February 2, 2016
Today’s Major Developments
US will send helicopters and more advisors to help with Mosul campaign.
US now has 3,600 military trainers and advisors in Iraq.
Several more Daesh leaders killed in Anbar, Salahuddin.
Haditha District Council warns of impending major Daesh attack.
Daesh executions resume in Shirqat, Mosul.
Anti-Daesh attacks kill many Daesh members in Ninewa.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
Steve Warren, the Coalition spokesman, says the Turkish troops in Bashiqa are not a part of the Coalition and the US didn’t give them a green light to fight in Iraq. [Sumaria] In a separate press report, Warren described the Bashiqa camp issue as a strictly Iraq-Turkish problem that should be solved by direct discussions. [IraqPress]
DaeshDaily comment. Turkey and its collaborators in Iraq have continued to say that its troops in Bashiqa are part of the Coalition effort. This has gotten no support from the US, though the US has been careful not to offend Turkey, which is cooperating in some ways with the Coalition effort. We wonder what explanation Turkey will give after Warren’s comments.
The Council of Ministers approves the hiring of an Italian company, Trevi, to maintain the Mosul Dam. [Mada]
Security developments
General Sean McFarland, the Commander of Coalition forces, says that the US is sending Apache helicopters and more advisors to assist Iraq to liberate the city of Mosul. He added that 17,500 soldiers and 2,000 policemen were trained so far, while 3,000 more are currently being trained. [Maalomah]
Steve Warren says the US has 3600 soldiers in Iraq as trainers and advisors. It has also provided US$ 600 Million as financial support to Iraq and the displaced people. [Baghdadia] Warren also said that the involvement of the Coalition in Mosul will be through air support only, except that a small American special forces unit will be placed on the Iraq-Syria border to prevent Daesh terrorists from movement across the borders. [AIN] Warren also says the liberation of Mosul will be long and difficult and estimated that there are 5-8 thousand Daesh fighters in the city. [Sumaria]
He added that the city of Ramadi was liberated in full, and that Falluja is being surrounded. [AIN]
Baghdad Operations Command said that its operations south of Falluja killed 52 terrorists and wounded 46, in addition to the destruction of a vehicle, several artillery pieces, a mortar unit, 13 fighting positions, 5 hideouts, and two boats in Nuaimiya and in Albu Shijil to the northwest. [AIN]
Lt. General Abdul Kareem Al-Shimarri, Commander of Baghdad Operations, said that the “Baghdad Wall” Project has started. This includes cement walls and tunnels around the capital, and confining entry to 8 access points only. [AIN]
The High Criminal Tribunal today sentenced a Daesh member to death on charges of hosting Iraqi and foreign terrorists in Al-Qa’im, west of Anbar. The convict confessed on all charges. [Mada]
The MoD says Iraq received a new group of F16 jets, and more are coming soon. [MoD Website]
The CoR’s Security and Defense Committee had said earlier that Iraq was going to receive 5 jets. [Mada]
Moqtada Al-Sadr asks his followers for continuous support for Saraya Al-Salam with money and weapons, saying anyone who doesn’t support them is a traitor to the country and religion. [Mada]
The Ministry of Interior said today that a K9 team detected a large quantity of explosives near an entrance to Khadimiya in north Baghdad, coming from northwest of Baghdad. [Ghad]
Security forces captured a Daesh member in the 9 Nissan area in east Baghdad. [IWMC Report]
According to security sources:
- An IED placed in a popular market in Sheikh Hamad, in Tarmiya in northern Baghdad Governorate, killed two civilians and wounded five others. [Maalomah]
- 4 persons were arrested on terror charges in Tarmiya, Rashidiya, and Adhamiya in north Baghdad, and Dora in south Baghdad. [Mada]
- A vehicle packed with weapons and explosives was caught at Al-Shaab checkpoint in north Baghdad. [Baghdadia]
- An IED placed in a commercial area in Shaab killed one civilian and wounded seven. [Baghdadia]
- Armed men in a 4-wheel drive car kidnapped a female school student in Talbiya, east Baghdad. [Ghad]
- An IED placed in an industrial area in Talbiya killed one civilian and wounded four. [Mada]
- A private generator owner was killed in an armed attack on Palestine Street in east Baghdad. [Mada]
- A sticky bomb attached to a minibus exploded in Sadr City, killing one passenger and wounding six. [Mada]
- Armed men shot dead a civilian in Sheikh Omar, downtown Baghdad. [Ghad]
- The body of a woman shot to death was found in Zafaraniya, southeast Baghdad. [Sumaria]
- An IED placed near a popular coffee shop in Mada’in, in southern Baghdad Governorate, killed two civilians and wounded nine others. [Mada]
- A roadside IED placed in Arab Jabour village in Dora, south Baghdad, killed one civilian and wounded four. [Baghdadia]
- Armed men today kidnapped a civilian in Abu Dsheer in Dora. [Ghad]
- A roadside IED went off in Yusufiyah, in southern Baghdad Governorate, when a police patrol was passing by, killing one policeman and wounding four, in addition to damaging their vehicle. [Mada]
- An IED placed in a popular market for fruits and vegetables in Ameriya junction, west Baghdad, killed one civilian and wounded eight others. [Mada]
- An IED placed in a fish market in Khernabat, in Abu Ghraib District in western Baghdad Governorate, killed two civilians and wounded six. [Maalomah]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 16 (Not an overall total)
Coalition warplanes initiated 26 attacks, 20 of them in Iraq, the Coalition said. The raids in Iraq were on Ramadi, Habbaniya, and Albu Hayat; Qayara, Kasik, Mosul, and Sinjar. Those in Syria were on Deir Ez-Zor, Manbij, and Raqqa. The targets, were tactical units, fighting positions, vehicles, and explosives caches. [Rudaw]
Australian warplanes participated in the airstrikes on several targets in Iraq, Joint Operations Command said. [Mawazin]
ANBAR
Falluja
A member of Anbar Provincial Council says Iraqi forces liberated the areas between Jazeera Khaldiya and the Japanese Bridge near Falluja. He says Iraqi forces cut off Daesh supply lines between Falluja and Jazeera Khaldiya and between Falluja and Saqlawiya. [Buratha]
A video of PMFs clearing areas in Saqlawiya [Harbi]
The Anbar Governor asked the Coalition to drop humanitarian supplies to the people of Falluja. He says it’s the only way since Daesh planted IEDs all over the roads and prevented the citizens from leaving the city. [Rudaw]
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights says Daesh is committing a crime against humanity by using the people of Falluja as human shields and preventing the humanitarian aid. It says that more than 100,000 civilians are trapped in Falluja, which requires serious action by the Iraqi government to solve the humanitarian situation. [Mada]
A Rapid Intervention Unit killed 4 Daesh terrorists, including a Tunisian and 2 Syrians, and wounded 13 others and destroyed 2 hideouts and a vehicle carrying a machine gun in Hay Al-Askari in Falluja. [BOC Facebook Page]
Abu Dajana Al-Masri, the religious mufti of Daesh, was killed today by a Coalition airstrike on a Daesh position in Jazeera Al-Khaldiya. A vehicle, rocket launching platform, and a cache of explosives were also destroyed, the Khaldiya subdistrict council reported. [Mada] Amir Hameed Al-Essawi, a Daesh commander, was also killed in the operation. [Baghdadia]
DaeshDaily comment. Al-Masri used to be a soccer referee in Egypt and his family disowned him because of his shameful behavior; then he joined Daesh and his family disowned him again. He was reported killed a couple of times earlier, including by detonating himself.
Tribal Coalition fighters and PMFs repelled a Daesh attack on the Albu Shijil crossing north of Fallujah, hours after the Iraqi military troops captured the area, Col. Juma’a Al-Jumaili, commander of the tribal forces said. “Tens’ of terrorists were killed, and six car bombs were destroyed in the attack. [Maalomah]
6 Daesh terrorists were killed in artillery shelling at Tatar checkpoint, in Nuaimiya south of Falluja, a security source said. [Maalomah]
Baghdad Operations Command says its troops killed 45 Daesh terrorists and wounded 32 and destroyed a vehicle and a construction shovel bomb in addition to 13 locations and hideouts and 2 boats in Nuaimiya and Albu Shijil. [BOC Facebook Page]
Two Daesh leaders, Dhar Sabah Al-Eissawi and Mustafa Hamdi were killed in clashes between army units and Daesh terrorists in the Albu Shijil area in Jazeera Al-Khaldiya, a security source said. [Sumaria]
Daesh executed 6 of its own members after they escaped the battle in Albu Shijil. [IWMC Report]
The Ministry of Defense said an operation by the 17th army brigade in Bustan Al-Tikriti east of Falluja resulted in killing 2 terrorists and wounding 3, in addition to finding a weapons cache containing 10 grenade launchers, an aircraft missile, 3 pistols, detonators, and 250 BKC bullets. [IraqPress]
PMF said today that Saraya Al-Jihad, a PMF militia, repelled an attack by a suicide car bomb on its defense line southeast of Thirthar. The vehicle was detained and defused, while the two terrorists in it escaped. [Ghad]
Col. Al-Jumaili, commander of the 1st battalion of tribal mobilization forces in Falluja, said that all preparations are finalized to liberate the rest of Qarma subdistrict after the arrival of reinforcements from Baghdad. [Maalomah]
BOC troops killed one terrorist and wounded another and defused 10 IEDs in Qarma.
A BOC sniper killed a Daesh terrorist in Albu Sawda in Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]
Ramadi
East
Abu Fatima, the Daesh security commander of east Ramadi, was killed with 15 other terrorists in a Coalition airstrike on Hsaiba, east of Ramadi, the head of the security committee in Khaldiya reported. [Ghad]
IFP commander Major General Shakir Jawdat said that the 3rd brigade of IFP killed 5 Daesh terrorists and destroyed 3 machine gun positions near Andalus School in Hsaiba. [Mawazin]
A security source says 3 Counter Terrorism Service battalions arrived in Sajariya to liberate the remaining areas under Daesh control. [Baghdadia]
Iraqi forces defused 7 booby-trapped houses and 40 IEDs in the Al-Soura area east of Ramadi. [IWMC Report]
An Anbar Operations Command source says they attacked a Daesh hideout in Jazeera Khaldiya and killed the Daesh military commander of the area, Amer Hamid Al-Eithawi, and 2 of his associates. [Maalomah]
West
Major General Ismail Al-Mahalawi, commander of the Anbar Operations Command (AOC), said three battalions of special operations units arrived in western Ramadi to finalize liberation of remaining areas around the city. He added that a comprehensive campaign to clear the entire Ramadi District has not started yet. [Maalomah]
Brigadier Khalid Abdullah, commander of the 16th army division, announced liberation of Albu Risha area just northwest of Ramadi in full, after a lengthy battle in the area’s orchards that killed 33 terrorists and destroyed “tens” of their vehicles, with the support of the Iraqi Air Force. He said that 90% of Daesh’s supply line from Hit to Ramadi is blocked, which will make liberation of Albu Dhiab and Albu Jassem north of Ramadi easier. This will also cut the supply line of Daesh to locations east of the city, including Hsaiba, Juwaiba, and Jazeera Al-Khaldiya. [Buratha] Photos of Albu Risha after liberation [IraqPress]
DaeshDaily comment. The Albu Risha area is also symbolic in the fight against Daesh because the late Sheikh Abdul Al-Sattar Abu Risha started the Sahwa project that defeated AQI there.
Iraqi forces found a Daesh vehicle bomb and destroyed it under control in Albu Risha. [IWMC Report]
Photos from Albu Risha after the liberation [Sumaria]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked Iraqi forces in Albu Risha, killing 16 soldiers and wounding 27 and capturing 3 positions. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh has never reported loosing Albu Risha in the first place.
Iraqi forces stopped a Daesh attack on Zangoura west of Ramadi, killing 14 terrorists and destroying 2 vehicles. [IWMC Report]
Daesh also says it shelled Iraqi forces in the Adnaniya and Kilo 18 areas west of Ramadi with mortars and Katyushas. [CSSN]
Daesh publishes a video about its attacks in Anbar. [CSSN]
Hit/Haditha
Army helicopters destroyed three Daesh vehicles in the Albu Hayat area of Haditha, IWMC said. [Mawazin]
Haditha District Council says Daesh is mobilizing to attack Haditha from 4 directions, including Sagra and Zawiya from the north, Gabat and the storehouses from the south, and Zera’a and the Rawa vicinity from the west. It called for utmost caution and preparedness. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. This warning should be taken seriously. Daesh could offset its losses elsewhere in Anbar by getting control of the Haditha Dam, which controls the water flow through much of southern Iraq.
Daesh publishes photos of an attack on Iraqi forces north of Haditha. [CSSN]
A security source says Iraqi forces rocketed Daesh in Jazeera Baghdadi, killing “tens” of terrorists and destroying 5 vehicles. [Baghdadia]
Lt. Col. Muhib Al-Ubaidi, is the new Commander of Baghdadi police, succeeding Lt. Col. Basim Shakir, killed in clashes with Daesh last week, Baghdadi subdistrict council said. [Mawqif]
Western Anbar
Daesh publishes a video, “Stories from the land of the caliphate,” in Russian. [CSSN]
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
Daesh executed 4 doctors in the Shirqat District, a security source said. [Maalomah]
An informed source says Daesh executed 6 men in Shirqat for opposing Daesh. [Sumaria]
Baiji
The IFP Commander says an IFP commandos unit killed 50 Daesh terrorists and destroyed 7 vehicles in a preemptive operation north of Baiji. [Baghdadia]
A CH4 Iraqi drone destroyed two machine gun mounted vehicles in Makhoul Mountains and killed the terrorists inside, said a security source. [Qurtas]
Daesh publishes photos of destroying an Iraqi military position in the Makhoul Mountains area. [CSSN]
A PMF source claimed today that its fighters killed several soldiers of the Saudi National Guard fighting alongside Daesh terrorists (photos). [Maalomah]
DaeshDaily comment. Shia-supported media tries to show that Saudi Arabia is directly supporting Daesh. The photos are taken from a video we published yesterday of a dead Daesh terrorist wearing a Saudi national guard uniform.
Tikrit
Jabbar Al-Maamouri, a PMF commander, said that three major Daesh leaders in the wilayat of Kirkuk and Salahuddin were killed in battles around Allas and Ajeel oil fields yesterday, in addition to the deputy military commander of Daesh in the area, killed in an airstrike in Al-Riyadh subdistrict. He added that Daesh suffered very heavy human casualties in their failed attacks. [Mawqif]
A local tribal PMF commander says Daesh launched 20 attacks on Allas and Ajeel oil fields since it lost them last year, with no success. He says Daesh keeps attacking because it’s in bad need for revenues. [Mada]
Daesh publishes photos of a battle near Allas oil field. [CSSN]
A civilian coal trader killed a Daesh terrorist trying to sneak into the southwest part of Al-Alam subdistrict, a Salahuddin police source said. [Ghad]
PMF command said that the results of the mistaken shelling of PMF forces west of Speicher base were revealed and that Salahuddin and the Joint Operations Command are 100% responsible for the attack executed by an Iraqi drone. [AynIraq]
The Ministry of Defense approved enrolling tribal fighters in the regular army, provided that they were not members in the Saddam-era armed forces, with the age range of 14-40, said Yazen Mishaan Al-Jubouri, a PMF commander. [Mawazin]
DaeshDaily comment. This gentleman is the son of Mishaan Al-Jubouri, a Saddam loyalist who became an opposition figure, then a Coalition supporter and contractor, then an AQI supporter, then an AQI enemy and Baath loyalist again, then a Maliki supporter, and then on the PMF side. Now he is part of government efforts to mobilize tribes in Salahuddin against Daesh. This is an example of why the Daesh story in Iraq is not an easy one to tell.
4 Daesh terrorists including a suicide bomber were killed, and three government SWAT soldiers were wounded in clashes in the Al-Ali area south of Al-Alam subdistrict east of Tikrit, the security committee of Salahuddin Provincial Council said. [Mada]
Two women were killed and three men of the same family were wounded when an IED exploded on an off-road path in Himrin Hills, a source in the Joint Command Forces said. [Mada]
A Joint Operations Command (JOC) statement said an attack by army helicopters destroyed a cave in Himrin Hills used by Daesh as a command center, killing 10 of them. A vehicle was also destroyed and 5 terrorists killed in the area, while the Iraqi Air Force destroyed a vehicle carrying 18 Daesh terrorists and killed them all near Al-Asfar village. [AIN]
The PMF announced that its forces in Himrin Hills occupied several Daesh positions there after killing several terrorists. [AIN]
Samarra
Violent clashes were initiated west of Samarra when Daesh terrorists attacked areas in the Strategic Line area. Samarra Operations Command (SOC) said that the attack was repelled, but a curfew was imposed in Samarra city. [Ghad]
SOC troops stopped a Daesh attack in Jazeera Samarra west of the Strategic Line, destroying 3 Daesh vehicles. [IWMC Report]
The IFP commander says an IFP unit rocketed a Daesh hideout west of Samarra, killing 8 terrorists. [Mawazin]
Tooz
Dijla Operations Command troops stopped a Daesh attack in the Zarqa area in eastern Salahuddin and destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb. Daesh terrorists tried to camouflage their vehicles by raising Shia flags. [IWMC Report]
The Badr commander in Tooz says his fighters will cut off the road between Tooz and Kirkuk if the government doesn’t pay their salaries in full. He says the government didn’t pay for 3 months and then this month they paid 500,000 ID (around $400) instead of 750,000 IED (around $610). [Mada]
Armed men shot and killed a civilian near his house near Tuz Khurmatu hospital. [Ghad]
DIYALA
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
An IED targeting a police patrol exploded in Dazkiya village in Wajihiya, south of Muqdadiya, killing one policeman and wounding three. [IraqPress]
Northern Diyala
Two IEDS exploded near a private generator in northeast Diyala, killing two civilians and wounding six. [IraqPress]
Daesh says it killed four PMF fighters by detonating an IED on their vehicle in Udhaim. [A3maq]
A Peshmerga force freed three kidnapped persons in Tolkana, Khanaqin District, in northeast Diyala, after an extended search process, a Diyala source said. Three Peshmerga fighters were killed and two wounded when an IED exploded on their patrol two days ago while they were looking for the same people. [Sumaria]
KIRKUK
A person wanted on terror charges was arrested in Banja Ali neighborhood, in east Kirkuk, Asayesh (Kurdish security) sources said today. The man is a resident of Suleiman Beg subdistrict. [Mada]
NINEWA
Mosul
Daesh executed four major sheikhs of the Al-Jubour tribe in Qayara south of Mosul on charges of joining the tribal liberation council and cooperating with the Army and Peshmerga. The sheikhs are Abdullah Abd Rabbo Al-Jubouri, Hajim Munaim Al-Jubouri, Khalaf Saddam Al-Jubouri, and Shihab Barakat Al-Jubouri, a PUK media spokesman said. [Qurtas]
A security source said that Daesh gunmen are escaping Qayara towards Mosul, following the recent pressure of Iraqi forces and Coalition air attacks. He added that recent airstrikes on Qayara killed 27 terrorists. Daesh withdrew from Al-Haj Ali village and booby-trapped Qayara Bridge recently, the source said. [BasNews[
Sheikh Nazhan Sakhar Al-Lahibi, the commander of south Mosul tribal mobilization, said that his forces are about to liberate Al-Haj Ali village in Qayara after clearing its surroundings from Daesh terrorists, adding that “surprises” are coming in the next few days. [Karemlash]
Writings on the walls of Al-Qahira and Al-Bakr neighborhoods east of Mosul threatening Daesh of slaughter and expulsion from Mosul, and calling on the population to cooperate with the liberation forces that are arriving shortly, reportedly terrorized Daesh terrorists who initiated search campaigns in these areas. Similar slogans have appeared in Mosul in the past few months in various areas. [Karemlash]
An IED placed in a popular restaurant in Dawasa, downtown Mosul, where Daesh terrorists were having breakfast, exploded and killed 17 of them. [Maalomah]
Abu Loay Al-Masri, Daesh terrorist responsible for recruiting women suicide bombers, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in Hamidat, west of Mosul, a security source said. [Maalomah]
Kata’eb Al-Mosul says its fighters shot and killed 2 Daesh terrorists and damaged their vehicle. [KM Facebook Page]
Kata’eb Al-Mosul also says they destroyed a Daesh pickup killing 3 terrorists south of Mosul. [KM Facebook Page]
An IED targeting a Daesh vehicle in Okab valley west of Mosul exploded, killing three terrorists, a KDP source said.[ Mada]
Daesh arrested three internet service providers in Mosul for allowing subscribers to watch sports and movies, a security source said. [Mada]
A security source says 7 Daesh terrorists were killed in clashes with the Peshmerga in the Al-Khazer area. [Mada]
Daesh publishes photos of targeting a Peshmerga position in Fadhliya with a 23mm weapon. [CSSN]
Nineveh Plain
KDP media spokesman said that artillery shelling by the Peshmerga killed four Daesh terrorists near the asphalt factory in Bashiqa. [Mada]
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
KRG President Masoud Barzani issues a statement saying the time for the independence referendum has come and the Kurdish people should decide their destiny and not wait for others to decide for them. He says Scotland, Catalonia and Quebec had referendums, with the right to decide their destiny; so do the Kurds. He also says the referendum doesn’t mean announcing the Kurdish state but it will show the will of the Kurdish people, and the political leadership will execute this will in the right time. [Rudaw]
The Peshmerga is training 750 Christian fighters in the Zirfani (elite) camp in Erbil to be ready to defend their areas in the Nineveh Plain. (photos) [Rudaw]
The Saudi Ambassador to Iraq says his country will open a consulate in Erbil in the coming days. [Rudaw]
Nechirvan Barzani says the salaries of KRG employees will be distributed within days. [Rudaw]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra. The head of the Basra appeals court, Judge Adil Abdul Razzaq, survived an attack by a roadside IED on his way home in Kut Al-Hajjaj in Basra. The judge was unharmed but damage was caused. [Baghdadia]
Qadessiya. A man was arrested on terror charges in the Al-Saray area, downtown Diwaniya, an intelligence unit of the Ministry of Interior said. [Mada]
Dhi Qar. Three persons were arrested on terror charges in Dhi Qar province, three of them in Nasariya, and one in Karmat Bani Saeed, in Souq Al-Sheyoukh District. [AIN]
Two persons carrying 50 kg of poisonous chlorine material were arrested in Shamiya District in Qadessiya, a security source said. [Ghad]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Military developments
The Syria Foreign Ministry says Turkey fired artillery across the border into Latakia province in western Syria, causing civilian casualties, according to Syrian media reports. [Cihan]
Turkish troops engaged in cross-border fighting with Daesh militants near Jarabulus on Tuesday afternoon, a Turkish security source said. The source said that Turkish troops came under fire from Daesh positions in Syria as they were clearing mines from the Karnafil area near the city of Karkamış opposite the border from Jarabulus. Turkish troops returned fire, but no casualties were reported. [ARA]
DaeshDaily comment. Wait a minute! Turkish troops were clearing mines on their own side of the border? And who would have planted them?
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
The Syria Democratic Council, the political wing of the Syria Democratic Forces, has suspended its participation in the Geneva negotiations after six of its delegates (five Kurds and one Turkmen) did not receive invitations from the UN, according to remarks from Geneva by Haytham Manaa, the Chairman of the Council. [Welati]
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Kurdish fighters repelled a Daesh attack on Ain Eissa and Tishrin Dam south of Kobane, Kurdish sources said, adding that Daesh shelled Ain Eissa with several mortar shells. [BasNews]
Daesh says its terrorists sneaked into Syria Opposition locations east of Ain Eissa and killed four fighters. [A3maq]
Photos and video of Mabrouka Camp near Ras Al-Ayn, hosting refugees who fled Daesh from northern Iraq. [Hawar]
Photos and testimony of Arab and Turkmen fighters in the Syria Democratic Forces who say they are ready to fight Daesh. [Hawar]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
The Syria Democratic Forces destroyed three Daesh vehicles northeast of Aleppo while responding to Daesh shelling of the village of Zur Maghar, 35 km (22 miles) west of Kobane, and the Shuyoukh subdistrict, 5 km (3 miles) east of Jarabulus, according to “a military source in Kobane.” [Welati]
Daesh reportedly exchanged fire with Turkish troops across the border near Jarabulus and the Syrian Foreign Ministry claims that Turkish artillery fired on the city of Latakia, see under Turkey above.
Daesh publishes a video about the “good life” in Aleppo narrated by a terrorist from Belgium. [CSSN]
South
Opposition factions have announced that they now control a number of Daesh’s former sites in the Wadi Barada after recent fighting in Rif Damashq Governorate. Opposition activists report that the militia factions have seized three Daesh positions in Deir Muqaran in Rif Damashq, three positions in Efra in Rif Damashq, and another in Husayniya in Homs. [ARA]
Daesh says it killed a National Defense (Syrian government militia) official and his associate by detonating an IED on their vehicle in West Qalamoun. [A3maq]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked Nusra Front in Wadi Hamid area in West Qalamoun killing 6 Nusra fighters. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists in the Damascus area. [CSSN]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Saudi Arabia. A Twitter user sent a suggestion to the Riyadh municipality that it change the name of a street in the Riyadh neighborhood of Al-Murouj that coincidentally bears the assumed name of the leader of Daesh. As noted in the linked article, “Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi Street” was not named for Awwad Baghdadi the Daesh leader. However the municipality tweeted back that the suggestion had been forwarded to the relevant administration for consideration (photo). [Arabi21]
North Africa
Egypt
Egyptian troops fought with suspected members of Daesh-affiliated Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis south of Sheikh Zuweid in the village of Al-Lufaytat on Tuesday after a suspected Ansar IED-planting cell was discovered in the area. Nine militants were killed in the ensuing clashes and another 15 were wounded. Egyptian troops also conducted raids in the border village of Al-Barth near Rafah, triggering fighting in which five militants were killed and another 15 were wounded. [VetoGate] [ElWatan]
Libya
Libya’s delegate to the Arab League, Ashour Bu Rashid, has said that the West is preparing an intervention in Libya to combat Daesh, but that the operation would be limited to airstrikes on Daesh targets and not include ground forces. [Libya24]
As leaders from over 20 states gather in Rome to discuss confronting Daesh in Libya, Erem news spoke to a number of Libyan academics and other intellectuals, most of whom express opposition to the idea of a Western intervention in Libya. A Western intervention will play into the hands of Muslim Brotherhood–aligned militias, one professor said. Another intellectual said that Western intervention would be a pretext for foreign interests controlling Libyan resources and could result in a humanitarian catastrophe for Libya. Daesh could escalate its tactics, he said, suggesting that the group might deploy chemical attacks if threatened by Western powers. Another political analyst argued that the Western position of supporting airstrikes on Daesh in Libya but refusing to arm the Libyan Army suggests that the West wants to weaken Daesh without eliminating it completely from Libya. [Erem]
Maintenance crews are trying to repair damage to a pipeline that exploded on Monday in an apparent attack near Zueitina, the Oil Facilities Protection Guard spokesman has announced. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast. [AfriGate]
Misrata’s local government has called for Libyans to unite to fight against Daesh. [Hadath]
Daesh has been stockpiling weapons and ammunition gathered from the arsenal of the fallen Gaddafi regime in hotel buildings in Sirte according to a local source. Daesh has been moving arms to the “Conferences Hotel” [Funduq Al-Mu`tamarat] in the last few days, a local source said on Monday. A military source said that Daesh had told residents on “Radio Sirte” not to leave the city. The same source said that Daesh members in Sirte were fearful of airstrikes that could hit their locations at any time. Many Daesh members have remained inside while others have moved to the outskirts of the city, the source added, noting a palpable drop in Daesh presence in Sirte’s streets. [Ewan]
Daesh says its terrorists detonated 3 IEDs on a Libyan Army gathering in Laithi area in Benghazi, then its terrorists attacked an army position, killing the soldiers inside it, and then planted an IED before returning safely. Daesh says it detonated the IED when the soldiers came to take the bodies of the dead soldiers. Daesh says 22 soldiers were killed and many others wounded in the attacks. [CSSN]
Algeria
Algerian police have determined the identity of the person who recruited 21 Algerians, including 8 women, to join Daesh in Syria in exchange for offers of money. The 36 year old communications engineer known as “Abu Al-Mara” from Boumadou in Boumerdes state reportedly had 200 million Algerian dinars (around $1.8 million USD) at his disposal as financial inducement to his recruits. The suspect reportedly joined Daesh in 2013. His wife was not aware of his alleged association with Daesh, while one of his daughters has been in prison since January on charges of recruiting women to join Daesh. [AfriGate]
Other countries
Cyprus. Eighteen people have been prevented from traveling from Cyprus in the last two years on suspicion they intended to join Daesh, and 15 have successfully made the journey to Syria, an unnamed official said. [Hadath]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Another anti-Daesh page from Ramadi that publishes photos and info about Daesh local members
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/ushfhsrwtw1
https://twitter.com/asLkjhgfdsa19
https://twitter.com/nsjshdhxhx
https://twitter.com/saa2adzoop7
Other Daesh media
Daesh publishes infographics of 85 suicide operations its terrorists conducted in Iraq and Syria in January. [A3maq]
And another infographic showing it killed 588 Syrian soldiers in January. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes the new issue of its Al-Naba’ magazine. [CSSN] And a new issue of its Dar Al-Islam magazine in French. [CSSN]
Daesh publishes infographics of instructions on how to avoid the swine flu. [CSSN]
