November 25, 2015

November 25, 2015

Notice: In accordance with our policy of not publishing on US and Iraqi holidays, there will be no Daesh Daily on Thanksgiving Day.

A message to our readers
We are starting to publish segments about different aspects of the war against Daesh, including its theology, propaganda themes, and media strategies. These segments might add up eventually to articles or reports. We would really appreciate your feedback regarding these segments. You can email us directly on info@DaeshDaily.com. 

    Let’s imagine two teams playing each other on the same field at the same time. One is playing soccer, and the other is playing football. The soccer team is scoring as many goals as it likes; the football team is scoring as many touchdowns as it likes. Who is winning?  
    The game is not about goals or touchdowns, however. It’s about winning audience support. 
Daesh’s media war is intended to get more recognition, to intimidate its immediate enemies, to expand its forces and territory, and most immediately to recruit as many men and women as possible, from anywhere and everywhere. The vast majority of people reject Daesh’s message, including Muslims. The real problem is the small number who don’t. If Daesh wins one-percent of its intended audience, Sunni Muslims, it will add up to thousands upon thousands of potential suicide bombers. They already seem to have an unlimited supply. Their game is extremely dangerous. 
    The worst thing any team can do is to play the other team’s game. The FIFA World Cup champions can’t defeat any decent high school football team in football, and the best NFL stars can’t beat any professional soccer team at soccer. 
    Daesh’s media game is based on three major elements: religion, hatred and violence. If we try to counter Daesh using any of these elements we will only empower its narrative. By contrast, the free world stands for many good things, but none is remotely interesting for Daesh’s supporters. Freedom? They hate it. Democracy? They consider it a blasphemy. A better life? They are blowing themselves up by the dozens every day. 
    One possible solution is to hire a professional team to counter Daesh’s game. But who? Daesh is the enemy of the great majority of Muslim traditional schools. Using a Shia narrative, a Sufi narrative, or even a moderate Sunni narrative will not work any better than a non-Muslim narrative. Using the Ibn Taymiya-Abdulwahhab narrative heavily sponsored by Saudi Arabia will add fuel to fire, as most of Daesh’s hatred and takfir towards other Muslims came from that narrative, and at the same time it already considers the representatives of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia as the “Evil Empire.” So they are the enemy but using them will only empower Daesh’s narrative. So, who is left? 
To be continued.    

Among today’s major developments:
Internal disputes break out over who has authority in Ninewa’s Sinjar District, Kirkuk province.
Coalition continues heavy bombing in Ninewa; also hits western Anbar.
Dhi Qar mayor slams government mismanagement of marshes.
PYD in Syria challenges proposal to make Euphrates the western border of Kurdish “territory;” wants Jarabulus added.

ANBAR
Coalition planes launched three sorties on unspecified areas of Anbar, killing three Daesh militants. [IWMC Report]

Daesh publishes photos of some of its terrorists in Anbar. [JustPaste]

Ramadi
Two Iraqi forces attacking Daesh positions from different directions seized the Palestine Bridge over the Euphrates, meeting on the newly recaptured structure. Iraqi ground troops with Coalition air support had been attacking Daesh’s hold on the strategic crossing from the north and west. [Baghdadia]
DaeshDaily comment: The IWMC reported the liberation of Palestine Bridge on November 4^th. Clearly from today’s news we can see that Daesh recaptured the bridge since that time. However neither the IWMC nor any other official Iraqi source announced in the intervening weeks that the bridge had been lost again. It is expected in any war that there will be setbacks, but we find it troubling that the Iraqi authorities are using policies of obfuscation and stonewalling familiar from Saddam’s style of rule.
The capacity gaps of the Iraqi forces go beyond training and armaments to include lack of capacity in media and public communications. The Iraqi people are in the dark about the advances and setbacks of their own forces in their own country. The Coalition could help by offering training to Iraqi military and security personnel on interacting with the media and sharing information with the media.

Iraqi forces are only 115 meters away from the main gate of the former Anbar Operations Command headquarters, the deputy chairman of Anbar GC has said, adding that the capture of Palestine Bridge has isolated Daesh fighters in Ramadi from those in Falluja. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This sounds good, but speaking of the government withholding information, when will official government media say something about the reported military campaign of several days ago that had Iraq troops securing the government compound in Ramadi? There were two days of unofficial reports, then nothing.

Daesh has started to blow up dozens of houses belonging to members of the Iraqi security forces in Ramadi and in Albu Aitha north of Ramadi, reportedly as revenge for Daesh members who have been killed in battle, the Anbar Operations commander says. [Sumaria]

Anbar Operations Command troops conducted operations to clear and open roads west of Ramadi, defusing 46 IEDs in the process. [IWMC Report]

A video of the battles in the Kilo 5 area [YouTube]

The Iraqi Army Eighth Division artillery shelled Daesh sites in Malahma, northeast of Ramadi, killing six Daesh militants and wounding five. [IWMC Report]

The IAF destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb that was used in an attempted attack on Iraqi forces yesterday in Albu Farraj north of Ramadi, an Anbar Operations Command source said, without providing further details. [Sumaria]

Falluja
Iraqi artillery attacked Daesh in Albu Daaij, killing the Daesh emir of the area and destroying two vehicles. [IWMC Report]

Daesh says it shelled and rocketed Iraqi forces in several areas of Falluja District. [JustPaste]

Baghdad Operations Command troops reportedly killed seven Daesh fighters and wounded another, as well as destroying four vehicles, all in Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]

A Rapid Intervention Unit reportedly killed a Daesh terrorist in Subaihat in Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]

The PMF Media publishes photos of a mosque in Anbar used to booby-trap armored vehicles. [PMF Media FB Page]

Western Anbar
The IAF destroyed a large car bomb factory in Rutba, destroying nine vehicles including two rigged as vehicle bombs, the IWMC says. [Mada]

A Coalition aerial bombing sortie targeted Daesh gatherings in Rutba city, killing and wounding an unspecified number of Daesh members, a security source says. Eleven people were wounded in one strike, which targeted the Al-Zubair Mosque in the Hay Al-Mithaq area of Rutba, including a child and an old man, local sources say. [Baghdadia] [Sumaria]
Daesh publishes photos of the results of the bombing on Rutba. [JustPaste]

Iraqi forces supported by tribal fighters targeted multiple Daesh gatherings in the Horan Valley in far western Anbar, 360 km (224 miles) west of Ramadi, the Jazeera Operations Commander said. Iraqi forces reportedly freed three families that had been held by Daesh. Security forces also reportedly captured 550 kilograms of ammonium nitrate and destroyed a booby-trapped motorcycle and a vehicle carrying a machine gun, killing a militant inside it. [Mada]

SALAHUDDIN
Baiji
Iraqi joint forces repelled a Daesh vehicle bomb attack in the Al-Salam area south of Baiji, a security source says. The would-be suicide bomber driving the vehicle was killed and the vehicle destroyed with no other casualties. [Mada]

The IAF destroyed several Daesh boats used to ferry weapons and ammunition, killing several Daesh members in the process, in the area between Al-Fatha and Harariyat near Baiji. [Mada]

Videos of the families that escaped from Hawija area to the protection of Iraqi forces in north Baiji [YouTube] [YouTube]

The IAA targeted a Daesh hideout by the Al-Shirqat intersection just north of Baiji, killing five Daesh leaders and wounding ten, a security source says. [Baghdadia]

Two Daesh members were killed when an IED they were trying to plant in the Makhoul Mountains area exploded prematurely, A PMF commander said. [Sumaria]

Shirqat
Daesh arrested the family of a driver of a Daesh emir after the driver allegedly stole the bulletproof vehicle used to transport the emir, a local source says, adding that the organization has threatened to kill the driver’s captured family if the driver does not return the vehicle within three days. The driver is reportedly a local resident who joined the organization and worked in its assassination squads before earning a promotion to work as the emir’s driver. [Sumaria]

Tikrit
Iraqi joint forces securely relocated 17 families escaping from Hawija to the Al-Alam subdistrict east of Tikrit, a security source says. [Baghdadia]

Daesh says it shelled Iraqi forces in Tikrit city with 25 locally made rockets. [JustPaste]

The IAA targeted Daesh positions from which Daesh has shelled Speicher base, killing ten militants. [IWMC Report]

Daesh says one of its Syrian suicide terrorists attacked Iraqi forces near the Speicher airbase with a vehicle bomb, killing or wounding many soldiers. [Dump] [MRKZGulf]
Daesh also says it shelled the Speicher base with 30 locally made rockets. [JustPaste]

Samarra
The Iraqi Federal Police uncovered a Daesh explosives factory west of Jazeera Samarra, reportedly seizing a large number of explosives, the IFP commander said. [Baghdadia]

A security source says a civilian was wounded when an IED exploded in a popular market in Samarra city. [Ghad]

Daesh says it booby-trapped and blew up the house of a local official in Samarra. [JustPaste]

A video of Saraya Al-Salam bellowing up a Daesh vehicle bomb [YouTube]

Elsewhere in Salahuddin
The Dijla Operations Commander says Daesh lost over 1,000 fighters in 17 failed attacks to take the Allas and Ajil oilfields over the last eight months. Iraqi forces are now using new strategies to defend the oilfields. [Sumaria]

BAGHDAD
The Shia-dominated State of Law Coalition and Supreme Islamic Council welcomed the formation of the new Sunni Coalition, saying that the grouping could end the political fragmentation within the Sunni community. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. Others including the Sunni politicians who commented unfavorably yesterday are likely to think it will add to the fragmentation. So far this is an unclear picture.

The Iraqi Interior Minister and the French Ambassador to Baghdad met yesterday, discussing intelligence and security cooperation. The Minister reportedly told the Ambassador that four months before the deadly terrorist attacks earlier this month in Paris, Iraqi intelligence agents had provided information to their French counterparts regarding a Daesh training camp in Raqqa, Syria, which was specialized in training French-speaking militants. The Ambassador stated that the Paris attacks came as Daesh’s answer to its territorial losses in Sinjar, Diyala, and Salahuddin. The Ambassador also announced that France will extend training to Iraqi security forces in anti-explosives operations, operations to counter the smuggling of antiquities, and other fields. [Mada]

The investigative judge of Rusafa Court in Baghdad announced that security forces arrested four suspects on charges of belonging to Daesh,. The detainees reportedly admitted their involvement in several attacks, including many explosions. [Baghdadia]

A car bomb exploded near a pastry shop in Wardiya in the Mada’in area of south Baghdad, killing two people and wounding seven, an MoI source says, noting that the casualty figures are expected to rise. [Mada]

Baghdad Operations Command forces conducted security operations across various areas of Baghdad, killing two Daesh members, wounding two others, and capturing two men wanted on terrorism charges. [IWMC Report]

The IAA reportedly targeted Daesh hideouts in an unspecified area west of Baghdad, killing four terrorists and destroying two hideouts. [BOC Facebook Page]

Baghdad Operations Command troops reportedly defused 28 IEDs across three unspecified areas in north Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]

Security forces reportedly found and defused a vehicle bomb and arrested its owner in Hay al-Jamaa, west Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]

The MoD publishes a video of the booby-trapped toys found in Rashidiya last week. [MoD Website]

Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists in north Baghdad. [JustPaste]

According to security sources:

• An IED exploded near a popular market in Rashidiya in north Baghdad, killing two people and wounding five. [Mada]
• The bodies of two unknown men were found shot in the head in Rashidiya. [Maalomah]
• A college professor was killed, and his wife wounded, when a sticky IED exploded under their car in Suleikh in north Baghdad. [Mada]
• Unknown armed men fired gunshots on a civilian car in Jamila in east Baghdad, killing two civilians inside. The two victims reportedly worked as farmers. [Mada]
• An IED exploded in Basmaya in southeast Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding eight. [Mada]
• An IED exploded near Jisr Diyala in southeast Baghdad, killing one person and wounding four. [Mada]
• An IED targeting a tribal PMF vehicle exploded in Yusufiyah in south Baghdad, killing two PMF fighters and wounding three. [Mada]

The IAA reportedly flew 27 sorties yesterday. [IWMC Report] The IAF conducted 6 sorties.
The Coalition conducted 12 sorties on Ramadi, Falluja, Baghdadi, Baiji, Shirqat, Mosul and Tal Afar, killing many terrorists and destroying 7 locations, 2 vehicle bombs, 2 heavy machine guns, a rocket launcher, a hideout, and a mortar location. [IWMC Report]

DIYALA
Eastern Diyala
Dijla Operations Command troops supported by PMFs conducted a search operation in Balad Ruz and captured five men wanted on terrorism charges. [IWMC Report]

Daesh says it attacked an Iraqi Army position in Shahraban with light and midsize weapons, wounding several soldiers. [JustPaste]
Daesh says it planted an IED inside the car of a policeman in Shahraban, wounding him severely. [JustPaste]

Northern Diyala
Daesh says it destroyed a police vehicle in Udaim killing an officer and six policemen. [JustPaste]

Elsewhere in Diyala
Daesh publishes photos of beheading a “spy” in Diyala. [Dump] [Dump]

Daesh publishes photos of attacking a house in Diyala and killing three men, two of them Shia. [JustPaste]

KIRKUK
The Iraqi Minister of Interior has refused to send the salary money for Kirkuk police until the Governor fires the Chief of Police for the governorate, a Kurdish CoR member says. [Rudaw]
DaeshDaily comment. This raises the ante in an ongoing dispute. At one level it’s a legal dispute: Who has the authority to appoint provincial Chiefs of Police? The Minister of Interior once had the final approval authority, but the Provincial Powers law seemed to change that. The law is still in the process of implementation, however. At another level it’s a political dispute. The Kurds have had de facto supervisory control of police and security services almost back to 2003 and essentially seized control of Kirkuk city and other areas when Daesh created the opportunity in mid-2014. They have made it clear they want the rest. Other Iraqis inside and outside Kirkuk have made it clear they are opposed. The incumbent Chief is considered by MoI to be politically beholden to the PUK and disloyal to Baghdad at a time when Iraq’s security is at stake.

Fifty civilians escaped from the Khabaza area near Hawija to Peshmerga-held territory in Kirkuk and were moved to sites near Kirkuk city, a Peshmerga commander says. [PUKMedia]

Daesh publishes photos of its snipers training camp in Kirkuk Governorate. [JustPaste]

NINEWA
Sinjar
The Yazidi Spiritual Council has submitted a memorandum to KRG president Masoud Barzani asking his forces to liberate the Yazidi-inhabited areas south of Sinjar and the Bashiqa area in the Ninewa Plain, as well as to provide basic services to the liberated areas of Sinjar subdistrict. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. This looks like a public message in support of KRG control of Sinjar. The Yazidi people are in fact politically divided, with political leaders, militia leaders, and traditional leaders often having different perspectives, and many Yazidis are still loyal to the Syrian Kurds in the YPG who came to help them after the Peshmerga initially pulled out in the face of the Daesh threat.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia has reportedly said it will not evacuate government buildings it occupied during the operations to retake Sinjar, saying that there is no order from Baghdad to do so. These remarks drew criticism from the Peshmerga who said the decision to evacuate the buildings in Sinjar has nothing to do with the Baghdad central government. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment.  We concede this is really confusing, but the summary goes something like this. The YPG claims to act in support of the Government of Iraq, but has no legal authority in Sinjar or in Iraq generally. The KRG is setting itself up as the authority in Sinjar, hopes to achieve permanent control, and has taken over some of its territory, but it has no legal authority in Sinjar. The Iraqi government, which does have legal authority in Sinjar, has no troops on the ground there and so has no real authority.

The General Secretary of the KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga says the Peshmerga captured only five Daesh prisoners in the Sinjar battle and none of them is Saudi. [Ghad]
DaeshDaily comment. We mention this only because of a previous video clearly showing a Daesh Saudi terrorist caught during the liberation of Sinjar [YouTube]. What’s the purpose of the misinformation?

Mosul
Mosul is “Iraqi territory” and as such the PMF militias will not wait for approval to liberate the city, a PMF leader says, in an apparent reference to remarks made the previous day by KRG president Barzani calling for a political agreement before the town is recaptured. The PMF leader did say, however, that the recapture of Mosul should follow the recapture of Anbar, citing Daesh’s use of supply lines that link Mosul to its territory in Syria through Anbar. [Sumaria]

Coalition planes conducted heavy airstrikes on Daesh locations in the Sultan Abdullah village in Qayara, killing 12 Daesh fighters and wounding many others, a security source says. Coalition planes also bombed Daesh in the Safina village between Qayara and Mosul, killing 15 Daesh fighters. [Mada] [PUKMedia]
A PUK official says the Coalition airstrikes today killed five notable Daesh commanders. [Karemlash]

Peshmerga forces, supported by Coalition air power, liberated three villages in the Wanaki area 35 km (22 miles) west of Mosul, a Peshmerga commander says, adding that his forces killed five Daesh snipers and wounded three others in the operations. [BasNews]

Daesh executed 20 of its members, accusing them of cowardice, in the Badoush prison west of Mosul. [BasNews]

Kataeb al-Mosul announced that its fighters killed two Daesh terrorists, one Iraqi from Baghdad and another with “Asian features,” inside a house that had been confiscated from displaced Mosul residents. [KM Facebook Page]

Daesh publishes a video of the results of the bombings on Mosul. [Archive]

Daesh says it shelled and rocketed Peshmerga fighters in several areas in Ninewa. [JustPaste]

Northwest Ninewa
Four Daesh snipers originally from Britain were killed in a Coalition airstrike on Al-Kasik camp 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Mosul. [BasNews]

Elsewhere in Ninewa
Coalition planes bombed Daesh in several villages in Makhmur east of Mosul, including Gwer, a Peshmerga source says. [BasNews]

Other Governorates  
KURDISTAN
Turkish military airplanes were seen striking PKK locations in northern areas of Dahuk Governorate, eyewitnesses say. No information is available on the results of the attacks. [Sumaria]

KRG President Barzani met with a delegation of the Syrian National Kurdish Council to discuss recent developments in Syria. Barzani stated that the Roj Ava Peshmerga will have a big role in Syria after the upcoming Syrian opposition conference in Saudi Arabia. [Welati]
DaeshDaily comment: The so-called Roj Ava Peshmerga are displaced Syrians who were trained by the KRG after fleeing to Iraqi Kurdistan. The Syrian Kurdish party, the PYD, has mostly refused their presence in Kurdish areas of Syria, citing their links to the Iraqi Kurdish political leadership.

Air travel has resumed to Suleimaniya and Erbil airports after being briefly suspended due to Russian rockets flying over the Kurdistan region, the KRG Ministry of Transportation has announced. [Xendan]

SOUTHERN IRAQ
The Mayor of Chibayish District in Dhi Qar governorate has sent an open letter addressed to both Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi and to Moqtada al-Sadr, writing that Iraq’s southern marshlands in the last eight months have suffered what he described as the “second worst catastrophe” since Saddam’s forced desiccation of the marsh areas in the 1990s. The mayor cites neglect on the part of the central government, writing that the Minister of Water Resources (associated with the Sadrists) has not visited the Iraqi marshlands even once. In his letter he describes crippled agricultural and fishing industries, and says animals have perished by the thousands and fish stocks have been decimated. [Sumaria]

The leader of the PYD in Syria said that Jarabulus forms part of “West Kurdistan” (i.e. Syrian Kurdistan) and Turkey has no right to intervene in the area, apparently responding to earlier Turkish demands that the YPG-backed Syrian Democratic Front halt its advance on Daesh-held territory at the eastern bank of the Euphrates River. The PYD chief said that the Jarabulus area, west of the Euphrates, is at least 50 percent Kurdish and that Syrian Kurdish militia forces therefore have a right to operate there. [PUKMedia]

Northeast
Eyewitnesses say Turkish helicopters flew at low altitude 3 km inside the Syrian borders in Hasaka countryside, covering 20 square km. They say this is the first time Turkish helicopters flew this low over the area. [ARA]
The YPG spokesman said two helicopters flew over YPG controlled areas north of Qamishli and warns that the YPG will “take the necessary measures” against such breaches in the future. [ARA]
DaeshDaily comments. Making statements you can’t back up is the height of military folly. If the Turks weren’t intimidated by the Russians, how much would they fear the YPG militia?

Daesh publishes photos of the results of the Russian bombing on a grain silo east of Raqqa. [JustPaste]

Northwest
A Jabha Shamiya commander says Daesh shelled Mare’ with mortars wounding 8 civilians. He also says Daesh members tried to sneak to Mare’ but the JS captured two of them and forced the rest to flee. Coalition airplanes bombed Daesh in several areas in Aleppo’s northern countryside on Tuesday killing five terrorists and destroying several vehicles. [ARA]

Daesh says heavy clashes erupted with the Syrian Army after airstrikes near the Jamiliya village near Kowaires airbase. Daesh says it shelled Syrian troops with mortars, killing 6 soldiers and wounding 6 and damaging a bulldozer. Daesh says the Syrian Army sent reinforcements but one of Daesh’s suicide bombers attacked them with a vehicle bomb, killing 24 soldiers and wounding many others. [Dump]

Daesh has been shelling the Tal Aren area in the Al-Bab countryside since yesterday, a local activist says, saying the attack has caused damage to civilian property. [BasNews]

The Iran Revolutionary Guard has issued a statement denying reports that its commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani was injured in Aleppo. [BasNews]

Daesh publishes photos of the results of the bombing on Manbij and says two civilians were wounded. [JustPaste]

Central and West
Daesh publishes a video of the fighting in Mahin. [Archive]

East
A local activist says two Daesh leaders, a Tunisian and an Egyptian, defected recently in Bukamal, while a Saudi leader was captured before he could escape. He also says five Daesh members surrendered to a Syrian armed group in the area while Daesh police arrested more than 20 people in east Deir Ez-Zor. He says many Daesh members are trying to flee because of the recent defeats. [ARA]

A local activist says Daesh hisbah thugs broke into the funeral ceremonies of a man Daesh executed recently in Mayadin because his son is a soldier in the Syrian Army. The mourners clashed with the hisbah who called for more reinforcements. Daesh sent many of its terrorists and arrested everyone in the ceremonies. [ARA]

Daesh audio newsletter for today in English. [Archive]

Egypt.  Thousands of people participated in the funerals of the victims of yesterday’s terrorist attack in Arish (video). [Youm7]

Libya.  Eyewitnesses say three anti-Daesh men were assassinated within two hours in Ajdabiya. [AfriGate]
A Libyan official says the Daesh media officer in Sirte, Abu Jalal Al-Maghrebi, was killed with five other Daesh members by Libyan airstrikes on Tuesday. [AfriGate]
A video of Daesh Tunisian members captured by the Libyan Army. [Ewan]

Tunisia.  Tunisian authorities issued several decisions after the attack yesterday on the presidential guard bus in Tunis. It declared a state of emergency for 30 days, activated the national plan to fight terrorism and radicalism, intensified the campaign against terrorism websites, and closed the border with Libya for 15 days, among other steps. Twelve people were killed and 20 wounded in the attack, including four civilians, and a body thought to belong to the suicide bomber was found. [Tunisien] [Tunisien]
Daesh claims responsibility for the terrorist attack yesterday and says it was done by a Tunisian terrorist with an explosives vest. [JustPaste]
The Tunisian Ministry of Interior says 10 kg of Samtax explosives were used in the terrorist attack yesterday. It also says the same kind of explosive was confiscated coming from Libya. [Tunisien]

Facebook Page of the Day
Ean Libya News page (news agency Facebook page)

Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day
https://twitter.com/91EicB84HegTnJ9
https://twitter.com/FuR_SN_ANeSr_14
https://twitter.com/kjuvgfd7
https://twitter.com/blackhawk_vx
https://twitter.com/sebe_1212