ISIS SAYS IT CARRIED OUT 13 AMBUSHES AGAINST IRAQI FORCES OVER LAST TWO WEEKS

ISIS fighters have carried out 13 ambushes against the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in the provinces of al-Anbar, Kirkuk, Diyala and around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad over the last two weeks, according to an infographic released by the ISIS-linked newspaper al-Nab’a on March 29.

Al-Nab’a claimed that 97 Iraqi fighters, including 7 commanders and officers, were killed and 13 others were captured by ISIS. ISIS fighters also destroyed 9 vehicles of the Iraqi Army and PMU and captured 7 others, according to al-Nab’a.

ISIS Says It Carried Out 13 Ambushes Against Iraqi Forces Over Last Two Weeks (Infographic)

Click to see the full-size image

ISIS cells implement a variety of tactics to ambush the Iraqi Army and the PMU, including targeting their vehicles with IEDs or even setting fake checkpoints on key roads to kidnap or assassinate army soldiers and officers.

Facing such a serious threat, the Iraqi Army, the PMU and security forces have launched a series of security operations against ISIS cells in northern and western Iraq since the beginning of March. However, local experts believe that a lack of cooperation between government forces and locals has limited the efficiency of these operations.

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog