An Update On ISIS Activities

March 3, 2016

March 3, 2016

Abdi in Samarra

 

Today’s Major Developments

 

Violent incidents spike in Baghdad as Daesh loses ground elsewhere.

Iraq’s Anbar strategy expands to western Anbar.

Iraqi forces secure strategic Jazeera Samarra; take Daesh territory by Lake Thirthar.

Daesh members attacked inside Mosul.

Daesh attacks in Makhmur leave deaths on both sides.

Political sniping about oil revenue, cash shortage continues in Kurdistan.

 

REPORTS FROM IRAQ

 

BAGHDAD

Political developments

Prime Minister Abadi had a lot to say, in a meeting for leaders and officials from western Anbar. He says there is an acceptance among political fronts for his calls for a trans-political bloc. He also says that the angry masses are supporting his efforts to fight Daesh and to fight corruption. He says corruption decayed the Iraqi state and helped Daesh to control parts of the country.

He also says that Iraqi forces are on the offensive, have raised the Iraqi flag on Lake Thirthar, and will continue on to liberate west Anbar. He says no one can prevent any Iraqi from liberating Iraqi lands and says military operations should be insulated from political interference. [Mada]

Abadi also said the formula for assembling cabinets up to now aimed at benefiting the political parties instead of the country. [Sumaria]

 

The Sadrist spokesman says the committee that Moqtada Al-Sadr formed to help choose the new cabinet is “totally independent” and started its work to help the Prime Minister in choosing and evaluating the candidates, but the Prime Minister will have the final decision about the selections. [Mada]

DaeshDaily comment. Just a reminder to the esteemed spokesman that Iraq had elections, and several political parties besides the Sadrists won seats in the Parliament.

 

Al-Sadr said he received death threats intended to prevent him from leading demonstrations near the Green Zone on Friday this week. He asked potential demonstrators not to enter the Zone and asked them to do that after the announced time limit for the reforms is past. He stressed that the demonstrations should be “angry but peaceful”. [Mada]

Baghdad Operations Command called on the Sadrist demonstrators to define the area of the demonstration, to allow BOC forces to ensure their security. [Ghad]

 

A Sunni MP from Ninewa says the Ninewa Provincial Council is under the KRG’s control. He says  it should not interfere in military decisions because that is the central government’s responsibility. He also says the PC is very weak and should be disbanded; it should have objected to the Turkish troop presence in Ninewa but it didn’t do anything about it. [SotKurdistan]

 

A Sunni CoR member asks the government to issue an amnesty for the terrorism suspects who were brainwashed to join Daesh and are trapped in Daesh controlled areas but “don’t have blood on their hands”. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. This seems like an innocent request. However, we have to remember that thousands of Daesh members, including some of its top leaders, were previously released under the same “don’t have blood on their hands” banner. So, we have two explanations for this: Either those criminals were innocent people who suddenly became hardcore head-cutting terrorists after they were released from prisons; or they had, and still have, enough political backup to get them released every time they are caught with blood on their hands.     

 

Security developments

Prime Minister Abadi said today that battles inside Mosul have already started. [Buratha]

[See stories under Mosul below]]

An extensive meeting of top Iraqi and Coalition officers chaired by Khalid al-Ubaidi, the Minister of Defense at MOD, discussed the Mosul liberation process. [Quartas]

 

The following security incidents were reported:

Northwest Baghdad

An IED placed in a commercial area in the Furat neighborhood killed one civilian and wounded seven others. [Mada]

An IED placed near a popular restaurant in the Al-Jihad neighborhood killed one civilian and wounded five others. [Maalomah]

 

North Baghdad

Three persons involved in the suicide attack on a mosque in Shula were arrested in Baghdad by the National Intelligence organization. [Mada]

Explosives teams defused a sticky bomb attached to a minibus in Shula without any casualties. [Sumaria]

An IED killed one civilian and wounded 4 others in Suleikh. [Maalomah]

A body of a man shot to death was found in Rashidiya. [Ghad]

Second battalion of the 43rd army brigade detected explosive materials hidden in one of the dried channel beds in Rashidiya, the BOC said. [Ghad]

 

East Baghdad

Armed men shot and killed an owner of a building materials shop while he was in his car in Ubaidi. [Mada]

 

Southeast Baghdad

Two bodies of a woman and a child stabbed to death were found in Mada’in. [Mada]

3rd battalion of the 3rd IFP brigade defused an IED in Zafaraniya, the BOC said. [Ghad]

2nd battalion of the IFP 4th brigade detected a weapons cache in Nahrawan containing two RPG7 rocket launchers and several hand grenades, according to the BOC. [Ghad]

 

South Baghdad

An IED placed in a popular marketplace in Al-Rashid District killed two civilians and wounded five others. [Maalomah]

Armed men broke into a house in Sayafiya in Al-Rashid, killing a man and wounding three women. [Sumaria]

Armed men killed a soldier in his house in Abu Dsheer, in Dora. [Ghad]

An IED placed in Al-Saha residential complex in Dora killed 2 civilians and wounded five. [Mada]

A man wanted on terrorism charges was arrested by a security force in Dora. [Sumaria]

5 persons were arrested on terror charges in Sayed Abdullah village in Yusufiyah. [Maalomah]

An IED placed in a popular vegetables market in Yusufiyah killed two civilians and wounded 7 others. [Mada]

Daesh says its terrorists killed an Iraqi Army “source” in Yusufiyah. [JustPaste]

Daesh says it detonated an IED on an Iraqi Army Humvees in Yusufiyah killing a lieutenant and three of his soldiers. [JustPaste]

 

West Baghdad

7 mortar shells fell on Al-Nassr wa Al-Salam in Abu Ghraib, killing 3 civilians and wounding another 11. [Baghdadia]

Mortar shells fell on Al-Haswa in Abu Ghraib, killing two civilians and wounding three. [Maalomah]

 

Total Baghdad incidents reported:   22    (Not an overall total)

This is an unusually high total for one day. Over half of these incidents occurred in South or Southeast Baghdad.

 

The US announced 29 Coalition airstrikes, 21 of them in Iraq that destroyed tactical units, vehicles, and fighting and defensive positions, and attacked supply lines. [PUKMedia]

 

ANBAR

Falluja

An army helicopter attacked a house where a Daesh meeting was being held in south Falluja, killing “tens” of them including several leaders. Several vehicles were also destroyed in the attack, which was followed by artillery shelling of the area, according to Khdeyer Al-Rashid, member of Ameriyat Al-Falluja subdistrict council. [Maalomah]

 

However, Mr. Al-Rashid also reported that a booby-trapped house in Albu Daaij, south of Falluja, exploded, killing two Tribal Mobilization fighters and wounding three. [Maalomah]

 

Daesh says its terrorists damaged an Iraqi Abrams tank with a rocket in Ameriyat Al-Falluja. [JustPaste]

 

Col. Jumaa Faza’ Al-Jumaili, commander of Tribal Mobilization of Qarma, said that a wide scale operation to liberate the center of Qarma subdistrict has started from two directions, with the participation 1st and 6th army divisions and Tribal Mobilization forces. Al-Jumaili said that Daesh is using car bombs and suicide attackers to slow down the army’s advance, adding that two suicide bombers were killed and three vehicle bombs destroyed. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. For the last few months it was obvious that that the attack on Qarma was not going anywhere. Let’s hope things are different this time. Liberating Qarma might be the most important step towards liberating the entire district of Falluja.

 

Joint Operations Command said that military units advancing from the southern sector towards Qarma subdistrict center liberated the Harariyat bridge south of Qarma, east of Falluja from Daesh terrorists, and repelled a Daesh attack by 4 vehicle bombs aimed at the advancing forces. [Mada]

 

Iraqi Air Force attacked a Daesh command center in the Subaihat area near Al-Masna’ Al-Iraqi, in Qarma subdistrict. The raid killed Riyadh Ahmed Eissa Al-Khalifawi, Daesh military commander of Subaihat, described as a “very serious terrorist”. [Sumaria]

 

PMF units destroyed a Daesh vehicle bomb with a Kornet rocket in Subaihat. [Harbi]

 

Daesh says one of its Tajik suicide terrorists attacked Iraqi forces’ positions in Subaihat with a vehicle bomb, killing “tens” of them, then other terrorists attacked and captured the positions and burned them (photos and video). [DawaAlhaq] [Vid.Me]

 

BOC said its forces are continuing clearance of the Albu Shijil area, killing two terrorists, and destroying a construction shovel and a motorcycle. [Ghad]

 

Ramadi

Most main and side roads of Ramadi are now opened after being cleared of IEDs, mines, and war remains, according to Adhal Al-Fahdawi, member of Anbar Provincial Council.  He said that very shortly, public parks and buildings will be declared safe in the city. Siddiqiya, Sajariya, Sufiya, and other areas east of Ramadi will be cleared in the coming few days. [Maalomah]

 

Coalition warplanes killed 9 terrorists and destroyed two vehicles in Albu Bali, north of Ramadi, a security source said. [Baghdadia]

 

Hit/Haditha

Lt. Saoud Al-Ubaidi, spokesman of the 14th battalion of Anbar police, said that the first stage in the liberation of Hit, Kubaisa, and Rawa has been completed, by cutting off Daesh supply lines. He said that army and security forces are ready to initiate the liberation operation shortly under Iraqi Air Force and Coalition air cover. Tribesmen will play a major role in this operation, he said. [Maalomah]

DaeshDaily comment. This seems to support our hunch expressed yesterday that Iraq is now pursuing a western Anbar strategy in combination with the anticipated Hit offensive. The Prime Minister seemed to reinforce this today. The reference to Rawa essentially includes Anah, as the two cities are close together.

 

A new group of Abrams tanks and BMP1 APCs arrived at Ain Al-Asad base in Baghdadi, west of Ramadi a security source said. He added that this equipment will be used in the Hit and Kubaisa operation next week. [Buratha]

 

Daesh publishes photos of one of its security checkpoints in Hit. [JustPaste]

 

Western Anbar

Daesh publishes photos of the graduation ceremonies of new recruits in one of its camps in Anbar. [JustPaste]

 

SALAHUDDIN

Shirqat

Daesh broke into the house of Abd Al-Masaoudi, a jeweler in Shirqat, and robbed IQD 100 million (about $83,000) and gold jewelry, local sources said. He filed a complaint to Daesh complaint authorities, who responded that this was not them but a gang impersonating Daesh fighters. [Mawazin]

 

Baiji

A Daesh vehicle bomb attacked a military base in Siniya, west of Baiji, killing 5 and wounding 14 soldiers, Salahuddin Operations Command said. [Ghad]

 

An IFP source says Daesh tried to compensate for its losses in Jazeera Samarra by launching a “failed” attack in the Himrin Mountains area. The source says 30 Daesh terrorists were killed and 6 vehicles destroyed. [Harbi]

 

Ali Al-Akbar Brigade, a PMF unit, says it found a mass grave of 43 Daesh terrorists in the Baiji refinery. [Mawazin]

 

Tikrit

Army and security forces repelled another Daesh attack on Allas and Ajeel oil fields, destroying three Daesh vehicles including a truck bomb, a PMF source said. [Ghad]

 

Samarra

Prime Minister Abadi arrives in Jazeera Samarra, visits the liberated areas, and meets with the military leaders. [Mawazin]

Thirthar area

Coalition warplanes destroyed a convoy of 40 Daesh vehicles heading from Anbar to Salahuddin, General Maan Al-Saadi, commander of the 2nd Counter Terrorism division in Jazeera Samarra said. The convoy moved from the Thirthar area north of Ramadi toward Salahuddin, and intelligence was passed from the CT to the Coalition, which took immediate action. All vehicles of the convoy, including several truck bombs, were destroyed and all Daesh personnel in the convoy were killed. [Sumaria]

 

The IWMC said that the Iraqi flag was raised on the banks of Thirthar Lake, and that Um Al-Araneb village was liberated by the Rapid Intervention forces and special forces with the assistance of the IFP coming from the north. IFP and PMF forces advancing from the middle sector reached the village of Um Al-Asafir west of Samarra, thus cutting off Daesh supply lines. [Sumaria]  Um Al-Asafir village was liberated by the 5th IFP division and the PMF forces. [Mada]

 

Hakim Al-Zamili, member of the Defense and Security committee of the CoR, said that Daesh is collapsing in the areas around Thirthar Lake, leaving its weapons and ammunition behind. He confirmed the arrival of army units at the lake banks. [Ghad]

 

Jazeera Samarra

The IWMC says more than 400 Daesh terrorists were killed and more than 50 vehicles destroyed in Jazeera Samarra military operations. [Mawazin]

 

A Coalition airstrike in Jazeera Samarra killed 70 terrorists and destroyed 13 vehicles, IWMC said. [Ghad]

 

Saraya Al-Salam units of the PMFs said that it defeated an elite force sent by Daesh from Mosul to Jazeera Samarra. [Maalomah]

 

A video of Iraqi forces in Jazeera Samarra [Sumaria]

 

The PMF media said that PMF units are continuing the clearance of the recaptured territory in Jazeera Samarra from IEDs and booby-trapped houses. They are also transferring civilian families to safe area pending clearance of their areas. [Mada]

 

A CoR member from Salahuddin says more than 5,000 people left their houses because of the recent military operations in Jazeera Samarra and the number could go up to 20,000 in the coming days. He asked the government to form an emergency unit to deal with issue. He also says the Ministry of Migration and Displacement prepared “good” amounts of food supplies, but it is still not enough. [Sumaria]

                                       

IWMC said that forces advancing in Jazeera Samarra had liberated the villages of Al-Salam, Joza, Ayn Al-Faras, Salihiya, and Fayadhia, in addition in addition to all other villages scattered over the northern sector. [Mawazin]  The PMFs media said that by the liberation of these villages, the whole sector of west Tikrit is free from Daesh now. [PUKMedia]

 

The IWMC says Counter Terrorism forces, in coordination with Coalition warplanes, destroyed 3 Daesh tanker bombs, 8 pickups and 11 motorcycles in Shadhra village north of Jazeera Samarra. [Etejah]

 

Daesh says fifteen Iraqi soldiers were killed in a suicide attack west of Samarra. [A3maq]

 

The IWMC said that the outcome of operations of Samarra Command forces (army, IFP, Rapid Intervention, and PMFs) is 167 terrorists killed and 13 vehicle bombs, 23 machine gun-mounted trucks, 15 centers, 5 motorcycles, and numerous ammunition caches destroyed. [Ghad]

 

Videos of PMFs destroying Daesh vehicle bomb in Jazeera Samarra [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube] [YouTube]

DaeshDaily comment. Without thermal rockets it would have been almost impossible to counter this large number of Daesh vehicle bombs.

 

Daesh publishes photos of battles in Salahuddin. [JustPaste]

A video shot by a drone of several Daesh vehicles escaping from Jazeera Samarra towards Mosul [YouTube]

DaeshDaily comment. The scene was perfect for an airstrike.

 

General Hamid Al-Maliki, commander of Iraqi Army Aviation (IAA), said that army helicopters initiated 96 attacks in the first day and 77 in the second day of operations. In the Samarra sector, a Daesh military commander was killed along with several other terrorists, while the Daesh security officer of Jazeera was killed along with 13 others at the Albu Nimr power station. 17 vehicle bombs were destroyed. [AIN]

 

Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, deputy chairman of the PMF commission, says in a press conference in the Salahuddin Operations Command headquarters that Jazeera Samarra was liberated completely, depriving Daesh of a very important base area it used to attack Samarra and Tikrit. He also says Shirqat will be liberated in the coming weeks. He says the Coalition didn’t have any role in the operations. He also says PMFs are only 1 km away from Falluja and their participation in liberating the city depends on the Prime Minister’s orders. [Mada]

 

Nadhum Al-Asadi, a PMF leader, said that 90% of Jazeera Samarra is liberated, and that the remaining 10% is clearing of mines and IEDs. He added that the quick, surprise advance of security troops deprived Daesh of the time needed to plant more IEDs, and that the next step is Falluja and Shirqat. The sequence of the liberation is subject to technical and logistic considerations. [Maalomah]

 

The IWMC said that the outcome of operations of Samarra Command forces (army, IFP, Rapid Intervention, and PMFs) is 167 terrorists killed and 13 vehicle bombs, 23 machine gun-mounted trucks, 15 centers, 5 motorcycles, and numerous ammunition caches destroyed. [Ghad]

 

DIYALA

Muqdadiya/Abu Saida

A Sunni parliament member says the Governor of Diyala recent statement led to the killing yesterday of two cousins of Naheda Al-Daini, an MP from Diyala, and asks the Governor to represent his governorate instead of his tribe. The Governor accused Daini of being responsible for moving a security unit from Diyala, which led to the attack which killed many members of the Governor’s tribe. [Mada]

 

The Diyala Governor’s tribe (Bani Tamim) gave the government 24 hours to investigate the officials responsible for the Muqdadiya attack, threatening demonstrations in 10 governorates. The tribe members are holding a sit-in at the location of the suicide attack. [Sumaria]

 

A civilian was shot dead by unidentified armed men near Al-Ahaymar village east of Muqdadiya, a security source in Diyala said. [Sumaria]

 

Four mortar shells fell on the orchards of Jaqjaq village north of Muqdadiya, without causing human casualties, a security source said. [Sumaria]

 

An extensive deployment of AAH militia in Muqdadiya caused local populations to stay on roofs of their houses in fear, according to a security source. AAH are patrolling all parts of Muqdadiya. [Ghad]

 

Northern Diyala

A KDP official says Iran deployed a big force equipped with heavy weapons in the area of Marwari, between Khanaqin in northeast Diyala and Kalar in southern Suleimaniya, inside Kurdistan. Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa said top Iranian officers were seen the area. He added that the Badr militia of the PMF intended earlier to deploy forces in Khanaqin on pretext of protecting the Shia population, which he considers a destabilizing move. [BasNews]

DaeshDaily comment. In context, this is not so confusing. Khanaqin is largely Kurdish and the KRG wants it moved into Kurdistan. Shia militias have persistently opposed Kurdish territorial moves in areas where there are significant Shia populations. Iran’s interest is in supporting the Shia in Iraq. All of this has nothing to do with fighting Daesh. It’s all about the end game in Iraq.

 

KIRKUK

A local source says a 14 year old girl committed suicide in a displaced persons camp in Laylan, 25 km (15.5 miles) southeast of Kirkuk. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. The displacement is one of the major elements of Daesh existence in Iraq, and unfortunately the government and the international community are not doing enough to help. The displaced people are not only the victims of Daesh, but also an important source of recruits, especially young people. Suicide incidents are sometimes reported in the displaced persons camps. It’s a difficult situation for young people, who suffer from the unbearable life in the camps, to committing suicide or joining Daesh, or any other armed group.

 

Daesh shelled Taza subdistrict south of Kirkuk with three Katyusha rockets, without causing human casualties, a Turkmen PMF spokesman said. [Mada]

 

The body of a woman stabbed to death was found in east Kirkuk, a security source said. [Maalomah]

 

NINEWA

Mosul

A surprising attack on Daesh locations in Mosul by masked men in speeding cars killed many terrorists on the left (east) side of the city. [Maalomah]

The masked men also captured 3 Daesh members from Arab countries. [Maalomah]

 

In its first operation in Mosul, the Iraqi Army’s 15th division artillery shelled Daesh positions in Saba’awiyeen south of Mosul city, and killed Hashim Ahmed (Abu Suhaib) commander of Saba’awiyeen sector of Daesh and seven other terrorists, a security source said. [AIN]

 

A source in Ninewa Police said that 13 Daesh terrorists, including 5 Arab leaders, were killed in a Coalition airstrike at the entrance to Badoush, just west of Mosul. [BasNews]

 

Daesh imposed a curfew in Mosul city after several of its flags were torn off on the right (west) side of the city. Daesh installed several checkpoints in the city. [Sumaria]

 

Daesh shelled the villages of Hanka and Hardan in northwest Mosul with chlorine packed shells, wounding 15 Peshmerga fighters who started to suffer suffocation symptoms, the Peshmerga command said. [Ghad]

 

Daesh issues a video of how it cares for orphans in Ninewa. [JustPaste]

DaeshDaily comment. Classic Daesh propaganda! As things deteriorate, they issue nice videos and pictures to show its supporters that everything is fine.

 

Nineveh Plain

Coalition warplanes attacked the areas of Qaraqosh, Bartella, and Salamiya several hours ago, according to local sources. The sources said that these attacks have occurred on daily basis for a week now. [Karemlash]

 

Makhmur

15 Katyusha rockets fired by Daesh on Iraqi army units in Makhmur killed 4 soldiers and wounded 22, a security source said. [Baghdadia]

 

Daesh shelled Iraqi units based in Makhmur with mortar shells wounding two soldiers, a Peshmerga source said. 15th army division is mobilizing in Makhmur for Mosul liberation operation. [Sumaria]

 

A Peshmerga commander says Daesh launched an attack on the Kurdish front lines in Makhmur but the Peshmerga stopped the attack, killing 7 Daesh terrorists and destroying their heavy weapons. Two Peshmerga fighters were killed. [Rudaw]

 

Daesh says it shelled Iraqi Army and PMFs positions in Makhmur with 8 155mm artillery shells and 11 Grad rockets, killing 26 soldiers. [JustPaste]

Daesh issues a video, taken by a drone, of the shelling. [A3maq] [Vid.Me]

DaeshDaily comment. However, the drone couldn’t possibly specify 26 casualties. Can we ask Daesh where it got this number from? (Out of the air, perhaps)

 

Other Governorates  

KURDISTAN

Rudaw press agency (close to the KDP) said that the Daesh figure arrested by a special US force is the wali of the entire Kirkuk area, and was a top officer in the Iraqi army in the Saddam regime. The arrest was made in the Al-Zab area in Kirkuk province. While the US is planning to hand him over in Baghdad after finishing interrogations, the KRG wants to keep him for further investigation. [Rudaw]

 

A Kurdistan Islamic Union member of the KRG’s Parliament says the KRG’s monthly oil revenue, 1 billion USD according to the Parliament’s financial and energy committees, is enough to pay the USD 700 million salaries, and blamed the KDP for the current financial crisis. [Sumaria]

 

Deputy KRG Prime Minister Qubad Talabani says the IKR citizens are suspicious about the numbers on oil revenues provided by the KRG. He says “we asked the international community for help regarding auditing the oil revenues”. [Sumaria]

 

The KRG’s Kurdistan National Security Council issues a statement saying that Kurdish counter terrorism troops saved the Swedish teenager who was lured to join Daesh, from Daesh controlled areas. The Council refutes media reports that suspected the rescue operation. The Council says some “opportunistic people” tried to take money from the girl’s family but they didn’t do anything and then the family contacted the KNSC. [Rudaw]

 

SOUTHERN IRAQ

Qadisiya

4 persons carrying unlicensed ammunition were arrested at the entry checkpoint to Diwaniya, according to the Diwaniya Police department. [Ghad]

 

Dhi Qar

A former leader in the dissolved Baath party was arrested in Qalat Sukkar north of Nasariya, on terrorism charges, the Dhi Qar Police said.  [Mada]

 

REPORTS FROM TURKEY

 

Political developments

A report in Turkish media alleges that a Daesh militant named Talas Al-Surour infiltrated the Syrian opposition media based in Turkey in 2015 and worked for the Syrian opposition media outlet “Ein Al-Watan” for six months, during which time he gathered information on Syrian media activists and journalists working in Turkey, and their sources in Raqqa, before murdering a Syrian journalist in Urfa in October. Al-Surour allegedly presented himself to the opposition media networks in Turkey as having fled from Daesh in Raqqa. His story was reportedly more credible because he had relatives fighting in the Free Syrian Army. After the attack in Turkey, Daesh reportedly killed 80 people in Raqqa who were allegedly identified by Al-Surour as providing information to opposition media about events in Raqqa. [Cihan]

 

Military developments

Unknown gunmen opened fire on a security headquarters in the Bayram Basha district of Istanbul on Thursday before fleeing the scene, security sources said. One of the attackers was reportedly injured in an exchange of gunfire during the attack. [Cihan]

State-run Anadolu reports a similar attack on a police vehicle in Istanbul. No injuries were reported in that attack. It is unclear from Anadolu’s story if it is reporting the same event that was reported in Cihan in Bayram Basha or a separate attack. [Anadolu]

 

REPORTS FROM SYRIA

 

A Lebanese website reported details of an alleged prisoner swap between Daesh and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia in Syria, in which Daesh allegedly captured the body of Ali Fayyad, a prominent Hezbollah commander who died in the assault on Khanasir south of Aleppo. Daesh reportedly arranged a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah in which Daesh returned the body of Fayyad and other dead fighters in exchange for Daesh prisoners and the captured bodies of fallen Daesh fighters. However the Lebanese website says that Hezbollah claimed publicly that it had conducted a military operation to recapture the bodies of its slain fighters from Daesh. [Arabi21]

 

Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)

The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) have announced a new campaign to seize the areas around Shaddadi and Tal Abyad from Daesh and establish a defensive perimeter around the areas that Daesh assaulted last week. The campaign will be codenamed “Revenge for Joudi and Eleen,” two young girls who were killed in Daesh’s recent assault on Tal Abyad. Under the rubric of the “Revenge” campaign, the SDF announced that it took control of the village of Bir Haba 47 km (29 miles) south of Suluk. [ARA] [Hawar]

 

A photo reportedly shows a 26-year-old resident of Tal Abyad who was murdered by Daesh in Tal Abyad last week. [Hawar]

DaeshDaily comment: The stories about Tal Abyad and the SDF response to the Daesh assault there last week are still alleging that Daesh fighters infiltrated the area from the Turkish side of the border.

 

A video of Syria Democratic Forces destroying a Daesh vehicle bomb south of Tal Abyad on March 2 [YouTube]

 

Raqqa is facing an acute shortage of medications due to the increasing military campaign against it and the closing of the Turkish border, activists have said, warning of grave humanitarian consequences for the city’s inhabitants. [Arabi21]

 

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

 

Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)

Daesh attacked two cities north of Aleppo on Thursday in a broad assault on opposition militia-held areas, a militia commander said.  Daesh fighters attacked at Aqida and Baraghida but were repelled by allied opposition militias in fighting that killed six Daesh militants and wounded others, the militia source said. Two Daesh fighters were taken captive at Baraghida, he added. Coalition planes struck Daesh positions in two airstrikes at Al-Raei and Qara Kubri, while Daesh mortared a refugee camp near Aqida on the Turkish border, he said. Two landmines that Daesh planted in the area exploded near Al-Raei, killing two people and wounding several others, he added. [ARA]

 

Battles erupted between Daesh and the Syrian military on multiple fronts east of Aleppo on Thursday, resulting in an exchange of territory as both sides made gains at the expense of the other in different areas, an activist said. Syrian troops re-took the city of Fah near Al-Bab city after heavy fighting and Russian airstrikes on Daesh positions, the activist said. Daesh for its part launched a fierce attack on Syrian positions in Nasariya east of Al-Bab, forcing the Syrian troops to retreat towards the city of Sheikh Ahmad, the activist said. [ARA]

 

The road connecting areas north of Aleppo under opposition militia control to areas east of the city under Daesh control (Al-Bab, Manbij) has been reopened to food and fuel shipments after being closed for two weeks during fighting in which the SDF seized control of Tal Rifaat, through which the road runs. Qasioun’s correspondent explained that the road provides fuel to rebel-held areas north of Aleppo and food to Daesh-held areas to the east. [Qasioun]

 

Daesh publishes photos of its road maintenance activities in Manbij. [JustPaste]

 

Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)

Russian planes raided areas in the Daesh-held city of Palmyra (Tadmur) east of Homs on Thursday, killing at least six civilians and injuring at least 10 others. Syrian ground troops fought pitched battles with Daesh as they attempted to seize control of the road connecting Mahin and Qaryatayn in the Homs countryside. [Qasioun]

 

East (Deir Ez-Zor)

Daesh has ordered the confiscation of all homes of all absent residents of Mayadin and has begun taking possession of empty homes in the city, in the Deir Ez-Zor countryside, an activist said. The activist said the order applied to property of any absent resident, regardless of whether they were involved with the Syrian Army or opposition factions or not. [ARA]

 

In the ongoing battle for Deir Ez-Zor, the Syrian military has adopted the Daesh tactic of arresting residents and sending them to the front lines to dig trenches and construct barricades. Residents of the Al-Jura neighborhood were pressed into such work recently, during which two were killed by Daesh gunfire while digging trenches on the front lines in the Rashidiya neighborhood. Syrian troops arrested fifteen residents of Al-Jura Thursday without providing further details. At least 20 residents of Daesh-held areas have died from Syrian Army fire after being pressed by Daesh into labor on its front lines with the Syrian military. [Qasioun]

 

South

Renewed battles erupted between fighters from a pro-Daesh faction and the Nusra Front in Yarmouk Camp in southern Damascus Wednesday evening and continued into Thursday. “Abu Khadir,” an emir of the “Ansar al-Islam” group, which has pledged allegiance to Daesh, was killed in the fighting, which reportedly broke out after Nusra Front and Ansar militants launched arrest campaigns targeting each others’ fighters in the camp, according to an activist. The Ansar faction reportedly was attempting to create an Islamic State organization in the camp, according to the activist. A truce has been brokered between the two factions, according to Qasioun’s correspondent, involving a ceasefire, the removal of checkpoints, release of detainees, and allowing Nusra members to circulate freely in the camp. Fighters from both parties were reportedly killed in the fighting but specific figures were not available. [ARA] [Qasioun]

 

OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS

 

Neighboring countries

Jordan

Jordanian police have cordoned off areas of Irbid city, the site of a foiled Daesh attack on Tuesday, and are conducting search operations for weapons, a security source said.  [Arabi21]

 

Israel

Israeli media reported Thursday that Israeli authorities are interrogating a suspected Daesh cell from the Galilee region in the north of the country that was allegedly planning attacks inside Israeli territory. A source told Israeli media that the cell had planned to strike three targets, without specifying. Two suspects were arrested and are alleged to have been plotting attacks on Jewish targets inside the country. The investigation was reportedly opened after a relative of one of the suspects was apprehended by Turkish authorities on the Turkish-Syrian border and sent to Israeli custody in August. Israeli courts placed a gag order on the case but the ban on publishing information about the case was partially lifted Thursday. [Erem]

 

Saudi Arabia/Philippines

Philippine investigators have revealed that a bag apparently belonging to the assailant who was killed after a shooting attack that injured the Saudi preacher A’id Al-Qarni contained evidence that he was a 21-year-old Philippine national, Rughsan Miswari. The bag also contained evidence suggesting that suspect was an engineering student at Western Mindanao University, but authorities warned that the evidence could be faked. Investigations are still ongoing with two other suspects who are in custody, Majid Abu Bakr (age 31) and Junaid Qadri Salih (age 36). Al-Qarni’s name recently appeared among a list of other Saudi clerics in Daesh’s Dabiq publication under the headline “Kill the Kafir Clerics,” prompting suspicion that Daesh may be involved in the attack. [Rudaw]

 

North Africa

Egypt

Italy resumed its flights to Sharm El-Sheikh international airport on Thursday, for the first time since the deadly crash of a Russian airliner last October that has been attributed to a Daesh terrorist attack. [CairoPost (English)]

 

A security source said that highly trained militants are infiltrating into North Sinai from Gaza and were conducting attacks on Egyptian troops there. [ElWatan]

 

Egyptian Apache attack helicopters struck an Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis gathering south of Rafah killing 18 militants and injuring 30 others, a security source said. Arrest raids in the same area resulted in the capture of six militants, the source added. [ElWatan]

 

Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, the militant group that calls itself Daesh’s “State of Sinai” has planted a “large number” of IEDs in two schools in Rafah in order to impede the advance of security units, a security source said. A state of emergency is in effect in the area and instruction has been cancelled in the two schools, the source added. [VetoGate]

 

An IED exploded on a passing security column near a police department in Arish on Thursday. No further details were available at the time. [VetoGate]

 

A soldier died in North Sinai on Thursday after accidentally discharging his weapon into his abdomen while he was cleaning it. [VetoGate]

 

 

Libya

Libyan authorities have deported a Tunisian national who was suspected of belonging to an extremist group. [AfriGate]

 

Benghazi

Two Libyan soldiers were killed in two landmine explosions in Benghazi. [AfriGate]

 

Sirte

At least five Daesh members were killed in Sirte Wednesday night when a young man engaged Daesh militants in a firefight after they were sent to detain him, according to local sources. As many as ten Daesh vehicles arrived at the man’s house in Sirte’s “2nd” neighborhood, but as Daesh militants were raiding the house a firefight erupted which lasted for several hours and in which the young man killed five Daesh militants. The battle ended when Daesh attacked the house with rocket and mortar shells, destroying the building and killing the young man, local sources said. Daesh launched a wide-ranging arrest campaign in various neighborhoods of Sirte including “2nd”, “700” and Bouhadi. [AfriGate]

 

Daesh militants abducted four young men in Harawa on Thursday, local sources said, without knowing the reason. As many as 20 Daesh Toyota vehicles passed through Harawa, heading toward Sirte, the sources said. [Wasat]

 

Unknown warplanes struck a Daesh site in Bin Jawad on Wednesday, local sources said. Daesh had occupied the site some days ago, the sources said. No information was available as to casualty figures from the airstrike. [Arabiya]

 

Daesh has launched an appeal to the youth of Sirte in a public assembly in the city. (photos). [Wasat]

 

Sabratha

Italy’s foreign ministry has announced that two of its citizens, who were reportedly abducted last summer, have been killed in an exchange of gunfire in Sabratha. [Erem]

 

Eight Daesh members including two women were killed in fighting in western Libya south of Sabratha that erupted after raids by anti-Daesh groups operating under the rubric of the Sabratha Joint Operations Room. [Wasat]

 

Tunisia

As many as 30 Daesh vehicles attempted to storm the Tunisian border on Wednesday, prompting fighting on the Libyan-Tunisian border near Ben Guerdane. A detachment of Tunisian special forces responded to the Daesh attack. At least five Tunisians were killed in the fighting, four of whom have been identified. Details remain sketchy as to the outcome of the fighting. [Jarida] [Ewan] [Libyens] [Tunisien]

 

Video of Tunisian security troops in the fighting in Ben Guerdane. [YouTube]

 

Algeria

Algeria will build new camps in the southern border province of Illizi in preparation for an anticipated influx of Libyan refugees in case of Western intervention in Libya. [Wasat]

 

Morocco

A Daesh cell that was captured by Moroccan authorities last month was planning deadly biological attacks, the Moroccan Interior Ministry announced. [Tunisien]

 

Other countries

Nigeria

Nigerian officials arrested 13 Nigerians who were planning to travel to Libya to join Daesh. [Ewan]

 

SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

Facebook Page of the Day

Abu Omar Al-Shanqiti, a defected Mauritanian Daesh sharia judge in Derna, page

DaeshDaily comment. Well, we can’t say it’s a successful change in this man, as he is more of Al-Qaeda supporter now!

 

Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day

https://twitter.com/aswaddabah2022

https://twitter.com/KgghhKhaledaziz

https://twitter.com/abkgkjg

https://twitter.com/ibtilaa_22

https://twitter.com/abou_mariem_25

 

Other Daesh media   

Daesh audio newsletter for today in English, Arabic and Russian [JustPaste]

 

Daesh infographics of Iraqi and Syrian casualties for February [JustPaste]

 

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