Security In Iraq Nov 8-14, 2018

(Shafaaq News)

Security remained relatively stable from the first to second week of November. There were around the same number of incidents and casualties as well. There was another car bomb, which showed the Islamic State’s return to mass casualty attacks. There was also a large number of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) members killed in Turkish air strikes.

There were 42 incidents reported from November 8-14. That was similar to the previous weeks when there were 38 incidents. Unlike any previous week Kurdistan led the country in incidents with 8 followed by 7 each in Salahaddin and Ninewa. For months now Baghdad had the most incidents, but it only had 6 this week, which was a low as the province had been averaging double figures.

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province Nov 8-14, 2018

Anbar 3

Diyala 5

Baghdad 6

Kirkuk 6

Ninewa 7

Salahaddin 7

Kurdistan 8

Casualties In Iraq By Province Nov 8-14, 2018

Baghdad 3 (2 K, 1 W)

Kirkuk 3 (3K)

Diyala 5 (1 K, 4 W)

Anbar 20 (19 K, 1 W)

Salahaddin 25 (25 K)

Ninewa 27 (14 K, 13 W)

Kurdistan 48 (48 K)

112 people were killed and only 19 wounded. 1 Peshmerga, 4 Hashd al-Shaabi, 4 Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), 48 PKK, and 58 civilians lost their lives. 1 ISF and 18 civilians were also injured. There were 24 bodies discovered in a mass grave in Salahaddin, leaving 88 violent deaths. Half of those occurred in Kurdistan.

There were eight Turkish air strikes in northern Kurdistan during the week that left 48 PKK members dead. In comparison, 19 PKK were killed in all of October in five air attacks. This was obviously a large escalation by Ankara.

Baghdad had been leading the country in incidents for several weeks now, but that ended during the second week of November. There were just 6 incidents versus 11 the week before and the week before that. The most notable one was a suicide bomber that was intercepted in Tarmiya in the outer north region of the governorate.

Central Iraq had a combined 18 incidents. In Diyala there was mortar fire on Khan Bani Saad in the southwest and some IS fighters were caught trying to infiltrate into Sadiya in the west. In Kirkuk there was a gun battle with insurgents in Kirkuk city, and a car bomb was found during a sweep in the Hawija district in the south. In Salahaddin a checkpoint in Tuz Kharmato in the east was shot at, and then at the end of the week three IEDs went off in that town. The Baiji refinery received some mortar fire. There was a report that Islamic State fighters were regrouping in four villages along the Diyala-Salahaddin border. This is the core area for the Islamic State. It has re-established itself throughout the rural areas of these three provinces.

Islamic State Activity in Central Iraq 2018

Diyala	Shootings (Totals)	IEDs/ Sticky Bombs (Totals)	Gun Battles	Attacks on Checkpoints	Attacks on Mukhtars/ Sheikhs	Kidnappings	Attacks on Towns	Mortars	Suicide Bombers	Car Bombs
Jan	20	24	2	7	-	1	-	6	1	1
Feb	14	13	4	3	-	-	-	-	1	-
Mar	29	21	14	5	1	2	1	5	-	-
Apr	13	18	2	2	-	-	-	2	-	-
May	11	11	1	3	1	1	3	4	1	-
Jun	32	17	5	12	-	1	5	4	-	-
Jul	20	19	2	3	-	2	3	1	-	-
Aug	17	18	2	2	1	1	3	3	-	-
Sep	20	12	5	1	-	2	5	5	-	-
Oct	11	22	2	-	1	1	-	4	-	-
Nov	5	6	2	1	-	-	1	1	-	-

Kirkuk	Shootings (Totals)	IEDs/ Sticky Bombs (Totals)	Gun Battles	Attacks on Checkpoints	Attacks on Mukhtars/ Sheikhs	Kidnappings	Attacks on Towns	Mortars/ Rockets	Suicide Bombers	Car Bombs
Jan	13	6	4	1	-	-	-	3	3	1
Feb	21	10	7	3	-	-	-	4	1	-
Mar	22	15	11	2	-	2	1	3	1	1
Apr	18	4	3	1	-	-	8	1	-	1
May	14	28	2	-	2	1	1	4	4	-
Jun	25	12	4	2	-	2	10	6	-	-
Jul	7	20	1	2	-	-	-	-	-	1
Aug	7	20	2	1	2	-	-	2	-	1
Sep	14	25	2	2	1	3	4	2	-	-
Oct	16	29	1	4	4	1	4	2	-	1
Nov	5	4	2	-	-	1	-	-	-	-

Salahaddin	Shootings (Totals)	IEDs/ Sticky Bombs (Totals)	Gun Battles	Attacks on Checkpoints	Attacks on Mukhtars/ Sheikhs	Kidnappings	Attacks on Towns	Mortars/ Rockets	Suicide Bombers	Car Bombs
Jan	11	9	8	-	-	-	-	2	-	1
Feb	7	5	1	1	-	2	-	-	-	-
Mar	23	8	9	2	-	3	-	-	1	-
Apr	6	8	2	2	-	-	-	-	1	-
May	14	10	10	1	1	-	-	1	1	-
Jun	15	15	4	1	-	7	-	-	-	1
Jul	9	6	-	4	-	-	2	1	1	-
Aug	9	15	1	3	-	1	1	1	1	-
Sep	5	10	1	1	-	-	1	1	3	1
Oct	2	9	1	-	-	1	-	1	1	-
Nov	3	7	2	1	-	-	-	1	-	1

(Gun Battles, Attacks on Checkpoints, Attacks on Mukhtars, Attacks on Towns are all subsets of the total number of shootings and IEDs/Sticky Bombs reported)

Although there were only three incidents in Anbar there were increased security concerns in the province. One major attack occurred in Garma in the east where IS gunmen dressed in military uniforms entered the home of a local sheikh/tribal Hashd leader and executed 19 people. Despite the Defense Ministry claiming that the border with Syria was secure, there were reports that IS fighters had crossed into the province in the last two weeks. Even before those stories, the militants were making a return to Anbar. The number of attacks have remained small, but they were more sophisticated such as the assassinations in Garma.

Another province going through a similar experience was Ninewa. That was highlighted by a car bomb that hit a restaurant in Mosul. This was significant because Kirkuk city was the only major city that IS was able to set off a vehicle bomb in previously. The terrorists have been picking up such attacks in the last three months. There was also an attack upon a village. Another sign of renewed insurgent presence was the killing of 20 IS members in Makhmour on August 8 and then 13 more in that same area on November 10 by Coalition jets.

Islamic State Activity in Anbar 2018

Anbar	Shootings (Totals)	IEDs/ Sticky Bombs (Totals)	Gun Battles	Attacks on Checkpoints	Attacks on Mukhtars/ Sheikhs	Kidnappings	Suicide Bombers	Car Bombs
Jun	4	3	2	-	-	1	-	-
Jul	3	5	1	-	-	-	-	-
Aug	4	4	2	1	-	-	-	1
Sep	3	8	-	-	-	-	2	-
Oct	9	5	3	1	1	2	1	1
Nov	1	1	-	-	1	-	-	-

Islamic State Activity in Ninewa 2018

Ninewa	Shootings (Totals)	IEDs/ Sticky Bombs (Totals)	Gun Battles	Attacks on Checkpoints	Attacks on Mukhtars/ Sheikhs	Kidnappings	Attacks on Towns	Suicide Bombers	Car Bombs
Jun	7	2	3	1	-	-	-	-	-
Jul	9	9	1	1	1	1	2	-	-
Aug	9	9	2	-	-	1	1	-	-
Sep	8	3	2	-	-	-	-	1	-
Oct	13	5	-	1	-	1	-	-	1
Nov	3	2	1	-	-	-	1	-	1

(Gun Battles, Attacks on Checkpoints, Attacks on Mukhtars, Attacks on Towns are all subsets of the total number of shootings and IEDs/Sticky Bombs reported)

Suicide-Car Bombs In Iraq 2018

Month	Suicide Bombers	Car Bombs	Totals
Jan	7 (1- Diyala, 3 – Baghdad, 3 - Kirkuk)	6 (1- Anbar, 1 – Diyala, 1 – Kirkuk, 1 – Salahaddin, 2 - Babil)	13
Feb	4 (1 – Anbar 1 – Diyala 1 – Kirkuk 1 - Ninewa)	-	4
Mar	2 (1 – Kirkuk 1 - Salahaddin)	1 (1 – Kirkuk)	3
Apr	4 (1 - Salahaddin 3 – Anbar)	1 (1 – Kirkuk)	5
May	8 (1 – Diyala 1 - Salahaddin) 2 – Baghdad 4 - Kirkuk)	-	8
Jun		1 (1 – Salahaddin)	1
Jul	1 (1 – Salahaddin)	1 (1 – Kirkuk)	2
Aug	1 (1 – Salahaddin)	2 (1 – Anbar, 1 – Kirkuk)	3
Sep	6 (1 – Ninewa) 2 – Anbar 3 – Salahaddin)	2 (1 – Kirkuk 1 – Salahaddin)	8
Oct	2 (1 - Anbar 1 – Salahaddin)	3 (1 – Anbar 1 – Kirkuk 1 - Ninewa)	5
Nov	-	2 (1 - Ninewa 1 – Salahaddin)	2

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 (218 Violent Deaths)	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 (233 Violent Deaths)	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 (466 Violent Deaths)	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 (240 Violent Deaths)	236
May 1-7	51	57	56
May 8-14	56	68	49
May 15-21	39	58	82
May 22-28	51	73	51
May 29-31	21	42	15
MAY	218	298 (273 Violent Deaths)	253
Jun 1-7	55	100	32
Jun 8-14	72	108	88
Jun 15-21	42	83	19
Jun 22-28	52	58	65
Jun 29-30	18	22	14
JUN	239	371 (327 Violent Deaths)	218
Jul 1-7	56	58	91
Jul 8-14	44	57	31
Jul 15-21	54	61	64
Jul 22-28	36	65	21
Jul 29-31	24	26	11
JUL	214	267 (222 Violent Deaths)	218
Aug 1-7	49	57	30
Aug 8-14	47	43	51
Aug 15-21	45	26	45
Aug 22-28	42	29	64
Aug 29-31	33	69	44
AUG	216	224 (209 Violent Deaths)	234
Sep 1-7	45	46	61
Sep 8-14	57	67	127
Sep 15-21	50	93	71
Sep 22-28	47	27	33
Sep 29-30	11	20	29
SEP	210	253 (195 Violent Deaths)	321
Oct 1-7	60	88	94
Oct 8-14	50	169	48
Oct 15-21	56	88	37
Oct 22-28	31	28	54
Oct 29-31	25	10	24
OCT	222	383 (193 Violent Deaths)	257
Nov 1-7	38	80	46
Nov 8-14	42	112	19

Violence By Province Nov 8-14, 2018

Anbar	3 Incident 19 Killed 1 Hashd 18 Civilians 1 Wounded 1 Civilian 1 Shooting 1 Sticky Bomb
Baghdad	6 Incidents 2 Killed 2 Civilians 1 Wounded 1 Civilian 3 Shootings 1 Suicide Bomber Killed
Diyala	5 Incidents 1 Killed 1 Civilian 4 Wounded 1 ISF 3 Civilians 1 Shooting 2 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 1 Mortar
Kirkuk	6 Incidents 3 Killed 1 Civilian 1 Hashd 1 Peshmerga 3 Shootings 2 IEDs 1 Car Bomb Destroyed
Kurdistan	8 Incidents 48 Killed 48 PKK 8 Turkish Air Strikes
Ninewa	7 Incidents 14 Killed 1 Hashd 4 ISF 9 Civilians 13 Wounded 13 Civilians 2 Shootings 1 IED 1 Car Bomb
Salahaddin	7 Incidents 25 Killed 1 Hashd 24 Civilians 1 Shooting 4 IEDs 1 Mortar

SOURCES

Al Alam "Found a mass grave in Salahaddin," 11/14/18

Anadolu Agency, "Turkish jets neutralize 19 terrorists in N. Iraq," 11/14/18

Bas News, "IS Attacks Iraqi Federal Police in Central Kirkuk," 11/14/18

Channel News Asia, "Turkish air strikes 'neutralise' 15 Kurdish militants in Iraq - military," 11/10/18

Al Forat, "Pictures. A bombing of a Kia booby trapped van south Hawija," 11/14/18

Al Ghad Press, "3 civilians killed in a surprise attack on a village in Ninewa," 11/8/18

- "The outbreak of armed clashes between the popular crowd and Daesh in Khanaqin," 11/13/18

Husameddin, Hiwa, “Kirkuk villagers say ISIS avoid Iraqi forces which only set up on main roads,” Rudaw, 11/13/18

Al Mada, “Daesh renewed activity in the liberated areas without a firm government response,” 11/13/18

Mostafa, Nehal, "13 people killed, injured in an explosion near restaurant, west of Mosul," Iraqi News, 11/8/18

- "Iraqi security troops repulse suicide attack, north of Bagdad: Command," Iraqi News, 11/10/18

- "Two Palestinians wounded as mortar missile shot in Iraq's Diyala," Iraqi News, 11/8/18

Naji, Jamal, Kullab, Samya, “Islamic State incursions highlight Iraq’s counter-insurgency challenges,” Iraq Oil Report, 11/15/18

NINA, “A Local Source In Diyala: Daesh Is Resuming Its Activity In Abandoned Villages Near Administrative Border With Salahuddin,” 11/11/18

Reuters, "Turkish air strike 'neutralizes' 14 Kurdish militants in Iraq: military," 11/11/18

Rudaw, “Iraq-Syria border is secure, ISIS not a threat, says Ministry of Defence,” 11/8/18

- “ISIS resurgence? Coalition confirms 55 ISIS members killed in 2 days in Iraq,” 11/11/18

Shafaaq News, "Mosul blast ends with 16 dead and wounded, including workers from Abu Leila," 11/8/18

Sotaliraq, "A checkpoint in Al-Tuz was subjected to an armed attack," 11/12/18

- "Three explosions shaking Tuz Kharmato," 11/15/18

Turkmeneli Cephesi, "URGENT Two explosions rock Tuz Kharmato," 11/14/18