During the December reporting period, Iraq recorded 641 incidents, a decrease from the 750 seen in November. These figures do not account for events classed as military action, which still dominates activity across northern and western parts of the country. The capital’s security environment remained relatively stable over the reporting month, with no High-Profile Attacks (HPAs) registered and only low-level violence recorded within the city limits. This prompted local authorities to announce that a number of long-running road closures would be lifted, and checkpoints reduced. The majority of activity in Baghdad city was comprised of low-yield explosive attacks, intimidatory IEDs, low-level SAF exchanges, celebratory SAF events, targeted killings and criminality.

Lower levels of activity within Baghdad city largely indicates that the security environment remains robust. Districts surrounding the capital on the other hand have traditionally been harder to secure, particularly considering recent insurgent infiltrations from the north in Diyala and the south in Babil. Explosive attacks were recorded in Zaidan, Radwaniya, Arab Jabour, Madain Nahrawan, and Abu Ghraib. Most IEDs were low-yield and caused relatively few casualties. Read more in our Iraq Monthly report.