March 17, 2016
Today’s Major Developments
Baghdad gears for Al-Sadr’s Friday sit-in.
Major Daesh counter-attack south of Falluja fails.
Iraqi forces capture Hit subdistrict; attack on city imminent.
Chemical attack in Taza, Kirkuk claims a newborn child.
Iraq leaflets dropped on Mosul tell population to get ready.
PYD in Syria declares territory it holds a federal region; gets denounced by all other parties.
Syrian activist says Daesh is getting paranoid from all the military pressure.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
Prime Minister Abadi rejected the idea of imposing a curfew in Baghdad on Thursday and Friday to assist security forces to control the situation around the anticipated sit-in tomorrow. [Mawazin]
Prime Minister Al-Abadi says the right to demonstrate is protected by the constitution and the protection of the demonstrators is the responsibility of the security forces. He also says the demonstrators should abide by the law and stay within the designated areas for demonstrations and keep away from any appearance of being armed. [Mada]
Moqtada Al-Sadr issued instruction to his followers that during the sit-ins there will be “no blood, no retreat, no surrender, no road cuts, no violations, and no immunity.” He also instructed them to cooperate with security forces and protest peacefully. [Mada]
The MoI says it didn’t give authorization for any sit-ins in front of the Green Zone in Baghdad. [Mada]
President Masoum issued a statement saying all parties should use wisdom and stay away from any escalation. [Mada]
Masoum talked to Sadr by phone and Sadr stressed that the demonstrations are within the people’s democratic rights and they constitute public pressure to accelerate the reforms. [Mada]
A police source says hundreds of Sadrists have arrived in Tahrir Square in downtown Baghdad to participate in the sit-ins. [Sumaria]
Former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki issued a statement saying that the statement of his State of Law coalition yesterday didn’t include the term “men for men and arms for arms” as was reported. He asked media outlets to be more accurate.
DaeshDaily comment. This term appeared on many media and social media outlets, even though it wasn’t part of the original statement. Some people wanted to imply that there will be an armed showdown between the State of Law and Prime Minister Abadi on one side and the Sadrists on the other side. These reports were believed by many politicians who offered to intervene. This is a sample of false reporting that has consequences .[Rudaw]
The Islamic Supreme Council in Iraq (ISCI) issued a statement calling for an urgent meeting of the National Alliance to find a quick solution for what it sees as serious threat to the Alliance’s unity. [Rudaw]
A member of the State of Law Coalition says if there has been no agreement regarding the cabinet change then the State of Law might call for the resignation of Abadi, dissolution of the CoR, and formation of an emergency government. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. Both of these statements are self-serving. One reason for lack of unity in the Shia alliance is that ISCI itself has not publicly supported the Prime Minister’s reforms, which would have given Abadi a stronger political position in relation to Al-Sadr’s power plays. The State of Law crowd seems to be still in retaliation mode over the removal of its leader, Al-Maliki, as Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Abadi issues a statement, after meeting PMF leaders, saying that the PMF is a state establishment and anyone who violates it violates the state. He also says no one can prevent a citizen from participating in liberating their country. [Mada]
Ahmed Al-Salmani, a CoR member for Anbar, called on Iraqi authorities and the international community to intervene to release over 1,400 people who escaped Daesh occupied territories but were then imprisoned by the Kata’eb Hezbollah Shia militia and have spent over 6 months in prison. Only 65 were released, which required negotiations and interventions. He said the people imprisoned were arrested at the Al-Razaza checkpoint in Kerbala near Jurf Al-Sakhar in Babel. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. This is a major accusation and needs to be verified. If it’s true, and the gentleman was certainly specific, it’s a dangerously sectarian scandal in which a Shia militia has on its own authority imprisoned a large number of Sunnis. There might be some Daesh members among those 1,400, but not many. Aside from the sectarian angle, who is giving militias the authority to imprison people for indefinite periods of time?
The Saudi Ambassador to Baghdad, Thamer Al-Sabhan, said in a tweet that Saudi Arabia has no secret agendas in Iraq. He said that his country and Iraq have strategic relations based on identity, religion, and blood ties, and that Saudis will never abandon Iraq. He thanked Iraqi parliamentarians and Saleem Al-Jubouri, the Speaker, who visited the Kingdom lately, for their appreciation of the Saudi role. [IraqPress]
The Sabean religious sect in Iraq has 250 volunteers fighting Daesh with the PMF, according to their religious leader, Sheikh Mazin Naef. Most are from Basra, Maysan, and Dhi Qar. One, returning on leave for their religious festivity, said that he fought in Ishaqi, Owainat, Baiji, Awja, Udhaim, and Himrin. He said there are many Sunnis and Christians fighting in the PMF without any religious or sectarian differences. [Harbi]
Security developments
Security forces were deployed extensively in various parts of Baghdad, seemingly in anticipation of the sit-in by Sadrists in front of the Green Zone tomorrow. The CT, army, IFP, Local
Police, Rapid Deployment, and other military units were deployed near the Muthanna airport, Alawi, Salihiya, Saadoun Street, and Karradat Maryam, among other areas in Baghdad. [Mada]
Al-Jumhuria and Sinak bridges leading to the Green Zone were about to be closed by security forces. There are Green Zone rumors about top officials’ families leaving the zone to other governorates or even to outside of Iraq, in fear of possible violence. [Ghad] Snipers are spread over building roofs in sensitive areas of Baghdad, a security source said. [Ghad] All army and security units are in full alert on orders of the commander in-chief. [Ghad]
The Minister of Defense attended a symbolic funeral for the three pilots who were killed in Hawija yesterday. The Minister also met with the families of the three pilots. [Mod] [MoD]
The MoD publishes a video of IAF airstrikes on Daesh in Salahuddin and Dijla area.
The 59th army brigade located two explosives belts and one IED in Halabsa, north of Baghdad, while defusing three IEDs in Zambraniya and Albu Hussein in south Baghdad, according to the BOC. [Mawazin]
The National Intelligence agency announced the arrest of a Daesh team in Baghdad operating in military uniforms and in possession of hand grenades, explosives belts, and various weapons, in addition to vehicles. The cell was planning terrorism operations in Baghdad. [Harbi]
The following security incidents were reported.
North Baghdad
An IED planted in a popular market in Husseiniya killed two civilians and wounded another four. [Maalomah]
A roadside IED wounded four civilians in Rashidiya. [Buratha]
An IED planted in a commercial area in Shula killed two civilians and wounded seven others. [Mada]
East Baghdad
A nine year old boy was killed while playing with his father’s rifle in Baghdad Al-Jadida. The father is a PMF member. [Mada]
Southeast Baghdad
An IED placed near a football field killed one civilian and wounded eight in Mada’in District. [Mada]
An IED exploded near a fish farm in Sateeh village in Mada’in killed two civilians and wounded five. [Mada]
A sticky bomb attached to a car of a mosque Imam exploded in Tuwaitha and killed him immediately. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 7 (Not an overall total)
Coalition warplanes initiated 20 attacks on Daesh targets in Iraq and two in Syria. Attacks in Iraq, near 8 major cities, targeted weapons workshops, media centers, gathering points, and mortar units, among other targets. In Syria, two attacks were initiated on Al-Hawl village, destroying a tactical unit and 10 fighting positions, a Coalition statement said. [Mawazin]
ANBAR
Falluja
Counter Terrorism units repelled a Daesh attack on their positions in Hayakel, south of Falluja. 5 Daesh vehicle bombs, a shovel, and an APC were destroyed in the attack, according to the IWMC. [AIN]
A four-hour Daesh attack on the positions of Hezbollah regiments of the PMF from several directions in Hayakel was repelled, killing many attackers and destroying a shovel bomb, field sources said. [Etejah]
General Saad Harbiya, commander of Baghdad Operations, said that Daesh lost 22 terrorists and three vehicle bombs in its attack on the Hayakel area. He also said that the Ma’amel area in Qarma was cleared and 18 terrorists were killed. BOC forces then headed towards Subaihat in Qarma. [Mawazin]
Daesh’s version says a group of its terrorists attacked Iraqi Army military positions near the electricity station south of Falluja and killed several soldiers and destroyed a T72 tank and 6 vehicles. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of its attack on the Al-Hayakel area south of Falluja. [JustPaste]
Saadoun Al-Shaalan, the chairman of Falluja District Council, said that Daesh is booby-trapping Falluja city in anticipation of imminent entry of army forces. He said that a Daesh leader and two of his companions were killed while trying to plant an IED in 7th of Nissan neighborhood in Falluja. [BasNews]
The Mayor of Falluja District says a woman committed suicide by throwing herself and her three children from a bridge in Falluja city. The woman’s husband was executed by Daesh and the family suffered because of poverty. [Baghdadia]
Daesh publishes photos of executing six men from Falluja whom they accused of cooperating with Iraqi security forces. Daesh blew up one of the victims after putting explosives around his neck, beheaded a second victim, and shot the rest. [JustPaste]
The BOC said that 24 terrorists were killed in Albu Shijil during the clearing operations by security forces. A hideout and a vehicle were also destroyed. [Mawazin]
55th army brigade shelled Daesh positions with mortars, killing 4 and wounding 2, while 13 were killed in the Albu Khanfar area after being located by an Abrams tank crew, the BOC said. [Mawazin]
Ansar Allah Al-Awfiya’, a PMF faction, said that its rocket units shelled a Daesh command post and a Daesh guesthouse in Saqlawiya, killing several Daesh members. [Harbi]
A member of Qarma District Council says 700 families returned to their houses in Khairat subdistrict after it was secured from Daesh. He also says security forces are working on clearing other areas in Qarma in order to allow more families to return. [Mada]
Ramadi
Adhal Al-Fahdawi, a member of Anbar Provincial Council, said that volunteers and local efforts defused 3,500 IEDs and mines from east Ramadi areas, adding that an Iraqi specialized group is helping voluntarily to survey the area for more explosives. He added that an expert international company is arriving shortly to participate in the IED clearing efforts under the supervision of the UN. [Mawazin]
Major General Ismail Al-Mahalawi, commander of Anbar Operations, said that CT, army, and IFP forces attacked Daesh gatherings in the vicinity of Hit, killing 17 of them. [BasNews]
Hit/Haditha
Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces raised the Iraqi flag on a tall building in Mhamdi city, after its full liberation, after inflicting heavy casualties on Daesh, the IWMC said. [Sumaria] The IWMC also said that 78 Daesh terrorists were killed in the battle, 21 by the CT forces and 57 by the Coalition warplanes. Families were ordered to stay in their houses and raise the white flags on them. [Sumaria] [Sumaria]
General Sami Al-Aridhi, the CT commander, said earlier that 16th army division is supporting the operation, while the police emergency units are holding ground on the backlines. Mhamdi is the only subdistrict east of Hit, which means that its liberation will bring the military operation to the eastern edge of the city. [Sumaria]
A security source announced that the 7th army division, tribal forces, and Iraqi Federal Police (IFP) units are advancing in two directions from Ain Al-Asad base to Hit and Kubaisa under air cover from the IAF, IAA, and the Coalition. The source said, however, that the zero hour for liberation of both is not set yet. [Sumaria]
However, General Ismail Al-Mahalawi, the commander of Anbar Operations, said that with the liberation of Mhamdi, army units are just 1 km away from the center of Hit. In the coming hours, he said, the city will be liberated under heavy air cover from the Coalition. [Mada]
A 7th division source says Coalition warplanes bombed Daesh heavily in Hit, killing “tens” of terrorists. The source says the airstrikes pave the way for Iraqi forces to capture Hit. [Sumaria]
The IWMC said that precise intelligence led to detection of a major multi-story Daesh Command center in Hit. IAF planes destroyed the HQ and killed “tens” of terrorists inside. [Harbi]
Coalition warplanes attacked a Daesh gathering in Barda village east of Baghdadi, killing eight terrorists and destroying a machine gun-mounted vehicle. [Sumaria]
Coalition warplanes destroyed two Daesh gas stations in Basa’er area west of Hit city, and in the Al-Mualimeen neighborhood in the center of the city, a security source said. [AIN]
Haditha Police said that Daesh is looting the properties of the population in the Judfiya area of Al-Baghdadi subdistrict. Looted materials are transferred to Hit and Al-Qa’im and sold at auction. [Mada]
Western Anbar
An Anbar Police source says IAF planes bombed a Daesh convoy heading from Rutba to Hit, killing 30 terrorists. [Maalomah]
SALAHUDDIN
Tikrit
Daesh says its terrorists “freed” 40 Sunni civilians in a village in Jazeera Tikrit after attacking Iraqi forces there and forcing them to flee. Daesh says it moved the civilians to a “secured area”. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes 2 photos of an Iraqi soldier targeted by one of its snipers near Ajeel oilfield. [JustPaste]
Samarra
Sayyed Al-Shuhada regiment of the PMFs announced the arrest of two Daesh leaders in Jazeera Samarra. [Harbi]
Tooz
Dr. Abboud Mudhir Al-Jawari was arrested on terrorism charges in Tuz Khurmatu, a security source said. Dr. Al-Jawari is accused of treating Daesh terrorists wounded in battles against the government. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. This demands an explanation. Was the doctor a Daesh collaborator? Did he fail to meet some legal requirement? Or is he being punished for doing what doctors are expected to do when a wounded person needs medical help, whoever he is?
DIYALA
Baquba
The Dijla Operations Commander says a new supreme committee was formed to deal with the tribal conflicts in Diyala. He says he will be a member of the committee in addition to the Governor and tribal leaders. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This is a very important step for grass-roots reconciliation. If it works, other governorates should copy the example.
An IED placed on an agricultural road in Zaghinya village in Al-Abbara subdistrict 9 miles northeast of Baquba wounded Muhannad Mirdas Al-Temimi, a PMF official, and one of his relatives, a local Diyala official said. The source also said there are still Daesh sleeper cells in the subdistrict, calling on Dijla Operations to focus on the security situation in northeast Diyala. [Sumaria]
Daesh says its terrorists detonated an IED in Zaghinya village, killing a PMF fighter and wounding two others. [JustPaste]
Northern Diyala
200 displaced families have returned to the Al-Talea neighborhood of Jalawla, in Khanaqin, according to the Ministry of Immigration and Displacement. The Ministry said that coming days will witness the return of many other families. [Sumaria]
Daesh says its terrorists detonated an IED on an Iraqi Army Humvee in Udhaim, killing a captain and three soldiers. [JustPaste]
Southern Diyala
Daesh says its terrorists detonated 2 IEDs on PMFs in the Ma’amel area in Balad Ruz. [JustPaste]
KIRKUK
An agreement was reached among Hadi Al-Amiri, the commander of the Badr militia, Karim Sinjari, Kurdistan’s Minister of Interior, and top Ministry of Defense officials to start a joint operation to capture areas extending west from Kirkuk and north from Baiji, merging for the liberation of Shirqat District, and then moving toward Mosul. The plan will be implemented in the coming few days. [Buratha]
Kirkuk city
A Joint Operations Command spokesman said that the destiny of the three pilots of the Cessna plane that went down near Kirkuk is still unknown until investigations are completed. He said that as reasons for plane’s fall to earth are investigated, it is still a mechanical incident in a combat environment. Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, the spokesman of the JOC, said that all facts will be revealed to the public after the investigations. [Etejah]
A lawyer and a PMF captain were wounded in an armed attack on their car by unknown armed men in Al-Quds Street, downtown Kirkuk, a security source said. [Sumaria]
Two army officers, a colonel and a captain, were shot dead by unidentified armed men while heading from Kirkuk to Baghdad, a police source said. [Maalomah]
Peshmerga forces repelled a Daesh attack near Kharab Al-Rut village in Dibis District northwest of Kirkuk city, killing 20 terrorists, according to a security source in Kirkuk. [Sumaria]
A security source says 400 Turkmen demonstrated in front of the Kirkuk governorate building demanding the liberation of Bashir and help for Taza city. [Sumaria]
Taza/Daquq
The manager of Taza subdistrict says a third child died because of injuries his mother suffered because of the Daesh chemical attack. The child died one day after he was born. [Sumaria]
Mohammed Hama Khalil, a field Peshmerga leader, said that Peshmerga is ready to participate in the liberation of Mosul and other parts of Ninewa, as well as Bashir and Taza in Kirkuk. He stressed on the high level of cooperation required among all forces participating. [Mawazin]
General Thamer Ismail, the commander of Rapid Intervention forces, said that the plan of liberation for remaining Daesh-held areas in Anbar, southwest Kirkuk, and Ninewa is a matter of timing. It is up to the JOC to decide which comes first. He added that Iraqi forces are getting stronger while Daesh is getting weaker. [Mawazin]
Daesh says its terrorists shelled Taza with 6 120mm mortars. [JustPaste]
Daesh says its terrorists destroyed an Iraqi Army tank near Shamsiya village in Daquq District in southern Kirkuk. [A3maq]
Security forces arrested 3 persons on terrorism charges in the Al-Wasiti neighborhood in Al-Multaqa, east of Hawija. A search campaign in Idris Khabbaz and Mulla Abdulla villages detected 10 Glock pistols, 2 rifles, and an RPG rocket launcher. All were handed over to Taza police, according to a security source. [Mada]
Hawija
The IWMC says the IAF’s F16s launched airstrikes on Daesh in Hawija, in response to the crime against the three pilots yesterday, and killed “tens” of terrorists and destroyed vehicle bomb factories. [Sumaria]
An IAF source says Iraqi warplanes bombed a Daesh house in Jihaish village in Hawija killing Daesh’s military operations official in Kirkuk, Abdul Razzaq Al-Badri, and his brother in addition to 17 terrorists mostly from Chechnya and Arab countries. [Mada]
A security source says the IAF bombed a Daesh vehicle in Hawija, killing 3 terrorists. [Mada]
The emir of Ubaid tribes issued a statement saying the government should “cut off the head of the snake” and liberate Hawija, especially after Daesh’s crime against the three pilots. [Sumaria]
Military Intelligence said that IAA helicopters destroyed a weapons storehouse in Hawija containing chemical weapons. The statement said that based on precise intelligence, a strike by army helicopters destroyed a storehouse containing 65 launcher rockets and 125 locally made rockets packed with banned chemical materials. [Ghad]
A security source says Coalition warplanes bombed a Daesh house in Mudhariya village in Hawija killing Abu Azzam Al-Afri, a first rank Daesh leader and a close aide of Awwad Baghdadi. [Sumaria]
Daesh says 4 people were killed and 16 wounded, including women and children, in an Iraqi airstrike on Hawija. [A3maq]
Uday Al-Khadran, a PMF official, said Daesh brought a group of African fighters and deployed them around Hawija while a unit connected to Daesh leader Awwad Baghdadi arrested three ex-officers of Saddam’s Army who were working with Daesh. [Sumaria]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked Peshmerga military positions in Mansouriya Mountain, Karaw, and Nasaifa in Hawija District, and the Yarmouk compound in Riyadh. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of normal life in Hawija market. [JustPaste]
NINEWA
Mosul
Major General Najim Abdullah Al-Jubouri, the commander of Ninewa Operations, said that “Daesh members who were not involved in crimes against Iraqis are welcome to defect from Daesh and will be received at the Operations Command before the start of the operation, which will be a losing battle for Daesh. He also said, however, that those involved in crimes against the population will not be spared. [BasNews]
The IWMC said that IAF warplanes dropped thousands of leaflets on Mosul calling on the citizens to prepare for the liberation. [Mawazin]
Daesh executed sheikh Abu Mohammed Al-Hamdani, the Imam of Al-Anwar mosque in the Hamidat neighborhood in west Mosul. The execution took place in public, on charges that the sheikh refused to host Daesh fighters escaping Coalition air attacks in his mosque at night. [Maalomah]
Daesh called on the citizens of Mosul to donate blood after the killing and wounding of 84 of its fighters in Coalition and Iraqi airstrikes. Sources in Mosul said that 6 doctors escaped the Mosul hospital after being beaten by Daesh terrorists, and that Daesh is facing a dire deficiency in the supply of medicines. [Mawazin]
Iraqi F16s reportedly destroyed Daesh “media points” in the Mosul neighborhoods of Al-Zuhur, Nablus, Bab Al-Tob, Al-Bakr, Al-Ummal, Al-Majmoo’a Al-Thaqafiya, Sumer, Al-Risala, and Faisaliya, according to a JOC source. [Mada] A source at Ninewa Police said that the attacks were by Coalition warplanes. [BasNews]
Daesh says Coalition warplanes destroyed 7 of its major “media points” in Mosul causing material damages to private entities around them. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. The media points are public kiosks Daesh established in cities it controls to show its news and propaganda reports. Daesh rarely admits Coalition airstrikes attacks “its” locations, which makes this report significant. More significant is the accuracy of the airstrikes. Unfortunately we suspect Daesh will execute people for allegedly providing information to the Coalition. And if Daesh doesn’t want private properties destroyed, it shouldn’t establish media points near them.
The new wali of Mosul, Alyan Natiq Mabroush (a Syrian national) and his brother Saad Natiq Mabroush were killed during a Coalition airstrike on Al-Farouq residential complex in the heart of Mosul, a source in Ninewa Police said. 8 other Daesh terrorists were killed in the attack. [BasNews]
An unidentified armed group broke into 3 centers of the hisbah police on the east side of Mosul and killed five guards, and escaped after taking computers and files away, a Ninewa Police source said. [BasNews]
Kata’eb Al-Mosul says its fighters killed a Daesh terrorist who used to work in manufacturing of mortar shells in Wadi Okab in Mosul. [KM Facebook Page]
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
A delegation from Kurdistan region is arriving in Moscow next April to discuss Russian weapons for the region, press sources in Moscow said. [PUKMedia]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra
A civilian was shot dead in Abu Khasib in Basra Governorate by unidentified armed men. The victim, a vegetables trader, was killed by 4 bullets to the head. [Sumaria]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
The TAK (“Falcons of Kurdish Liberation”) has declared responsibility for the bombing in Ankara on Sunday which killed 37 civilians, in a statement issued on its website. The group said that a female bomber named Sahar Chagladmir had carried out the attack. The TAK, which is linked to the PKK, claimed responsibility last month for an attack in Ankara that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. [Cihan]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
The PYD-backed Self-Administration government that controls much of the Kurdish-inhabited territory in northern Syria have declared a “federal region,” drawing harsh criticism from the Syrian government, opposition militias, rival Kurdish groups, the United States, and Turkey. The Syrian government said the federal region is “invalid,” while the opposition militias rejected the measure, calling it a step toward partitioning the country. Rival Kurdish groups associated with the KDP-backed Kurdish National Council were critical of the move, saying they were not consulted as to the timing of the announcement, nor included in the new federal governing structures, and feared the potential fragmentation of Syria. Turkey as expected rejected the measure, as a high-level official told Reuters that Turkey would not accept any group to take steps “based on ethnicity” in its southern neighbor country.
[Welati] [Welati] [Welati] [Qasioun] [Hawar] [IslamMemo] [Cihan] [Anadolu]
PYD-affiliated Kurdish security personnel blocked the leader of a rival Kurdish Syrian group from returning to Syria on Thursday. Ibrahim Barro, the president of the Kurdish National Council (KNC), which includes the Syrian branch of the KDP, was not granted entry to Syrian territory as he tried to enter from Iraq at the “Simalka” crossing, a KNC source said. The PYD and the KDP-backed KNC have had worsening relations recently. [Anadolu]
Daesh publishes photos of two of its suicide terrorists, one from Germany and the other from Tunisia. Daesh says the first terrorist detonated himself southeast of Shaddadi. [JustPaste]
Daesh says its terrorists killed three YPG fighters and damaged 2 vehicles with 2 IEDs in Shaddadi’s southwest countryside. [JustPaste]
Daesh says its terrorists stopped 3 YPG attacks, the same day, on Jalal village southeast of Shaddadi. Daesh says the YPG troops were supported by Coalition planes. [JustPaste]
Daesh issues a video of battles near Shaddadi and says its terrorists captured some military positions. [A3maq]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Daesh seized control of Dudyan north of Aleppo on Thursday, after driving opposition militia fighters out of the strategic village near the Turkish border in heavy fighting. The opposition militias had controlled the village since seizing it from Daesh two months ago. [Qasioun]
Daesh released six captive fighters from the “Sultan Murad Brigade” on Thursday in a prisoner exchange between it and the pro-Turkish Turkmen opposition militia, an activist said. The source said the exchange came after weeks of negotiation between the two parties which were facilitated by “non-Syrian parties.” [ARA]
Daesh has been repositioning its troops in “abnormal” movements in Jarabulus, according to a “private source” who said that Daesh has moved four of its checkpoints so far in the city. The source added that Daesh has forbidden residents to leave the city without permission from the chief of its hisbah religious police in Jarabulus. [Hawar]
Daesh publishes photos of its PR activities in Akhtarin, a Kurdish-majority village north of Aleppo. Most of the attendees were children. [JustPaste]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Daesh fought heavy clashes with Syrian troops and their Lebanese Hezbollah militia allies near Tadmur (Palmyra) on Thursday, in which fighters from the Hezbollah “Radwan” brigade rebelled and retreated from the front lines. Daesh killed 11 Hezbollah fighters and Syrian soldiers in the battles and wounded “tens” of others. [Qasioun]
Syrian troops have launched operations to take control of the highway connecting Tadmur east of Homs to Deir Ez-Zor, in their ongoing bid to retake the city of Tadmur from Daesh. Syrian troops, under Russian air cover, made new advances in controlling strategic hills around Tadmur in fighting on Wednesday, an activist reported. Daesh frustrated Syrian advances in the Mount Khan area, and at one point in the fighting ambushed Syrian troops, killing and capturing an unspecified number of them. [ARA]
Daesh issues a video of the dead body of a Russian military advisor killed near Tadmur. [A3maq]
Daesh says five Russian advisors were killed near Tadmur during the last two days. [A3maq]
Daesh says 10 Hezbollah fighters were killed and 20 wounded in failed attacks on its positions west of Tadmur. [A3maq]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Daesh is struggling to keep sufficient manpower on the front lines in Deir Ez-Zor, and has been sending its internal security personnel from inside the cities to face combat on the front lines as the Syria Democratic Forces advance in Hasaka, according to an activist in Mayadin. The source reported that Daesh’s lack of manpower and the advancing forces in the north have created a “crazed state” for Daesh, causing it to launch many campaigns against civilians in the areas it controls on suspicion of collaborating with outside forces. [ARA]
South
A Lebanese Hezbollah militiaman opened fire on Syrian troops in Damascus on Thursday evening at a checkpoint on the Almaza Autostrade, killing a soldier. The Army unit into which the victim belonged demanded that Hezbollah hand over the attackers, but Hezbollah blocked the handover, after which the Republican Guard reportedly intervened to arrange that the assailants be transferred to another sector. The unit has continued to demand the handover of the militiamen involved in the shooting. [Qasioun]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
North Africa
Egypt
An official Russian report that suggested that “criminal activity” was behind the downing of a Russian airliner over Sinai last year has been referred to the Egyptian Attorney General, according to media reports. This would be the first formal indication that the Egyptian government is considering foul play behind the downing of the jet. [Reuters (English)]
North Sinai
Six Egyptian security personnel were killed in two attacks in North Sinai on Thursday. Five soldiers were killed Friday in a mortar attack on the “Al-Saha” security base near Rafah. A security source said that multiple mortar shells fell on the base, one of which landed in an ammunition storehouse, causing a large explosion that killed the five soldiers and wounded 10 others. The sixth fatality resulted from an IED explosion earlier in the day. [VetoGate]
Earlier in the day an IED exploded on the international road between Arish and Sheikh Zuweid near the village of Al-Shallaq west of Sheikh Zuweid, killing a policeman. [ElWatan]
Egyptian soldiers engaged in a firefight with a group of militants found laying IEDs near Rafah, killing three militants, according to a statement by the Armed Forces (photos). [EgyArmySpoxFB]
Daesh says its terrorists planted 2 IEDs near an Egyptian military camp in Rafah and detonated them remotely when soldiers moved them inside the camp. Daesh says the commander of the camp, a lieutenant colonel, was killed along with nine other soldiers. [JustPaste]
Daesh says its terrorists detonated an IED on an Egyptian Army patrol near Al-Sidra south of Sheikh Zuweid. [JustPaste]
Libya
Northeast
A special forces soldier died Thursday of wounds sustained in fighting with Daesh in the last two days around the cement plant in the Benghazi neighborhood of Hawari, a military spokesman said. [Wasat]
Daesh says its terrorists trapped and killed four Libyan soldiers in the Nawaqiya area southwest of Benghazi. [JustPaste]
Daesh issues a video message to the people of Libya asking them to join the caliphate and threatening the Libyan government and armed groups. In the video Daesh tries to lure people to its caliphate by showing them how it cuts off the hands of people (an elderly man in this case). [VideoWood]
Central Coast
Daesh is massing its fighters in preparation for renewed attacks against on its territory in Libya’s “Oil Crescent” area, say local sources in Bin Jawad. The sources said the mobilization includes Daesh fighters from Bin Jawad and Nawfaliya and military vehicles carrying heavy and medium-gauge weapons. Local sources in Sirte reported more than 55 vehicles leaving Sirte heading toward Bin Jawad Thursday morning. Warplanes from Misrata were reported in the skies over Sirte on Thursday. [Wasat] [Libya24]
Twenty-three families left Sirte in the last 48 hours, fleeing areas of Daesh control for safer cities, Sirte residents said. [Wasat]
Northwest
The “Revolutionaries Brigades” (Saraya Al-Thuwar) militia in Sabratha has joined the Sabratha Operations Room to fight Daesh, the Sabratha Military Council chairman said. [Libya24]
Algeria
An Algerian parliamentary committee is preparing legislation that would allow the state to prosecute Algerians who return from fighting with armed groups such as Daesh and other extremist groups in Syria, Iraq, and Libya. While the Algerian constitution stipulates that individuals are free to leave the country, this new proposed legislation, on the advice of the Justice Ministry, would criminalize traveling abroad to commit terrorist acts including armed terrorism, finance, recruitment, communications and other actions. [Wasat]
Other countries
Afghanistan
Daesh says its terrorists attacked an Afghani police barracks in Nangarhar and killed four policemen before returning safely. [JustPaste]
Germany
Prosecutors in Frankfurt announced Thursday that German police raided the home of two Syrian brothers with links to Daesh who were suspected of plotting an attack on German soil. Police seized a pistol, electronic media, mobile phones, and 14,000 Euros ($16,000 dollars) in cash but the two men were not captured. [Erem]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Iraqi Air Force page
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/jakshutup101
https://twitter.com/almoattasemalb2
Other Daesh media
Daesh audio newsletter for today in Arabic [JustPaste]
Daesh issues a video about the importance of “jihad” in Syria [Isdarat]
