An Update On ISIS Activities

June 23, 2016

June 23, 2016

BOC Troops in Falluja

Today’s Major Developments

UN OFFICIAL ESTIMATES 3.4 MILLION IRAQIS DISPLACED; MOSUL COULD MAKE SITUATION WORSE.

IRAQ CLAIMS 80% CONTROL OF FALLUJA; FINDS 15 DAESH IED & CAR-RIGGING FACTORIES.

TRIBAL PMF COMMANDER AND FAMILY MEMBERS REPORTED MURDERED IN RUTBA.

DAESH FIGHTERS REPORTED ABANDONING SOUTHERN NINEWA’S HATRA DISTRICT.

MANBIJ CAMPAIGN ENTERS CITY BUT FACES DETERMINED DAESH OPPOSITION.

 

REPORTS FROM IRAQ

 

NATIONAL NEWS

A Sunni MP from Salahuddin says Prime Minister Abadi said told him that the liberation of Mosul will be easier than expected. Abadi also says Iraqi forces are able of fighting Daesh on four military fronts at the same time. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. This is our military opinion too: it may be easier than predicted. Many predicted Falluja would be more than Iraq could handle, but we sensed from all our reports that the government would win decisively. One major element in the explanation is that Daesh has lost its public support in the areas it controls, and a larger number of people never supported it. This leaves it trying to control hostile populations with an inadequate number of terrorists, relying heavily on foreign suicide bombers to offset its fading support from Iraqis. We think the Mosul population will be at least as hostile as the Fallujans.

A second major element has been the relentless daily bombing by the US-led Coalition, which has had a cumulative effect that the mainstream media has failed to adequately report and the US government has seemed to downplay. We think a lot of Daesh fighters know they are facing defeat in Iraq. We keep getting reports about Daesh members leaving for other places and even trying to escape with citizens displaced by the fighting. By the time the big push comes on Mosul, how many of them with a choice will be willing to stand and fight?

As we have said here occasionally, we are more worried about the aftermath of the Mosul campaign, when the machinations of certain Ninewa, KRG, and Turkish political leaders come out in the open. We also repeat often that defeating Daesh in Falluja and Mosul and other places does not mean the Daesh threat will be gone from Iraq. The struggle for Iraq will just go into its next phase, and Iraq—and its friends—need to be ready.

 

According to Reuters, Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, says impending attacks in Mosul and other areas in Iraq could lead to the displacement of at least 2.3 million people, 430,000 from Anbar 830,000 from northern Salahuddin, and many thousands more from other areas. She says most of the displaced people are Sunnis, and more than 3.4 million people in Iraq have already left their homes, including 85,000 from Falluja in the past month alone. She also says humanitarian efforts are lacking funds, receiving only $266 million of the $861 to help with the overflowing refugee camps and shelter for the displaced families in areas where temperatures are rising to 122° Fahrenheit (50° Celsius). [Reuters]

 

BAGHDAD

The MoI’s Al-Suqoor Intelligence Cell says it captured a Daesh cell that was planning for a terrorist attack during Ramadan in Baghdad. [Mawazin]

 

Security-related incidents reported

North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)

Iraqi Army 11th division found 2 explosives caches in 2 areas in Taji. [MoD Website]

 

Northeast (Adhamiya, etc.)

A security source says unknown armed men shot and killed a policeman near his house in Hay Ur. [Baghdadia]

 

Southeast (Mada’in, etc.)

An MoI source says one person was killed and seven wounded when an IED exploded near an industrial area in Nahrawan. [Mada]

 

Daesh says it detonated an IED on “PMF members” in Zafaraniya, killing two of them and wounding three others. [JustPaste]

 

South (Dora, Mahmudiya)

An MoI source says one person was killed and six wounded when an IED exploded near a commercial area in Mahdiya in Dora. [Mada]

An MoI source says three people were killed and six wounded when an IED exploded near a livestock market in Yusufiyah. [Mada]

A local police source says the police captured 3 men wanted on terrorism charges in Yusufiyah. [Maalomah]

Iraqi Army 17th division troops found an explosives cache in the Shakha 1 area in Latifiya. [MoD Website]

Iraqi Army 55th division defused an IED in the Quwam area. [MoD Website]

 

West (Mansour, Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib)

An MoI source says a PMF fighter was killed and four others wounded when an IED exploded on their vehicle in Abu Ghraib. [Mada]

 

Total Baghdad incidents reported:    10   (Includes only incidents reported)

 

ANBAR

Falluja

West Baghdad Operations Command says its troops found 15 IED and car-rigging factories, defused 2 booby-trapped houses and 20 IEDs, cleared 120 houses, and found a 3 km (2 mile) long tunnel in the Falluja area. A Rapid Intervention unit killed a Daesh sniper and defused a booby-trapped house and 70 IEDs. Iraqi Army 14th division killed 10 Daesh terrorists, wounded 5, and destroyed a guesthouse, a motorcycle, and 17 IEDs in the same area. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

Coalition warplanes conducted 4 airstrikes on Daesh in the Falluja military sector, killing 12 terrorists, destroying a vehicle, a boat, a hideout, and a weapons storehouse. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

Reuters reports that the United Nations said on Wednesday it had received further reports alleging “serious rights violations” of civilians fleeing the Iraqi city of Falluja by armed groups.

A spokeswoman said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had obtained video footage of two further incidents purporting to show abuses of civilians from Falluja. In one, a man was beaten around the head and dragged along the ground by a military truck, and another showed people being struck with a rifle and kicked in the head. In both cases the perpetrators were wearing military uniforms, but the U.N. said it could not identify their affiliation, nor could it authenticate the videos. However, it had received reports of such violations from several sources, the spokeswoman said. [Sumaria]

The Anbar Governor says some Iraqi forces committed violations against displaced people from Falluja for sectarian reasons. He also says a legal committee was formed in coordination with the federal government to document these abuses. [BasNews]

DaeshDaily comment. The government is obviously highly sensitive to this scenario, in both Baghdad and Anbar, which is to their credit in view of past history. As for those “reports” of violations, they should all be checked out, but some will likely prove to be based on little or no evidence and issued for sectarian reasons. One tactic for stealing the government’s victory in Falluja is the old tactic of playing the sectarian card.

 

Falluja city. The Falluja Operations Commander says Iraqi forces have retrieved 80% of Falluja city and only 5-10% of the Daesh fighters remain. He says Iraqi forces are still fighting Daesh in Jolan in northwest Falluja, and Daesh pockets remain in Azraqiya (northwest) and Hassi (south) of the city. [Xendan]

 

The Anbar Police Chief says Jolan is the only major hurdle remaining to the liberation of Falluja. He says it is not because of Daesh resistance, but because of the IEDs planted by Daesh all around the area. He also says there have been no violations by Iraqi forces against civilian houses in Falluja. [Sumaria]

 

By contrast, the IFP Commander says IFP drones obtained surveillance of Daesh terrorists burning down more than 25 houses in Falluja city. [Harbi]

 

The IFP Commander says his troops have killed hundreds of Daesh terrorists and have removed more than 5,000 IEDs so far in Falluja. He says there are no civilians remaining in the city. He also says Daesh used all of the government buildings in infrastructure in the city, but their attempts failed, and the operations are going as planned. [Sumaria]

 

The IFP commander says his troops killed 2 Daesh terrorists in Hay Al-Andalus. He also says the troops found a Daesh explosives factory in the area that contains more than 500 IEDs. [Mada]

He also says Iraqi forces killed a Daesh sniper and a suicide terrorist wearing an explosives vest near the Old Bridge. [Sumaria]

 

The Falluja Operations Commander says battles are still in effect to liberate the city. He also says the battles are going per instruction of the Prime Minister and the forces are putting in place measures to protect the civilians, their properties, and the infrastructure of the city. [Sumaria]

 

According to Stars and Stripes, British Army Maj. Gen. Doug Chalmers, the Baghdad-based deputy commander for strategy and sustainment for Operation Inherent Resolve, says Iraqi security forces have pushed Daesh out of about 70 percent of Fallujah in an operation that moved more swiftly than the Coalition had expected. He says that after intense fighting in the early stages of the offensive, Iraqi soldiers have faced only light resistance from the terrorists remaining there.

“The fighting to get into Fallujah was probably some of the fiercest I’ve seen. The (Iraqis) have been able to break through some of those defensive belts on the southern side, and the Iraqi security forces, once they’ve fought through that, they’ve been able to sustain the momentum,” Chalmers says. [Stripes]

 

A photo of a Daesh document found in Falluja contains the Daesh meal schedule. [Mawazin]

DaeshDaily comment. The document shows that the terrorists were well fed, unlike the civilians in Falluja.

 

A Badr commander says his troops found a huge sniper weapon in the Hay Al-Dubat area in Falluja Center. He says the range of the weapon is over 6 km (4 miles). [Ghad]

DaeshDaily comment. So, there are Shia militias in Falluja city after all? Sunni MPs accused the IFP of allowing Shia militias to enter Falluja. Part of the reason might be that the Minister of Interior is from Badr.

 

A photo of a Daesh communications system found in Falluja [Sumaria]

 

A tribal PMF commander says Iraqi forces captured a tribal leader who appeared in a Daesh publication, pledging allegiance to Daesh in Falluja. He also says security forces overheard wire Daesh communications that were calling for the execution of one hundred and fifty prisoners in Daesh prisons. He also says some prisoners, including women and children, were killed in a Daesh prison that was mistakenly targeted by an airstrike. He also says Daesh burned down several houses before fleeing Falluja, and gave their money and jewelry to women who left with displaced people. He says this is a sensitive issue and it’s hard to convince other tribal leaders to arrest these women. [Mada]

DaeshDaily comment. One of the reasons for the demonstrations in Anbar, that lead eventually to Daesh capturing most of the governorate in 2014, was to protest the arrest of several Sunni women. Daesh, and other armed groups in Iraq, have been using women to carry weapons, explosives and other stuff because security forces usually don’t search women. When such women get arrested, Daesh and its incubator media start to use this as a sign of aggression from the government toward Sunnis. Interestingly enough, Daesh uses the same propaganda in Egypt, where the government is actually Sunni. 

 

South. Iraqi Army 60th brigade found a Daesh rocket factory and confiscated 140 locally made rockets and a rocket launcher in the Raikan Flayih area southwest of Falluja. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

A member of the Ameriyat Al-Falluja subdistrict council says Iraqi forces, supported by the IAA, liberated Albu Jadda’ village in Ameriyat Al-Falluja. [Maalomah]

 

Ramadi

The Anbar Operations commander says Iraqi forces, supported by the IAF and the IAA, killed 48 Daesh terrorists and destroyed 9 buildings used as barricades by Daesh in addition to mortar units in the Zangoura area. [Sumaria]

Daesh says heavy battles erupted after Iraqi forces, supported by American warplanes, attacked the Zangoura area. Daesh says Coalition warplanes mistakenly bombed 2 Iraqi Humvees, causing Iraqi forces to flee. [JustPaste]

DaeshDaily comment. This is another repetitious Daesh lie. The Coalition bombing always hits the wrong targets by mistake, and never hits Daesh.  

 

A tribal PMF commander says Iraqi forces are stopping Daesh attacks daily in areas north of Ramadi, killing many Daesh terrorists. [Sumaria]

 

The Chairman of the Khaldiya subdistrict council says the Coalition, the IAF, and the IAA, started to target Daesh positions in Jazeera Khaldiya, preparing for a major military operation to liberate the area. [Sumaria]

The Chairman says the IAA targeted Daesh locations in the Fahhama and Albu Aitha areas, killing 15 terrorists and destroying 3 guesthouses in addition to several vehicles. [Maalomah]

 

The Anbar tribes spokesman says Iraqi Army units, supported by Anbar police and tribal PMF fighters, stopped a Daesh attack on the Albu Dhiab area, east of Ramadi, killing all of the attackers. [Maalomah]

 

Hit/Haditha

An Iraqi Army source says Coalition warplanes destroyed a Daesh explosives storehouse in the Dolab area, killing 3 terrorists. [Sumaria]

 

Rutba/Western Anbar

An Anbar Operations Command source says Daesh terrorists sneaked to the house of a tribal PMF commander in Rutba, and killed five PMF fighters and nine members of the commander’s family, including women and children. He says the commander was not home when the terrorists invaded his house. [Maalomah]

A Rutba Police source says Sheikh Ghazal Al-Eissawi is still alive and was not in his house when the terrorist attacked. He says the security forces announced his death for security reasons. [Maalomah]

DaeshDaily comment. Hamid Hadid, the Al-Jazeera Iraq office manager, tweeted that “armed men” killed the tribal PMF leader, and retweeted from another Daesh mouthpiece that the “armed men” killed the family of the leader, although Daesh claimed the attack. Hadid usually tweets happily and proudly about Daesh attacks against Iraqi forces and civilians, and calls the attacks “Islamic state attacks.” However, and because the victims are Sunni civilians, he attributed the attack to “armed men” this time. This schizophrenic behavior is not strange in the petro-dollar media world.

The other point is about Daesh terrorists fleeing cities and hiding in nearby areas, waiting for opportunities to attack the cities, most likely in coordination with sleeper cells. Unfortunately, Iraqi forces have not found a solution for this tactic yet.  

 

A tribal PMF commander confirmed that the commander was killed with his family. He says their security imposed a curfew in Rutba after the attack. [Maalomah]

Daesh says 3 of its terrorists entered the house of the tribal PMF commander, and killed him and five of his associates. Daesh says after that the 3 terrorists clashed with Iraqi forces in the city before returning safely. Daesh also says it shelled the city and the Kilo 5 area. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh issues a video of burning up large quantities of cigarettes in Al-Qa’im. [A3maq]

 

SALAHUDDIN

Daesh publishes a propaganda video about its battles in Salahuddin. [JustPaste]

 

Shirqat

The chairman of the Security Committee in Salahuddin GC says Iraqi forces are advancing in the Shirqat areas according to plan. However, Daesh land mines, IEDs, and ambushes are still a threat. He says several people who fled from Shirqat say Daesh terrorists are escaping Shirqat toward the desert areas near Mosul. [Maalomah]

 

Salahuddin Operations Command, supported by the IAA, continued its operations to liberate areas in Shirqat, including capture of the Sheikh Ali area, and also Qayara in Ninewa, killing more than 40 terrorists and destroying a vehicle bomb. [MoD Website]

A Counter Terrorism Service commander says Iraqi forces captured Sheikh Ali village. He also says Iraqi forces control the Makhoul subdistrict from a military aspect, and that heavy battles continue in the subdistrict, resulting in 40 Daesh terrorists killed so far. [Mawazin]

 

Baiji

Iraqi forces stopped another Daesh attack in the Asmeda area, destroying 3 vehicle bombs and a machine gun-mounted vehicle, and killing 2 suicide terrorists. Iraqi forces also retrieved some military locations that Daesh had captured earlier. [MoD Website]

The IFP stopped a Daesh attack in the Asmeda area north of Baiji, and destroyed a vehicle bomb. [MoD Website]

Daesh’s version says it stopped an Iraqi Army attack on its positions in the Asmeda area, destroying 2 Abrams tanks with guided missiles and shelling Iraqi forces with more than 400 mortars. [JustPaste]

Daesh says one of its terrorists sneaked into Iraqi Army positions near the Asmeda area north of Baiji, killed many soldiers, and destroyed a Humvee and an armored vehicle. Daesh says one of its Iraqi suicide terrorists then attacked the remaining soldiers with a car bomb, killing seventeen soldiers and damaging an Abrams tank, and 3 Humvees. [JustPaste]

DaeshDaily comment. So, what happened to the first Rambo? Daesh has developed a set of scenarios for its stories. In this scenario, reusable for all locations, one terrorist penetrates government lines and kills people, then another makes a suicide attack. All such attacks are defined as successes. The relationship to what actually happened is impossible to discern.

Daesh says it destroyed an Iraqi Army Humvee and an armored vehicle in battles in the Asmeda area. [A3maq]

Here Daesh says it destroyed an Abrams tank, a personnel carrier, and 3 Humvees in the operation. [A3maq]

 

A Salahuddin Operations Command source says Iraqi forces liberated Al-Dibis village, north of Baiji. The source also says an Iraqi Army captain and three soldiers were killed by a Daesh mortar shell in Mohammed Al-Musa village. [Mada]

 

Iraqi forces killed a local terrorist and several other terrorists, including a suicide bomber, near Baiji Thermal (power) Station. [MoD Website]

 

A security source says Iraqi forces, supported by Coalition warplanes and the IAA captured the Makhoul police station. [Baghdadia]

DaeshDaily comment. Sounds good, but how come Daesh was occupying a police station in this area?

 

Tikrit

The Chairman of the Al-Daur District Council says Daesh terrorists broke into the house of a tribal leader in Na’ima village northeast of Al-Daur, killing the tribal leader and his son, and wounding one of their relatives. He also says the terrorists set the house and 3 vehicles on fire before fleeing toward the Himrin Mountains. [Mada]

 

Iraqi forces defused 113 IEDs and 2 booby-trapped houses in the Dhiba’i area east of Tikrit. [MoD Website]

 

Tooz

The Mayor of Tooz refutes media reports about displacement from Tuz “because of threats” and says the security situation is stable. [Sumaria]

A PUK official says Shia militias, using SMS, threatened Kurdish people in Tuz Khurmatu and told them to leave within 24 hours. [BasNews]

DaeshDaily comment. This contradiction seems strange since the mayor is a Peshmerga ally.

 

A security source says unknown armed men shot and killed a civilian in Tuz Khurmatu. [Sumaria]

 

Daesh says it burned down 3 PMF and Peshmerga positions in the Zarqa area in Tooz. [JustPaste]

 

DIYALA

Baquba

The Diyala Police chief says 2 men wanted on terrorism charges were captured during a search campaign in south Baquba. [Sumaria]

 

Iraqi Intelligence Service captured a man wanted on terrorism charges on the road between Baghdad and Baquba. [MoD Website]

 

Daesh says its terrorists attacked the house of “a Shia head” in south Buhriz and burned down the house and an SUV, before returning safely. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says its terrorists attacked a PMF checkpoint with light and midsized weapons in Khan Bani Saad, forcing the fighters to flee and capturing their weapons, burning down the checkpoint. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says it destroyed a PMF SUV in the Hibhib subdistrict with an IED, killing four fighters. [JustPaste]

 

Muqdadiya/Abu Saida

Daesh says it attacked an Iraqi forces military position in the Quwam area in Muqdadiya (a different Quwam) from the one cited earlier in South Baghdad). Daesh says it has no information about the casualties. [JustPaste]

 

A security source says unknown armed men shot at a police convoy transporting prisoners on the road between Muqdadiya and Balad Ruz, killing five prisoners. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. In many previous similar incidents, armed men linked to Shia militias or local tribes, attacked and killed Daesh suspects while the suspects were being transported. We can’t confirm yet that this is one of these incidents.

 

A Shia member of Diyala Provincial Council says the statement of a Sunni MP about demographic changed in Mukhaisa village are not true. He says the MP ignored the fact that three thousand people were killed or wounded in the areas since 2005 by terrorists hiding in the village’s orchards. [Sumaria]

 

Northern Diyala

The chairman of the Udhaim subdistrict council says 100 tribal fighters joined the security forces to hold the ground and secure the return of displaced families. [Sumaria]

 

The manager of Jalawla in Khanaqin says 843 families returned to their houses in the subdistrict. The is the 16th group of returnees within the return program. [Sumaria]

 

The Ministry of Electricity says its teams started the repair of 3 electricity towers after they were damaged by Daesh yesterday in the Kabashi area in Jalawla near the Iran border. [Mada]

 

Daesh publishes 3 photos of targeting “PMF positions” in Saadiya with mortars. [JustPaste]

DaeshDaily comment. Such attacks are intended to hinder the return of Sunni displaced families to the area.

 

The Chairman of the Security Committee in Diyala Provincial Council says a special intelligence service unit killed a Daesh official responsible for providing logistics and weapons to Daesh sleeper cells in a special operation in the Waqf area. [Sumaria]

 

KIRKUK

Kirkuk

A security source says security captured 2 men wanted on terrorism charges at the K1 checkpoint, 15 km (9 miles) northwest of Kirkuk. The source says the terrorists admitted their intention to enter Kirkuk to meet sleeper cells. [Sumaria]

 

Hawija

A security source says a Daesh Libyan commander was killed in clashes with the Albu Mifrij tribe in south Hawija. [Maalomah]

 

NINEWA

Mosul

A local activist says Daesh is destroying the engravings on mosques in Mosul. [ARA]

DaeshDaily comment. Another attack on Iraqi identity. The engravings, mostly Quranic verses, have been part of the Islamic way of building mosques since forever. This new version of Islam wants to subdue Iraq, and the entire world if possible, to its twisted point of view.

 

Kata’eb Al-Mosul says its fighters killed Hayman Jalal, a Kurdish terrorist responsible for executing Peshmerga fighters captured by Daesh, in the Arbajiya area in Mosul. [KM Facebook Page]

 

A Ninewa police source says Ninewa hospitals and the morgue have received large numbers of bodies of Daesh terrorists who were killed or wounded. He says Daesh tries to hide the numbers of its dead terrorists and sometimes throws their bodies into valleys west of the city. [BasNews]

 

Nineveh Plain

Photos of Daesh terrorists surrendering to the Peshmerga in the Nawaran area in Sheikhan District [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. On social media there are protests about how people displaced or terrorists surrendering are treated, as they may be told to remove clothing. Missed in the criticism is that this is the only way to determine whether someone is wearing an explosives vest.

 

Makhmur/Qayara

The Ninewa Operations Commander says Iraqi forces, supported by Coalition warplanes, have liberated 127 sq. km (50 sq. miles) and 9 villages so far in areas southeast of Mosul. He says the military operations are going according to plan. [Mada]

 

The Ninewa Operations Commander says his troops shot down a Daesh drone in areas southeast of Mosul. He also says his troops targeted Daesh positions in Haj Ali village, killing or wounding several terrorists. [BasNews]

 

A security source says the Counter Terrorism Service conducted a covert operation in the Qayara area based on personal orders from the Prime Minister. The source says several Daesh terrorists surrendered to the unit without resistance. [Sumaria]

 

South (Baaj, Hatra)

A Salahuddin Operations Command source says Daesh terrorists fled from the Hatra area. The source also says the area is completely Daesh free and the residents have begun to go to barber shops and resume normal life activities. [Maalomah] A second media outlet cites a security source saying Daesh terrorists are fleeing Hatra collectively without any known reason. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. Many recent reports showed Daesh terrorists leaving their positions in Ninewa, either fleeing towards Mosul or surrendering to the Iraqi Army or the Peshmerga, though we have to look at this report carefully. However, if Daesh loses its based in desert Ninewa, it is most likely will lose the ability to survive a long fight in Ninewa.

 

SOUTHERN IRAQ

Qadisiya

The Diwaniya Police Chief says a man wanted on terrorism charges was captured at a checkpoint on the Najaf road while he was trying to sneak into Diwaniya. [Mada]

 

REPORTS FROM SYRIA

 

Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)

A Syrian military source says Syrian warplanes targeted Daesh locations south of Tabaqa, killing or wounding many terrorists and destroying several vehicles. [SANA]

 

The Russian Ministry of Defense spokesman refutes the reports about Daesh killing three Russian soldiers in Syria. He says Daesh got the photos of the soldiers from a mobile phone that was stolen inside Russia. [SANA]

DaeshDaily comment. Daesh didn’t publish photos of the bodies of the dead soldiers yesterday. It only showed a video of their alleged destroyed vehicle.   

 

Daesh issues a video of areas it captured on the road between Ithariya and Raqqa. [A3maq]

Daesh publishes photos of battles on the road between Ithariya and Raqqa, and a photo of the Syrian soldiers it captured. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh publishes photos of repairing houses that were damaged by Russian airstrikes in Raqqa. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh issues a video of its religious activities in Maadan, east of Raqqa. [A3maq]

 

Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)

Manbij campaign. Local activists say six civilians were killed, including women and children, and 25 wounded by a Daesh land mine as they were trying to flee Manbij toward the west. The activist says Daesh booby-trapped all of the entrances and exits in Manbij. [BasNews]

 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Syrian Democratic Forces, supported by Coalition manpower, entered Manbij from the southeastern side and heavy battles are ongoing in the city. [Xendan]

An SDF source says the Manbij Military Council (MMC) troops entered Hay Al-Asadiya in southeast Manbij. [ARA]

 

A military source says the SDF also entered Manbij from the west and are 1 km away from the city center. The SDF also attacked the city from the north but were forced to retreat after 2 Daesh vehicle bomb attacks. [Dorar]

Daesh says it stopped 3 YPG attempts to break into Manbij city from the northwest. Daesh also says American warplanes conducted 15 airstrikes on the area. [A3maq]

Daesh says a YPG convoy, supported by American ground and airpowers, tried to advance toward Zanghal village northwest of Manbij. Daesh says its terrorists clashed with the YPG for hours, then a suicide terrorist attacked the YPG with a car bomb, killing or wounding thirty fighters and destroying 2 Humvees. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says the YPG, supported by American ground and airpowers, tried to attack Manbij from Qurdala and Shuwaiha villages north of Manbij. Daesh says battles continued for over 5 hours and many YPG fighters were killed and the rest were forced to flee. [JustPaste]

 

YPG fighters stopped 3 Daesh suicide attack on Al-Kitab intersection, the western entrance of Manbij. Daesh is trying to break the siege on the city. [Hawar]

Tens of families fleeing the city have arrived since yesterday at the intersection. [Hawar] [Hawar]

 

Daesh says 17 YPG fighters were killed by land mines while trying to advance toward the outskirts of Manbij city. [A3maq]

Daesh also says YPG fighters were killed after entering booby-trapped houses, causing the rigged houses to explode on them near the Manbij silos south of the city. [A3maq]

 

Syrian Network for Human Rights says five civilians were killed in an MMC shelling on Jub Hamza village, south of Manbij. Aleppo’s Media Center says ten civilians, including women, were killed in the shelling. [EnabBaladi]

Daesh says it stopped a YPG attack on the southern outskirts of Manbij city. Daesh says American warplanes conducted 4 airstrikes on the area before the attack. [A3maq]

MMC fighters killed more than 15 Daesh terrorists in battles in Sheikh Tabash village, south of Manbij. [Hawar]

Photos of Manbij Military Council fighters near the city entrance [Hawar]

 

A local activist says the battles are ongoing from all sides around Manbij city. [ZamanAlWasl]

 

DaeshDaily comment. It’s hard to follow all these conflicting battle reports. In general, however, the anti-Daesh campaign has now edged into the city from multiple sides and that Daesh is on the defensive but fighting back hard in a city they can’t afford to lose.

 

Daesh issues a video of “normal life” in Manbij city. [A3maq]

DaeshDaily comment. Any time Daesh issues a video of “normal life” somewhere, they are probably hiding the fact that it’s not normal.

 

Northwest border. Opposition groups, supported by Coalition warplanes, captured Al-Ra’i city after capturing several villages near the city yesterday. [Qasioun]

Daesh then recaptured Al-Ra’i city after killing or wounding “tens” of opposition fighters. 20 Daesh terrorists were also killed in the battles. [Qasioun]

Other sources say the opposition groups entered Al-Ra’i supported only by Turkish artillery. [EnabBaladi]

An opposition commander refutes the report about the opposition capturing the city and says the battles are ongoing. [ZamanAlWasl]

The Turkish news agency, Anadolu, confirmed that 20 opposition fighters were killed by 2 Daesh suicide attacks. [Anadolu]

Another opposition commander had said the opposition entered Al-Ra’i supported by “unprecedented” Turkish shelling that killed or wounded many Daesh terrorists. [ARA]

Daesh says American backed opposition groups attacked Al-Ra’i city from Turkey, after heavy American bombing and Turkish artillery shelling. Daesh says its terrorists clashed with the opposition troops, killing ten fighters. Daesh says 2 hours after the groups entered the city, a suicide terrorist attacked them with a car bomb, killing more than twenty-five fighters and wounding “tens”, and destroying 4 SUVs. Daesh says its terrorists captured different kinds of weapons and ammunition. [JustPaste] [A3maq]

Daesh says the opposition groups fled the city after the attack. [A3maq]

 

Daesh issues a video of an opposition groups’ vehicle after it was destroyed near Dudyan village west of Azaz near the Turkish border. [A3maq]

 

Other northwest Syria reports. Syrian Democratic Forces says they conducted a military operation southeast of the Tishrin Dam, and liberated 5 villages and 2 farms from Daesh. It also says Daesh attacked the area on Wednesday evening, but SDF fighters stopped the attack. [BasNews]

 

Daesh publishes photos of publicly executing a young man in Soran, accusing him of cooperating with armed groups. [JustPaste]

 

The Turkish Army says its artillery and Coalition warplanes targeted Daesh locations in north Aleppo on Wednesday, killing 8 terrorists. [ZamanAlWasl]

 

Daesh killed twenty civilian Kurds and captured 900, including women, in several villages in the Al-Bab area. [Hawar]

Syrian warplanes launched airstrikes on Al-Bab city using cluster bombs. [Qasioun]

Daesh says Russian warplanes targeted Al-Bab city with more than 2 airstrikes, using cluster bombs. [A3maq]

Hundreds of people demonstrated in Afrin objecting to Daesh crimes against civilians in the Al-Bab area. [Hawar]

 

A ten-year-old boy was wounded by Turkey-backed opposition groups shelling on Sheikh Maqsoud. [Hawar]

Local media source says 11 UN trucks loaded with humanitarian aid items arrived to Sheikh Maqsoud. [Dorar]

 

Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)

A local official says 60,000 Syrian refugees are without food or water since the Jordanian authorities closed the border in response to the terrorist attack by vehicle bomb that killed seven Jordanian soldiers on Tuesday. [ZamanAlWasl]

 

Daesh says it stopped a Syrian Army attack south of the Tadmur silos and destroyed a tank and a heavy machine gun. [A3maq]

 

East (Deir Ez-Zor)

Coalition warplanes launched airstrikes on the Al-Tanak oilfield, east of Deir Ez-Zor. [Qasioun]

 

Russian warplanes targeted Mayadin with cluster bombs, killing one person and wounding fifteen. [Qasioun]

 

Daesh is launching an arrest campaign in several areas in Deir Ez-Zor according to a local activist. He says Daesh arrested four men in Sbaikhan village after accusing them of communicating with the Free Syrian Army. Daesh also executed a 60 year old man after accusing him of selling stolen weapons and communication devices. The man’s son, a Daesh terrorist who fled to Germany, had stolen the items and put them in his father’s house. Battles between Syrian troops and Daesh in Deir Ez-Zor have decreased in the last 4 days. [ARA]

 

South (Rif Damashq, Suwayda, Daraa, etc.)

Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists in the Lajat area. [JustPaste]

 

OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS

 

Neighboring countries

Kuwait

The Appeals Court in Kuwait released 4 members of a Daesh cell. The fifth member of the cell was killed in Iraq. The court said there is no provision in Kuwaiti law that criminalizes joining Daesh. Investigation showed that the 4 men admitted being Daesh members and admitted they received arms training in Syria and Iraq and facilitated the travel of several terrorists to Iraq and Syria to fight with Daesh, but they said they didn’t intend to commit any attacks in Kuwait. [Anba]

DaeshDaily comment. Thousands of terrorists have fought with Daesh and went back to their countries without punishment, simply because there is no law that criminalizes what they did. This doesn’t seem so difficult. Is this the way Kuwait is helping to fight terrorism? Are terrorists to be considered legally as terrorists only if they kill in their own country? Killing Iraqi and Syrian civilians, which Daesh celebrates in its publications every day, is not a crime? Calling for mass genocides all over the world is not a crime?

A few changes would seem to be in order. A serious US diplomatic effort with the Kuwaitis and other similarly blind countries would seem to be in order. A changed attitude in Kuwait seems like an obvious requirement. And if some national laws support terrorism in this way, shouldn’t there be some international law or treaty dealing with the problem?

 

North Africa

Egypt

A security source says a policeman was wounded when terrorists shot at a checkpoint near Joura village south of Sheikh Zuweid. [ElWatan]

Medical sources say a policeman was killed by a sniper at a checkpoint south of Sheikh Zuweid. [VetoGate]

 

Medical sources say a twenty-year-old girl was shot and killed by unknown armed men south of Arish. [VetoGate]

Medical sources say a policeman was wounded by a sniper in the Al-Ghaz area south of Arish. [VetoGate]

Daesh says one of its snipers killed an Egyptian soldier in Karm Al-Qawadees, east of Arish. [JustPaste]

 

Security captured an Ansar Bait Al-Maqdis terrorist and killed two others in Nakhal city in Central Sinai. [VetoGate]

 

Libya

Northeast

A Libyan military source says 90% of the buildings in the Qar Younes area in Benghazi have been liberated. A medical source says sixteen Libyan soldiers were killed and sixty-five wounded. [Wasat]

Local media sources say a suicide attack occurred in the Qar Younes area without causing human casualties. [Libya24]

The Libyan National Army Spokesman says all of the Libyan casualties in the area were due to land mines. [Wasat]

 

A medical source says a shell fell on the Benghazi Medical Center, causing material damages. Daesh has attacked this center several times during the last 2 months. [Wasat]

 

Central coast

The National Accord Government Military says its troops captured a Daesh explosives factory in Sirte. It also says they stopped a Daesh suicide attack with a vehicle bomb. It says its troops are advancing in Sirte city and Libyan warplanes conducted several airstrikes on Sirte. [Wasat]

 

Daesh says it detonated 2 IEDs on Fajr Libya fighters east of Sirte, killing several of them. Daesh also says it destroyed a tank, killing the fighters inside, and shot down a recon drone in other areas in Sirte. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says 450 Libyan soldiers, including six commanders, were killed and hundreds wounded, and more than 100 vehicles and tanks were destroyed in the battles in Sirte so far. It also says 70 soldiers were killed and 200 wounded on Tuesday. Daesh says its terrorists retreated from several areas east and west of Sirte, but they are returning to these areas, like Bu Qarin, Nawfaliya and Bani Jawad, and conducting suicide attacks. [A3maq]

 

Morocco

The Moroccan Ministry of Interior says it captured a cell of 10 terrorists, including an Algerian, who were planning terrorist attacks in the kingdom. The terrorists were captured in Oujda. [AfriGate] [Rudaw]

Videos of the raid in Oujda in Morocco [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube]

 

Other countries

Somalia

Daesh says it damaged an African Union armored vehicle with an IED in the Hawi Abdi area in lower Shbili in south Somalia. [A3maq]

 

Pakistan

Daesh says it killed a “Pakistani Government Member” in Peshawar. [JustPaste]

 

SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTS

 

Daesh executed Mustafa Al-Adhari, an Iraqi soldier from the south, and hanged his body from a bridge in Falluja in May 2015. A man from Falluja, Abdul Razzaq Al-Shaabani, took the body later and buried it. Daesh learned about this and executed the man, and hanged his body on the same bridge (photo). [Twitter]

 

Photos of people in Nasiriya celebrating the liberation of Falluja in front of the house of Kadhim Al-Rikabi, an Iraqi soldier beheaded in Falluja last year. [Twitter]

People also celebrated in Baghdad, in front of the house of Mustafa Al-Adhari (video). [YouTube]

 

General Haider Al-Ubaidi, of the Golden Division (Counter Terrorism troops), who was reported dead by some Daesh affiliated accounts, appears in a new video in Falluja. [YouTube]

 

2 Saudi twins beheaded their mother with a butcher knife and severely wounded their father and younger brother in Riyadh. Several sources say the 21-year-old twins committed their crime because their family criticized Daesh. [Twitter] [Twitter]

DaeshDaily comment. The story was reported by Saudi media, but the perpetrators’ affiliation with Daesh is still waiting for their confirmation.

 

A famous Saudi cleric with 1.88 million followers says “Baghdad, Damascus, Sanaa’, and Jerusalem have fallen, but Falluja, Aleppo, Gaza, and Taiz are some of the Arab’s last remaining castles, and their fall will cost a lot.” [Twitter  

 

Videos of the Day

A Daesh terrorist fleeing his vehicle bomb after it was hit by Counter Terrorism troops in Falluja [Twitter]

IFP fighters in a battle in Hay Al-Askari in Falluja [YouTube]

Iraqi forces rocketing a Daesh sniper in Falluja [YouTube]

Civilians from Falluja, detained for checking, testifying in front of the Sunni Endowment Chairman and Sunni politicians that they were not violated by Iraqi forces [YouTube]

Iraqi forces finding weapons under the remains of a destroyed house in Falluja [Twitter]

 

PMF fighters in a Daesh hideout in Saqlawiya [YouTube]

 

DAESH MEDIA

 

Daesh audio newsletter for today [JustPaste]

 

 

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