2022 Diyala massacre

On January 21, 2022, several Islamic State gunmen raided an Iraqi Army base in rural al-Azim district, Diyala Governorate.^[a][2] At least 11 Iraqi soldiers were killed in their sleep.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]}

2022 Diyala massacre
Part of the Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)
Date 12 January 2022 Location Al-Azim district, Diyala Governorate, Iraq Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Iraq	Islamic State
Commanders and leaders
Zargham Luay †	unknown
Casualties and losses
11 soldiers killed	unknown

The attacks began at around 3:00 AM when the gunmen entered the barracks, proceeding to gun down sleeping soldiers before the ISIL terrorists left.^[8][9] Eleven people, ten soldiers and one lieutenant, Zargham Luay, were killed in total.^[10][11] Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack via Telegram.^[12] The Iraqi federal government immediately condemned the incident, launching a retaliatory airstrike against ISIL targets south of Hatra in response.^[2][13][11] Barham Salih, former prime minister of the Kurdistan Region, also condemned the ISIL terrorist attacks.^[14]

The massacre was condemned by the governments of Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.^[15][16][10] Iraqi Kurdish president Nechirvan Barzani held a telephone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in which he denounced the attack and extended empathy to the people of Iraq.^[17] On January 25, 2022, the United Nations Security Council voted to condemn the killings. The UN-released document is available in three languages: English, Arabic, and Kurdish.^[18]

Notes

1. al-Azim is nearby the city of Baqubah.^[1]

References

1. "Iraq: Armed attack in Al-Azim District, Diyala Province, early Jan. 21". Crisis24. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
2. Knights, Michael; Almeida, Alex (7 January 2022). Cruickshank, Paul; Hummel, Kristina (eds.). "The Islamic State at Low Ebb in Iraq: The Insurgent Tide Recedes Again" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 15 (1). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 1–23. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
3. "Eleven Iraqi soldiers killed in overnight attack on army base by IS group". France 24. January 21, 2022. Archived from the original on March 1, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
4. "Suspected ISIL fighters kill 11 Iraqi soldiers 'in their sleep'". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
5. Deeb, Qassim Abdul-zahra and Sarah El (2022-01-21). "ISIS jailbreak, attacks in Syria, Iraq raise alarm; scores die". CTVNews. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
6. "Iraq: Armed attack in Al-Azim District, Diyala Province, early Jan. 21". Iraq: Armed attack in Al-Azim District, Diyala Province, early Jan. 21 | Crisis24. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
7. "Dozens killed as Islamic State attacks in Syria and Iraq". euronews. 2022-01-22. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
8. "ISIS gunmen kill 11 soldiers in east Iraq: Military source". Al Arabiya English. 2022-01-21. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
9. "Suspected ISIL fighters kill 11 Iraqi soldiers 'in their sleep'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
10. "Eleven Iraqi soldiers killed in suspected ISIS attack". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
11. "We should weaken ISIS financial resources to prevent its attacks: Kadhimi's spox". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
12. "Spotlight on Global Jihad (January 20-26, 2021)". The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
13. "Iraqi airstrike kills three ISIS suspects". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
14. "Iraqi president, PM discuss security developments following ISIS attack". www.rudaw.net. Archived from the original on 2022-01-22. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
15. "From Rep. of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
16. Wam. "UAE strongly condemns terrorist attack in Diyala, Iraq". Khaleej Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
17. "Top Kurdish officials condemn ISIS deadly attack on Iraqi army". Rudaw. Archived from the original on 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2022-01-23.
18. "UN Security Council press statement on recent terrorist attack in Iraq [EN/AR/KU] - Iraq". ReliefWeb. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-01-27. Retrieved 2022-01-27.