Notice to Daesh Daily readers: Friday is the observance of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday. Our next issue will be on Monday.
November 30, 2017
Daesh Tunnels in the Himrin Area
TODAY’S MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Iraq
Coalition concedes 801 civilians killed by its airstrikes since 2014, but finds most reports non-credible. [..]
Al-Jaafari asks international community for a “Marshall Plan” for Iraq. [..]
Diyala PC committee seeks a plan for Daesh families who can’t go home. [..]
Concern rises in Diyala about Daesh cells in Himrin Mountains. [..]
Iraq denies reports of US troops moving into Kirkuk. [..]
Syria
Turkey political, military leaders again threaten to seize Afrin from SDF. [..]
US withdrawing Raqqa troops from Syria. [..]
Syrian forces take 5 villages from Tahrir Al-Sham in southern Aleppo. [..]
Russian, Syrian airstrikes have killed 165 civilians in Albu Kamal. [..]
UN envoy blasts Syrian attacks on civilians in “de-escalation zone” near Damascus. [..]
Libya
Daesh documents reveal intention to use Libya as backup location for escaping fighters. [..]
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
Civilian casualties
In October, the Coalition carried over 519 reports from previous months of possible civilian casualties. From October through November 2017 the Coalition assessed 64 reports, of which 55 were deemed non-credible, 4 were assessed to be duplicates, and 5 were assessed to be credible. The Coalition acknowledges the unintentional deaths of 15 civilians. Since the beginning of Operation Inherent Resolve in August, 2014, 801 civilians have been unintentionally killed in Coalition strikes. 695 reports of civilian casualties are still open. [InherentResolve]
DaeshDaily comment. By our calculation, the 5 credible reports out of 64 “reports” (often a euphemism for accusations), means that just 7.8% of reports were found credible.
Anti-Daesh campaign
Thursday, at the third Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) held in Rome, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari said Iraq is in need of an economic plan similar to the Marshall Plan in order to rebuild the cities destroyed by Daesh. He called on the international community to provide the same support extended in 1948 to rebuild western Europe. [Rudaw]
Intisar Al-Jubouri of the Committee on Women in the CoR said on Thursday that the case of the abducted Yazidi women is not over yet, as there are many Yazidi women still detained by Daesh. She added that she has data confirming the terrorists moved the Yazidi women with them out of the country. She said all parties must empathize with these women and free them from the terrorists. [Ghad]
Thursday morning, according to a statement by the President’s office, President Fuad Masoum ratified a law to “commemorate the sacrifices of the martyrs of the war against Daesh terrorist gangs, accelerate the handling of their cases, and provide excellent care to the wounded among them.” [Sumaria]
Thursday brought a negative forward assessment from Geneva-based think tank ACAPS. According to the publication, Daesh will continue to improvise attacks throughout Iraq in an effort to destabilize the government, while gaining a stronghold in southern Libya. ACAPS director Lars Peter said “If 2017 did not look good, predictions for 2018 are no better: violence and insecurity are likely to deteriorate in Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Ethiopia, Mali, Somalia, and Syria next year.” [ACAPS] [BaghdadToday]
Iraq-KRG issues
In a meeting with President Fuad Masoum in Erbil on Wednesday, Masoud Barzani emphasized the importance of a fair negotiation between Baghdad and Erbil, free of pre-conditions and authoritarian language. He emphasized that the “extermination” of the Kurds in Tuz Khurmatu is unacceptable, at the same time noting that the Kurdish people will not “stand idle” in the face of what is happening. [BasNews]
In a meeting held on Thursday, President Masoum and CoR Speaker Salim Al-Jubouri agreed on the importance of adopting a “serious and real” dialogue to end all crises, especially between the federal government and the KRG. They also agreed on setting a timeline to return IDPs and rebuild liberated areas. [Sumaria]
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
Thursday, a security source reported that three civilians were wounded in an IED explosion near a shopping area in Shat Al-Taji. [Baghdadia]
South (Dora, Yusufiyah, Mahmudiya, etc.)
Thursday, the BOC announced that a search operation in Al-Saadan, Umm Al-Jeer, and Al-Amya neighborhoods in south Baghdad led to the discovery of 42 IEDs, 7 mortar shells, and 3 other explosives. The search also led to the arrest of a number of wanted suspects on various charges. [Baghdadia]
West (Ghazaliya, Abu Ghraib, etc.)
Thursday, the IWMC announced the arrest of 4 terrorists in Abu Ghraib in a pre-emptive operation. [Baghdadia]
Thursday afternoon, two people were wounded in an IED explosion in the industrial neighborhood in Abu Ghraib, according to a police source. [Sumaria]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 4 (Includes only incidents reported)
Total IED incidents reported: 3
ANBAR
Northwest Anbar
Joint Operations Command (JOC) spokesman, General Yaya Rasul, said in press conference on Thursday that joint security units have liberated 60% of the Jazeera desert, destroyed the majority of Daesh’s hideouts, and banished Daesh cells from the area. [IraqPress]
DaeshDaily comment. If we have the arithmetic right, that means 40% of the job remains to be done.
Thursday, the PMF announced that its units defused a rigged vehicle in the northern desert, where the vehicle was targeting PMF units. The PMF also reported discovering a vehicle rigging workshop in the same area. [Ghad]
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
A DaeshDaily source says a group of Daesh terrorists detonated 2 PMF military positions in Kan’ous village before fleeing back to the Wadi Al-Hawayej area.
Eastern Salahuddin (Al-Daur, Tooz)
Thursday, Turkmen PMF supervisor Abu Ridha Al-Najjar announced the deaths of three Turkmen PMF fighters and the wounding of 10 others in clashes between the PMF and Daesh between Daquq (southwest Kirkuk) and Tuz Khurmatu. [Sumaria]
DIYALA
Thursday, the Security Committee in the Diyala Provincial Council called for adopting a comprehensive roadmap to resolve the cases of “socially ostracized families,” in reference to the hundreds of families with members involved with Daesh. Security Committee member Abdulkhaleq Al-Azzawi said “the fate of the ostracized families is unknown, as returning to their areas is impossible, and any decision may lead to disruption and complicating problems, as these families are sought for revenge.” [Sumaria]
Baquba/Southeast Diyala
Thursday, the Buhriz Police Bureau in Diyala announced the capture of explosive materials in the abandoned agricultural areas of southern Buhriz. The explosives captured included 3 (81 mm) mortar shells and 2 (5 liter) plastic containers of C4. [Baghdadia]
Thursday, PMF commander Jabbar Al-Maamouri confirmed that Daesh is “attempting to open a front” with Baghdad from Bizayez in Diyala. He warned that the “Nahrawan disasters” will be repeated if the borders between Diyala and Baghdad are not secured. [Sumaria]
Northern Diyala (Kifri, Khanaqin, Khalis north)
Thursday, Diyala Representative Ra’ad Almas warned of the “birth of a Daesh center” in northeast Diyala. He emphasized watching out for the threat of sleeper cells in agricultural areas who “are trying to overcome the residents’ will.” Almas added that several Qara Tapa villages have seen a chain of attacks by Daesh cells on civilians and joint security points. He added that Daesh cells are launched from the Himrin Mountains nearby. [Sumaria]
Thursday, Qara Tapa subdistrict manager Wasfi Al-Tamimi announced a Daesh attack on a PMF security point in Al-Qush Jih village on the outskirts of Qara Tapa. According to Al-Tamimi, the attack began with a mortar shell dropped near the PMF security point as assailants attacked it with medium weapons. [Ghad]
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh attacked PMF positions in the Himrin Mountains area and killed nine fighters.
KIRKUK
In response to yesterday’s reports about US troops moving into Kirkuk, the Coalition said its movements in the battlefield are not announced to the public, thus neither confirming nor denying the reports. [BasNews]
However, the IWMC and JOC said that these reports circulated by Kurdish sources regarding the deployment of US forces to Kirkuk are untrue. The IWMC said there has been no increase in the Coalition forces in Kirkuk or anywhere in Iraq, and the Coalition does not have this capability “not in numbers nor in equipment.” The statement also noted that “controlling the land does not concern foreign forces,” as maintaining security in Kirkuk is an Iraqi national duty, within the control of the IFP and the Kirkuk Police. It also said the Coalition’s duties are limited to training, advisory, and logistical support. [IraqPress] [Sumaria] [ROJ]
Daesh publishes a photo of one of its Iraqi terrorists, claiming he was killed in the Kirkuk area. [ICDNNov30]
Kirkuk/Dibis
Thursday, in a meeting with Turkmen political parties and groups, Masoud Barzani said “the identity of Kirkuk city is Kurdish, but it is not the property of a single component; it should be a symbol of religious and ethnic co-existence.” He commended the Turkmen participation in the “independence referendum.” [BasNews]
Hawija (Riyadh, Al-Zab, etc.)
Thursday, Kirkuk Operations commander, Ali Fadel Imran, announced the deaths of 6 Daesh members in security operations in the Abbasi area in Kirkuk. [Sumaria]
Thursday, the Military Intelligence Service announced that the Salahuddin Operations intelligence, in cooperation with the IFP, located an IED depot containing over 60 gas cylinder IEDs manufactured for purposes of attacking civilians and security units in Al-Zab. [Baghdadia] [Ghad]
NINEWA
Nineveh Plain (Hamdaniya, Tel Keif, etc.)
Thursday, Ninewa Provincial Council member Husam Eddin Al-Abar called on the Iraqi government to set the record straight on 1,451 cases concerning foreign Daesh women and children detained in a Tel Keif prison, which is a federal prison. Al-Abar said that following the Ninewa liberation campaign, security units arrested nearly 7,000 Daesh members, mostly local, and that most of the foreign Daesh leaders were killed in the military operations. [Sumaria]
Thursday, a Badr Bloc Shabak representative in the CoR, Hanin Al-Qudu, called for moving Daesh families away from the Al-Dawan area, which is close to the Nineveh Plain, describing their presence there as a “time bomb” which will lead to systemic targeting of minorities. He also called for raising awareness among Daesh families against extremist views and to facilitate their integration into society. Al-Qudu said there are a number of foreign Daesh women and children, from Asian and European nationalities, detained in Ninewa. He called on their countries of origin to extradite them in accordance with international regulations. [PressIraq]
Southern Ninewa
Hammam Al-Alil
A DaeshDaily source says Coalition Apaches targeted several Daesh positions in the Hammam Al-Alil area, killing several terrorists.
Hatra
Tuesday, Iraqi Army Air (IAA) thwarted a Daesh suicide attack that targeted military units of Quick Response and Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) in the desert outskirts of Haraj village north of Hatra city, according to IAA Brigadier General Abdulqader Al-Shawwaf. US reconnaissance aircraft detected the movement of a rigged vehicle and promptly informed the Iraqi Air Force (IAF) which then ordered the destruction of the car. Three rockets were fired, destroying the vehicle and killing the driver. [Xendan]
A DaeshDaily source says several Nujaba’ members, including a commander, were killed or wounded in a Daesh shelling on the Geneva Military Airport, south of Hatra.
Western Ninewa
Tal Afar
Thursday, manager of Wasit Migration, Haitham Aajami, announced the return of 100 families or 400 IDPs to their homes in Tal Afar. He added that soon more IDPs will return, numbering over 2,000 families. [Sumaria]
Thursday, a statement by the Ninewa Interior and Security Affairs Department announced that the department found civil status records Daesh had stolen from Ayadhiya in Tal Afar, in addition to 69 records in one of the abandoned houses in Ayadhiya. The department units also found a number of rigged vehicles stolen by Daesh. [BaghdadNews]
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Karbala
Thursday, Karbala Police Commander, Ahmed Ali Zwaini, announced the discovery of 1,904 war remnants, including 82 mortar shells, stun grenades, and SPG9, in the desert areas adjacent to Razzaza Lake. [Baghdadia]
KURDISTAN NEWS
Thursday, a statement by the Kurdish Islamic Movement said “the current composition of the KRG is the ‘most failing’ in the KRG’s journey.” The statement explained that the current government drove the Kurdistan Region into dozens of major crises, most notably the deteriorating living conditions of citizens, the absence of services, and the delay and reduction in salaries. [Sumaria]
Thursday, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and US Ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman met and looked into strengthening the bilateral relationship between the US and Iraq and “the draft budget bill of the federal Iraq.” [Rudaw]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Thursday, the Turkish government said it will launch a military operation in Afrin in case of any threats to its national security. “We have informed Russia, the United States, and Iran that Turkey will not allow any developments against it in Afrin,” Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ told Anadolu. He also added “we are mainly concerned with everything taking place on our borders with Syria and Iraq, especially in Afrin.” [Dorar]
DaeshDaily comment. They are testing the reaction of the US and Russia to see if they will meet active opposition. Someone needs to tell the Turks that their scheme will not be permitted to succeed. See the next story and the two that follow.
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
NATIONAL NEWS
The Turkish Army announced it is sending special forces to rural eastern Aleppo. Turkish authorities stated that Turkey will carry out an extensive military operation in Afrin city to take control of the city from the SDF. [Dorar]
Pentagon Spokesman Eric Pahon announced the US will withdraw all weapons that could threaten Turkey at the hands of the Kurdish forces in Syria. [Anadolu]
The 1st battalion, 10th Marine Regiment arrived in Syria on September 15th. After Daesh’s defeat in Raqqa, the unit was ordered to return home, and the unit’s replacements have been called off. “The departure of these outstanding Marines is a sign of real progress in the region,” said director of operations, Brig. Gen. Jonathan Braga. He explained that “We’re drawing down combat forces where it makes sense, but still continuing our efforts to help Syrian and Iraqi partners maintain security.” [CentCom]
Thursday, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said Moscow is already preparing to withdraw its military forces from Syria, according to Sputnik. [Hawar]
Thursday, SOHR reported that the Daesh-affiliated Al-Hayat Media Centre published a new video, in which Daesh kills a Syrian pilot, Captain Azzam Eid, and slaughters about 13 members of the Syrian forces, including one Iraqi fighter. [SyriaHR] [EnabBaladi] Daesh executed Azzam Eid by setting him ablaze. Captain Eid was detained by Daesh after his aircraft fell in Rif Damashq in April 2016 during Daesh’s control over the area. [Sumaria]
Thursday, Sputnik reported that the Chinese Special Forces’ “Night Tigers” arrived in Tartus city to fight the members of the “East Turkestan Islamic Movement” in Syria, following negotiations between the Syrian and Chinese governments. [Dorar]
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Hasaka
Thursday, Furat Post reported that the SDF is robbing Deir Ez-Zor IDPs of their cars in return of allowing them to enter Hasaka or cross Hasaka to Aleppo, by forcing them to sign a contract under threat. [Dorar]
DaeshDaily comment. Considering the less than objective source, we suggest waiting for confirmation or, more likely, a more accurate explanation.
Daesh publishes photos of showing one of its propaganda videos in one of its media points in an unspecified place in the Hasaka area. [ICDNNov30]
Raqqa
Raqqa city area
Thursday, the Coalition announced that the US withdrew over 400 US troops from Raqqa, according to Agence France-Presse. [EnabBaladi] [Also see National News story above]
Thursday, SOHR reported that 23 civilians, including at least five children and women, were killed in land mine explosions while they were moving around in Raqqa, or trying to return to their homes during the ten past days. [SyriaHR]
Northwest
Aleppo/Idlib
SOHR reports the Syrian forces captured 5 villages from Tahrir Al-Sham in rural southern Aleppo. [SyriaHR] [Anadolu]
Thursday, SOHR reported that two explosions took place in the Khirbat Al-Joz border village in rural southwestern Idlib on Wednesday. A vehicle and the Daimus Tower were targeted. The causes behind both explosions are still unknown. One person was confirmed dead. [SyriaHR] [ZamanAlWasl]
Afrin
[See stories above about Turkey’s threats to invade Afrin]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Hama
A DaeshDaily source says a group of Daesh members sneaked up to a Tahrir Al-Sham checkpoint north of Hama and killed 4 fighters before fleeing.
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Albu Kamal
Thursday, SOHR reported that 165 civilians, including 49 children and 33 women, have been killed in Russian and Syrian airstrikes on rural eastern Deir Ez-Zor’s villages, towns, and cities since the start of the Abu Kamal battle on November 8th. [SyriaHR]
DaeshDaily comment. We reported earlier on the US accounting for reported civilian airstrike deaths. We suspect no similar accounting will be coming from either the Russians or the Syrians, but the reports of civilian casualties in their airstrikes are constant and the toll must be very high.
A DaeshDaily source says four Russian EOD experts were killed when a booby-trapped house exploded on them in Albu Kamal. The source says the experts had cleared many houses in the city.
Daesh publishes photos of showing one of its propaganda videos on a group of people in a mosque, and on a group of its terrorists in a hideout, in unspecified locations near Albu Kamal. [ICDNNov30]
Daesh publishes photos of targeting government forces with mortars west of Albu Kamal. [ICDNNov30]
South
Damascus/Rif Damashq
Thursday, Special Advisor to the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Jan Egeland, says that 500 civilians, including 167 children with urgent medical needs must be evacuated from the besieged opposition-held enclave of eastern Ghouta. He added that they are waiting for the Syrian government’s permission to evacuate them. Meanwhile, Enab Baladi’s correspondent reported that no one has been evacuated so far. He also added that 10 civilians died due to the lack of medical equipment while waiting for the Syrian government’s permission to be evacuated. [EnabBaladi] Egeland called on world powers to put an end to the ongoing battles in eastern Ghouta’s supposed “de-escalation” zone, saying that “there is no calm in this de-escalation zone, there is only escalation in this de-escalation zone.” [EnabBaladi]
Thursday, Ahrar Al-Sham said that the opposition groups in eastern Ghouta foiled a Syrian forces’ attempt to infiltrate into the Vehicle Department in Harasta, destroying a T72 tank, and killing its entire crew. [Dorar]
Thursday, SOHR reported that three civilians were killed by the Syrian forces’ shelling of different locations in Arbin city near Damascus and Haza and Madeira towns in Rif Damashq. [SyriaHR]
Daesh publishes photos of its terrorists south of Damascus. [ICDNNov30]
Daesh issues a video of a Syrian soldier targeted by its snipers in the city of Al-Hajar Al-Aswad. [A3maq]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Iran
Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that “although Daesh has seen a military defeat, Daesh’s doctrine still needs to be countered throughout the world.” “Terrorists should be culturally, ideologically, politically, and financially countered,” he added. [SyriaNow]
DaeshDaily comment. Diplomats looking for a diplomatic opening with Iran could consider a supportive response to Zarif’s statement.
Saudi Arabia/Yemen
Daesh publishes photos of targeting a Houthi BMP armored vehicle with SPG9 rockets in Qifa. [ICDNNov30]
North Africa
Egypt
Eyewitnesses say 3 gunmen kidnapped a man in central Arish, causing people to close their shops and return to their homes for safety. [ElWatan]
Daesh says its snipers killed and Egyptian soldier south of Rafah. [A3maq]
Daesh says warplanes and Israeli helicopters targeted several positions in Sheikh Zuweid on Tuesday. [A3maq]
Libya/Tunisia/Algeria
Asharq Al-Awsat published documents confiscated from Daesh bases in various parts of Libya, which include letters from Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi to 13 of his senior assistants in Libya, some of them dating back to late 2016 and others from a few weeks ago. The letters show that Al-Baghdadi sought to make up for his losses in Syria and Iraq by issuing orders to use southern Libya, an area with rough terrain, as a gathering location for terrorists escaping the east, in order to attack Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria. [Shafaaq]
REPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
ASIA
Afghanistan
Nangarhar State spokesman Attallah Hogyani said that 9,000 Afghan families were displaced to Jamtala due to ongoing fights between Taliban and Daesh. Hogyani added that the fighting has so far led to 11 Daesh deaths, 19 Taliban deaths, and 8 civilian deaths. He added that the displaced families are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. [TRT]
Pakistan
Daesh said it shot and killed two Shia and wounded three others, including a Pakistani Intelligence member, in Islamabad. [A3maq]
SOCIAL MEDIA
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh members, posing as girls, request photos from Iraqi services members and details of their military units on Facebook in order to hunt them down.
