Friday, December 10, 2021

Security In Iraq Dec 1-7, 2021


The winter break in Islamic State operations continued into the first week of December. For the last eleven weeks incidents by the insurgency have been in the teens or tens. On the other hand, pro-Iran groups have been picking up their operations against American targets now that the elections are over and the U.S. is supposed to withdraw its combat troops by the end of the year. These factions also carried out a bombing in Basra aimed at the security forces.

 

There were a total of 17 security incidents reported in the media in Iraq from December 1-7. For the three previous weeks incidents have been in the teens.

 

Those left 29 dead and 22 wounded. 4 members of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), 11 civilians and 14 Peshmerga were killed and 2 Peshmerga, 3 ISF and 17 civilians were injured. Irbil had the most casualties with 18 followed by 17 in Kirkuk. The other provinces were in single digits.


 

2 incidents were by pro-Iran groups. A logistics convoy working for the U.S. was hit by an IED in Diwaniya. In Basra however, a “death squad” was blamed for a motorcycle bomb in Basra city which killed four and left four more wounded. According to reports the bomb was aimed at a security official who has been investigating the group which might be affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah for attacks upon protesters, journalists, and activists.

 

The Islamic State was responsible for 15 incidents. Attacks by the group have been at that level since the middle of August. Insurgent attacks have gone down almost every winter since 2003.

 

Ninewa and Salahaddin had just one incident each. In Ninewa Hatra was hit by mortars and there was a home invasion in Salahaddin. IS has been focusing upon Hatra for the last several weeks. It sits in the southern part of the province. The militants are either trying to expand into the area or are already there and attempting to keep people out.

 

Kirkuk and Diyala had the most incidents at 5 and 6 respectively. Violence picked up in the former. There were three gun battles, Qara Salim was attacked leading to 5 dead and 6 wounded, and Lahiban was occupied by the insurgents. The town lies in the gap between the Peshmerga and ISF. IS often exploits these areas for attacks. In Diyala it was the usual mix of bombings and shootings, with three checkpoints targeted. Three of the incidents were in Muqdadiya in the center and one in Khanaqin in the northeast which are the main areas where IS has de facto control in Iraq. These are meant to intimidate the local population and security forces so that they don’t interfere with the group.

 

Besides the assaults on towns in Kirkuk the other big incidents occurred in Irbil. There the Islamic State attacked two more villages leaving 13 dead and 5 injured. This is part of a new strategy by IS to explore different parts of the country to test the security and see if it can move into the area. In November the group was probing Sulaymaniya and September they were trying Irbil. More of these types of incidents can be expected in the coming months.

 

Security Incidents In Iraq By Province

Province

Dec 1-7

Basra

1 Pro-Iran

Diwaniya

1 Pro-Iran

Diyala

6

Irbil

2

Kirkuk

5

Ninewa

1

Salahaddin

1

TOTAL

17/2 Pro-Iran

 

Casualties In Iraq By Province

Province

Dec 1-7

Basra

8 (4K, 4W)

Diyala

4 (2K, 2W)

Irbil

18 (13K, 5W)

Kirkuk

17 (9K, 8W)

Ninewa

1 (1W)

Salahaddin

3 (1K, 2W)

TOTAL

51 (29K, 22W)

 

 

October Totals – 5 (1)

11/7/21

Drone Strike – PM Kazemi’s residence – 6 Wounded

 

Rockets – Turkish military base, Bashiqa, Ninewa

11/9/21

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US - Diwaniya

11/16/21

IED dismantled – Babil

 

Rockets – Turkish military base, Bavian, Ninewa

11/19/21

Rockets dismantled Ninewa

 

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Dhi Qar

11/22/21

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya

11/25/21

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Basra

11/28/21

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya, Muthanna

11/30/21

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Babil

 

November Totals – 10 (2) – 6 Wounded

12/5/21

IED on convoy carrying supplies to US – Diwaniya

12/7/21

Motorcycle Bomb ISF – 4 killed, 4 Wounded

 

December Totals 2 – 4 Killed, 4 Wounded

 

Security In Iraq 2021

Week

Security

Incidents

(Total/By IS)

Dead

(Total/By IS)

Wounded

(Total/By IS)

Jan 1-7

21/2

13

19

Jan 8-14

17/3

12

6

Jan 15-21

20/3

52

133

Jan 22-28

10/3

13

12

Jan 29-31

9/1

2

6

JAN

77/13

92

176

Feb 1-7

19/2

11

23

Feb 8-14

11/3

4

8

Feb 15-21

20/7

11

23

Feb 22-28

13/4

13

23

FEB

63/16

39

77

Mar 1-7

19/5

5

8

Mar 8-14

12/2

13

15

Mar 15-21

24/6

8

7

Mar 22-28

14/2

8

13

Mar 29-31

9/5

2

1

MAR

79/20

39

44

Apr 1-7

16/10

3

5

Apr 8-14

15/6

6

18

Apr 15-21

32/4

19

44

Apr 22-28

31/6

15

42

Apr 29-30

12/1

11

23

APR

107/27

54

132

May 1-7

36/8

33

37

May 8-14

31/5

14

25

May 15-21

15/2

3

3

May 22-28

20/9

3

24

May 29-31

11

6

11

MAY

113/24

59

100

Jun 1-7

12/5

6

29

Jun 8-14

22/10

7

7

Jun 15-21

24/4

14

14

Jun 22-28

19/2

10

17

Jun 29-30

5

-

21

JUN

83/21

36

87

Jul 1-7

38/9

11

35

Jul 8-14

25/4

7

17

Jul 15-21

20/1

48

75

Jul 22-28

10/1

10

7

Jul 29-31

16/5

30

30

JUL

110/20

106

164

Aug 1-7

44/5

12

19

Aug 8-14

31/6

17

23

Aug 15-21

25/8

12

18

Aug 22-28

21/9

8

10

Aug 29-31

12/2

5

12

AUG

133/30

54

82

Sep 1-7

21/3

12

24

Sep 8-14

28/3

24

36

Sep 15-21

13/1

5

17

Sep 22-28

17/4

13

9

Sep 29-30

2

-

-

SEP

81/11

54

86

Oct 1-7

17

11

22

Oct 8-14

14/1

4

13

Oct 15-21

9/2

3

2

Oct 22-28

21/1/1

36

42

Oct 29-31

11/1

7

7

OCT

72/6/1

61

86

Nov 1-7

20/2

3

20

Nov 8-14

15/1

11

18

Nov 15-21

14/4

2

4

Nov 22-28

15/4

10

14

Nov 29-30

3/1

1

3

NOV

67/12

27

59

Dec 1-7

17/2

29

22

 

Violence By Province Dec 1-7, 2021

Province

Violence

2018 Avg

2019 Avg

2020 Avg

2021 Avg

Anbar

-

12.6 incidents/

month

8.6 incidents/ month

7.0 incidents/ month

5.0 incidents/ month

Babil

-

4.0 incidents/month

3.0 incidents/month

2.75 incidents/month

2.6 incidents/month

Baghdad

-

33.0 incidents/month

11.6 incidents/month

7.3 incidents/month

6.1 incidents/ month

Basra

1 Pro-Iran Incident

4 Killed

4 Civilians

4 Wounded

4 Civilians

 

1 Motorcycle Bomb

 

 

 

 

Diwaniya

1 Pro-Iran Incident

 

1 IED

 

 

 

 

Diyala

6 Incidents

2 Killed

2 Civilians

2 Wounded

1 Civilian

1 ISF

 

4 Shootings

2 IEDs

1 Sticky Bomb

34.5 incidents/month

30.0 incidents/month

30.6 incidents/month

22.4 incidents/month

Irbil

2 Incidents

13 Killed

3 Civilians

10 Peshmerga

5 Wounded

5 Civilians

 

2 Shootings

 

 

 

 

Kirkuk

5 Incidents

9 Killed

1 Civilian

4 Peshmerga

4 ISF

8 Wounded

2 Peshmerga

2 ISF

4 Civilians

 

5 Shootings

1 IED
1 Rockets

36.5 incidents/month

18.6 incidents/month

13.9 incidents/month

11.9 incidents/month

Ninewa

1 Incident

1 Wounded

1 Civilian

 

1 Mortar

20.0 incidents/month

14.0 incidents/month

10.6 incidents/month

8.6 incidents/month

Salahaddin

1 Incident

1 Killed

1 Civilian

2 Wounded

2 Civilians

 

1 Shooting

21.7 incidents/month

10.6 incidents/month

11.2 incidents/month

12 incidents/month

 

SOURCES

 

Asharaq Al-Awsat, "Officials: Civilians Among 10 Dead In Iraq Attack Blamed on ISIS," 12/3/21

 

Bas News, "Casualties Reported after IS Attack against Iraqi Army in Kirkuk," 12/8/21

- "IS Attacks Two Villages in Makhmour, Kills Three Civilians," 12/2/21

 

Hussein, Mohammed, Tahir, Rawaz, Mohammed, Araz, "Intensifying IS attacks strike near northern oil fields," Iraq Oil Report, 12/7/21

 

New Arab, "Roadside bomb targets coalition forces convoy in Iraq," 12/5/21

 

NINA, "3 Security Personnel Wounded In An IED Explosion South Of Kirkuk," 12/7/21

- "4 Peshmerga Killed And Wounded Between Kirkuk/Erbil Borders," 12/5/21

- "A civilian was injured by a mortar shell in Hatra district, south of Mosul," 12/4/21

- "A Guard In A Poultry Field In Diyala Assassinated," 12/2/21

- "An ISIS Attack On A Military Post Thwarted In Diyala," 12/6/21

- "ISIS Control Lahiban Village Entirely, South Of Kirkuk, And Burn Homes/More," 12/5/21

- "A policeman and a civilian were injured when a sticky bomb exploded west of Baquba," 12/1/21

- "A Shepherd Martyred By A Landmine Left By ISIS, Northeast of Baquba," 12/6/21

 

NRT, "Attacks Target Iraqi, Kurdish Forces North Of Kirkuk," 12/8/21

- "At Least Four Killed In ISIS Attack On Village Southwest Of Erbil," 12/3/21

- "At Least Four People Killed In Bomb Blast Near Basra Hospital," 12/7/21

- "Two Federal Police Killed In Explosion In Kirkuk," 12/7/21

 

Reuters, "Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga retake northern village from ISIS fighters," 12/6/21

 

Shafaq News, "The army thwarts an ISIS attack, northeast of Diyala," 12/3/21

- "Army thwarts ISIS attack in Diyala," 12/5/21

- "Kirkuk … thwarting ISIS infiltration of a village between the army and the Peshmerga lines," 12/4/21

- "A victim and two wounded in an attack by armed men in military uniforms on a house in Salahaddin," 12/3/21

 

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