March 21, 2106
Today’s Major Developments
Daesh attacks US Marines again in Makhmur, after killing US Marine Saturday.
Twenty killed so far, 50 wounded, clearing all the IEDs in Ramadi area.
Daesh attacks in Haditha, Hit slow liberation operation.
PMF commander IDs sleeper cell locations in Diyala.
Daesh kills 20 civilians in Mosul after Coalition bombing.
Iraqi Army division says US refuses to provide air cover in Makhmur area.
Daesh affiliate in Egypt launches deadly attack in Sinai.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
BAGHDAD
Political developments
In a press conference, the US Ambassador to Iraq Stuart Jones stated that the US does not interfere in the internal affairs of other states and does not provide advice on sit-ins or protests, nor on reforms and ministerial reshuffling in the Iraqi government. He added that the security of US and other embassies is the responsibility of Iraq.
Jones noted that Iraq is putting Hit under siege and is clearing areas in Salahuddin, while Daesh is retreating. He said that the US trained over 22,000 Iraqi soldiers, which made the army, police, PMF and Peshmerga stronger. He said that the US has allocated $2.7 billion to provide Iraq with weapons and ammunition on a deferred payment basis, with another billion underway in 2017. He said that the US will financially support the reconstruction of Ramadi. The US has supplied enough weapons and ammunition to equip 9 armored brigades, Jones said, as well as other support like 250 armored anti-IED vehicles, and 4,000 shoulder-held missiles to use against armored vehicle bombs.
Jones said that US units in Iraq are ready to help in Mosul operations if they are asked, and that the US force will help in liberating Bashir village.
He ridiculed reports about the opening of a “consulate” by Rafe’ Al-Eissawi in Washington DC. Consulates can only be licensed for national governments, not individuals. He added that Eissawi and Atheel Nujaifi, among others, can come to the US and establish offices so as to express their opinions freely within the limitations of US laws. [Buratha]
DaeshDaily comment. It is helpful that the Ambassador threw some cold water on the phony consulate scheme of the Ninewa separatists. The fact that those behind it are still scheming against Iraq is a serious problem, however. Things would be much better in Iraq if some people would stop scheming to return the clock back to the “good old days” and wipe out the entire post-2003 political process. Both Iraq and the Coalition paid a lot of blood to eliminate dictatorship and establish a democratic political process, but some people just don’t want that.
On March 15, the organization released a detailed statement that claimed they found significant and extensive evidence that the Government of Iraq has failed to take substantial action to increase political inclusiveness, address the grievances of ethnic and sectarian groups, and enhance their integration in the political and military structures in Iraq. [Osari]
DaeshDaily comment. This organization is a group of hypocrites playing on the same “marginalization” theme that has been their sectarian crutch since 2003. Their own sectarianism has led to thousands of car bombs and suicide bombers and hundreds of thousands of victims and a few million displaced people. Now they want you to weep for them.
The British Embassy in Baghdad issued a statement rejecting the reports about getting threats. The Embassy says the Ambassador is on vacation outside Iraq. It also says the demonstrations were peaceful and not threatening, and the Iraqi forces dealt with them in an excellent way. [Mada]
Moqtada Al-Sadr demanded in a televised speech elimination of the sectarian quota for appointments, keeping in mind the political balance; following up on corruption cases; setting a time limit for formation of a technocrat government; independence of the judiciary system; keeping Iraqi forces away from sectarianism and partisanship; and forming special committees to deal with the financial reforms. Sadr also accused political parties and the “three presidencies” of ignorance about what’s really happening (regarding actual conditions and services). [Mada] [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. The demands seem perfectly legitimate, but at a closer look they don’t mean anything. How can a person who has one of the biggest Shia militias ask for non-sectarian security forces? Why doesn’t Sadr let the Commission for Integrity investigate his corrupt officials instead of taking things in his own hands and arresting them in Najaf? Like many other Iraqi politicians, Sadr can’t accept the fact that he didn’t win the elections and can’t lead Iraq on his own.
Security developments
(Late-breaking story) For the second time in three days, the first U.S. military firebase in Iraq has come under attack from ISIS. The base, known as Firebase Bell, came under small arms fire from a group of about 10 ISIS fighters who also attacked a nearby US/Iraqi installation at Makhmur in northern Iraq.
No U.S. personnel were wounded, and at least two ISIS fighters were killed, according to Army Col. Steve Warren, the coalition spokesman. Warren said he didn’t have an exact distance of how close the gunmen came to the U.S. security perimeter, saying only “a couple of hundred meters, I would assume.” The remaining attackers “ran away in fear,” Warren said. [CNN]
The US Central Command announced the arrival of special units in Iraq to join the war effort, in coordination with the central government. The units are the 26th special units of the Marine Corps; the number of personnel was not specified. The Command said that the unit will coordinate with the US Navy fleet in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and partially in the Pacific. [Mada]
Staff Sgt. Louis F. Cardin, the Marine killed in a Daesh rocket attack in Iraq on Saturday, was at the first American firebase, which had only become operational a few days earlier, CNN has learned. The existence of the firebase had not been made public. The Pentagon had planned to acknowledge the firebase this week, a defense official tells CNN. The rugged location for now has a “couple of hundred” Marines living in tents near Makhmur in northern Iraq. It’s assumed Daesh observed the Marines moving into the area and saw them firing practice rounds with their howitzers, the official said.
Daesh on Saturday fired two rockets from about 15 km away. One fell inside the base killing Sgt. Cardin and wounding several others. The Marines returned fire with their artillery.
The Joint Operations Command (JOC) had denied reports that US ground troops have deployed in Iraq, saying that their presence is for training and advisory roles only. It also denied the rumors of US units spreading out into camps in Baghdad and elsewhere, adding that one unit of 200 Marines is doing training maneuvers with the Iraqi Navy outside Iraq’s regional waters. [Mawazin]
Col. Steve Warren, the Coalition spokesman, says fewer than 200 Marines arrived in Makhmur to protect the American advisors there and they got prior approval from the Iraqi government. [Sumaria]
The Marines will be using their field artillery guns in the coming weeks to help defend Iraqi troops as they move towards Mosul. For now, the artillery is to defend another nearby base where American troops are getting 5,000 Iraqi forces ready for the operation to retake Mosul. [CNN]
The Air Force Commander, General Anwer Hama, said that Iraqi-US air maneuvers have been going on since 2006, in order to improve the effectiveness of Iraqi pilots. Maalomah]
The MOD announced the start of training courses on the use of T72 tanks, for recent graduates in armor units. The MOD also said that courses on command and control, psychological warfare, professional principles, protection against enemy propaganda, and international humanitarian law courses were held for trainers of various army units.[Maalomah]
Asa’eb Ahl Al-Haq (AAH) threatened to treat US forces deployed in Iraq as an occupation force, saying that their deployment is a re-occupation of Iraq after their “defeat by the Islamic resistance and being forced to withdraw from Iraq.” In a statement, AAH called on the government to clarify its position regarding presence of US forces on Iraqi territories. [Mawazin]
The BOC said that the 17th army division located a large cache of ammunition and explosives in Al-Amya area in Radwaniya west of Baghdad. 15 IEDs were found hidden under the floor tiles, as were a large number of other materials for making IEDs. [Mawazin]
A video of the Daesh group arrested in Baghdad last week [Sumaria]
The following security incidents were reported.
North Baghdad
An IED placed in a commercial area in Giri’at area killed two civilians and wounded five others. [Mada]
East Baghdad
A sticky bomb attached to a civilian car killed a sewing factory owner and his companion while they were driving through Baladiyat.[Mada]
Armed men attacked a civilian car, killing one civilian and wounding another two working for a money transfer company on Al-Qanat Street. [Mada]
South Baghdad
An IED placed on a farm in Khtaimiya village in Rasheed District killed one civilian. [Ghad]
One policeman was killed and four wounded by an IED targeting their patrol in Hor Rijab, in Dora. [Mada]
An IED killed two policemen and wounded two others as they were on patrol in Albu Aitha. [Maalomah]
An IED placed in a public bus station in Latifiya killed one civilian and wounded five others. [Maalomah]
Daesh says its terrorists planted an IED in the Ubaid area in Latifiya, and when PMF fighters came to defuse it the IED exploded, killing four of them. [JustPaste]
Southwest Baghdad
An IED placed in a livestock market in Suwaib killed one civilian and wounded five others. [Mada]
West Baghdad
An IED in Tobchi killed one civilian and wounded seven others. [Mada]
Armed men killed a shop owner in Hay Al-Jami’a. [Ghad]
An IED placed in an industrial area in Abu Ghraib killed one civilian and wounded seven others. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 12 (Not an overall total)
The Coalition initiated 11 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. The 7 attacks in Iraq targeted Hit and Ramadi; Mosul, Kasik, and Sinjar, destroying tactical units, fighting positions, vehicle bombs, command centers, and ammunition storehouses. Attacks in Syria targeted Manbij, Mare’, Ain Essa, and Ayn Al-Arab (Kobane), destroying a tractor, mortar positions, fighting positions, tactical units, and heavy weapons. [AIN]
The IWMC stated that air attacks by the Coalition and Iraqi aircraft killed 39 terrorists and destroyed two Daesh positions, a mortar unit, two weapons hideouts, 6 rocket launching platforms, 3 fighting positions, 5 cars, and two trucks. The Coalition Tal Afar attack targeted a Daesh convoy and killed Muthanna Hamza Ibrahim Al-Afri, a Daesh commander, and 24 others and destroying their vehicles. Iraqi air raid on Hatra killed 13 terrorists and destroyed 7 cars. [BasNews]
ANBAR
Falluja
The Baghdad Operations Command said it killed 53 terrorists in various operations sectors west of Baghdad near Falluja. 24 of them were killed in Albu Shijil, Qarma, and Taqsim, where a machine gun-mounted vehicle and 8 fighting positions were destroyed. A Rapid Intervention force killed 13 terrorists and destroyed a machine gun-mounted vehicle and 30 IEDs in Nuaimiya, Subaihat, Hayakel, Hitawiyeen, Harariyat, Al-Shuhada , and Albu Rudaini. 4 IEDs and several detonators and detonating rods and mortar shells were found in Albu Hussein. [Mawazin]
Col. Ahmed Karim Al-Nayel, commander of the third battalion of the Tribal Mobilization in Qarma, said that army units started the liberation of Al-Abadi area, killing 7 Daesh leaders of Arab nationalities and destroying three of their guesthouses. He added that fighting in Abadi and Subaihat is still continuing, while another operation will target Saqlawiya and the Mukhtar and Jughaifi villages north of Falluja. Al-Nayel said that Daesh fighters in the center of Qarma do not exceed 300, as many have already withdrawn to Falluja. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. If there are only 300, why is it taking so long to gain control of Qarma?
A JOC source says Iraqi Rapid Intervention units liberated 5 factories in Subaihat. [Harbi]
Daesh publishes photos of battles near Subaihat. [JustPaste]
Daesh says its terrorists stopped an Iraqi Army attack on its positions near the technical institute north of Falluja, killing or wounding several soldiers and destroying a bulldozer. [JustPaste]
Here Daesh says ten Iraqi soldiers were killed in the attack. [A3maq]
Daesh says one of its snipers killed an Iraqi soldier near Albu Shijil. [JustPaste]
Kata’eb Hezbollah regiments of the PMF shelled Daesh positions in Falluja with rockets, the IWMC said. [Harbi]
Ramadi
100 persons, including 20 soldiers, have been killed and 50 volunteers wounded in the process of removing IEDs from Ramadi so far, a member of Anbar Provincial Council said. He said this figure exceeds those killed in action during the liberation of the city. Farhan Mohammed, the PC member, said that Daesh planted thousands of IEDs, in a very wicked manner. [ Mada]
Al-Waad Al-Sadiq faction of the PMF started clearing IEDs from the Al-Malaab (Olympic stadium) area in the city of Ramadi. Mohammed Al-Timimi, general secretary of the unit, said that his units are simultaneously searching for any Daesh suspects that might have stayed in the area. [Mawazin]
General Ismail Al-Mahalawi, Commander of Anbar Operations (AOC), said an attack with 4 vehicle bombs was repelled in Albu Ubaid east of Ramadi, along the international expressway. He said the four vehicles were destroyed, but one went off close to an army unit, killing three soldiers and wounding four. Al-Mahalawi added that the Coalition made 4 attacks on Daesh near Albu Ubaid, causing heavy casualties. [Sumaria] [Sumaria]
10 bodies of Daesh terrorists were found in the Albu Ubaid area near the international expressway, one of them of Abu Omar Al-Shishani, the IWMC said. [Harbi] Major General Ismail Al-Mahalawi, commander of Anbar operations, confirmed finding Al-Shishani’s body among the 10 bodies found. The US announced Al-Shishani’s death on March 15 following an airstrike in Al-Shaddadi in Syria. [PUKMedia] Ali Dawood said that Al-Shishani and seven of his associates were killed in an airstrike in Zangoura. [Maalomah]
30 Daesh fighters including 4 suicide attackers were killed trying to attack the Sadda area of Albu Ubaid east of Ramadi, according to Ali Dawood, the Chairman of the Khaldiya subdistrict council. 4 vehicles were also destroyed as they approached a checkpoint in the area. Army artillery bombed Daesh positions near the area. [Maalomah].
A large weapons cache was found in Albu Ubaid, according to Ali Dawood. The cache included modern light and medium weapons as well ammunition, all confiscated by the army. The IEDs and explosives were safely destroyed. [Maalomah]
The Chairman also reported that Coalition planes bombed Daesh locations in Albu Bali in Jazeera Khaldiya, killing 30 terrorists, including Daesh’s emir of Khaldiya, Ali Majid Al-Bilawi, and wounding 17 others including Al-Bilawi’s military assistant. [Sumaria]
Daesh says its terrorists killed 22 Iraqi soldiers and destroyed 6 Humvees and captured several Iraqi military positions in Hamdhiya after 2 suicide attacks. [A3maq]
10th army division moved 133 civilians from the Albu Assaf area to safer locations, aided by 41st army brigade, the IWMC said. [Ghad]
Hit/Kubaisa
The IWMC denied reports that Kubaisa and parts of Hit had been liberated. The reports came from the Anbar Governor and Khaldiya council. The IWMC said Iraqi forces are still advancing towards these targets. [AIN]
Army artillery shelling killed 4 Daesh terrorists inside the city of Hit, AOC said. Several vehicles and weapons were also destroyed. [Maalomah]
There is some confusion over inconsistent reports that the Hit/Kubaisa operation has been temporarily halted. The Security Committee of Anbar Provincial Council said operations in Hit were temporarily halted to allow clearing of hundreds of families to safety, but Iraqi and Coalition airstrikes will not be halted. [Mada] Jasim Al-Asal, member of Anbar PC, said that only half of the families of Hit have been evacuated, but also said he is not sure if halting operations in Hit is for tactical reason or due to political developments in Baghdad. He said that AOC had not explained the reasons to the PC so far. [Mawazin]
A video of families leaving Hit [MoD]
Meanwhile, the IWMC (catching up with what we reported on Friday) said that Counter Terrorism, Army, and tribal units are 1 km away from the center of Hit from the east side after destroying many Daesh targets in the process of their advance, heavily backed by Coalition warplanes and Army Aviation helicopters, and that Counter Terrorism and Army units are moving toward the city from the west and south. [Harbi]
A video of Iraqi forces preparing to attack Hit [Sumaria]
However, much of today’s reporting came from the Daesh side and suggested there was no halt in the fighting. Daesh says its terrorists conducted 2 suicide attacks on Iraqi forces near the cement factory in Kubaisa subdistrict, killing or wounding 37 soldiers. Daesh says several hours after that its terrorists conducted 2 more suicide attacks, killing 20 soldiers and destroying 2 Humvees, followed by 2 suicide terrorists detonating their explosives belts and killing 16 soldiers, followed by clashes destroying a tank and 2 Humvees. [A3maq]
Wathiq Al-Fartousi, commander of the Al-Buraq militia of the PMF said fierce fighting erupted between Daesh and combined army and PMF units when Daesh attacked the Majid checkpoint east of Baghdadi. 5 car bombs were destroyed and 25 suicide attackers killed, and the fighting continued. [Sumaria] Spokesman of the 14th Rapid Intervention brigade, Saadoun Al-Ubaidi, said the attack was from 4 directions and that 15 terrorists including seven suicide bombers were killed near Majid checkpoint. He also said Daesh failed to gain any ground in this attack. [Baghdadia]
The IWMC version says Jazeera Operations Command troops and the Iraqi Army 7th division stopped the attack, killing more than 30 terrorists and destroying 8 vehicle bombs and two vehicles carrying machine guns. [Sumaria] Neither of the Iraqi versions concedes any government casualties.
Daesh’s version says 5 of its suicide terrorists (including one from Jordan, one from Turkey and one from France) conducted 4 suicide attacks on Iraqi forces at the Majid checkpoint. Daesh says that it then launched a massive attack on Iraqi forces and captured the checkpoint, killing 60 soldiers and wounding “tens” and destroying vehicles. Daesh says the battles are still going on. [JustPaste]
However, a video of tribal fighters east of Baghdadi rejects Daesh claims about capturing areas and shows destroyed Daesh vehicle bombs [YouTube]
A recording reportedly of intercepted communications between Daesh terrorists in Hit [YouTube]
Haditha
The Chairman of the Anbar PC Security Committee said the military operations to liberate Haditha were stopped in order to allow civilians to be evacuated. He also says the Iraqi and Coalition airstrikes will continue. [Mada]
However, Daesh says a suicide terrorist from the UK attacked a joint Iraqi Army and Sahwa convoy with a vehicle bomb while it was leaving the Ain Al-Asad base, killing 30 soldiers and fighters and destroying 11 vehicles. [JustPaste]
Daesh also says its terrorists attacked Iraqi forces in Albu Hayat east of Haditha, killing 6 soldiers and temporarily capturing military positions before they retreated. [A3maq]
28th army brigade engaged a Daesh unit that sneaked into the municipality building in Haqlaniya, killing 4 of them, and killed another suicide attacker as he tried to escape. However, the building guard and two tribal fighters were killed, while an officer was wounded, according to the IWMC. [Ghad]
Daesh’s version is that 4 of its terrorists attacked Iraqi forces in Haqlaniya subdistrict, killing 20, including the Sahwa leader of the area, and wounding 26, and destroying 7 armored vehicles and a bulldozer. Daesh says that its terrorists then entered the local municipality building and clashed with Iraqi forces before they detonated their suicide vests. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. The details of the story are at the least exaggerated, but it shows, along with the other Haditha-area attacks and the Kubaisa attack, that Daesh intends to make a stand in Hit and Haditha.
Western Anbar
A JOC source says the IAF destroyed 4 Daesh locations in Rutba. [Harbi]
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
In a first incident of this kind, Daesh burned two of its members to death in Shirqat, in public, for being infected with AIDS, according to a security source. [Maalomah]
Baiji
Daesh says its terrorists burned down 25 Iraqi military positions on the road between Baiji and Haditha, killing many soldiers and capturing weapons and equipment. Daesh showed the photos of 5 Iraqi suicide terrorists before they launched their vehicle bombs. [DawaAlhaq]
Al-Abbas and Salahuddin regiments of the PMF repelled a three-car-bomb Daesh attack in Siniya, a PMF source said. He added that army helicopters pursued the retreating Daesh force and inflicted heavy casualties. [Mawazin] The IWMC says the PMFs destroyed one of the vehicles and captured the other two, using new military tactics, the IWMC said. [Harbi]
The IWMC quoted a major PMF source saying that 15 Daesh terrorists were killed and 8 were wounded in a failed large-scale attack on Allas and Ajeel oil fields. The source said that despite their oft-repeated attacks there, Daesh has failed to even set foot in these oil fields and that they are totally secured. [Harbi]
Tikrit
A security source in Salahuddin says Daesh has started to depend on Ashbal Al-Khilafa (the “caliphate cubs”), aged 10 to 17 years old, in its suicide attacks. [Sumaria]
Samarra
Waadallah PMF units found a chain of tunnels in Jazeera Samarra while clearing the area. Several IEDs were destroyed and weapons hidden in the tunnels were captured, according to the IWMC. (Photos). [Harbi]
Salahuddin Operations Command said that it repelled a Daesh attack in the Thirthar area west of Samarra, killing 9 attackers. Army and security units lost one soldier and 20 were wounded. [Ghad]
30 IEDS were destroyed in the Sayed Gharib and Jazeera Samarra areas by the 74th army brigade of the 15th division, the IWMC said. [Ghad]
DIYALA
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
Uday al-Khadran, a PMF commander, said there are 200-300 militants forming the sleeper cells of Daesh in Diyala, in the areas of Himrin, Al-Zor, Mukhaisa, and Hawdh Al-Nida. He stressed the importance of a military operation to eliminate these cells, as they might threaten security in the province at any time. [Sumaria]
Two tribal mobilization fighters were killed when Daesh attacked a checkpoint in Albu Mousa village, a local source in Diyala said. [Sumaria]
A Tameem tribe leader says the tribe will give the government 72 hours to meet its demands. It accuses the government of not keeping the promises it gave on Friday the 11th. [Mada]
However, the Muqdadiya District’s Mayor says the Dijla Operations Commander met with tribal leaders from the District and with the families of the victims of Daesh suicide attack and told them that the government has not backtracked on its promises and rejected the reports that the commander of the 5th Iraqi Army division went back to his work, saying the commander is still under investigation. [Sumaria]
Daesh says its terrorists blew up 5 electricity towers, which transfer electricity from Iran to the Shia in Baghdad, in the village of Imam Wais north of Muqdadiya. [JustPaste]
DaeshDaily comment. Each time they do this, they claim the outage affects only Shia. We need to ask a physicist about this unusual type of sectarian electricity that impacts people of one sect but not the other.
Daesh says its terrorists killed a PMF commander and his companion in an ambush in the Lihaib area in Muqdadiya. [JustPaste]
Security forces arrested a Daesh leader disguised as a woman north of Muqdadiya, a Diyala Police source said. The arrestee confessed his crimes and stated he was in disguise to escape from the governorate. [Maalomah]
KIRKUK
Rayan Al-Kildani, the general secretary of Babelyoun (Christian PMF) said that a special investigation committee was formed by the Cabinet on his PMF’s request after an attack by Coalition warplanes that accidentally targeted one of its positions in Hawija. He said sarcastically that the Coalition is precise when hitting PMF targets but not Daesh targets. [Mawazin]
An attack by a construction shovel bomb on Al-Abbas and Turkmen PMF units near Bashir village was repelled after destroying the shovel and killing seven attackers with the support of Army Aviation helicopters. Abu Ridha Al-Najjr, the commander of the Turkmen 16th PMF brigade, said that Daesh tried to break through its defense line by using the shovel bomb, but failed. [Mada]
Videos of Daesh terrorists’ dead bodies near Bashir [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube]
NINEWA
Mosul
Daesh terrorists killed over 20 civilians in Mosul, after random shooting that followed a heavy air attack by the Coalition on four of their main centers in Majmoua’ Al-Thaqafiya in north Mosul. The targets were the Mosul University presidency building, Al-Mahmud building, Al-Karam coffee shop, and the student residential complex. Light weapons bullets were detected in the bodies of the dead civilians, proving that they were not killed by the air attacks, according to local sources. [Maalomah]
Daesh issues a video of the first moments after the American airstrike on the Majmoua’ Al-Thaqafiya in Mosul. [A3maq]
Nouraldin Qabalan, deputy chairman of the Ninewa PC, said that Coalition attacks on Mosul University and several other buildings are destroying the city’s cultural heritage, conceding that Daesh members are inside. It called on the pilots to consider the historical and cultural heritage in the city when initiating these attacks. [Mawazin]
Three battalions of Ninewa Police have joined the Iraqi army forces mobilizing in Makhmur, according to Nouraldin Qabalan. He added that these forces will participate in the liberation and will be mainly involved in holding liberated ground. [Sumaria]
An intelligence source told the IWMC that the Iraqi air strike on a Daesh position in Mosul on March 19 killed 4 of its major military production officers. Terrorists killed were Abu Huthaifa Al-Russi (an Uzbek), the general weapons expert; Abu Huthaifa Al-Tunisi, booby-trap expert; Mohammed Al-Shami (Abu Fatima), mustard gas official; and Abu Muqdad, a Daesh leader. [Harbi]
The IWMC says French warplanes destroyed 11 Daesh media points in Mosul. [Harbi]
Daesh issues a video about the Coalition airstrikes on its media points in Mosul on Saturday. [Isdarat]
Kata’eb Al-Mosul says its fighters destroyed a Daesh pickup vehicle near Hatra intersection in Mosul, killing the three terrorists inside it. [KM Facebook Page]
The KM also says one of its snipers killed a Daesh terrorist in the Karama area.
A sticky bomb attached to a car killed two Daesh leaders in Mosul, a local source said. [Maalomah]
Daesh says its terrorists shot down 2 Peshmerga drones in the Falafel area north of Mosul. [A3maq]
Makhmur/Qayara
Major media sources have reported the death of a U.S. Marine in Makhmur. Staff Sergeant Louis Cardin was killed Sunday, shortly after midnight, when his unit was struck by Daesh rocket fire.
5 foreign suicide attackers were killed in an ambush set by the 15th army division as they were moving from Al-Nassr Sayed Sultan village to attack army units in Makhmur, the IWMC said. [Mawazin]
15th army also repelled an attack by two suicide bombers, killing the two attackers. [Maloomah]
A suicide attacker killed one soldier and wounded two more in an attack on the 15th army command mobilizing in Makhmur, according to a security source. Army units killed 5 more suicide attackers who attempted to attack the division’s command headquarters following the first attack. The situation is under full control now, the source added. [Mada]
A source in Ninewa Operations Command complained that the Coalition ignores suicide attackers and car bombs attacking the positions of 15th army n Makhmur. He says that despite constant pleas, the Coalition command always ignores the requests. He said that Iraqi fighters and helicopters are banned from flying in that area, which is controlled by JOC and Peshmerga. [Maalomah]
DaeshDaily comment. This needs to be taken seriously by the Coalition and checked out. Either it’s a joint force or it’s not. This is no time to enforce a Kurdish no-fly zone (over Iraqi territory) or any other artificial limitation.
The IWMC said that Daesh destroyed five houses in Al-Hawd village in Qayara District, next to Makhmur, including that of the district Mayor, Saleh Hassan. [Harbi]
An Iraqi airstrike killed tens of Daesh terrorists gathering near Qayara bridge, the JOC said. [Mada]
Other Governorates
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra
Armed men killed a policeman and wounded another in an attack on their car as they returned from duty at Basra hospital. The policemen were from the Huwair police station, and were attacked on Baghdad Street in Basra, according to the Basra PC security committee. [Buratha]
A man wanted on terrorism charges was arrested at the checkpoint on the road between Basra city and the Basra International Airport, Basra Police said. [Sumaria]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Political developments
According to a report in the Turkish press: DNA tests showed that the suicide bomber who carried out the terror attack on İstiklal Street in Istanbul, killing four people and wounding 39 others, was 24 year old Mehmet Öztürk. Following the explosion, the police focused their attention on Öztürk, believed on the basis of footage in security archives to have joined Daesh and wanted as a “missing person with connections to terror”. It was established from phone signals that Öztürk was in the area. The police, concentrating on this line of investigation, took hair, blood and saliva samples from Mehmet Öztürk’s father, Nahsen Öztürk, who lives in Gaziantep. DNA matching left no doubt that the suicide bomber who carried out the terror attack was Mehmet Öztürk. [Cumhuriyet]
DaeshDaily comment: We are grateful to a loyal reader for this translation from the Turkish-language press.
Turkish police are searching for three other suspected Daesh members, according to a statement by the Istanbul police directorate. The three are reportedly using forged identity documents and are suspected of planning other suicide attacks in Istanbul or other parts of Turkey. [Cihan]
Military developments
Three mortar shells launched from an unknown point fell in southern Turkey’s Osmaniye province Monday, landing on a military barracks and on a neighborhood, damaging property but without causing human casualties, a security source said. [Anadolu]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Hasaka
The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) advanced further into Daesh-held territory after violent battles in the in the village of Al-Zayanat, 25 km (15.5 miles) southeast of Shaddadi that started before dawn on Monday. Unidentified sources said that the SDF gained 15 km (9 miles) of territory as it advanced toward the city of Markada. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses in the Abdul Aziz Mountain area said a car bomb exploded, killing five people and wounding six others. [Qasioun]
Daesh says one of its Syrian suicide terrorists attacked YPG fighters south of Mount Abdul Aziz (photos). [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of shelling YPG locations south of Shaddadi with locally made rockets. [JustPaste]
Daesh says several YPG fighters were killed or wounded by IEDs it planted while they were sneaking into its positions in Shaddadi’s southeastern countryside. [JustPaste]
Raqqa
Daesh says 5 of its terrorists attacked YPG fighters south of Suluk and clashed with them for 6 hours killing or wounding many YPG fighters. Daesh says 4 of its attackers were killed and the fifth returned safely. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of 4 of the attackers. [JustPaste]
Daesh says 3 of its suicide terrorists blew their explosives belts up on YPG forces in Sarrin, southwest of Kobane. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes photos of shelling YPG locations east of the Tishrin Dam with Katyushas and with 220mm mortars. [JustPaste] [JustPaste]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Heavy battles erupted north of Aleppo between opposition militias and Daesh as Daesh renewed its assault on opposition-held territory near the Syrian-Turkish border, an activist said. The fighting is ongoing and casualties are reported on the Daesh side in fighting near the city of Mare’. [ARA]
Syrian troops gained control of the Kurdish-majority village of Kafr Saghir, northeast of Aleppo city on Sunday after a Daesh retreat from the village, where it committed an alleged massacre of “tens” of residents after taking control in 2014. [ARA]
YPG fighters killed five would-be Daesh suicide bombers who were attempting to infiltrate the city of Sarrin southwest of Kobane on Monday morning, a YPG fighter said. The attempted mass attack came as Kurds in Syria and elsewhere were observing the Nawroz holiday. [ARA] [Welati]
In a sign of continuing tensions between Kurdish factions, the PYD-controlled Asayish intelligence agency reportedly “prevented” the KDP-oriented Kurdish National Alliance from holding a Nawroz celebration near Kobane. [Welati]
Daesh publishes photos of attacking Syrian troops northeast of Aleppo city. [JustPaste]
Daesh issues a video of its terrorist attack on Syrian troops in the Industrial City north of Aleppo. [A3maq]
Daesh says an American warplane launched an airstrike on Toqali village in Aleppo’s northern countryside, and 3 drones are also flying over the area. [A3maq]
Daesh says Turkish artillery shelled Jaka village in Aleppo’s northern countryside. [A3maq]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Twenty-six Syrian soldiers were killed in heavy battles with Daesh on Monday in the countryside around Tadmur (Palmyra), according to a local activist. Daesh claimed the figure was as high as 70 soldiers killed. [ARA] [ARA]
Daesh says one of its Syrian suicide terrorists attacked Alawite militias will a truck bomb in Homs, killing or wounding 70 of them including a commander. [JustPaste]
Here Daesh says 30 fighters were killed out of 70. [A3maq]
Daesh issues a video of battles with Syrian troops west of Tadmur. [A3maq]
Daesh issues a video of two Syrian Army military positions its terrorists captured in the Muhassa mountain area southwest of Qaryatayn. [A3maq]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Activists say that on Sunday they discovered a mass grave in the Ahzam area of Bukamal, suspected to hold remains of some of the over 1,700 people estimated killed by Daesh in the area, mostly of the Shaitat tribe. [ARA]
Daesh fought heavy battles with Syrian troops and their militia allies in several areas in and around Deir Ez-Zor without significant gains by either side. Casualty reports were not available from the fighting, which involved fighting and exchange of artillery fire at Al-Baghiliya and Jumat Al-Ruwad west of Deir Ez-Zor city as well as in the Deir Ez-Zor neighborhoods of Rusafa and areas around the military airport. [Qasioun]
South
The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, which has pledged allegiance to Daesh, along with allied fighters, seized the small city of Tasil west of Daraa on Monday, advancing rapidly on the city and controlling it completely without clashing with any other faction. The factions announced an immediate complete curfew and said they seized the control of the city to protect it from opposition militias that were mobilizing nearby. [ARA]
The “Southern Front” militia alliance seized control Sunday of the headquarters of the “Hamzat Asad Allah Brigade,” believed to be pledged to Daesh, in the city of Tafas in Daraa Governorate, according to a field commander from the Jaysh Al-Mutaz militia. [ARA]
Armed factions in southern Syria announced the formation of the “United Inkhal Army” on Sunday, in a statement which said the group’s primary reason for forming a united command was to fight to eliminate Daesh. (video). [ARA]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked a Syrian armed group in Laja south of Damascus, killing several fighters before returning back safely. [JustPaste]
DaeshDaily comment. The group mentioned in this report is Nusra, who in turn published photos of several Daesh members killed in this attack.
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
North Africa
At least eighteen members of the police force were killed in a devastating Daesh attack on a police checkpoint in the Al-Safa neighborhood of Arish, according to official statements. The attack began with a deadly mortar shell reportedly launched from a mountainous area six kilometers (4 miles) away, security sources said. After the mortar strike, militants stormed the checkpoint, firing gunshots at the survivors before fleeing the scene with captured weapons and ammunition. Security sources denied earlier reports of the involvement of a car bombing in the assault. The attack killed the entire crew of the checkpoint, security sources said. The dead included three officers, and according to the latest reports at least three other policemen are still missing. Rescue vehicles came under gunfire as they attempted to reach the site. The attack was claimed by Egypt’s Daesh affiliate formerly known as Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis. [Reuters (English)] [ElWatan] [ElWatan]
Following Saturday’s deadly attack, Egyptian troops conducted raids on Monday targeting Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis sites south of Sheikh Zuweid, killing 10 militants and arresting four others, security sources said. [ElWatan]
The Daesh-affiliated Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis group abducted two Bedouin citizens in the village of Abu Tawila south of Sheikh Zuweid, claiming that the two had collaborated with Egyptian security. [ElWatan]
Daesh says it attacked an Egyptian Army M60 vehicle south of Arish. [JustPaste]
Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Egyptian Army SUV in Khuraiza village in the middle of Sinai. [JustPaste]
An IED exploded in Rafah on Monday killing a man who was driving an agricultural tractor. [ElWatan]
Egyptian troops captured 25 tons of explosives linked to Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis militants south of Rafah on Sunday. [VetoGate]
Libya
Northeast
The Libyan Army has begun a siege on the cement plant in the southern Benghazi neighborhood of Hawari, the last major Daesh stronghold in the city, a military media official said. [AfriGate]
The spokesman of the Army’s “Omar Mukhtar Al-Karim Operations Room” said that Libyan aircraft targeted Daesh sites in the “400” neighborhood of Derna and in the Al-Fataih heights overlooking the city. [Libya24]
Northwest
Libyan military commanders from the four western Libyan operations rooms (Tripoli, Western Sahel, Western Mountain, Western Region) met in the city of Al-Rahibat on Sunday to discuss the security situation in the west of Libya, according to media reports. [AfriGate]
Gunmen abducted an Egyptian construction worker near the city of Qasr Al-Khayar, 75 km (45 miles) east of Tripoli and demanded a ransom of 25,000 Libyan dinars ($18,200 US dollars) from his family. [AfriGate]
Armed men abducted a woman in the city of Al-Khoms, 125 km (77 miles) east of Tripoli. The family has said that they do not know any further details. [AfriGate]
The body of a young man was found bearing fatal gunshot wounds in an area outside Tripoli, according to media reports on Monday. [AfriGate]
Interior
Four Daesh members were arrested in the city of Sawkna in central Libya, a security source said Monday. Three detainees are Chadian nationals and one is Libyan. The group was in possession of hundreds of remote detonators and a large quantity of mines and explosives. Security sources said the group was planning attacks at strategic sites throughout Libya. [AfriGate]
Other countries
Philippines
Daesh issues a video of a group of Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu in the Philippines pledging allegiance to Daesh. [Isdarat]
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Abdullatif Al-Hamim, the director of the Sunni Endowment page
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/Caliphate_yy990
https://twitter.com/tchinachina1
Other Daesh media
Daesh audio newsletter for today in Arabic and Russian [JustPaste]
Daesh issues security instructions for Android users. [DawaAlhaq]
