Southern Iraq (South Central and South East Regions)
Incidents in the South Central Region this week were less than half the number of incidents compared to the previous reporting period, though the south central region varies considerably from week to week and this drop is not necessarily representative of a longer term pattern. In Babil there were only three incidents, with two IED finds in Jabala and a SAF attack in Hilla in which a civilian was injured. However the province did witness a large-scale ISF operations targeted against AQI strongholds in northern areas of the province around Iskandariya, in an apparent attempt to weaken AQI ahead of Ramadan. The fact that Babil did not record a single high-profile attack over the course of the 23 July attacks may indicate that these local operations were partially successful. The week also saw two significant incidents in Najaf province, with a VBIED in Najaf’s old town and an attempted assassination in Kufa.
Reported incidents in the South East Region for this week were down on the previous reporting period. Activity was once again focused on Basra province, with only a single SAF attack reported against a civilian in Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar and no incidents reported in the provinces of Muthana and Maysan. While Basra province remains the focal point for activity in the southeast, levels of activity this week were also very subdued, with only three violent incidents reported, all of which occurred within the Basra city area. The nature of violence in Basra province, and the comparatively low figures, can lead to wide fluctuations in weekly incident reporting without this indicating a change in the underlying security dynamic in the province.
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