REPORTS FROM IRAQ
ANBAR
The Commander of Sahwa in Qarma says modern weapons have arrived there, in preparation for its complete liberation from Daesh. He also says Iraqi security forces are implementing a large search operation in the freed areas in Qarma.
The Commander says tribal fighters and PMFs in this proactive campaign have killed 40 Daesh terrorists including foreigners.
- A source in Anbar Police Command says Iraqi security forces supported by the PMFs launched a military campaign to clear the Jubba area in Haditha District, killing dozens of Daesh terrorists. A Major in Anbar Operations Command says 18 Daesh were killed in the operation and 5 vehicles destroyed.
Daesh says the attack on Jubba failed and a Sahwa commander was killed.
- Iraqi MoI says Al-Suqoor Intelligence Cell followed a group of Daesh leaders who fled from military clashes and hid in Al-Qa’im in west Anbar. He says Iraqi Army Aviation bombed the location on Sunday killing 20 terrorists, including well known Iraqi and foreign terrorists.
- PMFs say Daesh is booby-trapping dead bodies of Iraqi soldiers. In another instance they booby-trapped a living 4-year-old child.
DaeshDaily Comment: In the same video a Shia PMF fighter says a Daesh terrorist called him on his mobile and told him they would burn his brother’s body. The fighter asked him who he was and the terrorist said he was from the Dulaim tribe (Anbar’s dominant Sunni tribe). The fighter told him that many Dulaimis are living safely in Baghdad and the terrorist replied “That’s because you are not real men. You should kill them”. This story shows that Daesh is still depending on the old strategy followed by Zarqawi (Attack the Shia, the Shia retaliate, more Sunnis join the terrorists). It is a simple strategy but unfortunately the Iraqi government has not yet found a way to defeat it.
- The MoI says 450 fighters graduated from Anbar Police’s Emergency Regiment’s 21-day military training. The Ministry says this is the 12th graduated group so far.
- A security source says Iraqi forces and tribal fighters attacked Daesh locations in Khasfa near Haditha.
Daesh says it stopped the attack in Khasfa and destroyed 3 Iraqi army vehicles and killed many soldiers and tribal fighters.
- The Association of Muslim Scholars (an anti-Iraqi government Sunni organization) issued a statement repudiating the burning of civilian houses by Shia militias in Nukhaib.
DaeshDaily Comment: The Association was one of the first supporters of the Sadrist militias when they were created in 2003 as an anti-Coalition organization, and became known primarily as a mouthpiece for the insurgency. Despite the name, there is nothing scholarly about its public statements.
- Daesh publishes photos of shelling the Iraqi forces in Anabr.
And photos of executing a “spy” in Khaldiya. And a video about “spies” in Anabr.
- Daesh raises a big flag in Falluja.
SALAHUDDIN
- A PMFs official says a joint Iraqi security force supported by the PMFs clashed with Daesh near Al-Allas oil field, killing a Daesh leader called Abu Ikrima, from Chechnya, and 2 other terrorists.
- A source in Salahuddin Operations Command says Iraqi forces launched an attack on Daesh in Baiji yesterday and killed 9. He says there was no significant resistance and the terrorists withdrew to the north and are now trapped near the refinery.
The PMF Media Unit publishes a video about the advances in Baiji (for some reason one of the fighters in the video wears a “Vietnam Veterans” T-shirt!)
A PMF fighter removes Daesh flag from a 60 m tower.
- Iraqi MoI says Iraqi security forces disassembled 17 booby-trapped houses in west Baiji.
- Daesh publishes a photo of the Moroccan terrorists who attacked the Iraqi forces with a car bomb in Baiji. Daesh says it still controls most of Baiji.
- Dozens of Daesh terrorists’ bodies in Baiji streets. (Video)
- Iraqi Federal Police Commander says Iraqi forces captured the residential compound at Baiji Refinery and the main roads around it.
- Iraqi MoD says Iraqi Army Aviation destroyed a Daesh training camp in Samarra, killing many fighters. (Video)
- Saraya Al-Salam (the Sadrist militia) assumes control of the Daesh oil smuggling line in Ishaqi between Baghdad and Salahuddin. (Video)
BAGHDAD
- A police source says 2 IEDs exploded on the roadside in Al-Mada’in in south Baghdad, injuring 4 civilians. A security source says an IED exploded near a meat market in Mada’in, killing one civilian and injuring 4.
- An MoI source says an IED exploded in a trade area in Rashdiya in north Baghdad, killing one civilian and injuring 8. A security source says an Iraqi soldier was killed and 3 injured when an IED exploded on their patrol in Taji in north Baghdad.
- A security source says a civilian was killed when a sticker IED exploded on his car in Ghazaliya in west Baghdad.
- Police sources say an IED exploded in Mahmudiya in south Baghdad, killing 3 civilians and injuring 10.
- An MoI source says an IED exploded near a soccer field in Hay Al-Wihda in south Baghdad, killing one civilian and injuring 6.
- The Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament says Iraqi tribes have an important role, not only to fight Daesh but also to “heal the rift” between parts of Iraqi society.
DaeshDaily Comment: In 2003 the tribal structure in Iraq was heavily damaged because the new political system didn’t pay a lot of attention to the actual composition of Iraqi communities. Everyone was talking about Iraqis as Sunni, Shia, Kurdish, etc. without paying much attention to the actual community structure and leadership. Tribal leaders, not only Sunnis, were ignored or pushed aside by the new political/religious movements and that made a real national dialogue on the community level difficult. Daesh, and the Baathists, paid attention to this and filled the gap that was created by the absence of “real” Sunni tribal leaders in Sunni areas. Most of the leaders left the country and new faces appeared, some with and some against the Iraqi government. A successful reconciliation process in Iraq must go beyond the politicians and include the participation of all prominent tribal leaders.
- Iraqi Armed Forces Chief of Staff Babkr Zebari, a Kurd, says he requested to retire, and that it was not an order from PM Abadi. He says he wanted to retire several times but KRG President Barzani kept asking him to stay. The position is held by a Kurd because of existing political agreements.
DIYALA
- A security source says an IED exploded near Muqdadiya courthouse northeast of Baquba killing one civilian and injuring 3.
KIRKUK
- A security source says a colonel in the Iraqi army was injured when unknown men threw a hand grenade at his house in south Kirkuk.
- Daesh publishes a video of one of their suicide terrorists and say he stopped the Iraqi forces’ attack on Basheer village.
- Daesh publishes a photo of one of its Kurdish leaders, Mullah Shwan, who had been reported killed by a coalition airstrike.
NINEWA
- A source in the PMF says General Abdul Rahman Al-Jubouri was appointed commander of Ninewa PMFs. He also says the General will be working with Salahuddin PMF Commander Asham Al-Jubouri (same tribe but not related). He says Mosul liberation will start in Baiji, then go to Shirqat.
DaeshDaily comment: This has been stated by others too, but Iraqi forces have so far been unable to clear Baiji completely in order to move on. It seems clear that both sides value Baiji for its strategic location as well as its oil.
- Daesh says it established more checkpoints in Qayyarah south of Mosul.
- Daesh publishes photos of confiscating and burning tobacco products in Ninewa.
DaeshDaily comment: How did Daesh become Iraq’s anti-smoking advocate?
OTHER GOVERNORATES
- The Appeals Court in Basra says Al-Suqoor Intelligence Cell arrested the terrorist responsible for the suicide attack last month in Safwan, on the Kuwait border. The Court says the terrorist is a truck driver from Mahmudiya in south Baghdad.
- The Governor of Dhi Qar says people in 35 villages in Dhi Qar have left their houses because of the lack of water caused by the low levels in the Euphrates River.
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
- The Spokesman of the Turkish President says the deployment of the Turkish forces to the Syrian borders is only to secure those borders. He says that any speculations that the Turkey will participate in the war in Syria are “illogical”. Turkish media outlets drew a map of the “separation area” Turkey intends to create along the border with Syria.
- Local Kurdish Administration in Kobane accuses the Syrian Coalition and the Turkish government of helping Daesh terrorists attack Kobane on Thursday. A Kurdish official in Kobane says around 20 Daesh terrorists are still on the loose in Kobane.
- Local activists say the Kurdish forces clashed heavily with Daesh “sleeper cells” in Tal Abyad, who retreated into a school. They say Daesh terrorists entered the city with the civilian returnees from Turkey.
- Syrian TV says government forces recaptured Al-Guwairan in east Hasaka from Daesh.
- Daesh says one of its terrorists attacked the Syrian regime’s Air Force Intelligence headquarters east of Homs with a car bomb, killing 20 Syrian soldiers.
- Daesh publishes photos of shelling the Syrian army and Hezbollah in Qalmoon.
- Daesh public executions in Deir Al-Zor.
REPORTS FROM OTHER MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES
- A collection of Daesh publications.
- Daesh issues a message to the people of Gaza.
- Daesh issues a message to the people of Jerusalem.
- Daesh twitter accounts of the day
