In 2020, terrorist attacks targeting US-coalition logistics convoys as well as bases housing US military personnel in Iraq increased dramatically as organizational interests evolved. This research brief uses the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) to analyze the nature of these attacks and contextualize the tactics and strategies they represent. Pro-Iran militia groups were primarily responsible for the attacks for which perpetrator group information was available. The attacks almost exclusively used explosives and typically caused property damage, but relatively few casualties. Those that targeted logistics supply convoys were concentrated along the international highway in southern Iraq, while attacks on bases were concentrated in the north. Moreover, new data indicate that this strategic targeting trend continued to escalate in early 2021.
Publication Information
Loewner, Jacob and Erin Miller. 2023. "Terrorist Attacks on US Coalition Supply Convoys and Bases in Iraq." College Park, MD: START (June).