July 26, 2016
Father Jacques Hamel
Today’s Major Developments
New Political Parties law will force parties to separate from their militias.
Salahuddin initiates national reconciliation process.
Coalition hits Manbij with seven more airstrikes, as Daesh loses further ground.
Daesh assassins kill French priest during Mass.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
The COR’s Legal Committee says the new Political Parties law will be activated in the next 60 days. The law, which was approved in August 2015, creates a problem for some political parties because it prohibits parties from having any affiliation with armed groups. The only solution might be that those parties break their ties with their militias and accept the Prime Minister’s order to define the PMFs as components of a separate organization that is under the Iraqi Military Command. [Mada]
The PMF Commission issued a statement saying it will reorganize PMFs as a military organization based on the Counter Terrorism Service model, according to an order issued by Prime Minster Abadi in late February. The new establishment will follow all of the Iraqi military laws and procedures, and will break its ties to political parties. [Mada]
However, a PMF Commission spokesman says the reconstruction of the PMFs is likely to happen after the liberation of Mosul and not now. [Sumaria]
A COR source says they passed a law creating an independent agency called the General Commission of Regions and Governorates not Incorporated into Regions (i.e., the Kurds), which is to report directly to the COR. There must be representatives from all governorates on the Commission. The law was finally passed after intense negotiations among political parties. The law appears to work from the assumption that some governorates are not fairly represented in government management, and their citizens don’t get a fair share of its benefits, in part due to corruption factors. Specifically mentioned are scholarship opportunities and even opportunities to attend foreign conferences and meetings, often controlled by cronies and other favored individuals. The Commission is to make semi-annual and annual reports about its activities. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. We found the explanation behind this law somewhat unclear, and suspect that its implementation will be a subject of contention. However, the fairness of the governmental system has been a constant source of criticism.
The United Nation’s Security Council voted unanimously to support the United Nation’s mission in Iraq (UNAMI) for another year, retaining its leader, Jan Kubis. [Mada]
The JOC spokesman refuted media reports about delaying the military operations in the Qayara and Shirqat areas, saying the preparations are ongoing and large military operations will start in the coming days. [Mada]
The Australian Minister of Defense says the Australian trainers in Iraq will have to travel outside of the Taji base in order to be able to train Iraqi forces on heavy artillery and mortars. [Mada]
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning the terrorist attacks in Kadhimiya and Al-Khalis. [Sumaria]
The Coalition says it conducted 13 airstrikes on Daesh targets in Iraq, in and around Mosul (6), Qayara (2), Tal Afar (2), and Sultan Abdullah (1); Hit (1) and Habbaniya (1). [InherentResolve]
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
Center (Rusafa, Karkh, Karrada, etc.)
The Christian PMF Commander says an IED exploded near their headquarters in Karrada, causing minor damage. [Buratha]
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
The Baghdad Operations Command spokesman says Iraqi Army 22nd brigade killed 2 Daesh suicide terrorists wearing explosive vests in the Al-Hora area. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Yesterday, the BOC reported defusing a vehicle bomb in the same area.
Iraqi Army 22nd brigade destroyed 5 Daesh guesthouses and defused a vehicle bomb and 4 IEDs in north Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]
Iraqi Army 45th brigade defused 6 IEDs in Um Najm village. [BOC Facebook Page]
The Baghdad Operations Command started a new military operation by apprehending 20 members of a Daesh sleeper cell in different parts in north Baghdad. [BasNews]
Northeast (Adhamiya, etc.)
Iraqi Army 44th brigade confiscated 2 explosive vests in Adhamiya. [BOC Facebook Page]
A local police source says a paramedic was killed near his house when armed men in a civilian vehicle shot him with silenced guns in the Saba’ Akbar area. [Maalomah]
Southeast (Mada’in, etc.)
An MoI source says a civilian was killed and three others wounded when a sticky IED exploded under a vehicle selling gas bottles in the Suwaib area. [Mada]
South (Dora, Mahmudiya)
A security source says the body of unknown man was found tied and shot in Mahmudiya. [Ghad]
Iraqi Army 23rd brigade destroyed 2 Daesh guesthouses and cleared a 5 km road in the Akhsaf area. [BOC Facebook Page]
Iraqi Army 25th brigade defused 2 IEDs in the Al-Sheeth area. [BOC Facebook Page]
Southwest (Rasheed)
An MoI source says two people were killed and nine wounded when an IED exploded near a wholesale market in Abu Dsheer. [Mada]
West (Mansour, Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib)
An MoI source says a PMF fighter was killed and four wounded when an IED exploded on their vehicle in Abu Ghraib. [Mada]
An MoI source says an MoI Major was killed when a sticky IED exploded under his civilian vehicle in Hay Al-Adel. [Mada]
An MoI source says a civilian was killed and eight wounded when an IED exploded near a busy market in Iskan. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 15 (Includes only incidents reported)
ANBAR
Falluja
Iraqi forces defused 32 IEDs, 10 explosive vests, and destroyed 2 IED factories with more than 100 IEDs, in addition to rockets and explosives, clearing 70 houses and a 4.7 km road in different areas of Falluja District. [BOC Facebook Page]
An Anbar Operations Command source says an Iraqi soldier was killed as he tried to defuse an IED in the Sin Al-Dhuban area in western Falluja. [Maalomah]
Anbar Operations Command says Iraqi Army 8th division defused 12 booby-trapped houses and 21 IEDs in the Albu Taiban and Halabsa areas, west of Falluja. [AIN]
A member of the Qarma subdistrict council says some political parties are trying to stop the return of displaced families to the subdistrict in order to take political advantage of the crisis. He says more than 60% of the areas in Qarma are secure and ready to receive the returnees. [Mada]
Iraqi Army 60th brigade confiscated 6 locally made rockets in the Raikan area southeast of Falluja. [BOC Facebook Page]
Ramadi
An Anbar Operations Command source says Coalition warplanes killed 2 Daesh terrorists and wounded 2 in an airstrike on Jazeera Khaldiya. [AIN]
The IWMC says the IAF destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb factory and 2 weapons storehouses in Jazeera Khaldiya, killing 9 terrorists. [PUKMedia]
The Anbar Operations Commander says Iraqi forces finished building a temporary bridge over the Al-Hilwa River in order to gain another access point into Jazeera Khaldiya. [Etejah]
Hit/Haditha
The IWMC says an IAA CH4 drone destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb in the Albu Nimr area near Baghdadi [Ghad]
Daesh says its snipers killed an Iraqi soldier in the Khaldiya area west of Hit. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of items taken from the alleged American warplane it shot down near the Ain Al-Asad Military Base. [JustPaste]
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh’s didn’t show any photos of the plane wreckage, as it has done before. For example, Daesh terrorists paraded with the dead body of the pilots of a recon plane that went down in Hawija. Most of the items shown in the photo can be bought on Amazon as was pointed out by a DaeshDaily former military officer.
Rutba/Western Anbar
Daesh publishes photos of its PR office activities in west Anbar. The photos show Daesh members intervening to solve a tribal dispute. [JustPaste]
DaeshDaily comment. As usual, Daesh goes to the tribes when it senses troubles.
SALAHUDDIN
The Salahuddin Provincial Council held a national reconciliation conference in Yathrib subdistrict in southern Salahuddin, attended by the Governor, Salahuddin Operations Commander, and tribal leaders. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. The government is trying to expand such initiatives to other areas to start a real national reconciliation process.
Shirqat
A security source says a mother and her four children were killed by a Daesh IED as they tried to escape from Shirqat. [Sumaria]
The IWMC says Iraqi F-16s bombed Daesh locations in Shirqat, killing 9 explosives men, most from Arab countries. [Baghdadia]
Daesh publishes 3 photos from Houriya village north of Shirqat. [JustPaste]
Baiji
Saraya Al-Jihad, a Shia PMF, says it found several Daesh explosives caches and confiscated tens of IEDs and barrels filled with explosives west of Siniya. [AIN]
Tikrit
A Tikrit police source says the local police captured 2 Daesh terrorists who sneaked into the city a day earlier. The source also says people informed them about 2 suspects, leading to the arrest. [Maalomah]
Daesh says its snipers killed four PMF fighters and wounded another one in Allas Oilfield. [JustPaste]
Tooz
The Turkmen PMF commander says, in a conference attended by tribal and community leaders, the people of Tooz District should have the right to decide the future of their areas in coordination with the people who didn’t cooperate with Daesh. [Mada]
DIYALA
Baquba
The Chairman of the Security Committee in Diyala Provincial Council says Daesh terrorists are fleeing the Hawija area, and are arriving in Diyala, causing the anticipation of further Daesh attacks. He asks the Prime Minister to provide better explosives detecting devices to protect the governorate. [Etejah]
The Deputy Chairman of the Diyala PC says the Diyala government passed information to its security agency about the Daesh attack in Al-Khalis before it happened, but no action was taken. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This not the first time we hear such statements. Security might not have the capacity to deal with such information and prevent the attacks.
A PMF commander says many Daesh terrorists have returned to the liberated areas in Diyala because of breaches in the security checking process for displaced families. [Sumaria]
The Diyala Police Spokesman says Police Emergency Units captured 2 men wanted on terrorism charges in south Baquba. [Sumaria]
The Diyala Police spokesman says the police captured a man in Abbara wanted on terrorism charges. [Sumaria]
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Iraqi Army member in the Jizani area in Albu Saida, wounding him severely. Daesh says the victim is a son of an Iraqi Army Colonel who had been previously killed by Daesh. [JustPaste]
Northern Diyala
The Diyala Police spokesman says the police defused 2 IEDs planted on dirt roads in Udhaim subdistrict. [Sumaria]
Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Iraqi Army Humvee in the Mtaibija area in Udhaim. [JustPaste]
Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Iraqi Army bulldozer while it was leveling orchards in the Sheikhi area in Al-Waqf. [JustPaste]
KIRKUK
Kirkuk
The PKK organized a funeral session for one of the YPG fighters who was killed in the Manbij battles, in Kirkuk, his hometown. [ROJ]
Hawija
The PMF Commission Spokesman says Shirqat District is now isolated from Mosul and Hawija, anticipating that the liberation of Shirqat will happen very shortly. He also says tens of Daesh terrorists fled the district. [Etejah]
The IWMC says Iraqi F-16s targeted Daesh locations in Hawija District, destroying a communications center and a weapons storehouse, killing several terrorists. [Baghdadia]
NINEWA
Mosul
The KRG Prime Minister, Nechirvan Barzani, says the Peshmerga will have “the leading role” in liberating Mosul. [ARA]
A Ninewa police commander says Daesh executed eight former Iraqi soldiers in Hammam Al-Alil. [BasNews]
A Ninewa police commander says Coalition warplanes bombed a Daesh convoy in the Cultural Compound in Mosul, killing a Daesh “sharia judge”, a terrorist from Tal Afar, in addition to six civilians who were arrested by Daesh. The source says this is the second “judge” killed by the Coalition within the past 24 hours. [BasNews]
A Ninewa Operations Command source says Coalition warplanes killed the Daesh sharia judge, Ahmed Ma’ayouf, and 3 of his associates in an airstrike on their vehicle in the Ghabat area in Mosul. [BasNews]
A PUK official says the Ninewa Falcons Battalion killed 3 Daesh terrorists in 3 different areas in Mosul city. [PUKMedia]
A member of the Ninewa Provincial Council says more than 1,500 Daesh terrorists, mostly foreigners, left Mosul toward Syria after Iraqi forces liberated the Qayara Oilfield. [Baghdadia]
Nineveh Plain
Daesh says its snipers killed a Peshmerga soldier in Dayr Umm Tutha village near Tel Keif. [JustPaste]
A Ninewa Police captain says unknown armed men attacked Daesh terrorists in Bazwaya, a Shabak town 10 km (6 miles) northeast of Mosul in Hamdaniya, killing 8 terrorists and wounding 5. [BasNews]
Makhmur/Qayara
A Sunni Arab COR member from Ninewa says Daesh burned up oilfields in Qayara, He also asks Prime Minister Abadi to accelerate the liberation of Qayara because people are stuck in the city under bad conditions. Another Ninewa COR member says he anticipates that 20-30,000 people left their houses in Qayara and the government may not be able to provide shelter. [Sumaria]
A Ninewa Operations Commander says Daesh blew up the Salamiya Bridge southeast of Mosul, in an effort to hinder the Mosul liberation operation. [Ghad]
Daesh says it attacked Iraqi forces in the residential compound of the Qayara Airfield with light and mid-sized weapons, destroying a military position. [JustPaste]
A Shabak COR member from Ninewa says the United States allocated more than $20 million to reconstruct the Qayara Airfield, in order to make it ready in one month. [Mada]
KURDISTAN
Hundreds of people participated in the funeral of a YPG fighter who was killed in the Manbij battles, in his hometown in Suleimaniya. [ROJ]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Babel
The Chairman of the Babel Provincial Council says the Council decided to destroy the houses of the people who are convicted on terrorism charges and force their families out of the governorate if the families were involved in a cover-up. [Anadolu]
DaeshDaily comment. We get the motive, but this is exactly what Daesh wants; long lasting societal wounds. And where will the excluded people go, and who will pay them a salary?
Wasit
The Chairman of the Wasit Appeals Court says the Kut criminal court sentenced to death a Daesh terrorist responsible for an attack on a checkpoint in 2014. [Mada]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Daesh says it killed three YPG fighters with an IED on the road between Qamishli and Tal Hamis, northeast of Hasaka. [A3maq]
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says an IED exploded near a bank in Shaddadi, killing a Syrian Democratic Forces fighter. [SyriaHR]
Daesh says it killed two YPG fighters and wounded another with an IED in Shaddadi. [A3maq]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Manbij campaign
The Coalition says it conducted 7 airstrikes on Daesh targets in Manbij. [InherentResolve]
Displaced people say Daesh is forcing people out of their houses in order to booby-trap them in Manbij. They also say Daesh is digging tunnels under the houses and filling them with explosives while civilians are still inside. [Hawar]
Manbij Military Council troops secured 200 families from Manbij city center. [Hawar]
Special sources say Daesh terrorists fought internally in Manbij because of the MMC initiative to let them leave the city peacefully to save civilians. Some of the terrorists wanted to accept the initiative, while others refused. Similar clashes were reported also in Al-Bab city. [Hawar]
Local media sources say battles continued between Syrian Democratic Forces and Daesh terrorists who refused to leave Manbij city. They say many Daesh terrorists left Manbij toward Jarabulus. [Qasioun]
A Kurdish Asayesh commander says his troops stopped a Daesh attack in southwest Manbij, killing 15 terrorists, and destroying a vehicle bomb. An SDF force says Manbij Military Council troops captured the Baizar Bridge and several areas south of Manbij Hospital after heavy battles with Daesh. [ARA]
The Daesh military commander of east Manbij, a Turkish terrorist called Abu A’isha, was killed with 13 other terrorists in Manbij. The terrorist had kidnapped more than 150 Kurdish civilians in Manbij before the military operations started. [Hawar]
Manbij Military Council troops killed 13 Daesh terrorists in battles in Hay Al-Kajli in Manbij. [Hawar]
Daesh says a 3 of its terrorists attacked YPG positions south of Manbij, killing five fighters and wounding five, capturing weapons and ammunition before returning safely to their positions inside the city. [A3maq] [JustPaste]
A special source in Manbij says Daesh called on the families of the people it kidnapped, to go to certain locations in the city in order to release their relatives. The source says Daesh is using this trick to hold the families hostages to use as human shields. [Hawar]
The Syrian Observatory for Human rights says four civilians, including a woman, were killed and several others wounded by snipers and IEDs in northwest Manbij. [SyriaHR]
A special source says Daesh sent military reinforcements from the Al-Bab area, and attacked Syrian Democratic Forces positions in Ilan village, 20 km (12.5 miles) west of Manbij. The source says Daesh is targeting positions west of Manbij and captured Al-Qurt village yesterday. The source says these villages have no military significance for Manbij city. [Dorar]
Manbij Military Council troops claimed to have stopped the Daesh attack on Ilan, killing 12 terrorists and destroying 2 machine gun-mounted vehicles. [Hawar]
Daesh says it killed six YPG fighters in battles in Hay Al-Hazawana. [A3maq]
Daesh issues a video of battles in Manbij. [A3maq]
Other northwest Syria reports
An opposition group commander says Daesh launched a massive attack from 2 sides near Baraghida village, but his troops stopped the attack, killing 7 terrorists and capturing one. He says Daesh is desperately trying to reach the Turkish border, most likely to open roads for foreign terrorists to enter. [ARA]
A local activist says Daesh snipers killed a Kurdish woman and her two young girls, who were trying to flee Daesh controlled areas in Al-Bab. He also says Daesh kidnapped five Kurdish civilians 2 days ago, and confiscated 16 houses in the area. [BasNews]
A Syrian Democratic Forces says Turkey-backed opposition groups continued their shelling on Jalma and Diwan villages in Afrin. [ARA]
The YPG says the Turkish Army shelled YPG positions west of Kobane with heavy artillery. [Hawar]
The YPG says it stopped a Daesh attack on its positions near Kobane, destroying 2 vehicles. [Hawar]
Daesh publishes 3 photos of battles near Kowaires Airfield. [JustPaste]
Local sources say Al-Nusra clashed with other armed groups north of Aleppo, over a dispute regarding the money taken from displaced people who were trying to escape Daesh controlled areas toward Afrin. The sources say the armed groups are randomly shooting at civilian vehicles. [Hawar]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Daesh publishes photos of battles with the Syrian Army near Fikr village east of Hama. [JustPaste]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
A local activist says areas under the Syrian Government control in Deir Ez-Zor have been facing a severe shortage in water for 5 days. The main water station is located in the Daesh controlled Baghailiye village. [ARA]
A local activist says Daesh captured the entire medical staff of the Mayadin city hospital, after accusing them of accepting bribes and stealing medicine and equipment. He says Daesh released the crew after they paid financial penalties. Daesh also executed a young man in Biqris town east of Deir Ez-Zor, after accusing him of ridda (leaving Islam). [ARA]
DaeshDaily comment. For Daesh, not obeying its orders or opposing it makes you a non-Muslim automatically.
Russian warplanes destroyed a Daesh weapons storehouse in Deir Ez-Zor city. Russian warplanes also launched extensive airstrikes on Daesh locations near Deir Ez-Zor Airport. [Qasioun]
Daesh issues a video of Syrian soldiers who surrendered to its terrorists in Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]
South (Rif Damashq, Suwayda, Daraa, etc.)
Syrian troops killed a group of Daesh terrorists who were trying to infiltrate Barad village in Suwayda. [SyriaNow]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
North Africa
Egypt
Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Egyptian Police armored vehicle in the Al-Wadi Bridge area in Arish on Monday. [A3maq]
VetoGate reported yesterday that three civilians were wounded when an IED exploded near Al-Wadi Bridge in Arish.
Yesterday, Daesh said Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes Sunday south of Arish and south of Sheikh Zuweid. [A3maq]
A brick factory was destroyed by an IED planted by armed men in south of Arish city. [VetoGate]
Eyewitnesses say they found the head of a 33-year-old civilian in Hasana city in Central Sinai. The man was kidnapped by terrorists several days ago and was accused of cooperating with security. [VetoGate]
Libya
Northeast
A military source says battles renewed between Libyan troops and Daesh and its allies in the Qawarsha area, in west Benghazi. [Wasat]
The Libyan National Army says it liberated the Qawarsha gate and the Chinese Company Compound in west Benghazi. [AfriGate]
The Libyan National Army spokesman asked media outlets not to cover the battles in west Benghazi hastily. Social media sources say a Libyan soldier was killed in Qawarsha. [AfriGate]
Central coast
A National Accord Government Military source says an Explosive Ordinance Disposal expert was killed by a Daesh sniper in southeast Sirte. [Wasat]
Daesh says it destroyed a Libyan forces vehicle in west Sirte, killing or wounding the soldiers inside. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes a propaganda video about the battles in Sirte. [JustPaste]
Tunisia
The Tunisian Ministry of Interior says border guards arrested an African man trying to cross from Tunisia into Libya to join a terrorist group. [Tunisien]
Other countries
France
Le Figaro says 2 terrorists armed with knives held civilians as hostage in a church in Normandy and beheaded a priest before they were killed by the police. [Sumaria]
Daesh’s A3maq says the terrorists who conducted the attacks are Daesh members. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. The sheer depravity of Daesh is apparent from this truly horrible incident. Despite their religious pretensions, they are people of sub-human values focused only on power and the joy of killing others in cruel ways. Incidents like this put their supposed religious ideology in perspective.
The worst thing we can do is to believe Daesh media, to see the terrorists as religious fighters with a mission, albeit misguided, to change the world. Daesh terrorists are often sociopaths and psychopaths, and the people behind them are murderous criminals who will kill anyone to remain politically relevant.
Unfortunately this is not clearly communicated in the media, even in the West. Daesh is trying to show that beheading an 84-year-old man is a victory, that killing unaware civilians in a mall or a club is a holy fight, that blowing up women and children in suicide attacks will take the terrorists to heaven. For Daesh’s online fanboys these are acts of bravery. That shows us that Daesh is not a group of normal people but a bunch of criminals who must be dealt with as such.
The prestigious Al-Azhar Mosque in Egypt issues a statement condemning the murder of Father Jacques Hamel. [CoptsToday]
Nigeria
Daesh’s affiliate Boko Haram says it stopped a Nigerian Army attack on a village in Borno State, northeast of Nigeria, killing fourteen soldiers and capturing one. [A3maq]
Afghanistan
The Spokesman of the Nangarhar province says Afghan troops started military operations in the province and killed 200 Daesh terrorists, including an Emirati leader, capturing 20 more, and clearing many villages. The operations started on Friday. [Anadolu]
SOCIAL MEDIA
There was an explosion of anger from Muslims on social media over Daesh’s beheading of a French priest (reported above) in his church. One theme was that this had no conceivable religious purpose.
Jacques Hamel, the beloved French priest who was murdered by Daesh, wrote last year that “we should make the world warmer, more humane and more brotherly.” [Twitter]
His church had donated land in 2000 to build a mosque. [Twitter]
Showing the extent of the problem, however, a supposedly “moderate” Saudi cleric (commenting in general) says “I followed the reasons that adopted violence and extremism, and found that they appear when there is a lot of oppression against Muslims, which creates a lot of enthusiasm accompanied by little knowledge.” [Twitter]
DaeshDaily comment. This is an example of how the Daesh incubator media justifies its existence. We just want to understand what kind of “oppression” makes Saudis from well-off families detonate themselves among civilians in Iraq?
Videos of the Day
A video of a one-legged PMF fighter who volunteered to fight Daesh [YouTube]
A video of an Iraqi airstrike destroying a Daesh car bomb factory in Shirqat [ISOF]
A video of an Iraqi soldier meeting his family for the first time in 2 years after they were trapped by Daesh in Shirqat [YouTube]
Photos of Daesh terrorists captured in Samarra [Twitter]
A video of Iraqi fighters in a battle with Daesh [YouTube]
A video of a French airstrike destroying a Daesh weapons storehouse in Mosul [YouTube]
A video of civilians from Manbij secured by MMC fighters [SDF]
A video taken by MMC fighters showing a Daesh terrorist planting IEDs near the Sajur River [SDF]
A video of Hay Al-Banawi in Manbij after it was liberated from Daesh [SDF]
A video of a Coalition airstrike destroying a Daesh fighting position near Manbij on July 11 [CJTF]
A video of Syrian troops destroying a Daesh heavy machine gun in Deir Ez-Zor [YouTube]
OTHER DAESH MEDIA
Daesh publishes a new issue of its Al-Naba’ magazine. [JustPaste]
Daesh audio newsletter for today [JustPaste]
