Islamic State Executions In Anbar Keep Casualties High In 1st Week of Nov. 2014

The number of attacks per week in Iraq has remained relatively stable since the middle of October. Casualties took a jump at the beginning of November 2014 however due to a wave of executions by the Islamic State (IS) against the Albu Nimr tribe in Anbar. Baghdad has promised to come to their rescue, but nothing substantive has happened yet. In Babil, IS carried out counterattacks against the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) after losing their long time base in Jurf al-Sakhr. The Islamists also went after Shiite pilgrims in the capital with a series of car bombs. In Salahaddin however the ISF and militias retained the initiative as they pushed into the Baiji district in the northern section of the province. Overall, the insurgency remains strong in certain areas, but government forces and their allies have made their first real advances in the country.

In the first week of November there was a tie for the second fewest number of attacks of the year. In total the press had 153 incidents. September 22-28 saw the same number of attacks, with only August 15-21 at 150 having fewer. This has been the situation for several weeks now with 156 from October 15-21 and 159 from October 22-28. Broken down by province Salahaddin had the most attacks for the week with 49 followed by 41 in Baghdad, 29 in Anbar, 11 in Babil and Ninewa each, seven in Diyala, three in Tamim and then one each in Basra and Wasit.

From November 1-7 there was a jump in casualties. There were 601 deaths consisting of 64 members of the ISF, 3 Sahwa, and 534 civilians. Another 828 were wounded, made up of 123 members of the ISF, and 705 civilians. There had not been that many fatalities since September 15-21’s 620. The major cause of the increase was a large number of executions carried out by the Islamic State in Anbar against the Albu Nimr tribe where 495 people were killed from October 29 to November 4. For the week there were 290 deaths in Anbar, 172 in Baghdad, 87 in Salahaddin, 30 in Babil, four in Diyala, three in Wasit, and two in Tamim.

Violence In Iraq By Week 2014

Date	Incidents	Dead	Wounded
Jan 1-7	244	363	736
Jan 8-14	273	364	683
Jan 15-21	205	358	616
Jan 22-28	236	305	618
Jan 29-31	57	93	237
JAN	1,015	1,483	2,890
Feb 1-7	204	296	700
Feb 8-14	226	258	505
Feb 15-21	264	346	703
Feb 22-28	251	374	618
FEB	945	1,274	2,526
Mar 1-7	253	412	702
Mar 8-14	206	324	612
Mar 15-21	216	423	736
Mar 22-27	211	279	580
Mar 28-31	110	168	271
MAR	996	1,606	2,901
Apr 1-7	238	259	550
Apr 8-14	223	362	646
Apr 15-21	251	406	786
Apr 22-28	226	347	744
Apr 29-30	61	82	179
APR	999	1,456	2,905
May 1-7	198	246	483
May 8-14	257	469	752
May 15-21	183	256	426
May 22-28	204	407	817
May 29-31	64	90	132
MAY	906	1,468	2,610
Jun 1-7	227	629	1,021
Jun 8-14	228	1,838	891
Jun 15-21	171	758	754
Jun 22-28	200	720	775
Jun 29-30	56	127	236
JUN	882	4,072	3,684
Jul 1-7	200	511	622
Jul 8-14	213	577	625
Jul 15-21	227	400	1,000
Jul 22-28	224	589	801
Jul 29-31	66	163	230
JUL	930	2,280	3,278
Aug 1-8	269	1,122	885
Aug 9-14	179	710	1,152
Aug 15-21	150	354	499
Aug 22-28	178	523	798
Aug 29-31	59	125	289
AUG	835	2,834	3,623
Sep 1-7	168	616	751
Sep 8-14	156	433	722
Sep 15-21	166	620	749
Sep 22-28	153	395	567
Sep 29-30	47	112	252
SEP	690	2,176	3,047
Oct 1-7	170	451	687
Oct 8-14	188	532	875
Oct 15-21	156	449	770
Oct 22-28	159	345	592 + 1,230
Oct 29-31	68	570	227
OCT	797	2,347	3,151 + 1,230
Nov 1-7	153	601	828

Violence In Iraq By Province Nov 2014

Province	Nov 1-7
Anbar	29 Incidents 290 Killed: 12 ISF, 3 Sahwa, 275 Civilians 191 Wounded: 28 ISF, 163 Civilians 14 Shootings 2 Car Bombs 1 Suicide Car Bomb
Babil	11 Incidents 30 Killed: 5 ISF, 25 Civilians 84 Wounded: 5 ISF, 79 Civilians 3 Shootings 4 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 2 Car Bombs
Baghdad	41 Incidents 172 Killed: 14 ISF, 158 Civilians 389 Wounded: 9 ISF, 380 Civilians 10 Shootings 22 IEDs 1 Sticky Bomb 4 Car Bombs 2 Suicide Car Bombs
Basra	1 Incident
Diyala	7 Incidents 4 Killed: 4 Civilians 5 Wounded: 4 ISF, 1 Civilian 5 Shootings 2 IEDs
Kirkuk	3 Incidents 2 Killed: 2 Civilians 8 Wounded: 8 Civilians 2 Shootings 2 IEDs
Ninewa	11 Incidents 13 Killed: 2 ISF, 11 Civilians 9 Shootings 1 IED
Salahaddin	49 Incidents 87 Killed: 31 ISF, 56 Civilians 136 Wounded: 75 ISF, 61 Civilians 15 Shootings 73 IEDs 1 Car Bomb 4 Suicide Car Bombs
Wasit	1 Incident 3 Killed: 3 Civilians 15 Wounded: 2 ISF, 13 Civilians

The first week of November witnessed the end of the last car bomb wave and the start of another. From October 29 to November 2 thirteen vehicle borne improvised explosive devices (VIBEDs) went off across Babil, Baghdad, Ninewa, and Salahaddin. There was a one day break, and then the next wave began starting on November 5 striking Anbar, and Salahaddin. Fort the first week of November there were a total of 16 VBIEDs leading to 154 deaths and 285 injured.

Car Bomb Attacks In Iraq Nov 2014

Date	Location	Dead	Wounded
Nov 1	Yusifiya, Babil Dora & Palestine St, Baghdad	47	119
Nov 2	Yusifiya, Babil Bayaa, Sadoun St, Sadr City, Baghdad	38	103
Nov 3	Tunis, Baghdad	36
Nov 4
Nov 5	Baiji Refinery, Salahaddin	4	7
Nov 6	Hit & Baghdadi, Anbar Baiji, Salahaddin	18	26
Nov 7	Baghadi, Anbar Baiji x3, Salahaddin	11	30
1st Wk Totals	16	154	285

Civilian Casualties From Government Shelling And Air Strikes Nov 2014

Date	Location	Dead	Wounded
Nov 1	Fallujah, Anbar	5	2
Nov 2	Fallujah, Anbar		7
Nov 3	Fallujah, Anbar	3	11
Nov 4	Fallujah, Anbar	2	13
	Qaim, Anbar	7	33
Nov 5	Fallujah, Anbar	9	23
	Qaim, Anbar	3	14
Nov 6	Fallujah, Anbar	18	25
-	-	47	128

Anbar was the main driver of the increase in casualties at the beginning of November. From November 1-4 189 members of the Albu Nimr tribe from the Hit district in central Anbar were executed by the Islamic State. This was part of a concerted program by IS to exact revenge upon the tribe for opposing it, and to make an example out of it to intimidate other tribes in the province. IS may not have been fully responsible for the massacres however as Niqash recently reported that other local tribes and even members of the Albu Nimr itself helped the insurgents carry out the killings. Leaders of the tribe have also blamed Baghdad for its predicament claiming that it asked for help for weeks, but received little. This points to the complicated tribal situation in Anbar. Not only are the tribes divided over whether to face the insurgency or not, there are internal divisions as well. This is a major reason why the authorities have been reluctant to assist them, because their loyalties are questionable even within the same tribe.

The government has promised major operations in Anbar, but nothing serious happened until the second week of November. There were some minor sweeps announced in the Hit area, and forces from Babil have massed on the outskirts of Amiriya Fallujah in the west. Tribal fighters have also been sent to the Al-Assad base to be trained into a new Ahmed Dulaimi Martyr Brigade. Otherwise security remained relatively the same with the Islamic State having surrounded some major towns in its attempt to take the entire governorate.

The ISF continues to hit civilian areas with mortars, artillery and air strikes. At the start of the month Fallujah and Qaim were hit eight times costing the lives of 47 people, and injuring 128.

After having lost its major base in Jurf al-Sakhr in Babil IS has relocated to the north and conducted a number of retaliatory attacks upon the ISF there. At the start of the month there were eleven reported attacks almost all of which were in Latifiya, Mahmudiya, and Yusifiya. There were also three incidents in Jurf al-Sakhr itself. The security forces and militias are now trying to clear those areas.

In Baghdad IS went after pilgrims at the start of the month. On November 1 two VBIEDs went off in Dora and Palestine Street in the east killing 25 and wounding 94. The next day, two more car bombs were detonated in Bayaa and Sadoun Street in downtown leaving 23 dead and 52 injured. There were two other VBIEDs in the capital not aimed at the religious services, one in Sadr City on November 2 and another in Tunis on November 3. Every year Shiite ceremonies are targeted and November was no different.

Mount Sinjar remains threatened in Ninewa province. The area is surrounded by the Islamic State, and there were two clashes there during the week, the first on November 3 and then another on November 5. The Kurds continue to claim that they are going to free the entire Sinjar area, but they have been making the same assertions for weeks now with no real change in the situation.

At the same time, Donatella Rovera from Amnesty International reported that the peshmerga may be carrying out retaliatory attacks upon Sunnis in the province. On November 1 Rovera had an article in Annahar on a trip she made to the village of Barzanke where she observed destroyed homes. While some of the damage was done by the insurgency, she speculated that the peshmerga might have been responsible as well. That was because the Kurds considered the locals supporters of the Islamic State and did not want them back.

In Mosul, IS continues to dish out its own form of Islamic Justice. On November 4 six people were shot by the group including four reporters. November 5 two women were executed, followed by three more people on November 7. These executions happen quite often, and are a major cause of casualties in the province.

After its victory in taking Jurf al-Sakhr in Babil the ISF and militias then focused their attention upon northern Salahaddin. There the two are attempting to clear the Baiji district above Tikrit. The pro-government forces are in several sections of the town of Baiji itself. IS retaliated by launching several car bombs on the security forces. One was used outside the Baiji Refinery on November 5, and three went off on November 7. The government is hoping that by taking Baiji it can cut off all of the insurgents in central and Salahaddin from their supply lines and then move to free Tikrit and eliminate this entire northern threat.

There were continued reports of sectarian cleansing in Salahaddin by Shiite militias. Tirana Hassan in Foreign Policy went to Yengija, which was occupied by the Khorasani Brigade. She saw entire neighborhoods of the town devastated, and interviewed families who said that Shiite gunmen had destroyed their homes. When some of the displaced tried to return they were accused of supporting the insurgency and were taken captive, beaten, or disappeared. These same tactics have been employed in other sections of the country to secure the areas and exact revenge upon Sunni civilians who are considered one and the same as the militants.

SOURCES

Abdul-Zahra, Qassim and Yacoub, Sameer, "Islamic State group kills 50 Iraqis," Associated Press, 11/2/14

AFP, "IS group executes at least 36 more tribesmen in Iraq," 11/3/14

AIN, "High rank police officer killed northern Tikrit," 11/7/14

- "ISIL executes 2 women in Mosul," 11/5/14

- “Urgent…Maliha district liberated from ISIL,” 11/5/14

Alsumaria, "Killing and injuring 43 people mortar shells fall on Fallujah," 11/6/14

- "Source: bombing neighborhood Tunisia yesterday by a suicide bomber killed 36," 11/4/14

Associated Press, "Attacks in Iraq, mainly targeting troops, kill 13," 11/6/14

Awara, Omar, "IS Militants Kidnap 12 Journalists in Mosul," Bas News, 11/1/14

Al Forat, “3 Areas within Latifiya district purified by ISF,” 11/1/14

- “Askari neighborhood in Beji purged of terrorists,” 11/2/14

- “Asrai neighborhood liberated of ISIL,” 11/3/14

- "IA soldier killed due to car bombing in Beji," 11/6/14

- “ISF liberated Masafi area in Baiji district, 3 ISIL snipers killed,” 11/1/14

- “ISIL flee of Shurqat towards Mosul,” 11/1/14

Habib, Mustafa, “Iraq’s Tribes Not United On Extremists – And Bloody Tribal Justice Will Likely Prevail,” Niqash, 11/6/14

Hassan, Tirana, “The Gangs of Iraq,” Foreign Policy, 11/3/14

Independent Press Agency, "Gaood: Daash executed 24 people from Albu Nimr…and implementing same for rest of clan," 11/4/14

- "Toll rises suicide bombing south of Baghdad to 76 killed and wounded," 11/1/14

Iraq Times, "martyrs and injured in the bombing of Tunis neighborhood 24 north of Baghdad," 11/3/14

Landay, Jonathan, “Slaughter of Anbar tribesmen shows weakness in U.S. plan to beat Islamic State,” McClatchy Newspapers, 11/3/14

Al Mada, “Jurf al-Sakhr documents reveal Daash places and weapons,” 11/1/14

- "Killing and injuring 16 people in a suicide bombing west of Ramadi," 11/6/14

- "Killing and injuring seven people and destroying drinking purification in army pounding of Fallujah," 11/1/14

- "Killing and wounding 27 people in a suicide bomb attack on a convoy in Sadr City," 11/2/14

NINA, "/15/ Civilians killed and wounded in bombing on Fallujah," 11/4/14

- "17 Killed and injured in Bombing on Qai'm, Western Anbar," 11/5/14

- "/22/ Soldiers and SWAT elements killed and wounded by the explosion of two car bombs and detonate two cars under control in Baiji," 11/7/14

- "/34/ Civilians killed and wounded by bombing of the international coalition planes in al-Qaim," 11/4/14

- “An army Force, Backed By Tribes, Besieges Albu Shihab Area Between Hit and Ramadi,” 11/1/14

- "Breaking News../11/ citizens killed, 42 others wounded by a car bomb on Hosseini parade in Palestine Street in Baghdad," 11/1/14

- "Breaking News…11 Soldiers Killed, Wounded In Suicide Attack Near Baiji Refinery," 11/5/14

- "Islamic State Executes Three Women, Working In A Beauty Shop," 11/7/14

- "Islamic State Executes Two Women In Mosul," 11/4/14

- “A large-scale military operation Starts to liberation cities and areas west of Ramadi, including Hit,” 11/4/14

- "Nine Civilians Killed, 23 Injured in Shelling in Fallujah," 11/5/14

- “Military forces, backed by tribesmen, begin a big offensive to liberate western Anbar areas,” 11/1/14

- “Peshmerga Launches Massive Operation To Liberate Zummar, Northwest Of Mosul,” 11/1/14

- "Six civilians killed and wounded in bomb explosion in Baghdadi western Anbar," 11/7/14

Prothero, Mitchell and Landay, Jonathan, “Iraqi military, bolstered by Shiite militias, poised to attack idled oil refinery,” McClatchy Newspapers, 11/4/14

Radio Free Iraq, "01 November 2014," Daily Updates from Anbar, 11/1/14

- "02 November 2014," Daily Updates from Anbar, 11/2/14

- "03 November 2014," Daily Updates From Anbar, 11/3/14

- “05 November 2014,” Daily Updates from Anbar, 11/5/14

- "06 November 2014," Daily Updates from Anbar, 11/6/14

Radio Nawa, "Daash executed four Iraqi journalists out of the 12 arrested in Mosul," 11/4/14

Al Rayy, “Anbar declares that the first batch of the Brigade of Martyr Ahmed Dulaimi will complete its training this week,” 11/4/14

- "The death and wounding of 39 by a car bomb Yusifiya," 11/2/14

Rovera, Donatella, “Stoking the fire of Iraq’s sectarian conflict,” Annahar, 11/1/14

Yacoub, Sameer, "Iraqi officials: IS extremists line up and kill 50," Associated Press, 11/1/14

Musings On Iraq In The News

My article on government corruption denying aid to Iraq’s displaced was republished in Al Mada and Sotaliraq. My interview with ex-Sahwa leader Abu Abed was reprinted in Business Insider, along with my piece on the Islamic State's executions of members of the Albu Nimr tribe in Anbar. I was cited in "Iraq's Existential Crisis: Sectarianism Is Just Part Of the Problem" by Maha Yahya for Carnegie's Middle East Center, and in "iraq's tribes not united on extremists" by Mustafa Habib in Niqash. 

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Continued Clashes Between Militias & Peshmerga In Iraq’s Tuz Kharmato In Wake Of Sunni Cleansing

In June 2014 the Islamic State (IS) swept into the Tuz Kharmato district of eastern Salahaddin as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) fell apart. Amerli, a small Shiite Turkmen town was surrounded in the process and held out for weeks against the insurgents. In September Kurdish peshmerga, the ISF, and militias launched an operation that freed the village. This then led to the clearing of the entire district. Many Sunni residents fled in the wake of the fighting or were forced out by the militias who considered them supporters of the insurgency. Now that many villages are either abandoned or being emptied a new conflict has emerged between the Kurds and militias over control of the district.

(Wikipedia)

Tuz Kharmato is a mixed area that is claimed by the Kurds as part of the disputed territories. In urban areas Kurds and Turkmen are the majorities, while in the rural regions Sunnis and Turkmen predominate. There have been long standing tensions between the Kurds and Turkmen who accuse the Kurds of hoarding power in their attempt to annex parts of the district. Disagreements between the two sides increased during the insurgent summer offensive.

When the ISF fled the Tuz district in June it opened up a whole new slew of problems. First, the Kurds moved into the disputed areas when the police and army disintegrated, but refused to protect non-Kurdish areas like Sulaiman Bek and Amerli. They also disbanded a Turkmen police force. In July a deal was cut, probably facilitated by Iran, that the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the major Kurdish party in Tuz would cooperate with Hadi Ameri’s Badr Organization to free Amerli from its siege by the Islamic State. That started in September with the ISF and militias moving in from one direction and the Kurds in from another, which eventually saved the town. Afterward, those forces would continue to work together to clear the entire district, which was achieved by October 9. During and after these security sweeps the Kurds accused militias of killing civilians they claimed were supporters of the Islamic State, and looting and burning homes all in an effort to force Sunnis out of the district. From September 16-17 for example, three Sunni homes were bombed. That same month a grave was found with six Sunni men who had been shot. Up to 7,000 families were said to have fled in the face of these attacks. The cooperation between the Kurds and militias would soon turn to competition after the district was freed.

Starting in September there have been increasing reports of confrontations and gunfire between the peshmerga and Badr Organization. September 19 Bas News reported that militias were stopping Kurds in the district. Later that month some militiamen refused to stop at a Kurdish checkpoint, which led to a scuffle. Badr came back with 20 pickup trucks full of fighters before tempers were calmed. October 3 a car bomb went off outside a PUK office. The Kurds thought a Turkmen had his car booby trapped by insurgents. The militias wanted to arrest him, but the peshmerga stopped them. That led to shots being fired and four people were wounded. Talks were held later to cool tensions. In another incident a Kurd complained to the PUK that he was assaulted at a Badr checkpoint leading to the peshmerga arresting some militiamen. Afterward, three PUK officials had their homes bombed and a Kurdish neighborhood was hit by mortar fire. October 18, the peshmerga fired on a Badr vehicles that didn’t stop at a checkpoint. That led to a larger gunfight with one Kurd and two militiamen wounded. Again, the two sides met to resolve the situation. Towards the end of October another similar event occurred when a Badr vehicle again didn’t stop at a checkpoint and shots were fired killing two militiamen and wounding four. Badr retaliated by arresting eight peshmerga. Two were later released, but Badr said it was going to take the remaining six to Baghdad for trial. Finally, on October 30 Badr fighters fired on a peshmerga checkpoint wounding two. Badr then tried to arrest one of the injured Kurds, only to take away ten Kurds total. Seven were let go, but the militiamen said they were taking the other three back to Baghdad with them. The cause of these increasingly violent confrontations is the fact that Badr is attempting to ally with the Shiite Turkmen in Tuz and lay claim to their towns and cities in the district. This directly challenges the Kurds’ desire to annex many of these same areas, which they say are historically theirs. The fact that there is no real government authority there given the security situation means that Tuz has become a lawless district. That leaves the men with guns to fight it out over who will have ultimate say in the region.

Tuz Kharmato points to the precarious situation of the Iraqi state. When the insurgent offensive started some areas like Tuz Kharmato were left to their own devices and that led to local forces to assert their control. That is now playing out with the increasing rivalry between the Badr Organization and the PUK and its peshmerga. Both sides want to create facts on the ground that will leave them in control of parts of the Tuz district, and that is leading to increasing armed confrontations. Even if the insurgency were turned back in the rest of the country this dispute would not be resolved. Baghdad is completely absent from the situation, and when and if it returns there’s no telling whether it will be able to solve the situation either. June changed more than just security in Iraq; it upset the working and political framework of entire regions of the country.

SOURCES

AIN, “Tuz Khormato district liberated from ISIL terrorists,” 10/9/14

Awara, Omar, “Shiite Militia Groups Attack Kurds in Amerli,” Bas News, 9/18/14

- “Shiite Militia Arrest Number of Peshmerga,” Bas News, 10/27/14

Margon, Sarah, “For Iraq’s Sunnis, sectarian militias pose an extra threat,” Washington Post, 10/24/14

National Iraqi News Agency, “Joint Forces Liberate Five Villages West of Tuz,” 10/1/14

Rudaw, “Shia militiamen arrest Peshmerga near Kirkuk,” 10/30/14

Sadiq, Hoshmand, “Clashes Between Shiite Militia and Peshmerga Near Kirkuk,” Bas News, 10/18/14

van den Toorn, Christine, Lacky, Shwan, “Shootout between ‘allies’ underscores Iraq divisions,” Iraq Oil Report, 10/8/14

Iraq’s Albu Nimr Tribe Facing Mass Executions At Hands Of Islamic State

Starting in October 2014 the Albu Nimr tribe has faced one setback after another now verging on tragedy. Based out of central Anbar province in western Iraq, the tribe had been fighting the Islamic State (IS) for months, but then lost two of its major strongholds. Afterward, the Islamists relentlessly hunted down its tribesmen kidnapping some and executing others. Almost five hundred have died so far. IS has a long history of carrying out such retaliatory attacks against its opponents, especially in Anbar dating back to its predecessor Al Qaeda in Iraq. The Albu Nimr knows this past all too well as it had been against the insurgency since 2004. As then the point now is to instill fear in the tribes in the Islamic State’s attempt to seize control of Anbar.

The Albu Nimr’s problems began when the Islamic State started a surge across central Anbar at the beginning of October. On October 3, the city of Hit was taken, which was one of the main homes for the tribe. It had been calling for help for some time, but received little. The displaced fighters continued their struggle outside of Hit, but then faced another setback when neighboring Zauiyat fell in the middle of the month. The town had been surrounded, and the elders of the tribe were begging for coalition air strikes to relieve the pressure, but all they got were fly overs and a humanitarian air drop. On October 23 the village was taken. Afterward tribesmen claimed there were sleeper cells within Zauiyat who provided lists of wanted people. That’s when the kidnappings and executions began. On October 27 55 tribesmen who were part of the local police and Sahwa surrendered to IS. They repented to the group, but then on October 29 they were taken to Hit and killed. Then IS kicked their family members out and took their homes. That same day another 200 tribesmen were executed in the area. The next day two sheikhs were kidnapped near Hit who were looking for their massacred tribesmen, one of which was executed himself on October 31. October 30 200 members of the Albu Nimr were seized in the Lake Thar Thar region, and 50 were later executed, followed by another 62 on November 1. The following day IS caught members of the Albu Nimr who were fleeing their towns, took 17 away, while shooting 67 others. Finally, on November 3 36 were killed, and 24 more on November 4. In total, the tribe has lost at least 495 people according to press reports. At first, the Islamic State was just going after tribe members who had fought against it. It later included women and children who it captured. The Albu Nimr had been targeted by IS’s earlier manifestation Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), but had never faced these types of losses. AQI didn’t have the strength or control of territory in Anbar like IS does today. What is similar is that the Islamists have a long history of taking vengeance upon tribes in the province that opposed it to make examples out of them and intimidate others.

The Albu Nimr have a legacy of their own in opposing the insurgency. In October 2003, the tribe offered to form a border patrol force in Anbar in cooperation with the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). The Anbar-Syrian border had been left open by the U.S. and foreign fighters had already begun flowing into the country as a result. This was pushed by CPA Governor Keith Mines as a form of local reconciliation, but the Coalition leadership was not interested in engaging with tribes believing that they did not have a place in the new Iraq the U.S. was trying to create. The next year Sheikh Talal al-Gaood began talks with the U.S. Marines and the Pentagon in Amman, Jordan to try to form an alliance between the Americans and elites in Anbar. While that deal never came to fruition, Albu Nimr’s Sheikh Faisal al-Gaood was appointed governor shortly afterward. He would later be assassinated by AQI. In the middle of 2004 Albu Nimr went back to the U.S. offering fighters for the local police and to form an anti-insurgent militia in return for money, weapons, and support. The Americans only sent in a Special Forces unit to assist the tribe. By the spring of 2005 the Albu Mahal tribe in Qaim along the Syrian border created the Hamza Battalion. This group was later expanded to include the Albu Nimr in Hit. The two tribes asked for U.S. support, but in a military operation they actually got attacked because there was no coordination between them. In the end, the Hamza Battalion was wiped out by AQI. In another sign of the lack of consistency in American policy at that time, in the fall a Special Forces unit arrived in Hit and began recruiting Albu Nimr members for the Desert Protectors. The tribe promised 200 fighters, but the program never got the support from local U.S. forces that it demanded. To top things off the day the recruits were to be picked up for training, the plane didn’t show up due to maintenance, and the majority of tribesmen went home. The Americans also asked the fighters to serve throughout Iraq when they were only interested in protecting their home region. They never became a major part of the program as a result. In 2006 it finally got several hundred of its men into the local police as the Awakening movement began. This was when the Americans finally came up with a successful tribal policy, and security began improving as a result. Several years later the tribe rose up with others in Anbar when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki shut down the Ramadi protest site and arrested Parliamentarian Ahmed Alwani at the very end of 2013. There were reports that the clan helped take over Fallujah, but were opposed to IS’s presence in the city. As the Islamists power increased throughout the governorate the tribe went back to its traditional role of fighting them. The Albu Nimr’s recent history showed that it was always willing to work with the U.S. and opposed the Islamic State. By 2013 it had gotten mad at Maliki and joined the Anbar protests and then the insurgency. It was willing to take part in the tribal revolt against Baghdad, but it was not willing to work with IS that it had such a bad history with. That led it to eventually switch sides and join other pro-government tribes, which led it to its current predicament. Although this flirtation with the insurgency was brief, it was also the reason why Baghdad was hesitant to aid it and others in Anbar.

Today, the Albu Nimr are on the run from the Islamic State. This all happened after its two traditional bases of Hit and Zauiyat were lost in the current round of fighting in Anbar. The government has promised a major offensive to relieve the tribe, but nothing substantial has happened yet. This has only made the tribal leaders even more bitter as they had been asking for help from Baghdad for months and received nothing. Until then more men, women, and children from the Albu Nimr will be executed as the IS seems intent on exacting its revenge upon it. This is part of the Islamic State’s larger strategy of trying to take the entire province. It is hoping to scare and intimidate those tribes and local security forces that are still fighting it. It also highlights the group’s long history of killing any that stand in its way showing its utter ruthlessness.

SOURCES

Agence France Presse, "IS group executes at least 36 more tribesmen in Iraq," 11/3/14

AIN, "ISIL executes 55 young guys from Albu Nimr tribe in Heet," 10/29/14

- "Reports over execuritn chieftain of Albu Nimir tribe," 10/31/14

Ali, Ahmed, “Iraq Update 2014 #6: Sunni Tribal Dynamics in Fallujah and Ramadi,” Institute for the Study of War, 1/9/14

Alsumaria, "Daash executed 50 people from the Albu Himr tribe and trapped 200 others north of Ramadi," 10/31/14

Biddle, Stephen, Friedman, Jeffrey, and Shapiro, Jacob, “Testing the Surge, Why Did Violence Decline in Iraq in 2007?” International Security, Summer 2012

Al Forat, "255 tribesmen and police killed by ISIL militants in Anbar," 10/31/14

Gordon, Michael and Trainor, Bernard, The Endgame: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Iraq, from George W. Bush To Barak Obama, New York: Pantheon Books, 2012

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Hubbard, Ben, “Sunni Tribesmen Say ISIS Exacts Brutal Revenge,” New York Times, 10/30/14

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