November 12, 2015
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
Among today’s major developments:
Peshmerga capture Sinjar from Daesh, with acknowledged Coalition help, unacknowledged YPG help.
Deadly ethnic and religious clashes break out in Tuz.
ANBAR
Ramadi
No military developments were reported within the city.
A Joint Operations Command (JOC) source says Iraqi and Coalition planes destroyed eight Daesh locations in the Albu Ali Al-Jassem and Albu Dhiab areas north of Ramadi, killing many terrorists. [Mada]
Iraqi forces killed 12 Daesh fighters and destroyed a vehicle and a hideout in Albu Farraj north of Ramadi. Coalition planes bombed Daesh in Albu Farraj, killing 5 terrorists including a sniper, and destroyed a construction-shovel bomb. [IWMC Report]
A security source says Coalition planes bombed 3 Daesh locations in Jazeera Khaldiya, killing or wounding several terrorists. [Baghdadia]
A JOC source says an artillery unit of the Iraqi Eighth Division destroyed a medical clinic belonging to Daesh in Jazeera Khaldiya, killing and wounding dozens of Daesh members. [Ghad]
Iraqi artillery destroyed a Daesh hideout in the Tameem area south of Ramadi, killing six Daesh fighters, an Anbar Operation Command source says. [Harbi]
A JOC source says a Rapid Intervention unit killed several Daesh snipers in East Hsaiba east of Ramadi. [Mada]
Iraqi forces captured a Daesh house in East Hsaiba and defused 3 booby-trapped houses and 3 IEDs in Humaira south of Ramadi. [IWMC Report]
The IFP Commander says his troops stopped a Daesh attack on Tal Mshaihda east of Ramadi, killing several Daesh fighters and destroying their vehicles. [Maalomah]
Daesh publishes a video of the battles east of Ramadi. [Archive]
The IFP Commander says his troops destroyed a Daesh rocket launcher with an SPG9 rocket in Ramadi. [Mada]
Iraqi Anti-Terrorism troops defused a construction-shovel bomb in the Kilo 5 area in addition to 3 IEDs in Zangoura west of Ramadi. [IWMC Report]
Falluja
A security source says Coalition planes bombed a Daesh convoy on the Albu Shijil Bridge, killing a Tunisian Daesh commander called Abu Ayoub and ten of his associates in addition to damaging several vehicles. [Baghdadia]
The Saraya Ashura defused 30 IEDs in Saqlawiya north of Falluja, a PMF source says. [Harbi]
An Iraqi First Division Rapid Intervention force stopped a Daesh attack in the Hayakel and Nuaimiya areas, destroying five vehicle bombs and killing the suicide drivers as well as other Daesh militants. [Sumaria]
Daesh says it attacked Iraqi forces with three vehicle bombs in the Hayakel area killing or wounding many soldiers. [Dump]
A local PMF commander says Iraqi forces destroyed a construction excavator rigged with explosives, and killed two militants inside it in Subaihat in Qarma subdistrict. [Sumaria]
Another local PMF commander says Iraqi forces killed a Daesh local commander responsible for the suicide bombers in Subaihat. [Maalomah]
Iraqi forces in Qarma killed 13 Daesh militants and wounded three others, destroying two vehicles and two hideouts. [BOC Facebook Page]
An Iraqi Army 53rd Brigade unit killed one Daesh militant and wounded three, and destroyed a vehicle carrying a machine gun in the Rashad area of Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]
A security source says Iraqi artillery shelled a Daesh house in Rashad, killing six Daesh members and destroying an anti-aircraft cannon. [Baghdadia]
Hit/Haditha
Jazeera Operations Command troops continued clearing the Albu Hayat area, killing many terrorists, destroying 3 IED factories, and defusing 20 IEDs. [IWMC Report]
A JOC source says the IAA attacked orchards used by Daesh as hideouts in Albu Hayat, destroying a vehicle carrying a machine gun and killing the terrorists inside it. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. We recall reporting yesterday that Iraqi sources declared Albu Hayat already “cleared.” Today the completed “clearing” process continued.
The Iraqi ground troops Commander and the Jazeera Operations Commander visit Albu Hayat after it was liberated from Daesh. [MoD]
The MoD spokesman, also in Albu Hayat says Iraqi forces destroyed 27 Daesh hideouts and 30 vehicle bombs while liberating the area. He says Jazeera Operations troops, the Iraqi Army 7th Division, PMFs and local tribal fighters participated in the operations. [Ghad]
Daesh says its suicide terrorists attacked Iraqi forces with an armored vehicle bomb in Albu Hayat, killing many of them, and destroying many vehicles. [Dump]
SALAHUDDIN
Baiji
PMF fighters have rescued 23 families who were trapped in the Makhoul Mountains after fleeing Daesh-held territory, a PMF commander said, without saying where the families were taken. [Sumaria]
Shirqat
Daesh publishes photos of battles in the Makhoul Mountains. [JustPaste]
The IFP Commander says his troops killed 5 Daesh terrorists in the Makhoul Mountains area. [Mada]
Tikrit
A JOC source says the IAF killed 10 Daesh members and destroyed 5 vehicles in an airstrike on Ain Al-Faras west of Tikrit. [Mada]
Salahuddin Operations Command troops killed 7 Daesh members and destroyed 3 vehicles in areas north and west of Tikrit. [IWMC Report]
The IFP Commander says a local Daesh member was arrested in the Al-Fadhl village south of Tikrit. [Mada]
Samarra
A JOC source says the IFP destroyed 7 Daesh vehicles and killed several Daesh fighters west of Samarra. [Mada]
Daesh publishes photos of shelling Iraqi forces in the Samarra Dam area. [JustPaste]
Tuz Khurmatu
Deadly clashes erupted yesterday between Turkmen PMF fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga in the Tuz District. They fought heavy battles in the largely Turkmen city, and up to five Turkmen PMFs, five Peshmerga fighters, and an unspecified number of civilians were reportedly killed. The fighting erupted after Peshmerga attempted to block the passage of a PMF convoy at a newly installed Peshmerga checkpoint in areas where Shia Turkmen PMFs, who work with the Badr organization, operate. The combat stopped all traffic on the main road between Kirkuk and Baghdad.
The clashes between these two ostensible allies in the fight against Daesh came amid worsening sectarian and ethnic tensions in the area in the aftermath of a car bomb that exploded three weeks ago killing many Shia civilians in Tuz during gatherings for the Ashura religious holiday. After the blast, Shia militias arrested dozens of Sunnis in the area. Most were released but some taken into militia custody remain disappeared. Sunni tribal leaders requested protection from the Shia militias, and eventually the Kurdish Mayor of Tuz District appealed to the Peshmerga for help to quell the volatile situation. However the deployment of Kurdish militia forces to Tuz was not been welcomed by the PMFs and other local political groups. After yesterday’s fighting a Turkmen CoR member accused the Peshmerga of trying to invade and occupy Tuz.
In the initial altercation at the Peshmerga checkpoint, three PMF members were reportedly killed and three others wounded. The deadly fighting then spread quickly to wider areas of Tuz. A major flashpoint was the area where the Peshmerga and the Turkmen PMFs have headquarters within 400 meters of each other. Fighters including snipers reportedly deployed rapidly from their respective bases. A security source says a 10-year-old boy was killed by a sniper in Tuz.
Another round of confrontation occurred when Peshmerga tried to surround the main hospital to prevent wounded PMF members from entering. PMF fighters were reportedly able to enter through a back entrance to escort 40 trapped employees out, according to the Chairman of the security committee in Tuz.
The Chairman of the Salahuddin Governorate Council requested intervention from the Iraqi central government and the Shia clerical establishment to defuse the situation. The Badr organization issued a statement noting that four PMF members were killed in the fighting and dozens wounded and pleaded for caution, citing a long common history between Badr and Kurdish forces in opposing the Saddam Hussein regime in the past and Daesh today.
[Mada] [Baghdadia] [Etejah] [Etejah] [Ghad] [Ghad] [Sumaria] [Sumaria] [Harbi]
The Mayor says the clashes stopped after calls from religious and political leaders. He says more than 40 Peshmerga and PMF fighters were arrested by security forces. [Mada]
A security force says armed men shot and killed a doctor and wounded a nurse in Tuz. [Buratha]
BAGHDAD
A delegation of the CoR Security and Defense Committee traveled to Moscow and met with members of the Russian Parliament (Duma), discussing security affairs in Syria and Iraq including the fight against Daesh, according to a member of the committee. The member said his Russian counterparts “understood the situation” in Iraq, and added that according to his discussions the Russian parliamentarians have no objection to Russia extending its efforts to target Daesh into Iraqi territory. [Mada]
A slight improvement in the level of the Euphrates River came because of the rain, a Water Resources Ministry source said. The flow of the Euphrates into Iraq has been restricted since Daesh took control of the Al-Tabaqa Dam in Syria. However with the heavy rains of late the dam was filled, forcing Daesh to release water from the dam. [Sumaria]
A member of the CoR’s Agriculture and Water Resources Committee says the shortage of the Euphrates water happened because of Daesh closing the Tabaqa Dam and Turkey cutting the water off. He says the problem is temporary and Iraqi will compensate from the water reserves in Samarra, Thirthar and Habbaniya dams. [Maalomah]
The Minister of Oil Resources says the Euphrates River water was cut off completely prior to the recent improvement. [Buratha]
DaeshDaily comment. The agriculture sector was affected heavily by the water shortage. Thousands of Iraqi farmers couldn’t irrigate their lands in the south, adding to the economic problems in Iraq. Daesh is attacking Iraqi forces near the three dams mentioned above to worsen the problem even more. Unfortunately, this is an Iraq problem to which both Daesh and Turkey are contributing, for their own separate reasons.
A CoR MP from Salahuddin says a checkpoint in north Baghdad prevents Salahuddin citizens from entering Baghdad and asks Prime Minister Abadi to intervene. [Baghdadia]
A CoR source says another Sunni MP will be appointed as a Minister of Trade. The former minister escaped to Erbil after an arrest warrant was issued for him on corruption charges and after his bodyguards confessed to killing Ministry employees to cover up corrupt deals. [Buratha]
An Iraqi rapid intervention unit killed a militant and destroyed his motorcycle in west Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]
The IFP defused two IEDs in two different areas of Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]
The IAF conducted 19 sorties and the IAA 13.
The Coalition conducted 19 sorties on Ramadi, Falluja, Baghdadi, Tal Afar and Sinjar, killing many terrorists and destroying 3 weapons storehouses, 2 hideouts, 2 cannons, 3 vehicles and 14 Daesh gatherings and locations. [IWMC Report]
The MoD publishes a video of airstrikes on Daesh in the Samarra and Dijla military operations sectors. [MoD Website]
According to security sources:
- A civilian was killed and five wounded when an IED exploded in a commercial area in Saba Al-Bor in north Baghdad. [Baghdadia]
- The body of an unknown man was found beheaded in Husseiniya in north Baghdad. [Ghad]
- Unknown armed men abducted a civilian from his grocery store in Shaab in northeast Baghdad. [Mada]
- An IED exploded inside a popular restaurant in Camp Sara in downtown Baghdad, killing 2 civilians and wounding 8. [Mada]
- An IED exploded near a wholesale market in Saidiya in south Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding seven others. [Mada]
- Unknown armed men kidnapped a money exchange office owner while he was leaving his house in Yarmouk in west Baghdad. [Maalomah]
- An IED exploded in Furat west of Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding five. [Baghdadia]
- Two people were killed and four wounded when a sticker IED exploded under a small bus in the Hurriya area of northwest Baghdad. [Mada]
DIYALA
Muqdadiya/Abu Saida
Security forces freed an abducted citizen and arrested his captors in Abu Saida, the Diyala police chief says. They were able to free the captive less than one hour after the kidnapping. [Etejah]
Unknown armed men raided villages in north Muqdadiya, threatening residents with unspecified consequences if the residents did not implement the armed men’s demands within three days. The nature of the demands was not specified in the report. [Baghdadia]
NINEWA
Sinjar
Kurdish militia fighters with Coalition and Iraqi air support have launched their long-anticipated campaign to liberate the Sinjar District from Daesh control, multiple sources announced. Approximately 7,500 Peshmerga fighters reportedly closed in on the Yazidi-majority Sinjar city from three sides.
Early reports conflicted on the extent of the fighters’ advance and the degree of control they gained around the city. The IWMC says at least five villages on the outskirts of the city have been seized from Daesh control so far, and the Kurdish forces have surrounded the city on all sides. Other reports referred to just three sides of the Sinjar perimeter under Peshmerga control with Daesh continuing to hold areas south of Sinjar.
A CoR member from the Kurdistan Coalition says the Peshmerga liberated several areas in Sinjar, and has captured the main international road between Iraq and Syria. Peshmerga have also captured part of the main road between Sinjar and Tal Afar, according to an unnamed source cited by Sumaria.
Kurdish security sources said that the attacking militias have seized the mayoralty building in the center of Sinjar, after heavy clashes in which the Peshmerga destroyed six vehicles Daesh had rigged with explosives and placed in defensive positions around the building. The Peshmerga also seized the Sinjar Cement Factory, 5 km (3 miles) from the town center, a PUK officer says.
The Kurdistan region security council says 7,500 fighters are conducting the operation with Coalition air support. Only Kurdish militia forces are participating in the ground assault, according to a Peshmerga commander (later contradicted by other sources). Coalition air strikes on Sinjar have been heavy and wide ranging, Ninewa Operations command states.
Sources say about one hundred Daesh militants were killed in the fighting so far, and Daesh members have been observed fleeing to Tal Afar and Baaj.
[Mada] [Mada] [Mada] [Mada] [Mada] [Mada] [Rudaw] [Sumaria] [Baghdadia]
The Mayor of Sinjar District later said the Peshmerga captured the district center. [Baghdadia]
A Peshmerga source says 140 Daesh terrorists were killed and 50 wounded in the Sinjar battles so far. [Maalomah]
A source in the Mosul forensics department says the morgue received the bodies of 41 Daesh terrorists killed in the battles in Sinjar. [Karemlash]
The Daesh version is that the Peshmerga, aided by Coalition airpower, launched a massive attack on Sinjar and the battles are still going on. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. Notice that this follows a key propaganda theme of Daesh, that Daesh is always victorious. Notice that it does not admit or imply defeat.
A Peshmerga source says the Kurds got information about 40 Daesh suicide bombers hiding in a school in Qulat village in Sinjar preparing to attack. The Peshmerga shelled the school, killing all the terrorists inside. [BasNews]
Daesh says it stopped a Peshmerga attack on Qulat village, by detonating dozens of IEDs, killing “dozens of Peshmerga fighters” and destroying six vehicles. [Dump]
Peshmerga sources also say their forces are advancing across Sinjar District to the west. They say the Peshmerga are the only forces participating in the attack and they are supported by the Coalition airpower and Peshmerga Anti-Terrorism helicopters. [BasNews]
More Peshmerga reinforcements arrived in Sinjar, raising their numbers to 15,000 soldiers. Daesh is burning tires to put smoke in the way of Coalition airplanes and has formed death squads to shoot its fleeing fighters. [BasNews]
The Sinjar YPG units say they liberated a village in west Sinjar district and secured part of the road between Sinjar and Tal Afar after killing many Daesh terrorists. [Hawar]
The YPG joint forces, including Yazidi fighters, entered the Sinjar district center and clashed with Daesh. Some Peshmerga forces entered the Sulak area, some distance west of Sinjar, and some of them established their positions in a mountain area southeast of Sinjar. [Hawar]
Videos and photos of YPG men and women in the battles in Sinjar [Hawar] [ROJ] [ROJ] [ROJ] [ROJ]
A Roj Ava Peshmerga fighter (one of the Syrian Kurds trained by the KRG) says his troops are participating in the battles in Sinjar and 3 were killed. [ARA]
Welati reported 1,500 ROJ Ava Peshmerga are fighting alongside the KRG Peshmerga in Sinjar. [Welati]
Hundreds of Yazidis are fighting alongside the YPG in Sinjar. [ROJ]
A brief video of the fighting in Sinjar. [Rudaw]
Another video from Sinjar. [Rudaw]
A video of the Peshmerga destroying a Daesh vehicle bomb in Sinjar. [YouTube]
Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists in Sinjar Mountain. [JustPaste]
A Ninewa police source says Daesh executed four of its commanders for fleeing the battles in Sinjar. Two of the men executed were Iraqis and two were Syrians. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh copies Saddam’s practice of having death squads in the backlines to execute anyone who flees the battle.
A JOC source says Coalition planes, based on information from the Iraqi Intelligence Service, bombed a Daesh convoy heading to Sinjar, killing 17 suicide bombers. The source also says the Coalition destroyed a Daesh convoy of 25 vehicles in Tal Afar. [Mada]
Daesh says its terrorists captured the Shandoukha village northeast of Tal Afar, forcing the Peshmerga to flee. [Dump]
A security source says three female Peshmerga fighters captured a Daesh sniper who was hiding in a building in Sinjar. [Maalomah]
DaeshDaily comment. Hopefully this experience will give him a different perspective on enslaving Iraqi women.
A Peshmerga source says Daesh has started an organized withdrawal in Sinjar. Daesh now avoids direct encounters with the Peshmerga and uses suicide bombers, IEDs, booby-trapped houses and snipers. He says the Peshmerga fighters are advancing carefully because of the IEDs. [Mada] The Peshmerga destroyed 16 Daesh vehicle IEDs so far in Sinjar. [Rudaw]
DaeshDaily comment. The analysis is significant, as it seems Daesh has been in a defensive posture for some time in Sinjar. As for Daesh’s tactics, they are unsurprising, as they have done the same thing in Anbar and Salahuddin when they were at risk of losing control of an area. Huge recognition is owed to the usually anonymous soldiers who do the dangerous work of defusing or blowing up IEDs every day.
A security source says dozens of Daesh loyalists and families are fleeing from Sinjar and Tal Afar to Mosul. [Karemlash]
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh gave houses, lands and cattle to its supporters after it seized Yazidi, Shabak, Christian and other groups’ properties in Ninewa. These people probably believed the propaganda that Daesh is “remaining and extending”, and didn’t anticipate a day like this where the rightful owners come back with guns in their hands and jets overhead.
A security source says many civilians are escaping from Ayadhiya and Tal Afar and Daesh established checkpoints around Mosul to capture them. [Karemlash]
A Dawa Party leader says (the Iraqi government) supports the Peshmerga in the Sinjar liberation operation but it refuses to have the liberated areas in Sinjar under Peshmerga control. [Rudaw]
DaeshDaily comment. Choosing a moment of military victory to make a bombastic political statement you can’t back up shows a serious lack of leadership ability, whatever the gentleman’s position. [But see the equally unhelpful bombastic statement from a Peshmerga leader under “Kurdistan” below.]
Mosul
A CoR member from Ninewa asks Prime Minister Abadi to issue a general amnesty for Ninewa police officers and allow 700 policemen who fled Mosul for Kirkuk to rejoin the police. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. Forgiving past failures and giving people a second chance demonstrates admirable generosity. However, these 700 policemen could have prevented Daesh from taking over Mosul. What guarantees can this MP give that these policemen won’t flee the next fight too?
Local sources say Daesh established extra checkpoints with female members to search women in Mosul. Daesh is forcing men in Mosul to join its forces and it suspects some men disguise themselves in women’s clothes to escape and avoid this obligation. [Karemlash]
DaeshDaily comment. So it turns out Daesh doesn’t like guys in drag either.
A PUK official says an anti-Daesh armed group called Al-Usood killed a Daesh local member south of Al-Shura. [PUKMedia]
Other Governorates
KURDISTAN
Prime Minister Abadi calls President Barzani and congratulates him for the victories in Sinjar. [BasNews]
The Peshmerga Command issued a statement saying they liberated 150 square km of “Kurdistan land”. [BasNews]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Turkish authorities arrested 11 Daesh suspects, including 7 foreigners, in Istanbul. [ARA]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
Northeast
A field source says the Democratic Syria Forces liberated two more villages near Al-Hawl and killed 27 Daesh fighters. [BasNews] The DSF are 3 km (2 miles) away from Al-Hawl. [Welati]
Daesh publishes photos of the schools in Raqqa. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of destroying an YPG vehicle near Mount Abdul Aziz. [JustPaste]
Northwest
The YPG issued a statement saying it killed two Daesh fighters and destroyed their vehicle south of Jarabulus. [BasNews]
Daesh publishes photos of the results of the bombing on Maslama in east Aleppo. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes a video of two “civilian” oil tankers destroyed by an airstrike in east Aleppo countryside. [Archive]
Daesh publishes a video of its vehicle bomb attacks on Mare’ in Aleppo. [Archive]
Daesh publishes photos of shelling the Syrian troops in the Kowaires airbase. [JustPaste]
Central and West
Daesh says Russian jets bombed a gas pipeline east of Homs. [A3maq]
Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists attacked the Syrian Army with a vehicle bomb in Dowa, in Homs, killing and wounding many soldiers. [Dump]
Daesh publishes photos of shelling Syrian troops in Dowa. [JustPaste]
Daesh publishes photos of the battles in Dowa. [JustPaste]
REPORTS FROM OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Daesh publishes a newsletter for today in English. [Archive]
Jordan. The family of the Jordanian captain who killed seven people finally agrees to receive and bury his body. [Raialyoum]
Lebanon. Forty-three people were killed and more than 180 wounded in two explosions in a crowded area in south Beirut. [Safir]
The Lebanese Army says they found the body of a third suicide bomber in south Beirut. [Youm7]
Daesh says its terrorists detonated a booby-trapped motorcycle in south Beirut. When people gathered after the first explosion, a suicide bomber detonated himself among them, killing 40 people and wounding 200. [Dump]
Egypt. Eight civilians were killed, including a child, in Arish in north Sinai. Security officials say the attack might have happened because these civilians were cooperating with security forces [Raialyoum]
Daesh publishes the statistics on operations in Egypt for the last twelve months. [Archive]
Libya. Daesh says it controls the city of Sirte completely after capturing the last Fajr Libya headquarters west of the city. [AfriGate]
The spokesman of the Libyan Special Forces says Libyan planes killed several Daesh members in Benghazi. [LibyaAkhbar]
A video of a captured Daesh leader talking about Daesh operations, admitting how they recruit people. [LibyaAkhbar]
Tunisia. The Tunisian MOI says security forces arrested people in south Tunisia, including two women, who were about to go to Libya to join Daesh. [Raialyoum]
Algeria. The Algerian Army deploys 10,000 soldiers in a massive search campaign looking for terrorists on the borders with Libya. [Anadolu]
Afghanistan. An interesting and frightening article appeared about university demonstrators in Jalalabad who are frustrated with the university administration and demanding a Daesh government. [VOA]
DaeshDaily comment. It seems Daesh propaganda is working even in Afghanistan, Daesh supporters apparently infiltrated and took over the demonstration. It doesn’t say much for US influence in Afghanistan or the university’s admissions policies.
Other locations
Daesh publishes a new song in Russian called “Soon, Very Soon” [CSNW]
DaeshDaily comment. Perhaps this cultural initiative is not well timed. After Russia concludes its investigation of the Russian airplane apparently bombed out of the sky by Daesh in Egypt, the song could have a wholly different meaning.
SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES
Facebook Page of the Day
Kata’eb Al-Imam Ali page.
Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/corres_team1
https://twitter.com/NinawaNews
