January 21, 2016
Today’s Major Developments
Iraqi forces attack Daesh-held Kubaisa in Anbar’s Hit District.
Daesh prepares a comeback in Haditha area.
Egypt Defense Minister promises military support for Iraq.
Nine more IED attacks hit Baghdad.
US drone takes out important bridge in Mosul, but maybe not intentionally.
Daesh trying to take over Libya’s main oil region as politicians renew bickering.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
PM Abadi meets with Vice President Biden in Davos and discusses several issues, including the need for international support in Ramadi reconstruction. Biden encouraged Abadi to continue the dialogue with Turkey regarding its troops in Iraq and repeated the US respect for Iraq’s unity and sovereignty over its land. [Erem]
The meeting also discussed the challenges in the liberated areas, the support of the US for the reforms in Iraq, and the efforts to restore electricity. [Sumaria]
Abadi also met with Secretary John Kerry in Davos to discuss the war on Daesh. Kerry reiterated the US support for Iraq according to a statement issued by the PM office. [Rudaw]
Speaker Jubouri received General Lloyd Austin in his office in Baghdad to discuss Ninewa liberation and the participation of Ninewa citizens and how to increase the number of training venues for them, according to a statement issued by the Speaker’s office. The Speaker said that the victories in Anbar showed the ability of the Iraqi armed forces and the tribal fighters to defeat Daesh and also refuted the false image about the people of the Daesh occupied areas that they are Daesh supporters. [Sumaria]
The Integrity Court sentences the former minister of finance Rafi’ Al-Essawi to 7 years in prison on corruption charges.
A Sunni MP says the any official responsible for corruption crimes should be punished, and the law should be implemented on everyone. He says there are many officials involved in corruption but they are not punished. [Hurra]
A report about fake materials (videos and photos) published on social media to instigate more sectarian violence. [SotIraq]
DaeshDaily comment. The social media war between Sunni and Shia was escalated after the execution of the Saudi cleric Nimr Al-Nimr. Organized media campaigns are promoting hatred and violence on both sides. Daesh of course is the first beneficiary of such divisions and Iraqis keep paying the price for the regional conflict.
Security developments
Prime Minister Abadi is suspicious about the kidnapping of the three Arab-Americans, saying that they rather “disappeared”. He also described the rumored Iranian connection to their disappearance as highly unlikely. [Mada]
The Minster of Defense says organized crime organization was behind the kidnapping of the three Americans in Iraq. [Hurra]
The MoD publishes a video of IAA airstrikes on Daesh locations in several areas. [MoD Website]
The US will sell Iraq US$ 1.95 worth of Sidewinder missiles and other ammunition to use in its 36 M16 warplanes, the Pentagon said. [AIN]
Egypt’s Defense Minister told his Iraqi counterpart in their meeting today that “the stores of the Egyptian Army are open to Iraq to have whatever it needs.” He said the near future will witness improved relations between the two armies. [AIN ]
IWMC announced today the arrest of a terror cell operating under the “Wilayat Al-Shimal” (northern command) of Daesh, along with weapons and explosives, by military intelligence in Baghdad. The group is responsible for several terrorist attacks in the capital. [Sumaria]
Two women were arrested at the Bzaibiz crossing between Anbar and Baghdad while trying to smuggle 100 personal status cards, 101 phosphoric stamps, and 110 Iraqi nationality cards, all blank, as well as a group of mobile phones, memory rams, and SIM cards. The women are being investigated by the south Karkh investigations office. [Ghad]
DaeshDaily comment. One of the major demands of demonstrators in Sunni areas in 2014 was the release of female prisoners detained for terrorism-related charges. Daesh and its affiliated media focused on this (in Egypt the same thing happened) and claimed that the Iraqi government is violating the “honor” of the Sunni tribes by imprisoning their women and hence they must rebel. Conceding that the judicial system in Iraq needs improvements, the government needs some way to deal with women who participate in terrorist activities. Daesh, and several other armed groups, use women as carriers because they usually don’t get searched.
According to security sources:
- AN IED placed in a popular restaurant in Shula in northwest Baghdad exploded today, killing one civilian and wounding seven others. [Mada]
- An IED exploded near a grocery in Hamamiyat, in Taji District, north of Baghdad city, killing three civilians and wounding seven others. [Mada]
- An IED placed in a popular market in Saba’ Al-Bor, north Baghdad, killed one civilian and wounded five. [Baghdadia]
- An IED placed in a trash can in Shaab, north Baghdad, went off today, killing one civilian and wounding another four. [Baghdadia]
- An attack with a hand grenade on a police patrol left two policemen dead and three wounded in Tarmiya District, north of Baghdad city. [Mada]
- A body of a woman shot to death was found along the Baghdad-Kirkuk road. [Maalomah]
- Armed men attacked three civilian employees of the Ministry of Trade in their car passing along Al-Qanat road in east Baghdad, killing one of them and wounding the other two. [Mada]
- AN IED placed in a commercial area in Al-Ameen in east Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded five. [Baghdadia]
- An IED exploded in the Al-Sahiroon neighborhood of Jisr Diyala in southeast Bagdad, killing one civilian and wounding six others.[Mada]
- An IED exploded late yesterday night in Arab Jabour in south Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding three. [Baghdadia]
- An IED exploded in a popular market in Nahrawan, south Baghdad, and killed two civilians and wounded 5 others. [Maalomah]
- An IED placed in a commercial area in Iskan in west Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded five others. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 12 (Not an overall total)
16 airstrikes were executed today by the Coalition warplanes over Iraq and Syria, 15 of them in Iraq. The strikes were distributed over 7 cities and have destroyed 14 targets in Sinjar, in addition to tactical units and weapons caches, according to a statement by the Coalition. A strike in Deir Ez-Zor in Syria destroyed four cranes, the statement said. [Sumaria]
ANBAR
Anbar Ops Command (AOC) said that Iraqi joint forces are capable of liberating all of Anbar by themselves, and that they only need air cover. It added that there is no land forces participation by the Coalition. [Maalomah]
Ramadi
AOC announced today that all northern areas of Ramadi are liberated, and that only a few areas are remaining on the eastern side that will be fully liberated shortly. [BasNews]
Orders were issued to liberate the areas east of Ramadi, a source in AOC said. The areas remaining are Juwaiba, Hsaiba, and Jazeera Al-Khaldiya. [Mada]
The delay in liberating Juwaiba and Sajariya east of Ramadi is due to large numbers of civilians in these areas, Rapid Intervention force commander says. He says his troops killed over 65 terrorists in the past three days, but the large numbers of civilians as well as IEDs are delaying the advance. [Mawazin]
The IAA killed 20 Daesh and destroyed 3 motorcycles and an anti-aircraft machine gun in Sajariya. [IWMC Report]
A flash attack by the IFP killed 13 Daesh terrorists in Hsaiba, destroying 4 mortar and bazooka positions, the IFP command said. [Sumaria]
A tunnel connecting the Al-Madhiq area to Hsaiba was found and destroyed by security troops today. The forces found ammunition and weapons, as well as some corpses of terrorists in the tunnel, a security source said. [Sumaria]
Artillery and rocket shelling on Hsaiba killed 9 Daesh terrorists, a security source said. [Buratha]
Coalition warplanes flew 22 sorties over Ramadi, killing 9 terrorists and destroying 2 vehicle bombs in addition to supply lines and a shelter. [IWMC Report]
A Counter Terrorism Service source says 2,000 Daesh fighters were killed during the liberation of Ramadi according to Daesh documents found in its locations in Ramadi. [IraqPress]
Anbar tribes say they need more support from Baghdad to be able to hold ground in Ramadi. Wisam Al-Hardan, the head of the Sahwa council, said the 7,000 tribal fighters have light arms and very few intermediate weapons, which are no match for Daesh weapons. [BasNews]
North of the city, Iraqi forces destroyed 20 IEDs and defused 68 while clearing the road between Al-Qassem Bridge and Jaraishi. [IWMC Report]
An Iraqi officer and four soldiers were wounded in Daesh mortar shelling in Jaraishi. [IWMC Report]
Iraqi forces rocketed Daesh in the Albu Aitha area, killing 6 terrorists. [IWMC Report]
The Counter-Terrorism Service Commander says his troops found a Daesh fighter from the Caucasus who was hiding in a house in south Ramadi. The fighter was trapped in the house for some time and intended to attack the Iraqi forces with hand grenades when he got trapped. He says he was about to attack them when he saw them praying. [Harbi]
DaeshDaily comment. Many Daesh foreign fighters were told they were going to fight “infidels” in Iraq and Syria. Some were surprised to see Iraqi soldiers and Peshmerga fighters praying. Many people join Daesh knowing in advance that they were going to kill Muslims and civilians. However, Daesh can still depend on the ignorance of some of its recruits.
A video of Counter-Terrorism troops securing families trapped in Ramadi [YouTube]
A video of Counter-Terrorism troops clearing the Aziziya area of Ramadi [YouTube]
A video of a Daesh guesthouse in Ramadi [YouTube]
Falluja
Three Daesh terrorists were stabbed to death today by unidentified armed men in the Golan neighborhood of Falluja, says an AOC source, adding that the attackers were probably tribal fighters. [Mada]
An armed group in Falluja broke into a house in the Al-Mualimeen neighborhood and killed 7 Daesh terrorists inside. Sources say that the group might be Falluja tribal fighters who are committing inside attacks to pave the way for the army and security forces to liberate the city. [BasNews]
Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) troops killed 10 Daesh terrorists and destroyed 20 IEDs in Thirthar area. [IWMC Report]
BOC troops killed a Daesh terrorist in Qarma and destroyed 2 vehicles, killing the terrorists inside. [IWMC Report]
An airstrike by IAF on a Daesh convoy heading from Falluja to Qarma killed 15 Daesh terrorists including a leader, and destroyed the convoy, a security source said. [Maalomah]
Hit/Haditha
Joint army and security troops are currently attacking the Daesh-held city of Kubaisa in Hit District, under intensive air support. Tens of Daesh terrorists are reported to be killed in the battle that is still ongoing. [Maalomah]
“Tens” of Daesh commanders are escaping Hit to Mosul through the desert, following the large army attack on Kubaisa, a source in the AOC said today [Maalomah]
72 persons held by Daesh as human shields in Hit district were liberated by the IFP today and cleared to safety in Al-Wafa subdistrict. Meanwhile, the 107th artillery regiment killed 7 Daesh terrorists. [AIN]
Iraqi artillery destroyed a Daesh vehicle, a rocket launcher and 2 rockets near the Majid checkpoint in Baghdadi. [IWMC Report]
A Haditha District Council source says Daesh is preparing to attack Haditha from two sides, from Al-Ghabat (north) and the storehouses area (west). Mobilization of Daesh fighters and vehicles was noted in these areas, and the army and security are reinforcing their positions accordingly. [Mada] The Haditha council called for intensified airstrikes on Daesh forces planning to attack the District. [Sumaria]
Haditha sheikhs say they have repelled Daesh attacks for 20 months and will do so even unto death. They added that the areas lost to Daesh were lacking real leaders.
The sheikhs called on the government to start reconstruction of the District after the end of the threat. [Mada]
An AOC source says 200 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division have arrived at Ain Al-Assad base. [BasNews] However, the US Embassy today explained that the large numbers of soldiers arriving in Iraq reflect only a rotation of divisions. The US is merely replacing the 82nd Airborne with the 101st Airborne. [Sumaria]
Western Anbar
An unconfirmed security source report says the US executed a paratroop drop over the Al-Waleed military camp in western Anbar. The camp, located west of Haditha, is made up of buildings previously used by the Jazeera Operations Command before the camp was taken by Daesh, plus a training ground and an airport. [Maalomah]
DaeshDaily comment. The US has denied all these unconfirmed stories and rumors about US troops on the ground. We suspect this one will get the same response.
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
A PMF commander says his troops secured a family escaping from Daesh in Shirqat. While the family was trying to leave they were captured by Daesh terrorists who let them go after giving a little girl with the family a toy. The girl walked with her family for 6 km (4 miles) before reaching the PMFs. When the PMFs checked the toy they found it was booby-trapped and defused it. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This is not the first time Daesh booby-trapped toys. Iraqi forces found several booby-trapped toys in Baghdad area a couple of months ago.
Baiji
International coalition warplanes destroyed a booby-trapped oil tanker near Al-Salam village northeast of Tikrit, a Salahuddin Ops Command source said. [Ghad]
A Salahuddin Operations Command source says the leader of Daesh’s Dabiq command died in a hospital in Mosul 3 days after he was wounded in clashes with Iraqi forces north of Baiji. [Ghad]
A security source says Coalition warplanes destroyed 4 Daesh convoys near Al-Fatha northeast of Baiji. The convoys were on their way from Hawija. [Ghad]
A security source says a PMF unit destroyed a Daesh shovel and 4 armored vehicles in Fatha. [Sumaria]
The Iraqi Army’s 66th Brigade destroyed a Daesh motorcycle, killing its rider in the Siniya-Sukariyat intersection. [IWMC Report]
Tikrit
A PMF source says French warplanes destroyed 3 Daesh locations in the Himrin Hills area near Allas and Ajil oil fields and north of Al-Alam subdistrict. The source says Daesh terrorists are fleeing the Himrin area towards Al-Zab villages south of Hawija because of the airstrikes. [Ghad]
Security forces, supported by artillery and Abrams tank fire, repelled a violent Daesh attack with medium arms near Tower no. 9 of Speicher camp near Tikrit, a security source said. [Ghad]
Samarra
An Iraqi drone destroyed a Daesh hideout in Jazeera Samarra, west of Samarra, killing “tens” of terrorists, a security source said. [AIN]
A Samarra Ops Command source says the IAA destroyed 6 Daesh targets in Jazeera Samarra. [Ghad]
A video by Daesh west of Samarra interrupted by an Iraqi helicopter overhead, which does not end well for the photographer and his colleagues. [FuratTV]
A PMF source says Iraqi warplanes destroyed 2 Daesh guesthouses on Nakhwa Street west of Samarra. [Harbi]
A PMF source says Saraya Al-Salam destroyed 20 IEDs in the Sharif Abbas area west of Samarra. [Harbi]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked two Iraqi military barracks west of Samarra, killing ten soldiers and capturing weapons and ammunition, then booby-trapping the barracks and destroying them. [JustPaste]
DIYALA
Baquba
Diyala police arrested two persons wanted on criminal charges in Al-Khalis north of Baquba, and another two in Muradiya southwest of Baquba, a security source said. [Sumaria]
Iraqi forces captured 4 terror suspects in a search campaign in south Buhriz and east Khan Bani Saad. [IWMC Report]
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
A delegation from the Iraqi Commission for Human Rights arrived in Muqdadiya to investigate the recent violence in the city. [Sumaria]
Northern Diyala
8 Daesh terrorists were arrested in Qara Tapa, following a security campaign, a security source said. [Maalomah]
Border guards repelled an attack by Daesh on the Jawamir checkpoint between Khanaqin and Mandali, a security source said. “Tens” of attackers were killed, while the wounded were taken back to their hideouts in Himrin Hills. [Maalomah]
The manager of Jalawla subdistrict says 161 displaced families returned to their houses recently. The families are the 4th group of returnees; the 5th group will come back during the coming few days. [Sumaria]
Daesh says it targeted a PMF convoy coming from Kerbala in Udhaim with IEDs, destroying many vehicles and killing or wounding many fighters (photos). [JustPaste] [JustPaste]
Here Daesh says 2 trucks and a Humvee were destroyed in the attack. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists targeting an Iraqi patrol in Udhaim. [JustPaste]
Southern Diyala
The terrorist who participated in the attack on a checkpoint near Jdaidat Al-Shat was arrested in Diyala, said the MoI. The arrestee provided the car bomb attacker with documents and guided him to the target. The attack on the 12th of January killed 6 military and civilian persons. [Maalomah]
KIRKUK
Daesh arrested 30 of its fighters in Kirkuk for abandoning battlefronts following recent salary cuts caused by the Daesh financial crisis. The arrestees had been assigned to Hawija, Abbasi, and Riyadh. [Sumaria]
The IFP arrested the Daesh officer responsible for rigging vehicle bombs in Kirkuk. The arrest was made in Baghdad today, according to IFP source. [Baghdadia]
A woman shot dead three Daesh commanders of Arab nationalities in Hawija, after entering the house where they are staying on pretext of having important information. She escaped the scene safely. Initial information indicates that Daesh executed her husband and five of her brothers last month. [Maalomah]
NINEWA
Mosul
An airstrike by Coalition warplanes on the areas of Jazaer, Tahrir, and old Sina’a in Mosul left 25 Daesh terrorists killed, a KDP source said. [Mada]
Coalition planes bombed Daesh in Mosul and destroyed a vehicle carrying five Daesh leaders, two of them foreign, killing them all, a local source said. The source added that material damage was inflicted to the bridge as well. [Sumaria]
Local sources say a Coalition drone bombed the Hurriya bridge in Mosul, damaging it and rendering it useless, although no Daesh members were on the bridge at that time. However, a security source says 5 Daesh members were killed when Coalition warplanes bombed the bridge. An Iraqi military expert says the bombing was a mistake because the bridge was very important for the movement of the people of Mosul. [Karemlash] [Sumaria]
Daesh says the Coalition damaged the bridge in an airstrike after midnight on Thursday and publishes a video of the results of the bombing. [A3maq] [A3maq]
Coalition airstrikes killed 8 Daesh terrorists attacking a house in Al-Houd village in Qayara subdistrict south of Mosul. The house was used by the local Daesh command and as a storage place for arms and ammunition, a security source said. [Baghdadia]
Two brigades of the Mosul population are trained to participate in the liberation of Mosul, a member of the Provincial Council said. The training and supply of these brigades cost over US$ 150 Million. He also says there are negotiations between Baghdad and the KRG to deploy the two brigades southeast of Mosul. [Mawazin]
CoR member Ahmed Al-Jubouri said today that Prime Minister Al-Abadi should be questioned for allowing the arms shipment transferred by land from Basra to Erbil and headed to the forces trained in cooperation with Nujaifi. He said Nujaifi was involved in surrendering Mosul to Daesh in the first place, and cannot be a liberator. [Ghad]
DaeshDaily comment. We concede this story makes little sense, as it seems unlikely Al-Abadi would allow arms shipments to the Ninewa separatists.
Armed men attacked a Daesh office in Badoush, and killed four Daesh personnel, a source in Ninewa Police said. The group escaped safely after the attack. [BasNews]
Daesh uses thousands of doctors and medical workers in 12 hospitals and dozens of medical clinics to generate revues. [Karemlash]
Daesh arrested 13 of its members in Mosul for allowing families to escape the city for US$ 2500 per person with faked documents stamped by the arrestees to allow them to cross the checkpoints. The 13 were arrested at Al-Hadhar checkpoint along with several of these families. [BasNews]
The Assyrian Patriarch Luis Sako says Daesh is trying to wipe out Mosul history and memory by destroying its oldest monasteries. He asks the Coalition to protect the Christian and Islamic heritage in Mosul. [Mada]
A Ninewa police source says Daesh destroyed 6 houses belonged to Shabak displaced people in Bazwaya village east of Mosul. Daesh used the houses as weapons and explosives storehouses for some time. [BasNews]
Nineveh Plain
KDP sources said today that 9 Daesh terrorists were killed today in a Peshmerga artillery shelling on Ba Sakhra village in Bartella, just east of Mosul in Hamdaniya District. [Mada]
Makhmur
Daesh says it destroyed a Peshmerga vehicle on the road between Qaraj and Makhmur. [JustPaste]
Northwest Ninewa (Tal Afar, Sinjar)
A local source says Daesh kidnapped two Yazidis in Sakainiya village south of Mount Sinjar. The source says Daesh contacted the two men’s families and told them they took them to Baaj in southern Ninewa. [BasNews]
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
The Ministry of Peshmerga has trained 600 Christian fighters to fight Daesh in the Nineveh Plain. The Ministry also trained 1250 Yazidis, 690 Kakais and 463 Shabaks to fight alongside the Peshmerga. [Rudaw]
The spokesman of the KDP in Suleimaniya says unknown armed men in 2 cars shot at the KDP headquarter in the city without causing any casualties. [Rudaw]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra, Dhi Qar. 17 persons were arrested in the ongoing Basra security campaign, in Abu Al-Khasib and Al-Deir, while 23 others were arrested in Dhi Qar. [AIN]
Muthanna. Muthanna’s Governor said their investigation revealed the location of the kidnapped Qatari hunters and the identity of the kidnappers, and that this information was conveyed to Baghdad. He did not reveal the information. [Mawazin]
Kerbala. The MoI says intelligence units found a weapons and explosives cache in historic Ain Al-Tamr, 67 km (42 miles) southeast of Kerbala city, toward the Saudi border. [Mada]
Babel. The Security Committee in Babel GC denies the statement of a Sunni MP who said that the authorities in Babel hold hundreds of Sunni detainees and prevent Sunni families from returning to Jurf Al-Sakhar. The committee chairman says international organizations can come and check the prisons in Babel anytime they want. He also says the return of the displaced families depends on the rehabilitation of the liberated areas. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. Jurf Al-Sakhar was liberated more than a year ago. That seems like more than enough time for IED removal and basic infrastructure rehabilitation.
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Political developments
The Turkish PM says his country refuses the participation of the YPG in the coming meeting in Geneva between the Syrian government and the opposition groups, saying the YPG is not a real opposition and it has links to the Syrian government. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. Of course, the larger reason is that the YPG is associated with the PKK, with whom Turkey is at war, and which has aspirations for an independent Kurdistan that includes much of Turkey, to which Turkey is understandably opposed.
Turkey’s Defense Minister İsmet Yılmaz has said, in a joint press conference held with his German counterpart, that Turkey will share its resources with the Coalition. This includes use of Incirlik airbase, where the press conference was held. The base is being used by a German reconnaissance team for Coalition missions. [Anadolu]
Military developments
Turkey is preparing ground operations around the Syrian border city of Jarabulus to clear mines planted by Daesh along the border area, in advance of wider unspecified operations planned by the Coalition for the Daesh-held city, Turkish security sources said. [Aawsat]
Daesh is planning to target drinking water in Turkey and launch attacks in the country with other biological and chemical agents, according to a report prepared by Turkish intelligence. The report also says Daesh is planning to use chemical and biological agents obtained from the Assad regime’s stores of mustard gas, chlorine, anthrax and tularemia (an infectious disease spread from animals). The latter would be particularly difficult for Turkey to respond to as it is not widely known in Turkey and its symptoms initially appear similar to less harmful diseases, the report adds. [Cihan]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Daesh says warplanes (unidentified) launched heavy airstrikes on Raqqa. [A3maq]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Daesh has retaken the village of Qara Kubri north of Aleppo near the Turkish border from other opposition groups, an opposition fighter has said, explaining that a heavy Daesh attack led to clashes between the two sides in which the allied militias were forced out.
Battles are ongoing between Daesh and the opposition factions for control over other villages in the area, the fighter said. Qasioun reports that Daesh attempted to infiltrate the allied militia positions around the village of Dalha, leading to heavy clashes between the two sides, while the opposition militias mortared and fired heavy machine guns on Daesh positions in the village of Ghazl, in ongoing fighting for control of that area, with reports of Daesh casualties. [ARA] [Qasioun]
DaeshDaily comment: Daesh announced it had retaken Qara Kubri yesterday. As we have noted Daesh and opposition factions and their allies have fought fierce back-and-forth battles for control of the strategic areas between Aleppo and the Turkish border. Daesh briefly lost Qara Kubri in late December before retaking it a day later (with apparent support from Syrian aircraft). Qara Kubri and neighboring villages were declared a “closed military zone” by the militias in early January, and the pro-Turkey Sultan Murad Brigades then seized Qara Kubri from Daesh a few days later, before Daesh forced the allied militias out on Thursday as reported above.
The Syrian Army struck the city of Al-Bab with rocket fire and heavy artillery, killing three civilians and injuring tens of others including women and children in a residential area of the Daesh-held city. Syrian troops are 10 km (6 miles) away from the city in the eastern Aleppo countryside. The shelling comes alongside Russian airstrikes on Al-Bab, setting off an atmosphere of panic and fear among the residents. [Qasioun]
Local activists say Daesh executed a Kurdish man in Manbij and showed his body in a public square, after accusing him of cooperating with the Kurdish forces. [BasNews]
Daesh has conducted an arrest campaign against civilians in Jarabulus in the last four days, removing detainees to unknown locations, a local source said. In addition, they have announced that residents are forbidden to watch television. [Hawar]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Renewed fighting erupted in the eastern Homs countryside between Daesh and Syrian Army troops around the city of Qaryatayn in eastern Homs amid Syrian shelling and rocketing of Daesh positions in the area. Battles are ongoing between the two sides in the oilfields of Shaeir and Hajjar, east of Homs, which Daesh has been trying to seize.
Daesh publishes photos of targeting Syrian Army vehicles and machinery in East Qalamoun. [JustPaste]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Russian planes have escalated their bombing of Daesh-held areas of Deir Ez-Zor, concentrating on Sinaa, Haweiqa, and Al-Ardi, while the Syrian Army launched heavy shelling on the same districts. Russian planes also struck the village of Ayyash in northern Deir Ez-Zor, amid clashes between Syrian troops and Daesh around the area, as well as striking the villages of Safira, Al-Hisan, and Al-Janina west of the city, causing property damage. Daesh also clashed with the Syrian Army in the area around the Deir Ez-Zor military airport, amid Russian airstrikes on Daesh positions there as well. No reports of casualties are available. [Qasioun]
A Daesh member opened fire on his brother with a “Russian rifle,” shooting him in the leg, in the village of Hawarij east of Deir Ez-Zor in a dispute over the permissibility of the brother’s wife’s clothes under Daesh’s interpretation of the Islamic sharia. [ARA] [BasNews]
Daesh publishes a video of Syrian soldiers it captured in Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes a video of the results of a Russian airstrike on Kharita village in Deir Ez-Zor countryside. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes a video of Russian planes dropping supplies to the remaining Syrian troops in Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]
South
Three thousand civilians returned to the southern Damascus neighborhood of Al-Qadam on Wednesday, in a deal reached between the Assad government and Daesh, according to local activists. The residents had not been able to return for more than a year. Residents have been entering both the western sector of the district, under Syrian government control, and the eastern sector, in the hands of Daesh and other opposition militias (video). [ARA]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Lebanon. Lebanese police have arrested a Syrian national on suspicion of smuggling a high-value artifact out of Syria, the Interior Ministry announced. The detainee is expected to be turned over to the Syrian authorities. [ARA]
Yemen. Daesh says it detonated an IED on a Houthis checkpoint in Sanaa, killing four of them. [JustPaste]
North Africa
Daesh publishes more video messages to the people of North Africa. [Archive] [Archive] [Archive] [Archive]
Egypt
Cairo area
An IED exploded during a raid on a suspected militant hideout in Giza, killing seven police including a local anti-terrorism commander as well as three civilians, and injuring another 13 people. Police had been attempting to defuse a bomb in a suspected “Muslim Brotherhood” site. [ElWatan] [Erem] We are not certain whether or not this story is Daesh-related.
Photos of the blast site in Giza. [GateAhram]
North Sinai
Fifteen militants launched a deadly coordinated attack on an Egyptian security checkpoint in central Arish, eyewitnesses said. The attackers approached in three groups traveling in three private cars, each from a different direction. The militants opened fire on the checkpoint with light and medium-gauge weapons, killing five policemen including an officer, and injuring three others, and injuring two civilian pedestrians. [VetoGate]
Daesh says 3 of its terrorists attacked a police gathering in Atalawi square in Arish with light and midsize weapons, killing nine of them, including high ranking officers, and capturing their weapons in addition to a vehicle destroyed later. [JustPaste]
The Interior Ministry has released photos of the five policemen killed in the attack in Arish. [ElWatan] [ElWatan] [ElWatan]
An IED exploded on a security vehicle in Rafah on Friday, wounding a police officer and a soldier. [ElWatan]
Gunfire from an unknown source killed a civilian in Sheikh Zuweid on Friday, eyewitnesses said. [ElWatan]
Egyptian Army and Border Guard troops seized a weapons and bomb-making cache in the Al-Azariq region of central Sinai, the military’s spokesman announced (photos). [EgyArmySpoxFB]
Libya. The spokesman of the Libyan armed forces, Maj. Mohammad Hijazi, has announced that he and a number of commanders have split from the Libyan Army commanded by Gen. Khalifa Hafter, saying in a spoken statement released on YouTube that Haftar is surrounded by corrupt elements and calling for reform in the command of the armed forces. Hijazi also rejected the proposed government of national accord, calling it a “stillborn” initiative
[Erem]
Full recording of Hijazi’s statement (YouTube).
The Italian newspaper La Stampa has revealed the presence of Western troops on Libyan soil, including British, French, and American special forces and intelligence operatives who are monitoring the war against Daesh from Benghazi and Misrata, and reportedly making preparations for a larger-scale Western intervention in the country. [AfriGate] [LaStampa]
French president Francois Hollande says his country is prepared to begin training the Libyan military. [AfriGate]
Oil Crescent
Daesh renewed its attacks on Libya’s strategic “Oil Crescent” region Thursday, launching destructive mortar attacks on petroleum infrastructure and abducting 15 civilians in raids in the areas of Sidra and Ras Lanuf, according to a local resident.
Daesh launched mortars on oil reservoirs in Ras Lanuf belonging to the Harouge Oil Operations company, local sources said, igniting multiple reservoirs full of crude oil. The National Oil Company (NOC) spokesman confirmed that the mortars had landed on the reservoirs but could not yet specify how many were damaged or burning, adding that there were no human casualties to report in Ras Lanuf. At least four or five reservoirs could be ablaze according to a source close to the company, and firefighting crews have not yet been able to access the site. A security source in Sidra reported that a pipeline carrying oil from the Libyan interior to the coastal ports was also burning after the attacks. The NOC said that the fire also damaged electrical towers and cables that provided power to residential areas, in a statement issued after the attacks, which described the environmental conditions in Ras Lanuf as “catastrophic.”
Mortar shells also targeted other strategic infrastructure in the area, according to workers in the area, and brief clashes erupted between militants and the Oil Facilities Protection guards, but the fighting ended when the attackers withdrew.
[AfriGate] [LANA] [LANA] [Fassato] [AlArabiya] [LANA]
In a new video released after the mortar attack, a Daesh militant identified as “Abu Abd Al-Rahman Al-Libi” is seen endorsing today’s shelling and threatening further attacks, saying “Today Sidra and Ras Lanuf, tomorrow Brega port, and afterward Tobruk port, and Al-Sarir, and Jalo, and Al-Kufra,” all referring to strategic petroleum production and distribution sites on the coast and in the interior that are currently out of Daesh’s area of control. [Ewan]
Daesh-held areas
Daesh has executed at least three young Libyans who were abducted last week in the city of Marada while they were working as security guards for a Turkish construction company, according to a Marada resident who cites contacts with sources in Nawfaliya where the executions were reported to have taken place. Another person who had been abducted with the guards, Sheikh Musin, was released. [LANA]
Daesh publishes photos of public executions in Sirte. [JustPaste]
Derna
Residents of Derna foiled a Daesh attack in fighting in Al-Kurfat on Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning. This is the third day in a row that a Daesh attack has been foiled in Derna. [AfriGate]
Daesh says it detonated an IED on a Libyan armed group gathering in Hila in Derna, killing three of them and wounding two. Daesh says its snipers wounded another armed group member in the coastal area in Derna. It also says its terrorists attacked a Libyan armed group in Bab Tobruk in Derna, killing or wounding several of them. Daesh also says it shot down a Libyan armed group drone in the coast area. [JustPaste] [JustPaste]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
An anti-Daesh page from Anbar
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/AsdMak2016
https://twitter.com/abo_obida17
https://twitter.com/abohasnalansari
Other Daesh media
Daesh audio newsletter for today in English [Archive]
