#Iraq #Security weekly roundup

Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week. At least 144 people were killed and 360 injured in nationwide incidents. A higher than normal number of small arms attacks left 28 people dead and 34 injured. A total of 108 non-suicide bomb attacks left 85 people dead and 270 injured. Five additional suicide bombings left 30 more people dead and 55 injured. Attacks were concentrated in the cities of Mosul, Kirkuk and Baghdad, as well as throughout the settlements roughly located between them. Incidents were concentrated throughout Salah ad-Din province (with a spike in the Tuz Khurmatu area), with further clusters around Fallujah and Hit (Anbar province), Mada'in (Babil province) and Ba'qubah (Diyala province). A spate of attacks targeted Shi'ah religious worshippers gathering to mark Ashura. Further attacks on the community are to be expected. The next major religious event in the Shi'ah religious calendar is Arba'een, due around 23 December. In the south of the country two altercations around Rumailah oilfield prompted a large number of foreign personnel to leave the country, with at least one service company declaring force majeure on its operations. While levels of violence in the central region were bad, this energy-related development may be much more concerning for foreign investors. ____________________ Source: AKE