May 29, 2018
General Mohammed Amash
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Iraq
CoR votes for recounting 10% of the ballots & canceling overseas votes—but has no authority to do that. [..]
Al-Abadi criticizes calls for canceling election results after the fact. [..]
Al-Abadi, Al-Sadr, Al-Hakim reported in agreement on govt. coalition. [..]
Al-Fath alliance trying to assemble rival coalition. [..]
Surprise Daesh attacks hit many locations in central Iraq. [..]
Al-Alam Police Chief & deputy, 2 others, killed by Daesh IED. [..]
Chairmen of Salahuddin, Diyala PCs disagree sharply on remaining Daesh threat along Salahuddin-Diyala border. [..]
Another mukhtar killed in his own house, in eastern Salahuddin. [..]
11 civilians killed by IED near Baquba market. [..]
11 PMFs killed in Hawija. [..]
Daesh children begging in the streets of Mosul. [..]
11 civilian Daesh victims found dead in Mosul. [..]
Syria
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt considering autonomous region in Syria. [..]
Syrian Army may move into southern Syria without Iran, Hezbollah, to avoid Israeli attacks. [..]
Daesh kills 22 Syrian soldiers in Mayadin, amid broader attack on government forces [..]
. . . but flees from Hajin in Albu Kamal under SDF attack. [..]
Syrian Army heads south. [..]
Other countries
Libya: Macron seeks breakthrough from major Libya conference in Paris. [..]
Somalia: Daesh claims killing 7 Somali intelligence officers & a soldier. [..]
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
Election/New government
Election
The CoR held a special session on Monday in which it voted for a manual recount of 10% of the votes cast in the last election and the annulment of election results from abroad.
However, CoR member Alia Nassif said that the special session of the CoR the day before “did not have any legal impact.” She said on Tuesday that any annulment of the election results had to come from the federal courts, and that the decision of the CoR the day before was illegal and unconstitutional. In a statement, she said that all electoral mechanisms are defined legally and could not be amended or annulled by a decision of the CoR, as any change would require amending the law. [Sumaria]
Hoshyar Zebari, a member of the Political Bureau of the KDP, said that the Iraqi CoR’s decision on the elections increases the political tension in the country, and that the vote was “non-binding.” He made the remarks on his Facebook page. The Iraqi CoR held a special session on Monday night to discuss the May 12 elections. It passed a resolution to annul electoral results from ballots cast abroad, provisional votes in all provinces with the exception of Ninewa, and votes cast by IDPs in Salahuddin and Anbar, and to manually recount at least 10% of all votes cast at polling places throughout Iraq. [BasNews]
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Electoral Foundation said on Tuesday that it welcomed any decision by the Electoral Commission on recounting the CoR election results, but said that the CoR itself “is not legally permitted” to interfere with the Commission’s work. An official for the KDP Electoral Foundation, Khusru Kuran, noted in a statement that the special session of the CoR on Monday did not have a quorum, and so was not legally a meeting of the CoR anyway. [Sumaria]
President Fuad Masoum says he is watching recent developments regarding the elections, and all the accompanying points of view and accusations. Masoum called on all parties, including the Electoral Commission, to comply with the constitution and prevailing laws, and to stick to legal procedures in handling protests and objections related to the elections. [Shafaaq]
PM Haider Al-Abadi criticized calls to cancel parts of the election results. [Anadolu]
New government
A source close to the Prime Minister says the Sa’irun, Victory, and Wisdom alliances have reached understandings that would allow Mr. Al-Abadi a second term as Prime Minister. The source says that those parties control at least 150 seats are at hand, and that there is no way that the Al-Fath (Conquest) alliance could get the majority of seats. He adds that joining of the Al-Fath and the Rule of the Law alliances is unlikely, as this is rejected by most members of allied parties. [Ghad]
However, Al-Fath is trying to form its own coalition. The Al-Fath (Conquest) Alliance, led by Hadi Al-Amiri, said on Tuesday that it now has 53 MPs in its bloc and that the number is increasing. Laith Al-Athari, a leader in Al-Fath, said that many MPs from other political groups have joined the Al-Fath bloc in the last few days, and added that they would shortly reveal the names of the MPs who had joined them. However, another MP for Al-Fath, Nahla Al-Hababi, said that there had been widespread fraud and vote manipulation in the elections, and claimed that as a result, some CoR members would be Daesh representatives. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. 53 is not that many more than Al-Fath’s initial seat total. So far, the story is more about hype than arithmetic.
Several Iraqi politicians have said Iraq cannot form a government except with the agreement of Iran. In response to a question on these statements, Muqtada Al-Sadr said that “Iran is a neighbor that worries about its own interests” and that the involvement of any state in Iraqi affairs is rejected, including Iran. [Hawar]
Abdul Bari Zebari, Chairman of the CoR Foreign Affairs Committee, called on Muqtada Al-Sadr to start an initiative to ease the tension among winning and losing parties and to keep equal distance from all parties to keep peace and order. He says Al-Sadr should open-heartedly listen to all losing and complaining parties and play an honest role in deciding the next steps. [Shafaaq]
Anti-Daesh campaign
Al-Abadi said on Tuesday that operations to clear Daesh continue, and said that most of the border with Syria has been well secured. He made the remarks during his weekly press conference and a follow-up with Sumaria. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. However, this has been a really bad weekend for Daesh attacks and for police and other casualties, as will be seen from many of the stories below.
The London-based, Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Tuesday that an envoy of the Chechen President would meet with Russian women convicted in Iraq, noting that Russian authorities face difficulties when trying to retrieve Daesh-affiliated Russian women and children. Asharq Al-Awsat wrote that Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov ordered DNA testing to facilitate the extradition of children of former Daesh fighters who had either been either killed or imprisoned in Iraq or Syria. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Notwithstanding that predominantly Muslim Chechnya is to some extent self-governing, it is part of Russia. As most of the Russian citizens who joined Daesh are Muslims, including many from Chechnya, it has had a larger than normal role in the Syria crisis.
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
Baghdad Operations Command announced on Tuesday that 5 suspects, including 2 wanted on terrorism charges, had been arrested in the capital. [Ghad]
Northwest (Kadhimiya, etc.)
The Iraqi Federal Police announced on Tuesday that it had found IEDs in Baghdad. In a statement, it said that combined units of the 2nd Division of the Federal Police and the Baghdad Emergency Police had found 5 IEDs with 1.5 kilos of ammonium nitrate near the Al-Jawadain checkpoint in Kadhimiya. [Baghdadia]
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that a PMF commander and five other fighters were killed in a Daesh attack on PMF positions near Tarmiya. The terrorists were dressed in IFP uniforms.
Daesh said on Saturday it killed two tribal PMF fighters, wounded two others, including a commander, and damaged a vehicle when it blew up a booby-trapped military position in Meshahda.
South (Dora, Yusufiyah, Mahmudiya, etc.)
Daesh said on Sunday it destroyed a vehicle carrying PMF fighters with an IED in the Oweisat area, in south Baghdad. [Telegram]
West (Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib, etc.)
The Mass Graves Affairs Department says it found a graveyard with victims of Al-Qaeda near Al-Rahman mosque in the Furat neighborhood in west Baghdad. The area contains 5-7 individual graves of civilians executed by Al-Qaeda in 2007. [Shafaaq]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 6 (Includes only incidents reported)
Total IED incidents reported: 3
ANBAR
Falluja
The PMF media office said on Tuesday that teams from the Field Engineering Directorate of the PMF had dismantled 80 IEDs made from 20-liter containers of glycerin as well as 18 mortar shells found in the Sinai neighborhood in Falluja city and in Al-Fatha (possibly the town northeast of Baiji in Salahuddin, but the story was not specific). The PMF media statement said that the teams also dismantled 10 anti-tank mines, 7 “homemade” rockets, 4 shaped IEDs, 3 “Austrian” rockets, and 25 explosives detonators. [Etejah]
Rutba
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that local police killed a Daesh foreign suicide terrorist, dressed as an Iraqi soldier, in Al-Dhab’a village, in Rutba. The police killed the terrorist before he reached the police headquarters.
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
A DaeshDaily source said Daesh kidnapped and then beheaded a tribal PMF commander near Kan’ous village. The source said Daesh terrorists are using the Makhoul Mountains as a launch pad for their attacks on civilians and security units in the area.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that three PMF fighters were killed in a Daesh ambush near the Hawi Kan’ous area.
Baiji
The Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday that 2 terrorists had been arrested and a VBIED detonated in Salahuddin. In a statement, the Ministry said that units from the intelligence division of Salahuddin Police Internal Security arrested a wanted terrorist, and that a unit from a separate division had made another arrest of a terrorist. Personnel from the Anti-Explosives Division, together with the Baiji Electric Police, found a VBIED on a Hummer left behind by Daesh, which was detonated safely. [Mawazin]
Tikrit
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that the Al-Alam Police Chief, General Mohammed Hammash Al-Jubouri, his deputy, Colonel Saleh Samir Al-Obeidi, and two other police officers were killed when an IED exploded on their vehicle near the Mtaibija area.
Daesh said on Saturday it killed the two officers and two other policemen and destroyed their SUV with an IED near Al-Hassan village, east of Tikrit. [Telegram]
The Iraqi Federal Police announced on Tuesday that it had found IEDs and Daesh safehouses in Shirqat, in far northwest Salahuddin, and in the Mtaibija area on the Diyala border. In a statement, they said that units from their 3rd Division searched the village of Khadhra in Shirqat, finding an explosives belt and 2 IEDs. Meanwhile, units from the 17th Brigade searched the Mtaibija and Hawi Al-Udhaim areas, on opposite sides of the border, finding a total of 10 IEDs and 4 Daesh safehouses. [Baghdadia]
Sadiq Al-Husseini, Chairman of the Security Committee for the Diyala Provincial Council, said in an interview with Sumaria that the security situation on the Salahuddin-Diyala border was stable, and that military operations in the Mtaibija area had ended the practice of Daesh fighters entering Diyala from Salahuddin. He added, “The situation on the border with Salahuddin is the best it’s been since 2014.” [Baghdadia]
However, the Chairman of the Salahuddin PC Security Committee, Sheikh Jassem Al-Jabarra, issued a statement saying that there are “serious threats” of Daesh attacks on eastern Salahuddin, targeting especially civilians and mosques. He called on security units to deploy more men and to establish more checkpoints.
A DaeshDaily source explained that Daesh is using its pockets in the Mtaibija, Himrin Mountains, and Makhoul Mountains areas as launch pads for the attacks. The source said there are “thousands” of Daesh foreign terrorists hiding in those areas, and in areas south and west of Mosul. The source said that (Shia) PMFs were withdrawn from most of the areas in Salahuddin, allowing Daesh to reorganize itself. The source also said that tribal PMF units are exhausted, and many tribal fighters are living with their families in remote areas that are vulnerable to Daesh attacks. The source said that Daesh could even launch a major attack on a big city like Samarra or Tikrit. The source said many “liberated” areas could easily fall to Daesh, and that many of these areas are not even accessible by the government.
DaeshDaily comment. Sheikh Jassem and his tribe has been fighting Daesh for years now. He lost many family members, including his sister, the late PMF commander Omaya Al-Jabara, to Daesh. When someone like him sounds the alarm, the Iraqi government should listen carefully.
Samarra
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that three IFP members were killed in a Daesh attack on an IFP military position in the Jalam Samarra area. The source said the terrorists stole a vehicle, weapons, and IDs before fleeing.
Daesh said on Tuesday that its terrorists attacked an IFP military position in the Jalam Samarra area, killing three members, wounding others, capturing weapons and ammunition, and setting the position and a Humvee on fire before returning safely. [ICDNMay29]
Daesh said it destroyed a PMF vehicle with an IED in the Mu’tasim area, east of Samarra, on Friday, killing or wounding the fighters inside. [Telegram]
Daesh said it damaged 2 SUVs carrying PMF fighters in an ambush in the Thirthar area, in Jazeera Samarra, on Friday. [Telegram] This incident would have been close to Anbar, far to the west of Samarra city.
Southern Salahuddin (Balad, Dujail)
Daesh said a group of its terrorists killed the mukhtar of the Jaisat tribe in his house in the Farahatiya area in Ishaqi, on Friday. It also said another group killed 3 Saraya Al-Salam members, including an officer, wounded another, and set their vehicle on fire in an ambush in the Kuwaiti area in Ishaqi, before returning safely. [ICDNMay26]
Eastern Salahuddin (Al-Daur, Tooz)
Daesh said it blew up the house of a tribal PMF fighter in Yankjah, a small Turkmen village near the Kirkuk border, on Sunday. [Telegram]
DIYALA
Sadiq Al-Husseini, Chairman of the Diyala PC Security Committee, announced on Tuesday that 3 wanted persons had been arrested on terrorism charges, 1 of whom was an active Daesh member. The arrests took place in various parts of Diyala Province. [Baghdadia]
A security source in Diyala said on Tuesday that 10 wanted persons had been arrested, including 2 wanted on terrorism charges. It is unclear if this includes the arrests mentioned above. [Ghad]
Baquba/Southeast Diyala
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that 11 civilians, including four women and a child, were killed and 12 others wounded when an IED exploded in a market area in Baquba. The source said the IED was planted in a garbage can.
A security source said on Tuesday that 1 civilian had been killed and 7 wounded by an explosion in Baquba. The source said that the explosion came from an IED that had been left near the Women’s School for Applied Skills, near the Baquba market. [Baghdadia] This may be an overlapping story with the one above, but if so greatly underestimates the real death toll.
Central Diyala (Muqdadiya/Abu Saida)
Daesh said it destroyed an SUV carrying Iraqi soldiers with an IED in Sheikhi village, in the Al-Waqf area, on Sunday. [Telegram]
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that a young man was killed and his father wounded when Daesh rocketed the Shia village of Zuhairat, in Muqdadiya.
Daesh said it targeted the village with a rocket and published a photo of the attack. [Telegram]
Northern Diyala (Kifri, Khanaqin, Khalis north)
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 1,000 Iraqi Army, IFP, and PMF members started a military campaign to clear the Himrin Mountains, for the second time this month. The source said Daesh snipers killed a PMF commander and four other fighters, and two IFP members were killed by an IED. The source said Daesh had filled the roads leading to the mountain tops with IEDs.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Daesh attacked a PMF military position near the Udhaim Dam and captured and then killed six PMF fighters who ran out of ammunition. The source said the terrorists set the position on fire before retreating to the Himrin Mountains area.
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that local residents stopped a Daesh attack in the Udhaim Dam area.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that two IFP members were killed when a Daesh roadside IED exploded on their vehicle on the main road between Udhaim and Baquba.
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that two PMF fighters were killed and their vehicle destroyed when an IED exploded on it in Ain Layla village, near Himrin Hills. The source said PMF units arrested 14 Daesh suspects from the village after the attack.
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that two Diyala SWAT members were killed when an IED exploded on their vehicle near Sadiya.
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that Daesh terrorists in a police vehicle shot and killed a PMF commander near Sadiya.
Daesh said on Saturday it wounded three PMF fighters with an IED in Rabi’a village, in Sadiya. [Telegram]
KIRKUK
Dibis
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that two PMF fighters were killed, another wounded, and their vehicle destroyed when an IED exploded on their vehicle in Maysaloun village, in Dibis. The source said the vehicle was carrying weapons.
Daesh said it killed one tribal PMF fighter and destroyed their vehicle in the attack. [Telegram]
Daesh said it set on fire 10 farms belong to PMF fighters near Allaw Al-Mahmoud village, west of Dibis, on Saturday. Daesh said it targeted a tribal PMF patrol with an IED in the same village on Thursday.
It also said it set on fire farms belonging to PMF fighters in Al-Milih and Azraq, west of Dibis. [Telegram]
Hawija (Riyadh, Al-Zab, etc.)
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Daesh set on fire hundreds of acres of wheat that belonged to local farmers in Gharib and Sadouniya villages. The source said this was the first attack of its kind since the liberation of Hawija.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Daesh terrorists attacked Afisa village, in Riyadh, from the western side of the village. The source said that while PMFs were stopping the attack, 4 terrorists sneaked into the village from the north, blew up the mukhtar’s house, and kidnapped a PMF fighter.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that IFP units killed a Daesh terrorist in clashes in Al-Ayn village, near Hawija. The source said the IFP arrested the father of the terrorist, who is the mukhtar of the village, after the clashes.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 11 PMF fighters, including a battalion commander and his deputy, were killed in a Daesh ambush in the Hawi Al-Abbasi area. The source said the fighters were ambushed after getting misleading information from a civilian in the area.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that IFP units surrounded and then killed 4 Daesh terrorists, including a Syrian commander, in the Hawi Al-Zab area. The source said the commander had been the wali of Hawija.
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that Daesh terrorists on a motorcycle shot and killed Mohammed Jum’a Al-Obeidi, a tribal PMF commander, near his house in Al-Zabra village, in Riyadh. The source said the commander was on his way to the mosque for the dawn prayer. The said the terrorists used silenced guns.
A DaeshDaily source said IFP EOD units defused 60 Daesh leftover IEDs in the Al-Zab area. The source said a child had been killed in the area by one of those IEDs. The IEDs were uncovered by the rain.
Daesh said on Sunday it blew up the house of a tribal PMF fighter in Gharib village, west of Abbasi. [Telegram]
Daesh said on Saturday it shot and killed a PMF fighter in Barghliya village, in eastern Hawija.
Southwest (Daquq, Rashad, Taza, etc.)
A security source in Kirkuk Province said on Tuesday that a lieutenant and another police officer from the 5th Division of the Federal Police were injured by an IED in the village of Ghaida, in Daquq subdistrict just south of Daquq city. [Sumaria]
NINEWA
Nineveh Plain (Hamdaniya, Tel Keif, etc.)
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that local police found a Daesh underground prison under a street in Bartella, in Hamdaniya.
Mosul
Official sources at the Ninewa Governor’s office say Nawfal Al-Aqoub, the Governor, is now monopolizing all decisions related to reconstruction of the east side of Mosul, as he did with cleanliness projects when he shunted municipalities aside and took personal control of the issue. [Ghad]
A DaeshDaily source says that many children are begging in the streets of Mosul. Most of these children are the sons and daughters of Daesh terrorists who were killed in the Mosul liberation battles.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that Civil Defense units found the bodies of 11 civilians, including women, who were killed by Daesh during the liberation battle in Hay Al-Maidan. The source said Daesh captured the victims as they were trying to escape toward Iraqi forces.
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that a Kata’eb Sayyed Al-Shuhada paramedic official was killed when armed men shot at his vehicle in Old Mosul.
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh is still sending money to the families of its members in Mosul using the hawala system. The source says the Daesh finance official, Wajih Al-Shammari, is operating in Turkey. The money gets distributed by a network of women in Mosul.
DaeshDaily comment. Daesh, and the AQI before that, created a “kafala” (bond) system to distribute money to the families of their dead or captured members. It seems to be working. The money usually goes through legitimate money exchange offices to a network of distributors. In Mosul specifically, Daesh uses women because usually they are less likely to be searched at checkpoints and so can more easily move around.
Southern Ninewa
Qayara
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that a group of Daesh terrorists blew up the house of an Iraqi Army captain and killed his brother in Qutan village, in Qayara. The source said the terrorists fled to the Ain Al-Jahash area after the attack.
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that Iraqi Army 20th division intelligence units captured a Daesh female member in Izhailila village, southwest of Qayara city. The source said the woman was a member of Daesh hisbah in Mosul. The source sent us photos of the woman.
Daesh said it set on fire the house of a tribal PMF captain in the Qayara area, on Thursday. Daesh also said it set on fire the houses of an election candidate and two government “spies” in Aslubi village on Friday. [Telegram]
Western Ninewa (No reports)
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Dhi Qar
A group of Daesh terrorists, who were sentenced to life in prison or to death, sneaked a letter and photos complaining about their suffering in the Al-Hout (Whale) Prison in Nasiriya. The letter describes the “inhumane” way they are being treated in the prison and criticizes human rights organizations and international media for ignoring them. [Telegram]
DaeshDaily comment. Iraqi prisons don’t have a good reputation for either humane conditions or humane treatment. However, we would have much more sympathy if the same terrorists hadn’t sentence to death the same “infidels” in human rights organizations and international media to death. We would have even more sympathy if Daesh prisons were a little better.
KURDISTAN NEWS
ERBIL
Sumaria reported that eyewitnesses in Erbil Province said on Tuesday that fighting was ongoing between PKK militants and the Turkish Army in the Sidekan border area. Kurdish media said that the PKK had attacked a Turkish military position in Jabal Dil (spelling approximate) that morning, and that heavy and medium weapons were used in the fighting. [Sumaria]
The PKK announced that its military arm had killed 15 Turkish soldiers. 10 were killed in Gulmerk in Turkey on May 28 and 25, and 5 were killed in Sidekan in Soran District, Erbil. [Roj]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
NATIONAL NEWS
Foreign policy
Arab countries
According to Bas News, a source from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Tuesday that the Arab partners of the SDF are discussing the idea of establishing a federation of 3 Arab regions in Syria. The source, who declined to be identified, told Bas News that talks were underway with Egypt, Jordan, and especially Saudi Arabia to establish an Arab federation in Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor, and Manbij. The source added that these countries were still discussing the proposal, as well as whether to “send Arab troops to Syria to prevent the formation of a ‘Shia crescent’ in the region.” [BasNews]
United Nations
The UN Security Council (UNSC) demanded that all parties commit to Resolution 2401, issued last March. The resolution demands a 30-day ceasefire by all parties involved. It also stressed the importance of providing easy access for humanitarian and medical aid workers, as well as de-mining teams, to combat areas. This was announced by the Polish representative, who is chairing this session of the UNSC. [Anadolu]
The Syrian government gave the UN a list of candidates to consider for inclusion on the constitutional committee which will write the new Syrian constitution. The formation of this committee has been agreed upon since the Sochi meeting in January this year. The UN is said to be studying the list carefully. [ZamanAlwasl]
Chemical weapons
The President of the OPCW announced that the samples which his organization gathered in areas exposed to chemical weapons attacks establish proof that there were more chemical materials than the Syrian regime has announced. [Qasioun]
Israel
An Israeli spokesperson for the Ministry for Arabic Media said that Israel is working to counter Iranian military positioning in Syria. Netanyahu added that removing Iran from southern Syria is one priority because Iran’s long-range missiles are capable of striking Israel from many kilometers within southern Syria. [Qasioun]
A high-level Israeli source says that Israel approved a Syrian government presence in southern Syria adjacent to Israeli borders after a Russian promise that there will be no presence of Iran or Hezbollah there. [Dorar]
Haaretz reported on Monday that the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad intends to move Iranian forces, including Hezbollah, further away from the Israeli-Syrian border. [Qasioun]
Northwest
Al-Bab
Local sources say a car bomb exploded in the town of Qabasin, 7 km (4 miles) north of Al-Bab, held by Turkish forces. No reports on casualties are available. [Hawar]
The 3rd explosion within 8 days targeted areas under Turkish control in Qabasin. [SyriaHR]
Northeast
Hasaka
SOHR observed renewed clashes and military operations east of the Euphrates River aiming to defeat Daesh. The operations are carried out by the SDF with the support of the International Coalition in Deir Ez-Zor and Hasaka governorates. [SyriaHR]
DaeshDaily comment. It’s worth looking at a map to understand this. Hasaka is just north of Deir Ez-Zor, and southern Hasaka has been left under Daesh control until just recently so as to prioritize Deir Ez-Zor. This probably happened because the Syrian Army and the Russians were moving to take over all of Deir Ez-Zor, prompting a fast move of the SDF out of Hasaka and Raqqa to areas east of the Euphrates in Deir Ez-Zor. To close Daesh out of Deir Ez-Zor, however, its military movements from Hasaka to Deir Ez-Zor have to be stopped, so as to prevent reinforcements and resupply. The new Hasaka front should therefore be seen as an extension of the SDF campaign in Deir Ez-Zor.
Central and West
Aleppo/Idlib
The Idlib Al-Kheir operations room (affiliated with Tahrir al-Sham) announced a curfew in the city from 12:00 to 4:00 AM. It says this is for a security operation to track sleeper cells that are responsible for assassinations in Idlib. [Qasioun]
Last Friday, 3 Saudi military leaders visited the American operating base in Kharab Ashiq in eastern Aleppo District, not far from the Raqqa border. They met with officials of the PYD. The source said on Monday that the purpose of the visit was to establish new Arab units in a faction affiliated with the SDF. [Qasioun]
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that unknown armed men in a pickup vehicle shot and killed a Tahrir Al-Sham Uzbek commander in Idlib city.
Hama
A militant group, Abu Amara, announced on Tuesday that they would undertake a new operation against the Syrian Army and its affiliated militias in Hama governorate. [Dorar]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Deir Ez-Zor District
Daesh is attempting to disperse the Syrian Army and its allies west of the Euphrates. They attacked the town of Sabikhan (on the west bank of the river) and Salihiya (north of Deir Ez-Zor city) simultaneously. [SyriaHR]
Mayadin District
SOHR said that at least nine Russians and 26 Syrian soldiers have died after a ferocious attack by Daesh in Mayadin. It said “There were 35 pro-government forces killed, including at least nine Russians. Some of those Russian nationals were government troops, but not all of them.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense said at least four Russian national soldiers were killed by rebel shelling during a joint attack mounted by several different opposition groups on an army base in Mayadin last Wednesday. Russian news outlets reported that two Russian military advisers were killed during the incident and two more later died in hospital.
According to the Russian MoD, 43 attackers were killed during last week’s fighting.
A DaeshDaily source said that 22 Syrian soldiers, including 2 officers, were killed in a Daesh attack on Mayadin city. The source said Daesh attacked the city from 3 sides. The source also said Daesh terrorists captured several military vehicles and set 8 military positions on fire before retreating.
Albu Kamal District
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday dozens of Daesh terrorists fled from Hajin to Al-Susah after SDF units, supported by Coalition planes, advanced to Hajin. The source said the terrorists were carrying IEDs and mid-sized weapons. The source also said SDF snipers killed Abu Yousif Al-Baritani, a Daesh commander, as he was fleeing.
Daesh published photos of its snipers in the Baghouz area. [ICDNMay26]
South
Daraa/Quneitra
Local media sources published pictures of large quantities of tanks, saying that the 4th Division of the Syrian Army is heading to Quneitra. Damascus Now, a pro-government website, says the “armed forces are preparing to liberate southern areas”. [Qasioun]
Syrian opposition factions on Monday foiled a plot of the fighters of the Jaish Khaled (affiliated with Daesh) to infiltrate the town if Sheikh Saad in Daraa. [Qasioun]
A source warns that complacency in dealing with Daesh in Daraa Governorate is leading to the development of sleeper cells. [ZamanAlwasl]
A DaeshDaily source said on Tuesday that a senior opposition commander was killed and several other fighters wounded in a Daesh attack on Sheikh Saad town, southwest of Daraa. The source said Daesh captured the town for few hours and captured 4 vehicles and weapons before fleeing.
Daesh said on Tuesday it killed two opposition fighters near Sheikh Saad. [Telegram]
Daesh affiliate Jaish Khaled publishes photos of “normal Ramadan life” in the Yarmouk Basin area. [ICDNMay29]
Daesh published on Sunday photos of publicly killing a man in Al-Shajara town. [ICDNMay27]
Suwayda
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that the bodies of 4 Tahrir Al-Sham members were found shot in the head near Hardan town, in Suwayda. The source said they had been captured by government forces earlier.
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Saudi Arabia/Yemen
Daesh published a photo of one of its Yemeni terrorists, claiming he was killed in Bayda. [ICDNMay29]
North Africa
Libya
On Tuesday, an international conference on Libya was held in Paris in the presence of leaders of Libyan delegations and representatives of 20 states and regional and international organizations. The meeting was held under the auspices of the UN, as an initiative of the French President, Emanuel Macron, with the purpose of “creating conditions to escape from the crisis” which has been ongoing since the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. [ZamanAlwasl]
DaeshDaily comment. The Libya political situation has been in a situation of instability since the demise of Gaddafi, with an internationally recognized government in Tripoli, in northwest Libya; an elected House of Representatives in Tobruk in northeast Libya; a Libyan National Army operating in eastern Libya that does not report to the recognized national government; and a High State Council in Tripoli, a high-level advisory group. While this is an international conference, Macron hopes to use it to put pressure on the leaders of these four competing entities to come to a clear agreement on some basic issues, most especially the proposed national election, planned overoptimistically for this year. If the plan works it would be a great step forward, but so far nothing has put these pieces together, so there is considerable skepticism and some concern that the effect will make the situation even worse.
REPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
U.S./EUROPE
Great Britain
A British parliamentary committee issued a report on Tuesday that warned that a “disaster” such as Iraq could happen again because there is still limited authority in Parliament to prevent a future prime minister from launching into a war without taking proper consultation with the Council of Ministers and considering all peaceful options first. [Anadolu]
Belgium
A man has shot dead two female police officers and a civilian in the eastern Belgian city of Liège.
The gunman also took a female cleaner hostage at a school before being killed by police. Four other police officers were also injured. The incident is being treated as terrorism. [Roj]
AFRICA
Somalia
Daesh said on Tuesday it killed six Somali Intelligence service personnel with an IED at an intersection in Mogadishu. [Telegram]
Daesh said on Saturday it killed a Somali Intelligence service member in Mogadishu. [Telegram]
Daesh said on Tuesday it killed a Somali soldier, wounded two others, and damaged a military vehicle in an attack on a village south of Qandala. [Telegram]
ASIA
Afghanistan
Daesh said on Tuesday it shot and killed an Afghan government “spy” in Behsud, in Nangarhar. [Telegram]
Daesh published on Sunday photos of killing a captured Afghan government “spy” and a pro-government militiaman. [ICDNMay27]
Pakistan
Daesh said on Sunday it killed two policemen and wounded others in clashes in Quetta city. [Telegram]
