January 13, 2016
Today’s Major Developments:
Baghdad bomb suspects quickly arrested.
Haditha District Council declares victory; says Hit is next
Escalated Diyala violence becomes sectarian, sends provincial council into emergency session.
Daesh money problems deepen in Mosul as Coalition bombs keep falling.
Army arrives in Basra; Al-Abadi too.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
Ashton Carter, US Secretary of Defense, confirmed today that “US Special Forces are in Iraq and are ready to fight Daesh alongside the Iraqi army”. [AIN]
The last batch of four MI35 and MI28 (Night Hunter) helicopters will be received by the MoD from Russia by the end of this month, an MoD source said. Tanks and ammunition were received from Russia in the past few days as well. [BasNews]
The Iraqi Commission for Human Rights says the government has spent one billion dollars on displaced people since mid-2014. A member of the Commission says 3,250,000 people have been displaced since Daesh captured Mosul. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. It’s a lot of money but it seems pretty low for such a big problem. Doing the math, we calculate a little over $300 per person, and some got their support by moving to the KRG. The displacement problem is one of the most important results of the violence in Iraq, and part of overcoming the Daesh crisis is helping all these people to return home.
Security developments
BOC announced the arrest of the terror group that executed the attack on Baghdad Jadida Monday. The attack was initiated and the group supplied from inside Baghdad. Explosives and explosives belts, as well as cameras and videos of the attackers and the process of attack operation, were captured in the operation. [Sumaria]
Prime Minister Al-Abadi, speaking from Basra, praised the arrest of the Baghdad terror cell, confirming that “intelligence efforts” recently activated were the reason for such a rapid response. Al-Abadi also confirmed that such efforts were activated in Basra as well. (See below under Other Governorates.) He ordered an “iron fist” policy to retrieve respect for the state in all of Iraq. [Mada]
Baghdad Provincial Council will discuss security developments in the capital tomorrow and address the central government with thoughts and recommendations, a Council source said. [Sumaria]
Eleven bodies of men shot to death were found in Tarmiya, north Baghdad, according to a security source. [Sumaria]
A police raid on a house in Hay Al-Sihah in Dora in south Baghdad resulted in capturing IEDs, explosives belts, and pistols with silencers. The raid was conducted in response to local intelligence, according to a security source. The house owner was also arrested. [Sumaria] [Baghdadia]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked an Iraqi Army location in Tarmiya, killed several soldiers, and destroyed 4 Humvees (photos). [ADI] [ADI]
According to security sources:
- An IED exploded in Husseiniya in north Baghdad killing two people and wounding seven. [Mada]
- An IED placed in Souq Shallal in Shaab in north Baghdad went off this morning, killing one civilian and wounded six. [Baghdadia]
- Two civilians were killed and six wounded in an IED explosion in a popular market in Ubaidi, east Baghdad today. [Baghdadia]
- Unidentified persons threw a hand grenade on the house of an army officer in Zayouna, east Baghdad. Material damage to the house front was inflicted but no casualties were reported. [Ghad]
- An IED placed in a popular restaurant in Sheikh Omar, downtown Baghdad, killed 2 and wounded 7 civilians this morning. [Mada]
- A policeman was shot dead by armed men in Mada’in, south Baghdad during a search campaign in the orchards in the city. [Qurtas]
- An unidentified armed group attacked a checkpoint in Latifiya in south Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding two. [Baghdadia]
- An IED placed in a popular market in Yusufiyah south of Baghdad exploded and killed two and wounded five civilians today. [Maalomah]
- An IED placed in a commercial area in Hay Al-Jihad in southwest Baghdad killed one civilian and wounded five today. [Baghdadia]
- Two men from the Wilayat Salahuddin (Salahuddin command) of Daesh were arrested in Ghazaliya in west Baghdad, one of them carrying a fake PMF ID. [Mada]
- The body of a man shot to death was found today in Abu Ghraib, west Baghdad. [Ghad]
- A man wanted on terrorism charges was arrested in Hay Al-Nasr Wa Al-Salam in west Baghdad today. [Maalomah]
Baghdad Operations Command summarized its operations for today as follows: [AIN]
- The IFP arrested a man with 5 sticky bombs, a gun with silencer, and detonators in Al-Hay Al-Askari, north Baghdad.
- 3rd Battalion of 23rd Brigade defused two IEDs and captured grenades, and RBK machine gun in Tal Al-Samar southwest Baghdad.
- 45th Brigade also defused two IEDs and captured a grenade, in Raood and line areas north of Baghdad,
- IFP defused and removed a sticky bomb from a car in Ghazaliya in west Baghdad.
16 airstrikes in Iraq and 8 in Syria were executed by the Coalition today. Iraq’s raids were on Mosul, Ramadi, and Kasik, targeting Daesh positions and hideouts. [Sumaria]
ANBAR
An Anbar Operations Command source says Daesh withdrew the passports and personal IDs of its members in Anbar and prohibited them from using their mobile phones. [Mada]
Ramadi
A Counter-Terrorism division supported by IFP entered Sufiya east of Ramadi today from the northeast. The force is engaging Daesh terrorists and clearing a large number of IEDs placed to obstruct their advance, as the defense line of Daesh has collapsed, a source in the Counter-Terror forces said. [Sumaria] [Maalomah]
60 families were rescued by the Army from Sufiya and transferred to Habbaniya camp in Khaldiya. [Sumaria]
Counter-terror troops today captured the Albu Ghanem power station east of Ramadi and some of the surrounding areas from Daesh control, according to a security source. [Baghdadia]
The commander of the tribal fighters in east Ramadi sector says Iraqi forces, supported by Coalition airpower, are advancing rapidly in areas east of Ramadi. He says Iraqi forces killed 16 Daesh terrorists and destroyed 9 vehicle bombs. [Mada]
The Counter Terrorism Service Commander says Iraqi forces stopped temporarily in Sufiya because Daesh is still holding dozens of families hostages. He says seven civilians were killed by IEDs planted by Daesh in the road specified by Iraqi forces for civilians in the area. He also says there are only a few Daesh fighters left in the area. [Harbi]
The IWMC says Iraqi Rapid Intervention troops rocketed 6 Daesh hideouts in East Hsaiba and defused 4 IEDs and killed a Daesh sniper. Iraqi forces also killed several Daesh terrorists while the terrorists were planting IEDs and booby-trapping houses in the area. [AIN]
An AOC source says Iraqi forces secured the road between Albu Aitha and Sufiya. [Maalomah]
Anbar Operations Command (AOC) announced a campaign by the 10th Armored Division to liberate the Albu Aitha area northeast of Ramadi, with air support from the IAF, IAA, and Coalition. AOC Commander Ismail Al-Mahalawi said the tanks entered the area supported by heavy artillery bombardment and air cover, and that Daesh resistance has been rather weak. [Sumaria] The reported result is that the Albu Aitha area was fully liberated. The Army has started to establish fortifications there. [Sumaria]
However, the media director of the AOC, a colonel, and two soldiers were wounded by a Daesh mortar shell Albu Aitha. [Sumaria]
A security source says Iraqi forces killed 5 Daesh suicide bombers from Arab countries who were waiting to attack Iraqi forces in a booby-trapped house in Albu Aitha. The source says Iraqi forces knew about the terrorists’ location from an intelligence source and shot into the house, killing all five terrorists. The attackers were planning an attack on advancing Army forces, according to a security source in Anbar. [Maalomah] [Maalomah]
Iraqi forces destroyed 34 IEDs and 8 booby-trapped hideouts and a 12 meter tunnel in addition to 6 rockets, in Albu Farraj north of Ramadi. [IWMC Report]
An IFP source says the IFP shot down a Daesh drone in the Kilo 35 area west of Ramadi. [Harbi]
Iraqi forces, supported by the IAA and Coalition warplanes, killed 30 Daesh terrorists in Ramadi. [IWMC Report]
Coalition warplanes flew 12 sorties on Ramadi killing 4 terrorists and destroying 2 construction shovels, a vehicle bomb, 2 heavy weapons, and a shelter in addition to supply lines. [IWMC Report]
Falluja
The Baghdad Operations Command also has responsible for eastern Anbar. Its report on Anbar for today includes:
- Killing seven terrorists and defusing 15 IEDs south of Falluja.
- Defusing 16 IEDs and destroying 6 vehicles in Thirthar north of Falluja, and clearing the road between the 10th Division and Jisr Al-Yabis.
- Killing 8 terrorists in Qarma and near Taqsim Dam.
Hit/Haditha
Haditha District Council Chairman said today that Daesh lost 250 of its fighters in recent attacks on areas in Haditha, Barwana, and Sha’i. The Chairman added that all these areas are liberated now, and that liberation of Hit and the reconnecting of Haditha to Ramadi will eliminate the danger of Daesh attacks for good. He also says Daesh terrorists fled to Horan Valley after the defeat. [Mada] [Mada]
An airstrike by the Coalition in coordination with the 7th Army Division killed “tens” of Daesh terrorists and destroyed a large number of vehicles at Daesh-controlled offices and neighborhoods in Hit District and the subdistrict of Kubaisa, a security source said. [Sumaria]
An IFP source says IFO commandos rocketed a Daesh gathering near Haditha, killing 3 terrorists and destroying a vehicle. [Harbi]
Counter Terrorism fighters killed 2 Daesh suicide bombers who were hiding in a deserted house in Barwana. [IWMC Report]
An AOC source says Daesh executed 4 of its members in Hit for fleeing the battles in Ramadi. The source says Daesh threatened that it would execute any members who flee and burn down their houses. [Mada]
West Anbar
The AOC said today that 11 Daesh leaders were killed, including the new wali of Baghdad, and 7 wounded by an airstrike by the IAF on a house in Al-Qa’im, in far west Anbar. [PUKMedia]
The IWMC says the new Baghdad wali, an Iraqi from Adhamiya called Abu Dua’a Al-Rawi, was appointed just a few days ago. Other terrorists killed included Abu Qatada Al-Jazrawi, a Saudi responsible for the suicide bombers; Ammar Eissawi the mail officer of Baghdad and Falluja; and Abu Fatima, an intelligence officer. [Mada]
An attack by Daesh with a bomb-rigged car on the border guard units in Ar’ar on the Saudi borders was intercepted and the attacking vehicle was destroyed before reaching its target, a security source said. [Buratha]
SALAHUDDIN
Baiji
A security source says Daesh launched an attack on Iraqi forces in Fatha from two sides. The IAA destroyed 2 Daesh vehicles and forced them to retreat. One PMF fighter was killed and three wounded in the attack. The IAA also targeted Daesh reinforcements behind Himrin Mountains and foiled a Daesh attempt to attack Al-Alam. [Mada]
Tikrit
Security sources said that the PMFs repelled an attack by Daesh on Al-Jazeera west of Tikrit, killing all attackers. [Ghad]
An attack by Daesh west of Speicher base was repelled by the PMF, killing “tens” of terrorists, a security source said. [Ghad]
Iraqi forces supported by the IAA and the IAF stopped a Daesh attack from 3 sides on Mkaishifa, killing 25 terrorists and wounding 30 and destroying 4 vehicles, including 2 vehicle bombs. An Iraqi fighter was killed and seven others wounded. [IWMC Report]
Daesh publishes photos of its “Russian” suicide terrorist who attacked Iraqi forces in Mkaishifa with a vehicle bomb yesterday. The photos don’t seem to belong to the same person however. [ADI]
Samarra
Daesh says 4 Iranian officers were killed while fighting alongside Iraqi forces in the battles in the Thirthar area southwest of Samarra. [A3maq]
Shirqat
People in Shirqat protected and hid a group of young men who killed two terrorists in the Jamila area of Shirqat, before they were able to escape under the protection of local residents, the IWMC said. [AIN]
Southern Salahuddin
Iraqi forces destroyed 31 IEDs in the Albu Hishma area, 15 km (9 miles) east of Balad. [IWMC Report]
DIYALA
Baquba
Diyala Provincial Council held an emergency meeting today with all of its members and political blocs to discuss the major deterioration of security in the province. Over 90 Diyala citizens have been killed or wounded in three major cities, especially Muqdadiya, in the past few days. [Sumaria]
An IED buried in agricultural land in the village of Sha’Ali, east of Baquba exploded today, wounding three civilians, a security source said. [Sumaria]
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
Saleem al-Jubouri, CoR speaker, headed a meeting with top officers in the Dijla Operations Command following the recent deterioration of security in Muqdadiya. Top police and tribal figures attended the meeting, according to a statement by the Speaker’s office. Al-Jubouri stressed the need for expedient replacement of some security command members and said Dijla Operations and local police should take immediate initiatives to halt the deterioration [Ghad] [Maalomah]
The MoD says it will send a committee of high ranking officers to accompany Speaker Jubouri to Diyala to investigate the recent violence. [MoD Website]
Jubouri issues a statement after meeting with Diyala officials saying if 30,000 security members cannot keep the governorate safe, then why they are getting salaries? He also says “we condemned Daesh crimes and stood up against it, and everyone should fight the criminal gangs and stand up against them”. [Sumaria]
Two civilians were shot dead in an armed attack on Al-Shati restaurant on the main road in Muqdadiya today, a security source said. [Baghdadia]
Six bodies of men shot to death were found by a police patrol in Abdulla Bin Ali intersection on the road connecting Baquba to Muqdadiya, a security source said. The men are yet to be identified. [Baghdadia]
An unidentified armed group with military uniforms destroyed a commercial building belonging to CoR member Nahida Al-Dayni (Sunni) late yesterday night. They placed several IEDs inside the building and demolished it to the ground. The building had several clinics and commercial offices. [Baghdadia] We reported this yesterday but didn’t know then who owned the building.
Dayni issued a statement asking the Sunni CoR members to withdraw from the political process. Another Sunni MP from Diyala asks the government to intervene immediately and fight the militias otherwise he will ask for international intervention through the UN office in Baghdad. [Sumaria] [Sumaria]
Another Sunni MP warns that another wave of displacement might occur if the security situation stays the same in Muqdadiya. [Sumaria]
The Badr commander, Hadi Al-Ameri, issues a statement condemning the attacks against (Sunni) mosques and journalists in Muqdadiya. [Sumaria]
A Badr commander says Hadi Al-Ameri will rehabilitate the mosques that were destroyed in Muqdadiya. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Some sources reported yesterday that the attacks on mosques were a false story. Ameri’s statement confirms the reports about the attacks.
Two mortar shells on Mukhaisa village south of Abu Saida wounded two civilians, according to a security source. [Baghdadia]
DaeshDaily comment. The village used to be a Daesh stronghold and many Shia accuse its residents of sheltering Daesh terrorists now.
Eastern Diyala
As sticky bomb attached to a civilian car exploded in Mandali, near Iran, wounding a soldier and two policemen in the car, a security source said. [Sumaria]
An IED placed at the entrance of Mandali subdistrict wounded four civilians today, said a security source. [Baghdadia]
An IED placed in a car was defused today by counter-explosives units in the popular market of Mandali, a security source said. [Buratha]
KIRKUK
A security campaign in 5 villages in Kirkuk today resulted in the arrest of 15 persons, among them 6 wanted on terrorism charges. The campaign took place in Mullah Abdullah and the Yaychi subdistrict, according to a security source. [Sumaria]
A Sunni Arab MP from Kirkuk says 50 families escaped Daesh controlled areas in Hawija to Kirkuk. [Sumaria]
NINEWA
Mosul
A fierce airstrike by the Coalition on Daesh offices and locations on both the east and west sides of Mosul at dawn today left 18 terrorists dead and 7 wounded, in addition to the destruction of targets, a security source in Mosul said. [Sumaria]
Daesh closed the five main bridges connecting the east and the west sides of Mosul, and withdrew its Islamic police cars off the streets, following unprecedented air attacks by Coalition warplanes that killed 31 and wounded 21 terrorists, including several foreign leaders, and destroyed Daesh-occupied offices and buildings in the city, a Ninewa police source said today. [BasNews]
Daesh is stealing cars in Mosul and selling them in Raqqa, said a Mosul source. The terrorist group is facing major financial difficulties in the city after the destruction of its money reserves Beit Al-Mal) in Mosul by Coalition airstrikes. [Sumaria]
80 bodies of Daesh terrorists were received by the morgue in Mosul, including 60 from Ramadi and 20 killed by airstrikes in Shalalat in north Mosul, a security source said. The hisbah office, which monitors religious violations, was converted into an “autofinance office” to imposes taxes and levies on Mosul citizens to cover Daesh expenses. The source added that floods and rains are forming a major transportation obstacle for Daesh from Raqqa to Mosul. [Karemlash]
Young men from the Jubour tribe attacked Daesh positions and killed 11 terrorists in Qayara, southernmost subdistrict in Mosul District, said a KDP source. [Baghdadia]
A KDP official says unknown armed men broke into a Daesh location in Hay Al-Arabi in Mosul and killed 3 terrorists. He also says 2 Daesh Chechen fighters committed suicide because their request to go back to their country was denied. [Baghdadia]
Daesh publishes a video of the destruction of the municipality building and the cement company in Mosul after Coalition airstrikes. [A3maq]
Northwest Ninewa
A 13 years old Yazidi girl tells her story about how she was sold for $1,000 to a Daesh member. [Sumaria]
Daesh publishes photos of its Zakat (Islamic tax) work in Tal Afar. [ADI]
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
A KRG official says the construction of the gas pipeline from the IKR to Turkey will start in February and will be done by the end of 2016. He also says the IKR can produce 10 billion cubic meters every year. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This development is a continuation of a now long-standing issue between Erbil and Baghdad, with the KRG now having moved to a mostly independent oil and gas operation in collaboration with Turkey.
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra. Armed forces ordered by the central government arrived in Basra today to enhance security, a local security source said. The force is currently surrounding three areas north of Basra, including Al-Garma, where a lot of tribal conflicts took place. Police managed to stop an armed tribal conflict in Tamimiya in Basra city and arrested all persons involved. [Baghdadia], [Baghdadia]
The armored army unit headed to Basra was subject to attacks in the Nahran Amran area north of Basra. That was followed by wide-scale arrests of area residents by the Army and deployment of troops in and around the area, a security source said. [Baghdadia]
Qadessiya. Diwaniya intelligence teams arrested today a 47 year old woman on terrorism charges, after a lengthy pursuit, according to a security source. [Ghad]
DaeshDaily comment. Most of the recent arrests targeted followers of Mahmoud Sarkhi, a self-proclaimed Shia cleric. Sarkhi’s people have been responsible for many terrorist attacks on the Coalition and Iraqi forces since 2003.
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Little new information has emerged from the Turkish press about yesterday’s deadly suicide attack in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Square that killed ten people, eight of them German tourists, and injured 15 others. As anticipated yesterday, Turkish authorities have forbidden users of social media sites to post about the Sultanahmet mosque bombing and have imposed a ban on traditional media coverage of the incident while the investigation into the attack is ongoing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack to date. [Cihan] [Aawsat]
One report in the Syrian media cites activists in the Daesh-held town of Jarabulus who say that they are aware of the attacker’s identity, though the source of the activists’ reported knowledge is unclear (see below).
In the wake of the Istanbul attack, Turkish police arrested three Russians in the southern city of Antalya on suspicion of ties to Daesh, the Turkey’s Interior Minister announced Wednesday. Cihan notes in its report that Antalya is a frequent site of raids and arrests after Daesh-related terrorist attacks in Turkey. [Cihan]
In a press conference on Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said that Turkey has made “relentless efforts” to identify the “real players” behind the bombing, and would take measures against “those who seek to use Daesh against us.” Police made five arrests on Wednesday in connection with the attack, the PM said in later remarks. It is unclear from the PM’s remarks if these five include the three Russians mentioned above. [France24] [Anadolu]
The PM alleged that intelligence information confirms that Daesh and the Syrian regime are collaborating, and said that unspecified “countries” are obstructing Turkey’s operations against Daesh. [Anadolu]
The Star, a newspaper close to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AKP party, has alleged that Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani of being the “real perpetrators” of the Istanbul attack, citing threatening words uttered by Putin after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last year. [Cihan]
Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmuş called on the international community to raise its voice in solidarity with Turkey after the attack. [Anadolu]
PM Davutoğlu visited injured survivors of yesterday’s blast at the Istanbul Teaching Hospital, accompanied by the Turkish Minister of Health Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, the Turkish Minister of Interior Efkan Ala, and the German Minister of Interior Thomas de Maizière. Davutoğlu made no statement to the press in the course of the visit. [Cihan]
With the news blackout in effect in the Turkish press, one intriguing report has emerged from Syria: Activists in the Daesh-held Syrian city of Jarabulus told ARA News that the suicide attacker in Istanbul was a Syrian Turkmen who had joined Daesh. The sources identified the attacker as Nabil Abd Al-Latif Al-Fadli, originally from the Turkmen village of Al-Emarina in the Jarabulus countryside, 7 km (4 miles) southwest of the city. However, it is not clear from ARA’s report how the Jarabulus activists could know that Al-Fadli was the attacker. (As we reported, however, he was the first person named as a likely suspect.)
According to the activists who spoke to ARA, Nabil’s father, known as Abu Shehab, is the director of the agricultural bank in Jarabulus, and returned to the area from Saudi Arabia ten years ago. The family then moved to the city of Manbij where they ran a furniture shop. After Daesh took control of Manbij, the activists say that Al-Fadli and all his brothers pledged allegiance to the organization, and took part in several battles on a number of fronts, most recently against the Syria Democratic Front in the fighting for Tishrin Dam last month, after which Al-Fadli returned to Manbij before entering Turkey illicitly through Jarabulus a few days before the attack. [ARA]
In other news from Turkey, the Cumhuriyet newspaper reported that interrogation was underway of 22 detainees [Reports yesterday said 21] in the southern governorate of Urfa, including one man who is reportedly mentally unstable and who was allegedly being groomed for another suicide attack. [Cumhuriyet]
Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said that Turkey had stopped 36,000 people from 124 different countries from entering the country on suspicion that they intended to cross Turkey to join Daesh in Syria. [Arabiya]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast
The Euphrates Martyrs Brigade (EMB, Arabic: Katibat Shuhada Al-Furat) announced in a statement that it has joined the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) and that it accepts the principles of the SDF. The EMB is based in the Arab village of Al-Quba, 35 km (22 miles) southwest of Kobane, Welati writes [ARA] [Welati]
Photos and video of the press conference announcing the EMB’s membership in the SDF. [Hawar]
Daesh has accused tribes in three villages south of the city of Shaddadi in the Hasaka Governorate, of being “Houthis,” according to tribal members. Daesh leveled the claims, which refer to the Houthi movement based in Yemen’s Zaydi Shia community, at residents of the villages of Al-Harir, Al-Awd, and Al-Sarab, which adjoin each other in an area about 10 km (6 miles) south of Shaddadi. A tribal leader said that the tribes reject Daesh’s rule and it is therefore trying to paint them as un-Islamic according to its definition of Islam. [ARA]
Two children were killed yesterday in the village of Saba Skour south of Hasaka, when a house that Daesh had booby-trapped exploded on them. Eight members of their family were injured. Daesh has also blown up school buildings over the past two days in the villages of Al-Mustawira and Al-Amu, as well as a water tank in the village of Al-Dhahir, in the southern Hasaka countryside. Residents in areas south of Hasaka also report hearing the sound of what is assumed to be Syrian Army artillery rounds exploding in the area. [Qasioun
Northwest
The Turkey-backed Sultan Murad Brigades advanced against Daesh in the northern Aleppo countryside near the Turkish border Wednesday, seizing several strategic locations and inflicting casualties, according to a field commander of the FSA-allied Jabha Shamiya. At least nine Daesh fighters were reported killed. [ARA] [Qasioun]
Turkey has sent 40 vehicles to the Sultan Murad Brigades according to local sources near the Syria-Turkey border. [Hawar]
After yesterday’s deadly Russian airstrikes reported in Manbij, Russian planes have committed what ARA calls another “massacre” in the city of Tadif, also east of Aleppo. Russian jets bombed a market in the city, killing 16 civilians and injuring tens of others, an eyewitness said. Two other Russian strikes on the city of Maskana killed two and injured another five people. The strike occurred amid clashes between Russian-backed Syrian Army ground forces and Daesh in the area outside the city amid a Syrian drive into Daesh-held territory east of Aleppo. [ARA]
Daesh publishes a video of the airstrikes on Aisha village north of Kowaires. [A3maq]
Daesh says 6 Syrian soldiers defected and surrendered to its fighters near Kowaires. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes photos of its air defense unit in Aleppo. [ADI]
Central and West
Daesh fought violent clashes with the Syrian Army and the allied Lebanese Hezbollah militia in areas around Al-Dowa in the eastern Homs countryside, after Daesh seized control of four Syrian military sites in the area. Clashes also erupted between Daesh and the Syrian Army in the Qaryatayn area, amid Syrian Army shelling of the area with rockets and artillery. In both areas, Russian aircraft conducted a large number of raids in coordination with the ground assault. [Qasioun]
Daesh publishes photos of the suicide attack on Syrian troops in Dowa yesterday. [ADI]
Daesh publishes photos of peaceful life in Tadmur. [ADI]
DaeshDaily comment. All is well in the caliphate, despite anything you may have read.
East
Just as Daesh allowed residents of the villages around Shaitat in the Deir Ez-Zor countryside to return to their homes, three mass graves have been discovered in the Shaitat village of Abu Hammam, a Syrian human rights organization announced. The graves contain the remains of 37 unidentified people, the group announced. After occupying the area over a year ago, Daesh reportedly killed over 1,500 members of the tribe before forcing the survivors to flee their homes. [ARA] [ARA]
Daesh fought renewed clashes with Syrian Army troops and militia allies in the Deir Ez-Zor city areas of Al-Haweiqa and Al-Sinaa, who attempted to infiltrate the Daesh-held areas on Wednesday. Fighting also erupted south of the Deir Ez-Zor military airport as Daesh shelled Syrian Army positions in the mountains overlooking the airport. Unidentified planes bombed the city of Al-Baseera on Tuesday, killing two civilians. [Qasioun]
Daesh arrested a family of four that had paid 3 million Syrian pounds (approx. $13,600 USD) to escape besieged Syrian Army-held areas in Deir Ez-Zor and took them to an unknown location. Daesh also arrested 17 youths from the cities of Mayadin and Buqrus, without stating the reason. An unidentified fighter bombed the house of the Daesh wali in Mayadin, with the results of the strike still unknown. [Qasioun]
REPORTS FROM OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Egypt. Egyptian F-16s targeted Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis sites in Rafah, Arish, and Sheikh Zuweid amid a wide-ranging ground campaign codenamed “Martyr’s Right 2,” security sources said. Twelve Ansar members were arrested in the ground campaign, and there are unconfirmed reports of casualties among Ansar members from the airstrikes. [Watan]
Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis abducted ten civilians from three villages, tribal sources in Rafah said, explaining that the abductions were caused by a dispute between the Ansar group and cigarette smugglers in the area. [Watan]
Egyptian President Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi has issued a decree extending the “state of emergency” in some areas of North Sinai governorate for three months, covering an area that runs from the international border with Gaza and Israel in the northeast to the west of Arish, and extending southward to Jabal Halal in the interior of northern Sinai. In these areas a curfew is in place between 7pm and 6am, apart from areas around Arish and the international road running through the city, where a curfew is in force from 1am to 5am. [Shorouk]
Libya. Daesh fighters have reportedly slipped quietly out of Sirte with the aim of carrying out attacks in other cities of Libya, residents say. [Ewan]
The Oil Facilities Guard repelled an attack on petroleum infrastructure in Zuweitina, the Guard’s spokesman said. Three boats attempted to advance on the facility, which prompted the Guard to open fire on them. One boat was disabled and the two others fled, before returning later in an attempt to extract the disabled boat, the spokesman added, without providing further details. The attackers are presumed to be Daesh militants based on the known threat of Daesh attempting to infiltrate Libyan oil facilities in Zuweitina by sea, he added. [Libya24]
A sniper has assassinated a Daesh judicial official in Sirte, according to local sources in the city.
Ahmed Abdulhadi, known as Abu Anis Al-Muhajir, of Sudanese nationality, was reportedly shot dead as he entered a health clinic, the source said, adding that a state of fear broke out among Daesh members in the city who shot in the air and searched in vain for the sniper, who was identified in the report just as “a citizen.” [Hadath]
Libyan aircraft have been flying in the skies over Sirte, Bin Jawad, Nawfaliya, and Harawa to monitor the movement of Daesh in the city, a Central Area Joint Operations Room source said. [Wasat]
Daesh has tightened its grasp in the areas it controls, local sources say. The organization executed five Libyans in Bin Jawad, for having been associated with the Libyan security and military apparatus. Daesh also abducted six Egyptians in the village of Abu Qurayn, a local source said. In Bin Jawad the organization has confiscated houses belonging to Salafis, marking “Property of Islamic State” on them. Sources in Bin Jawad also said that Daesh has been raiding houses in Bin Jawad since yesterday, searching for arms, as well as making arrests of residents suspected of collaborating with the Libyan authorities.
Daesh also raided the homes of nurses in Sirte, compelling them to work in Avicenna Hospital, according to local sources. A displaced person from Sirte has said that the organization has forbidden young men from wearing tight trousers. A source in the area said that Daesh moved its security command center to a hotel complex in the city. [Wasat] [Ewan] [LibyasChannel]
Photos of recently arrived military reinforcements in the strategic oil-producing areas around Sidra and Ras Lanuf. [Libya24]
Inadequacies in the Libyan military’s arsenal have facilitated the spread of Daesh in Libya, the Libyan Interior Ministry’s spokesman has said (video in Arabic). [AkhbarLibya]
Daesh publishes photos of its police in Harawa. [ADI]
Algeria. Algerian police in the northern governorate of Boumerdès have broken up a cell of 21 people, including 9 women, who intended to join Daesh, according to media reports. [AfriGate]
Other countries
Afghanistan. Daesh claimed responsibility for an attack involving a suicide bomber and an ensuing gun battle on a building near the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad, killing seven Afghani security personnel. [Arabi21] [Erem]
Daesh’s version says 3 of its terrorists attacked the Pakistani consulate and two of them detonated themselves, killing “tens” of consulate staff and several Pakistani intelligence officers. Daesh says its third terrorist returned safely after four hours of battles. [ADI] Here Daesh says at least 15 people were killed and many others wounded in the attack. [A3maq]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Mohammed Tarhouni (a Daesh cleric) page
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/awechile_lopk
https://twitter.com/alwafaa05444111
