January 28, 2016
Today’s Major Developments
Iraq rated as 8th most corrupt country in 2015 rankings.
Iraqi forces continue advances near Ramadi and Falluja.
Kurdish Islamic Group leader opposes Barzani’s call for early independence referendum.
Egypt, Russia reportedly identify six suspects in downed Russian airliner case.
Baghdadi plotting further expansion of Daesh share of Libyan oil.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
A member of the CoR’s Integrity Committee says the Transparency International report about Iraq being one of the worst countries when it comes to corruption is true. He says the main reason for the corruption is that the corrupt officials are protected by their political parties. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. The 2015 rankings make Iraq the 8th most corrupt country in the world.
If you want to be an optimist, it was 6th worst in 2014, so it has moved up two places, passing Libya and Angola.
Corrupt officials are protected by their political parties because the parties are major beneficiaries of the corruption. A party gains control of one or more ministries by having party members appointed as ministers. They then appoint other party members to high ministry positions. The appointees share the spoils with their parties and everyone seems happy, except the citizens. One reason for this element of the political corruption in Iraq is that the political parties don’t attract donations and have no other source of funding.
A member of the CoR’s Security and Defense Committee says it finished discussing the Compulsory Military Service Law and it will be sent to the CoR’s Presidency and then to the PM, after which it will be submitted for a CoR vote. The law would replace the debated but never-passed National Guard Law. [Sumaria]
The Sunni Alliance in the CoR, Mutahidoun, issued a statement saying that Prime Minister should dissolve the “criminal militias” and take their weapons and hold them accountable for the crimes mentioned in the recent Human Rights Watch report. The statement also urged the KRG president Barzani to investigate the violations of the Peshmerga in the liberated areas. The report accused Daesh, the Iraqi forces, the Shia militias and the Peshmerga of committing human rights violations. [Mada]
Some CoR members say they are confused and conflicted about the Turkish troops in Bashiqa. Some think Turkey will participate in the Ninewa liberation with the Coalition. A Turkmen MP (perhaps reflecting a pro-Turkey view) says the Turkish troops will reach 3,000 soldiers soon and they will participate with the American 101st Airborne Division in liberating Mosul. [Mada]
Some CoR members are also confused about the arrival of the 101st Airborne Division, even though the US has carefully explained that this is a normal rotation in which the 101st is replacing the 82nd Airborne. However, while some accept this explanation and say it’s within the security agreement between Iraq and the US, others say PM Abadi allowed the US to increase its troops in Iraq without issuing an official statement about it. A member of the CoR Foreign Affairs committee says the presence of American troops in the Ninewa area might be the best solution for the situation between Iraq and Turkey. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. The gentleman from the Foreign Affairs committee may be raising a worthwhile suggestion. Otherwise, the confusion seems to stem from the small bloc in the CoR that supports the Ninewa separatists and the Turkish troops in the face of overwhelming hostility from almost everyone else. Having some US troops on the ground in Ninewa when the Mosul campaign begins prevent some of the games that could be played at Iraq’s expense by people claiming falsely to be part of the liberation.
Infographics about Daesh’s Ashbal Al-Khilafa which include 1,200 kids in Iraq and 1,100 in Syria. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Within the Salafi takfiri line Daesh and Al-Qaeda follow, anyone above 18 years old is already “corrupted” and these groups have to stay “fresh” with underage kids to establish their base for the future. The real damage to future generations remains to be seen.
Security developments
4 persons were arrested on terror charges in Baghdad today, including an officer at the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Two were arrested at a hotel in Karrada, the officer in the Al-Jami’a neighborhood, and two (both from Mosul) in downtown Baghdad, Iraqi Intelligence announced. [Baghdadia]
DaeshDaily comment. We reported the arrest of the officer 2 days ago.
Coalition trainers have modified their training to enable Iraqi armies to break through Daesh defense lines, according to General Sean McFarland, the commander of the Coalition. He said the changes in training reflect lessons learned from the battles in Ramadi, Sinjar, Baiji, and Tikrit. [Qurtas]
Al-Tayar Al-Risali, a Shia militia in the PMF, announced they are manufacturing three types of rockets of “huge destructive power” under the names of Al-Youm Al-Mawood 1,2, and 3. [Mawazin]
DaeshDaily comment. As militias do not usually manufacture rockets, we wonder who the real manufacturer is.
General Othman Al-Ghanimi, the Army Chief of Staff, inaugurated today the Military Communications Center, described as invulnerable. This will be a central location for coordinating all military units in the country, using the most updated technologies. [AynIraq]
Police found a weapons cache in Al-Ma’amel in east Baghdad, including explosives belts, weapons, ammunition, and Katyusha rockets, in an unfinished house in the area. Another police unit found a cache of IEDs and rockets in Al-Thaaliba, north Baghdad. [Sumaria]
According to security sources:
- A sticky bomb attached to a minibus exploded in Hurriya, northwest Baghdad, killing two passengers and wounding five, including the driver. [Mada]
- A 12 year old girl was kidnapped in Zayouna, east Baghdad, by unidentified armed men. [Baghdadia]
- Explosives experts defused today an IED placed on a road in Al-Nahda, downtown Baghdad. The operation left no casualties. [Baghdadia]
- An IED targeting a tribal mobilization checkpoint in Hor Rijab in Dora, south Baghdad, killing 2 and wounding 4. [Mada]
- An IED placed in a popular marketplace in Yusufiyah in south Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded eight. [Baghdadia]
- Daesh says its terrorists shot and killed a National Security major when he was leaving his house in Saidiya in southwest Baghdad. [JustPaste]
- Unidentified gunmen armed with silenced guns shot and killed a civilian near his house in Yarmouk, west Baghdad, a security source said. [Baghdadia]
- A man was shot dead by unidentified armed men in Ma’moun neighborhood, west Baghdad. [Sumaria]
- An IED placed in a commercial area in Al-Jihad neighborhood, west Baghdad, killed two and wounded 7 civilians. [Baghdadia]
- An IED placed in an industrial area in Abu Ghraib, western Baghdad Governorate, killed one civilian and wounded seven. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 10 (Not an overall total)
DaeshDaily comment. We notice a pattern change over the past few days, with more incidents occurring in West Baghdad. It’s too soon to evaluate this. In the past, however, similar trends have developed when people were displaced from Anbar. They were infiltrated by sleeper cell members, and went mostly to Sunni western Baghdad.
Army helicopters conducted 20 attacks and Iraqi Air Force 6 in different parts of Iraq. Four terrorists were killed and a Daesh vehicle destroyed in the Qutniya area near Ramadi. An Iraqi CH4 drone attacked and destroyed a vehicle in Jisr Al-Jaf, near Thirthar. Meanwhile, Coalition warplanes attacked Habbaniya, Jubba, Albu Shijil, Dolab, Hsaiba, Shirqat, and Sinjar, killing an estimated 34 terrorists, and destroying 8 positions, heavy and medium weapons, a rocket hideout, two rocket launching platforms, and a rig. [AIN]
ANBAR
Falluja
Saraya Al-Jihad, a PMF faction, said that 60 Daesh terrorists were killed southeast of Thirthar in a joint operation by the PMF, the army, and the IFP with the support of army helicopters. [AIN]
Maj. General Saad Harbiya, commander of West Baghdad operations, reported that the 14th army division attacked Daesh gatherings near the Thirthar Dam, killing 36, and destroying a vehicle and a motorcycle. Two Iraqi soldiers were killed and one wounded in the operation. [Mawazin]
General Harbiya says army units are advancing in Albu Shijil west of Falluja, and have raised the Iraqi flag over several Daesh occupied buildings after killing 6. [Mawazin]
Khaldiya local council said that security forces liberated parts of Al-Rumaila near Saqlawiya, killing “tens’ of Daesh terrorists. Other forces are continuing progress in Albu Shijil, under heavy air support. [Mada]
Col. Mahmoud Murdhi Al-Jumaili, commander of the tribal mobilization forces in Falluja, said his force killed Abu Qatada Al-Iraqi, the Daesh military commander, and 9 of his assistants and destroyed their four vehicles in Kubaishat in Qarma subdistrict. Daesh fighters made a failed attempt to retrieve the body of their commander. A large storehouse for rockets and ammunition and an armored personnel carrier captured by Daesh earlier in Falluja were also destroyed. [BasNews]
The IWMC denied, quoting Anbar Operations Command, the reports suggesting that the siege on Falluja could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. He says there are two safe routes open from and to Falluja, the first in Al-Falahat through Albu Daaij towards the 32nd brigade and the other towards Ameriyat Al-Falluja. [Sumaria]
Daesh executed two men by throwing them from a high building in the Al-Neziza neighborhood in central Falluja. on charges of cooperating with security force, according to local sources in Falluja. [Maalomah]
Daesh publishes photos of shelling Iraqi forces in Zoba’a with mortars. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes a video of the results of a Coalition bombing on a school and a mosque east of Falluja. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. As we’ve seen many times Daesh uses schools and mosques and other civilian buildings as military posts. It is a win-win situation for the terrorists. If they are left alone they will continue their terrorist activities and if they got bombed they will claim their enemies are targeting civilians.
Ramadi
Lt. General Abdul Ghani Al-Asadi, the Commander of Counter-Terrorism Service forces, said today that 95% or more of Ramadi is liberated, and that army and security units achieved the goals set by the command. He says the next few days will witness the liberation of the rest of Ramadi. He added that 6 police battalions are holding ground in liberated areas. [Sumaria]
However, Arkan Al-Tarmouz, an Anbar Provincial Council member, said Ramadi is still a “booby-trapped” city despite its liberation. Hundreds of Daesh terrorists were killed, but they left behind thousands of IEDs in houses and buildings that still need to be cleared. Al-Tarmouz thinks Iraq needs international cooperation to clear the city of all these IEDs. [BasNews]
Maj. General Ismail Al-Mahalawi, Commander of Anbar Ops Command (AOC], said the operation to liberate Sajariya east of Ramadi has started, and that the 8th army division is heading towards the area supported by Iraqi Air Force (IAF) and Coalition air cover, Iraqi Army Aviation (IAA) helicopters, and artillery. [Sumaria]
Brig. General Yahya Rasool, official spokesman of the Joint Operations Command, says the major obstacle in Sajariya is the multitude of IEDs planted by Daesh, confirming that the liberation is a matter of a few days. [Mawazin]
Maj. General Shakir Jawdat, Commander of Iraqi Federal Police (IFP), said his troops killed 28 Daesh terrorists in separate operations in Hsaiba, east of Ramadi. [Sumaria]
The Counter-Terrorism Service, part of the IFP, is ready to proceed with liberating areas west of Ramadi, once Sajariya to the east is fully secured. The liberation of Falluja is the responsibility of Baghdad Operations Command. [AynIraq]
Major Muzahem Al-Jebouri, Commander of the 2nd battalion of the 31st brigade of the 8th division, was killed during an operation to clear houses between Albu Mahal and Albu Sawda east of Ramadi, when he engaged Daesh fighters in these houses, an AOC source said. [Maalomah]
AOC says that in the last 24 hours, 70 Daesh fighters have been killed and 30 car bombs destroyed in several operations in Jaraishi. Coalition warplanes initiated 19 strikes, killing 15 terrorists and destroying several vehicles and tankers. [AIN]
Russian made Sukhoi warplanes of the IAF attacked Daesh gatherings in Albu Dhiab, north of Ramadi, killing “tens” of Daesh fighters. [AIN]
An IED targeted the tribal fighters’ leader in Ramadi, Eissa Hamid Al-Alwani, wounding him and four of his colleagues in the Albu Alwan area, a security source said. [Sumaria]
Hit/Haditha
A security source in Baghdadi said that strict security measures are being taken in and around the city to prevent any possible Daesh infiltration. He added that the 7th army division increased its presence along the defense lines, while intelligence units are spread around the gates of the residential complex, metal fences are being installed, and they will install long range cameras shortly. [Sumaria]
Coalition warplanes destroyed a Daesh convoy of 4 vehicles on Al-Maamal road in Kubaisa, west of Anbar, killing all Daesh terrorists in the convoy, according to a security source. [Baghdadia]
Daesh says its terrorists shelled Barwana with 40 Katyusha rockets and 30 120mm mortar shells. [JustPaste]
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
Daesh publicly executed a young man called Samir Suhail in the center of Shirqat, on charges of communicating with Iraqi security forces, a PMF source said. [Ghad]
Tikrit
Salahuddin explosives units operating between Southern power station and Shajarat Al-Dur defused and removed 12 IEDs, including 9 x20 liter containers filled with ammonium nitrates and three other IEDS. [Mawazin]
Samarra
Snipers of Waadallah forces, a PMF militia, killed three Daesh terrorists including a woman sniper in Al-Shareef west of Samarra. Another group pursued a Daesh mortar unit for 40 hours before detecting and destroying it. [Ayn Iraq]
A suicide attacker with an explosives belt was arrested while trying to target security forces in Dijla subdistrict, north of Samarra. [Mada]
Daesh publishes photos of battles in the Samarra Dam area. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of battles west of Samarra. [JustPaste]
Daesh says its terrorists killed an Iraqi Army “source” in Jalam area north of Samarra and detonated the house of another source in the same area. [JustPaste]
DIYALA
Baquba
Maj. General Jassim Al-Saadi, the Diyala Police Commander, said that security forces arrested a man responsible for blasting three power towers with IEDs. The man was arrested in Himrin Hills during a security search campaign. The General added that that targeting of power towers is organized by sleeper cells in Diyala. [Sumaria]
Three persons were arrested in Baquba, two of them on terror charges, Diyala Police said. [Sumaria]
A body of an unidentified woman shot to death after torture was found west of Baquba, a police source said. [Maalomah]
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
Maj. General Jassim Al-Saadi, the Diyala Police Commander, says some politicians from Diyala are trying to create sectarian tensions by spreading false information while they are sitting comfortably in Erbil hotels. He says those politicians don’t do anything for the displaced families or against Daesh crimes. He says he will go to the court and sue such politicians. [Sumaria]
Diyala’s former Governor had accused the Shia PMFs of killing the three Jubour tribe fighters yesterday near Muqdadiya. The three fighters were killed while in a search campaign in Al-Zor area in Muqdadiya yesterday. [Mada] [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. The three tribal PMF fighters were most likely killed by Daesh, but some people want to mix things up and make it look like a sectarian issue. Sectarianism generates a lot of political support in Iraq, unfortunately.
The Chairman of the District Council in Muqdadiya says the violence rate increased in Muqdadiya because of the presence of Daesh sleeper cells in an agricultural strip on the Diyala river called Al-Zor. He says the danger is increasing every day and it needs a serious solution. Five PMFs were killed or wounded on Wednesday in a nearby area. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Another win-win situation for Daesh. If its terrorists were left alone they would kill as many people as they want, and if the nearby tribes retaliated or if the government targeted that strip, Daesh media, parallel media and incubator media will claim innocent civilians are being targeted.
Northern Diyala
The manager of Udhaim subdistrict says 400 tribal fighters from the liberated areas in Udhaim will hold the ground in coordination with the security forces and the PMFs. [Sumaria]
Daesh publishes photos of houses in Udhaim allegedly burned by PMFs. [JustPaste]
Southern Diyala
An IED placed in a trash can in Mandali exploded and killed a policeman and a civilian. [IraqPress]
A security force found a weapons and explosives cache in the Al-Dayniya area of Balad Ruz east of Baquba, containing a variety of weapons including 35 US made hand grenades and 82mm mortar shells, police sources said. [Maalomah]
KIRKUK
The director for driving licenses in Kirkuk Traffic Department was wounded when an unidentified assailant opened fire on his car in Barood Khana, north Kirkuk, a security source said. [Mada]
A PMF force estimated at hundreds of fighters and four armored vehicles is situated in Taza subdistrict, according to the security committee of Kirkuk Provincial Council, which says most of this force is formed from the local population, mainly those who lost their villages to Daesh. [Rudaw]
A Coalition airstrike on Shirqat and Hawija killed three Daesh leaders, including the Saudi wali of Dijla, the financial officer of Wilayat Dijla, and a leader responsible for attacks in Salahuddin, a security source said. [AIN]
Bodies of three men shot to death were found in Bawa, in Laylan subdistrict in eastern Kirkuk, a security source said. [Mada]
NINEWA
Mosul
Daesh published movies in Mosul on the execution of its members deserting battlefields, to terrorize the population, a source in Mosul said. [Ghad]
Daesh executed four employees of Al-Rasheed Bank in Mosul on charges of guiding Coalition warplanes to targets inside Mosul, a PUK spokesman said. [PUKMedia]
Daesh broke into a school in downtown Mosul and kidnapped 30 students, sources in Mosul said. The reason is unclear, but may reflect an effort by Daesh to add more young manpower to its ranks. [Maalomah]
A suicide attacker on a motorcycle attacked a Daesh headquarters in Mahalbiya west of Mosul, killing 16 Daesh terrorists, said Gayath Sourji, PUK spokesman. [Mada]
The NMFs spokesman Mahmoud Sorachi says Mosul is starving and the people are waiting for the Coalition to liberate the city and Daesh is collapsing. [Sumaria]
Daesh publishes photos of normal life in a market in Mosul. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes a video of an exam in the College of Medicine in Mosul. [A3maq]
Southern Ninewa (Baaj, Hatra)
Jalal Hamdan Al-Nima (an Afghan national), the Daesh “Minister of War,” was killed along with 18 other Daesh leaders by a Coalition airstrike on Al-Hatra District south of Mosul. Other Daesh targets were also attacked, according to a source in Ninewa Police. [BasNews]
A series of IEDs planted on Baaj Road in Mosul killed 16 terrorists and destroyed 9 vehicles in a Daesh convoy leaving for Raqqa. [Maalomah]
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
A leader of the Kurdish Islamic Group says it is difficult to make an independence referendum in Kurdistan now because of the political and economic situation in Kurdistan. He says independence is a natural right for the Kurds but it must happen with international support. [Sumaria]
A Gorran official says the KDP registered complaints in a court in Suleimaniya against Gorran and several of its leaders and members, including Nawshirwan Mustafa, accusing them of instigating the riots that led to the burning of the KDP headquarters. [SotKurdistan]
The KRG President Masoud Barzani says during a meeting with the new Swiss Ambassador to Iraq that the international community didn’t provide the necessary support for Kurdistan regarding the displaced people in the Region. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. The KRG is dealing as best as it could with the displaced people from different areas in Iraq in addition to the Syrian refugees, but it still needs a lot of help.
The KRG responded to a Human Rights Watch report which accused the Peshmerga of destroying Arab people’s houses in liberated areas. A KRG official says the areas mentioned in the report are still front lines in the battles against Daesh and they are being shelled or bombed and the citizens’ presence there hinders the ongoing operations against Daesh. He says that some of the residents of those areas helped Daesh and some of them were killed or their houses were destroyed during the fight against Daesh, and many houses were booby-trapped by Daesh. He also says the KRG is ready to investigate this issue. [Rudaw]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
An operation by Kerbala intelligence and counter-terror forces resulted in the arrest of 6 terrorists who were planning to send car bombs to the Mid-Euphrates cities (Kerbala, Najaf, Hilla, and Diwaniya) and Baghdad. The arrest was made in Rahaliya in Anbar, where initial investigation revealed the long terrorism history of two of the arrestees. [Mawqif]
DaeshDaily comment. This area of Anbar is infamous for deadly attacks on Shia pilgrims going to Mecca for the Hajj.
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Political developments
Turkey’s National Security Council, chaired by President Erdogan, issued a statement today stating Ankara’s position that the Assad regime should not be part of Syria’s reconstruction. In the same statement the Council said that terrorist groups should also be excluded, naming Daesh and the PKK and its military arms, a veiled reference to the PYD militia, the YPG. The statement also expressed ongoing support for the Syrian opposition and the Turkmen population of Syria. [BasNews]
A United States State Department spokesman has rejected Israeli allegations, reported yesterday, that Turkey supports Daesh, saying that the US has not seen any evidence for that claim. [Cihan]
Military developments
Turkish troops exchanged fire with Daesh over the Syrian border on Thursday. [See below for details]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Daesh attacked Syria Democratic Forces positions southeast of Al-Hawl in the last two days, seizing control of territory extending across the Iraqi border, including the Iraqi village of Bara. A Daesh vehicle bomb struck SDF positions in the village of Al-Khmayel, north of Al-Arisha. [Qasioun] [Qasioun]
Planes believed to be Coalition aircraft struck multiple sites in Al-Arisha and neighboring villages on Thursday, causing an unspecified number of casualties. Coalition strikes on Arisha on Wednesday killed eight civilians. Arisha lies between Hasaka and Daesh-controlled Shaddadi. US Apache helicopters attacked Daesh checkpoints outside of Shaddadi on Thursday. [Qasioun]
DaeshDaily comment. We don’t have confirmation that these were American helicopters.
A Coalition airstrike on the oil station of Kabiba killed ten civilians including at least one child, and ignited oil tanks that serve the local area. [Qasioun] [Qasioun]
Russian warplanes have killed 100 civilians in Raqqa in the last three days, according to the group Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RiBSS). “Their names are documented,” the group said in a statement released Wednesday. The statement said Russian planes were acting in support of the Syria Democratic Forces, which RIBSS described as backed by “the militias of the YPD,” which the statement accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the areas of Raqqa it controls. [Qasioun]
Daesh says several Turkish soldiers were wounded during “limited clashes” after a Turkish minesweeper tried to enter “Islamic State land” near Jarabulus. [A3maq]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Turkish troops exchanged fire with Daesh Thursday evening across the Syrian-Turkish border near Jarabulus, eyewitnesses said. The fighting started when Daesh fired on a Turkish patrol vehicle passing on the Turkish side of the border, prompting Turkish tanks to return fire immediately. Turkish media have not commented on the firefight, ARA writes. [ARA]
The Syria Democratic Forces are preparing for large-scale assaults on Daesh and Nusra Front positions in Jarabulus, Manbij , and Azaz north and east of Aleppo, with the stated aim of rendering the Syrian-Turkish border completely closed to Daesh, according to media reports. The operations will come in coordination with both Russian and American air support, according to Qasioun’s sources. [Qasioun]
Syrian troops with Russian air support launched punishing attacks on Daesh positions east of Aleppo, advancing into the area around Harariya station, local residents said. Daesh militants were reportedly seen abandoning strategic positions in the face of the assault, yielding control of the cities of Wadia and Ayn Jamajim to the Syrian regulars. However Daesh advanced into Syrian Army-held territory in other areas east of Aleppo, attacking Syrian troop formations near Kowaires air base and in the path of the anticipated Syrian advance toward Tadif and Al-Bab, according to residents. Syrian aircraft responded to the Daesh advance with strikes, killing an unspecified number of Daesh militants, ARA writes. Russian planes struck two villages east of Aleppo, killing a civilian and injuring three others. Amid the fighting, the Syrian military “rained barrel bombs” on the countryside north of Aleppo [Qasioun] [Qasioun] [ARA]
Syrian Army publishes a video of Daesh fighters’ dead bodies in Wadia. [YouTube]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked Syrian troops in 6 villages north of Kowaires airbase, killing more than 50 soldiers and wounding “tens”. Daesh also says its terrorists destroyed a tank and captured two Syrian soldiers. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of destroying a Syrian tank west of Kowaires. [JustPaste]
Daesh has imposed a marriage fee of 40,000 Syrian pounds ($181 US dollars) on residents of Manbij. [Hawar]
Daesh attacked the Syrian Army positions north of Aleppo, near the Al-Masha School and the Al-Hurra area, an activist said. [ARA]
Coalition warplanes struck Daesh positions in the Ghazl village on the Turkish border at dawn on Thursday, killing nine Daesh militants. [Qasioun]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Lebanon
Daesh seized territory in northeastern Lebanon near the Syrian border after battling with Nusra Front fighters, prompting the Lebanese Army to send troops to reinforce the area, according to media reports. Erem’s sources say that Daesh is advancing toward Arsal while the Lebanese Army is shelling both Daesh and the Nusra Front. [Hawar] [Erem]
Daesh publishes a video message threatening Lebanese leaders. [Isdarat]
North Africa
Egypt
Joint police and army troops killed 28 suspected Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis members and injured “tens” of others in operations against an alleged Ansar cell that Egyptian security officials say was planning to launch further attacks after yesterday’s deadly IED attack on an Egyptian military vehicle in Arish, according to a security source. Egyptian intelligence identified an alleged Ansar gathering south of Arish that was reportedly preparing to launch new attacks to exploit the confusion ensuing from the IED attack, but Egyptian military helicopters attacked the group, killing 20 and destroying three cars and a number of motorcycles, the source said. Egyptian counter-terrorism forces killed another eight militants and wounded 13 in an artillery attack on another Ansar gathering in a village south of Rafah, the security source said. [ElWatan]
Three children were killed and seven other people wounded, including other children and their mother, when a mortar shell, launched by unknown assailants, landed on a house in the Al-Rasm neighborhood of Rafah, a security source said. [VetoGate]
Sheikh Zuweid and most areas of Rafah have been without water for six days in a row, according to residents and local officials. The water authorities in the area blamed lack of electricity for the interruption in service. [ElWatan]
Daesh says its terrorists detonated 2 “big” IEDs on an Egyptian Army convoy west of Arish, killing or wounding twenty soldiers including a high ranking commander and destroying 2 armored vehicles. [JustPaste]
Libya
Daesh says its terrorists attacked a checkpoint in Mirada gate, 30 km south of Ras Lanuf, and captured the gate, killing Oil Facilities Protection personnel and capturing then beheading three of them (photos). [JustPaste]
New information has been reported regarding Daesh’s recently appointed commander in Libya. Abu Safyan Al-Ghazali, known to his Daesh colleagues as “Abu Omar Al-Iraqi” has been reportedly sent to Sirte by Daesh leader Awwad Baghdadi to oversee operations in Daesh’s Libya franchise, according to unidentified sources cited by the Egyptian Bawabh news site. The sources also report that Al-Ghazali’s goals include asserting Daesh control over Ajdabiya and over the country’s petroleum infrastructure.
According to the same sources, Al-Ghazali is one of Baghdadi’s closest associates. He is originally from Tikrit, and has skills in explosives and bomb making. He reportedly arrived in Libya accompanied by 30 companions, with a mandate to negotiate with other militant groups in Libya, including Libya Dawn, and Ansar Al-Sharia, to persuade them to accept Daesh’s leadership. [Bawabh]
DaeshDaily comment. This story is alarming. Daesh already controls much of Libya’s oil-producing area. The country still lacks a unified government to deal with its problems. There are reports that the US and European countries plan to help. Maybe sooner would be better than later.
Daesh has begun a training course for former police officers who joined Daesh in Sirte after working for the deposed Gaddafi regime or defecting from its successors in Libya, local sources say. The training started Wednesday with over 210 officers taking part in the four-week course at a complex in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and includes lectures by Daesh leaders from Bahrain, Iraq, Tunisia, and Libya on Daesh’s religious interpretations and its views on jihad, the sources added. Attendance is compulsory and trainees’ addresses are recorded to ensure that they comply. Wasat’s sources also reported that over 100 militants “who are likely Africans” arrived in Sirte on Wednesday evening, traveling in approximately 20 four-wheel drive vehicles fitted with weapons and Daesh banners. [Wasat]
Daesh publishes photos of cutting off the hand of a man in Benghazi, after accusing him of theft. [JustPaste]
Other countries
Yemen. Daesh claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide vehicle bombing that struck at the gates of the presidential palace in Sanaa on Thursday. The attack killed or injured at least 23 people, 8 presidential guards and 15 civilians, including women and children, according to early reports (photos). [Erem] [Arabi21]
Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists, from Holland, attacked the presidential palace in Aden, killing ten of the guards and wounding more than twenty. Daesh published 2 photos of the explosion and a photo of the terrorist. [JustPaste] [JustPaste]
Russia The “Live News” channel announced that there are six suspects wanted by Russian and Egyptian intelligence in connection with the downing of a Russian charter jet over Sinai last year after it departed Sharm El-Sheikh bound for St. Petersburg. The channel cited “sources close to the investigation” to say that baggage handling staff were suspected of bringing a bomb into the plane’s cargo hold. A Kremlin press spokesman refused to comment on the report. Daesh claimed responsibility for the downing of the jet. [Arabi21]
Afghanistan. Daesh has begun broadcasting a radio program in the Farsi language in Nangarhar Province for two hours each day, under the title “Voice of the Caliphate.” According to reports in the Afghan press, the programming launched about three months ago. [Arabi21]
Daesh publishes a video of its Ashbal Al-Khilafa camp for young boys in Afghanistan. [Archive]
Daesh says it detonated a “guided” IED on the vehicle of a local police commander in Kabul, wounding him severely. Daesh also says it detonated another IED on the Border Police commander in another area of Kabul, wounding three policemen. [JustPaste]
Spain. A cigarette manufacturer in northern Spain has reportedly closed its plant due to the drop in demand for its products resulting from Daesh’s banning of smoking in the areas it controls, according to reports in the Spanish press. [Arabi21]
DaeshDaily comment. Yes, we know this sounds improbable. It sounds like Daesh public health propaganda. We just want to assure you we are not making this up.
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Another pro-Daesh comical page
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/IssdaratKhilafa
https://twitter.com/black004_black
https://twitter.com/musssk7531
https://twitter.com/hrtrfffffh
Other Daesh media
Daesh audio newsletter for today in English [Archive]
