May 4, 2018
Abu Hamam Town
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Iraq
Sistani refuses to support any political party, warns against voting for proven losers; endorses continuation of anti-corruption reform program. [..]
Al-Abadi alleges financial corruption by some PMF leaders. [..]
IAF airstrikes kill numerous Daesh fighters in Daquq, Kirkuk. [..]
Yazidi girl freed in Sinjar after 4 years of captivity. [..]
Syria
US freezes its funding support for Syria’s “White Helmets.” [..]
Coalition ramps up airstrikes in Albu Kamal, southern Hasaka. [..]
France’s top general says it will keep its troops in northern Syria. [..]
Egypt supports Arab troops in Syria; likely won’t send its own. [..]
UN humanitarian official warns of warfare spreading to Idlib. [..]
SDF battling Syrian troops, Daesh, & anti-government militia in Deir Ez-Zor. [..]
33 Daesh members surrender to SDF in Hajin; 200 others still trapped in city. [..]
Syria apparently taking heavy casualties in battles south of Damascus. [..]
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
Election
US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert expressed surprise at the number of candidates for the Iraqi CoR election, describing it as a remarkable success in the march toward democracy in Iraq. “First, what I’d like to say about Iraq is congratulations on the election that they are holding. And what is incredible about that election is the fact that they have 320 parliamentary seats and 7,000 candidates coming from 50 parties. I mean, imagine that. That’s a tremendous number. So I think we’ve just seen such incredible success with the march toward democracy in Iraq,” she said.
She added that the U.S. has had “a lot of conversations with the Iraqi Government. They’re a steadfast partner of the United States. Some of our various programs at DRL – one of our bureaus here, Democracy, Labor and Human Rights – they’re partnering with the National Democratic Institute to implement a $3 million program that aims at strengthening government – governance overall, and then boosting voter participation. USAID also has some separate programs through the Independent High Electoral Commission to try to ensure that all Iraqis – women, minority groups, and the like – all have access to the polls and to elections.” [Mustaqila]
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani announced on Friday that he was “standing at a distance” from all the candidates for the CoR elections and did not support any one person or list, while warning about choosing “proven losers.” Al-Sistani made the announcement via a statement read by his representative in Kerbala, Abdul-Mahdi Al-Karbalai. The statement added that each voter needs to vote their conscience and not allow anyone to exploit religious authority for electoral gains; needs to learn the lesson of adherence to values, principles, and the rule of law; and should not to be swayed by foreign agendas. Sistani mentioned the need to choose those who had realistic programs to solve the crises that have plagued Iraq for many years, and concluded that the way to ensure this was to see who the candidates and heads of lists were, “particularly those who were in positions of responsibility [before], to avoid falling into the traps of deceitful losers, the corrupt, or other ‘tested’ persons [candidates like them].” [Sumaria]
On Friday, the Grand Ayatollah also called for the reform movement in the country to continue, warning of 3 layers of society that negatively influence reform. Abdul-Mahdi Al-Karbalai, the Grand Ayatollah’s representative, read the statement during Friday’s sermon, which said, “The Grand Ayatollah calls for benefiting from the experiences of previous nations in the process of reform, including the curriculum of the prophets and imams,” stressing, “the reform movement must continue from the time of the prophets until the Day of Resurrection.”
Referring to the “3 layers” of society affecting reform, the statement said that they were (1) the “rebel class” that stood against the reform movement, (2) the “ignorant class” that lacked maturity in the reform movement and were easily misled, and (3) the “prisoners of past thinking” who face the reform movement with a negative attitude and doubts. [Sumaria]
Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said on Friday that he supported the Grand Ayatollah’s call to avoid “deceitful losers” in the CoR elections. In a statement issued by Al-Abadi’s press office, he said, “We express our full support for the position and guidance of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani … referring in particular to the call for broad participation in the elections, and making the right choices.” [Rudaw] [Sumaria]
PM Haider Al-Abadi on Friday repeated past comparisons between the “battle against Daesh” and the “battle for reconstruction,” saying that Iraq had ended one battle and entered the next. The remarks were part of a speech to a tribal gathering in Kerbala. [Sumaria]
The Supreme Coordinating Committee for Demonstrations announced it was forming a legal team to file a lawsuit against PM Haider Al-Abadi. In a statement to Rudaw, the Committee said that after grassroots organization planning to demonstrate for the rights of the PMFs on Friday, they had decided to postpone the demonstration for several reasons. The first reason given was their desire, shared with representatives of the Grand Ayatollah in Najaf, not to “confuse the situation” by protesting during the election period. The second reason given was the formation of a legal team to sue Al-Abadi for stalling on the CoR decision to give PMF groups full rights. The Committee added that they postponed the demonstrations so as not to let any political party exploit them or aggravate security concerns during the election period. [Rudaw]
The Rule of Law alliance leader Nouri Al-Maliki said on Friday that nobody has the right to say that Iraq’s budget is empty, as Iraq has many resources. In a speech to a tribal gathering in the Al-Hindiya District of Kerbala, Al-Maliki noted that there were 8 days left until the election, and looked forward to forming a strong majority government. [Sumaria]
Muqtada Al-Sadr warned on Friday of possible terrorist operations during the CoR elections; he also called on voters to avoid the pressures from political parties or militias. Sadr made the remarks in a speech to his followers, delivered on his behalf by the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee for Demonstrations, Ibrahim Al-Jaberi, in Tahrir Square [Liberation Square], central Baghdad. In the speech, Al-Sadr said that any breach or interference in the elections from a militia or party should immediately be reported to law enforcement. Al-Sadr called on citizens to “inform observers or the [Electoral] Commission in the event of any compulsion exerted on the security forces or private votes,” warning that “temptations corrupt and threaten … The expatriates are obligated to support their homeland and save it from corruption; they must cast their votes and lead it away from the pressure of political parties and militias.” [Sumaria]
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq, in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Relations of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), held a conference for international observers of the CoR elections, including foreign missions, UN agencies, and civil society organizations, to review the role of international observers in the electoral process. Dr. Said Kakayi, a member of IHEC, began the conference by highlighting the importance of the elections as a democratic process and the importance of international observers in making the process legally successful and impartial, as well as the importance of transparency. He then expressed his thanks to all the foreign missions and international organizations who were participating in the oversight of the electoral process. [BasNews]
According to RT, over 2,000 Iraqi women are running in the upcoming Iraqi CoR elections in the hope that they will be able to defend women’s rights as well as deal with other issues related to the Iraqi reality, but most are running for election under the guardianship of parties, which, according to observers, limits their actual roles in supporting their issues. [RT]
Corruption
Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi appeared in a video on social media, talking about corruption among the PMF leaders. Al-Abadi said that some PMF leaders are stealing and distributing the PMFs’ funds among themselves. Al-Abadi vowed to catch them and make them pay a heavy price for their corruption. He also added that days before he was killed, PMF Finance Director Qassem Al-Zubaidi called to inform him that the PMFs’ names must be thoroughly checked as there are many fake names on the PMF lists, and some PMF leaders are stealing PMF salaries. [Shafaaq]
During an election rally in Najaf province, Al-Abadi said he would reveal the circumstances behind the killing of Qassem Al-Zubaidi. Al-Abadi said Al-Zubaidi had cooperated with the government to root out corrupt militia leaders who were stealing the salaries of their members. [BasNews]
DaeshDaily comment. This conjures up the huge scandal over “ghost soldiers” that Al-Abadi confronted a few years ago. Salaries are paid to people on the military rolls who are not actually there. The money goes to the officers behind the scheme. Today’s stories confirm our suspicion that Al-Zubaidi’s death was not a Daesh hit but an attack by thugs working for corrupt Iraqi officials trying to avoid being exposed. This may not have been intended to kill him but to intimidate him by causing bodily harm. He was not shot but died anyway from the beating.
Reconstruction
In a meeting with women in Karbala, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi announced on Friday that all the officials’ privileges in the latest reform package were cancelled, adding that “Iraqi women have played a significant role in the battle against Daesh.” He also pointed out that they have an important role in the reconstruction of Iraq. [BaghdadToday]
The PM spokesman, Saad Al-Hadithi, denied on Friday that the countries, which pledged [financial aid for reconstruction of Iraq] during the Kuwait Conference in February, were not trying to fulfill their pledges to Iraq. He said that “the National Action Team (which was set up to follow the decisions of the Kuwait Conference and the financial aid pledged for the reconstruction of Iraq) held a meeting with the representatives of the countries and entities that announced their support for the reconstruction of Iraq, and asked them to provide more details about their financial support.” [BaghdadToday]
Anti-Daesh campaign
The Coalition says it conducted 5 airstrikes on Daesh targets in Iraq between April 27 and May 3, in or near Rutba (2), Hawija (2), and Mosul (1). ([InherentResolve]
Foreign policy
Friday, Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, urged Turkey to withdraw its troops from northern Iraq. “We thank Turkey for its contributions to the Iraqi IDPs and its participation in the Kuwait International Conference for the reconstruction of Iraq,” Al-Jaafari said. He added that Iraq “renews its call on Turkey to withdraw its troops from Iraqi territory.” [Petra]
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
Northeast (Adhamiya, etc.)
Baghdad Ops Command announced on Friday in a statement that it had arrested a man accused of murder in the Shaab area. [Ghad]
East (Sadr City, New Baghdad, etc.)
Baghdad Ops Command announced on Friday in a statement that it had arrested a suspect accused under Article 4 (terrorism) in the Al-Bawiya neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. [Ghad]
South (Dora, Yusufiyah, Mahmudiya, etc.)
Baghdad Ops Command announced on Friday in a statement that it had found 7 IEDs left behind by Daesh in the region of Arab Rakan in southern Baghdad, which were detonated on site without incident. [Ghad]
West (Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib, etc.)
Baghdad Ops Command announced on Friday in a statement that it had arrested 9 Bangladeshi nationals in Al-Saadan, near the Falluja border, for overstaying their visas. [Ghad]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 4 (Includes only incidents reported)
Total IED incidents reported: 1
ANBAR
Falluja
The Center for Security Information said in a statement on Friday that units under East Anbar Ops Command found 6 IEDs and a 155mm mortar shell left behind by Daesh in the area of Rashad, which were blown up. He added that another group cleared the Falluja power station and found and destroyed 5 IEDs. [Ghad]
Ramadi
The Center for Security Information also announced that a cache of explosives and material to manufacture explosives had been found in Ramadi. General Yahya Rasul said in a statement that military intelligence units from the 10th Division found the cache, with 8 glycerin-based explosives containing ammonium nitrate, 8 IEDs, 12 threaded detonators, and 4 large square IEDs, in Albu Shaaban, north of Ramadi city. [Ghad]
General Yahya Rasul also announced on Thursday that 2 terrorists had been arrested in Albu Assaf while trying to escape. [Ghad]
Friday, a security source reported that “based on intelligence information, there are a number of Daesh members moving freely between Wadi Al-Haddar (Al-Haddar Valley) and Al-Thirthar Lake, disguised as shepherds. [KnoozMedia]
Rutba
A DaeshDaily source says Anbar Police units found an explosives cache in a tunnel in Al-Dhab’a village, near Rutba.
SALAHUDDIN
Baiji
Ministry of the Interior spokesman General Sa’ad Ma’an, said on Friday that war materiel left behind by Daesh had been cleared from the Baiji power station. He said the Salahuddin Police, together with the Baiji Electric Police, had found and destroyed 15 mortar shells, a 60mm mortal, 20 155mm “Austrian” shells, a rocket launcher and 40 grenade launchers. [Ghad]
Samarra
Daesh says it killed three PMF fighters and wounded four others in an ambush in the Al-Thirthar area, in the desert west of Samarra. [ICDNMay4]
DIYALA
Baquba/Southeast Diyala
Diyala Ops Commander Lieutenant General Mizher Al-Azzawi said on Friday that 4 wanted persons had been arrested, 2 of them on terrorism charges, and 2 missiles and some military equipment had been seized. Al-Azzawi said that the 4 detainees were arrested in various locations around the province, and the 2 missiles and equipment were seized in Khan Bani Saad, southwest of Baquba.[Ghad]
Central Diyala (Muqdadiya/Abu Saida)
The security committee chairman for Abu Saida said on Friday that 3 civilians had been killed by an IED left on a farm road. Awad Al-Rubaie, the Committee head, added that it had happened in the late hours of the previous evening, near Barwana. [Sumaria]
Daesh says it killed three PMF fighters and wounded two others with an IED in Barwana Kabira village, on Thursday. [ICDNMay4]
Northern Diyala (Kifri, Khanaqin, Khalis north)
A Peshmerga leader said Daesh movements in Diyala Province had increased, referring to an attack the night before on Iraqi forces in the Khanaqin region. Major General Mariwan Ali, Commander of the 2nd Support Forces in the 70th Peshmerga Unit, said, “Armed Daesh fighters control all the villages in Diyala Province and roam freely through them … Last night they attacked Iraqi Army positions in a village near Khanaqin and killed several soldiers.” Ali added that the Peshmerga forces were ready to defend all of Diyala, adding, “The US and Iraqi government are aware of the situation in Diyala, but may not want to move in the current situation … Everything is on hold until after the elections.” [BasNews]
The chairman of the Mansouriya subdistrict council, Ragheb Al-‘Anbuki, said on Friday that a civilian had been wounded in an armed attack. He said that a house on the outskirts of Al-Duwalib village had been attacked with light arms and a grenade, and that the injured party was the brother of a senior officer in the federal police. [Sumaria]
Southern Diyala (Balad Ruz, Mandali)
Daesh said it killed an Iraqi soldier with an IED in the Al-Nida area, on Wednesday. [ICDNMay3]
KIRKUK
Hawija
Election. Commander of the 6th IFP Division, Brigadier General Saad Khalaf Badr, urged the Hawija IDPs to quickly return to their homes, after facilitating the security measures for them in the district. “The 6th IFP Division command has provided the necessary protection for 56 polling centers in Hawija District. They have been fully secured,” he said. “The IFP Command has ordered that vehicles be provided for carrying the voters to the polling centers, and there will be no curfew in the district. Cooperation will be at the highest levels,” he added. [BaghdadToday]
Southwest (Daquq, Rashad, Taza, etc.)
A security source in Kirkuk Province said on Friday that several Daesh fighters had been killed or wounded in an Iraqi Air Force bombing of Daesh safehouses in the southwest of the province. The source, who asked not to be named, said that the Iraqi Air Force had carried out air strikes on fortified villages and safehouses in Daquq District, destroying the safehouses and killing and wounding a number of Daesh fighters. He added that Daesh had been using sites between Daquq and Tooz to target civilians and security forces, especially around Al-Shay and Himrin. [Sumaria]
NINEWA
Mosul (No reports)
Southern Ninewa
Shura
A DaeshDaily source says local police units captured a Daesh hisbah official in Tal Wa’i village, just east of Shura city.
Western Ninewa
Tal Afar
The Center for Security Information said on Friday that 30 IEDs and 21 detonators had been found in Ninewa. General Yahya Rasul said that military intelligence units from the 15th Brigade had found the explosives in the village of Shandoukha, northeast of Tal Afar city. [Sumaria]
Sinjar
A security source reported on Friday that the Military Intelligence Service freed a 14 year old Yazidi girl, who was kidnapped by Daesh 4 years ago. [BaghdadToday]
KURDISTAN NEWS
ERBIL
Wednesday, a local source said that clashes are still ongoing between the Turkish Army and the PKK in different locations in the Sidekan subdistrict in northern Erbil. [Shafaaq]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Turkish security units arrested a fugitive in Gaziantep who was involved in a suicide bombing in the province of Kayseri in 2016. A statement produced by the state of Gaziantep explained how the counter-terrorism division was able to uncover the location of the terrorist. [Anadolu]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
NATIONAL NEWS
Anti-Daesh campaign
Friday, CBS News reported that the US has frozen funding to the Syrian Civil Defense, aka the White Helmets, less than two months after praising the group’s efforts during a meeting with them in Washington. The State Department announced yesterday the funds to the group, which make up a third of their total budget, were under “active review.” An internal State Department document said that its Near East Bureau needed confirmation from the administration to green light funding for the White Helmets in Syria by April 15th or the department would initiate “shut-down procedures on a rolling basis.” That document also said that the department needed to be notified by April 6th that it could continue programs that focus on removing land mines, restoring essential services and providing food to moderate forces and their families or those programs would also have to be shut down. “This is a very worrisome development,” said an official from the White Helmets. “Ultimately, this will negatively impact the humanitarian workers’ ability to save lives.” [Hawar]
The Coalition says it conducted 22 airstrikes on Daesh targets in Syria between April 27 and May 3, in or near Albu Kamal (15), Deir Ez-Zor (2), and Shaddadi in Hasaka (5). [InherentResolve]
Friday, French Army Chief of Staff General Francois Lecointre said that the French troops will remain in Syria, along with their US counterparts, in order to complete the “counter terrorism mission against Daesh.” “I think we are staying with the Americans (in Syria), and I cannot imagine that the United States will withdraw before defeating Daesh,” Lecointre said on Friday in an interview with CNews. [Dorar]
Friday, Al-Ahram newspaper quoted Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shukri, as saying that sending Arab troops to Syria is a possibility that is being discussed by officials from various countries. “In regards to the situation in Syria, the idea of replacing forces with another that may be Arab is a possibility. This proposition is not only being discussed by the media, but also during discussions and deliberations amongst officials of states to look into how these ideas could contribute to stabilizing Syria,” Shukri said, according to Al-Ahram.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ahmed Abu Zeid, said that Sameh Shukri was not raising the possibility that Egypt itself might be ready to send forces to Syria, adding that such a decision is subject to constitutional constraints. “The principles that govern sending Egyptian forces outside the country are known to everybody. That won’t happen unless it was in line with constitutional mechanisms, and rules and regulations that have been affirmed more than once, such as cases related to United Nations peacekeeping operations,” said Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement. [Hawar]
Friday, German authorities announced they had arrested a 25 year old Syrian refugee in the southwestern city of Tubingen on suspicion of being a Daesh member. Germany’s federal prosecutor said that Faisal A. is suspected of joining a militia in 2013 that fought against the Syrian government. Later that year, the militia merged with Daesh. Prosecutors said Faisal was initially considered to be a government collaborator by Daesh, but after undergoing religious “re-education” and swearing allegiance to the group, he was made to spy on the people in Tabaqa and help clear homes seized by Daesh. He allegedly left Syria for Germany at the end of 2014. [ZamanAlwasl]
Friday, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister, Oleg Seromolotov, said that Russia has “no evidence of the death of Daesh’s leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.” “As far as I can remember, his death was reported 10 times, but we can’t confirm those reports, unless they are supported by concrete facts,” he added. [Qasioun]
United Nations
Thursday, the U.N. humanitarian official, Dr. Jan Egeland said that Syria’s war rages unabated despite a fall in the number of besieged civilians, warning of a potential worsening of the conflict in Idlib. He added that millions of civilians were still caught up in the seven-year-old conflict and many who escaped battle zones had to seek shelter in the overcrowded IDP camps in Idlib. “We cannot have a war in Idlib. I keep saying that now to Russia, to Iran, to Turkey, to the United States, to anyone that can have an influence,” Egeland told reporters. He called for negotiations to protect the civilians, and said recent airstrikes on Idlib were a “bad omen.” Egeland also said that about 11,000 Syrians are still under siege and 2 million are hard to reach with humanitarian aid, compared to 625,000 under siege and 4.6 million who were hard to reach a year ago. “The notion that it is ebbing, this war, is completely wrong. This war is on and it’s still in the midst of the civilian population,” Egeland told reporters. [Hawar]
The UN Secretary-General believes that within the next few weeks all of Syria’s chemical weapons facilities will be completely destroyed. In a letter to the Security Council, he warned that failing to identify those responsible for using chemical weapons in Syria will disappoint victims. He also stated that “impunity shall not have the upper hand.” [Qasioun]
Israel
Thursday, Israel’s Minister of Military Affairs, Avigdor Lieberman, said there is no alternative to Bashar Al-Assad today. “In my view, Assad is a war criminal. But we will not interfere in Syria’s internal affairs. What we will not allow is Iran’s attempts to turn Syria into an advanced bridgehead against us. If Moscow decided, for example, to supply Damascus with the S-300, how would that be seen in Israel? If it is not directed against us, that is one matter, but if you open fire from this S-300 on our aircraft, we will certainly respond,” he said. [Dorar]
Northwest (No reports)
Northeast (No reports)
Central and West (No reports)
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Deir Ez-Zor District
Thursday, Zaman Al-Wasl quoted a military source as saying that the SDF launched a military operation against the Al-Nukhba (Elite) Forces, affiliated with the anti-government Syria’s Tomorrow Movement headed by the former president of the Syrian National Coalition Ahmed Al-Jarba, and urged them to hand over their weapons, following clashes between the two sides on Thursday in Abu Hamam and Al-Kashkiya. [ZamanAlwasl]
DaeshDaily comment. Yes, the SDF and Al-Nukhba are on the same side, but they are not allies and not well coordinated with each other. This sounds like a challenge to CENTCOM to broker some kind of arrangement that will avoid a repetition of this incident.
A DaeshDaily source says government soldiers withdrew from Al-Saqra Compound in Salahiya town, north of Deir Ez-Zor, without a fight, allowing the SDF to capture the compound.
Albu Kamal District
A DaeshDaily source says 33 Daesh members surrendered to the SDF near Hajin. The source says there are more than 200 Daesh terrorists still trapped in the town, lacking weapons and ammunition. The source says the terrorists are imposing heavy taxes on people in the town, and the prices of food items have skyrocketed.
A DaeshDaily source says people have started to leave Abu Hamam, because of government forces’ random shelling on the town. The source says Syrian troops, aided by Iraqi militias, are trying to force the SDF out of the town. The source says a child was killed and a woman wounded in the shelling.
Friday, Qasioun reported that Daesh has carried out several surprise attacks on the Syrian forces’ positions in Albu Kamal. Meanwhile, the Coalition aircraft launched on Thursday several airstrikes on the Daesh positions on the Syria-Iraq border. [Qasioun]
South
Damascus/Rif Damashq
Friday, SOHR reported that fierce clashes are still ongoing between the Syrian forces and Daesh in different locations in southern Damascus, especially in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and the Al-Tadhamun neighborhood as well as Al-Yarmouk Camp. [SyriaHR]
Daesh media reports that violent clashes continued since morning on the outskirts of Yarmouk Camp and have prevented the regime from advancing in the area. [Dorar] Daesh says it killed more than 65 Syrian soldiers in heavy battles near the Yarmouk Camp. [ICDNMay4]
Daesh says it stopped a Syrian Army attack on Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, killing at least 25 soldiers, wounding others, and destroying an armored vehicle. [ICDNMay4]
Daesh sources say that Daesh handed over the bodies of 126 Syrian soldiers in Hay Al-Qadam to the government in exchange for releasing “tens” of Daesh women late March. The sources also say 126 more women were freed in exchange for the bodies of 74 soldiers in Al-Hajar Al-Aswad on Thursday.
The sources say that a few days ago, 70 female Daesh members were released by the SDF in exchange for captured SDF soldiers, in an unspecified location. [ICDNMay4]
Daesh said on Thursday its snipers killed 3 Syrian soldiers in Hay Al-Zain and near Yelda town. [ICDNMay3]
Social media activists circulated a document from the Ministry of Awqaf in Rif Damashq which called for preachers in the mosques of Eastern Ghouta and especially the city of Douma (the district capital in Eastern Ghouta just 6 miles NE of Damascus) to stick to the prepared scripts for sermons and to avoid mentioning any religious topics that are not absolutely necessary. The Ministry also called for maintaining prayer rituals and including supplications for the President of Syria in every sermon. [Qasioun]
Daraa
Friday, SOHR reported that violent clashes broke out between the anti-government Syrian militias and the Daesh affiliate, Jaish Khaled, in Saham Al-Jolan village, 25 km (16 miles) northwest of Daraa city, accompanied by mutual rocket and artillery shelling. [SyriaHR]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
North Africa
Egypt
Friday, the Egyptian Army announced that it foiled an attack on a military checkpoint in Al-Joura village in Sheikh Zuweid, killing 3 gunmen. An Egyptian soldier was also killed, however. [Dijla]
REPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
U.S./EUROPE
Russia
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that Al-Qaeda’s revenues now exceed those of Daesh by 10–20 times over. The Deputy Director of the Department for New Threats and Challenges, Dmitry Feoktistov, told reporters on Thursday that Daesh’s revenue stream had largely dried up as a result of the closing of its financing channels and limiting of its oil trade, which he credited to the work of the Russian armed forces. He estimated the current Daesh income as $3 million per month, while the total income of all Al-Qaeda cells worldwide is estimated between $20 million and $40 million per month. [Sumaria]
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced it had arrested 5 Daesh members who were planning terrorist attacks in the Russian city of Yaroslavl. The FSB said in a statement that the 5 had been arrested on May 3rd and 4th, and had been planning terrorist acts in “several Russian provinces.” The FSB added that they seized IEDs, weapons, and ammunition, and that the terrorist attacks were being planned with coordination from outside [of Russia]. [Sumaria]
AFRICA
Somalia
Daesh said on Thursday it shot and killed a Somali policeman in a market in Mogadishu. [ICDNMay3]
ASIA
Afghanistan
Daesh said on Thursday it beheaded an Afghan government “spy” on Sawkai District, in Kunar. It also said it shot and killed an Afghan Army soldier and a Taliban fighter in two separate attacks in the same district. [ICDNMay3]
