Monday, October 19, 2020

Security In Iraq Oct 8-14, 2020


The recent uptick in Islamic State operations in Iraq where attacks went from single to double digits does not now appear to be a Fall offensive but rather a temporary increase. At the same time the pro-Iran Hashd factions have declared a ceasefire halting their campaign against western targets.


There were a total of 14 incidents reported in Iraq from October 8-14. Only 1 of those was by a pro-Tehran group when a convoy carrying supplies to the U.S. was hit by an IED in Muthanna. A coordinating committee of the Iraqi resistance issued a statement the day before that it would stop such attacks and allow the U.S. to withdraw. Kataib Hezbollah confirmed that declaration thereby admitting that it and other groups aligned with Iran were behind the rockets and IEDs. The government also deployed extra forces around the Green Zone and Baghdad Airport to try to prevent rocket fire. Previously it was reported that Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi asked Iran for a 40 day ceasefire. This appears to be holding for now but the U.S. has not said that it has any plans to pull out all of its troops from Iraq so these factions could return to the fray in the coming weeks.

 

That left 13 incidents by the Islamic State. Those took place in Anbar (1), Baghdad (2), Salahaddin (2), Diyala (3), and Ninewa (5). That was the lowest weekly total since 9 incidents from August 15-21. That’s a possible sign that the Islamic State is not starting a Fall offensive. Instead it might have just slightly picked up its attacks.

 

Those incidents left 8 dead and 10 wounded. 1 Hashd al-Shaabi and 7 civilians were killed and 4 Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and 6 civilians were injured.

 

One person died in the Rawa district of Anbar when a man walked into a booby trapped house. There are few incidents in the province because it is mostly used for logistics and smuggling by the insurgents.

 

There were two incidents by the militants in Baghdad. A sticky bomb killed a lawyer but the security forces later denied that story, and an IED went off in Tarmiya in the north that wounded a soldier. IS has all but given up on infiltrating into the capital meaning a drastic reduction in violence there. When there are attacks they often occur in places like Tarmiya which has been an insurgent stronghold for years and still has Islamic State cells.

 

Diyala only had 3 incidents during the week. It consistently has the most attacks of any area because it is the core of the Islamic State in Iraq. This week there were two shootings and a checkpoint was fired at.

 

Kirkuk saw no violence in a rare break. This was a sign that IS is probably not holding an offensive as it initially appeared.

 

Ninewa on the other hand had 5 incidents which was a relatively high number for the governorate. There were two shootings which included the deaths of a mukhtar’s son and an execution and three IEDs exploded. Like Anbar, Ninewa is usually very quiet because IS uses it to bring in men from Syria and smuggling to raise funds.

 

There was a gun battle and an execution in Salahaddin both in the Samarra district.

 

Attacks by Pro-Iran Groups 2020

Date

Incident - Location

1/4/20

Mortar – Baghdad’s Jadriya – 5 wounded

 

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

 

Mortar – Salahaddin’s Balad Air Base – 3 wounded

1/5/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

1/8/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

1/12/20

Rockets – Salahaddin’s Balad Air Base – 6 wounded

1/14/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

1/20/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

1/21/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

1/26/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone – 3 wounded

1/31/20

Rockets – Kirkuk’s Qayara Base

 

January Totals - 11

2/15/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

2/21/20

Rockets – Irbil’s Makhmour Base

 

February Totals - 2

3/1/20

Rockets – Salahaddin’s Sadiq Base

3/2/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

3/5/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

3/11/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji – 3 killed (2 US, 1 UK), 12 wounded

3/14/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji – 7 wounded (3 US)

3/16/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Besmaya Base

3/17/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

3/26/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

 

March Totals - 8

4/18/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Nahrawan Chinese company

4/6/20

Rockets – Basra’s Burjisiya US company

 

April Totals – 2

5/6/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

5/19/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

 

May Total - 2

6/8/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

6/10/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

6/13/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

6/14/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

6/15/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

 

Rockets found – Baghdad’s Rashidiya

6/18/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

6/22/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s International Airport

 

June Total - 8

7/5/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone – 1 wounded

 

Rockets found – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

7/10/20

Rockets found – Aimed at Baghdad’s Green Zone

7/11/20

Burned trucks carrying supplies to US - Muthanna

7/19/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

7/22/20

IEDs trucks carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

7/23/10

Drone and bomb found – Jadriya, Baghdad

7/24/10

Rockets – Baghdad’s Besmaya Base

7/27/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

 

Rockets – Salahaddin’s Camp Speicher

7/30/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s International Airport

7/31/20

Rockets found – Baghdad’s Jabour al-Shaarah

 

July Totals – 12

8/3/20

Rockets – 2 areas of Baghdad’s Meshada Dist

 

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

8/4/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

8/5/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

8/9/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

8/10/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US - Basra

8/11/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

 

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

 

Rockets – Landed in Tigris River, Baghdad

8/14/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

 

Rockets – Salahaddin’s Balad Air Base

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya

8/15/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Camp Taji

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

8/16/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

8/18/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

8/21/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad – 1 killed

8/22/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad

8/23/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad

8/28/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

8/29/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

8/30/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

 

August Totals – 24

9/2/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil – 1 wounded

9/3/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

 

Rockets UK security company – Baghdad

9/6/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad – 2 wounded

 

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

9/8/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil – 1 killed, 2 wounded

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad – 2 wounded

9/10/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

9/12/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin

9/14/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya

9/15/20

IED on UK diplomatic convoy – Baghdad

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

 

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

9/16/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone

9/17/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad also reported as Babil

9/18/20

IED American Inst for English Learning – Najaf

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin – 1 wounded

9/20/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

9/21/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin

9/22/20

Mortars – Baghdad’s Green Zone

9/23/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

9/27/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

9/28/20

Rockets – Baghdad’s Radwaniya – 5 killed 2 wounded

9/29/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

9/30/20

Rockets – Irbil Airport

 

IED airport road – Baghdad

 

September Totals – 31

10/1/20

Rocket at convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya

10/5/20

Rockets – Baghdad International Airport

 

Rockets – Baghdad’s Jadriya neighborhood

10/11/20

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Muthanna

 

October Totals - 6

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province

Oct 1-7

Oct 8-14

Anbar

1

1

Babil

1 Pro-Iran

-

Baghdad

3/

2 Pro-Iran

2

Dhi Qar

1 Pro-Iran

-

Diwaniya

1 Pro-Iran

-

Diyala

6

3

Kirkuk

4

-

Muthanna

 

1 Pro-Iran

Ninewa

1

5

Salahaddin

1

2

TOTAL

19/

5 Pro-Iran

14/

1 Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province

Oct 1-7

Oct 8-14

Anbar

5 (5W)

1 (1K)

Baghdad

-

2 (1K, 1W)

Diyala

4 (4W)

3 (2K, 1W)

Kirkuk

11 (8K, 3W)

-

Ninewa

1 (1K)

11 (3K, 8W)

Salahaddin

-

1 (1K)

TOTAL

21 (9K, 12W)

18 (8K, 10W)

 

Islamic State Activity in Iraq 2018-20

Diyala

Shootings

(Totals)

IEDs/

Sticky Bombs

(Totals)

Gun Battles

Attacks on Checkpoints

Attacks on Mukhtars/

Sheikhs

Kidnappings

Attacks on Towns

Suicide Bombers

Car Bombs

2018

Totals

219

198

47

43

5

13

25

3

1

2019

Totals

185

112

33

63

2

6

29

2

-

Jan 2020

13

6

-

2

-

1

-

-

-

Feb

16

5

2

8

-

1

-

-

-

Mar

15

10

4

2

-

-

-

-

-

Apr

20

17

4

2

-

-

-

-

-

May

38

18

8

9

1

5

17

-

-

Jun

13

1

-

2

-

1

2

-

-

Jul

10

10

1

2

-

-

2

-

-

Aug

16

5

2

7

-

3

3

-

-

Sep

21

8

2

3

-

-

6

-

-

Oct

6

-

-

2

1

-

-

-

-

 

Kirkuk

Shootings

(Totals)

IEDs/

Sticky Bombs

(Totals)

Gun Battles

Attacks on Checkpoints

Attacks on Mukhtars/

Sheikhs

Kidnappings

Attacks on Towns

Suicide Bombers

Car Bombs

2018

Totals

172

182

39

18

10

14

29

9

6

2019

Totals

77

116

24

19

6

8

18

-

1

Jan 2020

10

1

2

2

-

1

-

-

-

Feb

5

-

2

1

-

2

1

-

-

Mar

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Apr

17

7

6

3

-

2

1

1

-

May

15

10

1

7

1

4

10

-

-

Jun

5

2

1

1

-

1

1

-

-

Aug

5

5

1

-

-

-

3

-

-

Sep

9

5

2

2

-

2

2

3

-

Oct

2

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

 

Ninewa

Shootings

(Totals)

IEDs/

Sticky Bombs

(Totals)

Gun Battles

Attacks on Checkpoints

Attacks on Mukhtars/

Sheikhs

Kidnappings

Attacks on Towns

Suicide Bombers

Car Bombs

2018

Totals

139

74

43

7

5

6

6

2

3

2019

Totals

63

49

14

3

9

6

17

-

3

Jan 2020

7

5

2

1

-

1

-

-

-

Feb

5

5

-

-

1

-

-

-

1

Mar

2

5

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

Apr

8

8

1

4

-

1

1

-

-

May

5

9

-

2

-

-

2

-

-

Jun

-

5

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Jul

-

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

Aug

-

12

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Sep

5

7

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

Oct

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

-

 

Salahaddin

Shootings

(Totals)

IEDs/

Sticky Bombs

(Totals)

Gun Battles

Attacks on Checkpoints

Attacks on Mukhtars/

Sheikhs

Kidnappings

Attacks on Towns

Suicide Bombers

Car Bombs

2018

Totals

110

102

41

18

1

16

4

9

5

2019

Totals

60

54

32

5

2

6

8

2

6

Jan 2020

4

-

-

1

1

-

-

-

-

Feb

5

-

1

-

-

1

-

-

-

Mar

5

2

3

-

-

-

-

-

-

Apr

4

3

3

-

-

1

-

-

-

May

21

6

9

5

-

2

2

-

-

Jun

5

4

1

2

-

-

1

-

-

Jul

4

5

1

1

1

-

-

-

-

Aug

6

3

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

Sep

6

10

3

1

-

-

-

-

-

Oct

2

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

           

Security In Iraq 2019-20

Week

Security

Incidents

(Total/By IS)

Dead

(Total/By IS)

Wounded

(Total/By IS)

Jan 1-7

32

17/10

24

Jan 8-14

32

94/31

53

Jan 15-21

22

17/11

16/14

Jan 22-28

27

36/17

31

Jan 29-31

12

7

6

JAN 2019

114

139

130/128

Feb 1-7

29/1

76/16

30

Feb 8-14

24

26

18

Feb 15-21

40

112/37

12

Feb 22-28

25

36

70

FEB

118/1

250/115

130

Mar 1-7

13

22

45

Mar 8-14

19

75/10

37

Mar 15-21

12

66/37

21/11

Mar 22-28

13

8/5

1

Mar 29-31

6

8

7

MAR

61

147

101

Apr 1-7

20

22

13

Apr 8-14

41

28

42

Apr 15-21

17

9/8

26

Apr 22-28

19

45

15

Apr 29-30

2

1

4

APR

99

105

100

May 1-7

20

15

18

May 8-14

24

31

41

May 15-21

37/1

62/25

39

May 22-28

43

39

54

May 29-31

13

16

48

MAY

137/1

163/125

200

Jun 1-7

26

19

44

Jun 8-14

25/1

29

15

Jun 15-21

21/2

6

13/10

Jun 22-28

18

17

41

Jun 29-30

9

3

9

JUN

99/3

74

122/119

Jul 1-7

20

11

39

Jul 8-14

14

31

10

Jul 15-21

17

14

37

Jul 22-28

23

14

20

Jul 29-31

8

13

13

JUL

82

83

119

Aug 1-7

27

14

31

Aug 8-14

18

13

13

Aug 15-21

20

33

15

Aug 22-28

27

24

72

Aug 29-31

11

19

10

AUG

104

103

141

Sep 1-7

39

39

38

Sep 8-14

30

35

43

Sep 15-21

23

27

26

Sep 22-28

24/1

15

20

Sep 29-30

7

6

4

SEP

123/1

122

131

Oct 1-7

3

1

2

Oct 8-14

14

25

17

Oct 15-21

19

29

13

Oct 22-28

22/1

33

10

Oct 29-31

12/1

4

11

OCT

70/2

92

53

Nov 1-7

6/1

4

1

Nov 8-14

9/1

2

25

Nov 15-21

15/1

11

2

Nov 22-28

17/1

24

33

Nov 29-30

8/1

6

37

NOV

55/5

47

98

Dec 1-7

36/3

33

44

Dec 8-14

19/3

19

19

Dec 15-21

26

44

25

Dec 22-28

30/1

30

38

Dec 29-31

9

8

7

DEC

120/7

134

133

Jan 1-7

25/7

16

84

Jan 8-14

24/3

12

34

Jan 15-21

23/2

11

12

Jan 22-28

11/1

10

8

Jan 29-31

8/1

4

1

JAN 2020

91/12

53

139

Feb 1-7

22

13

11

Feb 8-14

18/1

5

38

Feb 15-21

16/2

42

18

Feb 22-28

25

15

34

Feb 29

4

5

2

FEB

85/3

80

103

Mar 1-7

17/3

11

17

Mar 8-14

15/2

13

33

Mar 15-21

14/2

5

19

Mar 22-28

14/1

13

11

Mar 29-31

9

5

10

MAR

69/8

47

90

Ap 1-7

27/1

27

37

Apr 8-14

24

25

51

Apr 15-21

33/1

19

34

Apr 22-28

22

8

40

Apr 29-30

5

2

4

APR

111/2

81

165

May 1-7

44/1

47

36

May 8-14

49

21

47

May 15-21

66/1

45

64

May 22-28

30

9

21

May 29-31

7

3

12

MAY

196/2

125

180

Jun 1-7

17

13

19

Jun 8-14

16/4

10

15

Jun 15-21

16/3

11

19

Jun 22-28

10/1

8

13

Jun 29-30

1

4

2

JUN

60/8

46

68

Jul 1-7

12/2

3

9

Jul 8-14

16/2

15

15

Jul 15-21

19/1

17

28

Jul 22-28

13/5

9

8

Jul 29-31

13/2

3

7

JUL

73/12

47

67

Aug 1-7

10/4

7

10

Aug 8-14

19/8

7

22

Aug 15-21

14/5

13

20

Aug 22-28

32/3

23

41

Aug 29-31

13/3

4

12

AUG

88/24

54

105

Sep 1-7

19/4

13

26

Sep 8-14

27/6

8

29

Sep 15-21

32/10

12

14

Sep 22-28

28/7

19

11

Sep 29-30

6/3

1

6

SEP

113/31

53

86

Oct 1-7

19/5

9

12

Oct 8-14

14/1

8

10

 

Violence By Province Oct 8-14 2020

Province

Violence

Anbar

1 Incident

1 Killed

1 Civilian

 

1 IED

Baghdad

2 Incidents

1 Killed

1 Civilian

1 Wounded

1 ISF

 

1 IED

1 Sticky Bomb

Diyala

3 Incidents

2 Killed

1 Civilian

1 Hashd

1 Wounded

1 Civilian

 

3 Shootings

Muthanna

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 IED

Ninewa

5 Incidents

3 Killed

3 Civilians

8 Wounded

3 ISF

5 Civilians

 

2 Shootings

3 IEDs

Salahaddin

2 Incidents

1 Killed

1 Civilian

 

2 Shootings

 

SOURCES

 

Asharq Al-Awsat, “Iraqi Militias Agree ‘Conditional Ceasefire’ to Halt US Attacks,” 10/11/20

 

Iraq Newspaper, "ISIS terrorists executes Wissam Musa from the village of Wana in Mosul, at his home in front of his children," 10/10/20

- "A lawyer was executed at night in the al-Tobji area in central Baghdad, with a bomb attached to his car," 10/10/20

- "The terrorist ISIS executes Mohammed Hassan al-Quraishi a resident of al-Nuaamiya in the Mahdi Army, in Samarra," 10/10/20

 

NINA, "Baghdad Operations Command Denies a Lawyer Killed By An Explosive Device In Al-Tobji Area, Baghdad," 10/11/20

- "A girl was killed and her father and mother were injured in an explosive device explosion south of Mosul," 10/9/20

- "An IED Explodes, Targets An Int'l Coalition’s Convoy In Highway Between Samawah And Diwaniya," 10/11/20

- "A member of the Tribal Mobilization Forces martyred in an ISIS attack in Diyala," 10/13/20

- "An Officer, 2 Soldiers Wounded By An IED Explosion South Of Mosul," 10/11/20

- "One of the sheikhs of the Shammar clans was wounded in an armed attack, northeast of Baqubah," 10/12/20

- "The PMF Thwarts An ISIS Attack, South Of Samarra," 10/10/20

- "Three civilians were injured in an explosive device explosion in Tal Afar district, west of Mosul," 10/14/20

 

Al-Salhy, Suadad, “’War is imminent’: Iraq’s Kadhimi moves to fend off US threat to target pro-Iran groups,” Middle East Eye, 10/8/20

 

Shafaaq News, "An armed attack kills the son of a local official in Ninewa," 10/9/20

- “Intense security deployment in Baghdad to prevent Katyusha attacks,” 10/11/20

- “The Iraqi resistance announces the cessation of its operations against the American forces,” 10/10/20

 

Al Sumaria, "An army officer was wounded by an explosive device north of Baghdad," 10/14/20

-  "Security media: A citizen was killed in a booby-trapped house in Anbar," 10/10/20

- "A young man was killed in an ISIS attack in eastern Diyala," 10/14/20

 

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