
Jan 29-31
|
56
|
135
|
334
|
|
JAN
|
723
|
2,418
|
1,986
|
|
Feb 1-7
|
184
|
626
|
355
|
|
Feb 8-14
|
150
|
259
|
375
|
|
Feb 15-21
|
162
|
400
|
293
|
|
Feb 22-29
|
161
|
400
|
701
|
|
FEB
|
657
|
1,685
|
1,724
|
|
Mar 1-7
|
185
|
351
|
484
|
|
Mar 8-14
|
169
|
477
|
517
|
|
Mar 15-21
|
133
|
419
|
510
|
|
Mar 22-28
|
141
|
245
|
432
|
|
Mar 29-31
|
53
|
192
|
152
|
|
MAR
|
681
|
1,684
|
2,095
|
|
Apr 1-7
|
157
|
398
|
508
|
|
Apr 8-14
|
146
|
361
|
443
|
|
Apr 15-21
|
130
|
531
|
300
|
|
Apr 22-28
|
165
|
480
|
532
|
|
Apr 29-30
|
31
|
65
|
121
|
|
APR
|
629
|
1,835
|
1,904
|
|
May 1-7
|
164
|
386
|
422
|
|
May 8-14
|
147
|
407
|
687
|
|
May 15-21
|
127
|
387
|
617
|
|
May 22-28
|
150
|
315
|
445
|
|
May 29-31
|
85
|
142
|
313
|
|
MAY
|
673
|
1,637
|
2,484
|
|
Jun 1-7
|
177
|
592
|
1,639
|
|
Jun 8-14
|
136
|
345
|
472
|
|
Jun 15-21
|
154
|
416
|
523
|
|
Jun 22-28
|
123
|
329
|
410
|
|
Jun 29-30
|
40
|
429
|
3,405
|
|
JUN
|
630
|
2,111
|
6,449
|
|
Jul 1-7
|
120
|
589
|
635
|
|
Jul 8-14
|
129
|
242
|
316
|
|
Jul 15-21
|
123
|
168
|
272
|
|
Jul 22-28
|
115
|
234
|
366
|
|
Jul 29-31
|
43
|
95
|
119
|
|
JUL
|
530
|
1,328
|
1,708
|
|
Aug 1-7
|
109
|
342
|
255
|
|
Aug 8-14
|
121
|
176
|
245
|
|
Aug 15-21
|
155
|
388
|
392
|
|
Aug 22-28
|
134
|
269
|
312
|
Security
By Province Aug 22-28, 2016
|
Province
|
Incidents
|
|
Anbar
|
14 Incidents
16 Killed: 3 Civilians, 13 ISF
15 Wounded: 1 Civilian, 14 ISF
6 Shootings
4 IEDs
1 Suicide Car Bomb
3 Suicide Bombers Killed
1 Suicide Car Bomb Destroyed
2 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
|
Babil
|
2 Incidents
2 Wounded: 2 Civilians
1 IED
|
|
Baghdad
|
78 Incidents
93 Killed: 1 Sahwa, 2 Hashd, 10
ISF, 80 Civilians
242 Wounded: 2 Sahwa, 2 Hashd, 10
ISF, 228 Civilians
21 Shootings
39 IEDs
6 Sticky Bombs
1 Car Bomb
1 Grenade
1 mortar
1 Suicide Bomber killed
|
|
Diyala
|
2 Incidents
2 Killed: 2 Sahwa
1 Shooting
|
|
Karbala
|
1 Incident
18 Killed: 18 Civilians
28 Wounded: 28 Civilians
1 Shooting
2 Suicide Bombers
1 Grenade
|
|
Kirkuk
|
12 Incidents
68 Killed: 1 Peshmerga, 67
Civilians
14 Wounded: 2 Peshmerga, 12
Civilians
5 Shootings
4 IEDs
|
|
Ninewa
|
19 Incidents
70 Killed: 1 Peshmerga, 69
Civilians
11 Wounded: 5 Civilians, 6 ISF
6 Shootings
20 IEDs
1 Suicide Bomber
2 Rockets
2 Mortars
10 Suicide Bombers Killed
40 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
|
Salahaddin
|
6 Incidents
2 Shootings
1 IED
5 Car Bombs Destroyed
|
Car
Bombs In Iraq Aug 2016
|
Date
|
Car Bombs
|
Dead
|
Wounded
|
|
Aug 1
|
Shirqat,
Salahaddin – 3 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 2
|
Hadhar &
Qayara, Ninewa – 15 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 3
|
Tarmiya,
Baghdad – 1 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 4
|
North
of Baquba, Diyala
|
1
|
5
|
|
Aug 5
|
|||
|
Aug 6
|
|||
|
Aug 7
|
|||
|
Totals
|
1 – 19 Destroyed
|
1
|
5
|
|
Au 8
|
|||
|
Aug 9
|
|||
|
Aug 10
|
Arab
Jabour, Baghdad
Qayara
Base x3, Ninewa
|
15
|
8
|
|
Aug 11
|
Samawa,
Muthanna
Haj Ali &
Hadhar, Ninewa – 6 destroyed
|
2
|
5
|
|
Aug 12
|
Albu Assaf &
Khalidiya Island, Anbar – 2 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 13
|
|||
|
Aug 14
|
Azwaip, Anbar – 1
destroyed
Khazir, Ninewa – 1
destroyed
|
||
|
Totals
|
5 – 10 Destroyed
|
17
|
13
|
|
Aug 15
|
|||
|
Aug 16
|
Ramadi
Dist, Anbar
Hit, Anbar – 2
destroyed
Qaraqoush,
Ninewa – 1 destroyed
|
4
|
|
|
Aug 17
|
Bab
al-Sham, Baghdad
Baquba, Diyala
– 1 destroyed
|
2
|
5
|
|
Aug 18
|
|||
|
Aug 19
|
|||
|
Aug 20
|
|||
|
Aug 21
|
|||
|
Totals
|
2 – 4 Destroyed
|
2
|
9
|
|
Aug 22
|
Jadaa &
Qayara, Ninewa – 7 destroyed
Makhoul,
Salahaddin – 2 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 23
|
Qayara, Ninewa
– 23 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 24
|
|||
|
Aug 25
|
Khalidiya
Island, Anbar
Arab
Jabour, Baghdad
Albu Bali
& Haditha, Anbar – 3 destroyed
|
5
|
10
|
|
Aug 26
|
Shirqat,
Salahaddin – 1 destroyed
|
||
|
Aug 27
|
|||
|
Aug 28
|
Qayara, Ninewa
– 10 destroyed
Baiji &
Zerga, Salahaddin – 2 destroyed
|
||
|
Totals
|
2 – 48 Destroyed
|
5
|
10
|
SOURCES
Abdul-Zahra,
Qassim, "Iraqi Forces Push Islamic State out of Western Iraqi Town,"
Associated Press
Agence
France Presse, "Iraq forces retake key town south of Mosul," 8/25/16
AIN,
"Daesh Hummer car bomb destroyed west junction of Sharqat," 8/26/16
Buratha
News, "Security forces destroyed Daesh explosives in security operation in
southern Baghdad," 8/28/16
Iraq
Oil Report, "Iraqi forces liberate key oil town near Mosul," 8/23/16
Iraqi
News, "Iraqi army detonates 3 booby-trapped vehicles in Mosul,"
8/22/16
-
"ISIS attack thwarted near Baiji, two militants killed," 8/27/16
- "Khalidiya island fully liberated, informs Anbar
Council," 7/31/16
Al
Maalomah, "Killed 30 Daash and the destruction of two car bombs while
trying to attack border outpost in west Anbar," 8/25/16
Al
Mada, "'Biting off the ground' process of destroying Daesh cells in north
Baghdad," 8/24/16
-
"Joint Special Operations Command confirms freeing all of Khalidiya Island
east Anbar," 8/27/16
- "Karbala Council confirms 46 killed and wounded in attack
by four suicide bombers in Ain Tamur," 8/28/16
NINA,
"11 Terrorists Killed, A Car Bomb Destroyed Northern Salahuddin,"
8/27/16
- "Nineveh Operations: An Attack To Daesh Repelled, a Secret
Women's Prison Found South of Mosul," 8/22/16
-"Nineveh
operations: Blowing up (23) car bombs to Daesh and killing the military
official in charge of Qayyarah Center," 8/23/16
-
"Nineveh Police Destroy 10 Car Bombs, Coalition Aircraft Kill 20
Terrorists South of Mosul," 8/28/16
-
"A Tanker Of Fuel, 2 Car Bombs to Daesh Destroyed Northern
Salahuddin," 8/22/16
Alsumaria,
"Wounding two civilians in a car bombing south Baghdad," 8/25/16
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, "Iraqi Forces Open Front
Near Mosul After Taking Fallujah," 6/18/16
Xinhua, "3 killed in suicide attack on refugee camp in
northern Iraq," 8/27/16
- "15 killed in suicide attack on wedding in Iraq's
Karbala," 8/29/16
-
"At least 5 killed in bombing attack in western Iraq," 8/25/16
