b>WEST
At the wider provincial level Al-Anbar continues to have a low level of incidences, however the recent events along the along the Syria / Iraq border with the ambush of the convoy returning Syrian army soldiers to Syria has continued to spark debate and foment friction across the country. These events continue to eclipse the Sunni protest movement and have resulted in a significant increase in the ISF presence. Al Qaeda (specifically the Islamic State of Iraq – the IZ wing of AQ) has subsequently claimed responsibility for the attack in an online statement which referred to ‘military detachments succeeded in annihilating an entire column of the Safavid Army, a historical reference to Shia Iran and Assad’s closest ally. This series of events in turn sparked fierce comment from the KRG who also believe that Iran is pressuring Iraq into providing military aid to the Syrian Army in order to defeat a Sunni dominated rebel opposition. This admission by ISI has also possibly fuelled revenge attacks against ISI by Sunni groups who remain intent on ensuring that ISI do not hijack what remains of the protest movement. This report was given credibility by the find of some 5 bodies belonging to suspected ISI members which were found shot on the road between Al- Anbar and Babel on the 7 March.
CENTRAL
Attacks were focused in the north, south and west of Baghdad province this week with a Suicide VBIED attack thwarted in Mahmudiyah and a further 2 large IED devices found in Abu Ghraib and Mahmudiyah. Over and above this the remainder of the province continues to see a fairly regular level of low yield IED attacks and assassinations against GOI employees. The week saw up to 11 IED attacks take place, with the western districts of Adamiyah, Sadr City and Mansour bearing the brunt of the violence. Somewhat fortuitously this series of high impact attacks were thwarted however the spiral of violent intimidation and murders continues unabated across the city manifested in drive by shootings, and, most recently the delivery of booby trapped mobile phone handsets and cell phone chargers, which detonated once plugged into a power source. Furthermore, there were up to 15 SAF attacks west of the Tigris River with the focus upon Mansour and Kadhimiyah. These attacks conform to current operating trends of targeting off duty ISF personnel, GOI officials and high profile civilians. Of note was the particularly effective 5 March attack against the Federal Police HQ in Hayy al-Bakriyah, Western Mansour, in which 5 officers were killed and an unspecified number wounded.
SOUTHERN
No significant change. Once again this week violence was focused in northern Babel with the discovery and dismantling of 3 large VBIEDS and the attack by a suicide bomber in Karbala. Another incident of note was the localized outbreak of violence at a large commercial compound in the West Qurna Two oilfield. Initial reports suggested that a crowd of between 300 - 400 protesters armed with various weapons including firearms had failed to breach the security. This report was however contradicted when it transpired that a number of protesters had managed to get into the facility damaging offices and accommodation before dispersing prior to the arrival of the IA. This incident was related to a local labour dispute, as opposed insurgent activity, and centers upon the apparent dearth of job opportunities that locals feel should flow from additional development of the local oil and gas infrastructure. This will undoubtedly result in heightened local tensions over the next few weeks.
There remains a specific and potent kidnap and extortion threat toward foreigners and foreign businesses operating in the Basra, Dhi Qar and Maysan areas. Furthermore, the possibility of a sectarian motivated high impact attack is omnipresent, especially in the sensitive and religiously important areas of Babil, Karbala, Najaf, Wasit and Basra.
Comments are closed.