Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses. Share the link of this article with your facebook friends

 

Iraqi Refugees Face Freezing Winter, 59 Killed in a Week of Fighting, Un-Known Number Killed in US Air Strikes

 December 20, 2018

Editor's Note:

The following are just examples of news stories about the continuous Iraq war. Daily news stories can be accessed from the news sources listed below and others in the internet.

 

A refugee camp in Suleimaniyah. The UN reported that 150,000 children are endangered by freezing in northern Iraq refugee campls this winter, file, December 12, 2018	Iraqi refugees in muddy areas, file, December 20, 2018

 

The following are news stories from the independent Iraqi Arabic news agency, Yaqein ( http://yaqein.net/ ):

***

A humanitarian crisis is looming in the refugee camps in northern Iraq, where refugees burn used car tyres for warming and cooking, as a result of a lack of fuel. Moreover, rains and floods carried away 1,500 tents in Ninawa, leaving refugees without shelter.  إحراق الإطارات للتدفئة في مخيمات النازحين 20 ديسمبر 2018 تزايدت معاناة النازحين مع ازدياد برودة الشتاء ، وافتقار المخيمات إلى وسائل التدفئة ، مع وجود الخيم والكرفانات المتهالكة ، فباتت المخيمات تواجه كارثة إنسانية، في ظل التقاعس الحكومي الكبير تجاه هذه الأزمة. وقال مسؤول العلاقات في مكتب هجرة السليمانية “حسام العزاوي” في لقاء صحفي “أن أسكان مخيمي (اشتي و عربت) يقومون بحرق إطارات السيارات لغرض التدفئة”. وناشد ”وزارة النفط بحكومة بغداد بسرعة إرسال حصص النفط للعائلات النازحة في مخيمات المحافظة بأسرع وقت ممكن”. وأضاف أن “أغلب العائلات في محافظة السليمانية عامة والمخيمات خاصة لم تستلم مادة النفط الابيض إلى اليوم، لذلك لجأوا إلى إحراق الإطارات للتدفئة”. وتابع أن ذلك يعد إجحافاً بحق الإنسانية، إذ لا يعقل أن تكون الوزارة لا تمتلك صلاحية بمخاطبة الجهات العليا لكون المسالة إنسانية أكثر من إدارية أو مادية، في حين يعيش الأطفال معاناة بسبب البرد الشديد”. وفي وقت سابق شهدت مخيمات النازحين في نينوى اقتلاع واغراق 1500 خيمة ، بعد موجة امطار غزيرة وسيول جارفة ، دون أن تحرك الحكومة المحلية والمركزية ساكناً لإنهاء معاناة العوائل النازحة . https://yaqein.net/politics/163145

***

The following are news stories from a pro-Iraqi government website (http://www.iraqinews.com/), which usually reports those who are killed by Iraqi government attacks as Islamic State fighters, implying no civilians were killed by bombing residential neighborhoods:

***

Iraqi airstrike kills four Islamic State militants inside Nineveh tunnel

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 16, 2018, 3:43 pm

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) –

Four Islamic State militants were killed Sunday in an air raid that targeted their hotbed in Nineveh province, the Iraqi army said.

Troops of the Nineveh Operations Command found during a security campaign in Atshana Mountains a tunnel being used as a hideout by Islamic State militants, Mawazin News quoted the Security Media Center as saying in a statement.

The Iraqi Air Force immediately launched an airstrike targeting the IS militants hiding inside the tunnel, leaving four of them dead, the statement dead.

“The airstrike left the tunnel completely destroyed,” the statement added.

Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in August 2017 that Nineveh province was fully liberated from Islamic State after the district of Tal Afar was recaptured.

The announcement came after the defeat of the jihadist group in the town of Ayadiya, where the militants had fled to from Tal Afar.

Islamic State militants seized control of much of Nineveh, including the provincial capital of Mosul, in June 2014.

The Iraqi government launched an operation to retake Tal Afar on 20 August involving some 50,000 personnel from the army, air force, federal police, special forces and the Shia Muslim-led paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces.

Bomb blast kills Iraqi policeman in Anbar

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 15, 2018

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) –

An Iraqi policemen was killed Saturday in a bomb blast in Ramadi, Anbar, a security source from the province was quoted as saying.

“A roadside bomb exploded in Ramadi district in Abar, leaving a policeman dead,” the source told Ayn Al Iraq news website.

He further declined to give further details about the bomb attack.

A total of 41 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 73 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in November, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the most affected governorat, with 55 civilian casualties (23 killed, 32 injured), followed by Nineveh (08 killed and 19 injured) and Anbar (04 killed and 15 injured).

The latest figures are the lowest to be recorded by UNAMI since it began counting the casualties in November 2012.

Three Iraqi police members killed in Anbar explosion

by Mohamed Mostafa Dec 15, 2018

Ramadi (IraqiNews.com) --

Three Iraqi police members were killed on Saturday in a blast that hit their patrol in Iraq’s western province of Ramadi, media quoted security sources as saying.

Alsumaria News quoted the security source saying that an improvised explosive device (IED) hit a road security patrol in the city of Ramadi, killing and officer and two conscripts.

Iraqi police forces continue to hunt for remnant Islamic State extremists in Anbar, especially at the province’s desert areas where they sought shelter after the recapture of cities under their control in 2017.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq says armed conflicts and terrorist attacks left 41 Iraqi civilians, including off-duty security members, dead, marking the lowest tally since 2012.

Joint Iraqi force kills three Islamic State militants in Mosul

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 12, 2018

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) –

Iraqi troops killed on Wednesday three militants of Islamic State during a military operation in Mosul city.

A joint force of the Iraqi army and al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) carried out a military operation to purge Sheikh Ibrahim desert town, in western Mosul, from Islamic State militants, Almaalomah news website quoted the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi as saying in a statement.

“Three Islamic State terrorists were killed in the military operation,” the statement added.

Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi announced in July 2017 liberation of the second largest Iraqi city of Mosul from IS militants, who had captured it in 2014. More than 25,000 militants were killed throughout the campaign, which started in October 2016.

The campaign was backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led international coalition.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in Iraq in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.

Bomb blast leaves two policemen dead, four civilians wounded in Diyala

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 12, 2018

Diyala (IraqiNews.com) –

Two Iraqi policemen were killed Tuesday in a bomb blast in northern Diyala province, a security source was quoted as saying.

“An explosive charge went off at an agricultural land in Youssef Bek village, west of Khanaqin town, in Diyala, leaving two policemen dead,” the source told Shafaq News website.

The source added that the bomb blast left four civilians wounded as well.

“The security forces cordoned off the blast site and carried the dead bodies to the forensic medicine department, while the wounded were moved to a nearby hospital for treatment,” the source noted.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for attacks targeting crowded areas, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

A total of 41 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 73 injured in acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq in November, according to casualty figures recorded by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Baghdad was the most affected governorat, with 55 civilian casualties (23 killed, 32 injured), followed by Nineveh (08 killed and 19 injured) and Anbar (04 killed and 15 injured).

The latest figures are the lowest to be recorded by UNAMI since it began counting the casualties in November 2012.

Iraqi troops kill two IS militants, destroy three hotbeds in Kirkuk

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 12, 2018

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) –

A joint force killed on Tuesday two Islamic State militants and detonated three terrorist hotbeds in the oil-rich Iraqi province of Kirkuk, a security source was quoted as saying.

Speaking to Baghdad Today news website, the source said that a security force made up of the Iraqi anti-terrorism service and the U.S. Special Forces killed two IS terrorists in al-Riyadh district in southwestern Kirkuk.

“The forces also found an explosive charge and detonated three IS hotbeds in al-Arisha village in Kirkuk.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November 2017 with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

IS declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014. A government campaign, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition and paramilitary forces, was launched in 2016 to retake IS-held regions, managing to retake all havens, most notably the city of Mosul, the group’s previously proclaimed capital.

Last December, former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over the terrorist Islamic State group three years after the militant group captured about a third of Iraq’s territory.

Iraqi F-16 jets kill 44 Islamic State terrorists in Syria

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 11, 2018

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) –

The Iraqi army said on Tuesday that its jet fighters conducted several airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria’s Deir el-Zour province, killing 40 terrorists.

Iraqi F-16 jets carried out a successful airstrike that targeted a hideout of the Islamic State group in al-Susah city in Deir al-Zour, leaving 30 terrorists dead, Dijlah TV channel quoted the Joint Operations Command as saying in a statement.

Another air raid destroyed a hideout in the city, housing 14 Islamic State fighters, the statement said.

The operation resulted in the complete destruction of the Islamic State targets, the statement added.

In April, former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi denied intentions to interfere in Syrian affairs, saying that the airstrikes against Islamic State will continue.

Iraq had previously announced launching airstrikes against IS locations in Syria. This came after Abadi said security troops will follow IS militants in the whole region, not only in Iraq.

Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since a government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led international coalition, was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group, which declared a self-styled “caliphate” from Mosul in June 2014.

Over 150,000 children endangered by ‘freezing’ temperatures, warns UNICEF

by Mohammed Ebraheem Dec 11, 2018

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) –

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has ramped up efforts to provide warm clothes and life-saving supplies to more than 150,000 displaced children across northern Iraq, whose lives are threatened by freezing temperatures.

Speaking about the flash floods that swept several Iraqi cities last month, Peter Hawkins, the head of UNICEF operations in Iraq, said: “The devastating floods have made this winter even more difficult for displaced children who are extremely vulnerable to hypothermia and respiratory diseases.”

He underscored that every child “deserves to be warm and healthy.”

Many families in the region have been left with next to nothing after being on the move for years due to conflict and resulting economic hardship. It is “impossible” for them afford fuel for heating and winter clothes to keep their children warm, the UN agency warned.

UNICEF is providing winter clothes, including boots, scarves, and hats to approximately 161,000 children in Sinjar, Erbil, Dohuk, Ninawa, Anbar, Diwaniya, Basra, Salaheddin, Baghdad and Suleimaniah, including through cash support.

According to the UN agency, those receiving assistance age between 3-months and 14-years, in hard-to-reach areas, having been through years of violence, including gender-based violence, and trauma of war.

***

The following are news stories from the US Department of Defense website (http://www.defense.gov/News) :

***

CJTF-OIR Strike Summary Dec. 9 – Dec. 15

Release No: 18-122
December 19, 2018
Release # 20181219-01

SOUTHWEST ASIA – Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to pursue the lasting defeat of ISIS in designated parts of Iraq and Syria.

Weekly Strike Summary
 
Between Dec. 9 and Dec. 15, CJTF-OIR conducted 208 strikes consisting of 378 engagements in Syria.
 
On Dec. 15 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 47 strikes consisting of 90 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 47 strikes engaged 20 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 21 fighting positions, 32 staging areas, two petroleum oil and lubricant facilities, one command and control node, one tunnel, seven supply routes, one petroleum oil and lubricant tanker, one tactical vehicle and suppressed two mortar firing positions. 
 
On Dec. 15 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
On Dec. 14 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 27 strikes consisting of 41 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 27 strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 18 fighting positions, five staging areas, four supply routes, two heavy weapons systems and suppressed two mortar firing positions. 
 
On Dec. 14 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
On Dec. 13 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 32 strikes consisting of 57 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 32 strikes destroyed 26 fighting positions, 11 staging areas, five supply routes, one petroleum oil and lubricant storage facility, and one piece of heavy equipment, suppressed one mortar firing position and damaged one fighting position.
 
On Dec. 13 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
On Dec. 12 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 26 strikes consisting of 52 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 25 strikes engaged 11 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 18 fighting positions, four staging areas, five supply routes, three petroleum oil and lubricant facilities, two financial nodes, one improvised explosive device facility and damaged three fighting positions.
 
-              Near Abu Kamal, one strike destroyed one fighting position.
 
On Dec. 12 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
On Dec. 11 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 43 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 21 strikes engaged 15 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 16 fighting positions, five staging areas, two supply routes, one improvised explosive device facility, one building, one piece of engineering equipment, one vehicle and suppressed one mortar.
 
On Dec. 11 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
On Dec. 10 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 29 strikes consisting of 59 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 29 strikes engaged 17 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 25 fighting positions, three tunnels, one supply route, one command and control node, one petroleum oil and lubricant facility, one staging area, one mortar tube, one heavy weapons system, one building, damaged one vehicle and suppressed one mortar firing position.
 
On Dec. 10 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
On Dec. 9, 2018 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 26 military strikes consisting of 36 engagements against ISIS targets.
 
-              Near Hajin, 26 strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 16 fighting positions, two command and control nodes, two staging areas, one weapons caches, one weapon storage facility, one petroleum oil lubricant site, one command and control node, and damaged one vehicle, one staging area, one fighting position and suppressed one mortar and one mortar firing position.
 
On Dec. 9 in Iraq, Coalition military forces did not conduct any strikes.
 
Between Dec. 9 and Dec. 15, CJTF-OIR detected 112 strikes from other actors that crossed the Euphrates River Valley. CJTF-OIR is committed to avoiding and in every case minimizing civilian casualties; CJTF-OIR calls on all other actors in the area to observe the same precautions.
 
This Coalition strike release contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing, or remotely piloted aircraft, rocket propelled artillery and ground-based tactical artillery.

***

CJTF-OIR Strike Summary Dec. 2 – Dec. 8

Release No: 18-119
December 12, 2018
Release # 20181212-01
SOUTHWEST ASIA –

Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve and its partners continue to pursue the lasting defeat of ISIS in designated parts of Iraq and Syria.
 
Weekly Strike Summary
 
Between Dec. 2 and Dec. 8, CJTF-OIR conducted 251 strikes consisting of 494 engagements in Syria and Iraq.
 
On Dec. 8 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 39 strikes consisting of 63 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 39 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 21 fighting positions, four staging areas, three command and control nodes, one financial facility, one petroleum oil and lubricant facility, one mortar launching site, one piece of engineering equipment, one vehicle, two supply route and one UAS facility. 
 
There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Dec. 8, 2018.
 
On Dec. 7 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 46 strikes consisting of 66 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 46 strikes engaged one ISIS tactical unit, and destroyed 19 fighting positions, seven pieces of heavy equipment, seven staging areas, five supply routes, four command and control nodes, three vehicles, one building and one financial facility. 
 
There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Dec. 7, 2018.
 
On Dec. 6 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 32 strikes consisting of 63 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 32 strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 13 fighting positions, five staging areas, six supply routes, two pieces of engineering equipment, one logistics facility, one petroleum oil and lubricant tanker, one piece of heavy equipment, one heavy machine gun, one tactical vehicle and one financial facility.
 
There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Dec. 6, 2018.
 
On Dec. 5 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 41 strikes consisting of 82 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 41 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units, and destroyed 19 fighting positions, three command and control nodes, three vehicles, two staging areas, two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, two supply routes, two logistics facilities, one piece of heavy equipment, one media cell and one building.
 
There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Dec. 5, 2018
 
On Dec. 4 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 31 strikes consisting of 66 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 31 strikes engaged seven tactical units, and destroyed 15 fighting positions, eight staging areas, four supply routes, two pieces of engineering equipment, three command and control nodes, one piece of heavy equipment, and one weapons facility.
 
There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Dec. 4, 2018.
 
On Dec. 3 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 38 strikes consisting of 93 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 38 strikes engaged 12 tactical units, and destroyed 10 supply routes, five staging areas, two weapon caches, four improvised explosive device facilities, two buildings, two fighting positions, one anti-aircraft system, one rocket storage site, one tunnel, two heavy equipment, and one vehicle storage.
 
 
On Dec. 3 in Iraq, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of nine engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Sulayman Bek, one strike engaged three tactical units, and destroyed two buildings and damaged one building.
 
On Dec. 2, 2018 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 23 military strikes consisting of 51 engagements against ISIS targets.
•             Near Hajin, 23 strikes engaged two tactical units, and destroyed four command and control nodes, one building, one storage site, six staging areas, six supply routes, one tactical vehicle and three fighting positions, and suppressed seven supply routes and one fighting position.
 
There were no reported strikes conducted in Iraq on Dec. 2, 2018.
 
We received delayed reports for strikes conducted by Coalition military forces on Nov. 3 and Oct. 4.
 
On Nov. 3, 2018 In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted one strike consisting of one engagement.
•             Near Hajin, Coalition military forces destroyed one fighting position.
 
On Oct. 4, 2018 in Syria, Coalition military forces conducted two strikes consisting of five engagements.
•             Near Hajin, Coalition military forces destroyed two fighting positions.
 
This Coalition strike release contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing, or remotely piloted aircraft, rocket propelled artillery and ground-based tactical artillery.

***

Share the link of this article with your facebook friends