November 19, 2018
Explosion in Tikrit (DD Nov 18)
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS
Iraq
Interior, Defense minister positions still tied up in CoR politics. [..]
UN says 80% of Iraqi children subjected to violence, and school dropout problem is epidemic in parts of Iraq. [..]
Catholic archbishop denounces fraudulent sales of Christian property. [..]
Wall Street Journal reports pervasive political corruption in power sector, Electricity ministry. [..]
Yazidi woman describes horrible experience of living in Daesh captivity. [..]
Iraq under heavy pressure from both US, Iran over response to sanctions. [..]
Daesh vehicle bomb in Tikrit kills 7, wounds 16. [..]
Suicide terrorist in PMF uniform kills 4 PMFs, wounds 6 in NE Diyala. [..]
PMFs find Daesh “bank” in Baaj desert. [..]
Basra Chief of Police says 80% of Iraq’s illegal narcotics come from Iran. [..]
Turkey
Trump says full report on Khashoggi murder will come in within a few days. [..]
Trump says US will not extradite Gulen to Turkey, despite NBC reports. [..]
Syria
Dissident Turkey-supported militia sparks internal fighting in Afrin. [..]
Coalition airstrikes near Hajin kill 43, including 36 Daesh family members. [..]
Coalition says Daesh charges of civilian airstrike deaths are made up. [..]
SOHR reports Syrian Army has finally retaken Al-Safa Hills near Suwayda. [..]
Other countries
Saudi Arabia: Royal family faction trying to bloc MBS accession to throne. [..]
Tunisia: Tunisia stops planned stabbing attacks on civilians, soldiers. [..]
Germany: Merkel government stops weapons shipments to Saudi Arabia. [..]
Nigeria: Daesh stages two more deadly attacks in NE Nigeria. [..]
Afghanistan: General Dunford reports little progress against Taliban in 2018. [..]
Philippines: Failed hostage rescue mission kills 5 soldiers, wounds 23. [..]
REPORTS FROM IRAQ
NATIONAL NEWS
New government
A DaeshDaily source said that the Al-Fath bloc’s opposition has excluded Faleh Al-Fayyad from further consideration for Minister of the Interior. Al-Fath has proposed Abdul Karim Al-Ansari (a PMF advisor), and Hussein Al-Tahhan (ex-Baghdad governor) for the post; both are from Al-Fath. The source added that Muqtada Al-Sadr supports the Al-Tahhan nomination. As for the Minister of Defense, the CoR has reportedly been allowed to decide between the previously nominated Salim Al-Jubouri and Faisal Al-Jerba; neither is opposed by any major political blocs.
Muqtada Al-Sadr addressed a letter to Hadi Al-Amiri, the head of Al-Fath, telling him that discrete deals were being arranged between some Al-Fath members and Sunni militias to ”buy” ministerial positions. He told Al-Amiri that “huge” deals are being arranged in secret, with huge amounts of money backed by external support. Sadr reminded him of their agreement to build and manage the country together. [Sumaria]
Reconstruction
A UN report says 80% of Iraqi children have been subjected to violence, and that education levels in southern Iraq, Anbar, and Ninewa are very low. It says conflict and inequality are still marking childhood in Iraq. It also says that only half of the children from poorer families can complete primary school, and only 25% of them graduate from secondary school. [Rudaw]
Archbishop Shlemon Warduni of the Chaldean Catholic Church said that there have been about 350 fraudulent sales of Christian property in Iraq. He said that the government had stopped about 50 fraudulent sales of Christian-owned properties on the Ninewa Plain, but that there was still a “real and serious problem” of Christian houses and properties having been illegally seized and then resold. [BasNews]
Corruption
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that General Electric had commissioned a report on its business partners in Iraq, and learned of widespread corruption allegations. The report “paint[ed] a portrait of widespread corruption and bribery in the Iraqi power sector,” and implicated high-level officials in the Ministry of Electricity, with which GE is negotiating for new power contracts. The WSJ quoted an Iraqi government official as saying that “not one single contract … has been done without some kind of deal benefiting one of the religious and political parties.” [WSJ]
DaeshDaily comment. This helps to explain why so many Iraqis can’t get electricity. [..]
The Ministry of Electricity said on Monday that an investigation into corruption had been launched following the WSJ report. The Minister of Electricity, Louay Khatib, directed the Office of the Inspector General of the Ministry to investigate what the report had said. Separately, the US Department of Justice declined to comment on the report. [Shafaaq]
General Electric issued its own clarification in response to the WSJ report. GE said that the Iraqi Ministry of Electricity, as well as GE, relied on “the highest standards of ethics and integrity,” and that it had commissioned the third-party report without necessarily endorsing it. [Shafaaq]
Anti-Daesh campaign
Lamya Hajji, a Yazidi activist, spoke of her experience in Daesh captivity. She said Yazidi women were sold and raped regularly by Daesh emirs. She also told a horrible story of a Daesh doctor who raped a 9 year old female child in front of her. She says that women were abducted for pleasure, while children were taken away for training to become future fighters. [BaghdadToday]
Foreign policy
An Iraqi delegation visiting Canada called on the US Congress to help Iraq in getting through the post-Daesh period. The delegation, participating in the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO members, also offered the condolences of Iraqi people to the US for the loss of life incurred in the California wildfires. The delegation was headed by Bashir Al-Haddad, second deputy Speaker in the CoR. [BaghdadToday]
The US is demanding that Iraq dissolve pro-Iranian militias before the US considers excluding it from trade sanctions placed on Iran. This comes as media reports that Prime Minister Adel Abd Ul-Mahdi is contemplating a visit to Washington to request an exception for Iraq from the sanctions. US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says that Iraq should fully comply with US demands in order to completely terminate the sanctions. [Sumaria]
Iranian ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi warned Iraq of dire consequences should it give in to US pressure in response to US sanctions against Iran. He said that Iraqi president Barham Salih was not clear in announcing the Iraqi position during his visit to Tehran, which angered the Iranians. Masjedi noted that power and food are exported from Iran to Iraq, so Iran will not be the only country in trouble. He called on Iranian companies to invest more in Iraqi government projects, saying that the Iraqi government is seeking $100 billion worth of investment to implement 1,200 projects. He added that 79 Iranian companies operate in Iraq in the fields of power stations, refineries, hotels, stadiums and residential complexes, investing over $8 billion. [BasNews]
An “informed source” says Saudi Arabia offered to provide Iraq with 600 Mw of power, through a large project in which Saudi Arabia would prepare the power generation, while Iraqis assumed responsibility for the connection in their country. This was reportedly one of the topics discussed during President Barham Salih’s visit to Saudi Arabia, which also included discussing the development of border crossings to increase trade between the two countries. [BaghdadToday]
President Barham Salih also met in Riyadh with Abdullatif Al-Zayani, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), to discuss political and security developments in the region, and how to develop mutual relations between Iraq and the GCC states. [Anadolu]
BAGHDAD
North (Tarmiya, Taji, etc.)
Daesh said on Saturday it killed three Iraqi Army members with silenced guns and stole weapons and ammunition in an attack on a military position in the Al-Salman area, in Tarmiya. [ICDNNov17]
Daesh published on Monday photos of the stolen items. [ICDNNov19]
ANBAR
Hit/Haditha
The Center for Security Information says on Monday that 11 IEDs and 2 Juhannam shells were found and destroyed in Kubaisa. Army units also destroyed 6 IEDs in Mahboubiya. [Ghad]
Al-Qa’im
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that 3 tribal PMF members were kidnapped at a fake Daesh checkpoint on the road between Al-Qa’im and Haditha.
The PMF in Anbar say that it has surrounded the Abu Ridha Al-Baldawi airport, western Anbar, to prevent an expected landing by US planes. The PMF says the US troops are instigating the PMF by planning to establish a base in this area. The spokesman of the PMF also says the US presence in Iraq is unnecessary. [SkyPress]
DaeshDaily comment. We could take offense at this pro-Iran propaganda statement, but first let’s wait to see whether the statement about a new US base is really true. In that respect, PMF media does not have a sterling track record.
Rutba
Daesh issued on Monday photos of murdering a man in his house in Rutba after accusing him of being an Iraqi government “spy.” [ICDNNov19]
SALAHUDDIN
Shirqat
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 2 PMF members were killed and another severely wounded when an IED exploded on them near Al-Salman village.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Ninewa SWAT and tribal PMF units stopped a Daesh attack near Hawi Shakhir, close to Shabali village, killing 2 terrorists and capturing 1. The source said one of the two killed was Abdul Wahhab Younes, the former Daesh security official of the Qayara area.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 2 Salahuddin Ops Command soldiers were killed in a Daesh ambush in the Kan’ous area.
Baiji
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 4 AAH members were killed and their driver severely wounded when a roadside IED exploded on them near Al-Mazraa village, between Baiji and Tikrit.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that PMF units captured 2 persons who were smuggling food items, clothes, and mobile phones to Daesh terrorists in the Makhoul Mountains area.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that 2 Salahuddin Ops Command soldiers were killed and a captain wounded when their Humvee was destroyed by an IED in the desert near Baiji.
Daesh said it killed or wounded PMF members and destroyed their SUV with an IED in the Hajjaj area, on the road between Mosul and Tikrit, on Sunday. [ICDNNov19]
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that 3 PMF members were killed and 2 others wounded in the explosion.
Tikrit
A DaeshDaily source also said on Sunday that three civilians and four National Security Service members were killed and 16 other people wounded when a vehicle bomb exploded on Street 40, in Tikrit.
Security sources say a car bomb exploded in Atiba’ Street, downtown Tikrit city, killing at least 5 and wounding 16 on Sunday. [BasNews]
Daesh’s version says it set off a parked vehicle bomb in Tikrit on Sunday targeting a PMF commander, killing or wounding 30 people, including several of his bodyguards. [ICDNNov19]
Jan Kubis, the head of UNAMI, strongly denounced the terrorist attack in Tikrit on Sunday, expressing his deepest compassion with the families of the victims. Kubis described that attack as “absolute evil,” aiming only to kill civilians. [BasNews]
Military intelligence says that a “serious” terrorist was arrested at a checkpoint at the southern entrance to Tikrit city. There was an arrest warrant out for him. [Ghad]
Southern Salahuddin (Balad, Dujail)
Daesh said on Monday it blew up the house of a tribal PMF member in the Mazari’ area, near Yathrib. [ICDNNov19]
Eastern Salahuddin (Al-Daur, Tooz)
Daesh said it killed or wounded PMF members and destroyed their SUV with an IED in the Jalam Al-Daur area, on Saturday. [ICDNNov19]
DIYALA
Northern Diyala (Kifri, Khanaqin, Khalis north)
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 4 PMF members were killed and 6 others wounded when a Daesh suicide terrorist blew himself up at their military position in the Udhaim Dam area, in Al-Khalis. The source said the terrorist was dressed in PMF military uniform.
Security sources said on Monday that a Federal Police checkpoint in the Ali Awa area near Khanaqin city was attacked by an IED planted on a police car, killing an officer and injuring 4 other security personnel. The sources said the attack was believed to have been carried out by Daesh. [BasNews]
A police source said on Monday that a “large” joint security force was combing the Ali Awa area following the Daesh attack. [IKH]
Sadiq Al-Husseini, Chairman the Security Committee of the Diyala PC, says an intelligence team managed to dismantle a Daesh cell and arrest its 3 members in the Khanaqin countryside. He says the cell was involved in numerous terror attacks. [BaghdadToday] [Buratha]
KIRKUK
Hawija (Riyadh, Al-Zab, etc.)
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Daesh executed 3 IFP members it had captured in an attack on Al-Sadouniya village in Riyadh subdistrict, on Friday.
A DaeshDaily source said that several AAH members were killed or wounded in a Daesh attack near Abbasi on Monday morning. The source said PMF units started to establish a sand barrier around the city to prevent more attacks.
Daesh said it shot and wounded a tribal PMF member in Marata village, east of Hawija, on Sunday. [ICDNNov19]
Southwest (Daquq, Rashad, Taza, etc.)
Daesh said it killed or wounded IFP members and damaged their vehicle with an IED in Hassan Shallal village, west of Daquq, on Saturday. [ICDNNov19]
NINEWA
Makhmur
The Ninewa Police say that 3 policemen were killed in a Daesh attack at an entrance to Makhmur District. Daesh fighters attacked a checkpoint, killing 3 policemen there and capturing their light weapons, before fleeing to an unidentified location. [BasNews]
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that IFP units shelled and rocketed Daesh positions on Mount Qarachogh.
Mosul city
The “Falcons” intelligence cell of the Ministry of the Interior said on Monday that it arrested 6 of the Daesh attackers who took part in the recent attacks in east Mosul that killed and wounded 16 people. It said that more details of the operation would be announced shortly. [Rudaw] [Forat]
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that PMF units captured 4 Daesh members in the Al-Intisar neighborhood of east Mosul and the Kokjali neighborhood at the entrance to east Mosul.
Mosul District
South (Hammam Al-Alil/Shura/Qayara)
Ninewa Ops Command says that SWAT units and Coalition air support targeted 2 Daesh positions near Minkar village, south-southwest of Hammam Al-Alil, killing 4 Daesh fighters and destroying 2 Daesh tunnels. [Baghdadia]
A DaeshDaily source also said on Sunday that Coalition planes killed 4 Daesh terrorists and destroyed their pickup vehicle near Minkar village, in the Hammam Al-Alil subdistrict.
A security source confirmed on Sunday that the Coalition had bombed Minkar, and added that the Iraqi Air Force had bombed a Daesh “nest” in Jazeera Shura, near Hammam Al-Alil. [SotIraq]
West (Hamidat/Muhalabiya)
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 2 PMF members were killed when their vehicle was destroyed by an IED in the Tal Abta area, Muhalabiya subdistrict. The source said PMF units arrested 30 civilians from the area after the explosion.
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that PMF units regained control of 4 villages in the Tal Abta area, killing 2 terrorists and forcing the rest to flee. The source said 2 PMF fighters were also killed. The source said Daesh had captured the villages on Monday night and blew up the houses of 4 tribal PMF members.
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that Daesh killed two civilians in the Hamidat subdistrict. The source said the victims were scrap metal dealers whose cousin is a former CoR member.
Southern Ninewa
Hatra
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that two PMF members were killed and another severely wounded when an IED exploded on their vehicle near Al-Jari village, west of Hatra city.
A DaeshDaily source said on Monday that “large” PMF military reinforcements arrived in the southern Hatra area from northern Salahuddin.
Baaj
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that PMF units found $100,000 US, in addition to gold alloys, hidden in the desert between Baaj and Tal Abta. The source said Daesh used the hideout as a “bank.”
SOUTHERN IRAQ
Basra
The Chief of the Basra police says that 80% of narcotics entering Iraq are coming from Iran, while the remaining 20% come from other sources such as Kuwait. He says he has obtained the necessary approvals to secure the 94 km border between Basra and Iran, which will include inspecting ships in Shatt Al-Arab. [BasNews]
Babel
The Babel police say that they arrested 53 persons trying to enter the province through its checkpoints, including 1 wanted on terrorism charges. [Ghad]
Dhi Qar
The Dhi Qar police say that a bomb exploded in front of the Rifa’i Pensions Office without causing casualties. [Sumaria]
KURDISTAN NEWS
DAHUK
A local source says that a Turkish plane attacked the mountain area near Sharanish and Khamtir, in Zakho subdistrict, in northwest Dahuk Province, on Monday. The source says that 2 rockets were fired. [Rudaw]
REPORTS FROM TURKEY
Political developments
On Saturday, President Trump stated that there would be a “very full report” on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the next few days, probably on Tuesday, and that the report would include “who did it.” Trump also said that reporting on Friday night, which said that the CIA had concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) ordered the killing, had been “premature.” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said that “there remain numerous unanswered questions.” [AP]
Trump also said on Saturday that the US was not considering extraditing dissident Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, in response to an earlier NBC News report claiming that the US might extradite Gulen in order to “persuade Erdogan to ease pressure on the Saudi government.” [NPR]
REPORTS FROM SYRIA
NATIONAL NEWS
United Nations
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said on Monday that UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura would remain in office for a longer period to ensure that there was no gap in the post. Dujarric did not say for how long. [Anadolu]
Foreign policy
Kazakhstan
Kairat Abdrakhmanov, the Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, says that Russia and Turkey will hold the next session of negotiations regarding Syria in Kazakhstan, on 28 and 29 November. [Qasioun]
Turkey
The SDF threatened Turkey with an all-out war if the Turks attack SDF positions east of the Euphrates. The statement came during a visit of a Coalition delegation to Ras Al-Ayn in Hasaka. An SDF leader said that Turkish entry to east of the Euphrates was “a matter of life or death to us …. We do not want to go to war, but if they attack us, we will have to,” he said. [EnabBaladi]
DaeshDaily comment. In view of what happened in Afrin, we doubt that Erdogan will be intimidated by this threat, and he could take it as an opening.
Saudi Arabia
The Saudi King, Salman bin Abdul Aziz says that his country supports peaceful solutions in Syria that secure the elimination of terrorist groups and the return of refugees. [Qasioun]
Middle East
The Russia Today TV channel said that a military convoy from an “Arab Gulf country” arrived at the front lines between the SDF and Daesh in eastern Deir Ez-Zor, before leaving after 72 hours. The sources did not mention which Gulf country it was or the reason for the visit, but it was described as possibly a prelude to a military contribution in the battle against Daesh in the area. [ElDorar]
Anti-Daesh campaign
The Al-Sanadid Arab militia says it is dissolving itself and joining the YPG, which it said was “on US orders.” Bandar Al-Jarba announced the decision in a meeting held in Tal Allaw village in Qamishli, but it was negatively received by the attendees. [Qasioun]
A senior leader of the Al-Sanadid militia escaped to the UAE after transferring large amounts of money to accounts owned by him and his leader, “Sheikh Hammadi.” The militia allied with the YPG against Daesh several years ago. [ZamanAlWasl]
“Informed sources” say there is a large possibility that Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi is somewhere on the Iraq-Syria border. Commenting on a British media story alleging that the SDF knows where Al-Baghdadi is, an SDF spokesman says it is an intelligence piece passed to a reporter, declining to confirm or deny the news. Lilwi Al-Abdullah, spokeswoman for the Deir Ez-Zor Military Council, under the SDF, says it is possible that Al-Baghdadi and his close associates are in Hajin or nearby, and it is difficult for them to get away. She says that the SDF will continue their offensive until the Daesh presence in this area is terminated. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. We note for the record that many “informed sources” have reported the whereabouts of Baghdadi over the past few years, and that the results from these predictions have mostly shown that the “informed sources” were not informed.
Northwest
Afrin
The SOHR reported fighting between Turkish forces and the Shuhada Al-Sharqiya militia in the Villas and Mahmudiya neighborhoods in Afrin city, which has been held by the Turks since March. The fighting halted for a few hours to allow civilians to leave their houses. [SyriaHR]
A local source from Afrin said that the Turkish Army and several pro-Turkish militias including the Sultan Murad militia, were fighting the Shuhada Al-Sharqiya militia (which Rudaw called Ahrar Al-Sharqiya) in Afrin. The source said that its fighters refused a Turkish demand for them to leave the city, prompting the fighting. [Rudaw]
A motorcycle bomb exploded, wounding 5 persons near a building used by pro-Turkey military police, previously the Karama School, in Afrin, Kurdish sources say. They also say that the Turkish Army has attacked some of the militias operating under its command for unknown reasons. [Hawar]
A local source says that the pro-Turkish “National Army” militia and Shuhada Al-Sharqiya were negotiating peace after hours of fighting in Afrin. [ElDorar]
A later report said that the “National Army” and Shuhada Al-Sharqiya had reached a ceasefire agreement, allowing Shuhada Al-Sharqiya to evacuate its fighters to Jinderes in southwest Afrin. [ElDorar]
Manbij
The YPG says that it defused a 10 kg Daesh mine in the Manbij orchards that had been reported by local residents. [Hawar]
Northeast
Hasaka
Media sources say that SDF leaders met with Coalition commanders to discuss development in the war against Daesh. The meeting was held Tal Habash village, west of Amuda in Hasaka. [Qasioun]
Central and West
No reports
East (Deir Ez-Zor)
Albu Kamal District
The SOHR said that Coalition airstrikes in Abu Hasan, southeast of Hajin, killed 43 people on Saturday, including 36 family members of Daesh fighters. The SOHR added that it was the highest death toll from Coalition strikes since the beginning of the SDF offensive in September. Coalition spokesman Sean Ryan told AFP that there had been no civilian casualties from the airstrikes in question. [AFP]
The Coalition issued a press release on Saturday denying that there were any civilian casualties in their earlier strikes “near Hajin.” The Coalition said that it had conducted 19 airstrikes between Friday night and late Saturday afternoon in support of ground operations, and that it had confirmed all targets as “legitimate” Daesh targets and assessed the areas as free of civilian presence.
In the same press release, the Coalition said that there were 10 airstrikes in the same area that it did not carry out, and “call[ed] on all other actors to cease uncoordinated firing across the Euphrates.” [InherentResolve]
Daesh said on Saturday that 40 people, mostly women and children, from Al-Baqaan village, in Hajin subdistrict, were killed by Coalition airstrikes. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. The first story above, combined with the repeat of our story just above, illustrates what is behind the debate over civilian casualties from airstrikes. The 43 people killed by the airstrikes in Abu Hasan included 36 civilians—who were family members of Daesh fighters. So they were civilians, but they were not innocent people cruelly targeted by the West, the usual Daesh propaganda line.
A DaeshDaily source said on Sunday that Coalition planes killed 4 Daesh terrorists, including 2 commanders, in an airstrike on the Hawi Al-Susah area.
Daesh said on Monday that Coalition planes killed more than 250 people, mostly women and children, in airstrikes on eastern Deir Ez-Zor province, especially Hajin and Al-Susah. It said the number could double because people bury the dead without documentation. It claimed the Coalition airplanes and artillery used white phosphorus. It said Al-Susah and Al-Baghouz were destroyed completely and “became from the past.” It said it became difficult for people to find bread after Coalition planes destroyed bakeries in the area. [A3maq]
DaeshDaily comment. More airstrike propaganda from Daesh. The cruel Coalition killed a huge number of women and children, they say. Please see the comment above.
Moreover, what about the people Daesh killed because they were trying to escape? Who counts those civilians? They have used the same strategy from Mosul to Falluja to Raqqa to Hajin, again and again. Prevent people from leaving and use them as human shields. It’s a strategy of setting up other people to get killed so they can save themselves.
As an example of the human shields strategy noted above, a DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that Daesh killed a man and his two sons and arrested the rest of their family—for trying to escape Hajin.
Daesh said on Saturday its snipers killed a Syrian soldier in Al-Sukkariya village, near Albu Kamal. [ICDNNov17]
Daesh issued on Monday a video of a Syrian soldier targeted by its snipers in Sayal village, north of Albu Kamal city. [A3maq]
South
Suwayda
The SOHR reported that the Syrian Army retook Tilul Al-Safa (Al-Safa Hills) from Daesh on Saturday. Syrian state news agency SANA said that the Syrian Army had “made a great advance” and was now combing the area for stragglers. [AFP]
Reuters reported that “hundreds” of Daesh fighters had withdrawn from the Tilul Al-Safa area as Syrian Army tanks approached with air support. [Qasioun]
A DaeshDaily source said on Saturday that 18 Kata’eb Hezbollah members, including a commander, were killed and 3 vehicles destroyed in a Daesh ambush near Al-Safa Hills.
OTHER MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA REPORTS
Neighboring countries
Saudi Arabia
3 sources “close to the royal court” said that Saudi royalty are trying to prevent Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) from becoming king, following the international protest around the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. According to these sources, the dissident branches of the Al-Saud family would back King Salman’s younger brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, to succeed him. [Reuters]
North Africa
Egypt
The Egyptian Dar Al-Ifta’a fatwa and takfiri monitoring group said that terrorist incidents had dropped for the second week in a row, and that the victims from incidents they counted dropped to 208 dead and wounded, compared to 301 from last week. Afghanistan again topped their list of the countries most vulnerable to terrorist operations, as they counted 7 operations in the last week, 6 of which targeted the Afghan Army or police. Pakistan ranked second, with 3 attacks by the Taliban, followed by Iraq, Mali, and Nigeria. The group also noted that Daesh claimed to have carried out several operations that never actually happened. [AhlMisr]
Dar Al-Ifta’a also announced that it had started production of animated videos aiming to counter extremist ideology. [AhlMisr]
Daesh said on Saturday it destroyed an Egyptian Army bulldozer and a truck with 2 IEDs, east of the Arish Airport. [ICDNNov17]
Daesh said on Monday it killed or wounded several Egyptian Army members with an IED in the Lahabdin area, south of Sheikh Zuweid. [ICDNNov19]
Libya
Locals in Wadi Al-Hunaywah, on the outskirts of Sirte, said on Monday that Daesh members had put up a checkpoint the previous night on the nearby road between Sirte and Benghazi. They said that the Daesh fighters had been stopping passing cars. [Wasat]
Tunisia
The Tunisian Minister of the Interior, Hisham Al-Frati, announced on Monday that a series of planned stabbing attacks on civilians and security and military personnel had recently been thwarted. He also said that materials for the manufacture of explosives and an unlicensed drone aircraft had recently been seized. [Tunisien]
Al-Frati also said on Monday that security personnel had arrested 7 terrorists who hid in the mountains during 2018, and discovered 40 takfiri cells. [Tunisien]
Finally, Al-Frati said that the terrorist “Mona Qibla,” who blew herself up in the capital, had been briefed on the use of the bomb by terrorists hiding in the Tunisian mountains. [Tunisien]
REPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
EUROPE
Germany
Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs says that the German weapons supply to Saudi Arabia has stopped completely in the aftermath of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. New imports will not be licensed, and ongoing imports will be stopped, says the Ministry. [Sumaria]
Great Britain
The Sunday Times told the story of 3 British Daesh sisters who all have children, making them the largest Daesh family in the UK. They were all arrested by the SDF in Syria, where their Portuguese husbands were killed fighting for Daesh. Their brother was arrested on terror charges in Tanzania. [Sumaria]
DaeshDaily comment. Such a nice family.
AFRICA
Nigeria
Daesh said its Nigerian affiliate killed 40 soldiers and stole 4 armored vehicles, 5 SUVs, and weapons and ammunition in an attack on a Nigerian Army position in the town of Mitli, near Lake Chad, on Sunday. It said the terrorists set the military position on fire. In another version, Daesh said they stole 4 tanks and an armored vehicle.
Daesh also said it killed two soldiers, wounded others, set an armored vehicle on fire, and stole 2 SUVs in an attack on a Nigerian Army position in Minok town, near Maiduguri, on Saturday. [A3maq] [ICDNNov19]
ASIA
Afghanistan
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said on Sunday that the Taliban were “not losing” in Afghanistan. He added, “We used the term stalemate a year ago and, relatively speaking, it has not changed much.” [Khaama]
The Afghan Military said on Saturday that “at least 25” Taliban fighters were killed in airstrikes in Ghazni, southeastern Afghanistan. [Khaama]
The 201st Silab Corps of the Afghan Military said on Sunday that “at least 30” Taliban fighters, including some from its “Red Unit,” were killed in operations in Nangarhar Province. [Khaama]
Daesh published on Saturday photos of the result of its IED attack on Afghan Special Forces in the Bandar area, in the Achin district of Nangarhar Province, eastern Afghanistan. [ICDNNov17]
Daesh had previously said that it killed or wounded Afghan Special Forces members with an IED in the Bandar area on Thursday. [A3maq] [ICDNNov16]
Philippines
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Saturday that five soldiers were killed and 23 others injured while troops were trying to rescue hostages from the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. The soldiers were searching for hostages taken by the Abu Sayyaf group when the fighters attacked them on the island of Jolo, Sulu, on Friday, regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told reporters. “The effort is part of our mission to rescue the remaining hostages,” Besana said. Abu Sayyaf is a loose alliance of several hundred armed members formed in the 1990s with financing from Al-Qaeda.
Friday’s clash was one of the deadliest since an Abu Sayyaf militia joined the Maute group in seizing Marawi City in 2017, leading to a 5-month battle that claimed more than 1,100 lives. Abu Sayyaf is now believed to hold “less than 10” hostages, Besana said. The soldiers who survived Friday’s ambush did not see any hostages during the 90-minute clash near the town of Patikul, Besana said. [Rappler]
Daesh said it killed seven Philippine Army soldiers and captured weapons and ammunition in “Layang” village, in Jolo Sulu Island, on Friday. [ICDNNov17]
Daesh issued on Saturday a video of the clashes. [A3maq]
DAESH MEDIA
Daesh published on Monday a photo of one of its terrorists claiming he was killed in the Afghanistan/Pakistan area. [ICDNNov19]
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