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Series of Attacks Target Int’l Coalition Convoys in Iraq

A convoy of US vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, on October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ari Jalal
A convoy of US vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, on October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ari Jalal
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Series of Attacks Target Int’l Coalition Convoys in Iraq

A convoy of US vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, on October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ari Jalal
A convoy of US vehicles is seen after withdrawing from northern Syria at the Iraqi-Syrian border crossing in the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, on October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Ari Jalal

International Coalition logistics lines in Iraq have come under attack on Tuesday despite local security authorities having announced securing the convoys that were moving to reach new positions in the country’s north and west.

Assaults targeting the US-led international coalition forces have been occurring progressively, with attacks sometimes taking place daily.

Staged by Iran-aligned factions, the attacks have caused minor damage but managed to embarrass Baghdad, which appeared helpless in the face of uncontrolled militias targeting ally forces fighting ISIS in the country.

While Iraqi authorities say that the columns of supplies are intended for Iraqi forces, not the coalition, anti-coalition militias insist that they are meant for US forces and their partners.

The militias have been demanding the expulsion of US forces from Iraq.

Baghdad’s Security Media Cell (SMC) announced on Tuesday the targeting of a convoy transporting equipment to the Iraqi forces in Samawah, 280 km southeast of the capital.

“A convoy that was transporting equipment for the Iraqi security forces through Iraqi local transport companies was targeted by an IED in the Mesaieed area of the Najmi district between Samawah and Diwaniyah provinces,” an SMC statement revealed.

According to the statement, the attack damaged one of the convoy’s wheels but did not stop it from moving towards its intended destination.

Even though the statement reported a single attack, other news outlets affiliated with Iran-aligned groups and some security sources mentioned four similar attacks taking place on Tuesday in the governorates of Babylon, Dhi Qar, Al-Qadisiyyah, and Al Muthanna.

Last Saturday, the Sumer Operations Command announced placing a new security plan in motion to ensure the safety of external routes in south Iraq governorates. This was intended to ensure the security of logistics convoys belonging to the coalition.

Security commands had previously announced more than one plan for this purpose, the last of which was in mid-June, but they failed in stopping the attacks.

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Arab World

UN Says Israeli Settlers Cut Down Olive Trees in ‘War-Like’ West Bank Campaign

An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
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UN Says Israeli Settlers Cut Down Olive Trees in ‘War-Like’ West Bank Campaign

An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
An aerial view of a yard where cars were torched overnight, in the Palestinian town of Huwara near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)

The United Nations humanitarian office accused Israel on Friday of using "war-like" tactics against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, citing killings by soldiers and attacks on Palestinian olive groves by Israeli settlers.

This month so far, OCHA said it had received reports that settlers have carried out 32 attacks against Palestinians and their property, including on farmers. It added there were initial reports Israeli forces killed a woman who was harvesting olives near the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday.

"It is, frankly, very concerning that it's not only attacks on people, but it's attacks on their olive groves as well," OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said at a Geneva press briefing. "The olive harvest is an economic lifeline for tens of thousands of Palestinian families in the West Bank."

Israel's military said it had launched an investigation into the reported attack in Jenin and the commanding officer there at the time has been suspended pending the checks.

It said, as with every year, it was working to secure the area to let people get on with the harvest. "The harvest season was planned and coordinated with all relevant parties, and IDF forces are providing security in the designated areas," it added.

Violence has surged across the West Bank since the start of the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza. Hundreds of Palestinians - including armed fighters, stone-throwing youths and civilian bystanders - have been killed in clashes with Israeli security forces.

Dozens of Israelis have been killed in Palestinian street attacks over the past year.

The OCHA report said around 600 mainly olive trees have been burnt, vandalized or stolen by settlers since the start of the harvest. It included a picture of a Palestinian man standing next to an olive tree stump with its branches sawn off.

"Israeli forces have been using lethal, war-like tactics in the West Bank, raising serious concerns over excessive use of force and deepening people's humanitarian needs," Laerke said.

Earlier this month, the UN World Food Program said that violence and the spillover effect of the Gaza war had nearly doubled the number of people facing food insecurity in the West Bank to 600,000 people since early 2023.

A group of Western states including France, Britain and Germany issued a joint statement on Oct. 14 saying olive-picking had become "dangerous" due to settler violence and calling on Israel to allow Palestinians to join the harvest.

Settler violence is a source of growing concern among Israel's Western allies. A number of countries, including the United States, have imposed sanctions on violent settlers and urged Israel to do more to stop the violence.