Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Violence In Iraq July 2016


The end of the Islamic State’s annual spring offensive led to a decided drop in security incidents and casualties in Iraq in July 2016. What took its place was a low level of insurgent attacks punctuated with mass casualty bombings, including the second deadliest since 2003 with the Karrada bombing in Baghdad that happened at the start of the month.

The Islamic State got off to an early start with its spring offensive in 2016 with 20 or more incidents per day starting in January and lasting until June. In July there were only 17.0 incidents per day.

Avg. Incidents Per Day
Jan 22.4
Feb 21.8
Mar 21.5
Apr 20.7
May 21.6
Jun 20.9
Jul 17.0

For the month, there were 529 incidents, 1,327 killed, and 1,667 wounded. That compared to 759 dead and 1,207 injured reported by the United Nations and 1,369 fatalities by Iraq Body Count, which did not cover soldiers, but did include Islamic State members executed by the group and killed in Coalition air strikes. The fact that the dead and injured figures were relatively close was another sign that the Iraqi government continues to suppress its losses because wounded should be 2-5 times higher than the fatalities.

With the liberation of Fallujah violence in Anbar dropped off decidedly. In June there were 123 incidents, 782 dead, and 4,743 wounded. The high casualty figures were the result of the Fallujah operation. That compared to July when there were just 40 incidents, 77 dead and 27 wounded. Most of those attacks took place in central and western Anbar where IS was launching small counter attacks against the latest government operations. There were also two successful car bombs in July against the security forces.

Babil remained relatively quiet. There were just 9 incidents leading to 4 dead and 5 wounded. That was similar to previous months such as June when there were 10 incidents, 1 killed, and 4 injured. Most of July’s attacks were IEDs, 7 total.

As the Islamic State has lost territory it has come to focus upon terrorist and insurgent attacks in Baghdad. That led to the second deadliest attack in post-03 Iraq with the Karrada bombing at the start of the month that killed 324 and left at least 200 wounded. As usual IS concentrated its attacks upon the southern section of the province with 108 incidents. After that there were 78 in the north, 44 in the west, 40 in the east, 6 in the center, and 1 at an unknown location. Almost half of the incidents in Baghdad, 131 were in the rural areas where IS has networks established in Sunni villages. There were a total of 276 incidents, 713 killed, and 1,387 wounded. Besides the Karrada car bomb, there were 3 others in July, along with 5 suicide bombers. The real driver of casualties however was the daily IEDs with 170, along with 21 sticky bombs.

Violence In Baghdad, July 2016
Center: 6 – 1 Suicide Car Bomb, 1 Sticky Bomb, 1 Kidnapping, 1 IED, 2 Shootings
East: 31 – 1 Sound Bomb, 1 Strangling, 1 Kidnapping, 1 Shooting/Kidnapping, 1 Sticky Bomb, 2 Shootings/Robberies, 4 Shootings, 12 IEDs
Outer East: 9 – 1 Shooting/Robbery, 1 Sticky Bomb, 1 Shooting, 6 IEDs
North: 36 – 1 Robbery, 2 Suicide Bombers, 2 IEDs Dismantled, 2 Kidnappings, 3 Sticky Bombs, 8 Shootings, 17 IEDs
Outer North: 42 –1 Sticky Bomb Dismantled, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 1 Grenade, 2 Car Bombs Dismantled, 2 Suicide Car Bombs, 2 Sticky Bombs, 2 Suicide Bombers, 2 Suicide Bombers Arrested, 4 Suicide Bombers Killed, 4 Shootings, 4 Suicide Bombers Killed, 24 IEDs
South: 50 – 1 Car Bomb, 1 Kidnapping, 1 Shooting/Kidnapping, 1 Suicide Bomber Killed, 1 Rockets, 1 Sticky Bomb, 2 Mortars, 8 Shooting, 34 IEDs
Outer South: 58 – 1 Suicide Bomber Killed, 1 Kidnapping, 1 Suicide Bomber, 4 Sticky Bombs, 7 Shootings, 44 IEDs
West: 22 – 1 Rockets, 4 Sticky Bombs, 4 Shootings, 13 IEDs
Outer West: 22 –1 Strangled, 1 Shooting/Robbery, 2 Shootings, 3 Sticky Bombs, 15 IEDs
Unknown: 1 – 4 Suicide Bombers Arrested

In 2016 IS has been picking up its operations in Diyala. Most of those are small-scale insurgent attacks like IEDs and shootings, but the group is also attempting mass casualty bombings there as well. 1 suicide car bomb detonated during the month, and 3 others were dismantled, along with 9 suicide bombers either being killed or arrested. In total, there were 65 incidents, 53 dead and 52 wounded.

Kirkuk was relatively quite for the last two months after a jump during the spring offensive. There were 44 incidents, 77 dead, and 33 injured in July. The month started off with small scale attacks and executions, but then IS shifted to attacking the Peshmerga every week and topped it off with a raid upon a gas facility and oil field in Bai Hassan. The latter temporarily shut down the two facilities costing the Kurdistan Regional Government several million dollars in lost revenue.

Turkey is bombing the northern regions of Kurdistan almost every week yet few results are ever published. July was an exception with the Turks claiming they killed 20 PKK fighters in one raid.  

IS was mostly concerned with pushing back against the Iraqi army’s advances in the Qayara district in Ninewa, but also took time to attack the Kurds and carry out executions in areas under its control. In July the Iraqi army pushed into the Qayara district and seized an important military base there that it hopes to use in the future Mosul campaign. In response, IS launched several counter attacks as well as executing 102 civilians who tried to flee the area. The insurgents also made sporadic attacks upon the Peshmerga with mortars and infantry assaults. In total, the Islamists executed 224 people in the province. For the month there were 51 incidents in Ninewa, 276 dead, and 48 wounded.

Salahaddin was once one of the main battlefronts in Iraq, but attacks there have been dwindling in 2016. In July there were just 35 incidents, 104 dead, and 112 wounded. Incidents were spread across the province with usual targets like the Makhoul Mountains and the Alas oil field in the northeast to Tuz Kharmato to Tikrit in the center to Balad and Shirqat in the north. 

As IS’s spring campaign came to an end, so did its wave of car bombs. In January there were 36 successful car bombs. Then there was a dip with just 9 in February, but then picked up with 18 in March, 13 in April, 29 in May, 14 in June, and then down to 7 in July.

Violence In Iraq 2016
Date
Incidents
Dead
Wounded
Jan 1-7
171
856
421
Jan 8-14
160
517
413
Jan 15-21
160
403
223
Jan 22-28
149
445
320
Jan 29-31
55
133
334
JAN
695
2,345
1,711
Feb 1-7
176
611
312
Feb 8-14
143
230
323
Feb 15-21
157
392
239
Feb 22-29
160
382
690
FEB
635
1,615
1,565
Mar 1-7
183
321
478
Mar 8-14
168
408
415
Mar 15-21
130
350
417
Mar 22-28
138
226
420
Mar 29-31
50
186
121
MAR
669
1,489
1,843
Apr 1-7
154
384
444
Apr 8-14
144
294
391
Apr 15-21
128
498
242
Apr 22-28
166
479
524
Apr 29-30
31
65
121
APR
623
1,720
1,722
May 1-7
164
386
420
May 8-14
147
407
674
May 15-21
127
385
604
May 22-28
149
245
397
May 29-31
84
122
313
MAY
671
1,545
2,409
Jun 1-7
177
608
1,606
Jun 8-14
136
344
461
Jun 15-21
154
407
497
Jun 22-28
123
312
362
Jun 29-30
39
427
125
JUN
629
2,098
6,315
Jul 1-7
120
589
633
Jul 8-14
129
242
316
Jul 15-21
123
168
266
Jun 22-28
115
234
366
Jul 29-31
42
94
86
JUL
529
1,327
1,667

Security By Province July 2016
Province
Incidents
Anbar
40 Incidents
77 Killed: 3 Hashd, 14 ISF, 60 Civilians
27 Wounded: 6 Hashd, 10 Civilians, 11 ISF
12 Shootings
6 IEDs
2 Suicide Car Bombs
2 Mortars
9 Suicide Bombers Killed
2 Suicide Motorcycle Bombs Destroyed
15 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
32 Car Bombs Destroyed
Babil
9 Incidents
4 Killed: 4 Civilians
5 Wounded: 1 Civilian, 2 ISF, 2 Hashd
1 Shooting
7 IEDs
1 Mortar
Baghdad
276 Incidents
713 Killed: 4 Sahwa, 11 Hashd, 38 ISF, 660 Civilians
1,387 Wounded: 4 Sahwa, 24 Hashd, 54 ISF, 1,305 Civilians
49 Shootings
170 IEDs
21 Sticky Bombs
5 Suicide Bombers
3 Suicide Car Bombs
1 Car Bomb
2 Mortars
2 Rockets
1 Grenade
16 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
2 Car Bombs Dismantled
Basra
2 Incidents
2 IEDs
Dhi Qar
1 Incident
1 IED
Diyala
65 Incidents
53 Killed: 2 ISF, 2 Hashd, 49 Civilians
52 Wounded: 1 Hashd, 4 ISF, 47 Civilians
23 Shootings
18 IEDs
1 Sticky Bomb
1 Suicide Car Bomb
4 Mortars
9 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
1 Suicide Car Bomb Arrested
2 Car Bombs Dismantled
Dohuk
1 Incident
2 Killed: 2 Civilians
2 Wounded: 2 Civilians
1 IED
Kirkuk
44 Incidents
77 Killed: 1 ISF, 6 Peshmerga, 70 Civilians
33 Wounded: 5 Peshmerga, 28 Civilians
21 Shootings
7 IEDs
3 Sticky Bombs
1 Rockets
2 Mortars
4 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
KRG
1 Incident
20 Killed: 20 PKK
1 Turkish Air Strike
Ninewa
51 Incidents
276 Killed: 10 ISF, 10 Peshmerga, 256 Civilians
48 Wounded: 5 ISF, 10 Peshmerga, 33 Civilians
15 Shootings
38 IEDs
1 Suicide Bomber
5 Mortars
1 Rocket
17 Suicide Bombers Killed/Arrested
15 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
2 Car Bombs Destroyed
Salahaddin
35 Incidents
104 Killed: 2 Peshmerga, 4 ISF, 8 Hashd, 90 Civilians
112 Wounded: 1 Peshmerga, 12 Hashd, 99 Civilians
16 Shootings
6 IEDs
1 Sticy Bomb
3 Suicide Bombers
2 Mortars
1 Rockets
7 Suicide Bombers killed
6 Suicide Car Bombs Destroyed
13 Car Bombs Destroyed
Sulaymaniya
1 Incident
1 Wounded: 1 Civilian
1 Shooting
Wasit
3 Incidents
1 Killed: 1 ISF
1 Shooting
1 Sound Bomb
1 Grenade

Car Bombs In Iraq July 2016
Date
Car Bombs
Dead
Wounded
Jul 1
Sheikh Ali, Taloul al-Baj, Salahaddin – 9 destroyed


Jul 2
Khalidiya Island, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Tal Skurf, Ninewa – 5 destroyed
Makhoul, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed


Jul 3
Karrada, Baghdad
Jawaanh, Anbar – 3 destroyed
324
200
Jul 4
Khan Bani Saad & north of Baquba, Diyala – 2 destroyed
Makhoul, Salahaddin – 1 destroyed


Jul 5
Haditha Dist, Anbar – 2 destroyed


Jul 6
Jazeera, Anbar – 3 destroyed
Shirqat, Salahaddin - 2 destroyed


Jul 7



Totals
1 – 32 Destroyed
324
200
Jul 8
Hit, Anbar – 4 destroyed
Alam & Shirqat, Salahaddin – 2 Destroyed


Jul 9



Jul 10



Jul 11
Muqtadiya, Diyala – 1 Destroyed


Jul 12
Rashidiya, Baghdad
12
37
Jul 13
Rashidiya, Baghdad
Albu Alwan & Hit, Anbar – 5 Destroyed
8
23
Jul 14
Hit, Anbar – 5 Destroyed
Qayara, Ninewa – 2 Destroyed


Totals
2 – 19 Destroyed
20
60
Jul 15
Amil, Anbar – 2 destroyed


Jul 16
Haditha, Anbar – 4 destroyed


Jul 17
Khalidiya Island & Hit, Anbar – 4 destroyed


Jul 18
Rutba, Anbar
Rutba, Anbar – 1 Destroyed
3
5
Jul 19
Tarmiya, Baghdad – 1 destroyed


Jul 20



Jul 21



Totals
1 – 12 Destroyed
3
5
Jul 22
Shirqat, Salahaddin – 3 destroyed


Jul 23



Jul 24



Jul 25
Amil, Baghdad
Khalis, Diyala
Haditha & Khalidiya Island, Anbar – 5 destroyed
Horh, Baghdad – 1 Destroyed
17
27
Jul 26
Albu Nimr, Anbar – 1 destroyed


Jul 27
Sheikh Ali, Salahaddin 1 destroyed


Jul 28



Totals
2 – 11 Destroyed
17
27
Jul 29



Jul 30
Haj Ali, Ninewa – 10 destroyed


Jul 31
?, Anbar
Khalidiya Island, Nukhaib, Thar Thar, Anbar – 4 destroyed
2
5
Totals
1 – 14 Destroyed
2
5
JULY
7 – 88 Destroyed
366
297

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