An Update On ISIS Activities

January 20, 2016

January 20, 2016 

American Warplanes

 

Today’s Major Developments

 

Prime Minister, COR Speaker take hard line on Shia militia violence in Diyala.

UN says 19,000 Iraqis were killed in last 21 months.

Iraq may be setting up to recapture Hit.

Daesh destroys 1400-years-old monastery in Mosul.

Daesh leader pursuing expanded territory in Libya; cites support from Gaddafi loyalists.

 

REPORTS FROM IRAQ

 

BAGHDAD

Political developments

Prime Minister Al-Abadi’s office issued a statement after the Council of Ministers meeting, stressing that the government will not tolerate criminals and they will be submitted to justice. [Rudaw]

DaeshDaily comment. One of the demands of many Sunni leaders is to call the attacks on Sunnis in Muqdadiya “terrorist” attacks, the same description given to Daesh attacks.

 

Speaker Jubouri says he supported Abadi’s reforms, and still does, but the reforms are slow and it is important not to violate the authority of other officials. He also says there are no attempts in the Council of Representatives (COR) to withdraw its confidence in PM Abadi.  [Sumaria]

Jubouri also said it was necessary to “end the armed wings” of the political parties and asked them to denounce the “uncontrolled militias.” He says that the militias whose members committed the crimes in Muqdadiya are well known and should be arrested. He says such crimes hurt the reputation of the PMFs. [Sumaria]

 

The PM spokesman meanwhile denied media reports about changes in the Cabinet. Some media outlets said that several ministers will be replaced, especially the Minister of Interior. The Minister has angered some political parties by sending dozens of high ranking officers into retirement. [SotIraq]

 

PM Abadi himself arrived in Switzerland to participate in the Davos Economic Forum. [Sumaria]

 

Security developments

A UN report said 19,000 Iraqis were killed in the last 21 months, half of them in Baghdad, with 36,000 wounded and 3.2 million displaced persons. [BasNews]

 

The Coalition spokesman Steve Warren says Iraqi forces needs hundreds of western trainers before starting Mosul liberation operations. [Hurra] 1,800 US troops just arrived in Anbar (See below under Hit/Haditha).

Mainstream media reported a similar statement in Paris by Secretary of Defense Carter, who indicated the number of US troops in Iraq will increase in order to train more soldiers and police.

 

15 persons were arrested on terror charges in various areas of Baghdad, including a woman from Diwaniya, the MoI said today. [Mada]

 

An ammunition cache was found hidden in a truck in Shaab, north Baghdad. An X-ray vehicle at a checkpoint revealed the well-hidden cache, said the spokesman of the MoI. [Baghdadia]

 

According to security sources:

  • A bomb placed in a minibus in Husseiniya in north Baghdad exploded, killing one civilian and wounding five.[ Mada]
  • An IED placed in a fish market in Shat Al-Taji in Taji District in northern Baghdad Governorate exploded and killed two civilians and wounded five this afternoon. [Maalomah]
  • A civilian was shot dead by unidentified men armed with guns with silencers in Taji, north Baghdad. [Sumaria]
  • A security force found a cache containing IEDs and mortar shells in Al-Abaychi area in Tarmiya in northern Baghdad Governorate. [Sumaria]
  • A roadside IED placed near the house of a Ministry of Justice employee in Hay Ur in northeast Baghdad exploded late yesterday night without causing human casualties, but left material damage to the house. [Sumaria]
  • Unidentified armed men open fire on a civilian in Karrada in central Baghdad late yesterday, killing him instantly. [Sumaria]
  • Armed men attacked with automatic rifles three Ministry of Justice employees in a civilian car, killing one and wounding the other two.[ Mawazin]
  • Unidentified armed men open fired on a civilian in Zafaraniya in southeast Baghdad late yesterday, killing him immediately. [Sumaria]
  • An IED exploded in Safiya, Ubaid village, south Baghdad, killing one electricity worker and wounding 6 others who were performing repairs in the area. [AIN]
  • A roadside IED exploded in Arab Jabour in south Baghdad, killing one civilian and wounding another. [Sumaria]
  • Bodies of a man and a woman were found in Mada’in, south Baghdad today. [Baghdadia]
  • An IED placed in a popular market in Ubaidi, east Baghdad, went off killing one civilian and wounding 5 others. [Baghdadia]
  • A sticky bomb attached to a civilian car exploded near Al-Rayaheen restaurant in Awerej in southwest Baghdad, killing a police lieutenant colonel and a policeman working in the FPS. [Ghad]
  • Two men wanted on terrorism charges were arrested in Saidiya in southwest Baghdad. [Baghdadia]
  • A 9 year old boy was kidnapped while standing in front of his house in Al-Adel in west Baghdad by men in a civilian car. [Maalomah]

Total Baghdad incidents reported:  13   (Not an overall total)

 

The Coalition said its warplanes executed 14 attacks in Iraq, 6 of them in Ramadi that destroyed two oil and lubricants tanks, three fighting positions, and a mortar position. Other attacks hit Habbaniya and Haditha; Mosul, Kasik, and Sinjar. [AIN]

 

ANBAR

Ramadi

An airstrike by Iraqi and Coalition warplanes destroyed 4 Daesh headquarters north of Ramadi today, according to the Anbar Operations Command. 34 terrorists were killed and three vehicles destroyed. [Sumaria]

 

Tribal Mobilization forces issued a list of 400 names of Daesh members and leaders, distributed to checkpoints in Anbar and Baghdad. A tribal source said all tribal forces members are from the area and know very well who’s who. [Mada]

180 tribal fighters are in the center of Ramadi assisting in removing IEDs and holding positions in the city, said the Tribal Forces Command in Ramadi. [IraqPress]

 

A special unit today arrested a Daesh terrorist in the Al-Jamaiya area of downtown Ramadi, following local information. The unit also broke into Daesh guesthouses and found lists of names and other records of the terror group. [Mada]

A video of Daesh documents seized in Ramadi [Sumaria]

 

Albu Shbail, east of Ramadi, was liberated today by the joint forces, according to a security source. The Iraqi flag was raised over the municipal building. [Baghdadia]

 

Videos of Iraqi forces’ battles in Ramadi [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube]

 

Families held under siege in eastern areas of Juwaiba, Albu Musa, and Albu Salih Hamad called on security troops to enter these areas, as Daesh has withdrawn its fighters eastward to Jazeera Al-Khaldiya, local sources said. [Maalomah]

 

Anbar Provincial Council said the joint forces are ready now to proceed to Jazeera Al-Khaldiya and clear it from Daesh terrorists, adding that liberation of Juwaiba and Hsaiba is continuing as “tens” of terrorists are killed. He said troops are involved now in removing hundreds of IEDs, and securing safe paths for families departing the areas to safety in Habbaniya, Khaldiya, and Ameriyat Al-Falluja. [ Mada ]

Anbar Provincial Council pleaded with the central government to send more explosives teams to deal with the huge number of IEDs and mines in Anbar and surroundings, as available units are far from enough to complete the mission expediently. [Maalomah]

Engineering corps of the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) defused 90 IEDs in Albu Aitha and Soura, north and northeast Ramadi, said the AOC.[ Sumaria]

Explosives units of IFP defused 22 IEDs and cleared 3 bombed houses in Hsaiba, east Ramadi today, the IFP command stated. [ Mawazin]

 

3rd Counter-Terrorism Division is receiving 5-7 families per day who are escaping Daesh-controlled areas and is transferring them to a safe area, said the Division Commander, adding that the families are used by Daesh as human shields in Juwaiba and Sajariya. [Sumaria]

IFP troops rescued 27 families from the villages of Al-Safriya and Abu Taiban in west Ramadi today and transferred them to safety in Al-Wafa subdistrict, the IFP said. [Mawazin]

A video of Iraqi forces securing more families in Sufiya. [Sumaria]

 

Falluja

Security troops killed three suicide attackers who approached the defense lines in Hayakil in east Falluja, an Anbar Operations Command (AOC) source said. [Mada]

 

Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said that its troops killed 19 Daesh terrorists and defused 25 IEDs in Taqsim, Thirthar, and south Falluja. It also detected a cache containing IEDs, mortar shells, batteries, and CK5 rockets in Sawamra and Marasma villages in Rashidiya, north Baghdad. 10 mortar shells were also found in Al-Bawi, northeast Baghdad. [AIN]

 

Hit/Haditha

Army helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets over the city of Hit today, asking the population to abandon the city before a forthcoming attack by army and security troops. [Maalomah]

 

Internal fighting among Daesh terrorists in the Dolab area of Hit ended with the death of 9 Daesh terrorists and the Daesh military commanders for Hit and Baghdadi. [WarNews]

 

1800 US soldiers arrived to Ain Al-Assad base and settled in immediately, said a top ranking army officer. The force has training and operational duties, including collecting intelligence, freeing hostages, and pursuing Daesh commanders. [Maalomah]

 

SALAHUDDIN

A video of PMFs destroying a Daesh vehicle bomb with a Kornet rocket [Harbi]

 

Baiji

IFP troops killed 6 Daesh terrorists and destroyed an anti-aircraft gun in the Makhoul Mountains today, the IFP command stated. [Mawazin]

 

Karim Al-Nouri, the spokesman of the PMF organization, said that the Makhoul Mountains are of strategic importance in liberating Hawija and Mosul, and that Daesh, which still has some fighting positions in the area, will still try to attack there regardless of their huge losses. [Mawazin]

 

IFP artillery shelled Daesh targets in the Al-Fatha area near Baiji, scoring direct hits, the IFP said. [Mawazin]

 

Tikrit

An attack by Daesh west of Speicher base was repelled by security troops, who destroyed two vehicle bombs and killed several attackers. No casualties were recorded on the Iraqi side, a security source in Tikrit said. [Ghad]

 

The IFP killed two Daesh leaders in Mkaishifa today, according to the IFP command. [Mawazin]

 

The Commander of Iraqi Special Forces units in Salahuddin said that the areas under the control of Iraqi Army are secure and there is no way that Daesh can retrieve any of them, despite their continued attempts. He added that his troops are ready to go on the offensive pending orders. [Mawazin]

 

Samarra

IWMC said that an army helicopter destroyed a Daesh vehicle and fighting position, killing all Daesh personnel inside, in Jazeera Samarra. (Mawazin]

 

Army helicopters attacked Daesh positions west of the Strategic Line (pipeline) area in Samarra, destroying several vehicles, a Samarra Operations Command source said. [Mada]

 

DIYALA

Baquba

A security source says unknown armed men destroyed the guesthouse of a local tribal leader in Buhriz. [Baghdadia]

 

Daesh says it destroyed a PMF vehicle in Buhriz, killing four fighters. [JustPaste]

 

Muqdadiya/Abu Saida

Karim Al-Nouri, the spokesman of the PMF organization, said that recent attempts to implicate PMFs in Muqdadiya incidents are a failed effort by some politicians to dissolve the PMFs. He added that PMFs were not in the area when Muqdadiya incidents took place. [Ayn Iraq]

 

Diyala Police said they arrested 7 persons responsible for recent incidents in Muqdadiya. The arrests were made following a large scale search campaign in the city. [Sumaria]

 

An IED placed in a popular market in Abu Saida killed one civilian and wounded two others, a security source said. [Maalomah]

 

Northern Diyala

Daesh publishes photos of an attack on PMFs in Udhaim. [JustPaste]

DaeshDaily comment. The attackers in these photos are more than 30 terrorists. The Iraqi government should explain how that many terrorists exist in an area that was liberated a year ago.

 

Daesh says one of its snipers killed a PMF fighter in Udhaim. [JustPaste]

 

KIRKUK

6 persons were arrested on terror charges in Bajwan, 25 km (15.5 miles) southwest of Kirkuk city, along with 4 cars without proper documents that were with them. [Sumaria]

 

Bodies of two men shot to death in their thirties were found in Shawar north of Kirkuk today, a security source said. [Sumaria]

 

NINEWA

Mosul

Daesh gunmen destroyed a 1400 year old Christian monastery in Mosul, the oldest in the area. [Sumaria] The monastery destroyed was the St. Elijah Monastery, located inside Ghizlani camp in Mosul. [Mawazin]

 

Daesh is transferring fighters from Mosul to Hawija, Riyadh, and Rashad areas to be closer to fighting fronts, said a Peshmerga source today. [Rudaw]

 

Counter-terrorism command said its source inside Mosul is updating it on the situation in the Daesh occupied city, as well as setting targets for Iraqi and coalition air attacks on Daesh targets. [Baghdadia]

 

A huge fire, resulting from an oil heater, destroyed a large weapons and ammunition facility of Daesh in Hammam Al-Alil, south of Mosul, a local security source said. [Maalomah]

 

An airstrike by coalition warplanes destroyed six oil tankers of Daesh leaving the Qayara refinery, south of Mosul.  This is the second attack of this kind in 72 hours, as 4 tankers were destroyed last Sunday, according to a high ranking police officer. [BasNews]

 

Northwest Ninewa (Tal Afar, Sinjar)

Daesh publishes photos of shelling and rocketing the Peshmerga in Pakufa. [JustPaste]

 

Other Governorates  

KURDISTAN

Amnesty International published a report about human rights violations committed by the Peshmerga in the liberated areas. Amnesty accused the Kurdish forces of waging a revenge campaign, by removing Arabs from villages captured by the Peshmerga. The KRG issued a statement with a detailed response to the accusations. [Amnesty] [Rudaw]

DaeshDaily comment. This is hardly the first time such accusations have been leveled at the Kurds, whose motives in such incidents are always suspected to be less about security and more about making populations more Kurdish so as to make it more likely they can be annexed later by an independent Kurdistan.

 

President Barzani meets with the British Ambassador to Iraq to discuss the ongoing preparations to liberate Ninewa, according to a statement from the KRG presidency. [SotIraq]

DaeshDaily comment. We wonder what the Ambassador really said to Barzani.

 

President Barzani meets with the former president of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, Ahmed Assi Al-Jarba to discuss the latest military developments and ways to cooperate against terrorism. [SotIraq]

 

SOUTHERN IRAQ

Basra. A lawyer and his sister were wounded in an armed attack inside a courthouse in Basra, a security source said. [Sumaria]

 

Kerbala. The PMF organization said it foiled an attempt by Daesh to commit suicide attacks in Kerbala after arresting a group of terrorists with large quantities of explosives. Ali-Alakbar regiments of the PMF said the terrorists, based in historic Al-Akheider, had 4 explosives belts, 4 detonators, 15 small IEDs and 17 big ones, and 26 detonation triggers. [AIN]

 

Najaf. Security and military forces in Najaf executed a sudden survey of the desert areas in the province to check for any security gaps, according to a statement. It said that checkpoints were installed and car and personal ID searches were performed with the assistance of tribes in the area. [Baghdadia]

 

REPORTS FROM TURKEY

 

Political developments

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu penned an op-ed in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, calling Daesh “worshipers of death” and pledging that Ankara would combat the organization. He referred to last week’s deadly suicide attack at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, which Turkey has attributed to Daesh. The PM argued that Turkey was hosting more Syrian refugees than any other state, and that Turkey would continue support for Syrians in Turkey. Turkey will work with coalition partners to eliminate the threat of Daesh, he wrote. [Cihan] [WSJ]

 

Military developments

Turkish police detained 14 people, including two Syrians, on Wednesday on suspicion of ties to Daesh in multiple Turkish governorates, Anadolu reports. In the central governorate of Afyon, six Afyon Kocatepe University students including one Syrian were arrested on suspicions of Daesh membership. A further eight suspects including one Syrian were arrested in the southern governorates of Antalya, Adana, and Othmaniya. [Anadolu]

 

Turkish security sources denied reports of the entry of Turkish forces into the Daesh-held city of Jarabulus on the Syrian-Turkish border. [ARA]

 

REPORTS FROM SYRIA

 

Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)

The YPG’s anti-terrorism units known as “YAT” killed two Daesh members in the Jabal Abd Al-Aziz area west of Hasaka, the YPG media office announced. [ARA]

 

Syrian government agents arrested three civilians in Hasaka on suspicion of links to Daesh, a “source close to the Syrian regime” said, adding that search operations were still ongoing for four others wanted for similar reasons. [ARA]

 

Daesh has continued to destroy homes and schools along its line of confrontation with the Syria Democratic Forces in southern Hasaka province. The organization executed a young man in the village of Al-Atala in the Al-Arisha area of Hasaka for using WhatsApp, and executed a man in the same village for having worked for the police. Daesh has forbidden all travel in the areas it controls south of Hasaka to the city of Hasaka, even in humanitarian cases or in cases of dangerous illness. [Qasioun]

 

Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)

Daesh and Syrian opposition factions have continued their battle for control of settlements near the Turkish border north of Aleppo amid reports of the opposition militias retaking the village of Ghazl from Daesh, after it had changed hands several times between the two sides in earlier fighting. Fighting also erupted between Daesh and opposition militias in the village of Sheikh Rih in Hama Governorate amid heavy shelling by opposition militias on Daesh positions. [ARA]

 

Daesh says its terrorists stopped a Syrian armed groups’ attack on Ghazl, then made a counterattack and recaptured Qara Kobri village in Aleppo’s northern countryside. [JustPaste] [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes photos and a video of the villages it recaptured from Syrian armed groups in Aleppo’s northern countryside. [JustPaste] [A3maq]

Daesh publishes photos of battles in other areas in Aleppo’s northern countryside. [JustPaste]

 

Meanwhile the Sham Corps militia repelled a heavy Daesh attack in the city of Al-Bil, killing around ten Daesh fighters and capturing another eight, with fighting ongoing amid reports of a group of Daesh fighters besieged inside a mosque by the opposing militia. [ARA]

 

Daesh shelled residential areas of the city of Mare in the Aleppo countryside, destroying property. No reports of casualties are available. [Qasioun]

 

Around 300 civilians from the countryside around Al-Bab have fled the Daesh-held area to FSA-held areas near Azaz, activists in Aleppo report. The same sources say that Daesh is packing up its bomb factories and dismantling its positions in the course of moving its fighters and equipment out of Al-Bab toward Raqqa, under heavy Russian air attacks and in the face of advancing Syrian Army ground forces, which resulted in the loosened Daesh conditions that allowed the residents to escape from Daesh’s grasp. [Welati]

 

Daesh shelling killed a civilian and injured another in Tal Aren. [Hawar]

 

The Ahrar Jarabulus militia has joined the Syria Democratic Forces, the group said in a statement issued today. [ARA]

 

East (Deir Ez-Zor)

Daesh has made further advances into government-held territory in Deir Ez-Zor, after attacking the field headquarters of the Syrian Army and allied militias in the Furat Al-Sham Hotel, causing an unspecified number of casualties in the ranks and nearly destroying the hotel. After the attack, Daesh seized a strategic hilltop west of town. [Qasioun]

 

Daesh released 270 people, mostly women and children, out of the 400 people it reportedly took captive in Deir Ez-Zor late last week, the Syrian Organization for Human Rights has said, but has abducted another 50 adult men in raids on homes in the city Tuesday. [Hawar]

 

Daesh says Russian planes dropped supplies to the remaining Syrian troops in Deir Ez-Zor for the fourth time today. [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes a video of the areas it captured recently in Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes a video of following and killing Syrian soldiers in the Al-Hajif Mountains west of Deir Ez-Zor. [A3maq]

Daesh publishes more photos from Hajif Mountains and Tal Idha’a. [JustPaste]

 

OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS

 

North Africa

Daesh publishes more video messages to the people of North Africa. [Archive] [Archive] [Archive] [Archive]

 

Egypt. Twenty-five fighters of Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, which has pledged its allegiance to Daesh, have fled out of North Sinai into Gaza, tribal sources said. After fighting south of Sheikh Zuweid over the last three days, the same sources report heavy casualties and material losses to the organization, saying that over 100 militants have been killed or wounded, and 34 arrested, in addition to the 25 who reportedly slipped out of Egypt into Gaza. The same sources report also that recent operations have weakened the organization’s fighting capacity as Daesh has lost important leadership as well as weapons. As the operations in the recent Egyptian campaign known as “Martyr’s Right 2” developed from a ground war into a ground conflict involving raids and direct firefights between Egyptian troops and Ansar militants, the group tried to appeal to Daesh leader Awwad Baghdadi to send supplies to Sinai to support the Ansar. [ElWatan]

 

Egyptian warplanes launched renewed airstrikes on areas of Sheikh Zuweid, Arish, and Rafah in northern Sinai on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, residents reported. Locals reported the sounds of explosions and their homes shaking and glass breaking as the blast waves rocked their area. Three security personnel were wounded in fighting in areas west of Arish, Egyptian security agencies announced. [ElWatan]

 

Three policemen were reported injured in an IED explosion that occurred while they were clearing an area of the Al-Kharouba village near Sheikh Zuweid. [VetoGate]

 

Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Egyptian police vehicle west of Arish. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says it detonated another IED on an Egyptian Army patrol west of Karm Al-Qawadees. [JustPaste]

 

Libya

Sirte

The Military Intelligence chief in Misrata says Daesh’s leader Awwad Baghdadi sent an Iraqi terrorist called Abu Omar to control Sirte and expand Daesh’s territory. He also says there are 3,000 Daesh fighters in Sirte and they are welcomed in the city by former Gaddafi loyalists. [Rudaw]

 

Daesh has executed five people in Sirte and Bin Jawad in the last few days, two in Sirte on allegations of “spying” for the “Libya Dawn” factions that control the west of the country, and three in Bin Jawad, where the bodies of those executed were displayed in the center of town to instill fear in residents, according to local sources. Another report says that two people were executed and crucified in Sirte’s western “Saffron Island” area on charges of having participated in clashes against Daesh in August. It is unclear from the reports if they refer to the same killings in Sirte or to a different set of executions. [Libya24] [EanLibya]

 

Derna

Two would-be Daesh suicide attackers were killed in Derna by Mujahidin Shura fighters on Tuesday before they could detonate themselves, the Mujahidin Shura of Derna announced. The two attackers, both reportedly from neighboring Chad, were wearing women’s clothes and covered their faces with niqabs. The bombing attempt came one day after two Daesh members reportedly attempted to infiltrate the city. [AfriGate]

 

Northwest (Zliten)

The city of Zliten, the site of a deadly suicide attack on a police training center two weeks ago, is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe, the city government has warned, as 60 percent of the area is without regular electricity supply, apparently due to lack of maintenance personnel. [AfriGate]

 

Other countries

Sudan. Sudan will deploy rapid response troops near its border with Libya in the provinces of Darfur and Al-Shamaliya, the Sudanese security director has declared. He said the move is intended to prevent militants from infiltrating into Libya through Sudan and to prevent extremists entering Sudan from Libya. [AfriGate]

 

SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Facebook Page of the Day

A Daesh parallel media page

 

Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day

https://twitter.com/AkhuMen127

https://twitter.com/henkoog1

https://twitter.com/_Sha_heed_

https://twitter.com/Dssggddf

https://twitter.com/abotal7a57

 

Other Daesh media   

Daesh audio newsletter for today in French [Archive]

 

 

 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.