Iraq Weekly Security Roundup, week 16

Levels of violence rose considerably in Iraq last week. At least 231 people were killed and dozens, possibly hundreds more were injured in nationwide incidents.

The security forces opened fire on protesters at a camp in the northern town of Hawijah on 23 April, killing a reported 28 people. This prompted a major backlash by predominantly Sunni anti-government individuals, many of whom took up arms and attacked the police and military.

The violence was most concentrated in the northern province of Ninawa, although there was also a significant escalation in Salah ad-Din province as well as in the east of Anbar province. Ta'mim and Diyala provinces also saw several attacks.

The previous week saw a large number of bombings around the country, which may have prompted the security forces to take a harder line on the protest movement. Last week, however, saw a fall in the number of bombings, with only 24 blasts reported, killing 27 people and injuring 140 (a relatively low figure for Iraq). There were no suicide bombings.

Small arms fire was far more prevalent, with AKE documenting at least 71 fatalities directly attributed to shooting incidents. This is evidently the preferred tactic of individuals taking part in the clashes.

Also, 3 Iraqi Army soldiers been killed by extremist nearby the protests camp in Alanbar city.


The true casualty figure is also likely to be much higher with reporting conditions extremely poor in areas caught up in the violence.


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Source: AKE

Raises security risk rating for Iraq

 The country is now rated at 38 (Grave Security Concerns), up one point from 37 as a result of a recent increase in violence in the country.

The Iraqi security forces are reported to have killed several people when they opened fire on demonstrators at an anti-government protest in the northern town of Hawijah earlier on 23 April.

This will likely prompt an intensification of anti-government sentiments elsewhere in the country and could lead to more sporadic violence at protests in towns such as Mosul and Fallujah.

Terrorist organisations may also increase their bombing campaigns against government and security force targets in an attempt to win sympathy from the demonstrators.

Bombings should also be expected over the coming few days as the results of the recent provincial elections are due to be announced.

Levels of violence are currently higher than normal in Iraq. At least 108 people were killed and 309 injured in nationwide incidents last week. It saw more attacks than any other week so far this year.

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Source: AKE Group

Iraq Security Weekly Roundup, week #12

Levels of violence rose considerably in Iraq last week, making it the second-worst week for violence so far this year.

At least 125 people were killed and 302 injured in nationwide incidents, the worst casualty figures since a spate of co-ordinated terrorist attacks in September.

At least 49 non-suicide bomb attacks left 82 people dead and 253 injured – a very high figure for the country.

Three additional suicide bombings left 11 people dead and 33 injured. There has been a rise in suicide attacks over recent weeks although most appear to have inflicted a relatively small number of casualties.

Small arms attacks left 32 people dead and 14 injured, a relatively high figure. Many took place in the capital where militants appear to have resumed targeted assassinations against civic employees and senior members of the security forces. Officials associated with the April provincial elections have also been singled out countrywide.

Otherwise, indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) left three people injured. Two people were also found stabbed to death in Anbar and Wassit provinces.

Violence was concentrated in Baghdad, which experienced more attacks than any other week since the end of 2011. Mosul was also violent, but more customarily so. Otherwise incidents were concentrated in the central region, predominantly in districts adjacent to the capital.

Iraq Weekly Roundup week # 11

As Iraq prepares to mark the ten-year anniversary of the multinational invasion, security conditions remain poor in the country.

The overall number of attacks remained relatively unchanged last week when compared to weeks earlier in the year, although there was a fall in the number of fatalities.

At least 78 people were killed and 185 injured in nationwide incidents, which is relatively standard.

The previous week had seen an unusually high death toll, partly because of an attack on Syrian soldiers in Anbar province which left dozens dead.

Last week saw at least 40 non-suicide explosive attacks, which is higher than normal, but the majority of devices used were relatively small or low-yielding in terms of casualties inflicted. They left 16 people dead and 84 injured.

Three additional suicide explosive attacks left 23 people dead and 86 injured, including several in an attack against the Ministry of Justice in central Baghdad.

There was a fall in the number of shooting attacks, which left 37 people dead and 15 injured, but there was nonetheless a rise in the use of the tactic against election officials and ministry employees, especially in Baghdad.

Violence was concentrated in the usual hotspots of Baghdad (which saw more fatalities than anywhere else in the country) Mosul and Kirkuk, with clusters in Fallujah, Ba'qubah, Tikrit, Riyadh and Bayji.

The southern city of Basrah was also hit by a rare double bombing over the weekend left around 35 causalities. 

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Source: AKE  

Iraq Security Weekly Roundup Week #4

At least 96 people were killed and 263 injured in Iraqi violence last week. The total number of attacks did not rise considerably from recent weeks, but the number of associated casualties did.

A total of 34 bomb attacks left 61 people dead and 167 injured, including a suicide bombing in Tuz Khurmatu which left 35 people dead and 70 injured. Small arms fire attacks left 35 people dead and 36 injured. There were also several indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) but they did not cause any casualties.

The most hostile part of the country was Anbar province, which saw a notable deterioration in conditions. Local Sunni residents continue to demonstrate against what they perceive to be state discrimination against their community. Protests turned violent last week with a number of people killed and injured in stand-offs with the security forces. The local mood is likely to remain volatile and personnel should be prepared for a possible escalation if the government does not take appropriate steps.

Violence was also concentrated in the northern city of Mosul and the province of Salah ad-Din while Baghdad and Diyala province also saw a number of attacks. Both the south of the country and KRG territory in the north were quiet.

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Source: AKE

Iraq Security Weekly Roundup Week #3

 
Levels of violence rose slightly in Iraq last week and casualty figures were higher than normal, partly due to a double suicide bombing which hit Kirkuk, as well as a rise in bombings and shootings in the central region. In total, at least 75 people were killed and 301 injured in nationwide incidents.

A total of 39 non-suicide bomb attacks left 23 people dead and 100 injured. An additional suicide bombing in Fallujah and a double suicide bombing in Kirkuk left at least 31 more people dead and 190 injured.

A rise in small arms fire attacks left 20 people dead and six injured. Indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) left five people injured.

Salah ad-Din province saw more attacks than any other area, although violence was also concentrated in Mosul, Kirkuk, Baghdad and Fallujah. Tuz Khurmatu in Salah ad-Din province also saw several attacks, as did Babil and Diyala provinces.

Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) territory remained relatively quiet although the Turkish air force continues to conduct cross-border raids in search of Kurdish rebels. The south of the country saw no major outbreaks of violence. 


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Source: AKE Group.

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 rose in Iraq last week. At least 97 people were killed and 327 injured in nationwide incidents, which is moderately high for the country, and an increase from the previous week.

A total of 41 non-suicide bomb attacks left 74 people dead and 289 injured. Two additional suicide bombings left nine people dead and 31 injured.

Of particular note were two seemingly co-ordinated bombings in Hillah and Karbala on 29 November which left dozens of people dead and injured.

A bus containing 20 army recruits was also taken captive by armed militants in Salah ad-Din province on 30 November, but the army was able to rescue the vehicle and the captives within a few hours.

There was a consistent number of small arms fire attacks, which left 14 people dead and seven injured. There were no indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) reported.

Violence was spread relatively evenly throughout urbanised parts of the central and northern provinces. The south of the country was relatively quiet.

Tensions remain high between the Baghdad and Kurdish authorities over disputed territories in the central north region of the country. There will remain the potential for localised spats, political tirades and even a wider escalation, although at present both sides are more likely to pursue a diplomatic solution than a costly confrontation.


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Sources: AKE, MOH, MOI, MOD, INA

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 29-Oct.12

Summary
The overall number of attacks taking place in Iraq rose over the past week, part of a three-week overall increase in violence countrywide. At least 71 people were killed and 209 injured in nationwide incidents, which is a jump from the previous week.

As warned in last week's report, terrorists targeted civilians gathered at mosques and in their homes to commemorate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. Even the normally well-defended district of Kadhimiyah in Baghdad was hit. Otherwise, violence was concentrated elsewhere in the north of the capital, as well as Mosul, Kirkuk and Diyala province.

In total, at least 32 non-suicide bomb attacks left 35 people dead and 177 injured countrywide. An additional suicide bombing in Fallujah left one person dead and five more injured. Small arms fire attacks left three people dead and five injured. Four people were abducted in separate incidents in Kirkuk in the north and Amarah in the south.

There was an unusually high number of indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars), which left seven people dead and two injured. This may constitute a statistical and coincidental blip, but organisations are advised to review their emergency measures to deal with indirect fire attacks. The attacks are not currently cause for alarm, but they will be worthy of greater attention if the attacks continue for another week.

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Resource: AKE Group

Iraq Security in a week !

Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 42 people were killed and 83 injured in nationwide incidents, which is a six-week low for the country.

Attacks were concentrated in the northern city of Mosul and scattered throughout the central provinces. The south of the country was relatively quiet. Turkish military operations also continue in the mountainous border of Kurdistan.

Countrywide, a drop in the number of small arms fire attacks left 17 people dead and 14 injured. There was only one indirect fire attack reported, with a mortar landing close to the residence of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki in the International/Green Zone in Baghdad. No casualties were reported during the incident. Three people were also reportedly abducted by criminal gangs in the north and centre of the country.

A total of 38 bomb attacks left 22 people dead and 69 injured. It would appear that most of the devices were relatively small, usually causing injuries rather than fatalities.

There were no suicide bombings reported, although such attacks may become more frequent over the coming five weeks as Ramadan takes place (the holy month is often associated with suicide attacks).

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Source: AKE Intell.

Iraq Security for the last week

Summary
Levels of violence fell slightly in Iraq last week. At least 27 people were killed and 73 injured in nationwide incidents.

A total of 19 non-suicide bomb attacks left 16 people dead and 55 injured. This constitutes a lower than normal figure for the country, although the decline is likely to be temporary. Two further suicide bombings in Anbar province and Baghdad left three people dead and 11 injured.

Small arms fire attacks left five people dead and five injured. Indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) left two people injured. There were no abductions reported, but no one was reportedly freed from captivity either.

Violence was concentrated in Mosul in the north, as well as Baghdad, Ba’qubah and eastern Anbar province. The south of the country was quiet. A protest took place in Arbil in the normally quiet region of Kurdistan but the overall security environment in the region remains relatively good.

 

Iraq Weekly Roundup

Summary
After four weeks of declining violence, the number of attacks rose once again in Iraq last week. At least 53 people were killed and 245 injured in nationwide incidents, which is moderately high, albeit not as high as the figures of over 100 recorded at the beginning of the year.

Tactics
A rise in the total number of bomb attacks left 39 people dead and 242 injured, particularly in Baghdad and the central provinces. A steady number of small arms fire attacks left 14 people dead and three injured, notably in the capital. There were no kidnappings or indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) recorded.

Central Violence
The central region saw the majority of attacks, especially around Ba’qubah and Baghdad. Mosul in the north has been unusually quiet for at least two weeks, raising concerns that militants in the area have been looking elsewhere to conduct attacks. The spate of bombings which took place in Iraq last week could indicate that they have turned their attention to the centre of the country, although there are also ongoing fears that some of the militants have also headed across the border into neighbouring Syria.

Crossing the Border
In Anbar province last week 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.

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Source: AKE Group

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 Weekly Roundup, 13 February 2012

SummaryLevels of violence fell in Iraq last week. At least 19 people were killed and 55 injured in nationwide incidents which is a relatively low figure.

TacticsA total of 16 bomb attacks left five people dead and 39 injured – a relatively low figure. There were no suicide bombings recorded. A fall in the number of small arms fire attacks left 10 people dead and three injured. Indirect fire attacks (rockets and mortars) left one person dead and 13 injured.

Geographic DistributionViolence was concentrated in the central provinces and Baghdad. The North of the country was unusually quiet, with no major incidents recorded in Mosul city at all. Kurdistan saw Turkish military operations around the border, involving clashes with the terrorist PKK organisation.

Incidents in the SouthA kidnapped woman was rescued by the authorities in an operation in Basrah. An Iraqi private security company employee and three local residents were killed in a small arms fire exchange in West Qurnah.

Business RisksFrom a business perspective, the government announced that oil major ExxonMobil would not be allowed to participate in an upcoming oil and gas bidding round after it controversially signed contracts with the Kurdish authorities in October 2011.
Political Instability
From a political perspective the Iraqiya bloc returned to parliament last week after it boycotted proceedings following the arrest warrant issued for vice-president Tariq al-Hashimi.

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Source: AKE

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