Northern Iraq (North and North Central Regions – including the KRG)
The Northern Region reported at total of 32 incidents during the period, an increase on last week’s figure of 27, and above the 2012 weekly average of 25. There was a return to routine attack patterns in the North Region following last week’s coordinated nationwide attack series. Typically, Mosul was the most active area although outlying areas were also active including Qayara, Tal Afar, Tall Kayf and Hammam al-Alil. Most incidents targeted Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) patrols and static locations, predominantly checkpoints; and after an increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) last week, there was a greater emphasis on the use of small arms fire (SAF). There were also a number of sectarian killings, including two Peshmerga at a checkpoint in Tal Kayf, and two Shabak civilians were shot at their homes in the Goojali and Rashidiya neighbourhoods. There were two vehicle bomb (VBIED) incidents in the region. On the Tikrit-Bayji road a VBIED detonated at a fuel station and in the Mansouriya neighbourhood of Mosul an IED targeting the motorcade of the Mayor which was followed by a VBIED. The border areas with Syria remain active, as smugglers continue to take advantage of the reduced security on the Syrian side of the border. This week again saw several confrontations between ISF and smugglers, something that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
The North Central Region reported a total of 33 incidents during the reporting period, a decrease on last week’s figure of 43 and below the 2012 weekly average of 35. Incident levels were low this week in Kirkuk, with reporting being dominated with the on-going political tensions between the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). In Salah al-Din Province, the Tigris River Valley (particularly Shirqat) continues to experience high levels of insurgent activity. Shirqat’s location on the peripheries of Salah al-Din Province has in the past meant it received little in the way of funding from the provincial budget, curbing government influence. It is also home to a large proportion of religious conservatives, which has allowed the area to become more permissive for Sunni insurgent groups to operate. There was also a slight rise in insurgent activity in Diyala, especially along the Diyala River Valley and around Baqubah. This followed several weeks of high levels of ISF operations in the province.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) – No significant insurgent related incidents were reported in the three provinces that comprise the KRG (Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah) during the period.
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