On February 24th several members of the PMU reportedly came under attack from ISIS on a road from Kirkuk to Hawija in Iraq. It is unclear how many of the Hashd al-Shaabi or Shia militia fighters were killed. The attack comes amidst rumors of attacks on Kirkuk itself.
On the same day as the attack on the PMU, Al-Arabiya notes: “Commander of the second special operations in the Iraqi army, Maj. Gen. Maan al-Saadi, warned ISIS and Peshmerga forces on Friday that the national army will ‘crush’ anyone that approaches the outskirts of Kirkuk.”
I asked counter-terror expert Powel Wojcik to try to quantify the number of recent attacks. “There are 35 unique claims for February alone – Samarra, Tikrit, North Baghdad, Hawijah, southern and south-east Kirkuk, Diyala with January extending to Anbar, a lot or Ramadi, Fallujah, Mosul areas. From 35 February claims, 14 are related to Kirkuk and Hawijah.”
Alex Mello argued in a thread on Twitter on Feb. 25 “Past week was probably the deadliest for ISF since Mosul ended last summer. Ambushes & outpost overruns in Nimrud, Badush, Baaj, out in Rutbah and the massacre in rural Kirkuk, on top of slow burning rural assassination campaign targeting Sunnis leaders and tribal forces.”
I covered the battle for Hawija closely. I wrote about why it was important on Sept. 21, 2017, interviewed the coalition about it on October 1, and wrote a conclusion about it on October 5. After I wrote a thread in October 2017 about how the operation was timed to coincide with Iraq’s desire to take back Kirkuk into federal hands, which means it was rushed.
People Who Are Afraid To Set Foot In Iraq, Still Think They Know What’s Best For It
What follows is an attempt to track and map the recent uptick in attacks.
February 26
Attack in Kirkuk’s Musala “neighborhood was directed against an Iraqi counterterrorism convoy,”
February 25
Alleged bombing of PMU HQ in Kirkuk
ISIS attack on Khabazah oil field near Kirkuk, two killed; map shows the same
February 23
Reports Iraq forces “abandoned” positions.
Hezbollah al-Nujabaa movement at funeral of the “27 martyrs” from HawijaScreen Shot 2018-02-25 at 6.14.13 PM.png
Screenshot
PMU convoy targeted from Hawija to Kirkuk, several killed
February 19
East of Hawija near Al-Riyadh ISIS claimed an ambush that killed up to 30 PMU, CNN reported the same. Claims PMU was “lured” into a trap and ISF didn’t coordinate; US embassy condemns attack
February 18
PMU forces kidnapped near Hawija
February 9
ISOF detains man wanted for assassinating a professor in Kirkuk
February 7
Operation against the “white flags” near Tuz
February 5
US comments about ISIS presence in Hawija, Daquq
Brigade 56 fighting ISIS near Hawija, footage
READING BETWEEN THE LINES OF THE RUSSIA-US STATEMENT ON SYRIA IN VIETNAM
January 31
Three ISIS killed in villages by PMU near Hawija
“The Major General Anwar al-Danouq was shot dead in the village of Tal Khadija, which is part of the Rashad administrative district and southwest of Kirkuk. Incident took place in one of the farms adjacent to the village.
January 30
Federal police op near Hawija against ISIS
January 28
ISIS claims it destroyed an electricity transmitter near Hawija
January 25
Six ISIS terrorists killed near Hawija
January 24
Anti-ISIS ops east of Hawija and Riyadh towns
January 22
16 ISIS killed and 2 PMU wounded
January 20
Brigade 56 sees action against ISIS in Hawija
January 14
“presence of ISIS in Rabza, Marzouk and Al-Arabid”
January 13
ISIS claims it killed 2 PMU in Al-Abassi near Hawija
January 12
ISIS kills 3 villagers near Hawija
January 9
Five villages “purged” of ISIS by PMU near Hawija
January 6
9th armored and PMU 2nd brigade aid in operation to clear 25 villages around Hawija
January 5
ISIS claims attack on PMU and near Rubaydah al-Asriyah
January 3
ISF launch operation for six days to clear ISIS from around Hawija
January 2
Map of PMU targets for anti-ISIS operation Hawija
December 31
Peshmerga warn ISIS still active in Hawija
