Central Iraq (Baghdad and Anbar)
Baghdad recorded 48 incidents this week, which is on par with last week’s figure of 46 and brings the current 2012 weekly average up to thirty. This is the fourth straight week of above average levels of violence in the city, which reinforces the general perception of an ongoing deterioration in security in the capital. While coordinated, high-profile and mass-casualty attacks continue to command wide media attention, there now appears to be growing concern at the effectiveness of assassination operations carried out against mid to senior level ISF and other government employees. In addition to the increasingly effective targeted attacks on ISF and government employees, there were a number of high-profile attacks across the capital as part of the 30 September attack series, including an attack at a Shia shrine in Mada’in, south-east of Baghdad, which killed at least four and wounded 16, including a number of Iranian pilgrims.
Activity in Anbar increased this week, with 28 reported incidents; well over double the weekly average for 2012. While this is an unusually high figure, it is worthy of note that the week’s reporting did not include any substantial coordinated attacks, of the sort that would usually be associated with such a high total. Rather there were concentrations of activity in numerous towns in the east of the province and a handful of notable incidents in the western areas, which included two clashes in the western border areas. The most widely reported incident in Anbar this week was the 24 September SVBIED attack in the town of Hit, which occurred in close proximity to a primary school, resulting in the death of four pupils. This was a highly provocative incident and drew wide condemnation from community leaders.
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