January 19, 2016
Today’s Major Developments
Sectarian incidents in Diyala reverberating in Baghdad.
Top US, French, British diplomats meet with Al-Jaafari.
Three Arab-American contractor personnel kidnapped in Baghdad.
Alleged Daesh supporters in Ramadi are on a list.
Coalition bombing in Mosul destroys Daesh’s main bank and other Daesh buildings.
400 civilians in Deir Ez-Zor, Syria reported abducted by Daesh after military advance.
Rival Libya governments agree to “government of national accord.”
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
Sunni ministers and parliamentarians are boycotting government and parliament meetings today in protest against what they call “violations against the Sunni sect in Muqdadiya”. [Elaph]
The Prime Minister’s office warned today about people issuing “fabricated videos” to social media sources aiming to instigate sectarian differences. [Buratha]
DaeshDaily comment. During the last few days many media outlets (not directly affiliated with Daesh but supporting most of its claims) started to publish synchronized reports, videos, stories, etc. about militia crimes in Diyala. While some were true, many were fabricated or exaggerated, and all were one-sided. They never report Daesh crimes. This is a third type of media involved in the Daesh war (in addition to Daesh’s media and the parallel pro-Daesh media).
Foreign Affairs Minister Jaafari received in his office the American and French Ambassadors and the deputy British Ambassador on Monday. Jaafari issued a statement after the meeting thanking the three countries for supporting Iraq and asking for stronger support regarding the Turkish troop presence in Iraq. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. Turkey doesn’t seem to accept that its troops are not welcomed by the Iraqi government. Its puppet, Atheel Nujaifi, said two days ago that his phony NMFs will liberate Ninewa with support (but not direct involvement!) of the Turkish troops, and refused even to have the Ninewa provincial government involved in the supposed operation, a position opposed strongly by the new Ninewa Governor.
A report from an unnamed security source says the US 101st Airborne Division is in Iraq at Prime Minister Al-Abadi’s request. However, the source also says the 101st will control the 600 km Syrian-Iraqi border and have the Anbar desert as its field of operations. [Maalomah]
DaeshDaily comment. The deployment of the 101st to Iraq has been previously announced, to replace the 82nd Airborne, and to train Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga troops for the campaign to retake Mosul. People in Iraq have no clear idea about the role of the US forces, and previous reports of direct US military involvement have turned out to be mostly rumors.
Minister of Defense Khalid Al-Obeidi headed to Cairo today on invitation of his Egyptian counterpart. Armament and training cooperation will be discussed, said the Ministry in a statement today. [Sumaria]
Egypt is fully supportive of Iraq in its effort to combat terrorism and expel Daesh from its territories, President Al-Sisi told Minister of Defense Al-Obeidi. [Maalomah]
Norway promised $2.8 million to support the return of displaced persons to liberated areas in Ramadi, the UNDP said today. [Maalomah]
The UN says Daesh has enslaved 3,500 Iraqi people, mostly Yazidi women and children. [PUKMedia]
Security developments
The three Americans kidnapped in Baghdad are contractors according to a security source. Two of them are of Iraqi origin, while the third is Egyptian. The search is underway in the Dora area which was blocked off by security for this purpose. [Buratha]
The kidnappers of the Americans in Dora used 4-wheel drive vehicles belonging to “influential parties” in the state, a source of the Ministry of Interior said. [BasNews]
24 coalition airstrikes were executed today on Daesh targets, 21 in Iraq and 3 in Syria. Iraq raids were in Ramadi; Hawija; Kasik, Mosul, Qayara, and Sinjar. The raids in Syria were on Daesh positions in Ain Essa and Hasaka. [AIN]
Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said today that the 2nd battalion of the 45th brigade found today an explosives cache containing 300 IEDs of various forms and sizes, including 20-liter containers packed with C4, in the Al-Raood area of west Baghdad. The information used was provided by an arrested terrorist. [Mada]
According to security sources:
- A roadside bomb went off in Tarmiya, northern Baghdad Governorate, while a police patrol was passing, killing one policeman and wounding four. [Mada]
- The body of a woman shot to death was found today in Taji, northern Baghdad Governorate. [Ghad]
- 2 persons were arrested today in Suleikh, north Baghdad, on charges of terrorism. [Sumaria]
- A terror suspect was arrested north of Baghdad, escaped the arrest, and was wounded after being chased by security troops. [Maalomah]
- A man was arrested on terror charges in a security ambush in Qahira, northeast Baghdad, this morning. [Sumaria]
- A body of a man with marks of torture was found today in Jamila, east Baghdad. [Ghad]
- An attack with hand grenades on the house of the car registration officer in Khadimiya traffic department took place today in Ubaidi, east Baghdad. Material damage was inflicted to the house and car of police Lt. Col. Ali Al-Rube’i, but no human casualties were recorded. [Baghdadia]
- A woman was shot dead in front of her house in Al-Rasheed in south Baghdad. [Ghad]
- Two civilians were killed and five wounded when an IED placed in a popular market in Hor Rijab, south Baghdad, exploded. [Mada]
- An IED placed in a commercial area in Al-Amel in southwest Baghdad exploded, killing one civilian and wounding 5 others this morning. [Mada]
- A man was killed and a woman severely wounded when unknown armed men shot them in Hay Al-Adel in west Baghdad. [Baghdadia]
- A sticky bomb attached to a car of a lawyer went off in the Al-Jamea neighborhood in west Baghdad, killing the lawyer immediately. [Mada]
- Three men in a car were arrested by the Army following a chase, after he shot at the house of Sungul Jabok, ex-Turkmen member of the CPA-era Iraq Governing Council, in Hay Al-Dakhiliya in west Baghdad. [Sumaria]
- A sticky bomb attached to a car belonging to a leading PMF figure exploded as it passed through Baladiyat in east Baghdad today. The target was killed immediately. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported today: 14 (Not an overall total)
According to IWMC, Army helicopters executed 40 attacks, IAF 13 attacks in all operations fronts, and the Coalition air forces executed 17 attacks in Mosul, Sinjar, Albu Hayat, and Tal Afar, killing 24 terrorists and destroying 14 positions and 3 vehicles. Attacks on Tal Afar and Barwana in Anbar killed 16 Daesh terrorists in a training camp.
ANBAR
Ramadi
Khaldiya subdistrict council stated today that joint forces of army, IFP, and tribal forces are surrounding the areas of Jwaiba and Hsaiba 10 km (6 miles) east of Ramadi, leaving a secure exit for civilians who want to depart the area. The next few hours will witness the attack on these areas for final liberation, the council said. [Mada]
The Chairman of Khaldiya subdistrict council says hundreds of families are trapped in Jwaiba and used by Daesh as human shields. [Sumaria]
The Chairman said on Saturday that security forces prepared a list of 10,000 wanted Daesh members from Ramadi. He says these names were provided by people who were targeted by Daesh and by tribal sources.
Photos of Daesh members list found in Ramadi [Facebook]
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh problems in Ramadi are far from being over. Ramadi people expressed their anger and their desire for revenge against Daesh members who killed members of their families or destroyed their houses. The problem is there are no clear lines of who is who and who did what. Members of the same family were on opposite sides of the battle. People are angry, and they are not satisfied with promises of justice given by the provincial government. Reconstruction efforts and transitional justice programs are essential to ease some of the tension.
The IFP announced that its 3rd brigade killed 8 Daesh terrorists carrying rocket launchers and destroyed 3 vehicles and three fighting positions, as well as detonating 12 IEDs in Hsaiba, east of Ramadi. [Ghad]
An IFP rocket regiment killed 7 Daesh terrorists and destroyed three defensive positions east of Ramadi, according to an IFP statement. [Ghad]
The commander of the tribal forces in Anbar said that total Daesh casualties since the start of the Ramadi battle are 600 terrorists. [Mada]
An Anbar Provincial Council source said Daesh is now present only in Jazeera Khaldiya and Falluja, after being defeated or largely defeated in other areas. He added that the Falluja situation is a bit more complicated. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This sounds a bit too optimistic, especially as it does not address areas farther west.
Rapid Intervention troops are advancing towards Sajariya, and are breaking through the Hsaiba area east of Ramadi according to the forces’ command. It defused 4 booby-trapped houses and cleared several Daesh positions. The advance is under artillery cover of army and IFP forces [Sumaria]
However, Daesh says its terrorists stopped, for the third day in a row, Iraqi forces’ attacks on East Hsaiba and Madhiq and another near Tal Mshaihda, killing or wounding many soldiers and forcing the rest to flee. [JustPaste]
Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists from Ramadi (from Albu Fahad tribe) attacked Iraqi SWAT forces with a vehicle bomb in Sufiya, killing many of them and destroying two Humvees. [JustPaste]
Large quantities of ammunition and C4 explosives were found in the Al-Warrar area west of Ramadi by security troops, who transferred them to a safe location, according to a security source. [Ghad]
An airstrike by the Coalition on Al-Zangoura High School in Ramadi, used by Daesh as a weapon and ammunition store, killed 6 terrorists and destroyed the storage. [Baghdadia]
Unidentified armed men threw a hand grenade on the house of an Army Brigadier General in the Al-Betoul neighborhood in Ubaidi, wounding two persons. [Ghad]
A video of Iraqi troops clearing Albu Khalifa and Albu Mahal areas in Ramadi [Facebook]
An Anbar police source says Iraqi Army lieutenant, Hasehm Yousef Al-Dhiyabi, was killed while defusing an IED in Jamaiya in Ramadi. [Maalomah]
An IWMC statement today itemized the following operations in the Ramadi area. [Ghad]
- Special operations troops in Sufiya are clearing the houses and the roads of IEDs while transferring civilians to safe areas. In the process, it killed 12 terrorists and destroyed 22 IEDs.
- The 1st brigade of the Rapid Response troops repelled an attack by Daesh in Hsaiba, east of Ramadi, killing one attacker and destroying a Daesh position. An officer was wounded.
- 31st Army brigade of the 8th division is clearing the 60th road leading to Tal Mshaihda to connect to the 1st battalion of the 32rd brigade positioned there. In the process, it destroyed 7 IEDS and defused 15.
- Engineering units of the 50th brigade in Albu Aitha are fortifying defensive positions, securing supply roads, and clearing booby-trapped houses.
- In the same area, the Coalition initiated 8 airstrikes, killing 5 terrorists and destroying supply lines, a motorcycle, and a truck.
Videos of Iraqi forces in Sufiya [Iraqia] [Iraqia]
A video of Iraqi Counter Terrorism troops clearing Albu Alwan area in Ramadi [Harbi]
Falluja
An Anbar Operations Command (AOC) source says 14 Daesh terrorists were killed and three armored personnel carriers (APCs) destroyed in an attack by security forces on Al-Azraqiya, north of Falluja. The commanding officer of Daesh armor units was killed in the operation. [Mada]
29 Daesh terrorists were killed in Qarma south of Falluja and the Thirthar area to the north, BOC said today. [AIN]
A video of Daesh IEDs found in Falluja areas [YouTube]
Hit/Haditha
Daesh is still consolidating its forces to resume attacks on Haditha, Barwana, and Baghdadi, a security source said today. It added that the reinforcements are arriving from Hit and Syria, and that areas south of Falluja and east of Tikrit are still among Daesh targets. [Ghad]
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh is still looking for a major win in Iraq to balance its defeat in Ramadi. Capturing Haditha and its strategic dam is more important than retaking Ramadi. Iraqi forces should not get distracted.
The “religious execution officer” of Daesh was killed in Hit, after a Coalition force attacked three Daesh positions in the city, killing “tens” of them, a security source said. [Baghdadia]
IWMC says an airstrike by Coalition planes struck a Daesh convoy heading from Hit to Barwana, including two tank transporters and a trailer carrying 40 terrorists, destroying it completely.
Western Anbar
Al-Suqoor Intelligence Cell says Iraqi helicopters attacked a Daesh gathering in the Al-Tanak neighborhood in Al-Qa’im, following a mass forced wedding of Daesh to Yazidi girls. The attack killed over 20 terrorists and wounded many others and destroyed their location. Among the killed were Abu Saja Al-Dulaimi, a former Saddam officer and a close friend of Daesh leader Awwad Baghdadi, Abu Mohanned Al-Hashemi and the Saudi Mus’ab Al-Jazrawi, the leader of the Inghamisyeen brigade. Before the airstrike, Jazrawi killed an Iraqi citizen who tried to protect a 13 year old Yazidi girl and tried to negotiate with the terrorists by trading them his truck for her. [Mada]
IWMC says an airstrike by the Coalition on a factory used for car bombs between Haditha and Rawa west of Anbar today killed “tens” of Daesh terrorists, destroyed at least 10 bomb-rigged cars, and caused a wave of big explosions in the area. [Ghad]
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
Awwad Baghdadi, the leader of Daesh, issued firm orders to execute anyone among its fighters who withdraws from Shirqat or Hawija. [Sumaria]
Baiji
A PMF source says PMFs destroyed 2 Daesh machine shops in Sukariyat near Siniya. [Harbi]
A video of PMFs’ battles in the Makhoul Mountains area [YouTube]
Daesh publishes photos of battles in the Makhoul Mountains area. [JustPaste]
Tikrit
Army helicopters shelled a rocket launching platform west of Tikrit, shortly after 4 rockets fell on Al-Qadisiya in the northern area of the city, the Salahuddin police command said. 20 terrorists were killed and the platform and a machine gun-mounted vehicle were destroyed. [Mada]
A security source said a 6-man kidnapping group was arrested in the heart of Tikrit. One hostage was released in the operation. [Mada]
7 rockets filled with “poisonous” material fell on Al-Zuhour, west Tikrit. A police source said that 7 persons were affected by this material. The rockets were fired from the Al-Jazeera area still controlled by Daesh. [Ghad]
Samarra
10th IFP brigade destroyed three vehicles and a Daesh construction shovel, killing their drivers in the Strategic Line area of Samarra, an IFP statement said. [Ghad]
A PMF source says Saraya Al-Salam rocketed Daesh locations in Albu Chaweesh west of Samarra, giving no further details. [Harbi]
Tooz
A civilian was shot dead in the middle of Tuz Khurmatu by armed men in a speeding car, a security source aid. [Sumaria]
Southern Salahuddin
108 persons are the victims of IEDs and landmines left by Daesh in Dhuluiya area in Salahuddin, said a source of the Ministry of Health and Environment. [Maalomah]
DIYALA
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
A member of Diyala GC says the events in Muqdadiya were planned by Daesh. He also says the reports about displacement from Muqdadiya were not true. Prime Minister Abadi ordered establishment of an intelligence cell in Muqdadiya to follow up on the recent events. [Mada]
Diyala Police said that attempts by some media to portray police measures in Muqdadiya and Diyala as “pathetic” are aiming to provoke sectarian fighting. [Mada]
A source in the PMF commission condemned today the “oppressive” arrest of some PMF leaders and other personnel in Diyala in the recent security campaign. [Maalomah]
Diyala Police said today that its operations against sleeper cells north of Muqdadiya today resulted in clearing the Al-Zor villages in northern Muqdadiya District and Shirween village in Mansouriya from Daesh terrorists. [Mada]
Northern Diyala
A doctor was shot dead by armed men in Mansouriya, Diyala, a security source said. [Maalomah]
Southern Diyala
A PMF source in Diyala warned that instigation by some politicians is leading to sectarian differences and paving the return of Daesh to the area. Daesh threats forced 16 families to leave their homes in Hussein Al-Hamadi village near Khan Bani Saad, following the assassination of PMF officer Saad Brisem and two of his escorts in that village. [Sumaria]
KIRKUK
A Daesh leading figure was arrested in Kirkuk today. He entered the province with the displaced families. The man is from Baiji, and is responsible for hosting and transporting foreign fighters, a security source said. [Mada]
NINEWA
Mosul
The building of the Rafidain Bank in Mosul, used by Daesh as its main bank, was destroyed in an airstrike by the Coalition, a local source said. A church used by Daesh as a prison was also destroyed, and 5 terrorists were killed. [Sumaria]
Daesh publishes a video of the results of the bombing on Al-Rafidain Bank. [A3maq]
A Coalition airstrike hit a Daesh headquarters in Hay Sumer in Mosul, destroying it completely and killing tens of Daesh terrorists, a security source said. [Mada]
A security source says Coalition warplanes destroyed a big Daesh weapons and explosives storehouse in the Al-Maidan area in Mosul. [Baghdadia]
Local sources say Coalition warplanes bombed 7 Daesh locations on the eastern side of Mosul, including a historical Assyrian church. [Karemlash]
The “Child Recruitment Officer” of Daesh, Abu Al-Qasim Al-Yamani, was killed in Humaidyat village in west Mosul with a hand grenade by unidentified armed men, a local source said. [Maalomah]
A local source says unknown armed men kidnapped 20 Daesh members in the Qayara subdistrict south of Mosul. The source says Daesh sent foreign terrorists to try to regain control of the situation. [PUKMedia]
Kata’eb Al-Mosul says its fighters killed a local Daesh informant in Hay Al-Tanak in Mosul. [KM Facebook Page]
A KDP source says Daesh executed 9 of its members on charges of defecting from various battle fronts. The executions took place in Bab Al-Tob, downtown Mosul. [Mada]
Nineveh Plain
5 Daesh terrorists were killed and 2 of their vehicles destroyed in an attack by Coalition planes on Daesh positions in Tel Keif District, northeast of Mosul, a KDP source said. [Mada]
Makhmur
Daesh says it killed four PMF fighters with a series of IED explosions in Makhmur. [JustPaste]
Northwest Ninewa
IWMC says an airstrike by Coalition planes on a Daesh position near Al-Hussein hospital in Tal Afar killed 30 terrorists.
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
A Daesh cell was arrested in Suleimaniya, the province security agency said, adding that weapons and explosives were found with the group. No further details were stated. [Maalomah]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra. IWMC says operations in Basra and Qurna by Basra Operations Command arrested 31 wanted persons and large quantities of weapons and equipment.
Maysan. Unidentified gunmen attacked a police patrol transporting a death-sentenced convict in Ali Al-Sharqi north of Amarah. After being fired on, the police vehicle toppled, and one officer was wounded while two soldiers with the patrol were killed. The convict escaped. He had been arrested in Baghdad but was moved to a prison in Maysan, a local security source said. [Baghdadia]
Dhi Qar. Armed men threw a hand grenade on the Nasariya municipality director’s house. No further details are available. [Mada]
Najaf. SWAT units in Najaf suddenly installed checkpoints all around the city today, including religious shrines, courts, and other important locations. [AIN]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Daesh reportedly launched a Katyusha rocket on Monday that landed in the playground of a school (Eyüp Gökçe İmam Middle School) about 8 km (5 miles) from the Syrian border in Kilis, Turkey. It killed a member of the cleaning staff and injured four others including a pupil. Cumhuriyet states that the nearest town on the Syrian side of the border is Azaz, controlled by the FSA, but that Daesh controls the territory about 10 km (6 miles) to the west and the PYD controls Afrin about 8 km (5 miles) to the east.
The rocket was one of three that Daesh reportedly launched across the border on Monday, the other two landing in unpopulated fields outside of Kilis. Turkish artillery units on the border are said to have fired “tens” of retaliatory shells into Syria using artillery, armored vehicles, and tanks. [Cihan] [Cumhuriyet] [ARA]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Daesh has cut salaries for fighters in Raqqa by 50 percent, according to a report that appeared in the UK-based Independent newspaper. [Hawar]
Daesh has begun to introduce electricity codes for circuit breakers in Raqqa in a stated effort to limit electricity consumption and relieve pressure on the power grid in Raqqa. [ARA]
A video of a former Daesh emir saying that Daesh sells human organs of its prisoners based on a fatwa from its sharia committee [Al-Aan]
100 Russian ground soldiers including 10 officers are deploying to Syrian government-held areas of Qamishli, according to a statement issued by the Local Coordination Committee. [Qasioun]
DaeshDaily comment. In response to your probable reaction to this story, we don’t know what the Russians have to do with Qamishli either.
Iraqi and Syrian factions sent representatives to a security summit in northeastern Syria two weeks ago to plan the launch of a new militia on the Syria-Iraq border, a Peshmerga intelligence source has said. The source said that on 11 January in Qamishli the Iraqi PMF commander Qays Al-Khaazali and the deputy governor of Ninewa Abd Al-Rahman Al-Luwayzi met with the PYD-appointed “governor” of Al-Jazeera Humaidi Duham Al-Jarba (part of its efforts to set up its own government), military commanders from the YPG and the PKK, and Syrian security commanders.
The Syrian and Iraqi officials reportedly discussed the formation of a “PMF” in the border area composed of local members of the Shammar tribe as well as Iraqi refugees living in Syria. The new force would ostensibly deploy along the border between Al-Hawl and Tal Kocher, with the stated aim of preventing the deployment of Roj Ava Peshmerga toward the Iraq-Syria border area. [Welati]
DaeshDaily comment. The story is inherently confusing, but seems to be an unverified Peshmerga “leak” about a meeting of entities regarded as unfriendly to the KRG and seen as plotting against it.
Al-Jarba is the leading family of Shammar, one of the major Arab tribes. Most of the family members live in Ninewa and one of them is the former Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawer. If true, the story shows another angle for anti-Daesh movements between Iraq and Syria and between Sunni, Shia and Kurds! As of now, however, there is no way to evaluate this report.
Daesh has started to sell houses it confiscated from residents of Shaddadi who left the area, saying these residents who vacated the Daesh-held area have forfeited their right to the property for having “left their religion” and abandoned their land, according to a resident who says that most of those purchasing the homes are Daesh fighters from within the organization. [ARA]
Coalition planes targeted a Daesh site in southern Hasaka countryside, one of 35 Coalition sorties against Daesh in Syria and Iraq, the Coalition announced in a statement. [ARA]
Daesh publishes 2 photos of rocketing the YPG in Melabiya south of Hasaka. [JustPaste]
Daesh stoned a woman to death in Raqqa on the charge of adultery, according to a well-placed source in the Raqqa Revolutionaries Brigades, who said the woman was identified as a muhajira, that is a “migrant,” from outside of Syria who had come to join Daesh. [ARA] A second version of the story, from a local activist, says she was one of its foreign female members. [BasNews]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Daesh now holds the areas of Ghazl and Yayban in the countryside north of Aleppo near the Turkish border, according to a commander in the Jabha Shamiya militia, who said that Daesh attacked opposition militias including the Sultan Murad Brigades, the Mutasam Bi-Allah Brigade, and the Jabha Shamiya, with fierce shelling and rocket fire, forcing them to withdraw from these areas. Fighting is still ongoing as the Sultan Murad Brigade and the Jabha Shamiya attempt to force Daesh back out of these and neighboring areas. [ARA]
Daesh publishes photos of the opposition group fighters it killed in Yayban. [JustPaste]
Daesh launched heavy attacks on opposition militias north of Aleppo leading to intense clashes as it attempted to seize opposition-held territory in the direction of Jazir and Tal Malid, but Daesh was unable to advance, according to a fighter from the Muhammad Al-Fatih Brigade. [ARA]
The Sultan Murad Brigades (a Syrian Turkmen militia backed by Turkey) and their allies are preparing to turn the border areas between Jarabulus and Azaz (east to west) and Al-Bab (to the south) into a closed military area to prevent a contiguous Kurdish presence on the border between the Euphrates and the Kurdish canton of Azaz, according to Kurdish activists north of Aleppo. The sources fear that these opposition militias are preparing to work with Turkey to depopulate Kurdish areas by the border if Daesh should withdraw. Turkey and its allies are angling to prevent the Syria Democratic Forces from advancing into the area. If and when Daesh vacates the Al-Bab countryside, the activists expect that heavy Turkish shelling from across the border will be used along with Syrian militia activity on the ground to depopulate and seal off the border area. [Welati] [Welati]
DaeshDaily comment: Daesh has fought a protracted series of battles in recent weeks with opposition militias for control over the settlements on the Syrian-Turkish border. Control of the contested cities and villages has shifted back and forth between Daesh and the opposition factions. Ankara has said repeatedly that it rejects the extension of the Kurdish militia presence westward across the Euphrates River along its border.
Daesh has resumed shelling the Kurdish-majority town of Tal Aren southeast of Aleppo, local sources said, reporting damage to homes. [Hawar]
In the Daesh-held city of Manbij, toward which both Syrian Army and Syrian Democratic Forces are advancing, the organization has begun to impose new taxes and property confiscations, including a “motorcycle tax,” and royalties on olive crops, with threats of harsh punishment for those who do not comply. [Hawar]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Daesh clashed with Syrian Army troops and the allied Lebanese Hezbollah militia outside the city of Qaryatayn in eastern Homs countryside, with unspecified reports of deaths and injuries on both sides. Also east of Homs, the Syrian military shelled areas outside the Daesh-held city of Palmyra under heavy Russian air presence. Daesh and the Syrian Army also clashed over the oilfields of Shaeir and Hajjar, east of Homs, as Daesh attempted to seize the area from Syrian government control. [Qasioun]
Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists attacked Syrian Army troops and supporting militias with a vehicle bomb carrying 6 tons of explosives on the road between Silmiya and Sabboura in Hama countryside, killing 70 of them. [MRKZGulf]
Daesh publishes a photo of the suicide terrorist. [MRKZGulf]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Heavy sandstorms have hampered the Syrian military response to the brutal attack and unexpected advance in the city of Deir Ez-Zor that Daesh conducted on Saturday, according to Syrian opposition sources. The whereabouts of 400 civilians allegedly abducted by Daesh amid the fighting, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, are not known while some local sources suggest that the alleged detainees could have been transferred out of the city to the Daesh stronghold of Maidan in Raqqa governorate. Daesh is reportedly poised to seize control of the western areas of the city including Syrian military units and arms caches. [Aawsat]
Five civilians lost their lives when they fled into a minefield while attempting to escape Daesh advances in Deir Ez-Zor. [Hawar]
20 people have died of hunger in the besieged Syrian-held areas of Deir Ez-Zor, the UN reports. [ARA]
Daesh says it captured the last Syrian Army position in Al-Jahif Mountain west of Deir Ez-Zor. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes a video of the battles in Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
North Africa
Daesh publishes video messages from its terrorists in Deir Ez-Zor, Raqqa, Ninewa, and Sinai to the people of North Africa. [Archive] [Archive] [Archive] [Archive]
Egypt. Twenty Egyptians abducted in Libya [Earlier reports said 21] two weeks ago have been freed and arrived back in Egypt. Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah Al-Sisi, who personally met the returning Egyptians at Cairo Airport, thanked the Libyan military for its cooperation. [AfriGate]
Two officers and two soldiers were injured in a roadside IED attack on their vehicle Tuesday in Arish. Egyptian troops have been enforcing all checkpoints on the road between Arish and Sheikh Zuweid in a bid to catch IED attackers, as well as conducting search operations.
The anti-IED campaign comes after an IED attack targeted a passing police patrol on Monday in Arish, without injuries. On Tuesday Egyptian troops safely conducted controlled detonations of two roadside IEDs west of Sheikh Zuweid, security sources said. [VetoGate] [ElWatan] [VetoGate]
Daesh says it targeted a police vehicle with an IED in east Arish, then its terrorists clashed with the policemen in the vehicle, killing or wounding five of them. [CDN]
Photos of damage to homes in Arish from Monday’s IED attack. [VetoGate]
According to one report, Egyptian troops made 35 arrests in North Sinai, apparently on Tuesday, but details are not forthcoming. [VetoGate]
Libya
Libya’s two rival governments (Tripoli/Tobruk) have agreed to the formation of a long-anticipated “government of national accord,” releasing a list of names of 32 proposed cabinet members in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to the office of president-designate Fayez Al-Sarraj. The proposed government will first need parliamentary approval (List of proposed ministers in Arabic). [AfriGate]
A list of names, in English, of the proposed cabinet ministers. [LibyaHerald]
Unidentified warplanes struck Daesh positions in Bin Jawad and Nawfaliya on Monday evening, according to media reports. No information has been reported on the outcome of the strikes. [Wasat]
Two Daesh fighters were killed after attempting to infiltrate Derna Monday evening, the spokesman of the Mujahidin Shura Council of Derna announced. [ElWatan]
Daesh seeks to turn Libya into its “rear base” after its setbacks in Syria and Iraq, the Libyan Foreign Minister Muhammad Al-Dairi says, calling for the international community to support the Libyan military in its fight against Daesh. [AkhbarLibya]
A group of Egyptians abducted in Libya two weeks ago have been freed and arrived back in Egypt. (See above under Egypt).
Tunisia. Tunisian police in Sfax governorate arrested a woman who was allegedly recruiting for Daesh on social media, the Interior Ministry announced, adding that the woman was part of a cell that had been able to recruit Tunisians in Sidi Bouzid and Kairouan governorates. Acting on intelligence gathered in the arrest, Tunisian police raided homes in Kairouan and Sidi Bouzid, making at least two further arrests. [Tunisien]
Other countries
Norway. A Norwegian appeals court has upheld prison sentences against three Norwegian citizens on terrorism charges for involvement with Daesh. Two of the defendants are sentenced to up to four years, nine months, on charges of fighting for Daesh in Syria, while another, a younger brother to one of the two, has been sentenced to eight months for attempting to obtain military uniforms and equipment. The three deny the charges and defense lawyers are studying the cases. [AfriGate]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Al-Natiq news page from Syria
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/kxIqlaEulsSkTxS
https://twitter.com/BdjdjDbdnd
Other Daesh media
Daesh audio newsletter for today in English [Archive]
The latest issue of Daesh’s magazine “Dabiq” [Archive]
In this issue, Daesh admits that Jihadi John was killed.
Daesh’s Al-Naba’ weekly magazine [Archive]
