Spotlight on Global Jihad December 24-31 2014

Spotlight on Global Jihad December 24-31 2014

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Spotlight on Global Jihad December 24-31 2014

Fighting in Iraq and Syria continued in the major battle zones, without significant changes on the ground. A senior Iranian officer in the Revolutionary Guards, who served as advisor to the Iraqi Army and Shiite militias, was killed by ISIS this week in the fighting in the Shiite city of Samarra, north of Baghdad. His funeral in Tehran was attended by senior figures in the Iranian military and security establishment. His death sheds some light on the indirect Iranian support of the Shiite militias fighting against ISIS, which were set up and operated by the Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force during the years of fighting against the US and its allies in Iraq.

The international campaign against ISIS – Attacks by the US and the coalition in Syria and Iraq

This week, U.S. and coalition aircraft continued to carry out dozens of airstrikes in Syria and Iraq using fighter planes, bombers and unmanned aircraft. Following are the locations and characteristics of the airstrikes (CENTCOM website, Al-Hurra channel):

  • Syria- the airstrikes were concentrated in Kobani (Ayn al-Arab), where fighting between ISIS and Kurdish forces continues. ISIS targets were also attacked in the provinces of Deir al-Zor, Al-Hasakah, Aleppo and Al-Raqqah, ISIS’s “capital”. The US Army reported that the airstrikes destroyed buildings, battle positions, deployment areas, oil facilities and vehicles belonging to ISIS. Airstrikes were carried out by the US and its Arab allies (Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE).

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  • Iraq- the airstrikes focused on ISIS targets in the areas of Mosul, Fallujah, Al-Qaim, Baiji, the Al-Assad military airfield (in the province of Anbar, south of Haditha) and Sinjar. The attacks included equipment, vehicles and checkpoints in Al-Qaim (northwestern Iraq, near the border with Syria); a military headquarters in Mosul; buildings near Baiji where ISIS operatives were staying; ISIS vehicles and forces near the Al-Assad military airfield, and vehicles and units near Sinjar. The airstrikes were carried out by the US and its Western allies (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Britain).
Number of casualties in coalition airstrikes

According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), since the international coalition’s airstrikes began, around 1,170 people have been killed and over 800 have been injured. Among those killed, 1,046 were ISIS operatives and 72 were Al-Nusra Front operatives. A total of 52 civilians were also killed in coalition airstrikes.

The city of Samarra area (north of Baghdad)
  • Fighting continued this week in the Shiite city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, which is defended by the Iraqi Army and Shiite militias.

On December 28, 2014, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards announced the death of Hamid Taqavi, a senior officer in the Revolutionary Guards with the rank of brigadier general, a veteran of the Iran-Iraq War. The officer, who served as an advisor to the Iraqi Army and Shiite militias in Samarra, was shot and killed by ISIS operatives on December 27, 2014. His funeral was held in Tehran on December 29, 2014, and was attended by senior figures in the Iranian military and security establishment (ABN.IR, December 29, 2014).

The death of the senior Iranian officer sheds some light on the indirect aid provided by Iran to the Iraqi Army and to the Shiite militias in Iraq fighting against ISIS. These militias were set up and operated by the Qods Force of the Revolutionary Guards during the years of fighting against the US and its allies. In the ITIC’s assessment, the Qods Force continues to support the Shiite militias in their war against ISIS. The most prominent of these militias are the League of the Righteous, the Hezbollah Brigades and the Promised Day Brigade. The extensive Iranian publicity surrounding the death of Hamid Taqavi in the fighting against ISIS is an exception and, in the ITIC’s assessment, stems from the senior rank of the deceased officer.

Written by: The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center