Security In Iraq Jan 1-7, 2021

Violence remained largely unchanged in Iraq from December to the first week of January 2021. There were a reported 21 incidents from January 1-7. Two of those were by pro-Iran groups leaving 19 by the Islamic State. The last full week of December there were just 9 attacks by the insurgents but the first two weeks of the month there were 19 incidents each.

 

Groups loyal to Iran carried out two bombings of convoys carrying supplies to the United States during the week. The first was on January 1 in Samawa, Muthanna followed by another on January 4 in the Samarra district of Salahaddin. These factions did not carry out any large scale attack on January 3 the anniversary of the deaths of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander General Qasim Soleimani and the deputy head of the Hashd Commission Abu Muhandis. Instead they have kept up a steady pace of bombings and rocket attacks on American targets.

 

The 19 incidents by the Islamic State occurred across Salahaddin (1), Sulaymaniya (1), Baghdad (2), Kirkuk (2), Anbar (4), Diyala (2) and Ninewa (5).

 

They left 13 dead made up of 5 civilians and 8 members of the Iraq Security Forces (ISF) and another 19 wounded consisting of 2 Asayesh, 3 Hashd al-Shaabi, 3 civilians and 11 ISF. As usual 24 of the 32 casualties came from the security forces as the militants have been conducting a war of attrition against them since the spring of last year.

 

Starting in December IS changed its tactics in Anbar which had mostly been peaceful because the insurgents were using it as a logistics hub to move in men and material from Syria. Now the Islamic State is back to carrying out regular attacks there. That resulted in four incidents at the start of January with one checkpoint shot at and three gun battles.

 

There was a shooting and a clash with the insurgents in Baghdad one in Tarmiya in the north and the other in Radwaniya in the south. IS is no longer interesting in hitting capitol city itself and now just has small scale attacks like these in the perimeter.

 

There were four incidents in Diyala. There was one shooting, two checkpoints were hit and there was some mortar fire. An attack in Helwan on January 2 that led to two soldiers dying and seven being wounded led to two officers being dismissed for incompetence. A report in Al Mada claimed that up to half the soldiers posted in the province were ghost employees existing only on paper so that their commanders can collect their salaries. This is a very common practice and highlights the corruption prevalent throughout the government.

 

An IED killed three soldiers and left one injured and gunfire left one policeman wounded both in the southern Daquq district of Kirkuk.

 

Ninewa had the most incidents in Iraq. Two old IEDs from the war versus IS left two dead and three wounded. Two bodies were also discovered one in Mosul and the other in Qayara in the south that showed signs of torture. Also 93 bodies were pulled from the rubble of west Mosul. It’s believed that there could be still hundreds more buried in the rubble four years after the conflict ended because so little of that part of the city has been rebuilt.

 

Besides the attack on the convoy there was also a home invasion of an army major’s house the Yathrib district of Salahaddin that left one dead.

 

Finally in southern Sulaymaniya and IED wounded two Asayesh. There hadn’t been any attacks in that province since last April making this a very rare incident.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province	Jan 1-7
Anbar	4
Baghdad	2
Diyala	4
Kirkuk	2
Muthanna	1 Pro-Iran
Ninewa	5
Salahaddin	2/1 Pro-Iran
Sulaymaniya	1
TOTAL	22/2 Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province	Jan 1-7
Anbar	3 (3W)
Baghdad	1 (1K)
Diyala	14 (4K, 10W)
Kirkuk	4 (3K, 1W)
Ninewa	7 (4K, 3W)
Salahaddin	1 (1K)
Sulaymaniya	2 (2)
Salahaddin	2 (2W)
TOTAL	33 (13K, 19W)

 

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
10/24/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Basra
	October Totals – 7
11/17/20	Rockets – Baghdad's Green Zone 1 killed, 5 wounded
	November Totals – 1
12/10/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Muthanna
12/12/20	Mortar – Baghdad International Airport
12/20/20	Rockets – Baghdad’s Green Zone – 1 wounded
	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar – 1 wounded
12/21/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil
12/23/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil
12/25/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya
	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar
	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Muthanna
12/27/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil
12/28/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya
12/29/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya
12/31/20	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Baghdad
	December Totals - 13
1/1/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Muthanna
1/4/21	IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Salahaddin
	January Totals - 2

 

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	-
2020 Totals	215	103	28	41	3	13	41	-	-
Jan 2021	3	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-

 

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
2020 Totals	87	44	20	24	1	14	21	4	-
Jan 2021	-	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
2020 Totals	43	77	5	10	4	3	3	-	1
Jan 2021	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

 

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
2020 Totals	82	41	30	13	3	5	4	-	-
Jan 2021	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

           

Security In Iraq 2019-20

Week	Security Incidents (Total/By IS)	Dead (Total/By IS)	Wounded (Total/By IS)
JAN 2019	114	139	130/128
FEB	118/1	250/115	130
MAR	61	147	101
APR	99	105	100
MAY	137/1	163/125	200
JUN	99/3	74	122/119
JUL	82	83	119
AUG	104	103	141
SEP	123/1	122	131
OCT	70/2	92	53
NOV	55/5	47	98
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
Oct 15-21	30/1	25	26
Oct 22-28	25/1	16	24
Oct 29-31	5	4	5
OCT	93/8	62	77
Nov 1-7	11	7	10
Nov 8-14	25	23	39
Nov 15-21	19/1	18	25
Nov 22-28	24	11	26
Nov 29-30	8	1	10
NOV	87/1	60	110
Dec 1-7	19	4	30
Dec 8-14	21/2	13	26
Dec 15-21	15/2	6	8
Dec 22-28	17/6	3	22
Dec 29-31	11/2	3	4
DEC	83/12	29	90
Jan 1-7	21/2	13	19

 

Violence By Province Jan 1-7, 2021

Province	Violence
Anbar	4 Incidents 3 Wounded 3 Hashd   4 Shootings
Baghdad	2 Incidents 1 Killed 1 ISF   2 Shootings
Diyala	5 Incidents 4 Killed 4 ISF 10 Wounded 10 ISF   4 Shootings 1 Mortar
Kirkuk	1 Incident 3 Killed 3 ISF 1 Wounded 1 ISF   1 IED
Muthanna	1 Pro-Iran Incident   1 IED
Ninewa	5 Incidents 4 Killed 4 Civilians 3 Wounded 3 Civilians   2 IEDs
Salahaddin	2/1 Pro-Iran Incidents 1 Killed 1 Civilian   1 Shooting 1 IED
Sulaymaniya	1 Incident 2 Wounded 2 Asayesh   1 IED

 

SOURCES

 

Bas News, "Another US Logistic Convoy Targeted in Southern Iraq," 1/1/21

- "IED Left from IS Era Kills Teenager near Sinjar," 1/2/21

- "Jalawla: IS Attacks Iraqi Army, Casualties Reported," 1/6/21

- "One Policeman Injured in IS Attack near Daquq," 1/7/21

 

Buratha News, "93 bodies were exhumed in the old Mosul neighborhoods," 1/5/21

 

Dri, Karwan Faidhi, "Two Kurdish security forces injured by IED planted under ISIS flag in Said Sadiq," Rudaq, 1/2/21

 

 Al Maalomah, "Three ISIS terrorists were killed in an armed clashes in the western regions," 1/5/21

- "Three members of the tribal crowd wounded in western Anbar," 1/6/21

- "Thwarting an attack by a terrorist at an army checkpoint near Helwan in Diyala," 1/5/21

- "Thwarting an ISIS attack on a security post west Anbar," 1/4/21

 

Al Mada, “ISIS incubates in Diyala reveal the ghost file: half of the army is only on paper,” 1/4/21

 

NINA, "3 Mortar Shells Hit The Vicinity Of Al-Abara District, Diyala," 1/1/21

- "The body of a young man found south of Mosul," 1/6/21

- "An employee was killed and three others were wounded when a bomb of ISIS remnants exploded west of Mosul," 1/7/21

- "Four Security Forces Personnel Killed And Wounded, South Of Kirkuk," 1/1/21

- "An ISIS element was arrested and an unidentified body was found in the right side of Mosul," 1/5/21

- "Two soldiers wounded in an ISIS attack on a military post northeast of Baqubah," 1/2/21

 

NRT, "One Iraqi Soldier Killed, Eight Wounded In ISIS Attack In Diyala's Jalawla," 1/2/21

 

Shafaaq News, "The death toll from Khanaqin attack increased to one dead and 6 wounded, from the army," 1/2/21

- "ISIS assassinates a construction worker in Salahaddin," 1/3/21

- "ISIS is carrying out an attack on the Tribal Mobilization Forces in western Iraq," 1/3/21

- "A soldier dies of wounds he sustained in a previous ISIS attack in the outskirts of Khanaqin," 1/5/21

 

Al Sumaria, "A bomb targeting a convoy to support the international coalition on the Samarra road," 1/4/21

- "A security force stopped a terrorist attack on one of the watchtowers in Tarmiya," 1/5/21

- "A soldier was killed in a clash with terrorists south of Baghdad," 1/5/21