May 17, 2016
Today’s Major Developments
Three Daesh suicide blasts in Baghdad bring major death toll.
Taji Gas Factory goes back to work.
Iraqi forces seize Rutba.
Major demonstration in Khaldiya protests politicians’ inaction on security.
Family escapes Daesh but dies of thirst.
Gorran, PUK form political alliance in CoR, KRG parliament.
Turkish aircraft pound PKK targets in northern Dahuk.
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
It was a bloody day in Baghdad due to three mass-murder suicide attacks. (Stories below)
The Al-Abbas Combat Division says it called up 1,000 of its reserve fighters to deploy to Baghdad to protect the capital and support the security forces there. [Harbi]
An Iranian MP says that Iraq should adopt the “Revolutionary Guard experience” and create a similar organization using Saraya Al-Khorasani, an Iranian backed Shia militia, as a core. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. No, thank you. Go fight the Saudis somewhere else.
The Ministry of Oil says the Taji Gas Factory returned to work 48 hours after the Daesh terrorist attack. [Sumaria]
The Coalition spokesman says there are 6,000 American military advisors in Iraq. He also says Daesh used chemical weapons 15-20 times, killing 13 civilians, including 3 children in Taza. He says Daesh terrorist numbers in Iraq and Syria decreased to 75% of earlier levels while its revenues decreased to one-third. [Sumaria] [Sumaria] [Sumaria]
The Combined Joint Task Force says the Coalition launched 10 airstrikes on Daesh in Iraq, in or near Rutba, Baghdadi (2), and Albu Hayat in Anbar; and Kasik and especially Qayara (5) in Ninewa. [CJTF]
A video of Coalition airstrikes on Daesh in Anbar and Ninewa [MoD Website]
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists attacked “PMFs” in Tarmiya with a vehicle bomb. [A3maq]
Northeast (Adhamiya, etc.)
Shaab. An MoI source says an IED exploded and a woman suicide terrorist detonated her explosives vest, killing 15 people and wounding 48, including women and children, near a crowded market in Shaab, in Adhamiya District. Other sources say 38 were killed and more than 70 wounded. The Baghdad Operations Command spokesman confirmed that the suicide terrorist was a woman. [Mada] [Mada] [Sumaria] [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. This is a new development in Daesh attacks. While it is not a new thing for terrorist organizations to use woman suicide terrorists, it is a rare occurrence. Daesh claimed the terrorist was an Iraqi man, which is a lie. One likely goal was to increase the Shia distrust toward Sunni civilians, including women. This is not a small thing in a traditional community. This attack will create more scrutiny of women, especially Sunni women, which could bring a counter-reaction from Sunnis. This reflects the vicious cycle of hatred engendered by Daesh and the AQI before that. It is fueled by Sunni Arab media and religious organizations and enabled by the weak Iraqi Sunni leaders, who have typically had nothing to offer except to be mouthpieces of this vicious cycle. Daesh will increase such attacks, because it is losing ground and the only way to hold media attention else is to attack civilians.
Prime Minister Abadi issued orders to detain the security official of Shaab according to a statement from his office. [Rudaw]
East (Sadr City, New Baghdad, etc.)
Sadr City. The Baghdad Operations Command spokesman said 11 people were killed and 30 wounded when a pickup truck exploded near a wholesale market in Sadr City. A security source said 16 were killed and 51 one wounded. [Buratha] [AIN]
Daesh claimed responsibility and said the attack was conducted by an Iraqi terrorist. [JustPaste]
The Chairman of the Municipal Council of Sadr City says the initial information shows that the vehicle came from Salahuddin. He also says every vehicle bomb that comes to the city has a hideout that facilitates its movement. He says it’s very easy to rig vehicles in Sadr City because of the unregulated weapons sold on the city streets. [Mawazin]
A member of the security committee in Baghdad Provincial Council says security forces in Sadr City are untrained, inadequate in number, and inexperienced. [Mawazin]
DaeshDaily comment. The violations of the rule of law in Sadr City by militiamen and tribes are a major reason why this densely populated area of the city is vulnerable to Daesh terrorist attacks. Security forces in Sadr City are basically helpless and are afraid of arresting anyone because they may be linked to Sadrist militias or a powerful tribe.
Moqtada Al-Sadr criticized the government for not protecting the people. He said to the Iraqi public that “Your government is not capable of protecting you and your blood will not be wasted.” [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Unfortunately, Al-Sadr is the main reason the rule of law does not apply in Sadr City, and in multiple ways he has undermined the rule of law in Iraq. This makes it much easier for insurgents to stage mass-murder incidents there. Since 2003, the Sadrists have undermined both the rule of law and the security establishment. They created their own security establishment, including their own militia, which was almost untouchable and at the same time was ineffective in protecting people. They have prevented security forces from doing their jobs while failing to provide the desired protection themselves. Instead of trying to solve the real security problem, Al-Sadr keeps adding fuel to the fire and further undermining national security.
Videos of the aftermath in Sadr City [YouTube] [YouTube]
A security source says Saraya Al-Salam, the Sadrist militia, captured a suicide terrorist wearing an explosives vest in Sadr City. [Ghad]
A police source says Explosive Ordinance Disposal defused a second car bomb in Sadr City. [Sumaria]
Southeast (Mada’in, etc.)
A security source says Iraqi forces defused a car bomb parked at a market in Zafaraniya. [Maalomah]
DaeshDaily comment. This and the preceding story show that while there were three bombs that went off, there were five planted, of which two were defused, which deserves appreciation.
South (Dora, Mahmudiya)
Daesh says it killed a Sahwa fighter with an IED in Arab Jubour. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of its agriculture in south Baghdad. [JustPaste]
Southwest (Rasheed)
Daesh says one of its snipers killed an Iraqi soldier in Khtaimiya in Rasheed. [JustPaste]
A security source says a car bomb exploded near a popular market in Rasheed, killing two civilians and wounding twelve. [Buratha]
West (Mansour, Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib)
An MoI source says an IED exploded near an industrial area near Abu Ghraib, killing one person and wounding seven. [Mada]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 11 (Includes only incidents reported)
ANBAR
Falluja
The spokesman of the Falluja District Council says the liberation of Rutba will help cut off Daesh supply lines, close the Iraq-Syria border, and accelerate the liberation of Falluja. He says there are less than 800 Daesh terrorists in Falluja and they suffer from a shortage of weapons. He also says, however, that there are 50,000 people trapped by Daesh in the city. He says the Falluja liberation battles will begin in the coming days. [Mada]
A commander in Kata’eb Sayyed Al-Shuhada’, a Shia PMF faction, says it will deploy its troops to participate in the Falluja liberation operations. [Sumaria]
A PMF commander says Iraqi forces attacked a Daesh gathering in Subaihat in Qarma, killing a Daesh sharia judge and 9 of his associates in addition to destroying 3 mortar units, a rocket launcher, and a machine gun-mounted vehicle. [Mada]
Al-Nujaba’ Movement, a Shia PMF faction, says its troops, supported by local fighters from Qarma and Falluja, will participate in the Falluja battle and take advantage of the Iraqi civilians who were killed by Daesh. [Buratha]
An Anbar Operations Command source says Coalition warplanes destroyed 2 Daesh hideouts and one mortar unit near Ameriyat Al-Falluja, killing 5 terrorists. [AIN]
The Anbar Operations Commander says his troops destroyed a Daesh hideout and killed 3 snipers near Al-Salam intersection in Ameriyat Al-Falluja. [Etejah]
Daesh says one of its snipers killed an Iraqi soldier in Hitawiyeen in Zoba’a. [JustPaste]
Ramadi
Daesh says it targeted Khaldiya with 9 locally made rockets and 49 mortar shells. [JustPaste]
Hundreds of people demonstrated in Khaldiya objecting to the silence of Anbar politicians on Daesh’s continuous attacks on the District and demanding a solution. [Rudaw]
Hit/Baghdadi/Haditha
The Jazeera Operations commander says Iraqi forces liberated 4 more villages northwest of Baghdadi, killing 23 terrorists and destroying vehicle bombs. [Sumaria]
The Chairman of Hit District Council says the manager of the Hit municipality directorate and one of his employees and three policemen were wounded when a booby-trapped house exploded on them in Hit. He says the manager was supervising IED removals in efforts to clear the area when the event occurred. [Mada]
The Chairman also says Iraqi forces found a Daesh command center in the Rab’i area and confiscated important Daesh documents. computers, and communication devices. [Mada]
Rutba/Western Anbar
An Anbar Operations Command source says Iraqi forces liberated Rutba and raised the Iraqi flag over its buildings. [Ghad]
Security sources earlier said Iraqi forces captured the Rutba police station and general hospital. [Ghad]
A border guard source says Rutba was liberated without much resistance from Daesh. [Maalomah]
A PMF source had said Iraqi forces captured 2 neighborhoods east of Rutba, killing 13 terrorists. [Mada]
An Anbar Operations Command source says Iraqi forces captured the Dara’ma area east of Rutba, killing 9 Daesh terrorists. [Maalomah]
An Anbar Operations Command source says four Iraqi soldiers were killed and two wounded, and three IFP fighters were wounded in battles with Daesh in city neighborhoods in east Rutba. He also says security forces responded to the source of fire and destroyed a Daesh machine gun-mounted vehicle and a guest house in the area. [Mada]
The IFP commander says his troops destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb in the Wardiya area in Rutba, killing the suicide terrorist. [Harbi]
An Anbar police source says Iraqi forces destroyed 3 Daesh vehicle bombs and killed 3 suicide terrorists wearing explosives vests on the international highway near Rutba. [Harbi]
The Chairman of Hit District Council says Iraqi forces are preparing to liberate the large Horan Valley west of Rutba and move ahead to Al-Qa’im, by the Syrian border. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. Virtually all the media attention from Tuesday’s news will be on the deadly suicide incidents in Baghdad. However, the capture of Rutba and surrounding area is a major development that could have a significant military impact beyond Rutba. Iraqi forces can be expected to move on to the Syrian border and then north into Al-Qa’im District. Meanwhile, troops in the Baghdadi/Haditha area continue to liberate its many villages, and the Anah District between Haditha and Al-Qa’im is now an inviting target. At some point, perhaps in Al-Qa’im, Daesh will probably take a stand to avoid losing all of its territory in western Anbar.
Daesh is killing a lot of people in Baghdad, but its only hope is that its mass-murder incidents set off an internal crisis within Iraq that derails its war effort. So far, Al-Abadi has kept the military side operationally separate from the political side, though the military victories have helped him politically. Baghdad’s citizens have an earned reputation for resilience in the face of tragedy. Right now, Daesh is losing major ground, which means that its emerging strategy of killing civilians to distract attention from its military defeats is likely to continue.
A tribal PMF commander says Iraqi forces shot down 2 Daesh drones in Al-Qa’im District. [BasNews]
SALAHUDDIN
Daesh publishes photos of the harvesting season in Salahuddin. [JustPaste]
Baiji
A Salahuddin Police source says the bodies of a man, his wife, and their three children were found in the Himrin Mountains area. The family escaped Daesh controlled areas in Hawija and was trying to reach Al-Alam but lost their way and died of thirst. [Mada]
The IFP commander says his troops destroyed a Daesh truck loaded with heavy weapons in the Fatha area, killing the terrorists inside. [Harbi]
A PMF source says Kata’eb Hezbollah rocketed Daesh locations in the Al-Salman area near Makhoul Mountains, killing 6 terrorists. [Harbi]
Daesh says it killed an Iraqi Army lieutenant colonel with an IED on the Baiji-Haditha road. [JustPaste]
Samarra
Jazeera Samarra witnesses the first wedding since it was liberated from Daesh in March. [Harbi]
DIYALA
Baquba
The Diyala Police say they defused an IED near Al-Khalis. [Mada]
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
A security source says unknown armed men shot and killed a civilian near his house east of Abu Saida. [Sumaria]
The Diyala Police say 30 more security personnel will be sent to the Zaghinya orchards as part of the plan to fight Daesh sleeper cells. [Sumaria]
A security source says unknown armed men shot and killed a 70 year old man in his vehicle in Harouniya intersection. [Sumaria]
Northern Diyala
Daesh says it shelled “PMFs” in Udhaim with mortars. [JustPaste]
Southern Diyala
The Diyala police say they found an explosives cache in Mandali. [Mada]
KIRKUK
Kirkuk
A Kirkuk police supervisor says his officers captured a Daesh cell of 10 terrorists responsible for several attacks, including blowing up oilfields in the Khabbaz area on May 4. [Xendan]
Daesh says its terrorists shot and killed an Asayesh officer on the Kirkuk-Baghdad road. [JustPaste]
Hawija
A security source says unknown armed men broke into the house of a member of Riyadh subdistrict council in Al-Amal Al-Shaabi neighborhood and killed him. [Mada]
Southwest
An Australian volunteer who worked with Kurdish forces in removing mines in Daquq was killed. [Maalomah]
NINEWA
Mosul
Daesh issues a video of its terrorists in Kanouna village on Mount Bashiqa. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. This is the same village the NMFs claimed to have “liberated”. Now the statement of the Shabak MP we reported yesterday seems more understandable. He said the NMFs do nothing but allow Daesh to destroy minorities’ villages and then flee when Daesh takes the villages back.
A PUK official says the Peshmerga artillery shelled Daesh in Bariman, a Shabak village in Bashiqa, killing 5 terrorists and destroying a military vehicle. [Mada]
Makhmur/Qayara
An informed source says Iraqi artillery shelled Daesh in Haj Ali and Awsaja villages, killing 14 terrorists. [Mada]
A PUK official says Coalition warplanes destroyed a vehicle and a rocket launcher in attacks on Haj Ali and Awsaja. [PUKMedia]
South (Baaj, Hatra)
A PUK official says the Peshmerga found 99 bodies of Daesh terrorists who were killed by Coalition airstrikes or the Peshmerga, in a mass grave in rural Baaj District. [Mada]
KURDISTAN
Former President Jalal Talabani attended in his house the signing ceremony for the agreement between the Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa and the PUK deputy secretary to join forces in the Baghdad and Erbil parliaments. [Hawar] [PUKMedia]
DaeshDaily comment. This is a huge development, possibly for Iraq as well as the KRG. Talabani came to fame as the founder and leader of the PUK. Nawshirwan Mustafa was his long-time deputy, but eventually split with the PUK over the corruption in the party and the KRG. Gorran started competing on its own in 2009 as an anti-corruption party and had in successive elections gained an edge over the PUK in Suleimaniya and become the second-place party in Erbil. Talabani’s terrible stroke a few years back took him out of active leadership of the PUK and left its leadership situation unresolved.
Masoud Barzani’s recent power plays, especially against Gorran, created a huge political crisis in the KRG, especially as he was no longer legally the President but could not be prevented from acting as if he were. He has doubled down by pushing for independence, seemingly as a way to enhance his own leadership and compel the other parties to follow him. Mustafa has been Barzani’s most implacable critic, and proposed a technocrat cabinet for the KRG well before Al-Abadi proposed it for the Iraqi government.
Unfortunately, this new alliance, which can be seen as putting the old PUK alliance together again at least in the parliaments, will sharpen the geographical split between Erbil and Dahuk (both typically pro-KDP) and Suleimaniya (now shared by Gorran and the PUK). Whether it extends beyond legislative cooperation to a wider political and electoral alliance is unclear, but for many who support this agreement, that is the desired outcome.
President Masoum met with the KRG President Masoud Barzani in Erbil to discuss the political situation and the practical ways to solve the problems between Baghdad and Erbil according to a statement from the President’s office. The president also met with the head of the Islamic Group, the general secretary of the Kurdistan Islamic Union, and the KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani in three other separate meetings. [Sumaria] [BasNews]
Turkish military sources say Turkish warplanes destroyed 26 PKK targets in Kurdistan. [Baghdadia]
A local source says 6 Turkish warplanes attacked 2 areas in the Amedi District in northern Dahuk for 3 hours. [Xendan]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Babel
The Chairman of the PMF commission in Babel says security forces captured 70 Daesh terrorists in different areas of the governorate since the terrorist attack in Haswa in March. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. A couple of weeks ago, Sunni politicians objected to the arrest of “innocent civilians” in Babel. While Shia militias tend to consider Sunnis as Daesh supporters, and have detained, and killed, innocent Sunni civilians, the Sunni politicians think all Sunnis imprisoned are innocent and want all of them released. The political system in Iraq hasn’t figured out the path to a righteous solution.
Dhi Qar
A security source says Iraqi military units defused a car bomb near the old courthouse in Nasariya. However, the MoI refuted the report. [Ghad] [AIN]
Muthanna
The Muthanna police chief says security forces got information about a Daesh suicide terrorist trying to enter the governorate and were ready to capture him but he returned to Baghdad. [Sumaria]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
The Combined Joint Task Force says the Coalition launched 2 airstrikes on Daesh in Syria, in or near Shaddadi and Mare’. [CJTF]
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
A Kurdish official says the PYD president, Muslim Saleh, met in his house in Kobane with American officials to discuss the next steps in the war against Daesh. The Americans said the YPG should start the fight against Daesh from the east in Raqqa while Saleh insisted on Jarabulus and Manbij. Saleh had returned from a visit to Suleimaniya on an American helicopter. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. The YPG is caught up in its own territorial priorities, which are opposed by Turkey and don’t help the anti-Daesh effort much. If the PYD wants to keep and strengthen its US ties, Raqqa is the priority.
Eyewitnesses say the YPG launched a campaign to seize young men in several areas in Hasaka to force them into compulsory military service. [ARA]
The Syria Democratic Forces launched a major attack on Markada, Daesh’s last stronghold east of Shaddadi. [Qasioun]
The YPG says one of its fighters was killed in heavy clashes with Daesh terrorists in Makman village in Shaddadi. [Hawar]
Daesh says its terrorists attacked the YPG in Anad village, southwest of Shaddadi, killing or wounding several fighters. [A3maq]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Turkey-backed opposition groups targeted Sheikh Maqsoud with rockets and heavy artillery, wounding a man and a child. [Hawar]
A local source says the shells contained chemical materials. [Rudaw]
An opposition commander says opposition groups, supported by Turkish artillery, recaptured Al-Bul village between Soran and Azaz. The village was used by Daesh to shell Kilis in Turkey. [ARA]
Daesh says it detonated a parked car bomb on opposition groups near Baraghida village, north of Sawran. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes photos of the harvesting season in Manbij. [JustPaste]
A video of a Coalition airstrike destroying Daesh defensive fighting position near Mare’ [CJTF]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Syrian military sources say the Syrian Army captured a strategic hill, cutting off Daesh supply lines near Sha’er oilfield. [Maalomah]
A Syrian military source says Syrian warplanes bombed several Daesh vehicles near Al-Sha’er oilfield. [SANA]
Media sources close to the Syrian regime says Syrian troops arrested an Iraqi Daesh leader and killed 8 other terrorists (5 from central Asia, a Turk, a Tunisian and an Iraqis) near Tadmur. Daesh tried to attack with 2 vehicle bombs but both of them were destroyed before reaching their goals. [ARA]
Daesh says it launched a major attack on Syrian troops in the Jazal area. Daesh says it killed or wounded several Syrian soldiers and captured 3 strategic military positions, in addition to weapons and ammunition. [A3maq] [JustPaste]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
A Syrian military source says Syrian warplanes destroyed Daesh military positions in the Sina’a area and west of Deir Ez-Zor airport. The source also says Syrian troops stopped Daesh southwest of Deir Ez-Zor, killing or wounding several terrorists. [SANA]
Several tribes pledged allegiance to Daesh east of Deir Ez-Zor. [Qasioun]
A Syrian Army source says security forces captured an Iraqi Daesh terrorist who had fled Anbar to Syria with displaced families. [Maalomah]
Daesh says it destroyed 2 Syrian Army tanks southwest of Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]
Daesh publishes photos of destroying one tank. [JustPaste]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
North Africa
Egypt
A security officer was wounded by a sniper in the Masoura area, south of Rafah. [ElWatan]
Local sources say unknown armed men shot and killed a civilian in Arish center. [VetoGate]
Local sources say unknown armed men booby-trapped 2 elementary schools in Arish. The sources say security forces had used the schools to monitor the terrorists’ movement in the area. [VetoGate]
A security source says two policemen were wounded by an IED near Kharouba village in Arish. [VetoGate]
Libya
Central coast
Local sources say Daesh terrorists withdrew from their locations in Al-Hisha Al-Jadida, Zamzam, Qadahiya and Washaka after heavy clashes with Misrata militias that were supported by airstrikes.
A military source from Misrata says a high ranking officer and six fighters were killed by a land mine near Al-Hisha. [Libya24]
Local sources say Daesh executed a former Libyan Army colonel in Sirte after accusing him of not “repenting.” The colonel was arrested by Daesh in March. [Libya24]
Daesh says one of its Tunisian suicide terrorists attacked Fajr Libya militiamen near the Saddada Bridge, killing or wounding many fighters. [JustPaste]
Tunisia
Daesh says it wounded two Tunisian soldiers with an IED on Maghila Mountain in Kasserine. [A3maq]
However, the Tunisian MoD says a land mine exploded in Maghila without causing any casualties. [HourNews]
Other countries
Afghanistan
Daesh says it killed 13 Taliban fighters in Nangarhar, and captured 3 vehicles and weapons and ammunitions. [JustPaste]
DaeshDaily comment. Somehow, the idea of Daesh and the Taliban killing each other is really appealing.
Perhaps the Coalition should offer to supply weapons to both sides?
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
A Daesh news page
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/FbbdbBfbfb
https://twitter.com/mshmshaws100
https://twitter.com/aboobeidaj2
Other Daesh media
Daesh audio newsletter for today [JustPaste]
A new issue of Daesh’s Al-Naba’ magazine [JustPaste]
