May 21, 2018
Daesh Terrorists Captured near Badoush
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Iraq
IHEC cancels results from 103 voting centers based on validated complaints. [..]
Al-Abadi confers with Al-Sadr, Allawi with Barzani, on possible government coalition. [..]
Al-Abadi advisor says mismanagement, port corruption cost Iraq billions. [..]
Iran spokesman says Iran “not worried” about Iraq election results. [..]
Border Guard will resume control of Syrian border security. [..]
CTS commander in Kirkuk city wants 6 PMF units there to leave. [..]
18 Daesh fighters arrested at gateway to East Mosul. [..]
Major Daesh terrorists arrested in Hit, Hawija, Mosul, Wasit. [..]
Syria
Human rights org. says Russia has killed 6,133 Syrian civilians in 2½ years. [..]
Coalition airstrikes kill 28 Daesh fighters in Albu Kamal. [..]
Syrian forces resume government control of Yarmouk Camp and nearby area. [..]
Other countries
Egypt: Daesh trying to relieve government’s military pressure in Sinai. [..]
US: Pompeo blasts Iran’s support of terrorism; promises major sanctions. [..]
Russia: 3 die in Daesh suicide attack on church in Chechnya. [..]
Pakistan: Daesh kills mosque imam who urged people to vote. [..]
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
Election/New Government
Election
IHEC announced on Monday that the results of 103 voting centers were canceled on the 12th of the month after verifying dozens of “red complaints.” “Red complaints” are those which IHEC has determined involved a gross violation that would affect results at the voting station. The voting centers affected were in Anbar, Ninewa, Salahuddin, Erbil, and Baghdad [Anadolu]
DaeshDaily comment. We can bet on further controversy in the wake of this report, especially when the implications are explained. At the least, this seems to validate the complaints right after the election that there were irregularities in many places. However, the overall impact from 103 precincts is likely to be limited. There were 53,000 polling places.
A Christian list close to Hadi Al-Amiri won 2 Christian quota seats, causing allegations that it received Shia votes. Christians are allocated 5 quota seats in the CoR, to ensure their representation. In the May 12 election, 7 Christian lists with 60 candidates competed for those 5 seats. However, the Christians were surprised that the PMF-affiliated “Babylon” list received 33,000 votes, winning 2 out of the 5 seats. By comparison, the next runner-up, the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian People’s Council, received 2,017 votes to win 1 seat. Nadeel Odishu, an official affiliated with the Democratic Assyrian Movement in Dahuk, estimated that 30,000 of the 33,000 votes for the “Babylon” list were Shia. He noted that there are 11 [registered] Christian families in Tel Keif, but “Babylon” got 7,000 votes there. The other 2 quota seats for the Christians were won, 1 each, by the Rafidain alliance and the Chaldean alliance. [Rudaw]
DaeshDaily comment. What happened was probably not illegal. The larger story is more likely about the Christians and the Kurds in Ninewa. Some Christians are pro-Kurdish; others are anxious to stay in Iraq. We have covered one or two small Christian militias with Iraq loyalties who joined the PMFs and fought with Shia PMF organizations.
New Government
The meeting of Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi with cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, whose electoral bloc led the Iraqi elections, was reported as a possible step towards a meeting between the two and Masoud Barzani, leader of the KDP, and Ayad Allawi, leader of the Wataniya (National) alliance. Sources said that the meeting was a sign of the new coalition that would probably lead Iraq. Allawi and Barzani met in Erbil at the same time. The 4 leaders, if they agree on a coalition, would have over 150 seats in the 329-member parliament, and would only need only 15 more to secure the required majority to form the new government. This coalition might mean more international support, given Al-Sadr’s opposition to an increased Iranian role in Iraq. [Hawar]
An MP from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Abd Al-Aziz Hassan, said on Monday that the Kurdish parties will work on unifying their positions before going to Baghdad, noting that the struggle for constitutional rights for the Kurds requires a unified position. In an interview, Hassan said that all of the Kurdish political alliances had agreed to present a united front in Baghdad, saying that any political friction between the Kurdish parties was a “normal” part of a democratic system. He added that there was an ongoing agreement between the PUK and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) specifically, which he said would continue. [Sumaria]
Ammar Al-Hakim, the leader of the Wisdom alliance, met with UN Special Representative Ján Kubiš on Monday. In a statement, Al-Hakim said that they had discussed the election results and the formation of the next government, and that they agreed on the importance of forming a new government as an Iraqi decision, free from external influence. [Rudaw]
Corruption
Mohammed Saleh, Economic Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, said on Monday that customs are not being properly collected, which he blamed on “poor discipline.” He was appearing on a TV program broadcast by Sumaria. Saleh said that customs exemptions were estimated at 3 billion dollars annually, and that customs duties from large imports should come to around 8 billion, which is equivalent to the cost of debt service for Iraq. The Iraqi Port and Border Authority previously said that Iraq was losing billions of dollars per month to “port corruption.” [Sumaria]
Reconstruction
Mohammed Saleh also said on Monday that Iraq will pay 10 billion dollars for debt in 2022, and that Iraq had a good credit rating. Saleh was appearing on the TV program “Suhour Iraqi” on Sumaria. He said that Iraq needed to prepare to pay its large debt by establishing a fund which the government would pay into annually. Iraq’s foreign debt includes loans from the IMF and World Bank, as well as internal debt issued in bonds. Iraq’s public budget has been heavily affected by the decline in world oil prices. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Most of us, noting the recently fast-rising gasoline prices, can take some comfort in the fact that this at least helping the Iraqi economy even if it’s costing us.
Anti-Daesh campaign
Current PM Haider Al-Abadi issued several directives on Monday aimed at securing the border and preventing terrorist infiltration. A statement issued by Al-Abadi’s media office said that he visited Joint Ops Command and was briefed on their anti-Daesh operations. [Sumaria]
Central Investigation court in Baghdad validated the confession of a Moroccan national wanted by Interpol for recruiting fighters for Daesh. The convict, who speaks Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, attracted recruits on the internet, using mainly Skype. [Dijlah]
Foreign policy
Bahram Qasemi, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of Iran, denied that the Sa’irun alliance, led by Muqtada Al-Sadr, would work to expel Iran from Iraq. In a news conference, Qasemi said that Iran respected the outcome of the CoR elections in Iraq and was “not worried” about the future of the Iraqi people. [Sumaria]
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
The Center for Security Information announced on Monday that a wanted person had been arrested while trying to enter Baghdad. Center spokesman General Yahya Rasul said in a statement that Baghdad security personnel under the General Directorate of Intelligence had arrested the person, who was wanted on terrorism charges. [Ghad]
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
A police source said on Monday that a civilian had been killed by an IED in Tarmiya. The source said that the IED had been planted underneath a car and exploded while another car was driving by, killing the driver. [Sumaria]
West (Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib, etc.)
Daesh said on Sunday it wounded an Iraqi soldier in an ambush near the Abu Ghraib Prison.
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 3 (Includes only incidents reported)
Total IED incidents reported: 1
ANBAR
Hit/Haditha
A “security source” in Anbar Province said on Monday that a Daesh official in its so-called “Islamic Police” had been arrested in the Hit District. The source told PUK Media that the Daesh official, Abu Fatima Al-Muhajir, was a senior leader and that Iraqi security personnel had been compiling information on him. The source added that he was arrested while hiding in the desert in Hit and planning to flee to the city of Al-Qa’im. However, Knooz wrote that he was arrested near Al-Qa’im. [PUKMedia] [Knooz]
Al-Qa’im
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that a Nujaba’ Movement commander was killed when an IED exploded on his vehicle near the Syrian border.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that 6 trucks loaded with weapons arrived at the Kata’eb Hezbollah headquarters in Albu Kamal, coming from Al-Qa’im.
Rutba
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that the Border Guard deployed 4,000 of its personnel to cover the border area with Syria. The source said the move means that the PMFs will no longer be responsible for protecting the border. The source said some PMF fighters were accused of allowing Daesh members to cross from Syria in exchange for money.
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that Daesh captured 3 Kata’eb Sayyed Al-Shuhada members at a fake checkpoint near Tilul Al-Baj.
Baiji
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that a child was killed and his mother wounded when a Daesh leftover IED exploded in their house in the Albu Juwari area. The source said that PMF units had cleared the house earlier, but the IED was planted in the child’s crib and exploded when the family returned to the house. The source said the PMFs will start another search for IEDs in the area.
Tikrit
A DaeshDaily source said on Friday that PMF units found several Daesh tunnels in the Mtaibija area and killed 2 Daesh terrorists hiding in one of them. A PMF fighter was killed.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Salahuddin SWAT units defused a vehicle bomb that was parked on the road in the Al-Qadisiya neighborhood in Tikrit city.
Southern Salahuddin (Balad, Dujail)
Daesh said on Sunday that an Iraqi EOD specialist was killed while he was defusing a roadside IED north of Dhuluiya. [Telegram]
Eastern Salahuddin (Al-Daur, Tooz)
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that PMF units killed a Daesh suicide bomber and 2 other terrorists who sneaked into Bashir village. The source said the suicide terrorist was planning to attack a Sunni mosque in the village. The source said the IFP had earlier informed the PMFs that it got information about a potential Daesh attack.
Daesh said it destroyed an SUV carrying PMF fighters with an IED in the Jalam Al-Daur area, on Saturday. [Telegram]
DIYALA
A DaeshDaily source said on Friday that a Kata’eb Hezbollah commander fled to Turkey after an arrest warrant was issued against him for his role in kidnapping a local merchant in Diyala for money. The source says the commander was involved in many crimes against Sunni people.
Baquba/Southeast Diyala
The media office for the Federal Court of Appeals in Basra announced on Monday that the Basra Criminal Court had issued 2 separate death sentences to a person convicted of killing and wounding security personnel in Diyala Province 12 years ago. In a statement, the media office said that the defendant was sentenced to death for participating in an Al-Qaeda attack on a police detachment in Kanaan, Diyala, on October 19 2006, and in an attack on security forces in Kanaan on June 30, 2006. [Sumaria]
Northern Diyala (Kifri, Khanaqin, Khalis north)
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that Saraya Al-Khorasani, an Iranian-backed Shia militia, blew up the house of a Daesh commander in the Himrin area. The source said that the commander is now in the Himrin Mountains area, while his family is in a displacement camp in Daquq.
KIRKUK
Kirkuk
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) commander in Kirkuk issued orders to shut down the offices of 6 PMF units in Kirkuk city “for security reasons.” The source said the commander also requested that those PMFs leave the city within 48 hours.
Hawija (Riyadh, Al-Zab, etc.)
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that local police units captured Sabah Al-Saqlawi, a Daesh leader who killed hundreds of people in a massacre in the Zuwiya area—at a checkpoint near Al-Zab. The source sent us photos of the captured terrorist.
Southwest (Daquq, Rashad, Taza, etc.)
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that tribal PMF fighters stopped a Daesh attack on Al-Yarkon village, south of Daquq, killing 4 terrorists.
Daesh said on Monday it shot at a house, where PMF fighters were barricading, in Al-Yarkon village.
NINEWA
Nineveh Plain (Hamdaniya, Tel Keif, etc.)
Captain Adel Al-Fahadi of the Ninewa Police said on Monday that 18 Daesh fighters had been arrested in the area of Kokjali, just east of Mosul. He told Bas News that the arresting units had also confiscated their weapons. [BasNews]
Mosul
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that Ninewa SWAT units captured Jassem Al-Sajri, a Daesh commander, in Hay Al-Shuhada in west Mosul. The source said the terrorist admitted to killing 190 IHEC employees in 2015 in addition to several other crimes. The terrorist also admitted that Daesh had recruited Hassan Al-Jubouri and ordered him to kill his father, election candidate Farouq Al-Jubouri, in Lazzaqa village two weeks ago.
DaeshDaily comment. Conceding that Daesh’s atrocities were endless, this 2015 massacre of so many government officials—just for having worked on democratic elections—was one of the most shocking.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that according to a Military Intelligence Service officer, a Daesh group of 12 terrorists arrived from the Badoush hills area in northwest Mosul and tried to enter Hay Al-Ubour in southwest Mosul. The officer said his unit got information from local residents and ambushed the terrorist group, killing 5 of them and capturing 7. The officer also said that the captured terrorists admitted they were getting food from a woman in Hay Al-Abar on weekly bases. The terrorists also admitted there are more than 100 more terrorists hiding in the hills, led by a commander from Tal Afar. The source sent us photos of the captured terrorists.
Daesh said on Sunday it killed a PMF member and destroyed his vehicle with a sticky IED in Hay Al-Ubour, in west Mosul. [Telegram]
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that Iraqi Army 20th division stopped a Daesh attack on Al-Kawar village in Badoush, killing 6 terrorists, including a commander.
On Monday, the Ninewa Police Chief said that Iraqi security forces arrested 5 members of Daesh wanted for terrorism and other crimes, 4 of them considered dangerous. The arrests occurred in Badoush in northwest Mosul. [Anadolu]
The Center for Security Information announced on Monday that a large tunnel had been destroyed in Mosul, killing Daesh fighters inside. Units from the Military Intelligence Directorate, 20th Division, found a large tunnel in Husseiniya, central Mosul. The security personnel fought with the Daesh fighters inside, killing 2 of them and seizing explosives belts and materials. Because the tunnel was so large and would have been difficult to clear with the Daesh fighters inside, Coalition air support was called in to deliver an airstrike to destroy the tunnel. He added that the death toll from the airstrike was estimated to be “at least 10” Daesh fighters, who had been planning to carry out further terrorist operations in the near future. [Sumaria]
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that local authorities demolished 18 shops built by Daesh in 2014 in the Al-Sukkar neighborhood in east Mosul.
The Center for Security Information said on Monday that Ninewa Ops Command had detonated a collection of explosives left behind by Daesh. Center spokesman General Yahya gave a statement saying that security personnel detonated a pile of shells and 30 explosives belts that were collected through various search operations. [Ghad]
Southern Ninewa
Mosul subdistrict/ Hammam Al-Alil
Daesh said it killed an Iraqi soldier and wounded four others in clashes in Sheikh Younis village, south of Mosul, on Sunday. [Telegram]
Hatra
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that PMF units started a search in several areas south of Hatra. The source said the units found a Daesh tunnel and clashed with a group of Daesh terrorists who were hiding there. The source said two PMF fighters and 4 Daesh terrorists were killed.
Western Ninewa
Sinjar
Captain Amir Wathiq of the Ninewa Police said on Monday that two PMF soldiers had been killed by armed Daesh fighters in Sinjar District. He told Bas News that the Daesh fighters had launched an attack on the village of Ablij in Qayrawan, Sinjar, killing two PMF members and wounding another before fleeing. [BasNews]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Wasit
On Monday, the Wasit Criminal Court sentenced 2 terrorists and former Al-Qaeda members to death by hanging. Judge Abd Al-Sattar Birqdar, the spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council, said in a statement that 1 of the 2 had detonated a car bomb in the Abbasiya marketplace in Wasit Province on August 15 2011, killing dozens, and that the other had participated in several terrorist attacks around Wasit. [Sumaria]
The Center for Security Information said that a terrorist had been arrested in Wasit Province. Center spokesman General Yahya credited units from the Military Intelligence Directorate under Rafidain Ops Command with the arrest, in cooperation with Wasit Anti-Terrorism units. [Etejah]
KURDISTAN NEWS
(No reports)
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
American officials stated that the Turkish offensive in Afrin supported Daesh in its recruiting efforts, according to the Washington Post. The Post reported the Daesh leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is believed to be still alive and is striving to implement a long-term strategy despite recent military defeats. [Hawar]
The HPG, military wing of the PKK, announced that 45 Turkish soldiers had been killed in operations executed Sunday in the governorate of Aghra in eastern Turkey. [Anadolu]
A DaeshDaily source said on Friday that Turkish security units captured Abu Al-Majd Al-Shami, a Daesh mail carrier, in Istanbul and confiscated USD 11,000. The source says Shami had arrived in Turkey 4 days earlier and was planning to flee to Greece.
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
NATIONAL NEWS
The Syrian Human Rights network says that Russia has killed 6,133 Syrian civilians since September 30 2015. [Dorar]
Iran’s Foreign Minister Spokesman Bahram Qasemi stressed that Iran will continue to operate in Syria as long as the Syrian government requests it. [Qasioun]
Northwest
Azaz
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Turkey-backed opposition groups captured Bashir Al-Sumaida’i, a Daesh Iraqi commander, near Mare’. The source says the terrorist, who used to be a Saddam Special Security Service officer, was responsible for killing tens of civilians and captured opposition groups’ members, and had participated in the Kojo massacre when Daesh killed hundreds of Yazidi civilians in 2014.
Northeast
Hasaka
Dorar reported that on Sunday, an IED targeted a US convoy between Tel Tamr subdistrict in Hasaka and another Hasaka location and that 3 American soldiers died and others were wounded. Other sources reported a possible traffic accident involving three vehicles. [Dorar] However, a Daesh Daily cross-check of a Coalition website uncovered no such casualty report.
A DaeshDaily source said on Friday that Daesh killed one of its Iraqi members publicly in Abu Hamdha town after accusing him of treason. The source says the murdered person had been a Daesh security official for two years and had personally killed three young men after accusing them of spying for the Coalition.
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that 6 Daesh terrorists were killed and their pickup vehicle destroyed in an airstrike in the Dashisha area.
Central and West (No reports)
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Deir Ez-Zor District
A landmine killed three civilians including a child and wounded others on Hawi Al-Ashara road east of Deir Ez-Zor. [Qasioun]
Local sources say SDF sent more reinforcements to the battlefront against Daesh east of Deir Ez-Zor. 100 fighters were sent from Raqqa to the frontlines. [Qasioun]
Mayadin District
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that a Syrian Army captain and his driver were killed when Daesh targeted their vehicle with a rocket in the Mayadin area.
Albu Kamal District
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Coalition planes targeted a Daesh safehouse in Al-Susah, killing 12 terrorists including an Iraqi commander responsible for Daesh’s Ashbal Al-Khilafa boy soldiers.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that Coalition planes killed 16 Daesh terrorists, including Abdul al-Sattar Al-Ani, an Iraqi commander, in airstrike on the Daesh “soldier’s office” in Hajin. The source says Al-Ani was responsible for many Daesh crimes and had been involved in the Albu Nimr massacre in Hit.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that Daesh stopped another SDF attack on Hajin. The source said there are still thousands of civilians trapped in the town.
Daesh said on Saturday it targeted Syrian Army position in Albu Kamal city with 5 mortar shells. [Telegram]
South
Damascus/Rif Damashq
Damascus city and the governorate of Rif Damashq is now under the complete control of the regime. The fighters have agreed to leave those areas and some sources say that they have been dispersed into the Syrian Desert near Hamimiya in Albu Kamal district. [Qasioun]
On Monday, Russian media announced that Yarmouk Camp was liberated from Daesh by the Syrian regime. [Qasioun]
Sky News reports that a large explosion shook an Iranian operations room used as a headquarters for electronic warfare in the area of Najha, located in Rif Damashq governorate. [Hawar]
Daraa
Daesh affiliate, Jaish Khaled, said ten opposition fighters were killed when they walked into a landmine field near Adwan town on Saturday. It said the group was trying to sneak into the town. It also said it targeted the group with mortars, damaging a tank and forcing the remaining fighters to retreat. [ICDNMay20]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Iran
Reuters quoted an Iranian official as saying the US is planning to change the régime in Iran. He was responding to the 12 conditions placed by the US Secretary of State on Iran. Another official said that Iran’s presence in Syria is legal and based on the request of the Syrian government, and thus nobody can force them to leave Syria, adding that others illegitimately present should leave. [Dorar]
Yemen
Daesh published on Saturday photos of targeting a Houthi vehicle with an SPG9 rocket in the Al-Abal area, in Qifa. [ICDNMay19]
North Africa
Egypt
On Saturday, a Daesh member from North Sinai called on Daesh terrorists and supporters in Egypt to conduct attacks on government forces or on Christian people in Egypt. He said that government forces besieged areas south of Rafah and south of Sheikh Zuweid. He claimed that Daesh families there are starving. He said the best way to break that siege is to conduct terrorist attacks elsewhere in Egypt. [Telegram]
DaeshDaily comment. This would seem to be a tacit acknowledgement that the government campaign is finally having some effect.
Daesh said it wounded the Central Security Service commander of North Sinai and several of his associates by detonating an IED on his convoy south of Arish on Saturday. [ICDNMay21]
Daesh’s A3maq said the manager of the office of the commander was killed in the attack. [Telegram]
The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said that the easy access to weapons encourages violence in Egypt and is posing a threat to international peace and security.
Haley also said that 7 years after toppling tyranny, the promises of the revolution to the Libyan people have not been fulfilled. [Anadolu]
REPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
U.S./EUROPE
United States
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged on Monday to impose the most powerful sanctions in history on Iran, and to “hunt down and destroy” Tehran’s partners in the region and in the world. The remarks came as part of a speech at the Heritage Foundation, a DC-based conservative think tank. Pompeo said in the speech that Iran was “the world’s largest supporter and sponsor of terrorism,” and accused Iran of being behind assassination plots in Europe and continuing to pursue the ability to make a nuclear bomb. Pompeo called on Iran to “withdraw from Syria and stop supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad,” or face the destruction of their economy. [Rudaw]
Germany
It appears that the German government knows that more than half of the fighters who left Germany to conflict areas had German nationalities, estimating about 500 fighters. Dozens of German Muslims are held in prisons in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. The German government decided to withdraw citizenship from fighters found guilty of engaging with terrorist militias or in combat. [ZamanAlwasl]
Russia
Russia’s investigative committee said in a statement that 4 terrorists attacked an Orthodox church in Grozny, Chechnya on Saturday, killing two policemen and a churchgoer. The attackers were killed. [Reuters]
Daesh said 4 of its terrorists attacked “Michael Church” in Grozny on Saturday using knives, Molotov cocktails, and guns. It said the terrorists killed two policemen and a churchgoer and wounded another churchgoer before they were killed.
ASIA
Afghanistan
Daesh said on Monday it targeted an election center in the Khewa area, in Nangarhar, with 2 IEDs, killing an Afghan Intelligence Service officer and wounding three pro-government militiamen. [Telegram]
Daesh said on Sunday it shot and killed the chief of the Surkh Road Criminal Investigation Service, one of his associates, and a police officer and stole 2 hand guns and a machine gun. [Telegram]
Pakistan
Daesh said on Saturday it shot and killed a mosque imam who was “calling on people to participate in the elections and was defending Shia people” in Quetta. [Telegram]
DAESH MEDIA
Daesh published a photo of one of its Pakistani terrorists claiming he was killed in “Khorasan” (Pakistan and Afghanistan.) [ICDNMay21]
