An Update On ISIS Activities

October 22, 2015

October 22, 2015

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REPORTS FROM IRAQ

 

The Pentagon says one American was killed in a successful U.S. military operation to rescue dozens of hostages who “faced imminent mass execution” in Hawija. [CNN]

A security source in Kirkuk says US Special Forces raided a Daesh prison in Fadhikha, a village 10 km (6 miles) east of Hawija. The prison was formerly the home of a judge. American troops in 5 Chinook helicopters, supported by jets, drones and Iraqi troops, conducted the operation. They rescued a large but so far unspecified number of prisoners—estimated in the dozens—including former Daesh members, killed many Daesh fighters, and then destroyed the prison. The source says the operation was conducted after several airstrikes on nearby areas. The operation led to the arrest of Daesh’s wali of Hawija and its military commander. Most of Daesh’s leaders in Hawija are missing after the operation. [Mada]

A second security source says the operation was conducted by American troops and Peshmerga and resulted in killing 80 Daesh terrorists and capturing 5. [Sumaria]  A later CBS News report described the operation as conducted by 30 US personnel in five helicopters and Kurdish commandos that rescued 70 hostages. An NBC News report said that the Kurds requested US help because many Kurdish prisoners were in small cages and about to be executed, but none of the hostages rescued were Kurds. The Kurds attacked the prison, met resistance, but were then backed up by the US force.

The Kurdish version gives most of the credit to the Kurds. The Kurdistan Region Security Council says it gathered information about a Daesh prison 7 km (4 miles) north of Hawija and conducted a successful operation, supported by Coalition airpower, to take over the prison and release 69 prisoners, none of them Kurdish. The report doesn’t mention US paratroopers as part of the “Coalition airpower.” It says an American soldier was killed and 3 Peshmerga fighters wounded, while 30 Daesh armed men were killed and 6 captured. The Kurdish troops then pulled back to their bases and sent the hostages for medical checkups. [Rudaw]

The Daesh version of the story is that American troops conducted a “failed” airborne operation on a prison in the village of Al-Masnna’ north of Hawija at 2 am. Daesh says American jets, 4 Chinooks and 2 Apaches participated in the operation and bombed the road between Hawija and the prison and the areas surrounding the prison before the airborne troops clashed with 6 Daesh guards for 2 hours before bombing the prison and killing most of the prisoners and taking others away, none of them from the Peshmerga. Daesh says many American soldiers were killed or wounded in the operation while only 3 Daesh guards were killed and 3 wounded. [Twitter]

A security source says the American operation in Hawija was very difficult because it was done in one of Daesh’s most important strongholds. He says the troops managed to free all the hostages. [Sumaria]

DaeshDaily comment. This development was a total surprise. Whether it sets a precedent for future Special Forces raids in Iraq is an open and intriguing question. Similar raids have been conducted in Syria, however. At the moment, this sudden appearance of American troops on the ground has to be encouraging to both Iraq and the Kurds, maybe not to Daesh.

 

Family of the late Jacky Sutton and the IWPR issued a statement about her death saying that based on an extensive review of the information provided by Turkish authorities, the family of Jacky Sutton and IWPR have reached the preliminary conclusion that no other parties were involved in her death. [IWPR]

 

ANBAR

A member of the Security and Defense Committee in Anbar GC says the Iraqi and Coalition airstrikes on Daesh in Anbar are too few and asks for more. [Sumaria]

 

Former Anbar Operations Commander (and IFP Commander) Rasheed Flayyih was appointed to be the PMF Commander in Anbar. Flayyih says the PMFs have their own command in Anbar now and it reports to the JOC and will accompany the Iraqi forces in the liberation and holding the ground. [Sumaria]

 

The Albu Fahd tribe leader says the anti-Daesh Anbar tribes are preparing lists of Daesh collaborators and supporters and will give them to the security forces. [Gharbiya]

DaeshDaily comment. This cooperation is a positive development. However, it sets up those who get named for tribal retribution after Daesh is gone, which has a downside the Iraqi government should take seriously.

 

Falluja

A PMF source says the PMFs rocketed Daesh in Saqlawiya, destroying 15 trucks carrying machine guns. [Harbi]

 

Baghdad Operations Command troops killed 8 terrorists and wounded 4, and destroyed 3 vehicles and a rocket launcher in Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

A Baghdad Operations Command recon unit killed 2 terrorists and destroyed 4 hideouts and a motorcycle in the village of Al-Abadi near Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

An Iraqi Rapid Intervention unit destroyed a rocket launcher, a hideout and a vehicle in Subaihat village in Qarma. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

A security source says the authorities issued a curfew on vehicle and motorcycle movement in Ameriyat Al-Falluja after getting information about Daesh vehicle bombs in the city. [Baghdadia]

 

A security source says Iraqi artillery bombed Daesh locations in the Zoba’a villages southeast of Falluja, killing 4 terrorists. [Baghdadia]

 

Daesh publishes photos of targeting an Iraqi Army location in Zoba’a with a 23 mm sniper weapon. [Dump] [Dump] [Dump]

Daesh publishes photos of targeting an Iraqi Army bulldozer in Zoba’a with an SPG9 rocket, then blowing it up.  [Dump] [Dump] [Dump]

 

Ramadi

The IWMC says Jazeera Operations Command troops and Albu Nimr tribal fighters with support from the Coalition rescued 350 citizens near the Thirthar Lake, killing 7 Daesh terrorists and forcing the rest to flee, and destroying 2 construction shovels. The IWMC says Daesh banished those people to the desert for 5 days and booby-trapped their houses, and was about to execute them for allegedly cooperating with Iraqi forces. [Mada]

 

Seven Iraqi soldiers were wounded in a vehicle bomb explosion in Thirthar. [IWMC Report]

 

A security source says Coalition planes bombed a Daesh command center in Ramadi city, destroying it and killing “dozens” of terrorists inside it. [Baghdadia]

The IAA killed 11 terrorists and destroyed a tunnel, 3 defense locations, 2 heavy machine guns, a vehicle and 2 hideouts in Ramadi city. [IWMC Report]

 

A security source says the Anbar Police issued a curfew in Khaldiya after getting information about Daesh intentions to target the district with vehicle bombs. [Baghdadia]

 

The Chairman of Khaldiya District Council says more Iraqi reinforcements were deployed from Baghdad and Habbaniya to East Hsaiba and Tal Mshaihda east of Ramadi. [Mada]

 

Iraqi forces rocketed Daesh north of the city, in Albu Dhiab, Albu Farraj and Albu Aitha. [IWMC Report]

The IAA killed 3 Daesh fighters and destroyed a vehicle and a hideout in Albu Farraj. [IWMC Report]

 

Daesh says 2 of its suicide terrorists, a Tunisian and a Brit, destroyed an Iraqi forces headquarters with 2 vehicle bombs north of Ramadi, killing more than 50 soldiers. [Dump]

 

Daesh says it blew up an Iraqi armored vehicle with a Kornet missile in Albu Iyada west of Ramadi. [JustPaste]

 

Iraqi forces killed a Daesh terrorist and wounded another as they tried to plant IEDs on the International Road near Ramadi. [IWMC Report]

 

A video of Iraqi forces in Tameem. [YouTube]

 

Hit/Haditha

The Al-Assad Brigade Commander says his fighters and Anbar Operations Command troops killed the Daesh wali of Jazeera, Abu Anas Al-Rawi, and several of his associates, in the desert between Anbar and Salahuddin. [Sumaria]

 

SALAHUDDIN

Baiji

The IFP commander says his troops found 2 car bomb factories and defused 8 booby-trapped houses in Albu Juwari. [IMN]

 

An IFP source says IFP troops found a Daesh hideout north of Baiji and seized 7 explosives vests, a booby-trapped motorcycle, 50 C4 (explosives) cans and 40 artillery shells. [Harbi]

 

Daesh says an Iraqi suicide terrorist (photo) attacked Iraqi forces west of Baiji with a vehicle bomb, killing or wounding many of them. [Dump] [MRKZGulf]

 

Daesh says its fighters are advancing toward the Presidential Palaces in Makhoul. [JustPaste]

 

IWMC says Iraqi Special Forces supported by Abrams tanks stopped a Daesh attack in the Makhoul Mountains between Baiji and Shirqat, killing “dozens” of Daesh terrorists and destroying 2 vehicle bombs. [Mada]

The Badr forces say they stopped a Daesh attack on the Al-Msahaq village and Makhoul Mountains, killing 19 Daesh terrorists and destroying a vehicle bomb. [Sumaria]

 

Videos of Iraqi families escaping Shirqat and other areas to Baiji. [YouTube] [YouTube]

A video of the destruction in Baiji. [YouTube]

Shirqat

A security source says Daesh blew up the Zuwiya Bridge, linking the Makhoul Mountains and Shirqat, in an effort to stop Iraqi forces’ advances. [Baghdadia]

DaeshDaily comment. The last Baiji stories and this story are connected. It seems clear that the Baiji battle has been won finally by the government forces and that Shirqat is the next target—the last major stop before re-entering Ninewa on the way to Mosul.

 

The MoD spokesman says Iraqi forces are fighting in Al-Fatha and after that will move to Shirqat. He says the battles in Shirqat will be easier because Daesh exhausted its military capabilities in Baiji. [Etejah]

DaeshDaily comment. This statement shows that the MoD still hasn’t figured out Daesh strategy. Daesh needs territory for its Caliphate claim but militarily they depend on “hit and run,” and tend to measure success by the number of casualties they cause.

 

Samarra

A security source says unknown armed men blew up electricity poles between Samarra and Al-Alam subdistrict near Tikrit. [Baghdadia]

 

A Police commander says Iraqi forces foiled a Daesh plot to attack Samarra using boats, confiscating the boats in addition to IEDs and rockets. [Iraq Press]

 

Daesh publishes photos of rocketing Iraqi forces with Katyushas west of Samarra. [JustPaste]

 

A video of Saraya Al-Salam fighting Daesh west of Samarra. [YouTube]

Elsewhere in Salahuddin

A security source says a suicide terrorist in a car bomb attacked a Shia religious gathering in Tuz, killing 3 people and wounding 33.  [Baghdadia]

Daesh claims responsibility for the attack in Tuz, credited to an Iraqi terrorist. [Dump]

 

Samarra Operations Command troops defused 8 booby-trapped houses and 14 IEDs and found 3 weapons caches in 3 areas in Balad District. [IWMC Report]

 

BAGHDAD

Baghdad Operations Command issues a statement asking people not to demonstrate this Friday because security forces are busy securing the roads for the Ashura pilgrims. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

A member of the Legal Affairs Committee in the CoR says the CoR will host PM Abadi next week to discuss several issues, including the reforms, the new government employee salary schedule, and the Quadripartite Coalition. [Mawazin]

 

The Badr bloc in the CoR issues a statement objecting to the appointment of Emad Dhia Al-Kharsan as the General Secretary of the Council of Ministers. [Iraq Press]

 

An MP from the National Coalition (headed by former Prime Minister Allawi) says they have reservations regarding the work of the Quadripartite Coalition operations room because it is “mysterious” and Iraqi ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs, and Interior and the Chief of the Intelligence Service have no knowledge of what is happening there. He asks the Council of Ministers to explain what’s happening. He says this coalition should be subject to approval by the CoR. [Ghad]

 

The Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee in the CoR says Iraq requested Russia to bomb all Daesh convoys in Syria heading to Iraq. [Buratha]

 

The Iraqi Minister of Defense says the plan to liberate Mosul is prepared and it will be implemented when all the things needed are in place. He also says there will be no battle in Mosul without the participation of the Iraqi Army. He says the Iraqi F-16s are participating effectively in the battles. He says Iraqi didn’t ask for any Russian airstrikes but Russia and Iran offered help regarding intelligence.  He also says the International Coalition airpower is doing its job but sometimes they don’t conduct airstrikes as requested because of the situation on the ground. [Sumaria]

 

The Iraqi Anti-Terrorism Service Commander says there were different troops for the battles in Salahuddin and Anbar and the fight in Ramadi was not affected by the fights in Baiji. [Sumaria]

 

The body of a liquor store owner was found near the Qanat Highway in east Baghdad. The victim was one of 3 liquor store owners kidnapped from Zayouna in east Baghdad this morning. [Mada]

DaeshDaily comment. Religious extremists, often including militiamen, are known to attack liquor store owners, all of them Christians and other non-Muslim minorities as Muslims are not permitted to sell liquor. Despite the religious justifications sometimes given by perpetrators, killing liquor store owners is not permitted by Islam. The real story in Zayouna is about extortion, not religion. Most of these liquor store owners pay monthly “protection fees” to local militiamen. Unfortunately, the fees don’t buy much protection and the owners often face similar demands from other extortionists.

 

According to security sources:

  • A civilian was killed and 7 wounded when an IED exploded near a popular market in Meshahda in north Baghdad. [Mada]
  • A Ministry of Finance employee was killed and his son wounded when a sticker IED exploded under their civilian car in Adhamiya in north Baghdad. [Mada]
  • An IED exploded near a commercial area in Abu Dsheer in south Baghdad, killing 2 civilians and wounding 6. [Mada]
  • An IED targeting a police patrol exploded in Hor Rajab in south Baghdad, killing 2 policemen and wounding 3. [Mada]
  • An IED exploded near Mada’in hospital in south Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding 7. [Mada]
  • Two civilians were killed and 8 wounded when an IED exploded near a popular market in Bakriya in west Baghdad. [Mada]

 

An Iraqi Army 60th Brigade unit killed 2 terrorists and wounded 3, and destroyed a vehicle, in Al-Ubaid west of Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

Baghdad Operations Command troops defused 21 IEDs (and an explosives vest) in several areas around Baghdad. [BOC Facebook Page]

 

Overall, Iraqi airpower conducted 45 airstrikes, destroying 50 Daesh defense locations in Ramadi and Baghdadi. [IWMC Report]

The Coalition conducted airstrikes on Mosul, Ramadi, Baghdadi and Kirkuk, reportedly killing “dozens” of Daesh terrorists. [IWMC Report]

 

DIYALA

Baquba

Daesh says it captured and killed an Iraqi government “spy” in Buhriz. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says it blew up a police vehicle in Hay Al-Muhandiseen in Baquba with an IED, wounding an officer and 2 policemen. [JustPaste]

 

Muqdadiya

A security source says 3 civilians were wounded when 4 mortar shells fell on the Mukhaisa village in Abu Saida. [Baghdadia]

DaeshDaily comment. The village used to be a Daesh stronghold and Shia militias hold the people of Mukhaisa responsible for Daesh’s many attacks in the area.

 

An MP from Diyala says 40 mortar shells fell on Mukhaisa and Abu Khanazir villages during the last 3 days and asks Dijla Operations Command to help stop it. [Sumaria]

 

Daesh says it blew up an Iraqi Army Humvee with an IED in Shirween, killing a soldier and wounding 3. Daesh also says its terrorists attacked an Iraqi Army location in Shirween with light weapons. [JustPaste]

 

Daesh says it blew up a PMF fighter’s vehicle with a sticker IED in Muqdadiya, wounding him. [JustPaste]

 

KIRKUK

Unknown armed men shot and wounded a woman driving her car in Hay Al-Nasr in Kirkuk. [Mada]

 

Unknown armed men kidnapped a displaced person from Mosul from a camp in Laylan, 15 km (9 miles) east of Kirkuk. [Mada]

 

NINEWA

A PUK official says the Coalition bombed a Daesh IED and car bomb factory in east Mosul, killing 6 terrorists and destroying 6 vehicle bombs. [PUKMedia] The official also says Daesh launched a search campaign for its terrorists who escaped the battles in Baiji and arrested 250 of them, then executed 23. Daesh also executed another civilian, accusing him of communicating with the Iraqi forces and the Coalition. [PUKMedia]

 

A Peshmerga source says 12 Daesh fighters were killed and 2 of their vehicles destroyed in a Peshmerga shelling near Bashiqa. [ARA]

 

Kata’eb Al-Mosul says its fighters killed a Daesh informant in Hay Al-Samah in east Mosul. [KM Facebook Page]

 

A Peshmerga commander says his troops shelled Daesh heavily in Khorsabad, killing or wounding many terrorists. [Xendan]

 

A Kurdish source says Coalition planes destroyed a Daesh explosives storehouse in Qaraj, an Arab-majority area of Makhmur, killing 10 Daesh members and wounding 5. [IraqPress]

 

Other Governorates   

KURDISTAN

The American Ambassador to Iraq and the US Consul in Erbil meet with Gorran’s General Coordinator in its headquarters in Suleimaniya. Mahmoud Othman, a much respected Kurdish politician, says the Americans will also meet with the other Kurdish parties because instability in the IKR is a “red line” for them. [BasNews]

 

SOUTHERN IRAQ

Moqtada Al-Sadr says the demonstrations in Iraq will continue and says the government should not prevent them. [Qurtas]

 

A security source says security forces captured a “dangerous” terrorist in Suwaira in north Wasit. [Ghad]

 

REPORTS FROM SYRIA

Northern Syria

A source from the Syrian Democratic Forces (an alliance of Syrian armed groups including the YPG) says the Coalition provided the SDF with 120 tons of weapons and ammunition (not 50 as reported by many other sources) and added 50 more tons through Iraqi borders. The source says the SDF decided with the Coalition to liberate Raqqa. The start date depends on many factors but it might start early next year. He also says many Arab tribes in the area pledged allegiance to Daesh because of fear and now there are communications with them. [Welati]

 

A PYD official says the PYD will not open a representation office in Russia. [Welati]

 

Daesh says one of its suicide bombers (photo) attacked a YPG location east of Suluk, near the Turkish border, killing and wounding many of them. [Dump] [Dump]

 

Daesh says it killed 2 YPG fighters in an ambush near Ain Eissa. [A3maq]

Daesh publishes photos of rocketing the YPG near Ain Eissa. [ShareText] [ShareText]

 

A field source says Daesh attacked the YPG in Tal Brak with a vehicle bomb but the Kurdish forces destroyed it. Daesh terrorists then attacked the YPG and the clashes are still going on since the early hours of Thursday. [BasNews]

 

The YPG says a YPG Arab fighter was killed by a Daesh landmine in Tal Abyad on Wednesday. [BasNews]

 

Local sources say the Coalition airpower bombed Daesh locations near Shaddadi and near Mount Abdul Aziz and other areas in Hasaka countryside. [ARA]

 

Daesh says 8 people were killed and 43 wounded in the airstrikes on Raqqa. [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes photos of shelling the YPG in Um Barameel in Raqqa. [ShareText] [ShareText]

 

Daesh publishes a video of its “safety and protection” office in Raqqa. [Archive]

 

Daesh publishes photos of cutting off a man’s hand accusing him of theft. [JustPaste]

 

Northwestern Syria

Local sources say Daesh is forcing all men age 14 to 30 in Manbij to become Daesh fighters. [Hawar]

 

A Daesh sniper killed a 23 years old Kurdish man while he was visiting his family in Ihris. [Hawar]

 

Daesh publishes photos of rocketing the Syrian army in several areas in Aleppo. [JustPaste] [JustPaste]

Daesh publishes photos and a video of the result of the Syrian bombing on Al-Bab. Daesh says a person was killed and 6 wounded in the bombing. [JustPaste] [Archive] [A3maq]

 

Daesh publishes a video of the results of the Syrian bombing on a village near Al-Safira, just east of Aleppo. [Archive]

 

Turkish border shot at Syrian refugees trying to cross the border to Turkey, killing a Syrian Armenian young man. [BasNews]

 

Eastern Syria

A local source says Daesh forced taxes of 200 Syrian Lira (USD 4) on every dunam, 1,000 sq meters (10,764 sq feet), of agricultural land in addition to 10% of the harvest in Deir Al-Zor. [ARA]

 

Central and Western Syria
Daesh publishes another video from its terrorists in Damascus to the people of Jerusalem. [Archive]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY

Two Turkish MPs say they have documents prove that the Turkish government imported the materials used to manufacture sarin gas and send them to Syria. They say all the details are in a court case in Adana. [SANA]

 

REPORTS FROM OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICAN COUNTRIES

Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say they arrested a Daesh group including a sharia official in the Ain Al-Hilwe camp in Saida. The group admitted they were gathering information in order to attack the Lebanese Army and assassinate officials and target several areas in Lebanon with car bombs. [Mayadeen]

 

Egypt. Daesh publishes a summary of its attacks in Sinai for the month of Dhi Al-Hijja. [Archive]

 

Afghanistan. Daesh publishes a message for its terrorists in Afghanistan. [Archive]

 

SOCIAL MEDIA SOURCES

Facebook Page of the Day

An Iraqi Special Forces page.

 

Daesh Twitter Accounts of the Day

https://twitter.com/aldolawekaleeb2

https://twitter.com/Fathialnmer3

https://twitter.com/czThYbAD2ynAmK1

 

 

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