On December 30, 2009 British computer technician Peter Moore was released from captivity by the Iranian backed League of the Righteous in return for the freeing of their leader, Qais Khazali. Moore and four British bodyguards, Alan McMenemy, Alec MacLachlan, Jason Swindlehurst, and Jason Creswell, were originally kidnapped from the Iraqi Finance Ministry building in downtown Baghdad on May 29, 2007. The Guardian claims that not only was this an Iranian organized operation led by their Revolutionary Guards Qods Force, but that the British hostages were held in Iran for most of their two and a half year captivity.
The events surrounding the kidnapping are a complicated one beginning with a series of American raids against Iranian operatives working within Iraq. In 2006, President George Bush okayed the killing and capturing of Iranians in Iraq who were supplying weapons and training to Shiite militias. In December 2006 that led to the arrest of General Mohsen Chirazi, the number 3 man in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Qods Force, which is in charge of Tehran’s Iraq policy. That was followed by a speech by President Bush in January 2007 where he said that the U.S. would stop Iran’s interference in Iraqi affairs. Later, on January 11, five Iranians were arrested in Irbil, Kurdistan. The Americans actually missed their targets, Mohammed Jafari, the deputy of Iran’s National Security Council, and General Minojahar Frouzanda, the intelligence chief of the Revolutionary Guards, when Kurdish peshmerga stopped U.S. forces at the Irbil airport. Tehran retaliated by leading a raid on the Karbala Provincial Joint Coordination Center in conjunction with the League of the Righteous that led to the deaths of five U.S. soldiers in January. In March 2007, U.S. and U.K. forces detained the League’s leaders Qais and Latih Khazali in Basra in March 2007.
Qais Khazali was one of the leading figures in the Sadr movement when Moqtada’s father, Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, created it in the 1990s. Qais helped keep the movement alive underground after Saddam killed the elder Sadr. When Moqtada emerged as one of Iraq’s new leaders after the 2003 invasion, Qais was one of his top lieutenants. He would split and then rejoin Moqtada several times before creating his own group, the League of the Righteous in 2006. That year he was also selected to lead the Special Groups that Iran was creating to gain more direct control of Shiite gunmen in Iraq.
Iran planned the May 2007 raid on the Finance Ministry as part of the tit for tat exchange with the United Sates, while the League of the Righteous wanted hostages to gain the release of the Khazali brothers. 80-100 members of the League drove up to the Ministry’s buildings in SUVs in Baghdad, and kidnapped the five Britons in just about 15 minutes. Iraqi intelligence officers from the Defense Ministry who happened to be in the Ministry at the time told the Guardian that they followed the kidnappers to Sadr City where the captives were kept for one day before being transferred to Iran. They passed this information to the Defense Ministry who did nothing. In Iran, the Britons were moved around to several locations. General David Petraeus confirmed this in a recent interview with the BBC where he said he was 90% sure that Tehran held the captives for a time. All negotiations for the release of the hostages occurred in Qom, Iran, but the British Foreign Office refused to directly talk with them, which greatly complicated things.
Almost two years later, Iraq, England, the U.S., Iran, and the League worked out a release plan with Lebanon’s Hezbollah acting as a middleman. In March 2009 a deal was cut whereby the Americans would release all of the League of the Righteous members they held including Laith and Qais Khazali in return for the British captives. In that month a video was released of Moore, followed by the freeing of Laith Khazali. After that U.S. prisons were emptied of some 300 League followers they held under the guise of an Iraqi reconciliation program, along with some of the top Qods Force members that were arrested in 2006-2007, in return for the bodies of Jason Creswell, Jason Swindlehurst, and Alec MacLachlan. Alan McMenemy has yet to be released, but it’s believed that he is dead as well. Sources told the Guardian that the Iranians killed all four bodyguards because for one, they were not considered important since they were only security men, and two to show that they were serious to the British government. The process finally ended with the release of Peter Moore and Qais Khazali. Some American military officers were against this deal, but the Status of Forces Agreement signed between Washington and Baghdad at the very end of the Bush administration in December 2008 requires the U.S. to release all the detainees they hold unless they have broken Iraqi law.
The kidnapping and release of Moore, MacLachlan, Swindlehurst, Creswell, and McMenemy mark the end of one period of post-Saddam Iraq. Washington and Tehran were involved in a covert war for influence within Iraq after the 2003 invasion. The U.S. focused upon Iran’s Qods Force and their support for Special Groups like the League of the Righteous. The U.S. tried to kill or capture as many militiamen and Qods Force operatives as they could, but interference by Iraqi officials meant that this effort could only go so far. The smashing of Shiite militias by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s offensives in 2008, along with Iran’s greater interest in political influence through support of Shiite parties in the 2009 and coming 2010 elections, means that their military policy has been put on the back burner. The League even renounced violence in 2009, and briefly flirted with running in the upcoming vote, before withdrawing in early December. What that means for the League is unknown. Qais Khazali is said to still have sway with many Sadrists, which has made Moqtada very worried about his leadership, but its too late for them to run as a party in 2010, which would greatly limit their influence if they wished to join Iraqi politics. There’s a good chance that the League will fade from the scene just as the military confrontation between Iran and the U.S. in Iraq has.
SOURCES
Chulov, Martin, “Shia cleric’s release by US forces provided key to Peter Moore’s freedom,” Guardian, 12/30/09
CNN, “U.S. raid on Iranian consulate angers Kurds,” 1/11/07
Cochrane, Marisa, “The Fragmentation of the Sadrist Movement,” Institute for the Study of War, January 2009
Cockburn, Patrick, “The botched US raid that led to the hostage crisis,” The Independent, 4/3/07
Fordham, Alice, “Hostage Peter Moore’s fate tied to that of Laith and Qais al-Khazali,” Times of London, 12/31/09
- “Peter Moore freed after US hands over Iraqi insurgent,” Times of London, 12/31/09
Hines, Nico, “Peter Moore: 31 months of Iraqi captivity,” Times of London, 12/30/09
Lake, Eli, “GIs Raid Iranian Building in Irbil,” New York Sun, 1/12/07
Linzer, Dafna, “Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq,” Washington Post, 1/26/07
Mahmood, Mona, O’Kane, Maggie, Grandjean, Guy, “Bush threats and an $18bn secret: why Iran’s kidnap squad struck,” Guardian, 12/31/09
Roggio, Bill, “US releases ‘dangerous’ Iranian proxy behind the murder of US troops,” Long War Journal, 12/31/09
Woodcock, Andrew and Johnson, Wesley, “Petraeus ‘90% certain’ that UK hostage was in Iran,” Independent, 12/31/09
Wright, Robin and Trejos, Nancy, “U.S. Troops Raid 2 Iranian Targets in Iraq, Detain 5 People,” Washington Post, 1/12/07
Showing posts with label Special Groups. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Groups. Show all posts
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
League Of Righteous Breaks Off Talks With Baghdad
On December 1, 2009 it was announced that the Iranian-backed, breakaway Sadrist group, the League of the Righteous, had ended its talks with Baghdad and would not run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The cited reason was that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki refused to release the League’s leader Qais Khazali who is being held by the Americans at Camp Cropper outside of Baghdad. At the beginning of August 2009 Maliki met with members of the League and said that they had renounced violence, and that they wanted to run in the 2010 balloting. The two sides also agreed to release League members held by the U.S. as long as they hadn’t killed Iraqis. By the end of September over 100 had been set free.
Around the same time, the League’s spokesman, former Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki, unveiled the group’s list, the Covenant, which would run in the 2010 elections. This seemed to worry Moqtada al-Sadr, who was afraid that the new party would cut into his supporters, some of which were upset that he had decided to turn away from the Iraqi street and militancy to try to participate in the government again. It probably worried him even more when rumors spread that Maliki was thinking of having the Covenant join his State of Law list, and Sadr’s overtures to the League to get them to rejoin his movement were rejected. Those all seems over now that they are withdrawing from the voting.
The talks between the government and the League began months earlier when Baghdad was acting as a mediator between the British government that wanted the release of five of their nationals that were kidnapped by the League back in May 2007 during a raid on the Finance Ministry. In March 2009 the group said that it would exchange the British hostages in return for ten of their leaders being freed by the Americans. On June 20, the bodies of two of the Britons were released, Jason Swindlehurst and Jason Creswell who were security guards. On September 4, a third guard, Alec MacLachlan, was turned over, but he too was dead. Another guard is also believed to be deceased, but Peter Moore, an internet technician is thought to still be alive. His fate is now up in the air as the talks between the League and Baghdad have fallen apart.
Qais Khazali, a former leader in the Sadrist movement when it was led by Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, Moqtada’s father, formed the League of the Righteous in 2006. Khazali was chosen by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force to lure members of the Mahdi Army away from Sadr, and bring them closer under Tehran’s wing. The League quickly made a name for itself when it attacked the Karbala Joint Coordination Center in January 2007, killing five U.S. soldiers. That led to the March arrest of Qais, and his brother Laith, as well as a Lebanese Hezbollah commander Ali Musa Daqduq that was coordinating Iran’s financing and training of the League and other Special Groups. The group retaliated with its raid on the Finance Ministry in Baghdad in May 2007, which resulted in the five Britons being kidnapped. Some think they were pawns to be traded for the release of the Khazali brothers. That took far longer than they thought, as Laith was only just released in June 2009 as part of the deal worked out with the Prime Minister, two years and one month after the Baghdad attack. Qais is still in custody, which is why the talks with the government broke down. This leaves the group in limbo, as it does not have its leader, has renounced both violence and participation in the upcoming elections, and is probably not receiving much attention from Iran either as it is more focused upon the major Shiite parties that it wants to win the vote. It’s not even clear what constituency the League has, so this could be a sign of its demise.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “2nd UPDATE: Iraqi PM Met Group Behind Kidnap Of Britons,” 8/3/09
- “Iraqi kidnappers abandon govt talks,” 12/1/09
- “Over 100 from Iraqi group who killed Britons freed,” 9/27/09
August, Oliver, “End the torment, says Brown as death of British hostage is confirmed,” Times of London, 9/4/09
Awan Daily, “Maliki announced next week, the electoral coalition,” 9/25/09
Cochrane, Marisa, “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups network,” Institute for the Study of War,” 1/13/09
Felter, Joseph and Fishman, Brian, “Iranian Strategy in Iraq, Politics and ‘Other Means,’” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 10/13/08
Mohammed, Abeer, “Maliki’s Chess Game,” Institute of War & Peace Reporting, 9/10/09
Roads To Iraq, “Iraqi pre-election political map – The Shiites scene,” 9/21/09
Rubin, Alissa, and Gordon, Michael, “U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.’s,” New York Times, 6/9/09
Around the same time, the League’s spokesman, former Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki, unveiled the group’s list, the Covenant, which would run in the 2010 elections. This seemed to worry Moqtada al-Sadr, who was afraid that the new party would cut into his supporters, some of which were upset that he had decided to turn away from the Iraqi street and militancy to try to participate in the government again. It probably worried him even more when rumors spread that Maliki was thinking of having the Covenant join his State of Law list, and Sadr’s overtures to the League to get them to rejoin his movement were rejected. Those all seems over now that they are withdrawing from the voting.
The talks between the government and the League began months earlier when Baghdad was acting as a mediator between the British government that wanted the release of five of their nationals that were kidnapped by the League back in May 2007 during a raid on the Finance Ministry. In March 2009 the group said that it would exchange the British hostages in return for ten of their leaders being freed by the Americans. On June 20, the bodies of two of the Britons were released, Jason Swindlehurst and Jason Creswell who were security guards. On September 4, a third guard, Alec MacLachlan, was turned over, but he too was dead. Another guard is also believed to be deceased, but Peter Moore, an internet technician is thought to still be alive. His fate is now up in the air as the talks between the League and Baghdad have fallen apart.
Qais Khazali, a former leader in the Sadrist movement when it was led by Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, Moqtada’s father, formed the League of the Righteous in 2006. Khazali was chosen by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force to lure members of the Mahdi Army away from Sadr, and bring them closer under Tehran’s wing. The League quickly made a name for itself when it attacked the Karbala Joint Coordination Center in January 2007, killing five U.S. soldiers. That led to the March arrest of Qais, and his brother Laith, as well as a Lebanese Hezbollah commander Ali Musa Daqduq that was coordinating Iran’s financing and training of the League and other Special Groups. The group retaliated with its raid on the Finance Ministry in Baghdad in May 2007, which resulted in the five Britons being kidnapped. Some think they were pawns to be traded for the release of the Khazali brothers. That took far longer than they thought, as Laith was only just released in June 2009 as part of the deal worked out with the Prime Minister, two years and one month after the Baghdad attack. Qais is still in custody, which is why the talks with the government broke down. This leaves the group in limbo, as it does not have its leader, has renounced both violence and participation in the upcoming elections, and is probably not receiving much attention from Iran either as it is more focused upon the major Shiite parties that it wants to win the vote. It’s not even clear what constituency the League has, so this could be a sign of its demise.
SOURCES
Agence France Presse, “2nd UPDATE: Iraqi PM Met Group Behind Kidnap Of Britons,” 8/3/09
- “Iraqi kidnappers abandon govt talks,” 12/1/09
- “Over 100 from Iraqi group who killed Britons freed,” 9/27/09
August, Oliver, “End the torment, says Brown as death of British hostage is confirmed,” Times of London, 9/4/09
Awan Daily, “Maliki announced next week, the electoral coalition,” 9/25/09
Cochrane, Marisa, “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups network,” Institute for the Study of War,” 1/13/09
Felter, Joseph and Fishman, Brian, “Iranian Strategy in Iraq, Politics and ‘Other Means,’” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 10/13/08
Mohammed, Abeer, “Maliki’s Chess Game,” Institute of War & Peace Reporting, 9/10/09
Roads To Iraq, “Iraqi pre-election political map – The Shiites scene,” 9/21/09
Rubin, Alissa, and Gordon, Michael, “U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.’s,” New York Times, 6/9/09
Monday, November 09, 2009
October 09 Deaths Continue Up And Down Pattern
Since April 2009 monthly death counts for Iraq have fluctuated up and down. October was no different as it was higher than the previous month. Iraq’s ministries for example, reported 410 deaths in October, compared to 203 in September and 456 in August. They also recorded 1,275 wounded in October, and 711 in September.
Around half of last month’s casualties came from large bombings, most notably the October 25 Baghdad bombings, which killed 155 and wounded 520. In total, there were 22 mass casualty bombings in October resulting in 241 deaths and 887 wounded. In September, there were only 13 leading to 70 deaths and 263 wounded.
Baghdad remains the most violent city in Iraq. There were 53 attacks and incidents last month with 201 deaths and 703 wounded. That was followed by Mosul in Ninewa province with 66 attacks/incidents, 60 deaths and 82 wounded. After those two, Anbar was third with 29 attacks/incidents, 56 deaths, and 175 wounded, and Diyala was fourth with 21 attacks/incidents, 20 deaths, and 46 wounded. Southern Iraq remains the second least violent area with only 21 attacks/incidents overall with 9 deaths and 93 wounded. Babil is still troubled with insurgent and militia activity however. Special Groups are still active in the south as well carrying out six attacks on U.S. bases and patrols. Kurdistan was the least violent area of the country.
Overall, deaths are still down to their lowest levels since the 2003 invasion. According to Iraq’s ministries there were an average of 276.5 deaths in the first six months of 2009 compared to 385.0 in the last six months of 2008. The major reason is that many Sunnis, including insurgents, have decided to get involved in the political process, resulting in a steady decline in the number of attacks across the country since the January 2009 provincial elections.
Iraqi Deaths Brookings Institution Iraq Body Count icasualties Iraqi Ministries Associated Press 2008 July 500 584 419 465 510 Aug. 450 592 311 431 475 Sep. 400 535 366 440 503 Oct. 350 528 288 318 446 Nov. 270 473 317 340 360 Dec. 350 522 320 316 393 2009 Jan. 270 276 187 191 242 Feb. 230 343 202 258 288 March 260 416 278 252 335 April 340 484 347 355 371 May 240 332 188 165 225 June 320 488 367 438 447 July 220 395 240 275 309 Aug. 300 493 439 456 425 Sep. N/A 296 158 203 238 Oct. N/A 439 320 410 364 Averages 3rd Qtr. 2008 450.0 570.3 365.3 446.3 496.0 4th Qtr. 2008 323.3 507.6 308.3 324.6 379.6 1st Qtr. 2009 253.3 345.0 222.3 233.6 288.3 2nd Qtr. 2009 300.0 434.6 300.6 319.3 347.6 3rd Qtr. 2009 N/A 394.6 279.0 311.3 324.0 Last 6 months of 2008 386.6 539.0 336.8 385.0 447.8 First 6 months of 2009 276.6 389.8 261.0 276.5 317.5
Number of Bombings and Casualty Statistics – April to October 2009
April 2009
Bombings: 21
Deaths: 198 + 32 Iranians
Wounded: 497 + 105 Iranians + 10 Americans
May 2009
Bombings: 9
Deaths: 111
Wounded: 262
June 2009
Bombings: 14
Deaths: 174
Wounded: 517
July 2009
Bombings: 35
Deaths: 180
Wounded: 655
August 2009
Bombings: 44
Deaths: 359
Wounded: 2,252
September 2009
Bombings: 13
Deaths: 70
Wounded: 263
October 2009
Bombings: 22
Deaths: 241
Wounded: 887
Attacks and Casualties By Province October 2008
Baghdad: 53 attacks/incidents
Dead: 201
Wounded: 703
Ninewa: 77 attacks/incidents
Deaths: 75
Wounded: 129
Anbar: 29 attacks/incidents
Deaths: 56
Wounded: 175
Diyala: 21 attacks/incidents
Deaths: 20
Wounded: 46
Tamim: 22 attacks/incidents
Deaths: 9
Wounded: 14
Salahaddin: 6 attacks/incidents
Deaths: 4
Wounded: 25
Southern Iraq: 21 attacks/incidents
Babil: 6
Karbala: 6
Dhi Qar: 5
Wasit: 2
Basra: 1
Qadisiyah: 1
Deaths: 9
Wounded: 93
Mortar attack on U.S. base in Dhi Qar
Rocket attack on U.S. base in Dhi Qar
IED attack on U.S. patrol in Dhi Qar
Attack on U.S. base in Basra
Rocket attack on U.S. base in Kut
2 U.S. vehicles damaged in roadside bombing in Wasit
SOURCES
Al-Anbari, Bassim, “Triple attacks kill 19 in western Iraqi city,” 10/12/09
Agence France Presse, “Iraq death toll falls by half in September: officials,” 10/1/09
Associated Press, “Police: Suicide bomber kills 11 at mosque in Iraq,” 10/16/09
- “Suicide bomb kills 6 at funeral in Iraq,” 10/6/09
Aswat al-Iraq, “2 bombs defused in Mosul,” 10/26/09
- “2 bombs found in Huweija,” 10/7/09
- “2 civilians killed in Mosul,” 10/21/09
- “2 civilians wounded by bomb explosion in Baghdad,” 10/22/09
- “2 civilians wounded in 2 separate incidents in Mosul,” 10/5/09
- “2 civilians wounded in armed attack in Baaquba,” 10/8/09
- “2 civilians wounded in Thi-Qar blasts,” 10/4/09
- “2 civilians wounded, suspect arrested in Khanaqin,” 10/23/09
- “2 cops wounded in Mosul blast,” 10/5/09
- “2 gunmen arrested in Kirkuk while planting bomb,” 10/11/09
- “2 killed in separate incidents in Mosul,” 10/3/09
- “2 missiles land on U.S. base in Kut,” 10/23/09
- “2 policemen wounded in IED blast in Jalawlaa,” 10/28/09
- “2 unknown bodies found in Mosul,” 10/20/09
- “3 civilians wounded in Babel blast,” 10/10/09
- “3 cops killed, wounded in Falluja blast,” 10/17/09
- “3 IEDs defused in Amara,” 10/28/09
- “3 killed, 5 wounded in bombing in Mosul,” 10/28/09
- “3 people injured by sticky bomb in Talafar,”10/30/09
- “3 policemen killed, officer wounded in Mosul attack,” 10/29/09
- “4 cops killed, injured in Babel,” 10/20/09
- “4 cops wounded by IED in Kirkuk,” 10/15/09
- “5 killed, wounded in Falluja blast,’ 10/5/09
- “10 civilians wounded in Babel blast,” 10/4/09
- “Basra airport comes under Katyusha attack,” 10/12/09
- “Blast in Baghdad leaves 6 injuries,” 10/28/09
- “Blast in Falluja leaves no casualties,” 10/27/09
- “Blast in Ninewa wounds cement company chief,” 10/18/09
- “Blast kills 1, wounds 9 north of Hilla,” 10/18/09
- “Blast kills 2, wounds 9 north of Hilla,” 10/18/09
- “Blast kills civilian, injures 3 northeastern Baghdad,” 10/15/09
- “Body found, suspected gunman arrested in Kirkuk,” 10/25/09
- “Body of kidnapped Christian found in Kirkuk,” 10/5/09
- “Bomb explodes in Kirkuk without casualties,” 10/29/09
- “Bomb wounds 2 in Mosul,” 10/6/09
- “Bomber killed in northern Talafar,” 10/29/09
- “Children, mother wounded in Mosul blast,” 10/12/09
- “Civilian body found in eastern Kut,” 10/21/09
- “Civilian killed in Kirkuk,” 10/21/09
- “Civilian killed in tribal clashes in Mosul,” 10/12/09
- “Civilian wounded in Baghdad armed attack,” 10/12/09
- “Civilian wounded in IED blast in Ramadi,” 10/29/09
- “Civilian wounded in IED blast near Mosul,” 10/26/09
- “Contractor gunned down in Mosul,” 10/12/09
- “Cop, civilians injured in Baghdad bombing,” 10/5/09
- “Cop killed by gunmen in Talafar,” 10/1/09
- “Cop wounded in Falluja blast,” 10/11/09
- “Death toll from Baghdad blasts up to 155,” 10/26/09
- “District chief escapes attempt on his life in Mosul,” 10/19/09
- “Guided missiles seized in Basra,” 10/26/09
- “Guard killed in crowded souk in Mosul,” 10/23/09
- “Gunmen assassinate tribal affairs office chief in Ninewa,” 10/19/09
- “Gunmen blow up house of officer in Anbar,” 10/17/09
- “Gunmen storm building in Mosul, kill two civilians,” 10/26/09
- “Gunman kidnap 2 students in Kirkuk,” 10/20/09
- “Gunman killed while trying to plant bomb,” 10/6/09
- “Gunmen kill cop south of Falluja,” 10/21/09
- “Hand grenade injures 4 in Mosul,” 10/31/09
- “IED blast in Kirkuk, no casualties reported,” 10/24/09
- “IED blast kills 2 Iraqi soldiers, wounds 4 in Kirkuk,” 10/13/09
- “IED blast kills 3, wounds 4 in eastern Baghdad,” 10/28/09
- “IED blast near Mosul leaves no casualties,” 10/3/09
- “IED blast targets MNF patrol in Kirkuk,” 10/25/09
- “IED defused in Ramadi,” 10/26/09
- “IED defused in western Mosul,” 10/12/09
- “IED explodes in Nassiriya, no casualties reported,” 10/4/09
- “IED explodes in Talafar,” 10/6/09
- “IED explodes near officer’s house in southern Kirkuk,” 10/5/09
- “IED explodes near police patrol in Kirkuk,” 10/23/09
- “IED hits U.S. convoy in Baghdad,” 10/31/09
- “IED injures 6 in central Baghdad,” 10/1/09
- “Iraq army kills gunman in Mosul,” 10/19/09
- “Iraqi forces clash with smugglers on Syrian borders,” 10/16/09
- “Iraqi soldier killed, 2 wounded in Mosul,” 10/23/09
- “Katyusha rocket lands near Iraqi military post in Diwaniya,” 10/13/09
- “Local official in Falluja assassinated,” 10/23/09
- “Mayor, sons killed, wounded in Diala bombing,” 10/12/09
- “Missile defused in Kirkuk,” 10/9/09
- “Mortars wound civilians in Baghdad,” 10/31/09
- “Police defuse 7 rockets in eastern Wassit,” 10/5/09
- “Police defuse bomb in central Falluja,” 10/12/09
- “Police kill gunman in northeastern Mosul,” 10/2/09
- “Police seize ready-to-launch rockets in Basra,” 10/20/09
- “Policeman killed, 3 civilians wounded separately in Mosul,” 10/22/09
- “Policeman, gunman killed in Mosul,” 10/22/09
- “Policeman survives IED blast near his vehicle,” 10/18/09
- “Policeman wounded in Mosul blast,” 10/13/09
- “Pre. Student kidnapped in Kirkuk,” 10/26/09
- “Real-estate office owner killed in Mosul,” 10/25/09
- “Roadside bomb exploded, another dismantled in Kirkuk,” 10/14/09
- “Rocket lands in south Kirkuk,” 10/29/09
- “Rockets, launching pads seized in Falluja,” 10/6/09
- “Rockets left minor damage at base – U.S. forces in Thi-Qar,” 10/21/09
- “Sahwa official wounded in Diala,” 10/22/09
- “Samarra sahwa official survives attempt on his life,” 10/28/09
- “Sticky bomb defused at official building in Ninewa,” 10/28/09
- “Sticky bomb kills 2 women, injures 12 persons in Babel,” 10/21/09
- “Sticky bomb kills, wounds 5 family members,” 10/7/09
- “Sticky bomb wounds 4 people in Baghdad,” 10/22/09
- “Sticky bomb wounds 5 in Mosul,” 10/31/09
- “Suicide attack leaves 16 casualties in Diala,” 10/13/09
- “Suicide bomber kills 1, wounds 9 in Tikrit,” 10/24/09
- “Suspected bomber kills policeman, guard during interrogation,” 10/31/09
- “Two blasts hit U.S. patrol in Thi-Qar,” 10/14/09
- “Two gunmen killed while planting roadside bomb in Kirkuk,” 10/17/09
- “U.S. base in Nassiriya mortared,” 10/21/09
- “U.S. forces kill civilian, arrest 4 brothers,” 10/27/09
- “U.S. vehicle damaged in explosion in Wassit,” 10/25/09
- “Umm al-Nakhl sahwa chief assassinated,” 10/28/09
- “Unidentified body of woman found west of Makhmour,” 10/24/09
- “Vendor, child killed in northern Mosul,” 10/21/09
- “Woman killed, 2 civilians wounded by police mistake fire in Mosul,” 10/16/09
- “Woman killed, kidnapped person freed in Baghdad,” 10/20/09
- “Woman’s head found in Mosul,” 10/3/09
Bernama, “Civilian Killed, 10 Injured In Bomb Attack In Baghdad Snack Restaurant,” 10/19/09
DPA, “Four killed, three injured in attacks in Mosul,” 10/21/09
- “Four killed, two injured in two separate attacks in Iraq,” 10/1/09
- “Four policemen killed in Iraq,” 10/17/09
Al-Dulaimy, Mohammed, “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Monday October 5 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/5/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Saturday October 24, 2009
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Sunday October 5, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/5/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Sunday October 11, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/11/09
Hammoudi, Laith, “Round-up of daily Violence in Iraq – Monday 26 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/26/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Sunday 18 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/18/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Thursday 20 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/29/09
- “Round-up of daily Violence in Iraq – Thursday 29 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/29/09
- “Round-up of daily Violence in Iraq – Tuesday 6 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/6/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Tuesday 13 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/13/09
- “Round-up of daily Violence in Iraq – Tuesday 18 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/18/09
- “Round-up of daily Violence in Iraq – Wednesday 14 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/14/09
Hussein, Jenan, “Round-up f daily Violence in Iraq – Tuesday 20 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/20/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Wednesday 28 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/28/09
Icasualties.org
Iraq Body Count
Issa, Sahar, “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Friday 2 October, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/2/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Friday 9 October, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/9/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Monday 19 October, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/19/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Thursday 1 October, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/1/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Thursday 8 October, 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/8/09
- “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Wednesday 7 October 2009,” McClatchy Newspapers, 10/7/09
ITN, “Clear up after Iraq minibus bombing,” 10/7/09
Karim, Ammar, “UN envoy probes Baghdad security as death toll doubles,” Agence France Presse, 11/2/09
Kimball, Jack, “Attacks kill 11, wound over 50 people,” 10/14/09
Leland, John, “Scattering of Attacks in Iraq,” New York Times, 11/1/09
McClatchy Newspapers, “Car bombs explode in Baghdad, killing at least 135 people,” 10/25/09
Multi-National Corps – Iraq, “MND-B, ISF detain five suspects after grenade attack,” 10/12/09
O’Hanlon, Michael Campbell, Jason, “Iraq Index,” 9/22/09
Press TV, “Seven killed in Baghdad mortar attack,” 10/14/09
Reuters, “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 3,” 10/3/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 9,” 10/9/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 11,” 10/11/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 12,” 10/12/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 14,” 10/14/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 15,” 10/15/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 17,” 10/17/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 18,” 10/18/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 19,” 10/19/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 20,” 10/20/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 21,” 10/21/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 26,” 10/26/09
- “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Oct 30,” 10/30/09
- “Iraq oil pipeline to Turkey sabotaged-engineer,” 10/28/09
Salaheddin, Sinan, “Roadside bomb in Baghdad targets Iraqi security forces, kills 1 soldier,” 10/15/09
Santana, Rebecca, “85,000 Iraqis killed in almost 5 years of war,” Associated Press, 10/14/09
Surk, Barbara, “Bombs kill 6 around Iraq,” Associated Press, 10/20/09
- “Half Iraqis killed in October died in one attack,” Associated Press, 11/2/09
- “Truck bomb destroys key bridge in western Iraq,” Associated Press, 10/17/09
UNN, “Iraq: Two explosion, 3 killed & 9 injured,” 10/19/09
Xinhua, “2 killed, 13 wounded in Baghdad bomb attacks,” 10/18/09
- “5 injured in fuel tanker truck bombing outside Baghdad airport,” 10/4/09
- “12 people wounded in bomb explosion in south Baghdad,” 10/21/09
- “At least one killed in suicide car bombing in Diyala,” 10/29/09
- “Bomb explosion kills 3 south of Baghdad,” 10/8/09
- “Civilian killed in Iraq’s Diyala violence,” 10/5/09
- “Insurgent killed, 6 injured in Iraq’s Diyala violence,” 10/12/09
- “Iraqi journalist killed in bomb attack in N Kirkuk,” 10/21/09
- “Iraqi parliament evacuated after bomb discovery: lawmakers,” 10/3/09
- “Seven people wounded in Iraq’s Diyala violence,” 10/22/09
- “Two policemen killed in Baghdad violence,” 10/5/09
Friday, October 09, 2009
Sadr Tries To Reconcile With Breakaway League Of The Righteous
Awan Daily reported that Moqtada al-Sadr is attempting to reconcile with the League of the Righteous before the January 2010 elections. A delegation from the League is set to travel to Qom, Iran to meet personally with Sadr. According to Awan, they are likely to reject rejoining the Sadr movement before the vote, and are planning to run on their own, led by former Transport Minister Salam al-Maliki. Currently al-Maliki is the spokesman for the League.
Sadr may not be the only suitor for the League. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law may also court them. In March 2009 it was revealed that Baghdad was acting as a middleman in negotiations between England and the League to release five British hostages that the group kidnapped in 2007. The deal was to release members of the League in return for the Britons. By May the League said they wanted to run in the parliamentary elections. The Maliki government stated that it was important for Iraq’s future for the group to renounce violence. In August the Prime Minister met with representatives of the League who said that they had given up on violence and wanted to be integrated into the political process. In turn, Baghdad has been requesting the U.S. free dozens of League members in their custody. Sadr condemned this move, saying that anyone who was involved in resistance to the government should be excluded from politics. He’s obviously changed his mind as the elections are drawing nearer. For Maliki, if he were to run with the League it would cut into Sadr’s base, which is a key part of the new Iraqi National Alliance.
Qais Khazali is the leader of the League of the Righteous, and is still in U.S. custody. Khazali was a follower of Sadr’s father Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, and helped keep the movement alive after his death at the hands of Saddam’s government in 1999. Khazali later became a follower of Moqtada after the U.S. invasion, but quickly broke away. In 2004 after the second Sadrist uprising against the Coalition, Khazali refused to follow the cease-fire and formed his own militia in Sadr City. By early 2005 Sadr was able to bring him back into the fold, and named Khazali one of the heads of his organization. The next year Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Qods Force picked Khazali to head its network of Iranian supported and trained militias, which became known as Special Groups. That was when the League was formed. They carried out two spectacular attacks. The first was the January 2007 raid on the Karbala Joint Coordination Center in which five U.S. soldiers were killed. This led to the arrest of Qais and Laith Khazali in Basra in March. Second, the League kidnapped the five Britons from the Finance Ministry in Baghdad in May 2007. In 2008, the League was scattered after Maliki’s crackdown on militias. Moqtada has tried to hold talks with them off and on before, but to no avail, and may not be any more successful this time.
SOURCES
Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, “Report: Deal close to free Britons seized in Iraq,” Associated Press, 3/29/09
Agence France Presse, “2nd UPDATE: Iraqi PM Met Group Behind Kidnap Of Britons,” 8/3/09
- “Over 100 from Iraqi group who killed Britons freed,” 9/27/09
- “US sees confrontation with Sadr splinter factions,” 10/12/04
Associated Press, “Baghdad’s blast walls to come down,” 8/6/09
- “More Shiite militants freed by US in Iraq,” 9/28/09
Awan Daily, “Maliki announced next week, the electoral coalition,” 9/25/09
Chulov, Martin, “Split among captors hits hope of freedom for British hostages in Iraq,” Guardian, 5/28/09
Cochrane, Marisa, “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups network,” Institute for the Study of War,” 1/13/09
- “The Fragmentation of the Sadrist Movement,” Institute for the Study of War, January 2009
Dagher, Sam, “Sadr reins in Shiite militiamen, sends mixed signals,” Christian Science Monitor, 3/31/08
Felter, Joseph and Fishman, Brian, “Iranian Strategy in Iraq, Politics and ‘Other Means,’” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 10/13/08
Howard, Michael, “Iraqi minister incensed by airport display bans alcohol,” Guardian, 8/5/05
Nordland, Rod and Dagher, Sam, “U.S. Will Release More Members of an Iraqi Militia,” New York Times, 8/17/09
Roads To Iraq, “Iraqi pre-election political map – The Shiites,” 9/21/09
Rubin, Alissa and Gordon, Michael, “U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.’s,” New York Times, 6/9/09
Xinhua, “Iraq frees 147 prisoners linked to abduction of 5 Britons: newspaper,” 9/28/09
Sadr may not be the only suitor for the League. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law may also court them. In March 2009 it was revealed that Baghdad was acting as a middleman in negotiations between England and the League to release five British hostages that the group kidnapped in 2007. The deal was to release members of the League in return for the Britons. By May the League said they wanted to run in the parliamentary elections. The Maliki government stated that it was important for Iraq’s future for the group to renounce violence. In August the Prime Minister met with representatives of the League who said that they had given up on violence and wanted to be integrated into the political process. In turn, Baghdad has been requesting the U.S. free dozens of League members in their custody. Sadr condemned this move, saying that anyone who was involved in resistance to the government should be excluded from politics. He’s obviously changed his mind as the elections are drawing nearer. For Maliki, if he were to run with the League it would cut into Sadr’s base, which is a key part of the new Iraqi National Alliance.
Qais Khazali is the leader of the League of the Righteous, and is still in U.S. custody. Khazali was a follower of Sadr’s father Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, and helped keep the movement alive after his death at the hands of Saddam’s government in 1999. Khazali later became a follower of Moqtada after the U.S. invasion, but quickly broke away. In 2004 after the second Sadrist uprising against the Coalition, Khazali refused to follow the cease-fire and formed his own militia in Sadr City. By early 2005 Sadr was able to bring him back into the fold, and named Khazali one of the heads of his organization. The next year Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Qods Force picked Khazali to head its network of Iranian supported and trained militias, which became known as Special Groups. That was when the League was formed. They carried out two spectacular attacks. The first was the January 2007 raid on the Karbala Joint Coordination Center in which five U.S. soldiers were killed. This led to the arrest of Qais and Laith Khazali in Basra in March. Second, the League kidnapped the five Britons from the Finance Ministry in Baghdad in May 2007. In 2008, the League was scattered after Maliki’s crackdown on militias. Moqtada has tried to hold talks with them off and on before, but to no avail, and may not be any more successful this time.
SOURCES
Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, “Report: Deal close to free Britons seized in Iraq,” Associated Press, 3/29/09
Agence France Presse, “2nd UPDATE: Iraqi PM Met Group Behind Kidnap Of Britons,” 8/3/09
- “Over 100 from Iraqi group who killed Britons freed,” 9/27/09
- “US sees confrontation with Sadr splinter factions,” 10/12/04
Associated Press, “Baghdad’s blast walls to come down,” 8/6/09
- “More Shiite militants freed by US in Iraq,” 9/28/09
Awan Daily, “Maliki announced next week, the electoral coalition,” 9/25/09
Chulov, Martin, “Split among captors hits hope of freedom for British hostages in Iraq,” Guardian, 5/28/09
Cochrane, Marisa, “Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Khazali Special Groups network,” Institute for the Study of War,” 1/13/09
- “The Fragmentation of the Sadrist Movement,” Institute for the Study of War, January 2009
Dagher, Sam, “Sadr reins in Shiite militiamen, sends mixed signals,” Christian Science Monitor, 3/31/08
Felter, Joseph and Fishman, Brian, “Iranian Strategy in Iraq, Politics and ‘Other Means,’” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 10/13/08
Howard, Michael, “Iraqi minister incensed by airport display bans alcohol,” Guardian, 8/5/05
Nordland, Rod and Dagher, Sam, “U.S. Will Release More Members of an Iraqi Militia,” New York Times, 8/17/09
Roads To Iraq, “Iraqi pre-election political map – The Shiites,” 9/21/09
Rubin, Alissa and Gordon, Michael, “U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.’s,” New York Times, 6/9/09
Xinhua, “Iraq frees 147 prisoners linked to abduction of 5 Britons: newspaper,” 9/28/09
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Targeted Assassinations In Iraq
Violence in Iraq is down across the board. The number of deaths has gone up and down each month in 2009, and are even below the months immediately following the U.S. invasion in 2003. The number of security incidents in 2009 is down almost 66% compared to 2008. Still, there are daily attacks in the country. Militants have turned to targeted assassinations of officials and politicians as one tactic to undermine the government and security forces.
August and September 2009 has seen plenty of examples. In August there were eight such attacks ranging from incidents involving a police general to a mayor to a member of parliament. September 1 to 28 has seen fourteen including an attack on the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party Osama al-Tikriti. The assassinations are a sign that militants are still active in Iraq. At the same time it shows their relative weakness and change in tactics. Shiite militias are no longer involved in the sectarian war, Special Groups only carry out occasional attacks, the Sunni insurgents are no longer about holding territory outside of Mosul. This type of low-level violence is the new norm in Iraq, and likely to continue for the foreseeable future since it is nearly impossible to stop.
Targeted Assassinations August-September 19, 2009
9/28/09 Bomb attached to car kills member of al-Hadbaa party in Mosul
9/25/09 Bomb goes off in front of judge's house in Mosul
9/17/09 District chief in Hilla, Babil killed by gunfire
9/17/09 Islamic studies director of Sunni Endowments wounded by sticky bomb attached to his car in Baghdad
9/16/09 Baghdad provincial council member escaped sticky bomb attack on his car in downtown section of the capital
9/13/09 Member of Iraqi National List shot dead in front of his house in Baghdad
9/10/09 Mayor of Sadiyah, Diyala province escaped car bomb attack on his convoy
9/8/09 Grenade thrown into house of Dawa leader in Diwaniya, Qadisiyah province
9/8/09 Police chief in Amirli, Salahaddin province killed in his convoy by bomb
9/8/09 Deputy governor of Salahaddin’s convoy struck by bomb in downtown Tikrit
9/6/09 Maysan’s palm trees department chief survived IED attack in front of his house in the provincial capital Amarah
9/3/09 Head of Iraqi Islamic Party escaped car bomb in Baghdad
9/2/09 Senior intelligence officer wounded by gunmen in Hilla, Babil province
9/1/09 Mayor of Khalis northeast of Baghdad wounded by roadside bomb
8/28/09 Al Hadbaa member killed outside of mosque in Mosul, Ninewa
8/25/09 District administrator from eastern Baghdad wounded in car bombing
8/22/09 Mayor of al-Qahira neighborhood in Mosul, Ninewa province was killed by roadside bomb
8/21/09 Parliamentarian killed by gunmen in Rabiya, Tamim province
8/16/09 Shabak provincial council member in Ninewa survived IED attack on his motorcade in Mosul
8/12/09 Police general killed by gunmen in Mosul
8/3/09 Official from Oil Products Department assassinated by gunmen in Mosul
8/3/09 Head of the Tal Afar municipal district escaped roadside bomb in convoy
SOURCES
Aswat al-Iraq, “Blast wounds driver, guard of Sunni official,” 9/17/09
- “Deputy governor escapes attempt on life,” 9/8/09
- “Gunmen kill district chief in Babel,” 9/17/09
- “Gunmen kill senior officer south of Mosul,” 8/12/09
- “House of Daawa Party official attacked in Diwaniya,” 9/8/09
- “INL member shot dead by gunmen,” 9/13/09
- “Local official in Missan escapes assassination attempt,” 9/6/09
- “Ninewa local official wounded in IED blast,” 8/16/09
- “Oil official assassinated in Mosul,” 8/3/09
- “Provincial council member escapes assassination attempt,” 9/16/09
- “Roadside bomb kills mayor, 2 children in Mosul,” 8/22/09
- “Senior officer injured north of Babel,” 9/2/09
- “Talafar official escapes attempt on life,” 8/3/09
- “URGENT/Lawmaker, family wounded by gunmen in Kirkuk,” 9/21/09
BBC, “North Iraq bomb kills policeman,” 9/8/09
Gulf News, “Bomb wounds official, 4 other people in Iraq,” 8/25/09
Keyser, Jason, “Iraq’s prime minister accuses Syria of harboring armed groups responsible for attacks,” Associated Press, 9/3/09
Mardini, Ramzy, “Iraqi Insurgents Take the Offensive as Parliamentary Elections Approach,” Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown Foundation, 9/17/09
Reuters, “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Aug 28,”8/28/09
Salaheddin, Sinan, “Bomb misses Iraq health ministry official, kills 1,” Associated Press, 9/8/09
Xinhua, “Iraqi town mayor escapes suicide car bombing in Diyala,” 9/10/09
- “Seven killed in Iraq’s Diyala violence,” 9/1/09
August and September 2009 has seen plenty of examples. In August there were eight such attacks ranging from incidents involving a police general to a mayor to a member of parliament. September 1 to 28 has seen fourteen including an attack on the head of the Iraqi Islamic Party Osama al-Tikriti. The assassinations are a sign that militants are still active in Iraq. At the same time it shows their relative weakness and change in tactics. Shiite militias are no longer involved in the sectarian war, Special Groups only carry out occasional attacks, the Sunni insurgents are no longer about holding territory outside of Mosul. This type of low-level violence is the new norm in Iraq, and likely to continue for the foreseeable future since it is nearly impossible to stop.
Targeted Assassinations August-September 19, 2009
9/28/09 Bomb attached to car kills member of al-Hadbaa party in Mosul
9/25/09 Bomb goes off in front of judge's house in Mosul
9/17/09 District chief in Hilla, Babil killed by gunfire
9/17/09 Islamic studies director of Sunni Endowments wounded by sticky bomb attached to his car in Baghdad
9/16/09 Baghdad provincial council member escaped sticky bomb attack on his car in downtown section of the capital
9/13/09 Member of Iraqi National List shot dead in front of his house in Baghdad
9/10/09 Mayor of Sadiyah, Diyala province escaped car bomb attack on his convoy
9/8/09 Grenade thrown into house of Dawa leader in Diwaniya, Qadisiyah province
9/8/09 Police chief in Amirli, Salahaddin province killed in his convoy by bomb
9/8/09 Deputy governor of Salahaddin’s convoy struck by bomb in downtown Tikrit
9/6/09 Maysan’s palm trees department chief survived IED attack in front of his house in the provincial capital Amarah
9/3/09 Head of Iraqi Islamic Party escaped car bomb in Baghdad
9/2/09 Senior intelligence officer wounded by gunmen in Hilla, Babil province
9/1/09 Mayor of Khalis northeast of Baghdad wounded by roadside bomb
8/28/09 Al Hadbaa member killed outside of mosque in Mosul, Ninewa
8/25/09 District administrator from eastern Baghdad wounded in car bombing
8/22/09 Mayor of al-Qahira neighborhood in Mosul, Ninewa province was killed by roadside bomb
8/21/09 Parliamentarian killed by gunmen in Rabiya, Tamim province
8/16/09 Shabak provincial council member in Ninewa survived IED attack on his motorcade in Mosul
8/12/09 Police general killed by gunmen in Mosul
8/3/09 Official from Oil Products Department assassinated by gunmen in Mosul
8/3/09 Head of the Tal Afar municipal district escaped roadside bomb in convoy
SOURCES
Aswat al-Iraq, “Blast wounds driver, guard of Sunni official,” 9/17/09
- “Deputy governor escapes attempt on life,” 9/8/09
- “Gunmen kill district chief in Babel,” 9/17/09
- “Gunmen kill senior officer south of Mosul,” 8/12/09
- “House of Daawa Party official attacked in Diwaniya,” 9/8/09
- “INL member shot dead by gunmen,” 9/13/09
- “Local official in Missan escapes assassination attempt,” 9/6/09
- “Ninewa local official wounded in IED blast,” 8/16/09
- “Oil official assassinated in Mosul,” 8/3/09
- “Provincial council member escapes assassination attempt,” 9/16/09
- “Roadside bomb kills mayor, 2 children in Mosul,” 8/22/09
- “Senior officer injured north of Babel,” 9/2/09
- “Talafar official escapes attempt on life,” 8/3/09
- “URGENT/Lawmaker, family wounded by gunmen in Kirkuk,” 9/21/09
BBC, “North Iraq bomb kills policeman,” 9/8/09
Gulf News, “Bomb wounds official, 4 other people in Iraq,” 8/25/09
Keyser, Jason, “Iraq’s prime minister accuses Syria of harboring armed groups responsible for attacks,” Associated Press, 9/3/09
Mardini, Ramzy, “Iraqi Insurgents Take the Offensive as Parliamentary Elections Approach,” Terrorism Monitor, Jamestown Foundation, 9/17/09
Reuters, “FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Aug 28,”8/28/09
Salaheddin, Sinan, “Bomb misses Iraq health ministry official, kills 1,” Associated Press, 9/8/09
Xinhua, “Iraqi town mayor escapes suicide car bombing in Diyala,” 9/10/09
- “Seven killed in Iraq’s Diyala violence,” 9/1/09
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Recent Iranian Military Operations In Iraq
As reported before, the Iranian backed Special Groups have resumed attacks in recent months after a short break. August 2009 also saw a number of reports about Tehran’s continued military interference in Iraq. On August 11, two Iranians were arrested in the Khanaqin district of Diyala after having infiltrated into Iraq. Iraqi officials said that other Iranians had recently been arrested in the area smuggling in weapons. On August 19 it was announced that 13-16 Iranian made rockets were seized along with three suspects after an attack on the U.S. base in Basra. This was part of the increase in Special Group activities in the south. Finally, on August 31 there was a story that Iraqi security forces were finding new caches of weapons in southern Iraq, some of which they believed originated in Iran.
The goal of these recent operations appears to be two pronged. First, the attacks in the south are a way for Iran and the Special Groups to let Washington and Baghdad know that they are still around and capable of disrupting things. Second, Iraqi officials loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki think the weapons are going to his political rivals to stir up trouble in the run-up to the 2010 parliamentary elections. Maliki is running on law and order again, so any violence will help complicate that campaign. The increase in attacks in August 2009, for example, although mostly carried out by the insurgency and Al Qaeda in Iraq, made many Iraqis question the government and security forces. Some were also blaming political parties, so the Iranian tactic may backfire. Overall, the scope of this campaign seems far below what Iran has carried out in the past, and aimed at influencing Iraqi politics more than anything else, which has always been the top priority of Tehran.
SOURCES
Ashton, Adam and Issa, Sahar, “Iraqis remaining cool despite attacks on mosques, minorities,” McClatchy Newspapers, 8/14/09
Associated Press, “Iraqi Military Losing People’s Confidence,” 8/15/09
Aswat al-Iraq, “2 Iranians arrested after infiltrating into Iraq,” 8/11/09
Dagher, Sam, “Iranian Arms Seized in Iraq, Officials Say,” New York Times, 8/19/09
Reuters, “Arms Finds In Hitherto Quiet South Iraq Ring Alarms,” 8/31/09
The goal of these recent operations appears to be two pronged. First, the attacks in the south are a way for Iran and the Special Groups to let Washington and Baghdad know that they are still around and capable of disrupting things. Second, Iraqi officials loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki think the weapons are going to his political rivals to stir up trouble in the run-up to the 2010 parliamentary elections. Maliki is running on law and order again, so any violence will help complicate that campaign. The increase in attacks in August 2009, for example, although mostly carried out by the insurgency and Al Qaeda in Iraq, made many Iraqis question the government and security forces. Some were also blaming political parties, so the Iranian tactic may backfire. Overall, the scope of this campaign seems far below what Iran has carried out in the past, and aimed at influencing Iraqi politics more than anything else, which has always been the top priority of Tehran.
SOURCES
Ashton, Adam and Issa, Sahar, “Iraqis remaining cool despite attacks on mosques, minorities,” McClatchy Newspapers, 8/14/09
Associated Press, “Iraqi Military Losing People’s Confidence,” 8/15/09
Aswat al-Iraq, “2 Iranians arrested after infiltrating into Iraq,” 8/11/09
Dagher, Sam, “Iranian Arms Seized in Iraq, Officials Say,” New York Times, 8/19/09
Reuters, “Arms Finds In Hitherto Quiet South Iraq Ring Alarms,” 8/31/09
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
The Return Of The Special Groups
Special Groups was a term coined by the U.S. during the Surge to identify Shiite militants that were supported by Iran and/or were not following Muqtada al-Sadr’s cease-fire decree. After Baghdad’s crackdown on militias in southern Iraq beginning with Basra in 2008, many of these Special Groups were scattered, arrested, or fled to Iran. Now they seem to be making their return. In a July 18 article in the Washington Post U.S. officials warned of a new spate of attacks on American forces by these armed groups. An official named three main culprits, the League of the Righteous, Khataib Hezbollah, and the Promised Day Brigades.
A review of English-language press reports shows that there has been a steady increase in incidents from March to July 2009. 1st these are only articles from southern Iraq. It’s difficult to determine who is behind many of the attacks in Baghdad. The southern section of the country however has been relatively peaceful, and has been a base of Special Groups and Mahdi Army activities in the past, so any attacks that occur there on the Americans are most likely done by one of these organizations.
In March 2009 there were only a few incidents involving the British in Basra and none with the United States, but since April there have been several attacks aimed at Americans across a variety of southern provinces. In March there were no attacks against American forces in the region. There were two rocket attacks on the English in the Basra airport however. In April things changed when five incidents were reported, and all involving U.S. troops in Maysan, Qadisiyah, Wasit, and Basra. Attacks went up in May to seven and were all concentrated in Basra, Babil, and Wasit. In June incidents went down to four, but again were spread out over the region in Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Basra, and Wasit. From July 1 to 28 there have been eight attacks on Americans occurring in Dhi Qar, Qadisiyah, Karbala, and Basra. The most dramatic was a roadside bomb that went off against U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill’s convoy in Dhi Qar on July 13. In four and a half months there were a total of 26 attacks on U.S. forces, and only a few casualties. While that is not a large amount compared to the more violent areas of the country, it does constitute an increase from earlier in the year.
Iran has conducted a multi-layered political, military, economic, and cultural strategy in Iraq since 2003. Supporting Shiite militiamen is only one part of this, and is aimed at tying down U.S. forces so they don’t attack Iran, and making the Americans pay a price for invading. In the past, when important events came up in Iraq such as the 2009 provincial elections, Iran has limited the amount of weapons and money that it provides to dampen violence so that it might focus upon its more important political goals. Afterwards Special Group attacks and activities have traditionally gone up. That appears to be what is occurring now. This could be a message from Iran that they are still capable of fomenting instability in Iraq and challenging Coalition Forces. Iraqi domestic issues may also play a part in some of these attacks. The League of the Righteous for example, has said that it wishes to participate in the 2010 parliamentary vote, so a few of these incidents may be a way to show that it is still relevant. Others may be conducted by violent gangs, which are active in places like Basra. Whatever the ultimate motivation, the last few months have shown that there are still militants in southern Iraq capable of attacking U.S. forces.
Attacks Against U.S. Forces In Southern Iraq
March 2009 – 0 Total
April 2009 – 5 Total
4/6/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Amarah, Maysan
4/20/09 IED attack on U.S. patrol in Basra
4/20/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Kut, Wasit
4/22/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Diwaniya, Qadisiyah
4/30/09 Sniper killed 2 U.S. soldiers in Amarah, Maysan
May 2009 – 7 Total
5/3/09 Rocket attack near U.S. consulate in Hilla, Babil
5/4/09 IED attack on U.S. patrol in Basra
5/11/09 IED attack on U.S. vehicle in Basra
5/14/09 IED attack on U.S. patrol in Wasit
5/14/09 IED attack on U.S. vehicle in Babil
5/16/09 One U.S. soldier killed in Basra
5/28/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base at Basra airport
June 2009 – 4 Total
6/1/09 Rocket attack on U.S. business in Wasit
6/7/09 Attack on U.S. patrol in Basra
6/16/09 IED attack on U.S. convoy in Muthanna
6/29/09 IED attack on joint Iraqi-U.S. patrol in Dhi Qar
July 1-28, 2009 - 8
7/5/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Diwaniya, Qadisiyah
7/10/09 Rocket attack near U.S. base in Basra
7/13/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Basra
7/13/09 Roadside bomb attack on U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill’s convoy in Dhi Qar
7/17/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Basra
7/20/09 IED attack on U.S. convoy in Karbala
7/20/09 Bomb attack on U.S. convoy in Nassiriya, Dhi Qar
7/20/09 Rocket attack on U.S. base in Diwaniya, Qadisiyah
SOURCES
Abdul-Zahra, Qassim, “Anti-US Iraqi cleric facing leadership challenge,” Associated Press, 2/20/09
Adas, Basil, “Mahdi Army militia ‘going underground,’” Gulf News, 6/26/08
Aswat al-Iraq, “2 Katyushas land in U.S. camp in Diwaniya,” 7/20/09
- “2 Katyushas land in U.S. forces camp in Diwaniya,” 7/5/09
- “3 MNF soldiers injured in Basra,” 7/17/09
- “3 rockets land near U.S. consulate in Hilla,” 5/3/09
- “4 missiles fall near Echo camp in Diwaniya – spokesman,” 4/22/09
- “Blast in Nasseriya, no casualties, loses reported – U.S. spokesman,” 7/20/09
- “Bomb explodes on U.S. vehicle patrol in Wassit,” 5/14/09
- “British base in Basra rocketed,” 3/13/09
- “Hand grenade targets U.S. patrol, no casualties,” 6/7/09
- “IED explodes near joint convoy in Thi-Qar,” 6/29/09
- “IED targets U.S. convoy in Muthanna,” 6/16/09
- “IED targets U.S. convoy north of Karbala,” 7/20/09
- “IED targets U.S. patrol in Basra,” 5/4/09
- “MNF base in Kut rocketed,” 4/20/09
- “Roadside bomb hits MNF patrol in Basra,” 4/20/09
- “Rockets hit U.S. base in Amara,” 4/6/09
- “Sniper downs 2 U.S. soldiers in Amara,” 4/30/09
- “U.S. base at Basra airport rocketed,” 7/13/09
- “U.S. firm rocketed in Wassit,” 6/1/09
- “U.S. Hummer ablaze in Babel,” 5/14/09
- “U.S. vehicle damaged in IED blast in Basra,” 5/11/09
Gamel, Kim, “US military works to keep out Iraq militia leaders,” Associated Press, 8/6/08
Graff, Peter, "Influence wanes for followers of Iraq's Sadr," Reuters, 11/24/08
Haynes, Deborah, “Hope for British hostages in Iraq after release of Shia militant,” Times of London, 6/9/09
Issa, Sahar and Kadhim, Hussein, “Round-up of Daily Violence in Iraq – Thursday 28 May 2009,” 5/28/09
Londono, Ernesto and DeYoung, Karen, “Iraq Restricts U.S. Forces,” Washington Post, 7/18/09
Multi-National Corps – Iraq, “MND-S Soldier dies from combat-related injures (Basra),” 5/16/09
- “U.S. Forces respond to rocket attack in Basra province,” 7/10/09
Peter, Tom, “After setbacks, Sadr redirects Mahdi Army,” Christian Science Monitor, 8/11/08
Reuters, “U.S. ambassador to Iraq unhurt by convoy bomb,” 7/13/09
Rubin, Alissa and Gordon, Michael, “U.S. Frees Suspect in Killing of 5 G.I.’s,” New York Times, 6/9/09
Small Wars Journal, “SWJ Interview with Bing West (Part 1),” 8/14/08
Weaver, Teri, “U.S. troops keeping a low profile in Basra,” Stars and Stripes, 6/1/09
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