October 26, 2017
Iraqi Forces in Northwest Anbar
TODAY’S MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Iraq
CENTCOM estimates the casualties from anti-Daesh war in Iraq, Syria. [..]
Tillerson, UN trying to stop clashes between Iraqi troops, Peshmerga. [..]
Iraqi Army, PMFs, tribes gang up on Daesh near Rawa, southern Al-Qa’im. [..]
Barzani reported hedging on yesterday’s report he’s stepping down. [..]
Peshmerga clash with Iraqi troops in northern Tal Afar, Makhmur. [..]
Public anger reported rising in Kurdistan against KDP, PUK. [..]
Syria
Tillerson says Assad regime “is coming to an end.” [..]
De Mistura will convene eighth conference on future of Syria, Nov. 28. [..]
SDF captures another major oilfield in southeast Deir Ez-Zor. [..]
Other
House of Representatives bill targets Lebanon’s Hezbollah. [..]
US airstrikes killed 60 Daesh members in Yemen. [..]
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
Anti-Daesh conflict
Iraq and Damascus announced simultaneous attacks on the last bastions of Daesh on the Syrian-Iraqi border, amid reports of coordination between the two countries in launching the attacks. [Shafaaq]
Thursday the Coalition welcomed the announcement of the Iraqi Security Forces’ offensive to liberate Al-Qa’im. It estimated there are 1,500 Daesh fighters in Al-Qa’im. It said the Coalition is ready to support the government of Iraq as it recognizes “the importance of a unified Iraq in the long-term security and prosperity of the Iraqi people.” [InherentResolve]
The Combined Joint Task Force’s Monthly Civilian Casualty Report reported that, overall, in the fight against Daesh, Iraqi forces lost 1,200-1,500 personnel and the SDF in Syria has lost 1,100 personnel.
The Coalition takes responsibility for “51 unintentional civilian deaths.” To date, the Combined Joint Task Force “assesses at least 786 civilians have been killed by Coalition strikes since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve.” Between September 2014 and September 2017 the Coalition conducted 27,566 strikes and during that time here were 194 credible reports of civilian casualties. [CentCom]
DaeshDaily comment. It deserves comment that the death toll for Iraqi troops (and the SDF) would have been far higher without the Coalition airstrikes.
KRG independence referendum and aftermath
Thursday, after a phone call with President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said “the US stands ready to assist Baghdad and Erbil to chart a positive course forward in support of a unified, federal, and democratic Iraq through peaceful, political means.” [Kurdistan24] [Rudaw]
Thursday, the UN welcomed the KRG’s call for a ceasefire with the PMF and other Iraqi security forces and to engage in a dialogue. The UN expressed willingness to mediate between Baghdad and Erbil to resolve current issues through negotiation and talks. [BasNews]
Thursday, the KRG issued a statement regarding the battles between the Peshmerga and the PMF. The statement says the PMF’s VP Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis and Badr Organization Secretary General Hadi Al-Amiri supervised the battles. [Rudaw]
DaeshDaily comment. We detect a new line of propaganda. The narrative is that the KRG is under attack from Iran, working through pro-Iran PMF organizations in Iraq. Once again, the KRG leadership positions Kurdistan as the victim. Read the following three stories from Washington on how this tactic works. In fact, while some PMF units mishandled situations in Kirkuk and Ninewa, the restoration of federal authority in disputed areas occupied by the Peshmerga was carried out mostly by Army troops, including the CTS and IFP, and the PMF units involved were not directed from Iran, even if some prominent PMF leaders are pro-Iran.
US State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert described Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis, leader of Kata’eb Hezbollah in the PMF, as a terrorist. “He is a terrorist and that’s all we can say right now” she said. [Rudaw]
Wednesday evening, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Paul Ryan expressed concern about the clashes between the PMF and Peshmerga forces, calling for the Iranian forces to leave Iraq as soon as possible. Ryan said these clashes will have a negative effect on the achievements in the war against Daesh and should be stopped immediately. [BasNews]
Republican Congressman Ron DeSantis, from Florida, called on President Trump’s administration to support the KRG, saying in a statement on twitter “the US should stand by the Kurds. Would be tragic if we allowed Kurds to be steamrolled by forces who have American blood on their hands.” DeSantis said “Reports from the field suggest that Iraqi military units and forces aligned with the Iranian government . . . have deployed heavy weapons in anticipation of a major attack against the Peshmerga.” [Rudaw] [OrlandoPolitics]
Thursday, KDP leader Ali Awni revealed that “major pressures” are being exerted on Masoud Barzani to keep him in his position because of the current fighting, while Barzani himself “does not want to stay” in his position illegally. [Sumaria]
Thursday, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi says he “will accept only the cancelling of the referendum and following the constitution,” dismissing a proposal by the Iraqi Kurdish region to freeze the referendum results pending negotiations with Baghdad. [ROJ]
Turkey and Iran
Thursday, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, described the Kurdish freeze offer as “a significant but insufficient step,” calling on the Kurdish leaders to cancel the results. [Anadolu]
Also on Thursday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says the Iraqi Kurdish region’s offer to freeze the results of the referendum on independence won’t redress the “devastation” the vote has caused in Iraq, adding that Turkey will intensively cooperate with Iraq and Iran to combat terrorism and spread security in the region from now on. He also said that his government is working with Iraq to hand over the management of the border crossings between the two countries to the central government in Baghdad, pointing out that Turkey and Iraq discussed the possible opening of a border gate between them that would by bypass the Iraqi Kurdistan region. [Anadolu]
Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani expressed his country’s readiness to participate in the process of rebuilding Iraq, pointing out that Iran considers Iraq’s security as an integral part of its security and the security of the region. [Arabi21]
DaeshDaily comment. And now we know why Iraq has been suffering since 1979.
Other news
Thursday, Reuters reported that crude oil flows from Iraq and Kurdistan are “no longer being blended as one grade,” according to a shipping source. The combined rate used to be 600,000 barrels per day prior to the Iraqi forces takeover of Kirkuk’s oilfields. [Sumaria] [Reuters]
The Coalition says it conducted 8 airstrikes on Daesh targets in Iraq, in or near Al-Qa’im (6), Rawa (1), and Qayara (1). [InherentResolve]
BAGHDAD
Security-related incidents reported
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
Thursday, a police source reported that 3 people were wounded in an IED explosion in the Al-Taji River area. [Sumaria]
Daesh says its snipers killed two PMF fighters and wounded a commander in Meshahda on Wednesday. [A3maq]
Daesh says it destroyed a PMF vehicle in the Meshahda area with an IED on Wednesday, killing or wounding the fighters inside. [DENOct26]
South (Dora, Yusufiyah, Mahmudiya, etc.)
Thursday, the Baghdad Security and Intelligence Bureau announced the discovery of an ammunition hideout in the Al-Rakoub area. The hideout contained 10 mortar shells, 2 locally-made rockets, 3 hand grenades, and other rocket and mortar shell ammunition. [Etejah]
Total Baghdad incidents reported: 4 (Includes only incidents reported)
Total IED incidents reported: 2
ANBAR
Hit/Haditha
Thursday, schoolchildren in Baghdadi, near Haditha, raised their hands in the air to pray for Iraqi forces as they carry out their operations in Rawa and Al-Qa’im. [Harbi]
According to the Baghdadi Tribal PMF Commander, Qatari Al-Abidi, 3,500 tribal fighters are participating in the West Anbar Operations, largely from the Albu Mahal, Al-Obeid, Albu Nimr, and Al-Karabla tribes, and the biggest group will be 1,500 fighters from Al-Jughaifi tribe.
The Haditha District Mayor, Abdulhakim Al-Jughaifi, says 12,000 out of the current 25,000 population of Rawa support Daesh. A military source explained that the Rawa liberation operation was left until the end because it does not pose a direct threat, as the Euphrates River is a natural barrier against booby-trapped vehicles targeting the joint forces. [Mada]
DaeshDaily comment. We are not sure what “support” means in this context, but would be surprised if Daesh still has anywhere near that level of approval, in Rawa or anywhere else. For example, see the first DaeshDaily local source story below, under” Anah.”
Anah
As reported here yesterday in a late-breaking development, early on Thursday morning Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi announced the launch of the Al-Qa’im liberation campaign. He said, as he did before the Hawija operation, that “Daesh members’ options are to surrender or die.” [Ghad]
Thursday, a military source in Anbar reported that the Rawa and Al-Qa’im liberation operation has been launched from four directions (one of them is Ninewa towards Al-Qa’im), with backing from the IAF and the Coalition. The participating forces are the Iraqi Army, police, tribes, and the PMF. [Sumaria]
The IWMC reports that Iraqi forces captured the Rawa Junction and the Al-Jabab area from Daesh and controls the T1 facilities and residential complexes. [Shafaaq]
Thursday, a military source in Anbar reported that the Iraqi Army and tribes liberated the Jabab area in west Rawa and raised the Iraqi flag there after Daesh members fled the area towards Al-Qa’im. [Sumaria] [Harbi]
A security source announced the capture of the Jabab and Al-Mashari’a areas 2 km from Rawa. [BaghdadToday]
While liberating Al-Hasa, 2 booby-trapped vehicles, 2 mortar shells, 41 oxygen IEDs were destroyed, and 91 IEDs were defused on the main road in western Anbar, according to a military source. [Sumaria]
Thursday, the Al-Gharbiya PMF Commander Jamal Shihab Al-Mahlawi announced that the Iraqi Army and tribes liberated the western Rawa intersection, and noted that they were headed towards Al-Qa’im. He added that Daesh resisted only by IEDs and a parked booby-trapped vehicle, which was destroyed from a distance. [Baghdadia] [Harbi]
Thursday, a military source in Anbar reported that the Iraqi Army and tribes liberated the former Jazeera Ops base west of Rawa, which Daesh took over in late 2014. [Sumaria]
Thursday, a military source reported that Iraqi Army EOD units had previously removed the Daesh land mines set to go off on Iraqi forces between Anah and Rawa, allowing them to move towards their targets. [Baghdadia]
As of Thursday evening, Daesh in Rawa and Al-Qa’im had suffered losses of life and equipment due to being directly targeted by liberation units backed by warplanes. Daesh members were forced to retreat due to intense fire, leaving behind their armed and booby-trapped vehicles, which the federal units seized. The EOD secured the roads in order for the security units to advance, and they began clearing the roads and villages in liberated areas of IEDs. [Harbi]
Thursday, according to Joint Ops Command spokesman, Commander Yahya Rasul, there are 1,500 Daesh members in Al-Qa’im and Rawa based on intelligence data. He said that the intensive airstrikes that preceded the forces’ advancement killed dozens of Daesh members. He added that the Daesh members remaining are completely “devastated,” and still use the same old tactics such as booby-trapping to impede the Iraqi forces’ operations. Rasul also said there are large numbers of civilians in the battle areas and the Iraqi forces have “humanitarian plans” in place to protect them. [Baghdadia]
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh called on people of Rawa, through loudspeakers, to defend their city, warning people that Iraqi forces would “rape women, kill young people, and destroy houses.” However, the source says most of the people of Rawa stayed in their houses, and only 15 civilians attended Daesh prayers in the main mosque.
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh executed one of its local commanders in Rawa after he urged local fighters to preserve themselves and their families. The source says the commander had warned other fighters that Daesh leaders and foreign terrorists are fleeing, as they did in Hawija and other areas.
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh arrested 40 civilians, mostly women and children, who were trying to escape Rawa, and took them to an unknown location.
Al-Qa’im
Thursday, the IWMC announced the liberation of areas in Al-Qa’im District, including the Agricultural Research Department, Umm Al-Waz village, Al-Husseiniyat, Al-Nadira, Al-Qa’ara, and the Saad (H2) Air Base. [Baghdadia]
Thursday, the Joint Security Forces liberated the Ma’amel and Al-Mashari’a areas in west Al-Qa’im, according to a security source. [Baghdadia] [Harbi]
As of Thursday noon, the Jazeera and Badiya Ops units were advancing towards the K1 military base. [Harbi]
The PMF and security forces, backed by the IAA, captured control of five valleys in southern Al-Qa’im: Wadi Al-Nasr, Wadi Al-Halqum, Wadi Juhaish, Wadi Obeid, and Wadi Al-Aghar. [Harbi] [IkhNews]
A DaeshDaily source says Daesh called on former policemen in Al-Qa’im to renew their “repentance” but arrested 11 of them without giving any reason. The source also says Daesh closed several roads in the city with sand barriers.
A DaeshDaily source says a Coalition drone killed a Chechen Daesh commander near Hay Al-Risala in Al-Qa’im.
Thursday morning, Iraqi Army Aviation (IAA) provided support to the Al-Abbas Combat Division participating in the West Anbar operation. [Harbi] Harbi published photos of the IAA “Hawks” providing support to the Al-Abbas group. [Harbi]
Thursday morning, the Al-Abbas EOD units defused dozens of IEDs and mines on main roads, using modern vehicles and equipment. [Harbi] They carried out reconnoitering missions deep into Al-Qa’im and Rawa, and provided advancing units with intelligence information. [Harbi]
As of Thursday noon, Al-Abbas liberated the 90 Phosphate Factory in Al-Qa’im and defused 1 booby-trapped vehicle. [Harbi]
As of Thursday, the Al-Abbas Combat Division have liberated over 100 km2 of land in the West Anbar Liberation Ops. [Harbi]
An Iraqi security source in Anbar Province confirmed that Thursday more than 22 Daesh members were killed in an IAA airstrike in the Rummana area north of Al-Qa’im. [Youm7]
On Thursday morning, the IAA attacked the Daesh units who tried to stand in the way of Iraqi Army and PMF units in south Al-Qa’im, causing injuries among Daesh members. [Harbi]
A military source says Daesh is forcing civilians in Al-Qa’im into its ranks to confront the Iraqi Army. [Anba]
The Norwegian Refugee Council estimates that over 10,000 people from Al-Qa’im and its periphery have fled to IDP camps near Ramadi, 350 km away. [Baghdadia]
Harbi published a map of the West Anbar Liberation Ops. [Harbi]
Rutba
Akashat
Thursday morning, the PMF and security forces took control of the road linking Al-Qa’im and Akashat. [Harbi]
Daesh says it conducted 2 suicide attacks on Iraqi Army convoys in the Akashat area. [ICDNOct26]
Anbar Desert
Thursday morning, Anbar Liberation Ops Commander Mahmoud Al-Fallahi announced the launch of the operation to clear the western Anbar desert. The operation is backed by the Coalition air force and the Iraqi Army. [Sumaria]
Anbar Provincial Council member and spokesman Eid Al-Karbuli says Daesh’s back locations in Al-Qa’im are desert areas stretching from Albu Kamal to Tadmur in Syria, and the desert extends to Rutba, where Daesh may hide. Iraqi officials warn Daesh may use rugged terrains close to urban areas to re-attack them in the future.
From Rawa, Daesh may hide in the Jazeera area, which is a vast desert between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. [Mada]
SALAHUDDIN
Southern Salahuddin (Balad, Dujail)
Daesh says it destroyed an Iraqi forces’ Humvee with an IED near Dhuluiya in Balad District, killing or wounding the fighters inside. [DENOct26]
DIYALA
Thursday, the Diyala Police Command announced the arrest of 13 suspects on terrorist and criminal charges in various areas in Diyala. [Sumaria]
KIRKUK
Thursday, a leading PUK member from Kirkuk, Ala Talabani said that applying the law and protecting Kirkuk residents and their property is “an important factor” for re-stabilization. She met with the Tigris Ops Commander in Kirkuk, Fadel Imran, who said the Tigris Operation aims to protect civilian life in Kirkuk and to encourage co-existence among all groups. [Sumaria]
Kirkuk/Dibis
According to some sources, ROJ news reported, clashes resumed between the Peshmerga and the PMF in the vicinity of Burdah in Kirkuk, resulting in the deaths of nine people so far. [ROJ]
NINEWA
Nineveh Plain (Hamdaniya, Tel Keif, etc.)
Thursday, PMF Group 15 Commander, Ahmad Mahmoud Al-Warshan, called on the Yazidi residents who fled the Risala, Dughat, and Hatarah villages in the Alqosh area north of Mosul to return to their homes. Al-Warshan added that Arab fighters will be deployed in Mosul to protect the Yazidis and their property. [Karemlash]
Tal Afar
Hawar reports clashes broke out between the Peshmerga and the Iraqi forces, backed by the PMF, in Zummar and Rabi’a. [Hawar]
Thursday, the PMF and security forces seized the Al-Jazruniya village in Zummar “after expelling Masoud Barzani’s gangs,” according to a PMF Press statement. [Ghad]
Thursday, the PMF Press said that Barzani’s “gangs” fired dozens of mortar shells on locations in Zummar. [PressIraq]
Al-Kulan special forces commander Mansour Barzani confirmed on Thursday that the Peshmerga destroyed 3 tanks, including an Abrams tank, belonging to the PMF and the Iraqi Army in Zummar and Rabi’a. [Rudaw] [BasNews]
Badr Organization Secretary General, Hadi Al-Amiri arrived in Zummar. [Karemlash]
Earlier on Wednesday, a security source reported that the federal forces took over the Rabi’a border crossing after the YPG units retreated towards Syria. [Karemlash]
Southern Ninewa
Makhmur
Thursday, a security source reported that the Peshmerga attacked federal forces with medium and heavy weapons in Makhmur. The source added that the Peshmerga attempted to take over Makhmur and clashes are still ongoing on the district’s outskirts. He also said hundreds of families fled the area due to the Peshmerga’s shelling. [Mawsleya]
ROJ news reports violent clashes broke out between the Iraqi forces and the Peshmerga forces, after the latter stormed part of the Makhmur District which had been recently taken over by the Iraqi forces. [ROJ] [Hawar] [ROJ]
KURDISTAN
Thursday, a security source reported that federal forces are about to seize the Faysh Khabur crossing, after seizing a big section of Makhmur and Zummar. There are currently major clashes between the federal forces and the Peshmerga taking place, which have led to the death of Wahid Bakuzi, an official in the KDP in Sinjar. [Baghdadia]
Thursday, the Peshmerga tried to stop the advance of Iraqi forces towards Faysh Khabur, leading to clashes with heavy weapons. The PMF announced that federal forces seized the Al-Mahmudiya village in Rabi’a from the Peshmerga and continued advancing toward Faysh Khabur. The statement added that the joint forces expelled the KDP Peshmerga from the village. [Mawsleya]
Thursday, the Kurdistan Security Council, announced the destruction of dozens of tanks and heavy equipment belonging to the Iraqi forces as they allegedly attacked the Peshmerga. [Sumaria]
However, the Ministry of Interior’s Rapid Response spokesman, Abdulameer Al-Mahmadawi, denied Peshmerga claims about the destruction of dozens of federal forces tanks and military vehicles, adding that the forces are advancing towards Faysh Khabur “easily.” He added that there have been no battles “at the level of tanks and heavy equipment usage.” [Sumaria]
A Daesh Daily source in Erbil says that people are angry with the KRG and with the two long-standing ruling parties, KDP and PUK. People were angry first with the PUK after most of its Peshmerga left Kirkuk without a fight. But people also got angry with the KDP when it announced, 2 days after Iraqi forces captured Kirkuk, that it had a Coalition-sponsored agreement with the Iraqi government, signed just before the start of the Mosul liberation operations, to have the Peshmerga retreat to the pre-2014 lines. People and Peshmerga fighters, who were energized by the KDP media to fight, were angry because the KRG didn’t announce that agreement earlier. Kurdish media, especially the KDP’s, is being highly criticized because it completely misled people. Deputy CoR Speaker, Gorran MP Aram Mohammed, accused Kurdish media of being “3-faced,” by reporting different versions of the same news stories, in Kurdish, Arabic, and English.
In addition, many people in Kurdistan are angry because they are not receiving their government salaries, and now there seems to be no apparent solution. One argument from public employees is “If I am an Iraqi citizen then why doesn’t the [national] government pay me my salary?” There are reports that Baghdad is going to pay the salaries in Suleimaniya, i.e. PUK-Gorran area, but that would only blow up the issue further. As the argument goes, if Baghdad wants to keep the Kurds as citizens, then they must be treated like all other Iraqis.
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
NATIONAL NEWS
Following his meeting with the UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, in Geneva, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, on Thursday, that the “reign of the Assad family” in Syria is coming to an end, and “the only issue is how that can be brought about.”[EnabBaladi]
Thursday, the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, announced his intention to convene the eighth round of intra‑Syrian talks in Geneva on the 28th of November. He says they will focus on two points: the constitution-making process and the requirement for international supervision of elections. [Anadolu]
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said Russia’s use of the veto two days ago in the Security Council was not aimed at ending the work of the UN mission against the use of chemical weapons, adding “we are ready to continue the discussion.” [Anadolu]
The SDF media center revealed, in a statement, the outcome of the Turkish attacks on northern Syria, during the period from the 16th to the 25th of October, confirming the killing of two Turkish soldiers during the clashes. [Hawar]
The Coalition says it conducted 7 airstrikes on Daesh targets in Syria, 6 in Deir Ez-Zor and 1 in Albu Kamal. [InherentResolve]
Northeast (Hasaka, Raqqa)
Hasaka
Sayamind Othman, Manager of Syria’s Suwaidiya border crossing, said, on Thursday that one civilian was killed and five others were injured in northern Syria, including members of the Asayesh, in an artillery shelling by the Iraqi forces near the Suwaidiya border crossing, located in Hasaka, due to the ongoing clashes taking place near Al-Waleed crossing border on the Iraqi side. [Qasioun] [ROJ]
Raqqa
Raqqa city
Hawar reports that after Daesh had captured Raqqa’s Finance Directorate, it turned it into the so-called “Islamic Court,” in which all the sentences, including amputation and execution, were carried out. The Directorate of Finance was initially headed by “Abu Ali Al-Sharei,” a resident of Al-Karama town near Raqqa, who was killed in a Russian airstrike in Raqqa, and then by Ismail Al-Masry, who was killed in a Coalition airstrike on the same building. [Hawar]
Northwest (Aleppo, Idlib)
Afrin/Azaz/Al-Bab/ Manbij/Jarabulus
In a statement to Enab Baladi on Thursday, Abu Uqba, a security official in a Turkey-allied militia organization, said that security personnel in Jarabulus arrested the Daesh leader there, Abdullah Khalaf Al-Ali, on Wednesday. [EnabBaladi]
Aleppo/Idlib
Hussein Mortada, a reporter with the Iranian Al-Alam news channel and close to the Syrian government, claimed that taking over Abu Al-Dhuhur military airport, east of Idlib, is part of the Astana agreement. Syrian anti-government opposition sources, along with Turkish reports, confirmed that the Turkish army has recently visited Abu Al-Dhuhur and Taftanaz military airports, in preparation for establishing a Turkish military base on both of them. [Qasioun]
Central and West (Homs, Hama, etc.)
Hama
Wednesday, Syrian forces, backed by the Al-Qalamoun Shield militia, took over the Shahatiyah village, without any resistance from Daesh, thus coming into a direct contact line with Tahrir Al-Sham on the outskirts of the villages of Shahatiyah and Jubb Abyad in the eastern rural areas of Hama, according to Syrian government media sources. [Qasioun]
Homs
In a statement posted on its official Twitter account Wednesday, Jaish Maghawir Al-Thawra, a US-backed Syrian opposition group, threatened to respond to any trespassing over its territorial boundaries, after Syrian forces recently attempted to capture the vicinity of the Al-Tanaf border crossing, controlled by Jaish Maghawir Al-Thawra, but they have withdrawn due to US threats. [Qasioun]
in a statement released on Wednesday, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said the US and some armed groups are obstructing the organizing of safe passage for displaced Syrians in the Al-Ruqban displacement camp as well as the delivery of international humanitarian assistance to them. [Qasioun]
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Deir Ez-Zor
Syrian Army offensive
A SANA correspondent in Deir Ez-Zor said that during the past few hours, Syrian army units have entirely captured the Al-Sina’a neighborhood in Deir Ez-Zor city after violent clashes with Daesh, in which many Daesh members were killed and Daesh fortified positions destroyed. [SyriaNow]
Daesh says it stopped a Syrian Army attack on Daesh positions in Hay Al-Sina’a in Deir Ez-Zor city on Thursday, killing or wounding several soldiers and destroying a BMP armored vehicle. [ICDNOct26]
Media sources close to the Syrian government announced on Thursday the Syrian forces’ control of Hawija Saqar on the Euphrates after fierce fighting with Daesh. [Qasioun]
Syrian government media announced that Tha’er Ismail, leader of the Hassan-Tiger militia, was killed in a battle against Daesh in Deir Ez-Zor on Wednesday. [EnabBaladi]
Daesh says it destroyed a Syrian Army T55 tank with a rocket west of the T2 Station. [DENOct26]
SDF offensive
The SDF captured Al-Biyada village in Deir Ez-Zor. [Hawar]
The SDF captured Daesh-controlled Rabida village and parts of Jadid Akaidat village east of Deir Ez-Zor. [Qasioun]
In a statement to Qasioun, the official spokeswoman for the SDF’s Al-Jazeera Storm Campaign in Deir Ez-Zor, Lailawa Al-Abdullah, said the SDF has engaged in fierce battles with the Syrian forces near Al-Jufra village, east of Deir Ez-Zor. The SDF simultaneously foiled a Daesh attack on the Al-Jufra train station, killing 11 Daesh members, destroying some armored vehicles, and seizing others. [Qasioun]
Mayadin
Daesh says it destroyed a Syrian Army bulldozer with a rocket near Al-Rahba Castle, southwest of Mayadin city. [A3maq]
Albu Kamal
Sources say Syrian forces launched a military operation against Daesh in Albu Kamal. [IkhNews]
Wednesday, the SDF advanced to 17 km (10 miles) from the Syrian-Iraqi border, after it took over the Tanak oil field, reportedly under an agreement with the tribal leaders in the region, which led to Daesh’s withdrawal from a large area north of the Euphrates River. [Qasioun] Tanak is southeast of the Al-Omar oilfield captured earlier by SDF and is likewise a high-producing field.
Wednesday, Daesh withdrew, with all its light and heavy arms, from the area east of Deir Ez-Zor, towards Albu Kamal, reportedly following a secret agreement between the SDF and tribal leaders in the region. [Qasioun]
South
Damascus/Rif Damashq
Daesh says its snipers killed a Tahrir Al-Sham member in the Yarmouk Camp on Wednesday. [A3maq]
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Lebanon
A sanctions package was approved yesterday in the US House of Representatives against people and governments that provide financial and military support to the Lebanese Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc responded, considering the sanctions “an attempt to subjugate Lebanon,” adding “the financial sanctions law is a blatant interference in internal affairs and violation of national sovereignty and an unacceptable targeting of the Lebanese people.” [Anadolu]
Yemen
Maj. Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command said that U.S. forces are supporting ongoing counter-terrorism operations in Yemen against Daesh and AQAP, in coordination with the government of Yemen, to degrade the groups’ ability to coordinate external terror attacks and limit their ability to hold territory seized from the legitimate government.
He said that a new round of airstrikes in Yemen by American drones killed at least 9 Daesh fighters who were riding in two vehicles in western Yemen, about halfway between the capital, Sana’a and the coastal city of Aden.
The U.S. military said so far this month, it has killed over 60 Daesh fighters in Yemen.[FoxNews]
North Africa
Libya
Libyan National Army Spokesman, Brigadier General Ahmed Al-Mesmari confirmed the attack on the gate of the 152nd brigade south of Ajdabiya city in eastern Libya. At 4 pm on Wednesday an armed group carried out a surprise attack at the battalion headquarters resulting in the death of two soldiers, the wounding of three others, and the seizure of an armed vehicle. Mesmari said the attackers fled southwest and that the attack bears the hallmarks of a Daesh attack. [AlArab]
REPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
Nigeria
Daesh says it attacked Nigerian Army units in Saso town and captured 4 vehicles. [A3maq]
France
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb revealed that more than 240 people have returned to France from combat areas in Syria and Iraq since 2012. Collomb said France is fully addressing the issue of returnees, noting the agreement signed between France and Turkey to control the flow of migrants. This allows France to closely monitor those returning from battlefields in Syria and Iraq who could commit attacks in France. [Arabi21]
DAESH MEDIA
Daesh publishes the 103rd issue of its Naba’ magazine. In this issue, Daesh publishes reports about its military operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries. It also publishes an infographic about its attacks in Iraq during the last Hijri (lunar) year. It says it killed or wounded 23,580 “Shia, Peshmerga, and Sahwa,” including 12,595 killed only in the Ninewa-north Salahuddin area. It also says it conducted 679 suicide attacks and destroyed 4,025 vehicles. In this issue also, Daesh publishes a story of one of its (allegedly) killed terrorists, a Bengali software specialist who lived, studied, and married in Australia. Daesh repeated this week its calls for women to join its “jihad.” In an article, Daesh says its structure is as strong as the International Coalition, and much stronger than it was after Sahwa forces were formed in Iraq. It says it recruited many young people, and there are many jihadis joining it from all over the world. It says it sees the results of the battles differently. It says its enemies will fight each other after they think Daesh got weakened. It also says its enemies know that the fighting in the next step will be much harder than direct battles. [ICDNOct26]
