Security In Iraq Feb 1-7, 2018

Security in Iraq remained stable for another week. The number of incidents has remained at roughly the same level since the start of the year. Casualties were high, but that was due to several mass graves and a large number of Turkish-Kurdish fighters being killed by Turkey.  

There was a total of 66 incidents recorded from February 1-7, 2018 in Iraq. That compared to 68, 68, 64, and 71 the four previous full weeks of 2018. That showed that security has been relatively stable dating back to October 2017 with an average of 8-9 incidents per day.

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province Feb 1-7, 2018

Babil 1

Anbar 3

Salahaddin 4

Ninewa 8

Diyala 10

Kirkuk 12

Baghdad 26

Casualties In Iraq By Province Feb 1-7, 2018

Babil 3 (3 Wounded)

Anbar 12 (6 Killed, 6 Wounded)

Kirkuk 15 (14 Killed, 1 Wounded)

Diyala 20 (12 Killed, 8 Wounded)

Salahaddin 24 (21 Killed, 3 Wounded)

KRG 53 (51 Killed, 2 Wounded)

Baghdad 57 (13 Killed, 44 Wounded)

Ninewa 79 (79 Killed)

Of the 196 fatalities reported during the week, 97 were found in mass graves in Kirkuk, Ninewa and Salahaddin, leaving 99 violent deaths. There were another 67 wounded. The dead consisted of 2 Turkish soldiers, 10 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), 14 Hashd al-Shaabi, 49 members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and 121 civilians. 2 Turkish Soldiers, 7 Hashd, 11 ISF, and 47 civilians were also injured.

Anbar had another quiet week with just three incidents. Those were spread out across western and central sections of the province and were all IEDs. There was also a large operation along the Saudi border. That was in response to continued reports that Islamic State elements are in the outer regions of the governorate.

One of the few places where violence has gone up is in Baghdad. There were 26 incidents there, which is around average for the year so far. Last month there were two suicide bombers, and another was killed the first week of February. Otherwise, the Islamic State has continued to lay down a steady stream of IEDs, especially targeting shops and markets to try to cause the most casualties.

There were a large number of shootings in Diyala. Of the 10 incidents, seven involved gunfire. One of those was an attack upon a checkpoint in the Baquba district, while another was a shoot out with insurgents in the Hamrin mountains. These occurred all over the governorate. There was also a sweep in the east by the security forces.

Of the 12 incidents in Kirkuk, 7 were in the Hawija and Kirkuk districts. All were low level, although IS did lob some mortars into Hawija. 7 bodies were also found in a mass grave in that district. The Iraqi forces and Peshmerga conducted a large sweep looking to hunt down members of the new insurgent group the White Flags.

There were a series of clashes along the Iraq-Turkey border. On the Iraqi side, a skirmish with the PKK led to two Turkish soldiers being killed, and two more were wounded. Turkish jets also bombed PKK positions claiming to have killed 49 fighters. Since the end of 2017 the Turkish Kurds have been taking the fight to the Turks in northern Kurdistan in response to increased military pressure from Ankara.

A much larger gravesite was discovered in Ninewa. In the Sinjar district, 70 Yazidis were dug up. These are found nearly every week. There were also two gunfights with insurgents, and five suicide bombers were killed in Hamam al-Alil, south of Mosul.

Another 20 people were pulled from a town in the Tuz Kharmato district of Salahaddin. That area remained insecure with two more incidents there during the week. In response, the security forces went through the district again looking for insurgents.

Security In Iraq 2017-18

Week	Security Incidents	Dead	Wounded
JAN 2017	719	1,923	4,374
FEB	628	1,891 + 399	2,511 + 1,634
MAR	720	3,504 + 278	3,302 + 2,925
APR	578	2,933	1,955
MAY	528	2,038	1,563
JUN	534	2,038	1,563
JUL	478	1,490	650
AUG	359	1,949	584
SEP	306	728	549
OCT	286	913	865 + 1,700
NOV	296	1,282	425
DEC	261	763	300
Jan 1-7	71	50	66
Jan 8-14	64	62	70
Jan 15-21	68	156	151
Jan 22-28	68	148	66
Jan 29-31	27	23	22
JAN 2018	298	439	375
Feb 1-7	66	196	67

Violence By Province Feb 1-7, 2018

Province	Violence
Anbar	3 Incidents 6 Killed 3 Civilians 3 ISF 6 Wounded 2 Civilians 4 ISF 3 IEDs
Babil	1 Incident 3 Wounded 3 Hashd 1 IED
Baghdad	26 Incidents 13 Killed 1 Hashd 4 ISF 8 Civilians 44 Wounded 1 ISF 2 Hashd 41 Civilians 5 Shootings 15 IEDs 1 Sound Bomb 1 Grenade 1 Suicide Bomber Killed
Basra	Diyala 10 Incidents 12 Killed 1 Civilian 11 Hashd 8 Wounded 2 ISF 2 Hashd 4 Civilians 7 Shootings 2 IEDs
Kirkuk	12 Incidents 14 Killed 1 ISF 2 Hashd 11 Civilians 1 Wounded 1 ISF 4 Shootings 1 IED 3 Mortars
Kurdistan	2 Incidents 51 Killed 2 Turkish Soldiers 49 PKK 2 Wounded 2 Turkish Soldiers 1 Shooting 1 Turkish Air Strike
Ninewa	8 Incidents 79 Killed 2 ISF 77 Civilians 4 Shootings 1 IED 1 Grenade 5 Suicide Bombers Killed
Salahaddin	4 Incidents 21 Killed 21 Civilians 3 Wounded 3 ISF 1 IED

SOURCES

Baghdad Post, "Iraqi security forces uncover mass grave in central Hawija," 2/3/18

Ebraheem, Mohammed, "Female suicide bomber shot dead inside Bagdhad school," Iraqi News, 2/7/18

- "Iraq launches military operation targeting Islamic State remanants in Diyala," Iraqi News

- "Three servicemen injured as military operation underway in Iraq's Tuz Khurmatu," Iraqi News, 2/7/18

Al Ghad Press, "The popular crowd foils an attack on the border at Tal Safouk," 2/6/18

- "Three cars were hijacked along with their drivers on the Baghdad-Kirkuk road north Diyala," 2/6/18

Hatha al-Youm, "Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga are conducting a military operation to track down the White Flags launched in Kirkuk," 2/3/18,

Iraq Newspaper, "Daash Terrorists Kill 11 Of The Popular Crowd In The Hamrin Area And Sadiya In Diyala," 2/5/18

- "The Destruction Of Two Four-Wheel Drive Vehicles Of The Iraqi Army And The Killing Of Those Aboard By Explosive Device In Anbar Yesterday," 2/4/18

Al Maalomah, "A civilian was killed and two wounded by a mine explosion north of Ramadi," 2/7/18

- "A civilian was killed by two mortar rounds in central Hawija," 2/8/18

- "Crowd finds a mass grave containing the remains of 20 civilians between Karfi and al-Tuz," 2/7/18

Mostafa, Nehal, "Border guards personnel killed, injured in bomb explosion, west of Anbar," Iraqi News, 2/1/18

- "Five suicide attackers killed during operation, south of Nineveh," Iraqi News, 2/5/18

NINA, "Five elements of Daesh killed in southern Mosul," 2/5/18

- "A new mass grave containing the remains of 70 Yazidis in north Sinjar, west of Mosul," 2/3/18

Reuters, "Kurdish Militant Attacks Near Iraq Border Kill Three Turkish Soldiers: Army," 2/1/18

Rudaw, "Iraq launches operation to clear western deserts of ISIS," 2/3/18, http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/03022018

Sulaivany, Karzan, "Six Hashd al-Shaabi killed by gunmen in Iraq's Diyala," Kudristan 24, 2/5/18

Al Sumaria, 'The body of a man found south Tuz Kharmato," 2/2/18

Xinhua, "Iraqi forces launch operation to hunt down rebels in Salahudin province," 2/7/18

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan_Revolution