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506th IR RU News and Deployment Updates / INSCOM IR - IRAQ - Sunni Mosque Bombing
« Last post by SFC Lowe on October 20, 2024, 07:55:30 PM »TOP SECRET - NOFORN
UNITED STATES ARMY
INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY COMMAND, FORT BELVOIR, VA
20 October 2024
(U) Administrative
All acronyms utilized in the following brief are proactively defined and utilized strictly for the streamlining of text and characters. All acronyms in the following report are defined/transcribed in full upon initial use and then abbreviated for subsequent use. The "Spoilers" marked part below contains utilized acronyms/abbreviations and their definitions and is closed simply to condense report size.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
IRAQ - Sunni Mosque Bombing
(C) Executive Summary
(C) On 11 October 20024, Shia militants killed at least 130 people in an attack on the Sunni Great Mosque in Aqrah, Duhok Governorate, Iraq. It is one of the oldest and grandest mosques in Iraq. The attack occurred during Jumu'ah (Friday prayers) and at the time of the attack, there were about 150 worshipers at the mosque. The attack took place during a time of greater local unrest between the Sunni minority and the more populous Shia majority. The attack was blamed on unknown Shiite militias. Local Sunni leadership rhetoric is blaming an increased presence of so-called Iranian transients for the attack.
(TS//SCI) Intelligence Summary
(TS//SCI) SIGINT indicates that local law enforcement and government officials believe that the attackers arrived in two pick-up trucks after two bombs had gone off at the house of a local Shi'ite militia leader, Abdul Najib ar-Ruba'i, killing three of his men. Although an initial report quoted security forces blaming Shia extremists, security officials are still relatively unclear as to the identification of the bombers. Security officials reported masked gunmen stormed into the mosque and fired on worshipers with automatic weapons before escaping on motorcycles. Other reporting indicates that security officials declared that a group of insurgents was waiting outside the mosque in [unmarked] cars and opened fire when the Sunnis left the main gate of the mosque, further stating that the area around the mosque is still surrounded by the militants and snipers.
(TS//SCI) A resident of Aqrah told local authorities that 73 people had been killed at the mosque, making it the deadliest attack against Sunni civilians in Iraq in some time. According to an eyewitness, the casualties included the local Imam (the first targeted victim, according to witnesses), and women and children who were killed as they tried to save relatives from the gunfire. When Iraqi security forces arrived at the scene, supported by Shi'ite militias, they triggered bombs that had been planted by the attackers to cover their escape. Four militiamen were killed by the blasts and 13 wounded.
(C) OSINT: Local reporting highlighted that, Lawmaker Ibrahim Abu Mohamad, a Sunni originally from the city, said that sectarian militias entered and opened fire at worshipers. He stated that most mosques have no security. Some of the victims were from one family. Some women who rushed to see the fate of their relatives at the mosque were killed.
(C) OSINT: As a result of the attack, Sunni politicians Muhammad Halbousi and Salim al-Jabouri suspended their participation in talks with the main Shi'ite political alliance to form a new government. Halbousi said the Shiite militias were "even worse than terrorists sometimes," because the militias "are protected by the government". Another Sunni lawmaker, Talal al-Zuba'ay, said "Iraqi security forces did nothing to stop the massacre and had barred rescue teams attempting to reach the mosque;" adding, "These Shiite militias are massing across the country and killing people based on their identity. What's happening will create a volcano that once it explodes, no one will be able to stop."
(C) OSINT: The attack has been widely condemned across Iraq and internationally. The new designated Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, demanded the police to investigate the crime scene as fast as they can and let nothing like this ever happen again. His coalition, the National Iraqi Alliance, "condemned the massacre regardless of who is behind it" but coalition members criticized the suspension of talks, saying this "is not the answer but rather serves the perpetrators of the massacre". The newly appointed Sunni Arab speaker of the parliament, Salim al-Jabouri, called for political unity and emphasized that "all the political entities condemned the crime". Other Shi'ite militias condemned the attack, with the Asaib Ahl al-Haq describing it as "barbaric" and "a crime that we cannot turn a blind eye to."
(C) OSINT: UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack "in the strongest terms", saying attacks on places of worship are "completely unacceptable" and prohibited under international law. The United States condemned the "absurd and repulsive attack" saying all Iraqi leaders should defend Iraq. The European Union described it as a "heinous crime" but said it should not stand in the way of government formation.
(TS//SCI) Strategic Assessment
(TS//SCI) Sensitive Liaison reporting has indicated that extremist chatter, in and around Iran, appears to indicate that a newly and as yet unnamed extremist Shia organization, unhappy with the softening stance between the two branches of Islam, may be responsible for the attacks. Early indications are that this organization is supported by hard line Iranian Shia politicians as well as former members of Al’ Qaeda. Although this information has been unsubstantiated at this time, an increase in rhetoric and affirmative action by hard line extremists will likely inflame an already volatile powder keg.
Original Classifying Authority: 1-506th S-2 Intelligence
Classified By:1LT J.N. Lee, SFC Lowe
Reason: 1.4(a), (c), (d)
Declassify On: 20491020
END REPORT
The entirety of this document represents fictional works of the 506th Infantry Regiment Realism Unit, S-2 Intelligence Shop, developed for use within the Arma Reforger military simulation video game, and exists purely for entertainment and educational purposes only. The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.