Security force operations continued in the area of Lake Tharthar to the northwest of Baghdad. On 10 July, whilst conducting an operation in the district, security forces came under heavy small arms fire. During the exchange, one extremist was killed and two security force members were injured. This area was previously synonymous as an AQI support base, and at one point, a virtual ‘no-go’ zone for Iraqi and Coalition forces. However, throughout 2012, Iraqi special forces operations have maintained a steady tempo, with six raids all detaining suspected AQI members. It is possible that in the event of a summer campaign, the security forces will focus more effort into confronting AQI in this area.
The targeting of tribal figures in Anbar continued this week, with Wa’ad Talal, the leader of the Malahama tribe surviving an under-vehicle bombing in Eastern Ramadi. The Malahama tribe is part of the much larger Dulaym confederation of tribes in Anbar, which was a key player in the Awakening movement.
A positive element was the lack of car bomb or suicide attacks, which have been particularly prevalent in Fallujah and Ramadi in recent months. Indeed, both Fallujah and Ramadi were comparatively quiet, with just one and two violent incidents respectively. The calm is not expected to last, however, and may simply reflect an operational pause before the month of Ramadan, which traditionally sees higher incident rates in Anbar (approximately 20-30%).
Southern Iraq (South Central and South East Regions)
Incidents in southern Iraq this week used varied attack methodologies, including nine shooting attacks, seven small bombs, two under-vehicle "sticky bombs" and a failed car bombing. The latter incident occurred on 11 July, when security forces successfully intercepted a car bomb and detained the driver in the Hindiya district of Karbala (the home town of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki). This incident came just eight days after a double car bomb attack at the northern limits of Karbala city, targeting pilgrims arriving for the Shabaniya pilgrimage.
In the "deep south" - Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna provinces - there were no incidents involving explosive devices, with all incidents related to gunfire. There were three shootings this week in Basra province, with two also occurring a day prior to this reporting period on 8 July. Two of these shootings occurred in Basra city, two in Zubayr and one in Abu al-Khaseeb. Five incidents in eight days is an unusually high figure for Basra province, equalling the highest concentration of shootings in 2012. These incidents do not appear to have been related, and a number have been clearly domestic or anomalous in nature, such as an armed altercation between a soldier and an off-duty policeman arising from a parking dispute in Zubayr.
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