ConflictBarometer_2016

MIDDLE EAST AND MAGHREB
20 civilians and injured 55. Furthermore, fighting between IS
and groups such as Jaish al-Islam and FSA intensified in Eastern
Qalamoun, after IS had started an offensive in September.
Clashes were ongoing until the end of the year.
In Damascus Governorate, IS extended control over the Palestinian
Yarmouk Camp, after heavy clashes with Jabhat al-
Nusra between April 8 and 9. Furthermore, Palestinian militant
groups cooperating with the government and Jabhat
al-Nusra were also involved in clashes and in control of entrances
and checkpoints. Until April 14, at least 10 al-Nusra
fighters, 50 IS fighters and four civilians were killed during
clashes. In July, the government and fighting groups negotiated
a deal that would allow the Islamist fighters to leave the
camp to northern Syria and hand over the control to Palestinian
and government forces.
In Dara'a Governorate, heavy clashes broke out between
the IS-affiliates Liwa Shuhada al-Yarmouk and Harakat al-
Muthanna, on the one hand, and Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar
al-Sham, on the other, in the western countryside in March.
In the second half of the year, clashes also intensified with
IS-affiliate Jaish Khalid ibn al-Walid. On March 21, al-Yarmouk
and al-Muthanna fighters seized several villages in the Wadi
Yarmouk basin, executing several residents. On March 24,
the IS-affiliated groups advanced into southwestern Dara'a
and seized the town of Saham al-Jawlan. Reportedly, a dozen
of Ahrar al-Sham fighters in the town surrendered, while the
rest either withdrew or was killed. The same day, several
groups of the FSA-affiliated umbrella group South Front declared
to jointly fight against the al-Yarmouk militants and
expel them from the area. Until the end of the month, the
IS-affiliates further advanced and seized more villages, while
other villages remained contested. A counter-offensive by al-
Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham and the South Front against IS reversed
many of the latter's gains on April 3. Until April 15, about
2,000 families were forced to flee to the nearby Jordanian
border due to heavy clashes between the two sides. By end
of May, the groups reached a stalemate but continued fighting.
In August, further clashes erupted in the al-Dhahr barrier
in northwestern Dara'a, between Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and
the South Front and al-Yarmouk, as the latter attacked the
groups. After Jaish Khalid ibn al-Walid attempted to attack a
military post in the Golan Heights, the Israeli Defense Forces
conducted airstrikes at villages in control of the group, killing
four of the militants end of November [→ Syria – Israel].
In Suwayda Governorate, government forces repeatedly
clashed with IS. In March and April, heavy fighting occurred
over the Druze village of al-Qasr in northeastern Suwayda and
the Khalkhala airport. The government stated to have killed
at least 15 IS fighters with anti-aircraft machineguns on April
8 and a further twenty on April 16 in the al-Qasr village. On
April 14, a Syrian fighter jet was downed by IS near Khalkhala
airport, while the pilot was rescued. On April 27, about 300 IS
fighters attacked government positions in northern Suwayda,
whereby at least 30 of their fighters were killed. IS later
retreated. Until July, government forces continued attacks
against IS and partly advanced in northern Suwayda, while
IS continued to control some areas in northern and eastern
Suwayda. Clashes were going on until the end of the year.
In ar-Raqqa Governorate, SDF extended its control over areas
north and west of ar-Raqqa city. Following the successful
operation in Manbij, SDF concentrated its actions on a new
offensive in ar-Raqqa starting on November 6. By November
21, SDF had captured 48 villages from IS. A further advance
was temporarily stopped by IS south of Tal Saman. Three
days later, an US soldier accompanying SDF was killed by
an IED near Ayn Issa. The second phase of the SDF offensive
began on December 10, with the aim of gaining control
over the western areas of ar-Raqqa and the Tabqa Dam. The
US announced to send 200 additional troops to assist SDF.
Until December 26, SDF captured 106 villages from IS and
advanced up to five kilometers to Tabqa Dam. During the offensive
at least 60 SDF fighters and hundreds of IS militants
were killed. (yal)
IRAQ
In Iraq, IS lost significant parts of its former territory, especially
in Nineveh Governorate and al-Anbar Governorate, but
still controlled exclaves in Kirkuk, Erbil, Salahuddin, Diyala,
and Salahuddin Governorates. IS, supported by several Sunni
tribes, fought against the government, backed by Shiite militias
known as People's Mobilization Front (PMF), Sunni tribesmen,
Iran, and the US-led coalition as well as Peshmerga
forces of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). While losing
territory, IS intensified attacks in areas that were not under
their control. The US-led air strikes continued throughout
the year, mostly targeting IS positions in Nineveh. According
to the UN, the violence caused at least 16,834 fatalities,
including at least 6,878 civilians, and left 2,996,004 internally
displaced by the end of the year. Compared to June
2015, the number of IDPs declined by almost one million,
with most people returning to al-Anbar, Salahuddin, Diyala,
and Nineveh.
In Nineveh Governorate, IS lost a significant part of its territory,
especially after the government started its offensive to
recapture the regional capital Mosul, which IS had seized in
2014. The offense was postponed several times. On February
8, IS executed at least 300 security personnel in Mosul. The
government started its first offensive to advance on to Mosul
in March. After seven months, the offensive was successful
and led to the isolation of the IS in Erbil and Tikrit as well as
an encirclement of Mosul city from the south by the government
and from the north and west by Peshmerga forces.
On October 17, the battle of Mosul began, being the largest
deployment in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion. One day
later, Iraqi troops retook several villages of al-Hamdaniya
district southeast of Mosul. Throughout the recapturing process
of Bartella on October 20, IS fighters detonated nine
truck bombs. According to Iraqi army officials, 200 IS fighters
were killed during the recapturing. In the battle of Sinjar
on October 23, 15 IS fighters were killed and two Peshmerga
wounded. On October 31, IS executed at least 350 people for
collaboration with the government. The operation to advance
into the center of Mosul began on November 1, with artillery,
tank and machine-gun fire, and additional airstrikes by the
US-led coalition on IS positions. One week later, IS executed
at least 300 civilians, which had refused to join them. On
November 16, PMF retook the strategically important Tal Afar
military air base, west of Mosul and thereby cut off IS supply
lines to Syria. The clashes left dozens of IS fighters dead.
In the battle of Mosul, all five bridges that connected the
east and west bank of Tigris river were damaged by coalition
airstrikes to trap IS militants. Furthermore, three car bomb
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