As 2013 came to a close, months of sustained violence and devastating atrocities in Iraq saw a civilian death toll on a par with those recorded in 2008 and more than double the figure for 2012. The deepening of the fault lines splitting the country, the intensifying of the Sunni / Shia violence and the […]
Author Archive | Arabella Wickham
Weekly Security Update 05 - 12 Dec 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY SECURITY OVERVIEW Iraqi’s have born the brunt of a particularly violent week in which the key cities of Mosul, Kirkuk and Baghdad have all come under attack from high impact bombings and coordinated well-planned combined arms assaults. In what is now nearing one of the most violent […]
Weekly Security Update 27 Nov - 02 Dec 2013
By Tom Walker, Assaye Risk COUNTRY SECURITY OVERVIEW The daily churn of violence notwithstanding it has been a gruesome week in Iraq as insurgents have pressed home a series of devastating attacks combined with a campaign of shock tactics where numerous groups of civilian males have been beheaded across the country. In addition, the focus […]
Weekly Security Update 21 - 26 November 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Little has changed in Iraq this week as al Qaeda (AQ) and Sunni insurgent groups have continued to press home a series of devastating attacks across the northern and central belts of the country. The security situation in northern Syria and northern Iraq remains febrile and fluid […]
Weekly Security Update 14 - 20 November
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW The Ankara dance with Erbil and Baghdad continued for much of this reporting period as Turkey’s President Erdogan continues to tread a fine balance between multiple regional stakeholders in the hope of neutralizing the al Qaeda (AQ) threat in northern Syria and of maximizing to potential of […]
Weekly Security Update 07 - 13 November 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW The ebb and flow of violence continued in Iraq this week with many religious pilgrims targeted and killed by suicide bombers, predominantly in Baghdad and Nineveh provinces. Kurdish fighters have also continued to secure and fortify their positions in northern Syria and along the Iraqi border having […]
Weekly Security Update 30 October - 06 November 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW In comparison to much of October the start of November has been somewhat quieter in Iraq although there have been a score of high impact explosions, which killed dozens. On the transnational front the actions of Syrian Kurdish factions fighting in northern Syria continue to influence regional […]
Weekly Security Update 24 - 30 October 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW It has been a bloody week for many Iraqis as insurgents and militia groups have pressed home a number of coordinated high impact attacks resulting in large numbers killed and wounded. Transnational influences have also dominated reporting as regional leaders seek to find ways to control and […]
Weekly Security Update 17 - 24 Oct 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Iraqis bore the brunt of another violent week, however the tempo of insurgent attacks waned, possibly due to a lack of resources or as the focus of their operations shifted to the fighting against the rebel groups and Kurdish militias in Northern Syria / Iraq. Despite […]
Weekly Security Update 09 - 16 October 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW This week has seen little change in the security situation as suicide bombings and shooting endure and the Syrian conflict continues to make its presence known in the north of the country. The dynamic that is playing out in northern Syria is becoming of greater concern for […]
Weekly Security Update 02 - 09 October 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Violence once again plagued Iraq this week but the tempo and volume of attacks dropped off markedly from the high of the previous two weeks. Once again the violence was predominantly focused on Baghdad and surrounding districts however we have seen a marked return to violence in […]
Weekly Security Update 26 Sep - 02 Oct 2013
By Tom Walker, Director, Assaye Risk COUNTRY OVERVIEW Nearly 900 civilians were killed across Iraq in September as sectarian violence worsened, raising the death toll for 2013 to more than last year's total, the United Nations reported this week. Sunni Islamist militants have perpetrated the overwhelming majority of violence, with the ISI leading the campaign. […]