Iraq Weekly Roundup. Last week in 2012

Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 21 people were killed and 55 injured in nationwide incidents, a relatively low figure for the country.

A total of 21 bomb attacks left two people dead and 42 injured. Most of the devices were small and evidently low-yielding in terms of the number of casualties caused. There were no suicide bombings reported.

Small arms fire attacks left 17 people dead and five injured. Indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) left one person dead and three injured. Two people were also abducted although one was freed by the police a few hours later.

Violence was concentrated in the centre of the country, as well as the northern city of Mosul which saw more attacks than anywhere else. The south of the country was relatively quiet although the authorities are preparing for possible attacks over the coming days. The Kurdish region also saw ongoing Turkish military operations against Kurdish rebels in the mountains.

At the time of writing a series of additional bombings have also been reported around the country, with casualties reported in Babil, Diyala and Ta'mim provinces. Shi'ah pilgrims are amongst the victims and more such attacks against them should be anticipated over the coming days as they gather to mark Arba'een, due to culminate on 3 January.


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Source: AKE Group

Iraq Security Weekly Roundup

Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 39 people were killed and 202 injured in nationwide incidents. However, conditions may worsen over the coming week as terrorists could attempt to target Shi'ah religious interests as worshippers gather ahead of Ashura, due around 23-24 November.

A total of 37 non-suicide bomb attacks left 23 people dead and 143 injured last week. This is a relatively normal figure for the country. There were also two additional suicide bombings in the central provinces which left at least nine people dead and 40 injured.

There was a fall in the overall number of small arms fire attacks reported, with seven people killed and 16 injured in such attacks. Indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) left three people injured. Three people were also released from captivity in police operations after having been abducted by different criminal groups in the central and northern provinces.

Violence was concentrated in the cities of Fallujah, Ba'qubah and Mosul, as well as throughout the provinces of Ta'mim and Salah ad-Din. The south of the country was very quiet, aside from a bombing in Qadissiyah province. There were also two rare attacks recorded in Sulaymaniyah in the northern Kurdish Regional Government territory, while Turkish military operations against suspected PKK sties also took place in Dahuk province.


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Source: AKE, INA, FP

Iraq Weekly Roundup WEEK # 32

Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week, but conditions are still relatively worse than normal, particularly in the central region. At least 100 people were killed and 148 injured in nationwide incidents.

A total of 31 bomb attacks left 52 people dead and 112 injured, a fall from the previous week. There was a rise in the number of small arms fire attacks, which left 43 people dead and 36 injured.

The main hubs of violence were Fallujah, Ba'qubah, Tikrit, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Mosul. The south of the country saw no major incidents. Aside from a small demonstration in Sulaymaniyah and ongoing Turkish military operations on the border, Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) territory was also quiet.

A spate of attacks targeted the security forces in the central provinces on 2 August while several planned breakouts and attacks on prisons took place. An Iraqi journalist was also shot dead in Mosul on 31 July.

Tensions continue to rise between the Kurdish and Federal authorities, with a non-violent but potentially explosive standoff occurring between the Peshmerga and Iraqi army in a disputed area of Ninawa province over the course of the week. The federal troops have since withdrawn but the situation may escalate once again along the disputed belt of Ninawa, Diyala and Ta'mim provinces.

Note that the government has implemented a ruling granting a public day off on every Thursday during Ramadan.

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Source: AKE

Iraq Weekly Roundup WEEK # 31

Levels of violence rose considerably in Iraq last week, and it was the worst recorded so far this year in terms of casualties.

At least 150 people were killed and 386 injured in nationwide incidents, many of which took place on 23 July as mass-casualty attacks swept the country.

A total of 70 bomb attacks left 97 people dead and 357 injured. There were two additional suicide bombings but for a change they failed to cause any casualties.

Small arms fire attacks left 49 people dead and 29 injured.

The most violent province was Salah ad-Din, a former hotspot of al-Qaeda activity. It would seem that al-Qaeda and its affiliates are trying to re-establish a presence in the area.

Ta'mim in the north of the country also saw several attacks, overshadowing the normally more hazardous province of Ninawa. Diyala province also saw several attacks.

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Source: AKE

Iraq Weekly Roundup

Summary
Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week. Security measures were gradually relaxed following the conclusion of the Arab League Summit which appeared to grant militants slightly more opportunity to conduct attacks.
Geographical Distribution
At least 29 people were killed and 19 injured in nationwide incidents, with Mosul suffering the majority of the country’s violence. Kirkuk was the next most badly affected area, whilst Baghdad saw only three attacks. Even the normally stable city of Arbil in Kurdistan saw a rare sticky bomb attack. The south of the country remained relatively quiet.
Tactics
A total of 20 bomb attacks left 10 people dead and 12 injured countrywide. This is a rise from the previous week but the majority of the devices were small and low-yielding in terms of casualties. There were no suicide bombings recorded. A rise in the number of small arms fire attacks left 16 people dead and five injured. This is a relatively high figure, with most incidents taking place in Mosul. An additional indirect fire attack, also in Mosul, left two people dead and two injured.
Kidnap for Ransom
Two civilians were abducted in Kirkuk, which remains the abduction capital of the country. Indeed AKE’s latest K&R report shows it to be one of the worst cities in the world for kidnap and ransom activity.
Energy Sector Violence
The oil sector was targeted in two attacks last week, with the authorities making safe an explosive device on a field in Diyala province. Three devices also detonated on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline in Salah ad-Din province, disrupting supply through the facility for 24 hours. An officer from the oil police was also shot dead in an attack in Kirkuk. The sector remains an attractive target and organisations are advised to review safety and contingency plans surrounding their operations.

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Source: AKE

Iraq Violence January-March

AKE has analysed violence taking place in Iraq over the first quarter of 2012 (January – March). At least 724 people were killed over the period, although the true figure is likely to be higher, given that AKE figures are collated on a ‘spot’ basis, i.e. they are taken within 24 hours of a violent incident and do not take into account those who have died later from their injuries. The average week saw 56 fatalities (ranging from 18 to over 100 in any seven-day period) as well as dozens of injuries. The average week also saw over 40 attacks, spread throughout the country, albeit concentrated in urban centres in the northern and central provinces. The following map shows the frequency of violence by province of the course of Q1.

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Sourse: AKE

Iraq Weekly Roundup, 21 February 2012

Summary
There was a fall in the number of attacks recorded in Iraq last week, but the death toll was nonetheless higher than normal following a mass-casualty suicide attack targeting a police academy near Palestine Street in Baghdad.  Clusters of violence occurred in Mosul, Baghdad, Kirkuk, Ba’qubah, Ramadi and Nassiriyah, although overall militancy was down in all of these cities.

Tactics
In total, at least 45 people were killed and 74 injured in nationwide incidents, of which 19 were killed and 29 injured in the suicide attack. Otherwise a fall in the total number of non-suicide bomb attacks left six people dead and 39 injured. A slight rise in the number of small arms attacks left 19 people dead and six injured. There were no indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) or abductions reported.

Al-Qaeda and Syria
Meanwhile, security force patrols and operations were stepped up in the province along the border with Syria amid fears of criminal and militant infiltration. However, while the Iraqi security forces are concerned about militants crossing from Syria into Iraq, it is more likely that greater numbers are going in the opposite direction. 

There is mounting evidence that groups such as al-Qaeda are directing their efforts towards the collapsing regime on Iraq’s doorstep in the hope of being able to capitalise on the cover that the lawlessness in the country will afford them.

Iraq war in numbers

Iraq war Casualties in number 


The Cost in American Lives is Rising

3,217: Number of American troops killed in Iraq since the beginning of the war 

54: Percentage of troops killed who were 24 years old or younger

Coalition Support is Waning

49: Number of countries in the Coalition of the Willing when the invasion began in 2003

21: Number of countries in the Coalition by mid-2007 after Britain, Denmark, and South Korea reduce their forces

135,000: Number of American troops in Iraq

11,095: Number of non-American troops that will remain in Iraq after the upcoming Coalition withdrawals

Staying the Wrong Course

29,100: Number of additional troops President Bush and his generals have officially requested to send to Iraq as part of an escalation strategy

Up to 50,000: Likely number of additional combat and support troops that will actually have to be deployed for the escalation, according to a Congressional Budget Office report

59: Percentage of Americans who think the Iraq war was a mistake

13: Percentage of Americans who prefer the option of sending more troops to options involving some form of withdrawal

Our Troops Are Being Pushed Beyond Their Limits

31: Number of Army combat brigades that have served two or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, out of 44 total

420,000: Number of troops that have deployed more than once

50: Percentage of troops more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder if they serve more than one tour

50,000: Number of troops on whom “stop-loss” has been imposed, meaning they are prevented from leaving the Army when their enlistment end date arrives

Our Veterans Are Not Receiving Adequate Support

23,417: Number of troops wounded in Iraq 

9 out of 10: Number of disabled veterans who have been made to wait for benefit evaluations longer than the Pentagon’s own standard of 40 days

76: Percentage of Americans who think the Bush administration has not done enough to care for Iraq war veterans

Violence is Increasing

150,000: Estimated number of Iraqi civilians killed by violence since the beginning of the war, according to the Iraq Health Minister (a conservative estimate)

34,452: Number of Iraqi civilians killed by violence in 2006, according to the U.N.

19: Average number of daily attacks by insurgents in December 2003

77: Average number of daily attacks by insurgents in December 2004

185: Average number of daily attacks by insurgents in December 2006

5,000: Estimated strength of insurgency nationwide in Iraq, November 2003

20,000-30,000: Estimated strength of insurgency nationwide, October 2006

Basic Needs Are Still Unmet

75: Percentage of Iraqis who believe security is poor, according to a June 2006 survey

3,700,000: Estimated number of Iraqis who have fled the country or been internally displaced

20: Percentage of the Iraqi population living below the poverty line (or 5,600,000 people)

25-40: Estimated unemployment rate for Iraqi population

14.2 to 26.5: Estimated percentage of Iraqis who are malnourished

75: Percentage of Iraqi elementary schoolchildren who attended school last year, according to the Iraq Ministry of Education

30: Percentage of Iraqi elementary schoolchildren who attend school now, according to the Ministry of Education

Costs are Mounting

100.8 bil.: Annual cost of the war in Iraq, according to current monthly spending of 8.4 bil. per month

$463 bil.: Cumulative estimated cost of the Iraq war as of 2007

 $5.6 bil.: Estimated cost of the escalation, according to Bush administration

Up to $27 bil.: Estimated cost of the escalation, according to the CBO

$633 bil.: Projected cumulative cost of the Iraq war come 2008, figuring in the cost of the escalation

21: Percentage of the FY 2007 National Security Budget spent on Iraq

8: Percentage of the budget spent on homeland security

0.07: Percentage of the budget being spent on international broadcasting and educational cultural exchanges to win the war of ideas with terrorist groups

Americans Are Not Safer

75: Percentage of more than 100 foreign policy experts surveyed who think the war in Iraq had a “very negative impact” on protecting the American people from global terrorist networks and in advancing U.S. national security goals

75: Percentage of foreign-policy experts who think the United States is losing the war on terror

3,194: Number of terrorist attacks worldwide in 2004, as reported by the U.S. government’s National Counterterrorism Center

11,100: Number of terrorist attacks worldwide in 2005, as reported by the U.S. government’s National Counterterrorism Center

1: Rank of Iraq among all nations as a training ground for terrorists

There are no longer any good or easy options in Iraq. However, the United States can minimize the damage to its troops, its national security, and the security of Iraq and the region by redeploying troops from Iraq to address the mounting terrorist threat in Afghanistan. This strategy, in tandem with multiple diplomatic efforts involving Iraq’s neighbors in serious negotiations, just might allow the United States to extricate itself from the Bush administration’s war of choice in Iraq with our national security interests intact.

As The huffingtonpost:

Up to 112,708: Iraq civilians killed from 2003-present (figures from Iraq Body Count).

4,483: US military fatalities since 2003.

$801.8 billion: estimated US cost of funding the war by the end of 2011, according to Congressional Research Service.

3,208: days from start of Iraq war (March 20, 2003) to end of US involvement (December 31, 2011)

168,000: peak number of US troops in Iraq during 'Surge' (September, 2007). As of present date, there are a little under 40,000 troops in the country.

As The Telegraph:

U.S. deaths as of Nov. 30, 2011: 4,485

Confirmed U.S. military wounded (hostile) as of Nov. 29, 2011: 31,921

Confirmed U.S. military wounded (non-hostile) as of Oct. 31, 2011: 40,350

U.S. government contractors deaths as of Sept. 30, 2011: More than 2,097

Iraqi deaths from war-related violence as of Nov. 30, 2011 : At least 103,775

Assassinated Iraqi academics as of Aug. 25, 2011: 464

Journalists killed as of Nov. 30, 2011: 174

As Wikipedia:

Source	Casualties	Time period
Iraq Family Health Survey	151,000 violent deaths	March 2003 to June 2006
Lancet survey	601,027 violent deaths out of 654,965 excess deaths	March 2003 to June 2006
Opinion Research Business survey	1,033,000 deaths as a result of the conflict	March 2003 to August 2007
Associated Press	110,600 deaths	March 2003 to April 2009
Iraq Body Count project	103,536 — 113,125 civilian deaths as a result of the conflict. Over 150,726 civilian and combatant deaths[1]	March 2003 to October 2011
WikiLeaks. Classified Iraq war logs[1][2][3][4]	109,032 deaths including 66,081 civilian deaths.[5][6]	January 2004 to December 2009