Violence Up In Iraq, Jan 2018

Violence increased in Iraq from December 2017 to January 2018. That was due to an uptick in incidents in Baghdad, Diyala and Salahaddin. There were also more suicide bombers and car bombs.

The number of incidents recorded in Iraq went from 261 in December to 298 in January. That was because incidents went from 42 to 56 in Diyala, 20 to 32 in Salahaddin, and 67 to 104 in Baghdad. There were slight decreases in Anbar, 14 to 12, Babil 12 to 10, Kirkuk, 42 to 34, and Ninewa, 46 to 34.

In another sign that violence was up there were 6 successful car bombs along with 7 suicide bombers. That compared with just 2 vehicle bombs and 2 suicide bombers in December. Baghdad was hit with two successive weeks of suicide bombers that left a total of 46 killed and 115 wounded.

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province Dec 2017-Jan 2018

Province	Dec 2017	Jan 2018
Anbar	14	12
Babil	12	10
Baghdad	67	104
Basra	5	9
Diyala	42	56
Dohuk	3	1
Irbil	2	-
Karbala	-	1
Kirkuk	42	34
KRG	6	-
Ninewa	46	35
Salahaddin	20	32
Sulaymaniya	2	4

Casualties In Iraq By Province Dec 2017-Jan 2018

Province	Dec 2017	Jan 2018
Anbar	52 (40 K, 34 W)	33 (12 K, 21 W)
Babil	18 (8 K, 10 W)	19 (7 K, 12 W)
Baghdad	152 (30 K, 122 W)	370 (110 K, 260 W)
Basra	5 (2 K, 3 W)	5 (3 K, 2 W)
Diyala	35 (20 K, 15 W)	57 (34 K, 23)
Dohuk	21 (12 K, 9 W)	1 (1 K)
Irbil	6 (6 K)	-
Kirkuk	61 (44 K, 17 W)	118 (92 K, 26 W)
KRG	43 (40 K, 3 W)	-
Ninewa	563 (536 K, 27 W)	174 (170 K, 4 W)
Salahaddin	104 (24 K, 80 W)	32 (8 K, 24 W)
Sulaymaniya	3 (1 K, 2 W)	5 (2 K, 3 W)

Despite the number of incidents going up, casualties were down in January compared to the previous month. There was a total of 439 dead and 375 wounded reported in January. That was down from 763 fatalities and 300 wounded in December. 482 bodies were found in mass graves in December vs 213 in January. That meant there were 226 violent deaths at the start of 2018 vs 281 in December.

In January 12 Hashd al-Shaabi, 31 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and 396 civilians lost their lives along with 33 Hashd, 47 ISF, and 295 civilians being injured. By province, there was 1 casualty in Dohuk, 5 in Basra, 5 in Sulaymaniya, 19 in Babil, 32 in Salahaddin, 33 in Anbar, 57 in Diyala, 118 in Kirkuk, 174 in Ninewa, and 370 in Baghdad.

Anbar has witnessed a huge decline in attacks over the last five months. From August to September there were an average of 1.3 incidents per day. That went down to 1.0 in October, 0.8 in November, 0.4 in December, before hitting 0.3 in January. There are occasional incidents in the western regions of the province, but barely any Islamic State activity in the center or west where the Islamic State used to regularly carry out operations. There was one car bomb however during the month, which did happen in the Ramadi-Fallujah corridor.

Incidents have been up in Babil since May 2017. Most occur in the north, especially Jurf al-Sakhr, which is bereft of any civilians and being used as a military base by the Hashd. During the month, two Hashd commanders were assassinated, and two car bombs detonated showing a decided shift in IS tactics.

Baghdad was where there was the biggest increase in incidents. There was an average of 3.3 per day in January, the highest amount since 3.3 in July. The militants have not only been targeting shops and markets with IEDs, but three suicide bombers set off their devices. There had not been a successful suicide bomber since November, and one of them caused more casualties than the capital had seen in such an incident in over a year.

Diyala and Salahaddin are the two main rebuilding areas for IS. In the former incidents have gone up for three months from an average of 0.6 per day in October to 1.8 in January. In Salahaddin, incidents went from 0.6 during both November and October to 1.0 in January. In Diyala, insurgents are said to be active in nearly every rural area, while they are mostly in the northern sections of Salahaddin. The security forces launched 8 sweeps in Diyala and 7 in Salahaddin during the month, but to no avail. IS usually leaves during such times and comes back when they are over. The Tuz Kharmato district in Salahaddin remains unstable since the federal forces took over in October, and a new group the White Flags is active there along with disgruntled Kurds who are mad at Baghdad.

Political violence has finally subsided in Kirkuk, but the Hawija district in the south still has IS elements. After the central government took control of the province three month ago there was a wave of attacks upon parties such as the Turkmen Front. That largely ended in January. Hawija remains a problem area however. Baghdad launched a major military sweep through the area, and then two smaller ones afterward. Most of the IS fighters fled the area rather than fight when the district was liberated, and have now returned to carry out attacks.

Violence continued to trail off in Ninewa. Incidents hit a new low of 1.1 per day in January. There are still regular attacks by IS along the Syrian border and to the south of Mosul, but these have mostly been very small. Most of the news coming out of the governorate is more and more mass graves being discovered full of victims of the Islamists. They provide a constant reminder of the cruel administration IS created in Iraq.

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

Weekly Violence By Province In Iraq, Jan 2018

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Anbar	6 Incidents 2 Killed 1 Civilian 1 ISF 7 Wounded 1 Hashd 6 ISF 3 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Car Bomb 1 Grenade	1 Incident 7 Wounded 7 Civilians 1 IED	1 Incident 3 Killed 3 Civilians 3 Wounded 3 Civilians 1 IED	4 Incidents 7 Killed 3 Civilians 4 ISF 4 Wounded 4 Civilians 2 IEDs 3 Suicide    Bombers    Killed	-

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Babil	1 Incident 3 Wounded 3 Hashd 1 IED	3 Incidents 1 Killed 1 Civilian 3 Wounded 1 Civilian 2 Hashd 2 Shootings 1 IED	4 Incidents 4 Killed 2 Hashd 2 Civilians 2 Wounded 1 Hashd 1 Civilian 4 Shootings	2 Incidents 2 Killed 2 ISF 4 Wounded 4 ISF 2 Car Bombs	-

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Baghdad	26 Incidents 14 Killed 14 Civilians 45 Wounded 1 Hashd 2 ISF 42 Civilians 6 Shootings 12 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs	24 Incidents 22 Killed 1 Hashd 21 Civilians 37 Wounded 2 Hashd 35 Civilians 7 Shootings 10 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs 1 Suicide    Bombers	22 Incidents 49 Killed 1 Hashd 48 Civilians 133 Wounded 133 Civilians 5 Shootings 9 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs 2 Suicide    Bombers 1 Grenade 1 Suicide    Bomber    Killed	22 Incidents 19 Killed 4 ISF 15 Civilians 34 Wounded 1 Hashd 5 ISF 28 Civilians 6 Shootings 9 IEDs 3 Sticky Bombs 2 Suicide    Bombers    Killed	10 Incidents 6 Killed 1 Hashd 5 Civilians 11 Wounded 11 Civilians 5 Shootings 3 IEDs 2 Sticky Bombs

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Basra	2 Incidents 1 IED 1 Sound Bomb	-	2 Incidents 2 IEDs	5 Incidents 3 Killed 3 Civilians 2 Wounded 2 Civilians 3 Shootings 2 IEDs	-

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Diyala	15 Incidents 5 Killed 2 Civilians 3 ISF 4 Wounded 1 Civilian 3 ISF 6 Shootings 5 IEDs 1 Suicide    Bomber 1 Car Bomb 2 Mortars	8 Incidents 6 Killed 2 ISF 4 Civilians 2 Wounded 2 Civilians 2 Shootings 7 IEDs 1 Mortar 1 Car Bomb	16 Incidents 14 Killed 5 ISF 9 Civilians 12 Wounded 1 Civilian 11 ISF 9 Shootings 3 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb	12 Incidents 6 Killed 6 Civilians 4 Wounded 1 Hashd 3 Civilians 2 Shootings 6 IEDs 2 Mortars 1 Suicide    Bomber    Arrested	5 Incidents 3 Killed 3 Civilians 1 Wounded 1 Civilian 1 Shooting 2 IEDs 1 Mortar

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Dohuk	-	-	-	1 Incident 1 Killed 1 Civilian 1 Turkish Air    Strike	-

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Karbala	-	-	-	1 Incident 1 Shooting	-

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Kirkuk	9 Incidents 3 Killed 1 Hashd 2 Civilians 7 Wounded 2 ISF 5 Hashd 4 Shootings 2 IEDs 1 Rocket 2 Mortars 1 Grenade	10 Incidents 6 Killed 2 Hashd 4 Civilians 4 Wounded 4 Hashd 3 Shootings 1 IED 1 Suicide    Bomber 3 Grenades	3 Incidents 1 Killed 1 Civilian 1 Wounded 1 Civilian 2 Shootings	7 Incidents 78 Killed 2 Hashd 76 Civilians 8 Wounded 8 Hashd 2 Shootings 1 IED 2 Suicide    Bombers 1 Car Bomb 1 Mortar	5 Incidents 4 Killed 1 Hashd 1 Civilian 2 ISF 6 Wounded 3 ISF 3 Hashd 2 Shootings 2 IEDs 3 Suicide    Bombers    Killed/    Arrested

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Ninewa	7 Incidents 26 Killed 26 Civilians 5 Shootings 1 IED 18 Suicide    Bombers    Killed 2 Car Bombs     Destroyed	7 Incidents 21 Killed 21 Civilians 1 Wounded 1 Civilian 2 Shootings 2 IEDs	11 Incidents 85 Killed 4 ISF 81 Civilians 8 Shootings	6 Incidents 29 Killed 29 Civilians 1 Shooting 3 IEDs	4 Incidents 9 Killed 1 ISF 8 Civilians 3 Wounded 1 ISF 2 Civilians 2 Shootings 2 IEDs

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Salahaddin	5 Incidents 1 Shooting 1 IED 5 Suicide    Bombers    Killed	9 Incidents 4 Killed 1 ISF 3 Civilians 13 Wounded 2 ISF 11 Civilians 3 Shootings 3 IEDs 2 Mortars 3 Suicide     Bombers     Killed	8 Incidents 4 Shootings 5 Suicide    Bombers    Killed/    Arrested	7 Incidents 3 Killed 1 Civilian 2 ISF 10 Wounded 2 Civilians 8 ISF 2 Shootings 4 IEDs 1 Car Bomb	3 Incidents 1 Killed 1 Hashd 1 Wounded 1 Hashd 1 Shooting 1 IED

	Jan 1-7	Jan 8-14	Jan 15-21	Jan 22-28	Jan 29-31
Sulaymaniya	-	2 Incidents 2 Killed 2 Civilians 3 Wounded 3 Civilians 2 Shootings	1 Incident 1 Shooting	1 Incident 1 Rocket	-

Violence By Province January 2018

Province	Violence
Anbar	12 Incidents 12 Killed 5 ISF 7 Civilians 21 Wounded 1 Hashd 6 ISF 14 Civilians 7 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Car Bomb 1 Grenade 3 Suicide Bombers Killed
Babil	10 Incidents 7 Killed 2 ISF 2 Hashd 3 Civilians 12 Wounded 2 Civilians 4 ISF 6 Hashd 6 Shootings 2 IEDs 2 Car Bombs
Baghdad	104 Incidents 110 Killed 3 Hashd 4 ISF 103 Civilians 260 Wounded 4 Hashd 7 ISF 249 Civilians 29 Shootings 43 IEDs 11 Sticky Bombs 3 Suicide Bombers 1 Grenade 3 Suicide Bombers Killed
Basra	9 Incidents 3 Killed 3 Civilians 2 Wounded 2 Civilians 3 Shootings 5 IEDs 1 Sound Bomb
Diyala	56 Incidents 34 Killed 10 ISF 24 Civilians 23 Wounded 1 Hashd 8 Civilians 14 ISF 20 Shootings 23 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Suicide Bomber 1 Car Bomb 6 Mortars 1 Suicide Bomber Arrested 1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Dohuk	1 Incident 1 Killed 1 Civilian 1 Turkish Air Strike
Karbala	1 Incident 1 Shooting
Kirkuk	34 Incidents 92 Killed 2 ISF 6 Hashd 84 Civilians 26 Wounded 1 Civilian 5 ISF 20 Hashd 13 Shootings 6 IEDs 3 Suicide Bombers 1 Car Bomb 1 Rocket 4 Grenades 3 Mortars 3 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
Ninewa	35 Incidents 170 Killed 5 ISF 165 Civilians 4 Wounded 1 ISF 3 Civilians 18 Shootings 8 IEDs 18 Suicide Bombers Killed 2 Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin	32 Incidents 8 Killed 1 Hashd 3 ISF 4 Civilians 24 Wounded 1 Hashd 10 ISF 13 Civilians 11 Shootings 9 IEDs 1 Car Bomb 2 Mortars 13 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
Sulaymaniya	4 Incidents 2 Killed 2 Civilians 3 Wounded 3 Civilians 3 Shootings 1 Rocket