MESOPOTAMIA NEWS INTEL BY MEIR AMIT CENTER / ISRAEL – Spotlight on Global Jihad (March 18-24, 2021)

Main events of the past week

• Syria: In the Idlib region, exchanges of artillery fire continued between the Syrian army and the forces supporting it, and the rebel forces. In the Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region, ISIS operatives continued to attack Kurdish SDF forces. Russian warplanes attacked ISIS targets in the area of the Al-Bishri mountain range, bordering on Al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor. In the Al-Badia region, several Syrian soldiers were abducted and later executed. In the Al-Mayadeen region where ISIS operates, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander and one of his escorts were killed when their vehicle drove over an IED.
• Iraq: This week, there was a decrease in the volume of ISIS’s terrorist activity. As part of ISIS’s “economic war,” its operatives blew up two high-voltage pylons in the Al-Khales region, about 10 km northwest of Baqubah. Both pylons were destroyed. The Iraqi army continued its counterterrorism operation in the Qarah Dagh Mountains, about 50 km southwest of the city of Erbil, with air support by the International Coalition against ISIS.

• In the United States: a man opened fire in a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. At least 10 people were killed, including a police officer. According to preliminary reports, the shooter was Ahmad al-Issa, 21, a Syrian refugee. For the time being, his motives are unclear.

 The Syrian arena

The Idlib region

• This week as well, exchanges of artillery fire continued in the region south and southeast of the rebel enclave in Idlib between the rebel forces headed by HTS, and the Syrian army and the forces supporting it. On March 21, 2021, a rocket was fired from the rebel enclave to the region controlled by the Syrian army east of Aleppo. Six civilians were killed and several others were wounded. Russian fighter jets attacked rebel targets in the northern and western rebel enclave (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 21, 2021).

The Deir ez-Zor-Al-Mayadeen region

• On March 16, 2021, an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander and one of his escorts were killed when their vehicle drove over an IED in the Al-Mayadeen desert region, east of Deir ez-Zor, where ISIS operates (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 16, 2021; Jihan News, March 16, 2021).
• ISIS operatives continued to attack SDF forces in the region. Following are noteworthy incidents^[1]:
• On two separate occasions (March 22 and 23, 2021), rockets were fired at SDF headquarters in Al-Basira, about 15 km north of Al-Mayadeen. The buildings sustained damage.
  • On March 20, 2021, SDF forces were attacked while they were celebrating Nowruz (the spring festival) in Jazrat Albu Hamid, about 3 km southwest of Al-Raqqah. Three fighters were killed and four others were wounded.
  • On March 17, 2021, an SDF fighter was targeted by gunfire in Shahil, about 10 km north of Al-Mayadeen. He was killed.

The desert region (Badia)

• Russian fighter jets attacked ISIS targets on the Bishri Mountains, bordering on the Al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor provinces (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 16, 2021).
• Following are attacks carried out by ISIS against the Syrian security forces, according to ISIS’s claims of responsibility:
• On March 21, 2021, a Syrian army outpost in the Salamiyah region, about 30 km southeast of Hama, was attacked. Several soldiers were killed and wounded in the exchange of fire. The ISIS operatives set fire to the outpost and fled.
• On March 21, 2021, two soldiers were taken prisoner in the Al-Sukhnah Desert, about 120 km southeast of Deir ez-Zor. They were interrogated and then executed. Another soldier was taken prisoner northeast of Qaryatayn, about 70 km southeast of Homs. He was interrogated and then executed.

The Al-Hasakah region

• An SDF force detained 10 ISIS operatives in the Al-Hawl camp, on the outskirts of Al-Hasakah, where ISIS operatives and their families are held. No details about the detainees were released. It should be noted that since the beginning of 2021, there have been 42 murders in the camp, indicating the shaky security situation there (www.kurdistan24.net, March 19, 2021).

The Iraqi arena

ISIS’s attacks in Iraq^[2]

Salah al-Din Province

• On March 20, 2021, an IED was activated against the vehicle of a foj commander (a foj is a military framework similar to a regiment) in the Iraqi police, in the Yathrib region, about 40 km southeast of Samarra. The commander and two of his escorts were wounded.
• On March 18, 2021, ISIS ambushed a Popular Mobilization force numbering several vehicles in the Samarra area. Six Popular Mobilization fighters were killed in the exchange of fire. When another force arrived on the scene, an IED was activated against its vehicle, killing or wounding the passengers on board.
• On March 17, 2021, a force of the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization was targeted by gunfire in the Tarmiyah region, about 30 km north of Baghdad. Two fighters were wounded.

Diyala Province

• On March 21, 2021, the Iraqi police reported that ISIS had abducted three farmers in the northeastern rural area of Baqubah (Al-Sumaria, March 21, 2021).
• On March 20, 2021, two “polytheist Shiites” were abducted in the Abarah area, in southern Baqubah. They were interrogated and then executed. The day before, an IED was activated against a “polytheist Shiite” in the Abarah area, in south Baqubah. He was wounded.
• On March 19, 2021, an IED was activated against a police car south of Bahraz, about 2 km southeast of Baqubah. Two policemen were wounded.
• On March 16, 2021, IEDs were activated close to two high-voltage pylons in the Al-Khales area, about 10 km northwest of Baqubah. The two pylons were destroyed. ISIS noted that this was part of its “economic war” against the Iraqi government (Al-Naba’ weekly, Telegram, March 18, 2021).

Kirkuk Province

• On March 18, 2021, a joint roadblock of the Iraqi police and the Popular Mobilization forces in the Riyad area, about 50 km southwest of Kirkuk, was targeted by gunfire. Three policemen and Popular Mobilization fighters were killed or wounded.
• On March 18, 2021, a Popular Mobilization fighter was killed and two policemen were wounded in the Hawija region, about 50 km east of Kirkuk (Popular Mobilization website, March 18, 2021).
• On March 16, 2021, an IED was activated against Iraqi police forces in the Rashad area, about 40 km southeast of Kirkuk. Several policemen, including an officer, were killed or wounded.

Counterterrorism measures in Iraq

Erbil Province

• The Iraqi army carried out an extensive counterterrorism operation against ISIS hotspots in the Qarah Dagh Mountains, about 50 km southwest of Erbil. The Iraqi army operation against ISIS, which lasted for 10 days, was carried out with air support by the US-led International Coalition. Coalition aircraft carried out 133 airstrikes. Dozens of ISIS targets were destroyed, including several dozen hiding places and caves. An unknown number of ISIS operatives were killed (Sky News, March 21, 2021).

Kirkuk Province

• On March 20, 2021, the Iraqi security forces located 30 IEDs in the Rashad area, southeast of Kirkuk (Al-Sumaria, March 20, 2021).

Salah al-Din Province

• On March 19, 2021, the Popular Mobilization forces located an ISIS weapons cache in the Yathrib area, about 40 km southeast of Samarra (Al-Ahed, March 19, 2021).