European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Iraq Security situation March 2019 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Iraq Security situation March 2019 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN 978-92-9476-112-5 doi: 10.2847/204594 © European Asylum Support Office (EASO) 2019 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: © European Union (Peter Biro), The ruins of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul’s Old Town on the western banks of the Tigris. From here ISIL leader Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi proclaimed the IS Caliphate in June 2014. Mosul’s Old Town was retaken in July 2017, Photo taken on 18 July 2018, url EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN REPORT IRAQ: SECURITY SITUATION — 3 Acknowledgements EASO would like to acknowledge the following national asylum and migration departments as co- drafters of this report, in conjunction with EASO: Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Cedoca (Centre for Documentation and Research) France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation and Research Division Sweden, Swedish Migration Agency, Lifos Country of Origin Information research service EASO would also like to acknowledge the research and analysis contributions of Iraq Body Count (IBC) to the provision of data on security incidents/civilian deaths in 2017-2018. The UK Home Office also shared their compiled UNAMI statistics for use in this report. The following national asylum and migration departments contributed by reviewing this report: Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Department Greece, Greek Asylum Service, Quality Assurance and Documentation Department Norway, Landinfo – Country of Origin Information Centre Furthermore, expert external reviews were carried out by: ACCORD, the Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation performed a peer review; and Dr Fanar Haddad, a Singapore-based Middle East analyst and expert on Iraq, reviewed the content of this report. Dr Haddad is a Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, Washington D.C. He regularly and widely publishes on historic and contemporary Iraqi issues, and is the author of the book, Sectarianism in Iraq: Antagonistic Visions of Unity (2011). The review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. 4 — EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN REPORT IRAQ: SECURITY SITUATION Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3 Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Disclaimer ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Glossary and abbreviations ..................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 10 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 10 Structure and use of the report ........................................................................................................ 11 Map ....................................................................................................................................................... 12 1. General description of the security situation in Iraq ........................................................................ 13 1.1 Overview of recent conflicts in Iraq ..................................................................................... 13 1.1.1 Historical context ............................................................................................................. 13 1.1.2 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL): 2014-2017 .................................................... 16 1.2 Political situation in 2018 ..................................................................................................... 18 1.2.1 General elections ............................................................................................................. 18 1.2.2 Challenges for the new national government ................................................................. 21 1.2.3 Parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq ................................................. 21 1.2.4 International context ....................................................................................................... 22 1.3 Armed actors ............................................................................................................................... 23 1.3.1 Forces supporting the Iraqi government ......................................................................... 23 1.3.2 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and associated groups .................................. 28 1.3.3 White Flags ...................................................................................................................... 29 1.3.4 Other militant groups ...................................................................................................... 29 1.3.5 Tribes ............................................................................................................................... 30 1.3.6 Unknown actors ............................................................................................................... 31 1.4 Recent security trends and armed confrontations in 2018 ................................................. 31 1.4.1 Geographical overview of the security situation ............................................................. 31 1.4.2 Nature of security incidents ............................................................................................ 39 1.4.3 State ability to secure law and order .............................................................................. 43 1.5 Impact of the violence on the civilian population ............................................................... 45 1.5.1 Civilian casualties ............................................................................................................. 45 1.5.2 IDPs and returnees .......................................................................................................... 52 1.5.3 Humanitarian overview ................................................................................................... 54 1.5.4 Road security ................................................................................................................... 57 EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN REPORT IRAQ: SECURITY SITUATION — 5 1.5.5 Unexploded ordinance contamination ............................................................................ 58 2. Governorate-level description of the security situation ................................................................... 59 2.1 Anbar .................................................................................................................................... 59 General description of the governorate ....................................................................................... 59 Background conflict dynamics and armed actors ......................................................................... 60 Recent trends 2018 ....................................................................................................................... 64 2.2 Baghdad ............................................................................................................................... 72 General description of the governorate ....................................................................................... 72 Background conflict dynamics and armed actors ......................................................................... 73 Recent trends 2018 ....................................................................................................................... 77 2.3 Diyala.................................................................................................................................... 86 General description of the governorate ....................................................................................... 86 Background conflict dynamics and armed actors ......................................................................... 87 Recent trends 2018 ....................................................................................................................... 90 2.4 Kirkuk ................................................................................................................................... 97 General description of the governorate