Takeaways for October 3-8, 2015

The Iraq Security and Humanitarian Monitor (ISHM) will be released every Thursday now instead of Friday.

Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) retook the Olympic Stadium in western Ramadi, and advanced against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in the towns of Albu Faraj and Khaladiyah Island, just north and east of Ramadi respectively. According to Joint Operations Command spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, ISF then entered the Zanquarah area, west of the city, seized the Abu Chaleb district to the north and the Albu Risha area to the northwest, and began advancing towards the city center. With air support from the Iraqi Air Force and U.S-led Coalition Forces, ISF operations are now focusing on retaking strategic areas inside Ramadi including the Anbar Operations Command Center and the 8th Army Brigade Headquarters, while consolidating control of much of the Baghdad-Amman Highway, allowing anti-ISIS forces on both sides of the Euphrates River to connect with each other. There are also reports of ISIS militants fleeing the city. ISF forces advised citizens to raise white flags over their buildings to distinguish themselves from ISIS in the coming battle. Also this week in Anbar, Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) Artillery strikes reportedly destroyed ISIS headquarters in northern Fallujah.



The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) welcomed Russian assistance to Peshmerga forces in the region. In response, Russia voiced its readiness to participate in air operations in Iraq but is waiting for an official request from Baghdad.



ISIS executed 70 members of Albu Nimr tribe in Anbar. Albu Nimr is a tribe that played a crucial role in assisting U.S. troops in fighting al-Qaeda in 2006 and 2007.



A series of bombings and Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (SVBIED) killed hundreds of civilians across Iraq. Also, ISIS kidnapped nearly 300 civilians in Kirkuk based on accusations of cooperating with Peshmerga security forces.



Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad, Basra, and Wasit demanding improvements in education and with health services, an end to corruption, and the swift implementation of PM Haider al-Abadi’s reform plans. Also this week, protests spread across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where public servants have gone three months without salaries.



The Ministry of Health announced 162 new cholera cases have been reported, increasing the total number of civilians infected to 1,201.



A new sandstorm strikes Baghdad and nearly 200 cases of asphyxia have been reported so far.



Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced that the Green Zone, home to Iraq’s top politicians and lawmakers, would be opened to the Iraqi public for the first time in twelve years.



With child labor growing in Iraq due to unemployment and poverty, school attendance continues to plummet. The Province of Kirkuk is reported to have the highest rate of child labor with nearly 50,000 children — mostly girls — working in dangerous conditions. In the province of Maysan, the Social Welfare Department announced plans to introduce new legal protections aimed at reducing child labor and increasing school attendance.

Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Pressure ISIS in Anbar

On October 4, a source in the Iraqi military announced the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) had retaken the Olympic Stadium in western Ramadi and captured the eastern half of Albu Faraj, a town just north of the city. ISF units had also advanced further into Khalidiya Island, east of Ramadi, that has been held by ISIS since the fall of the city.

On October 4, Anbar Operations Command announced an offensive aimed at clearing al-Mesriah subdistrict on the perimeter of al-Baghdadi. It claimed that 13 Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) members were killed, 7 were wounded, and that the town was now clear of ISIS militants.

On October 6, a series of artillery strikes from Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) reportedly destroyed the headquarters of ISIS in Fallujah. The HQ was located in the Al-Sejar area of northern Fallujah.

On October 7, the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) reportedly made significant headway into the city of Ramadi. To the northwest of the city, the army entered the town of Zanqurah, killing an ISIS field commander. To the immediate west of the city, it seized the Abu Cheleb district, next to the Olympic stadium. The ISF also allegedly seized the Albu Risha district to the immediate northwest of the city, which borders the Euphrates and the section of the Baghdad-Amman highway that spans it. The western frontline is now past the Baghdad-Amman Highway as ISF troops advance past city limits into the 8th Army Brigade Base and clear the “5 km” neighborhood in the southwestern part of the city. This puts ISF units in command of much of the highway, allowing ISF and PMU troops on both sides of the Euphrates River to connect with each other. In the northern section of the city, the ISF stated that they have consolidated their control of the Albu Faraj neighborhood up to the Japanese Bridge that links the Samarra district with Ramadi and Fallujah, cutting off the remaining ISIS militants in the northern part of the city from the city center. The ISF is said to have advanced into the ISIS-held Anbar Operations Command center inside the city of Ramadi, just to the west of the Albu Faraj neighborhood. During these advances, Iraqi Air Force and U.S.-led Coalition air forces bombarded the center of Ramadi. There are also reports of large numbers of ISIS troops fleeing Ramadi towards their more secure territory in the west, although there are contradicting reports that the withdrawal was ordered, and that the forces are moving east towards Syria. ISF forces advised citizens to raise white flags over their buildings, to distinguish themselves from ISIS in the coming battle.

On October 7, U.S. led Coalition airstrikes reportedly killed senior ISIS tribal leader Hadi Salh Naif, from the Lhib tribe, in an airstrike on the Gamaldi neighborhood in the town of Makhmour.

Possible military collaboration between Russia and Iraq

On October 3, the Kurdistan Regional Government formally welcomed Russian assistance to Peshmerga forces in the region. The KRG also called for greater cooperation between Moscow and the International Coalition. This announcement comes days after the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs Jabbar Yawar proclaimed the Peshmerga were not a part of the four prong alliance between Iraq, Syria, Russia, and Iran in the exchange of intelligence.

On October 7, Chairwoman of the Upper House in the Russian Parliament Valentina Matviyenko voiced her country’s readiness to participate in aerial operations in Iraq, stating that Russia is waiting for an official request from Baghdad. In response, Iraq has sent a delegation to Moscow to discuss areas of cooperation. Those a part of the delegation includes the national security advisor and the chief of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Faleh al-Fayed.

ISIS Executes 70 Tribesmen

On October 5, Naim al-Gaood, leader of the Albu Nimr tribe, stated that ISIS executed seventy men from his tribe. ISIS executed the tribesmen on accusations that they had relatives fighting against the organization or serving in the ISF. The Albu Nimr tribe has fought against ISIS since the beginning of the crisis in 2014. It is also important to note that Albu Nimr played a crucial role in assisting the US in countering the al-Qaeda threat during the “Sunni Awakening,” in 2006 and 2007. Even when ISIS militants killed a reported 500 members of the tribe in 2014, Albu Nimr tribe refused to stop fighting.

Hundreds killed in a Series of SVBIEDs and ISIS Kidnaps Nearly 300 Civilians

On October 3, a Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (SVBIED) and a suicide bomber on foot killed 24 people and injured another 63, in an attack on Kadhimiya. Iraqi authorities say they killed a third suicide bomber, who tried to storm an army checkpoint.

On October 6, the head of the Diyala Security Council reported that the final death toll from a SVBIED that struck a market in the Shia-majority town of Khalis late last night had risen to 39 dead and 73 wounded. This is the latest in a series of bombings that have ripped across the country since Friday, bringing the casualty count to over 100 reported deaths and over 250 reported injured.

On October 7, ISIS forces reportedly staged a series of kidnappings across the province. In Halwat village, located in the Zab district to the southwest of Kirkuk city, ISIS is said to have kidnapped up to 200 people on charges of cooperating with Peshmerga forces and passing information along to the U.S.-led Coalition. In Hawaja it is reported that ISIS forces kidnapped up to 75 people, reportedly with orders to execute them. The reasoning behind this kidnapping is unknown at this time.

Iraqis Voice Their Demands to End Corruption and Improve the Education and Health Sectors

On October 2, thousands of demonstrators mobilized around Tahrir Square once again demanding for the application of reforms outlined by Prime Minister al-Abadi and the dismissal of Chief Justice Medhat al-Mahmoud. Many commented on an “impatience of the people to implement the reforms in full.”

On October 2, thousands protested in front of the Basra Governorate building demanding the application of reforms outlined by Prime Minister al-Abadi and the dismissal of corrupt officials. According to civil rights activist Ali al-Maliki, the “governor [is] accused of setting up fake reconstruction projects” and using “public money” for personal gain. Protesters also addressed the issue of salinity and greater access to oil rents due to the province’s contribution to the country’s oil revenue.

On October 5, hundreds of health and higher education staff protested and participated in sit-ins for a third day at Sulaimani city center “to protest the delay in payment of salaries of employees in the Kurdistan region.” According to local activist Shivan Zangana, the demonstrators have not received their salaries in the past three months and cited that “the mass demonstrations will expand day after day to include all areas of the region.” This spillover has already begun with the protests expanding to surrounding areas in the province and even into Erbil. Demonstrators are also demanding the implementation of reforms.

On October 2, thousands demonstrated near Kut’s city center demanding for reform of the judiciary, an implementation of Abadi reforms (launched 2 months ago), and the release of activist Jalal al-Shahmani. Sinan Saeed, a participant in the protests asserted that the arrest of civilian activists is “unacceptable” and “behaviors of this kind will not discourage demonstrations” but will only push people to continue “demanding reforms and the fight against corruption.”

More than a Thousand Cholera Cases Reported in Iraq

On October 7, the Ministry of Health announced 162 new cases of cholera, bringing the total number of civilians infected to 1201. However, the ministry indicated that about 95% of the cholera patients have fully recovered. One individual has passed away in Babil due to the disease.

On October 3, the health director Mohamed Amin confirmed that Kirkuk is free from cholera and called on Baghdad to provide chlorine. Kirkuk officials state that there is only enough chlorine for ten days. Amin stated “the department distributed 15 million grains of chlorine that will be distributed next week and 17 million pills to protect the citizens.” This comes at a time when the Ministry of Health in Baghdad says new cases of cholera appeared.

On October 7, the provincial council stated that it is working on the delivery of safe drinking water to prevent the spread of cholera in Muthanna where civilians are experiencing a water crisis in as they have not had access to potable water for seven days. This has led some civilians to open wells inside homes, despite the chance that this may expose them to cholera.

Another Sandstorm Strikes Baghdad

On October 3, the Ministry of Health announced that a new sand storm resulted in over 140 cases of asphyxia in Baghdad. The storm hit Iraq after midnight on October 2. The Ministry of Health recorded 74 cases of suffocation in the Karkh district and 66 cases in Rusafa district. The Director of Information and the Ministry of Health confirm that all individuals were treated in hospitals and there were no deaths due to the dust storm.

Haider al-Abadi Opens the Green Zone to the Public

On October 5, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the heavily fortified “Green Zone” would be open to civilians, including traffic, for the first time in twelve years. The zone, which is four square miles, is home to much of the political and civil infrastructure of the Iraqi State, and is nestled in the heart of Baghdad. There are still stringent security measures required to travel through the Green Zone, but the move is widely expected to help relieve traffic and facilitate transportation around the city.

Child labor Grows in Iraq and School Attendance Shrinks

On October 7, specialists in Maysan declared that child labor is growing while school attendance is shrinking due to poverty and unemployment. On behalf of the Social Welfare Department in Maysan, Fadel Mutashar, shared that “the new social security system will be implemented in 2016, and it will ensure that children attend school by providing financial support to families in need so that their children won’t have to work.”

On October 4, the Committee Chairman for Human Rights Arshad Salhi stated that “there is a large proportion of children and young girls working” in dangerous conditions and it will increase as more become displaced. Kirkuk has the highest proportion of children working, about 50,000 children work in the province. Salhi stated that approximately 30,000 children are working in the streets. The majority are girls (25,000). Salhi states that a large number of these children have left behind their studies in order to help their families financially.

Erik Gustafson is EPIC’s Executive Director and Taif Jany is a Program Manager at EPIC. They would like to thank Brian Nichols, Alexsandra Canedo, and Tanesha Singletary for their research support. ISHM’s research methodology was developed by Ahmed Ali.

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