Following the reported death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, militant leaders in Tal Afar declared their own independent state separate from the Islamic State caliphate. Tal Afar was thought to be the new headquarters for the Islamic State in Iraq. On Tuesday, however, a militant in Hawija declared himself to be the new caliph of the Islamic State. These conflicting announcements could foreshadow growing tensions among the militants.
The United States government is asking (PDF) for $1.269 billion dollars to rebuild and train new forces in Iraq. In what may be the closest admission to the degree of losses among security personnel in Iraq, the United States reported that Counter-Terrorism forces — Iraq’s special forces — lost 40 percent of their troops during operations in Iraq. Baghdad has refused to quantify its human losses in Mosul.
At least 79 people were killed and 18 were wounded:
Twenty bodies were discovered. They were part of a group of 28 people kidnapped in Iskandariya.
An attack near the Syrian border left two soldiers dead and four wounded.
In Imam Gharbi, militants killed a policeman and wounded two more.
Peshmerga forces killed 17 militants in Rabeaa.
Another 17 were killed in Hatra.
Thirteen militants were killed in Jurn.
Shelling in Naft Khana left six militants dead and as many as 12 more wounded.
In Hammam al-Alil, three militants were killed.
