An Update On ISIS Activities

March 2, 2016

March 2, 2016

Samarra

Today’s Major Developments

 

Air-dropped leaflets tell Hit residents to get ready for liberation; same message to west Anbar cities.

Jazeera Samarra campaign clears Daesh out, keeps on moving.

PKK wants to participate in Mosul liberation.

Coalition bomb kills 62 Daesh fighters and family members in convoy out of Mosul.

Barzani continues anti-corruption assault on people with hidden wealth; Gorran attacks his.

Russian, Turkish foreign ministers have hostile exchange of charges, counter-charges.

Libyan Army moving toward Daesh in Sirte.

 

REPORTS FROM IRAQ

 

BAGHDAD

Political developments

The Prime Minister’s office issues a statement saying Abadi received a phone call from Vice President Biden, who congratulated Iraq for the recent victories against Daesh and gave his condolences about the recent terrorist attacks. Biden also stressed on the US’s support for Iraq’s unity and sovereignty.  They also discuss the US military help to Iraq and the financial reforms and the importance of having international experts to help Iraq during the financial crisis. [Mada]

 

President Masoum, PM Abadi, Speaker Jubouri and the leaders of the political parties are agreed on the necessity of having a cabinet changeover, according to a statement issued by the President’s office. [Rudaw]

 

Prime Minister Abadi met in his office with the NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, to discuss the war on terrorism and NATO’s arming and training of Iraq forces. The Secretary General said that he stands with Iraq on its unity and on sovereignty over its territory, referring to the Turkish troops in Ninewa, according to statement from Abadi’s office. [BasNews]

DaeshDaily comment. A legitimate question here would be: When has the Turkish military willingly left any land it occupied? 

The Secretary General issued a statement saying that the NATO will start training Iraqi Army members in Jordan starting in March. [Mada]

 

The spokesman of PM Abadi says the American military operations in Iraq will help weaken Daesh and eliminate its leaders. He also says operations are being done either based on requests from the Iraqi government or in coordination with it. [Sumaria]

CNN reported 2 days ago that the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force operations to target, capture or kill top Daesh operatives have begun in Iraq.

 

The American Embassy in Baghdad says the Coalition’s special envoy to Iraq, Bret McGurk, has arrived to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi officials. [Sumaria]

 

Iraq’s Minister of Interior withdrew from the Arab interior ministers’ meeting to protest a proposal to declare Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a terrorist group. The resolution was proposed by Gulf countries. [Shafaq]

 

Security developments

Extensive security measures are being taken around the Green Zone following the call of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for his supporters to demonstrate in front of it next Friday. Security deployments and fences were spread around the area. Al-Sadr stressed the peaceful nature of the demonstration. [AIN]

 

17th Army, operating in the south of Baghdad, located an explosives cache in the Arab Jassim area in Yusufiyah, containing 4 containers of machine gun ammunition, a 5 liter container packed with C4, and 3 Austrian 155mm shells modified into IEDs. [AIN]

 

A joint force captured an ammunition cache in Tarmiya in northern Baghdad Governorate belonging to alleged terrorist Hamid Abdullah Halbus, including six 20-liter containers of C4.  Another unit detected and captured two 20-liter containers, a detonator, and three motorcycles during a search in three areas, and arrested Nouriddin Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, wanted for terrorism. [AIN]

 

Security forces arrested in Baghdad 2 escapees from Badoush prison in Mosul, MoI said. [Maalomah]

 

The following security incidents were reported:

North Baghdad

An IED killed one civilian and wounded seven in Husseiniya. [Mada]

The body of an unknown man was found shot in Husseiniya. [Maalomah]

A Ministry of Electricity driver was killed and a passer-by civilian wounded when a sticker IED exploded under a Ministry’s vehicle in Meshahda area in Tarmiya. [Baghdadia]

DaeshDaily comment. Many of the complaints in areas infected with insurgents in Iraq are about the lack of services in those areas. Corruption is a major reason for bad services, but it would help a little if people stop killing civil servants.

 

East Baghdad

A university professor was killed when a sticky bomb attached to his car exploded as he drove through the Baladiyat neighborhood. [Mada]

An IED placed near a private generator in Ubaidi killed the generator owner and wounded four others. [Mada]

 

Southeast Baghdad

An IED placed in a marketplace in Nahrawan killed one civilian and wounded six. [Maalomah]

An IED placed in a road junction in Nahrawan killed two civilians and wounded eight. [Mada]

An IED killed two civilians and wounded eight in Karaghouliya village in Nahrawan. [Mada]

An IED placed near an electronic games hall killed one civilian and wounded 6 others in Jisr Diyala. [Mada]

 

South Baghdad

Unknown armed men broke into a civilian house in Rasheed District, seized the house owner and his son and shot them outside the house. [Baghdadia]

Three civilians were wounded when a booby-trapped motorcycle exploded in Mada’in. [Sumaria]

 

West Baghdad

An IED exploded in an alley in Iskan, and caused damage to a nearby house without causing human casualties. [Ghad]

 

Total Baghdad incidents reported:   12    (Not an overall total)

 

Coalition warplanes executed 21 airstrikes on targets in Iraq and Syria. 14 raids in Iraq targeted Al-Qa’im, Albu Hayat, Habbaniya, Ramadi, and Falluja; Mosul and Sinjar; and Baiji. [Sumaria]

 

ANBAR

Falluja

A local tribal fighters’ commander says Daesh fighters withdrew completely from Hay Al-Dhubat neighborhood in Falluja city. [Mawazin]

 

A security source says an IED targeted a Daesh checkpoint near Al-Wihda Bridge west of Falluja, killing 7 Daesh members and destroying 2 vehicles. [Baghdadia]

 

The IWMC said that clearing of Albu Shijil, Qarma, and Taqsim is continuing, and that 5 terrorists were killed and 33 IEDs and two vehicles destroyed. It added that 55th army brigade killed 15 terrorists, including 5 suicide attackers, in Bustan Al-Tikriti. Rapid Intervention force killed 2 terrorists in Hitawiyeen, while the 24th brigade killed one terrorist and arrested several others, and destroyed 5 booby-trapped houses and 3 IEDs in Ma’amir, Hamdaniya, and Kadhem Al-Adhab areas.  [Maalomah]

 

Liwa Al-Marjiya PMF force said it is advancing towards Falluja amidst heavy fighting, after repelling a major Daesh attack on Ameriyat al-Falluja yesterday. [Sumaria]

 

Anbar Operations Command said that army units repelled a Daesh attack on areas recently liberated in Sadda, Nuaimiya, and Hitawiyeen south of Falluja, killing 13 attackers, and destroying 4 machine gun-mounted vehicles, a rocket launching platform, and four hosting locations. [Mada]

 

A security source says security forces killed 3 Daesh terrorists trying to plant an IED near Subaihat in Qarma. [Maalomah]

 

A member of Ameriyat Al-Falluja subdistrict council says Iraqi troops supported by tribal fighters and PMFs stopped a Daesh attack in Zoba’a, killing “tens” of terrorists. [Maalomah]

 

The Anbar Operations (AOC) Commander says they found 3 Daesh tunnels in Fahailat near Ameriyat Al-Falluja and defused 13 IEDs in the same area. [Buratha]

 

Ramadi

9th army division repelled a Daesh attack in Hamdhiya east of Ramadi, killing “tens” of them. Abu Tabarek Al-Farraji, a Daesh leader, was killed in action, according to the MoD.  [AIN]

10th army division repelled Daesh attacks in Hamdhiya, Albu Farraj, and Albu Dhiab, while Coalition warplanes destroyed 2 vehicles in Albu Ubaid. 103 IEDs were defused in Sajariya and Albu Harrat, the MoD announced. [AIN]

 

70 IEDs were defused in Al-Andalus neighborhood in the middle of Ramadi by army engineering units, a security source said. [Baghdadia]

 

A video of Iraqi forces destroying a vehicle bomb in Anbar [YouTube]

 

Hit/Haditha

IWMC said that Iraqi warplanes dropped thousands of leaflets over the city of Hit asking the population to get ready for liberation from Daesh control. [Mada]

Later, warplanes dropped similar materials on Kubaisa, but also on Anah and Rawa farther west. [AIN]

DaeshDaily comment. Anah and Rawa are well into western Anbar along the river, so this story suggests that Iraq intends to continue expanding westward in Anbar. If you like to think about how separate pieces of information might come together, take this report, added to the latest Coalition airstrike in Al-Qa’im in the far west, added to yesterday’s news under Samarra that Counter Terrorism Service forces, perhaps Iraq’s best troops, were on the road to Haditha. Anah and Rawa are between Haditha and Al-Qa’im. Of course, it could also be a tactic to keep Daesh guessing about the next move.

 

Iraqi Air Force destroyed 4 car bombs and killed 4 terrorists in the Haditha stores area, the MoD said, while Iraqi Army Aviation helicopters destroyed 8 Daesh boats in Qadisiya Lake near Haditha Dam. The 3rd battalion of the Jazeera Operations Command killed 4 suicide attackers that tried to attack its HQ. [AIN]

 

A video shows Iraqi fighters surrounding Daesh terrorists in a house in Haqlaniya in Haditha, then one of the terrorists detonates himself. [YouTube]

DaeshDaily comment. Most likely no Iraqi fighter was killed in this video, but the mass gathering around the house shows how Daesh suicide terrorists could kill many Iraqi fighters. The naïve fighters in this video looked like children circling around an ice cream truck.

 

Western Anbar

See first story above under Hit/Haditha.

 

SALAHUDDIN

Shirqat

Abu Othman, the leader of Daesh in Shirqat, and his assistant were killed in clashes with joint forces in Shirqat, the IWMC said. [IraqPress]

 

Baiji

Ali Al-Akbar PMF brigade repelled a major Daesh attack in Makhoul Mountains from several directions, the brigade said in a statement. It said that Daesh bodies were scattered in the valleys of Makhoul. [Mawazin] 5 Daesh leaders of Saudi, Chechen, Caucasus, and American nationalities were killed in the battle. [Mawazin]

 

Salahuddin Operations Command forces repelled a Daesh attack in the northern Siniya-Thirthar valley, killing 5 terrorists. Army helicopters destroyed a machine gun-mounted vehicle west of Siniya, and killed 6 terrorists southwest of Speicher, the MoD said. [AIN]

 

A car bomb attacked PMF units west of Siniya, killing 5 and wounding 12 PMF fighters, a security source said. [Baghdadia]

 

A video shows Iraqi forces arriving at the Siniya-Haditha Road in a location west of Baiji. [ISOF]

 

Tikrit

Daesh publishes photos of shelling PMFs in Ajeel oilfield with SPG9 rockets. [JustPaste]

 

Iraqi forces destroyed a Daesh vehicle west of Majid Al-Timimi (Speicher) base, the MoD said. [AIN]

DaeshDaily comment. The base was renamed for the Iraqi helicopter pilot who died while saving Yazidi families in Sinjar.

 

Samarra

Counter Terrorism troops announced capture of 21 square km of Jazeera Samarra, advancing from five different directions. Major General Maan Al-Saadi, commander of the Second CT division, said that the objective is to put Daesh under siege in separate locations. He said Daesh is using modified rockets of 13 km range to shell Tikrit and Al-Alam. [Mada

 

Iraqi planes dropped thousands of leaflets over Jazeera Samarra instructing the population to identify themselves to the advancing security forces, IWMC said. [Sumaria]

 

Major General Thamer Ismail, commander of Rapid Intervention forces said 125 families were cleared to safety in Jazeera Samarra, while 45 terrorists were killed and two car bombs destroyed in Al-Shagra, west of Samarra. He added that the area will be liberated in a short period. [Mawazin]

A security source said the advancing forces in Jazeera Samarra liberated 50 families held by Daesh as hostages near the Strategic Line area north of Samarra. [Mada]

Army and PMF units rescued 200 families from Jazeera Samarra and moved them to safe areas away from battlefields. [AIN]

 

Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy chairman of the PMF commission, said that the thousands of kilometers of Jazeera Samarra have been liberated in full by the PMF, Counter Terrorism forces, army, and police with the assistance of IAF and IAA. He said this achievement is difficult to match even by the best and largest armies in the world. He added that once remaining Daesh pockets here and there are cleared, an official liberation statement will be announced. [Sumaria]

 

The Daesh security official of Jazeera Samarra, Hayawi Mohammed, and his assistant Bashar Al-Bazi were killed along with 14 others, by an attack from an Abrams tank and an SPG 9 unit in the middle of Jazeera Samarra, according to the IWMC. [AIN]

 

Albu Jarush village on the outskirts of Jazeera Samarra was liberated by the army and the Iraqi flag was raised there by the army, press sources said. [AIN]

 

PMF media said that Daesh is withdrawing from Jazeera Samarra areas towards Mosul, following the heavy losses inflicted on them by the army and the PMFs. [Mawazin]

 

Sami Al-Masoudi, supervisor of Waadallah PMF forces, reported that his fighters are advancing westward alongside army units towards Al-Thirthar Lake, and that Daesh terrorists are escaping from Jazeera Samarra. [Sumaria]

 

An IAA helicopter destroyed a car bomb heading towards army and security forces in the Strategic Line area north of Samarra, and destroyed a house used by Daesh as a command center in the same area. [Mada]

 

Iraqi warplanes destroyed two Daesh vehicles west of Siniya, the IWMC said. [Mawazin]

 

The PMF said that Daesh leaders escaped Albu Jawad, Albu Yasin, and Awda Mirza Hamad villages towards Shirqat as PMF units approached. [Mawazin]

PMF media said that Jund Al-Imam PMF units defused 60 IEDs of 250 kg each near Makhmur village in the Line area, and are chasing Daesh terrorists escaping from Albu Ali Al-Ghota and Albu Hamoud areas. [Mawazin]

 

A security source says Samarra Operations commandos liberated Albu Nimr village, 3 km west of the Strategic Line and destroyed a booby-trapped house. The IAA destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb in the area. [AIN]

 

Major General Ra’ed Shakir Jawdat, commander of the IFP, said that IFP forces killed 17 terrorists and destroyed 3 vehicles. The IFP also defused 13 houses and 34 IEDs, and raised the Iraqi flag over Al-Salam village near Baiji and Rashidiya. [Mawazin]

 

Destruction of 11 car bombs, 7 vehicles, and 9 camps was the outcome of the second day of operations in Jazeera Samarra. [Maalomah]

 

Daesh says 5 of its suicide terrorists attacked Iraqi forces north and west of Samarra, two near Siniya and the fifth in Al-Salam northwest of Tikrit, killing “tens” of Iraqi soldiers. [JustPaste]

Daesh publishes photos of 3 of the 5 terrorists (a Moroccan, a Libyan and an Iraqi). [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says 2 of its suicide terrorists (a Palestinian and an Iraqi) attacked Iraqi forces with vehicle bombs, one in Al-Salam and the other on the road between Baiji and Haditha, killing more than 40 soldiers and destroying several vehicles. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh issues a video of 10 of its terrorists who were killed in battles in Salahuddin. Some of them participated in the Speicher massacre. [VideoWood]

 

Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists attacked Iraqi forces in the Khuzaymi Street in Jazeera Samarra with a vehicle bomb, killing or wounding many soldiers and destroying several vehicles and damaging a tank. Daesh also its terrorists battled Iraqi forces near Ain Al-Faras, killing 21 soldiers and destroying a tank and 10 vehicles. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says in total it targeted Iraqi forces with 9 suicide attacks near Baiji, Samarra and Tikrit on Tuesday. [A3maq]

DaeshDaily comment. These claims are of course supposed to distract you from the defeats they suffered elsewhere in the area, and ignore the fact that most suicide attacks are unsuccessful.

 

Daesh publishes photos of battles near Samarra Dam. [JustPaste]

 

Saraya Al-Salam units of the PMF destroyed five Daesh car bombs in Al-Nakhwa area west of Samarra, the PMF media said. [Mawazin] A suicide attacker was killed and a Daesh armored personnel carrier was destroyed in the area. [Mawazin]

 

A video of Iraqi forces destroying a Daesh vehicle bomb west of Samarra [YouTube]

 

The PMF media said that the PMF forces are advancing southwest of Speicher camp towards Joza village amidst heavy fighting. The PMF recovered the oil company premises and pumps in Jazeera area. [Mawazin]

 

Army units destroyed a machine gun-mounted vehicle and killed three terrorists during its advance in South Samarra. IAA destroyed two vehicle bombs north of Samarra, the IWMC said. [AIN]

 

Daesh leaders escaped Qanater north of Thirthar Lake, leaving their fighters to face the PMFs, the PMF media said. [Etejah]

 

DIYALA

Baquba

The Diyala Provincial Council held an emergency meeting and demanded that the government investigate 7 deadly attacks in the Governorate that killed or wounded around one thousand people during the last eight months. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. It might be just a coincidence that these deadly attacks started to happen directly after the previous Governor, a Sunni, was replaced in late May 2015.

 

A dentist was kidnapped by armed men east of Baquba, a security source said. [Maalomah]

 

Two Daesh terrorists were arrested in Khan Bani Saad subdistrict, a security source said. [Maalomah]

 

Muqdadiya/Abu Saida

Major General Jassem Al-Saadi, commander of Diyala Police, denied the existence of any case of forced displacement of families in Muqdadiya. He called the national broadcasting and communications authority to intervene to stop the “flood of lies” by some satellite TV channels. [Sumaria]

 

A civilian was shot dead by armed men in Hurriya neighborhood east of Muqdadiya, a security source said. [Sumaria]

 

A woman was wounded after 4 mortar shells fell on Talib village northeast of Muqdadiya, a security source said. [Sumaria]

 

Northern Diyala

Daesh publishes photos of beheading a man in Qara Tapa after accusing him of “spying”. [JustPaste]

 

KIRKUK

A local source says Daesh beheaded four former security forces members in Hawija. The source says the execution was done by the hands of Daesh local members from the city. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. That’s not good for those local supporters if Daesh is defeated. This means they are more likely to fight to the death, knowing that tribal revenge is coming otherwise.

 

Armed men in a speeding car shot dead Major Najat Kamal Shikho of the communications police of Kirkuk near Tariq Company in east Kirkuk city, a security source said. [Sumaria]

 

Ali Al-Husseini, the spokesman of the Turkmen PMFs, said that an IED killed two and wounded two fighters near a defense line near Bashir village, south of Kirkuk. [Sumaria]

 

A PMF source says Turkmen PMFs destroyed a Daesh construction shovel bomb as the driver was trying to reach their positions near Bashir. [Mawazin]

 

NINEWA

Mosul

Akid Kalari, a PKK leader, said that the party will participate in the liberation of Mosul, and that it has 4,000 fighters ready for the mission. He added that Iraqi army and the Peshmerga cannot liberate Mosul alone due to ethnic and religious complications, while the Turkish army is not welcome by all factions in the city; therefore, PKK intervention could tip the balance in this battle. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment.  We suspect that others planning to participate will prefer to decline the offer. 

 

A Daesh 12 year old girl executed 5 women from Mosul, including a doctor who refused to treat Daesh terrorists wounded in a Coalition air attack. The execution took place in Ghizlani camp in Mosul. [Sumaria]

 

Unidentified armed men killed 4 Daesh terrorists in their car in Mahalbiya, in west Mosul. They used silenced guns, local sources said. [Maalomah]

 

The Daesh deputy wali of Jazeera and Badiya, Ghassan Al-Ubaidi, and his driver were killed by a sticky bomb attached to their car in Atshana, near the north bus station in downtown Mosul, a security source in Ninewa said. [Mada]

 

A Ninewa Police source says Coalition warplanes bombed a convoy carrying the families of Daesh members who were leaving the city towards Syria. The source says 62 people were killed in the airstrike. [BasNews]

 

A source in Ninewa police says Daesh vacated all the hotels its members were staying in, fearing Coalition airstrikes, including the Ninewa International Hotel. The source says Daesh moved a lot of its terrorists to areas south, east and north of Mosul. Daesh also blew up 2 police stations. [BasNews]

 

A PUK official says Daesh executed a PUK member in Mosul. The victim and his wife were arrested by Daesh in Sinjar District. His wife’s fate is unknown. [PUKMedia]

 

Nineveh Plain

Coalition warplanes destroyed a Daesh command center in Hamdaniya District, killing 7 terrorists, a source in Ninewa said.  [Mada]

 

Northwest Ninewa (Tal Afar, Sinjar)

Thousands of leaflets were dropped by the IAF over Tal Afar stating that “Daesh’s days are ending”, the IWMC said. [Sumaria]

 

Other Governorates  

KURDISTAN

The KRG President Barzani says in a meeting with the KDP bloc in the KRG Parliament that the people who gathered their wealth legally in Kurdistan should pay taxes, while the fortunes of the people who got them illegally should be confiscated within the law. [Rudaw]

 

The KRG’s Parliament Speaker, from Gorran, says the Barzani family is responsible for the vanishing of 130 billion dollars of revenues during the last 10 years. [SotKurdistan]

 

Gorran issued a statement demanding a national salvation government in the IKR, and asking citizens to demand their rights peacefully. [Rudaw]

 

Gorran denies KDP media reports about Gorran and PKK demonstrators’ intentions to attack other parties’ headquarters and foreign consulates in the anniversary celebration of the 1991 Kurdish revolution. [SotKurdistan]

 

The Peshmerga Ministry general secretary says the Ministry had no knowledge of any American airborne operation. [SotKurdistan]

 

Italy’s Minister of Defense says his country will send 4 A129 Mangusta combat helicopters and 4 NH90 multi-role helicopters, in addition to 130 soldiers, to Erbil for combat and search and rescue missions. [Rudaw]

 

SOUTHERN IRAQ

Basra

A former administrator in the Basra Education Directorate was shot dead in the middle of Basra by unidentified armed men, a source in Basra police said. [Sumaria]

 

Half of Iraq’s customs revenues in the 9 customs inlets of Basra will be held by Basra Governorate to support the province’s revenues, said Abdulilah Al-Nasrawi, the Governor. He claimed this move is in compliance with article 45 of the Iraq budget law of 2016. [IraqPress]

 

Babel

Two persons were arrested on terrorism charges in Iskandariya subdistrict north of Hilla. [Mada]

 

Kerbala

Sunni Muslim scholars from the UK issued a statement in Kerbala saying that Daesh doesn’t represent Sunnis and asking for an international Islamic conference in Iraq to expose Daesh and show its crimes against people and to support Iraqis in their fight against Daesh. The scholars also said that there are campaigns in the UK now that try to show that the Shia in Iraq are killing the Sunnis in order for Daesh to commit more crimes against the Shia. They said they are gathering facts about Daesh in order to show them to people and to discourage young men from joining it. [Mada]

 

REPORTS FROM TURKEY

 

Political developments

Turkey and Russia traded sharply worded statements on Wednesday concerning Turkey’s border with Syria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Turkey should close its border to the flow of arms in light of the cease-fire, implying that Turkey was supporting Daesh and Nusra Front by not completely closing the border, since these two groups are not covered by the truce.

Lavrov’s remarks drew a response from the Turkish Foreign Ministry, whose spokesman said Wednesday that the Russian FM’s statements were “malicious” and should not be taken seriously, and were an attempt by Russia to cover up Russian “war crimes” in Syria. The spokesman also alleged that Moscow and Damascus were violating the truce agreement by conducting attacks against Syrian opposition groups. [Anadolu] [Arabi21]

 

State-run Anadolu continued its series of stories criticizing the PYD, writing on Wednesday that the Syrian Kurdish party is “spreading terrorism” in Turkey by providing arms and ammunition to the PKK. [Anadolu]

 

Turkey is ready to cooperate with Nigeria against terrorism, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday in a joint press conference in Abuja with his Nigerian counterpart. [Anadolu]

 

Military developments

Turkish Army units have been shooting “provocative” gunfire at YPG positions in the Syrian village of Ayn Daywar across the border in Hasaka Governorate over the last few days, residents report. Residents say that Turkish gunfire has hit civilian homes and prevented residents from going outside. [Hawar]

 

REPORTS FROM SYRIA

 

There were seven Coalition airstrikes in Syria, targeting Raqqa; Manbij and Mare’; and Al-Hola in Homs. [Sumaria]

 

Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)

Raqqa

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has issued a statement denying earlier reports that Daesh had executed eight Dutch national Daesh members in Raqqa and arrested dozens of others, reporting that its sources said that there was no such execution in Raqqa in the specified time, nor is there a specifically Dutch fighting unit within the Daesh ranks, as reported earlier. [SOHR (English)] This completely contradicts the report we received and cited yesterday.

 

Syria Democratic Forces cleared 11 km (7 miles) east of Suluk and destroyed two Daesh vehicle bombs, killing three Daesh assailants inside, Hawar’s correspondent reports. The SDF have launched a new campaign to clear Daesh from areas east of Suluk, in the northeastern Raqqa countryside. [Hawar]

 

The YPG General Command held a press conference announcing the results of the recent fighting in Tal Abyad, saying that 43 YPG fighters were killed, including 19 ethnic Arabs, and that 291 Daesh fighters were killed and six captured. Eight civilians were killed by Daesh in Hammam Al-Turkmen, including two Turkmen, three Arabs, and three Kurds. The YPG spokesman alleged that Turkey had provided support for the attacks with cross-border fire and by allowing Daesh to bring the bodies of its dead across the border. [Hawar]

DaeshDaily comment: In its reporting on the aftermath of the fighting in Tal Abyad, the pro-YPG Hawar repeats, in multiple places, its allegation that Daesh infiltrated the area from the Turkish side of the border with Turkish support. 

 

Photos of the YPG fighters who died in the recent fighting in and around Tal Abyad [Hawar]

Photos of two girls, aged 9 and 12, who were killed by Daesh in Tal Abyad as they tried to escape. [Hawar]

 

Daesh says one of its suicide terrorists attacked YPG fighters with a vehicle bomb in Tal Sharqi south of Suluk, killing or wounding many fighters and destroying a vehicle. [JustPaste]

Here Daesh says 14 YPG fighters were killed in the attack (southeast of Suluk). [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes photos of shelling a village east of Ain Eissa, with mortars. [JustPaste]

Daesh says 7 people were killed and 71 wounded in Russian cluster bomb airstrikes on Raqqa. [A3maq]

Here Daesh says Russian warplanes launched 3 airstrikes on Raqqa’s outskirts, one of which used cluster bombs. [A3maq]

Daesh issues a video of the results of the airstrikes. [A3maq]

 

Hasaka

Asayesh intelligence units of the “Self-Administration” Government captured five suspected members of a Daesh cell in a raid in the “Arab sector” of the village of Suwaydiya near the Iraq border area north of Hasaka. [ARA]

 

Daesh says its terrorists killed three YPG fighters in an ambush northwest of Shaddadi. [A3maq]

 

Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)

Opposition militias repelled a Daesh attack at Baraghida village north of Aleppo, killing a number of Daesh fighters in fighting that followed Daesh’s assault. Daesh mortared around the Ikda Camp near the Turkish-Syrian border. Russian warplanes carried out 12 raids on residential areas of Al-Bab city east of Aleppo, destroying property. Casualty figures were not available. [Qasioun]

 

Daesh attacked Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) positions west of Tishrin Dam on Wednesday, sparking heavy fighting that claimed casualties on both sides. Daesh also targeted SDF positions with mortars and heavy machine gun fire, killing and injuring an unspecified number of SDF fighters. Coalition planes targeted Daesh positions around the dam, causing casualties among the Daesh ranks according to preliminary reports. [Qasioun]

 

Electricity from the Tishrin Dam has begun to supply Kobane and other parts of eastern Aleppo Governorate after being out of commission for over a year while it was under Daesh control. [ARA]

 

The SDF fought with Nusra Front and allied Islamist militias around Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafiya, and Bani Zaid in Aleppo city. [ARA]

 

Daesh publishes 2 photos of people in the Al-Khasfa area pledging allegiance. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh publishes photos of targeting and killing a YPG fighter near the Tishrin Dam. [JustPaste]

Daesh says its snipers killed two YPG fighters near the Dam. Daesh also says Coalition warplanes launched 6 airstrikes on the area after the shooting. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists near the Turkish border in Aleppo’s northern countryside. [JustPaste]

 

Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)

Daesh fought with Syrian Army troops and Shia militia allies near the Jazl and Shaeir oilfields east of Homs. Casualties from the fighting are reported on both sides. The battles spread to areas around Al-Dawra where Syrian artillery units targeted Daesh with heavy rocket fire and shelling. Russian planes carried out “tens” of raids on residential buildings in Tadmur/Palmyra destroying property. There are no reports on casualty figures from the Tadmur air raids. [Qasioun]

 

Daesh publishes photos of shelling Al-Barda village east of Qaryatayn. [JustPaste]

 

East (Deir Ez-Zor)

Daesh attacked a Syrian military site in Deir Ez-Zor’s Al-Sinaa neighborhood with a vehicle bomb, killing and injuring an unspecified number of Syrian troops and allied militiamen on Wednesday. The attack came as Daesh attempted to advance into besieged Syrian-held territory in the city amid heavy ground fighting and Syrian artillery and rocket fire. Russian warplanes conducted airstrikes on Daesh positions in Al-Sinaa, causing an unspecified number of casualties among Daesh’s militants. Daesh and Syrian troops also engaged in heavy fighting in the Al-Rusafa neighborhood of Deir Ez-Zor city, amid Daesh mortar attacks on the city. No casualty figures are available from the battles. Daesh targeted the Deir Ez-Zor military airport with mortars and heavy machine guns, while Syrian artillery shelled in areas around the airport. [Qasioun]

 

A Daesh commander in Deir Ez-Zor stole “a large sum” of cash, estimated in the millions of dollars, from Daesh and fled with a group of Daesh members from Hatla village east of Deir Ez-Zor, a local source said. The fleeing Daesh leader is of Iraqi nationality and is suspected to be trying to pass into Daesh-held areas of Iraq and then enter into other parts of the country which are not in Daesh’s grasp, the source said. Daesh has increased its patrols on the Iraqi border and begun a search campaign for the fleeing Iraqi militant. [ARA]

 

South (Damascus, Rif Dimashq, Quneitra, Daraa)

A deadly suicide vehicle bomb attack in the Quneitra countryside near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights targeted a meeting of commanders of the “Syrian Revolutionaries Front” militia, killing “many people” most of them militia commanders, witnesses said. Suspicion in the city of Al-Isha points to Daesh although no group has claimed responsibility as yet. [ARA]

 

OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS

 

Neighboring countries

Jordan

Jordanian troops foiled a Daesh attack in the northern province of Irbid on Tuesday, killing seven attackers who were wearing suicide belts and firing at security troops, Jordanian Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour announced. Special units ended their clearing operations Wednesday morning, the PM said, in clashes with the attackers that lasted several hours in the city of Irbid. Twenty-two suspects were arrested after the attack, and one Jordanian soldier was killed in the fighting. [Aawsat]

A video of the clashes in Irbid [YouTube]

 

Saudi Arabia/Philippines

A shooting attack on a Saudi preacher in the Philippines last week has prompted some speculation that Daesh could be involved, according to media reports. One shooter in the attack that injured A’id Al-Qarni was killed but remains unidentified, while two suspects have been arrested. Unproven theories concerning what could be behind the attack include an Iranian attempt to press its rivalry with Saudi Arabia and a Daesh attack on a Saudi preacher, whom it previously denounced in its publications. [Arabi21]

 

North Africa

Egypt

Egypt and France are conducting joint naval maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the French defense ministry, in exercises code-named “Ramses 2016,” which could signal preparations for operations against Daesh in Libya. [AfriGate]

 

North Sinai

As many as three soldiers were killed in an IED attack on armored security vehicles south of Sheikh Zuweid on Wednesday, according to security sources.  As many as three soldiers were wounded in the attack, but it is unclear from the reporting if the death tally includes victims who later died from their wounds. Initial reports said that one soldier died and three others were injured. [Arabi21] [VetoGate]

 

Daesh publishes photos of detonating an IED on an Egyptian Army patrol near the same area. [JustPaste]

Here Daesh says three soldiers were killed in the attack. [JustPaste]

Daesh says two Egyptian soldiers were killed in 2 attacks on their patrols southeast of Sheikh Zuweid. [JustPaste]

 

New details have emerged regarding the gruesome attack in Arish, reported yesterday, in which militants murdered two citizens in public, which Daesh later claimed. Eyewitnesses confirm the Daesh account that the assailants murdered a man and his son in front of their family, and named the victims as 55 year-old Radi Sulayman Al-Barakat, who was first shot in the foot and then beheaded in front of passers-by and his severed head placed on his body’s chest. His son attempted to intervene to save his father and was shot dead by the militants with four gunshots to the head, killing him on the spot, witnesses said. [ElWatan]

 

Unknown assailants opened fire on a police patrol 18 km (11 miles) west of Arish, without causing any casualties. [VetoGate]

 

An IED attack struck an ambulance carrying wounded soldiers in central Sinai on Wednesday, injuring the driver and damaging the vehicle. Initial reports said that the attack was a shooting attack on the ambulance. The soldiers were reportedly wounded in raiding operations in North Sinai. [VetoGate] [VetoGate]

Daesh says the Egyptian soldiers shot mistakenly on the ambulance after they were targeted by IEDs. [A3maq]

DaeshDaily comment: This is the second attack on an ambulance reported in North Sinai this week. We also note that the initial injuries to the soldiers–which prompted the ambulance journey in the first place–were unreported elsewhere.

 

Daesh says its terrorists stopped Egyptian Army attacks in central Sinai. Daesh says its terrorists detonated 3 IEDs on Egyptian Army convoys killing or wounding many soldiers and destroying several vehicles. [JustPaste]

Here Daesh says 3 vehicles were destroyed in IED attacks on 2 convoys. [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes photos of several of its recent attacks in Sinai. [JustPaste]

 

Libya

Central

The Libyan Army is advancing on a cement plant in Harawa, considered one of Daesh’s last bastions in the city. Libyan troops killed eight Daesh fighters in battles that resumed today after two days of bad weather when fighting subsided. The Libyan force also captured a Tunisian Daesh member who will be transferred to the security authorities for interrogation. [Wasat]

 

Daesh used a female suicide bomber in Libya for the first time, according to media reports which say that a woman in an explosive vest tried to blow herself up in an unspecified attack. Last week the Libyan Army reportedly arrested seven Daesh women fighters and killed three others. [AfriGate]

 

A photo shows a domestically produced armored personnel carrier created by Libyan Army engineers to upgrade Libyan military capabilities in the face of the international arms embargo on Libya. [Erem]

 

A Libyan military source says it was Libyan Army aircraft that struck a Daesh boat in the water near the Sirte port recently. [AfriGate]

 

Daesh publishes photos of one of its PR gatherings in Sirte. [JustPaste]

DaeshDaily comment. As usual, most of Daesh attention was on young boys.

 

Northwest

Photos show a Daesh weapons cache uncovered in Sabratha, according to the Sabratha Operations Room. [AlJarida]

 

A baby girl from Tunisia survived a recent US airstrike in Sabratha after her two parents were killed in the attack. The airstrike last month killed around 50 people, most of them considered to be Daesh members. [AfriGate]

 

Interrogations are underway with four Tunisian women detained in Sabratha on suspicions of ties to Daesh. [Tunisien]

 

Tunisia

News is breaking that the Tunisian military is battling with unidentified militants on the Tunisian-Libyan border. [ElWatan]

 

Other countries

Italy

Italy is prepared to lead an international operation against Daesh in Libya, on the condition that it be asked to do so by a government of national accord on the Libyan side, the Italian Foreign Minister said on Tuesday. [AfriGate]

 

Some Italian MPs are objecting to possible Italian participation in combat operations against Daesh in Libya without parliamentary approval, citing restrictions on the power to declare war in the Italian constitution. [AfriGate]

 

Kazakhstan

A Kazakh senior official says more than 200 Kazakhs are fighting with terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria. [Xendan]

 

SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Facebook Page of the Day

Ean Libya News page

 

Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day

https://twitter.com/mnsoof110

https://twitter.com/samrra5279111

https://twitter.com/AqwerAasg

https://twitter.com/65Ttteee000

https://twitter.com/zzxx26951

 

Other Daesh media   

Daesh audio newsletter for today in Arabic [JustPaste]

 

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