Daily Iraq - Xplored

Daily Iraq
July 05, 2014
Significant Events
Sixteen killed and 28 wounded in a suicide car bombing on army HQ south of Samarra.
IS leader ‘Caliphe Ibrahim’ (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) leads prayers in Mosul and demands all Muslims
obey him.
No reports of a downed plane as Iranian pilot is reportedly killed in the Samarra area ‘defending Shi’a
shrine’.
Further clashes and airstrikes at Baiji Oil Refinery - facility still closed but under government control.
IS destroying Shi’a mosques and churches in Nineveh and threatens Mosul Dam and oil fields.
Dhi Qar electricity protesters temporarily blocked the main Nasiriya to Basra route.
Internal tribal confrontation in central Basra: shots fired, no casualties.
Key Dates
19 July : Martyrdom Imam Ali
28 July : End of Ramadan
29 July : Eid al-Fitr
3 Nov : Ashura
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Daily Iraq
July 05, 2014
Flashpoints and Outlook Summaries
Flashpoints
North: ISIS advance closer to the Kurdish/Arab ‘trigger line.’ Kurdish Peshmerga/Iraqi Army clashes in
disputed areas. Destabilising influx of refugees into KRG.
Centre: Sunni/Shi’a political crisis descending into violence. Increase in Iranian-backed militia activity.
South: Intra-Shi’a fighting as factions vying for dominance with rival successors to Grand Ayatollah
Sistani. Increased ISIS bombing frequency, bringing increasing reprisals against the Sunni community.
Outlook
Short: GoI prepares response to ISIS overrun of Mosul and Salah ad Din. Kirkuk in hands of Peshmerga
and more Peshmerga ISIS clashes anticipated.
Medium: International momentum to provide some form of assistance to Iraq’s failing ISF and failing
government structures. Reactive engagement of PM Maliki to Sunni elements prepared to negotiate.
Media Headlines
Iranian pilot ‘killed fighting in Iraq’: state media :
An Iranian pilot has been killed while fighting in Iraq, state media reported Saturday, in what is thought to be
Tehran’s first military casualty during battles against Islamic State jihadists. Iran’s official news agency did not
say if the pilot died while flying sorties or fighting on the ground. It said Colonel Mourjani was killed while
“defending” Shiite Muslim holy sites in the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. His death comes after Iran’s
declarations that it will provide its western neighbour with whatever it needs to counter the Sunni militants who
are laying siege to the Shiite-led government of PM Maliki. Samarra is a major flashpoint in the fighting and is
home to the Shiite Al-Askari shrine which was bombed by Al-Qaeda in February 2006, sparking a bloody SunniShiite sectarian war that killed tens of thousands. The reports of the pilot’s death came as Iranian officials insist
their assistance is not in the form of troops, but rather of weapons and equipment if Iraq asks for them.
AFP :
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Daily Iraq
July 05, 2014
National Reporting & North Region
National Reporting
Iranian involvement in Iraq is becoming more visible as the Islamic State ‘caliphate’ begins to pose an increasing
threat to Tehran's regional interests. According to media reports, an Iranian delegation is meeting with officials
from regional rivals, Saudi Arabia, to discuss a mutually acceptable compromise candidate to replace PM Maliki.
Iranian Republican Guard leader General Suleimani had earlier drawn up a list of possible candidates.
Meanwhile a state funeral was held in Iran for a Republican Guard pilot killed in action near Samarra. The
colonel was possibly directing airstrikes by Iranian Air Force bombers operating out of Imam Ali Air Base near
Nasiriya. The funeral was the first admission of Iran’s direct involvement.
Following the safe release of thirty two Turkish truck drivers by IS, today the group freed five Turkish men
described in the media as ‘protection staff’ from the group of Turkish nationals captured by IS from the Turkish
Consular facility in Mosul.
Kurdish Regional Issues
The Sulaymaniya-Kirkuk road was blocked by angry drivers today. Last night minor demonstrations were
reported in Erbil. The KRG is implementing a ration card system and unregistered drivers are being refused fuel
as gas stations.
Northern Iraq
In Nineveh IS is systematically destroying all Shi’a and Christian shrines, including the ancient grave of the
Prophet Jonah and the shrine of Prophet Seth. In online postings it has also threatened to destroy the Mosul
Dam and burn captured oil fields if attacked by Iraqi/foreign forces. The campaign is part of a wider strategy to
cleanse the ‘caliphate’ of minorities and Sunni opponents. The threats of a ‘scorched earth’ policy shows IS is
now focused on defending its territorial gains.
In Kirkuk province IS kidnapped a prominent Sheikh who had refused to pledge allegiance to the organisation.
IS demanded that the Sheikh handover 20 vehicles and 500 weapons. In nearby Hawijah some Sunni Arab
tribal elements are resisting IS rule, two attacks were launched last night against IS patrols by the Sahwa
militiamen. Casualty figures were not reported following clashes between the two armed elements.
As the army’s Tikrit offensive remains stalled IS is attacking its rear. Today a suicide car bomber struck an army
HQ south of Samarra, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 28 more. Further north, in Baiji IS assaulted the oil
refinery, which is being held by Baghdad special forces. The attack was repelled with airstrikes. An army
spokesman gave the unlikely casualty figure of 500 insurgents killed.
Heavy fighting continues in the Turkmen village of Bashir, 30km south of Kirkuk. After a failed Shi’a militia
assault on IS strongholds last week, IS is now advancing. Casualty figures were not reported last night
following an assault against a nearby Peshmerga HQ. Local media reported that up to 700 Shi’a Turkmen
residents have fled the area but many are stuck at the Kurdish border. Baghdad has sent aircraft to Erbil to
airlift those who made it though down to Najaf.
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Daily Iraq
July 05, 2014
West, South & Central Regions
Western Iraq
In Anbar IS has destroyed a bridge on the main highway to Baghdad. The strategic bridge was collapsed on
former Route Mobile in Saqlawiya. In the centre of Ramadi this afternoon, three policemen and four Sahwa
militiamen were killed when IS fighters attacked their joint checkpoint position.
Southern Iraq
In Babel last night IS shelled the federal forces HQ in Jurf al Sakhr, killing four and wounding 19.
In Dhi Qar protesters temporarily blocked the main Nasiriya to Basra route this morning over electricity
shortages. Power has been intermittent for two days in the area due to systems failures. More protests are
likely as the authorities struggle to maintain the overburdened system. In a related report, the Maysan Electricity
Commission head has announced that power will be cut to the province due to problems on the Iranian side of
the border. The head of Maysan’s “political prisoners’ regiment” said that over 200 volunteers have been sent to
fight in Anbar and five have been killed so far.
In northern Basra province a new militia has been formed by tribal groups. The “Mujahidin Movement of the
Basra Marshes” claims to have over 1000 members who are equipped with the “best weapons.” A spokesman
said the militia was formed in accordance with the new government regulations, but did not say if it was
approved by the authorities. Local sources in Basra city report that militia officials “from the North” are renting
villas and looking to buy weapons and B6 armoured vehicles. So far there has been no friction with the Basra
militias, but the men’s presence has been noted. This evening local media are reporting separate IED and
VBIED detonations in busy areas of Basra City. Casualties figures and damage are unclear at this stage.
Baghdad
The Baghdad Provincial Council has formally asked the Baghdad Operations Command to intervene in the
spiraling cases of militia abductions and murder of civilians. With the tacit approval of the police, the Militias are
raiding neighborhoods in “anti-terrorism operations” and taking mostly Sunni men away for “questioning” - some
of whom have not been returned to their homes and whose whereabouts remain unknown.
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Daily Iraq
July 05, 2014
Acronyms
AAH - Asaib Ahl al Haq (League of the Righteous
- Iranian-backed Shi'a militia)
AAS - Ansar Al Sunna (Sunni insurgent group)
AQ - Al Qaeda in Iraq
AQ/ISIL - Al Qaeda in Iraq/Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levant
BaOC - Basra Operational Command
BOC - Baghdad Operational Command
BIAP - Baghdad International Airport
CDF - Civil Defense Force
CoP - Chief of Police
CP - Check Point
CPX - Complex Attack (an attack using multiple
weapon systems)
CQA - Close Quarter Assassination/Attack
CoR - Council of Representatives (Iraqi
Parliament)
DBS - Drive by Shooting
DoS - US Department of State
ECP - Entry Control Point (IZ, BIAP)
EFP - Explosively Formed Projectile
EOD - Explosive Ordinance Disposal (Bomb
Squad)
ERB - Emergency Response Battalion (Iraqi
Police)
FoM - Freedom of Movement
FP - Federal Police
GoI - Government of Iraq
HG - Hand Grenade (e.g. fragmentation)
HME - Home Made Explosive
HMG - Heavy Machine Gun
HVT - High Value Target/s
IA - Iraqi Army
IDF - Indirect Fire (e.g. Mortars/Rockets)
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IPS - Iraqi Police Service
ISCI - Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (Shi'a party headed by al-Hakim)
IOC - International Oil Company
IRGC-QF - Iranian Republican Guard-Quds Force (responsible for external operations: sponsor of Shi'a proxy militias)
IRL - Improvised Rocket Launcher
IRAM - Improvised Rocket Assisted Mortar
ISF - Iraqi Security Forces
ISI - Islamic State of Iraq (Sunni Extremists, AQ affiliates)
IVCP - Illegal Vehicle Check Point
IVO - In Vicinity Of
IZ - International Zone
JAM - Jaish al-Mahdi, aka Mahdi Army (al-Sadr's militia)
JRTN - Jaish Rijal Tariq al-Naqshbandia (former Ba'athist officers insurgent group)
KH - Kataib Hezbollah (Shi'a militia)
KDP - Kurdistan Democratic Party (KRG Pres Barzani's party)
LN - Local National/Iraqi Civilian
MAIED - Magnetically attached IED (aka UVIED)
MEK - Peoples' Mujahidin of Iran, aka MKO (Saddam sponsored dissi-dent
group in exile in Iraq)
NEC - US New Embassy Compound, IZ, Baghdad
NFDK - No Further Details Known
NGO - Non-Governmental Organisation (aid/charity)
MoD - Ministry of Defence
MoFA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MoI - Ministry of Interior
MoT - Ministry of Transportation
PDB - Promised Day Brigade (al-Sadr's personal militia)
PKK - Kurdistan Workers' Party (IKR militia fighting in Turkey)
PoI - Point of Impact (for IDF)
PoO - Point of Origin (for IDF)
PSC - Private Security Company
PSD - Personal Security Detail
PUK - Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (President
Talabani's party)
RTA - Road Traffic Accident
RPG - Rocket Propelled Grenade
SAF - Small Arms Fire
SAFIRE - Surface to Air FIRE
Sahwa/SoI - Sahwa/Sons of Iraqi (Militia wing of
Sunni tribal Awakening Council).
SoL - State of Law (PM Maliki's Shi'a-led coalition)
SVEST - Suicide Vest Bomber/Attack
TTP - Tactics, Techniques and Procedures
USF-I - US Forces-Iraq (until December 2011)
USM-I - US Mission Iraq (DoS & DoD)
UVIED - Under-Vehicle IED
UXO - Unexploded Ordinance
VBIED - Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive
Device
IED - Improvised Explosive Device
IKR - Iraqi Kurdish Region
For more information on this report please contact:
Daniel Watson
Risk Analysis Manager
+964 (0) 7826 226945
[email protected]
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Daily Iraq
July 05, 2014
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