Security In Iraq May 22-28, 2018

Security continues to fluctuate in Iraq month to month. From January to March there was a slight uptick in attacks compared to the end of 2017. In April, incidents dropped by 20 per week, only to see those figures increase slightly in May. The news of the 3^rd week of the month was a large number of suicide bombings. There were 3 such attacks with a total of 6 bombers across Baghdad, Diyala and Kirkuk, the most since the third week of September 2017.  

From May 22-28, 2018, there were 51 incidents reported. That compared to 51 the first week of May, 58 the second with the third weeks’ 38 being an outlier.

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province May 22-28, 2018

Babil 1

Kurdistan 3

Baghdad 7

Salahaddin 7

Ninewa 8

Diyala 11

Kirkuk 14

Casualties In Iraq By Province May 22-28, 2018

Kurdistan 12 (10 K, 2)

Salahaddin 12 (8 K, 4 W)

Diyala 13 (10 K, 3 W)

Ninewa 26 (22 K, 4 W)

Kirkuk 30 (12 K, 18 W)

Baghdad 31 (11 K, 20 W)

There were 73 deaths and 51 wounded during the week. 19 civilians were pulled from the debris in west Mosul leaving 54 violent deaths during the week. 2 Turkish soldiers, 5 Hashd al-Shaabi, 8 members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), 11 Iraqi Security Forces, and 47 civilians lost their lives, while 2 Turkish Soldiers, 4 Hashd, 22 ISF, and 23 civilians were injured.

For the first time since probably before the 2003 invasion there were no incidents reported in Anbar.

Baghdad saw 7 incidents including a suicide bomber that hit a café in the Shula area leaving 7 dead and 16 wounded. The previous week there was a suicide bombing as well. The last time there was a similar such successful attack was in January. The capital has been relatively quiet since the start of March so these two bombings were a decided change from the normal security situation. 2 IEDs also went off at the Communist Party headquarters, which was likely a political incident after its victory with the Sadrists in the May election.

Diyala also witnessed a suicide bombing when the Islamic State attacked a town in the Khanqin district in the northeast. The militants also burned crops in two towns during the week. That might have been done to intimidate the local farmers, or have been a warning to pay protection money to the insurgents or both.

Kirkuk was the third province to be hit by suicide bombers. 8 were intercepted by the security forces with four being killed, but the other four set off their devices leading to 2 ISF deaths and 15 wounded. Also like in Diyala, the militants burned wheat fields in a village. They also executed a village leader, bombed a sheikh’s residence, shot up a Hashd’s home, and blew up some electricity towers. These are all part of IS’s attempt to re-assert itself in the rural areas of the governorate.

There were more clashes between Turkey and the PKK in northern Kurdistan. In total 2 Turkish soldiers and 8 PKK members were killed, and 2 Turkish soldiers wounded in 3 incidents.

Although there were just 8 incidents in Ninewa, five were gun battles with insurgents, and another group of fighters got intercepted attempting to infiltrate across the border with Syria. There were also more bodies pulled from the rubble of the Old City district of West Mosul. 75 were discovered on May 22, 103 on May 24, and 19 more on May 24. Civil Defense forces that are responsible for this work told the press that 1,199 bodies, a mix of civilians and IS members had been found in just the last week. Government officials have said for weeks that the Old City was cleared of corpses, but these large numbers showed that the job is far from finished.

The security forces started a security sweep through Mteibiji in Salahaddin that began with a tragedy when an IED killed the police chief of the Alam district, which is outside of Tikrit and three other officers. There were also two shoot outs with insurgents, and a mukhtar was assassinated.

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
Feb 8-14	65	63	93
Feb 15-21	59	346	43
Feb 22-28	55	44	72
FEB	245	649	275
Mar 1-7	78	120	84
Mar 8-14	60	84	61
Mar 15-21	67	168	98
Mar 22-28	81	213	61
Mar 29-31	21	26	35
MAR	307	611	339
Apr 1-7	40	174	29
Apr 8-14	64	175	83
Apr 15-21	44	63	72
Apr 22-28	44	62	48
Apr 29-30	12	12	4
APR	204	486	236
May 1-7	51	57	56
May 8-14	56	68	49
May 15-21	38	58	82
May 22-28	51	73	51

Violence By Province May 22-28, 2018

Province	Violence
Babil	1 Incident
Baghdad	7 Incidents 11 Killed 3 ISF 8 Civilians 20 Wounded 20 Civilians 2 Shootings 4 IEDs 1 Suicide Bomber
Diyala	11 Incidents 10 Killed 10 Civilians 3 Wounded 3 Civilians 4 Shootings 1 Suicide Bomber 1 Rocket
Kirkuk	14 Incidents 12 Killed 1 Hashd 2 ISF 9 Civilians 18 Wounded 3 Hashd 15 ISF 5 Shootings 5 IEDs 4 Suicide Bombers 1 Mortar 4 Suicide Bombers Killed
Kurdistan	3 Incidents 10 Killed 2 Turkish Soldiers 8 PKK 2 Wounded 2 Turkish Soldiers 1 Turkish Air Strike 1 Mortar
Ninewa	8 Incidents 22 Killed 1 Hashd 2 ISF 19 Civilians 4 Wounded 4 ISF 6 Shootings 1 IED
Salahaddin	7 Incidents 8 Killed 1 Civilian 3 Hashd 4 ISF 4 Wounded 1 Hashd 3 ISF 3 Shootings 3 IEDs

SOURCES

AIN, "The popular crowd repulsed Daesh, northwest Dujail," 5/26/18

Ali, Sangar, "Four Turkish soldiers killed, wounded by PKK in Kurdistan Region: Military," Kurdistan 24, 5/22/18

Anadolu Post, "4 PKK terrorists neutralized in Turkey, northern Iraq," 5/26/18

- "Suicide bombers kill two security men in Iraq's Kirkuk," 5/24/18

Associated Press, "Iraq says suicide bomber kills 7 in Baghdad park," 5/24/18

Bas News, "Iraqi Troops, IS Insurgents Clash in Salahaddin: Report," 5/26/18

Ebraheem, Mohammed, “Iraqi relief workers recover bodies of 75 people in Mosul’s Old City,” Iraqi News, 5/22/18

Al Ghad Press, "The martyrdom of an intelligence officer from Ghazaliya in explosion in Shula," 5/24/18

Iraq Newspaper, "The Assassination Of Mukhtar From Al-Jaysat Tribe Shot In Front Of His Children In The Area Of Al-Farahiya In The Area Of Ishaqi North Of Baghdad," 5/27/18

- "Dash Terrorists Assassinate A Village Mukhtar In Riyadh, Captures Fighters In Kirkuk And Killed Them In Khanaqin," 5/24/18

- "Foiled Two Attacks By Daesh Terrorists South Of Mosul," 5/26/18

- "Targeting The 28th Brigade And Home Of A Leader In The Popular Crowd," 5/25/18

Al Maalomah, “The number of bodies found under the rubble in Mosul has reached 1199 in a week,” 5/24/18

Mostafa, Nehal, "Security personnel, 3 Islamic State members killed in repelled attack, south of Mosul," Iraqi News, 5/26/18

- "Senior policeman, three Islamic State members killed in operations in Salahuddin," Iraqi News, 5/26/18

NINA, "19 Bodies Found Under The Rubble Of Al-Jami'a Al-Kabeir In Mosul," 5/24/18

- "Daesh burned fields for the wheat northwest of Kirkuk," 5/24/18

- "The Security forces repulsed an attack to Daesh and kill a terrorist northwest of Mosul," 5/23/18

Al Noor News, "Power transmission towards targeted southwest Kirkuk," 5/25/18

Reuters, "Bomb target Iraq communist party headquarters," 5/25/18

Rudaw, "8 killed in clashes between government forces and Daesh gunmen south of Mosul," 5/22/18

Shafaaq News, "Armed militants burn crops of farmers in Diyala," 5/26/18

- "Daesh blows up the home of a sheikh in village southwest Kirkuk," 5/26/18

- "Pictures: 6 killed, including a suicide bomber in 3 minute clash near Khanaqin," 5/24/18

- "Turkey announces the killing of 6 Kurdish fighters in aerial bombardment in Kurdistan," 5/25/18

Sotaliraq, "One soldier was killed and another was wounded in a clash with Daesh northwest of Mosul," 5/26/18

Xinhua, "4 police officers killed in anti-IS operation in central Iraq," 5/27/18