Author Archive | JohnDrake

Weekly Security Update for 14th July 2011

Levels of violence rose slightly in Iraq last week. Incidents were concentrated along a belt stetching from Ramadi in Anbar province to Ba'qubah in Diyala province, with the majority concentrated in Baghdad. Mosul and Kirkuk in the north also saw a spate of attacks (as per usual). At the time of writing many pilgrims are […]

Safety in Kurdistan

As an Iraq security analyst I often find that I am writing at length about violence, pain and causes for concern. However, for this blog entry I would like to make what I hope is a welcome exception. I regularly write about how violence has escalated in the north of Iraq, usually in relation to […]

Weekly Security Update for 6th July 2011

Levels of violence fell in Iraq last week, but conditions continue to fluctuate and the overall number of attacks has risen gradually since the beginning of the year. Over the past two months the country also appears to have experienced a violent week, followed by a quiet week, in fairly regular alternation. It could be […]

Weekly Security Update for 30th June 2011

Levels of violence rose again in Iraq last week, as part of what appears to be a gradual trend which has evolved over the past six months. Last week saw attacks concentrated around Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk, with several more incidents in Anbar, Diyala and Salah ad-Din provinces. The southern provinces have also seen a […]

Conditions Worsen

Levels of violence are rising in Iraq. While some commentators in the press are referring to the increase as a spike, regular readers of Iraq Business News will understand that the rise has actually been very gradual - but consistent - with the number of attacks building up all the way from the beginning of […]

Weekly Security Update for 23rd June 2011

Overall, levels of violence fell in Iraq over the past week, but the rate of weekly incidents has continued to fluctuate in recent months and the improvement is likely to be temporary. There have been three recent suicide attacks, targeting provincial government buildings and the police. Two of these attacks have taken place in the […]

Weekly Security Update for 15th June 2011

Overview Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week, making it the worst recorded by AKE since the national elections were held in March 2010. There were over 90 separate attacks documented, mainly in Baghdad and the districts surrounding it, although the southern city of Basrah also saw a rare suicide attack, potentially conducted by […]

Basrah Suicide Attack

A suicide bomber killed at least five police officers when he rammed a car laden with explosives` into a compound in Basrah. The attack on 13 June also left several more people injured. Suicide bombings are a favoured tactic of violent jihadi and predominantly Sunni terrorist organisations. This bracket includes groups such as the Islamic […]

Weekly Security Update for 9th June 2011

Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week, although conditions were not as bad as a fortnight ago. Most incidents were concentrated in Baghdad, Anbar and Salah ad-Din provinces, with an overall decline in militant activity in the north of the country and a rise in attacks in the south. There has also been a […]

A Security Review of the Last 8 Weeks

The average weekly number of attacks has risen in Iraq over the last two months. Conditions gradually worsened in the first five months of the year, and while the increase in attacks has not been dramatic, it is nonetheless still a concern, particularly as the US prepares to withdraw its military by the end of […]

Weekly Security Update for 2nd June 2011

Overview Readers of the weekly update will recall that the last entry detailed one of the most hostile seven days since AKE began contributing to Iraq Business News. Fortunately conditions improved over the course of last week. There was a fall (by half) in the number of bombings reported, while shootings declined as well. Kidnap […]

Weekly Security Update for 25th May 2011

Overview Levels of violence rose considerably in Iraq last week, making it the worst week so far this year. A spate of bombings in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk left dozens of people dead and injured. The police and military suffered the majority of attacks, but Iraqi oil workers, US soldiers and even three European civilian […]