The area of Gwer, southeast of Mosul was the closest ISIS gunmen came to Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, in August of 2014 prompting U.S. airstrikes to target the organization in the area and prevent its advance.
January 8 witnessed two major attacks by ISIS targeting areas east and west of Samarra district in northern Salah ad-Din Province.
ISIS has increased its pressure on strategic areas in Anbar Province.
The area of Nebai is part of the system north of Baghdad and is part of the northern Baghdad belt.
ISIS has relied on the submission and occasional participation of rebel groups and Sunni tribes to maintain its control over large swathes of Deir ez-Zour Province, but these negotiated agreements appear to be coming under strain as ISIS shifts its force posture in the province from a phase of consolidation to one of enforcement.
ISIS is taking pre-emptive measures to prevent tribal resistance or cooperation with the ISF behind its lines. Although mass kidnapping incidents similar to those described here have taken place before, the last two days have witnessed an increase in tempo of such activities in multiple areas considered out of government control.
The fight for northern Iraq is intensifying, especially in areas of northern Iraq where front lines have remained static.
Peshmerga, local Iraqi Police, and local Iraqi Sunni tribal fighters challenged ISIS in areas near Mosul where the organization has enjoyed relative sanctuary since it took control of the city in June.
Regime forces continue to be successful in defending remaining regime-held terrain in the northeastern corner of Quneitra Province.
Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and Iraqi Shi’a militias within the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs) continued their operations north of Baghdad and the areas linking Baghdad and Samarra in northern Iraq.