August 19, 2015
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
ANBAR
Falluja
A PMF commander says Iraqi forces are preparing to break through Falluja and the shelling continues on the city. [Al-Mada]
Baghdad Operations Command killed 5 terrorists and destroyed a vehicle and a rocket launcher in Qarma. [IWMC Report]
The Iraqi Intelligence Service says they took over a large Daesh explosives storehouse in Qarma. [Al-Ghad]
Ramadi
Iraqi forces shelled Daesh with rockets near the defense lines in Albu Aitha killing 24 terrorists including 3 leaders. [IWMC Report] The IWMC says Iraqi forces killed 2 suicide bombers and 4 other terrorists in Albu Aitha. [Al-Ghad]
The Coalition bombed and destroyed a Daesh hideout and explosives storehouses in Al-Humaira south of Ramadi, killing everyone inside. [IWMC Report]
The chairman of the security committee in Khaldiya says 2 Iraqi brigades arrived near the east side of Ramadi as reinforcements for the breakthrough into the city. [Al-Maalomah] He also says Iraqi forces broke through Daesh locations in Hay Al-Malaab killing 35 terrorists. [Al-Baghdadia]
The IFP advanced in Hsaiba east of Ramadi, killing 3 terrorists, destroying 6 vehicles, and defusing a booby-trapped house. [IWMC Report]
A security source says 6 Daesh leaders were killed in a Coalition airstrike on the Al-Sharqa area east of Ramadi. [Al-Baghdadia]
The IFP says they killed 10 Daesh terrorists trying to cross the Euphrates River and sneak into the Iraqi forces defenses east of Ramadi. [Al-Ghad]
A security source says Iraqi forces control the international road between Iraq and Jordan west of Ramadi. [Buratha]
A video of the Iraqi forces entering the 60 Street near Ramadi. [YouTube]
Elsewhere in Anbar
The Anbar Governor says the Council of Ministers decided to stop paying the salaries of the government employees in Anbar. [8th Day]
DaeshDaily comment. There was no clear explanation, but Iraq is apparently trying to avoid sending salary money directly to provinces held by Daesh, which diverts some of it. Some of that money even goes directly to Daesh supporters.
A media source says verbal altercations erupted at the Anbar Liberation Conference in Baghdad, because some attendees participated in the 2014 demonstrations that led to the Daesh invasion. [8th Day]
The Anbar Liberation Conference ended with a fist fight between some tribal leaders (video). [Al-Mada] The speaker of the CoR said in the conference that approving the national guard law will preserve the right of the fighters from Anbar who are going to participate in liberating their governorate. [Iraq Press]
The spokesman of the PMFs says Anbar liberation battles depend on Iraqi military plans and reinforcements, and the US has nothing to do with that. A MP linked to the AHH has said the US is hindering Iraqi forces’ attempts to break through Anbar cities. [Al-Maalomah]
SALAHUDDIN
Iraqi forces, supported by the IAA, are advancing in Jazeera Samarra and have killed 30 terrorists and destroyed 6 vehicles. [IWMC Report]
Iraqi forces defused 35 IED in Sayyed Ghareeb. [IWMC Report]
The IFP commander says the Police Commandos killed 6 Daesh terrorists in an ambush near Baiji. He also says Iraqi forces broke the siege on 2 Iraqi soldiers trapped in Tal Abu Jarad. [Al-Baghdadia]
The mayor of Baiji says Daesh attacked Iraqi forces in 3 areas inside Baiji with 3 car bombs, killing 4 soldiers and injuring 8. [Al-Baghdadia]
A security source says Iraqi Joint Forces stopped a Daesh attack on Baiji that employed 10 fuel tanker bombs. The source says one of the tankers exploded, killing 10 Iraqi soldiers. He also says Iraqi forces supported by the IAA are still blocking a Daesh attack on several areas in Baiji, with no support from Coalition airpower. [Al-Baghdadia]
Another source in Salahuddin Operations Command says Iraqi forces destroyed 9 car bombs and killed the suicide terrorists inside them, but 12 Iraqi soldiers were killed when the 10th car exploded on them. [Al-Mada]
Daesh says it controls the Albu Jarad area in Baiji completely. [The Sham News] And publishes photos and a video of one of its suicide bombers in Baiji. [The Sham news] [Archive]
Al-Nujaba’ Movement, a Shia militia, says they sent more troops to support the Iraqi forces in Baiji. [Al-Sumaria]
Daesh publishes photos of the 2 suicide terrorists who failed in their mission and were caught by Iraqi forces. [Independence News]
The Iraqi forces operation to liberate Jazeera Samarra continues. The commander of the Iraqi ground forces says the operation is “purely Iraqi” and the Coalition didn’t participate in it. The spokesman of the MoD says Iraqi forces liberated the Albu Ghafel village killing 150 Daesh terrorists and forcing them to retreat. He says the battles continue with support from the IAA and the IAF. [MoD Website]
Daesh says they stopped the attack of the Iraqi forces on Jazeera Samarra and forced them to retreat. [A3maq] [Dump]
A security source says unknown armed men shot and killed a displaced man working in a wholesale market in Tuz. [Al-Baghdadia]
BAGHDAD
A Shia MP says some political leaders want to cancel the indictments against corrupt officials based on a national reconciliation argument. He says the Iraqi government should prevent these people from traveling and should coordinate with the Interpol to bring back the ones who left the country. [Al-Maalomah]
Security forces arrested 5 suspects linked to the car bomb attack on Habibiya in Sadr City last Sunday. [Al-Maalomah]
According to security sources:
– The body of an unknown man was found shot in the head in Hurriya in north Baghdad. [Al-Baghdadia]
– A civilian was killed and 5 injured in an IED explosion in Talbiya in east Baghdad. [Al-Baghdadia]
– An IED exploded near a checkpoint in Mada’in in south Baghdad, killing a Sahwa fighter and injuring 3. [Al-Baghdadia]
– A civilian was killed and 2 injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Mada’in. [Al-Sumaria]
– An employee of the Ministry of Electricity was kidnapped in Zafaraniya in south Baghdad. [Al-Baghdadia]
– A civilian was killed and 3 injured in an IED explosion in Ameriya in west Baghdad. [Al-Baghdadia]
Overall, the IAF conducted 9 sorties and the IAA 44 (details reflected in other stories).
The Coalition flew 16 sorties, killing 25 terrorists and destroying 4 vehicles and 4 Daesh locations. [IWMC Report]
DIYALA
A member of Diyala GC says the Council decided to let all remaining displaced families return to their houses. [Buratha]
An MP from Diyala says 120 people, most of them Sunnis, were kidnapped during the last 7 days and 31 of them were tortured then killed, accusing Shia militias. He asked the government and the international community for help. [Iraq Press]
A security source says 4 people from one family were injured in an IED explosion in Abu Saida northeast of Baquba. [Al-Baghdadia]
A security source says an IED exploded in the Al-Hadeed area in northeast Baquba, killing a civilian and injuring 4. [Al-Baghdadia]
A security source says the bodies of 2 men were found shot in Al-Khalis. [Al-Baghdadia]
KIRKUK
A security source says a woman and her daughter were killed and several other civilians injured, including women and children, when 2 Grad rockets fell on a residential area in south Kirkuk. [Al-Ghad]
A security source says Daesh executed 12 people and hung their bodies on electricity poles in Hawija for trying to escape to Al-Alam subdistrict. [Al-Mada]
NINEWA
A member of the Mosul Investigative Committee says the KRG’s President Barzani didn’t answer their questions and had his office manager send a brief reply. He says Barzani issued a written order to the Peshmerga at the time Mosul fell not to fight Daesh unless they got attacked. The AAH leader criticized the Committee for not putting Barzani’s name on the list of leaders cited in the report. Other sources said Committee chairman was put under huge pressure to remove Barzani’s name. [Al-Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. The Peshmerga withdrew at that time from Ninewa border areas disputed between Iraq and the Kurds. Usually, they operated in those areas and provided security services even though the areas were not part of the KRG, a serious source of conflict with Baghdad. When Daesh arrived, however, the Peshmerga initially avoided confronting them and withdrew. Daesh then moved into those areas. This is likely the context of the issue with Barzani.
The head of the Committee says the Turkish consul in Mosul acted as the real governor of Mosul and used to meet with suspicious people before the fall of the city. [Al-Mada] The Committee says Daesh used to get 11 million dollars a month in Mosul from extortion before they captured the city. They used to take a million dollars a month from a contractor who was transporting oil from Baiji, and from the street electricity generators, and even from the government directorates. [Xendan]
DaeshDaily comment: And of course some government officials and military and security commanders were busy in their own corruption schemes.
The spokesman of the KRG issues a statement responding to Maliki’s accusation that blamed Mosul’s fall on Ankara and Erbil and says the former PM should take the responsibility for his actions that led to the Daesh advances. [Rudaw]
DaeshDaily comment. The allegations reported above about the Peshmerga and about the Turkish consul may be the context for Maliki’s statement. The one clear implication of these conflicting statements may be that there will be plenty of blame to go around on the Mosul post-mortem.
The spokesman of the National Mobilization Forces in Ninewa says internal disputes have erupted between Daesh terrorists in Mosul because of privileges given to the foreign terrorists but not Iraqi terrorists. [Al-Maalomah]
A PUK spokesman says unknown armed groups attacked Daesh in Telkeif and killed 8 terrorists. He says another group attacked a Daesh security post in Mosul, killing 6 terrorists. [Iraq Press]
A Peshmerga source says Daesh has been shelling the Kurdish forces in Bashiqa northeast of Mosul for 3 days, but causing no casualties. [Rudaw]
OTHER GOVERNORATES
Southern Iraq
Basra. Basra GC says PM Abadi’s visit to the governorate yesterday was to reassure oil companies that were threatened recently. Some demonstrators cut the roads to some of these companies, demanding jobs. [8th Day]
Dhi Qar. The Governor of Dhi Qar says security forces arrested an armed group linked to criminal activities while claiming to be PMFs. The group has opened several offices in the governorate as a cover for their criminal activities. [Al-Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment: Such groups, even the ones linked to real fighters against Daesh, will be Iraq’s next security problem. The ability of the Iraqi military and security forces to control these groups is uncertain. Our local sources say Shia militias, especially the AHH, are expanding their influence in many Shia areas, using the popularity of the PMFs and the weakness of the security agencies to their advantage.
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Daesh publicly beheaded the 81-year-old director of archaeology in Tadmur and hung his body by his feet. [The Sham News]
DaeshDaily comment: Daesh will do anything to appear in the news. All these outrageous criminal acts make almost everyone on Earth angry, but not the few psychopaths who respond to the news by joining Daesh. Daesh has thousands of prisoners in Iraq and Syria. When they want to appear in the news, or divert attention from negative military developments, they pull some out and kill them. Some former Daesh prisoners in Mosul said Daesh used to kill prisoners arbitrarily whether they were “guilty” or not. They also tortured people just to get “confessions,” to give them a public excuse. This notable scholar was the latest victim. They didn’t kill him when they invaded Tadmur, but held him until they wanted more international attention.
The general director of Syrian archaeology says the archaeologist, Khaled Al-Asa’ad, who refused to leave the city when Daesh took over, refused to give information about the locations of archeological treasures to Daesh. [Rudaw]
Kurdish military sources say Daesh attacked the Kurdish forces in Abdul Aziz Mountain and the clashes continue there. They say the Coalition’s Apache helicopters supported the Kurdish forces and 6 Daesh terrorists were killed in the battle. The Coalition also bombed a Daesh meeting in Tal Barak. [BasNews]
A child and 9 other people were killed and 58 injured in a truck bomb attack near the Kurdish security office in the Industrial Area in Qamishli. [ROJNews] Other sources say 11 people were killed. [Welati] A leader in the Kurdish security agency says the suicide bomber attacked civilians in the area after failing to attack the Kurdish security building. [Hawar] Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack and says it was done by a fuel tanker. [The Sham News]
The YPG says they found weapons and explosives buried in the ground in Suluk city. They also say a civilian was killed and 5 injured when a sticker IED exploded on their car on the road to Suluk. [Hawar]
Burkan Al-Furat Operations say they arrested 4 Daesh suspects trying to sneak into Kobane countryside. [Welati]
Daesh says one of its suicide bombers attacked Syrian armed groups north of Al-Qaryatayn with an armored vehicle with 8 tons of explosives, killing and injuring many of them. [Dump] Daesh publishes a photo of the armored truck used in the attack. [The Sham News]
A video of actor Michael Enright, who joined the YPG to fight Daesh. [YouTube]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
The spokesman of the Turkish foreign affairs ministry says Maliki’s “hallucination” about Turkey’s role in the fall of Mosul should not be taken seriously. Ankara summoned the Iraqi Ambassador and told him Maliki’s statement is completely unacceptable. [Xendan]
The Turkish PM urges religious leaders to unite against radical groups like Daesh and says Daesh represents the greatest danger to Islamic culture. [Rudaw]
REPORTS FROM OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Libya. Local officials say more than 1,000 left their homes in Sirte after Daesh’s attack on the city. [Al-Wasat]
The Libyan MoI says 2 policemen were killed in the clashes with Daesh in Benghazi. [Al-Wasat]
Daesh’s radio is in Benghazi now. [The Sham News]
Tunisia. A security source says a policeman was killed and 2 injured when an unknown man on a motorcycle opened fire on them in Sousse. [Al-Wasat]
Daesh audio newsletter. [Archive]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/7asbyaAllah
https://twitter.com/gkjghggjgjjg
https://twitter.com/ijiiiiiii1_l_l_
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Acronyms
|
AHH |
Asa’eb Ahl Al-Haq |
|
COMSEC |
Council of Ministers Secretariat |
|
GC |
Governorate (Provincial) Council |
|
GoI |
Government of Iraq |
|
FSA |
Free Syrian Army |
|
IAA |
Iraqi Army Aviation |
|
IAF |
Iraqi Air Force |
|
IED |
Improvised Explosive Devise |
|
IFP |
Iraqi Federal Police |
|
IKR |
Iraqi Kurdistan Region |
|
IP |
Iraqi Parliament (Council Of Representatives) |
|
IWMC |
Iraqi War Media Cell |
|
JOC |
Joint Operations Command |
|
KDP |
Kurdistan Democratic Party |
|
KH |
Kata’eb Hezbollah |
|
KM |
Kata’eb Al-Mosul |
|
KRG |
Kurdistan Regional Government |
|
MoD |
Ministry of Defense |
|
MoI |
Ministry of Interior |
|
MP |
Member of Parliament |
|
PKK |
Kurdistan Workers’ Party |
|
PM |
Prime Minister |
|
PUK |
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |
|
PYD |
Democratic Union Party (Syria) |
|
YPG |
People’s Protection Units (Syria) |
