CFC Complex Coverage Review, 25 June 2013

7/28/2019 CFC Complex Coverage Review, 25 June 2013

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Complex CoverageC I V I L - M I L I T A R Y F U S I O N C E N T R E

25 June 2013 Comprehensive Information on Complex Crisis

aq 1

ebanon 2

yria 4

ED & Demining 5

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omplex Coverage Team Leaderinda [email protected]

NSIDE THIS ISSUE

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Iraq Linda Lavender [email protected]

The March 2013 Anbar and Nineveh provincial elections, delayed by Baghdad over insecurity, took

place on 20 June, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Tightened security and vehicle

bans were imposed during voting hours in major cities to protect against possible car bombings

Election results are not expected for several days. Associated Press (AP) reports that hundreds o

candidates from28 political blocksin Nineveh and 16 from Anbar are vying for representation on the

provincial-level councils. There are 39 contested seats in Nineveh and 30 in Anbar, both Sunn

dominated provinces.

In the wake ofrising sectarian violence, militias have made a comeback in Iraq, reports RFE/RL. The

return of rival Sunni and Shiite militias in Iraq, which comes amid escalating tensions between the

Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and the countrys Sunni minority, has

rekindled fears of an Iraqi civil war. In Baghdad, residents report that militias roam the streets and

many are too scared to leave their homes. Some shops and restaurants have closed, fearing they will be

targeted by militias.

Spill-over violence from Syriaexacerbating insecurity, reportsReuters. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar

Zebari said, [w]e are doing our best to maintain a neutral position, but the pressures are enormous and

for how long we can hold really is a matter of further developments in Syria. Iraqs Shiite leaders

have historically been hostile to Syrian President Assads government but now they privately

acknowledge they fear that a collapse of the Syrian government will fracture Iraq along sectarian lines

and bring power to a hardline Sunni government in Damascus, hostile to the Shiite-led government in

Baghdad. Some Iraqi Sunni leaders hope that the rise of a Sunni government in Damascus will bolster

theirown struggle for more power as the minority Muslim sect in Iraq. Shiite militant groups Mehd

Army, Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Hezbollah are all sending volunteers to Syria, inflamed by

This document provides complex coverage of global events from 18 24 June 2013 with hyper-

links to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information onthe topics below or other issues pertaining to events in the region, contact the members of theComplex Coverage Team or visit our website atwww.cimicweb.org.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-elections-sunni-anbar-nineveh-vote/25023464.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-elections-sunni-anbar-nineveh-vote/25023464.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-suicide-attack-kills-politician-19435354http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-suicide-attack-kills-politician-19435354http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-suicide-attack-kills-politician-19435354http://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-militias-sectarian-violence/25023363.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-militias-sectarian-violence/25023363.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-militias-sectarian-violence/25023363.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-idUSBRE95J0RS20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-idUSBRE95J0RS20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-idUSBRE95J0RS20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.cimicweb.org/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-idUSBRE95J0RS20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-militias-sectarian-violence/25023363.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/iraq-officials-suicide-attack-kills-politician-19435354http://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-elections-sunni-anbar-nineveh-vote/25023464.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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reports of Shiitereligious sitesbeing desecrated by some rebel groups, according to News Daily. The numbers of Shiite Iraqi fighters

in Syria are estimated at 600 to more than 1,000 while militia commanders say only that around 50 fighters a week have been crossing

the border, operating on rotation.

APreports that al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) are enjoyinggrowing acceptanceinNinevahs capital Mosul as a result of perceived brutality

overthe governments handling of Sunni protests in the province. AQI were never fully routed from Mosul and the environs, which

have now emerged as major flashpoints in a wave of violence that has killed nearly 2,000 Iraqis since April 2013. Other Sunni militant

groups such as Ansar al Islam and the Army of the Men of the Naqshabandi Order are also active in Nineveh province.

Numerous violent incidents were reported throughout the country this past week. Incidents are depicted on the Iraq map (below). Red

stars indicate the location of violence.

18-June-13: In Baghdad, asuicide bomber targetinga Shiite mosque killed37 people, reports The New York Times (NYT). The mosque is a popular

place of prayer for students attending the nearby Shiite Islamic University in

Baghdad.

19-June-13: A suicide bomber detonated himself while embracing a Sunnipolitician, killing the leader in Nineveh province, reports Reuters. In the

outskirts of Baghdad, the bodies of three kidnapped men were found

handcuffed, with bullet wounds to the head and chest in the town of Sharqat.

20-June-13: A roadside bomb transporting five electoral officials in Baiji,Nineveh province, killed one person while in Mosul a mortar round was fired

at a voting centre checkpoint, wounding two Iraqi soldiers, reports Reuters.

21-June-13: A suicide bomber killed seven at an Iraqi ballot counting centrein Ramadi Anbar province, hours after polling stations closed, reportsReuters. Four of the fatalities were Independent High Electoral Commission

(IHEC) members.

22-June-13: In Taji, north of Baghdad, a suicide bomb inside al Rahmanmosque killed fifteen and wounded thirty civilians, reports Agence France-

Presse (AFP). In Mosul, a suicide attacker killed four people including a

police officer. In Tuz Khormato, gunmen opened fire on patrolling police, killing three officers and in Tikrit, militants fired on

day labourers waiting near a grain silo, killing two and wound four others.

23-June-13: Twelfth Iraqi army division commander Brig. Gen. Mohammed Khalaf reports an assault on a police station near thenorthern town of Hawija resulted in three deaths, according to AP. Also, in the nearby town of Tuz Khormato, two car bombs

denoted, killing one civilian and wounding 27 others. A mortar round hit a motel in central Baghdad, killing three people.

24-June-13: At least 41 people were killed in and around Baghdad after a series of bombings, reports AsiaNews. Many of theattacks targeted outdoor markets and restaurants. RFE/RL reports that two suicide bombers targeted a group of Turkomansprotesting poor securityin the ethnically-mixed town of Tuz Khormato, regularly hit by attacks.

A total of 71 men and women from theexiled Iraniangroup, the Peoples Mujahedeen of Iran, have been safely relocated from Camp

Liberty near Baghdad to Albania, reports United Press International (UPI). An attack earlier in the month on Camp Liberty

underscored the importance of relocating the Iranian dissidents to safety.

Russian energy company Gazprom is pursuingadditional oil projectsin Kurdistan, reports UPI. Kurdish President Massoud Barzan

travelled to St. Petersburg to meet with Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller to explore further cooperation on oil and natural gas

projects. Also, UPI reports that Kurdistan consolidated their growing energy sector with Chevron, who committed to a third

explorationblock in the region while Frances Total also signed for a major stake in another block. These contracts only serve to

intensify the Kurds challenge to Baghdad, heightening tension between government forces and the Kurdish pershmerga troops on the

Kurdish-regions southern border.

Lebanon Linda Lavender linda.lavender @cimicweb.org

Lebanese ex-Prime Minister Fouad Siniora announced that Hezbollah is serving Syria and Iran at the expense of the Lebanese

reports Reuters. Siniora implored Lebanese President Michel Sleiman to stop the states collapse and give the Lebanese hope

adding [Lebanon] needs a full and immediate withdrawal of Hezbollah from the fighting. On 20 June, Sleiman called on the

Hezollah movement to pull its guerrilla forces out of Syria, saying its involvement in Syria is fuelling instability in Lebanon,

according to Reuters. Earlier in the week, Sleiman delivered a memorandum to the UN, listing violations by the Assad government

and Syrian rebels againstLebanons territory, reports The Daily Star. In response, Baath Party MP Assem Qanso demanded treason
http://www.newsdaily.com/world/f264bf043745614e4576a6252287962a/iraq-says-proxy-war-over-syria-threatens-its-neutralityhttp://www.newsdaily.com/world/f264bf043745614e4576a6252287962a/iraq-says-proxy-war-over-syria-threatens-its-neutralityhttp://www.newsdaily.com/world/f264bf043745614e4576a6252287962a/iraq-says-proxy-war-over-syria-threatens-its-neutralityhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-21/221072-al-qaeda-in-iraq-gathering-strength-in-northern-stronghold-of-mosul.ashx#axzz2WmnCXlnkhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-21/221072-al-qaeda-in-iraq-gathering-strength-in-northern-stronghold-of-mosul.ashx#axzz2WmnCXlnkhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-21/221072-al-qaeda-in-iraq-gathering-strength-in-northern-stronghold-of-mosul.ashx#axzz2WmnCXlnkhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/world/middleeast/suicide-bombers-shiite-mosque-baghdad-iraq.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/world/middleeast/suicide-bombers-shiite-mosque-baghdad-iraq.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/world/middleeast/suicide-bombers-shiite-mosque-baghdad-iraq.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE95I0OV20130619http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE95I0OV20130619http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-iraq-election-idUSBRE95J18420130621?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-iraq-election-idUSBRE95J18420130621?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-iraq-election-idUSBRE95J18420130621?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-iraq-election-idUSBRE95J18420130621?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/24-dead-in-iraq-violence/721006.htmlhttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/24-dead-in-iraq-violence/721006.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-gunmen-kill-policemen-northern-iraq-19466245http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-gunmen-kill-policemen-northern-iraq-19466245http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-gunmen-kill-policemen-northern-iraq-19466245http://www.asianews.it/news-en/A-series-of-attacks-shakes-the-country,-a-church-hit-in-Baghdad-28299.htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/A-series-of-attacks-shakes-the-country,-a-church-hit-in-Baghdad-28299.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-deadly-suicide-attack/25027528.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-deadly-suicide-attack/25027528.htmlhttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/06/22/27-Iranian-exiles-relocated-from-Camp-Liberty-in-Iraq-to-Albania/UPI-56521371953536/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/06/22/27-Iranian-exiles-relocated-from-Camp-Liberty-in-Iraq-to-Albania/UPI-56521371953536/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/06/22/27-Iranian-exiles-relocated-from-Camp-Liberty-in-Iraq-to-Albania/UPI-56521371953536/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/21/Gazprom-considers-more-work-in-Iraq/UPI-91021371812316/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/21/Gazprom-considers-more-work-in-Iraq/UPI-91021371812316/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/21/Gazprom-considers-more-work-in-Iraq/UPI-91021371812316/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/19/Iraq-Chevron-Total-expand-Kurdish-drilling/UPI-81871371675824/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/19/Iraq-Chevron-Total-expand-Kurdish-drilling/UPI-81871371675824/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/19/Iraq-Chevron-Total-expand-Kurdish-drilling/UPI-81871371675824/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-idUSBRE95H0C120130618?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-idUSBRE95H0C120130618?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-idUSBRE95J0CD20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-idUSBRE95J0CD20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jun-18/220772-lebanon-sends-memo-on-syria-violations-to-un-source.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jun-18/220772-lebanon-sends-memo-on-syria-violations-to-un-source.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jun-18/220772-lebanon-sends-memo-on-syria-violations-to-un-source.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jun-18/220772-lebanon-sends-memo-on-syria-violations-to-un-source.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-idUSBRE95J0CD20130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/us-syria-crisis-lebanon-idUSBRE95H0C120130618?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewsmailto:[email protected]://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/19/Iraq-Chevron-Total-expand-Kurdish-drilling/UPI-81871371675824/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/19/Iraq-Chevron-Total-expand-Kurdish-drilling/UPI-81871371675824/http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/06/21/Gazprom-considers-more-work-in-Iraq/UPI-91021371812316/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/06/22/27-Iranian-exiles-relocated-from-Camp-Liberty-in-Iraq-to-Albania/UPI-56521371953536/http://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-deadly-suicide-attack/25027528.htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/A-series-of-attacks-shakes-the-country,-a-church-hit-in-Baghdad-28299.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/official-gunmen-kill-policemen-northern-iraq-19466245http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/24-dead-in-iraq-violence/721006.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-iraq-election-idUSBRE95J18420130621?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/21/us-iraq-election-idUSBRE95J18420130621?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-iraq-violence-idUSBRE95I0OV20130619http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/world/middleeast/suicide-bombers-shiite-mosque-baghdad-iraq.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-21/221072-al-qaeda-in-iraq-gathering-strength-in-northern-stronghold-of-mosul.ashx#axzz2WmnCXlnkhttp://www.newsdaily.com/world/f264bf043745614e4576a6252287962a/iraq-says-proxy-war-over-syria-threatens-its-neutrality


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UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antnio Guterres met with Lebanese leaders and refugees on 18 June,World Refugee Day, to

discuss the overwhelming pressure on local communities that host refugees. Projections indicate the number of Syrian refugees could

top one million by the end of 2013. A country offour millioncitizens, Lebanon is officially host3 to 546,000 Syrian refugees, reports

NYT. The influx of refugees continues to place an enormous strain water access, sanitation, education and health care. Unemploymen

is high and wages have dropped because Syrians will reportedly accept lower wages than Lebanese workers. Resentment amongst

poor Lebanese over the provision of UN food and shelter assistance to Syrian refugees is fuelling tensions. As anger increases over the

presence of refugees, curfews have been imposed but have not curtailed sporadic attacks against refugees occurring in Lebanon

Guterres indicated that the only way for Lebanon, and other neighbouring countries to the Syrian conflict, to endure is through

continued funding of humanitarian organisation operations.

Syria Linda Lavender [email protected]

The G8 Summit held in Ireland ended with the worlds leaders calling for a peace conference on theSyrian conflict, but failed to detai

the fate of embattled President Bashar al Assad, reports Al Jazeera. Leaders reiterated their commitment to achieving a politica

solution to the crisis but British Prime Minister David Cameron said it was unthinkable that Assad could play a role in a transitiona

administration. Although he was excluded from the official G8 Summit communique, British officials assert that Russian President

Vladimir Putin is willing to see the removal of the Assad leadership if it was replaced with a stable and balanced Syrian government

thereby avoiding adangerous power vacuum, writes The Guardian. According to British officials, Putin declared off the record that he

holds no personal loyalty to Assad. Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the Syrian Opposition remains committed to

toppling the Assad regime, asserting that anypolitical solution in Syria would require Assads removal. Syrias Foreign Minister

Walid al Muallem indicated that [the Assad government] will head to Geneva not to hand over power to the other sidewe will go to

Geneva in order to set up a real partnership and a broad national unity government, according to Al Jazeera. French Presiden

Francois Hollande opened the door toinclude Iranin proposed peace talks to take place in Geneva, according to Reuters. Hollandestated that if newly elected Iranian President Hassan Rohani signalled willingness to be constructive; he would be welcomed at the

Geneva talks.

Saudi Arabias former intelligence officer, Chief Prince Muqrin, once warned US diplomats that the Middle Easts Shiite Crescent4

was turning into a full moon, reports Reuters. Increasingly, Riyadh views the Syrian war as the fulcrum of a wider geopolitical

struggle against Iran, a country Saudi Arabia believes is radical, expansionist and militant. In April 2013, Riyadh began backing the

mainly Sunni rebels with arms, money and political support. While continued support is anticipated by the opposition, there is a

growing view among senior Saudis that a rebel victory in Syria will require more than arms and advice. Recent calls by Gulf States

Sunni Muslim clerics to engage in jihad in Syria, is fuelling radicalism in the region, according to a senior Iranian official, reports

Reuters. Iranian Deputy Minister for Arab and Foreign Affairs Amir Abdollahian said radicals in Syrian have been attacking all sects

and creating rifts between communities and called for a political solution to the conflict.

Diplomats attending the Friends of Syria group meeting in Doha , Qatar discussed how to organise thedelivery of militaryand other

kinds of aid to Syrian rebels, reports Al Jazeera. At the same time, the Doha meeting sought to create momentum for peace talks inGeneva. Currently, the West and Russia are deeply divided on how peace talks should progress and over desired outcomes. AFP

reports thatIran denouncedthe decision taken by Western and Arab countries attending the meeting in Doha to sending weapons to

Syria.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia will honour its controversial contract to deliver S-300 air defence missile

systems to Syria, reportsAssociated Press (AP). Also, Lavrov reiterated Russias opposition to a proposed no-fly zone in Syria which

the S-300 systems would make virtually impossible to implement. US leadership has declined to disclosethe types of military suppor

it was prepared to give to Syrian rebels, according to AP.The Telegraph reports that the firstheavy weaponshave arrived to rebels

following US President Barack Obamas decision to arm the Syrian opposition. Saudi Arabia has already begun supplying rebels with

Russian-made Konkurs anti-tank missiles. Also, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters that France need further

consultationswith Syrian rebel leadership before transferring heavy weapons to their troops, reports Reuters. Hollande urged moderate

rebels toretake areas controlledby extremists in order to create the conditions necessary for France to consider arming Syrian rebels

reports AFP. Weapons transfer to rebels hassparked feudingand infighting among rebel factions over equitable distribution, reportsAP. Each new shipment of weapons enters a tangle of complex rebel politics, with dozens of brigades and battalions operating on the

ground. Moderate brigades complain Islamists are being favoured in distribution. On the ground, rebels have begun to organise

themselves to better funnel weapons and more effectively fight but progress is slow.

The Syrian conflict has afforded Syrian Kurds the chance to carve out independentKurdish regions, reports AP. Syrian Kurds have

created their own police force, license plates and are now going public with Kurdish language and culture . These developments

3 Registered and awaiting registration Syrian refugees number 546,000. However, the Lebanese government indicates that unofficial numbers of refugees in the country

are closer toone million.4The Shiite Crescent describes the Shiite Muslim sects areas of influence in the Middle East led by Iran.
http://www.unhcr.org/51c065b46.htmlhttp://www.unhcr.org/51c065b46.htmlhttp://www.unhcr.org/51c065b46.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/opinion/lebanon-overrun-by-syrian-refugees.html?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/opinion/lebanon-overrun-by-syrian-refugees.html?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/opinion/lebanon-overrun-by-syrian-refugees.html?partner=rss&emc=rssmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/06/2013618151322522933.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/06/2013618151322522933.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/06/2013618151322522933.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/putin-assad-power-vacuum-syriahttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/putin-assad-power-vacuum-syriahttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/18/putin-assad-power-vacuum-syriahttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220894-syria-opposition-says-any-solution-must-bring-down-assad.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220894-syria-opposition-says-any-solution-must-bring-down-assad.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220894-syria-opposition-says-any-solution-must-bring-down-assad.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/2013624103717706232.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/2013624103717706232.htmlhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/uk-syria-crisis-iran-france-idUKBRE95H11720130618http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/uk-syria-crisis-iran-france-idUKBRE95H11720130618http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/06/18/uk-syria-crisis-iran-france-idUKBRE95H11720130618http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220841-saudi-arabias-role-in-syria-driven-by-fear-of-shiite-full-moon.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220841-saudi-arabias-role-in-syria-driven-by-fear-of-shiite-full-moon.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220841-saudi-arabias-role-in-syria-driven-by-fear-of-shiite-full-moon.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-syria-crisis-iran-jihad-idUSBRE95I1HR20130619?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-syria-crisis-iran-jihad-idUSBRE95I1HR20130619?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362263944556379.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362263944556379.htmlhttp://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/06/201362263944556379.htmlhttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221303-iran-criticises-doha-decision-to-arm-syria-rebels.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221303-iran-criticises-doha-decision-to-arm-syria-rebels.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221303-iran-criticises-doha-decision-to-arm-syria-rebels.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-fulfill-syria-missile-system-contract-19443781http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-fulfill-syria-missile-system-contract-19443781http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-fulfill-syria-missile-system-contract-19443781http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/obama-silent-us-arms-syria-praises-plan-19434442http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/obama-silent-us-arms-syria-praises-plan-19434442http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/obama-silent-us-arms-syria-praises-plan-19434442http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10131063/Syrian-rebels-get-first-heavy-weapons-on-the-front-line-of-Aleppo.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10131063/Syrian-rebels-get-first-heavy-weapons-on-the-front-line-of-Aleppo.htmlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10131063/Syrian-rebels-get-first-heavy-weapons-on-the-front-line-of-Aleppo.htmlhttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-crisis-france-idUSBRE95J0M220130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-crisis-france-idUSBRE95J0M220130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/20/us-syria-crisis-france-idUSBRE95J0M220130620?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221321-hollande-urges-syria-rebels-to-retake-extremist-held-zones.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221321-hollande-urges-syria-rebels-to-retake-extremist-held-zones.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221321-hollande-urges-syria-rebels-to-retake-extremist-held-zones.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rivalries-complicate-arms-pipeline-syria-rebels-19451032http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rivalries-complicate-arms-pipeline-syria-rebels-19451032http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rivalries-complicate-arms-pipeline-syria-rebels-19451032http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220842-kurds-carve-out-autonomy-in-chaos-of-syrian-civil-war.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220842-kurds-carve-out-autonomy-in-chaos-of-syrian-civil-war.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-19/220842-kurds-carve-out-autonomy-in-c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protected]://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/opinion/lebanon-overrun-by-syrian-refugees.html?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://www.unhcr.org/51c065b46.html


5/5

525 June 2013

have placed them at odds with Syrian rebels who seek to govern the Kurdish region of Syria. Rebels continue to attack a pocket of

Kurdish towns and villages in the mainly Sunni Arab northwest corner of Syria threatening to evolve into an ethnic war between

Kurds and Arabs. In other regional developments, Syrias civil war has caused a split within the Palestinian group Hamas ove

whether to continue its alliance with Damascus or side with Sunni allies in the Gulf States, reports The Daily Star. The split within the

Palestinian movement, which currently governs the Gaza Strip, coincides with news that Iran has scaled back its financial support of

the group after the organization refused to support Assads violence crackdown on protesters in 2012.

Syrian rebel groups announced the seizure of a main highway in northern Syria in an effort to choke off supplyroutes for Assad forces

in the region, reports Reuters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicates that opposition forces seized the army checkpoin

on the Ariha-Latakia stretch of a main highway that transits Aleppo. Other activist groups report that rebels captured three checkpoints

but still require the seizure of three additional checkpoints in order to cut off Assad force access to the M5 highway. MeanwhileUnited Press International (UPI) reports that Assad forces are tightening a cordon around the city of Aleppo in a major offensiveto

retake the city from rebels. Government tanks and artillery are amassing around the city, and rebels report that Syrian warplanes

attacked positions around the contested Kweiras airbase near Aleppo on 18 June amid heavy ground fighting. On 23 June a car bomb

killed twelve Assad soldiers in Syrias northern city of Aleppo, reports AP. On the same day, a powerful blast in the capital city of

Damascus killed at least three people.

On 19 June, Jordans military reportedSyrian infiltratorshad clashed with Jordanian soldiers near the shared border, reports AP. One

infiltrator was killed when the foreigners opened fire on a Jordanian border post. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reports

the US will keep approximately1,000 troopsin Jordan as a show of force.

Fiji has offered more than500 soldiersto serve in the UN peacekeeping mission on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, reports AFP

The majority of replacement forces to the Golan Heights will be complete by July 2013 with 170 Fiji soldiers set to replace Japanese

and Croatian soldiers this month. Fiji has offered to replace the 370 Austrian forces that are set to withdraw from the region.

Meanwhile on 20 June, the Philippines, which supplies one third of peacekeeping forces on the Golan, warned the UN it may

withdraw unless forces receive heavy weapons and protection to survive any attacks by warplanes, tanks and chemical weapons

according to The New York Times (NYT).

While Assad boasts of victories over Syrian rebels and proclaimsnew battlefield momentumin the Syrian conflict, his government is

facing the threat of a rapidly weakening currency, reports NYT. Between 22-23 June, the Syrian pound fell approximately thirty per

cent against the dollar, partly in reaction to the US announcement it would begin arming rebels. Economists suggest that the plunge in

value may have been exacerbated by the apparent unwillingness or possible inability of Syrias Central Bank to halt it by

purchasing pounds with dollars or euros, suggesting foreign currency reserves are low. Voice of America(VOA) reports that Iran has

stepped in to helpSyria stabilisethe value of its currency. Syria can now draw on a USD one billion line of credit set up by Tehran to

stabilise the Syrian pound.

Kristalina Georgiev, Commissioner for the Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department of the European Commission, called the

Syrian refugee situation, theworlds worst refugee crisisin decades adding, and if we dont get off this slippery slope it will soonbecome the largest [refugee crisis] in our lifetime in front of our eyes, reports The Telegraph. The UN Educational, Scientific and

Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has placed sixworld heritage sitesin Syria on their endangered list as a result of continued fighting

reports The Guardian. The sites include the city of Aleppo, Damascus, the Roman ruins in Palmyra and the crusader castles of Crac

des Chevaliers and Qalat Sala el Din.

IED & Demining Linda Lavender [email protected]

The CFC publishes a weekly IED and Demining Events map. This global compilation links to articles reporting significant

IED related-events and demining efforts. This report covers 18 24 June 2013.

Click on the map for more IED events.

GLOBAL NEWS

Ireland:Ahomemade bombdiscovered in Tallaght Dublin was successfully made

safe by the Army Bomb Disposal Team, reportsBreaking News.

Somalia: Militants in Mogadishu attacked the UN compound on 19 June with a

truck bomb and then stormed the building, killing at least thirteen people, according

to theAssociated Press (AP).

Thailand: Aroadside bombdetonated on 23 June in Nong Chik district of Pattani,

killing a senior Army officer while wounding five others, reports The Nation.
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protected]:[email protected]://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/army-examine-homemade-bomb-made-safe-in-tallaght-598091.htmlhttp://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/army-examine-homemade-bomb-made-safe-in-tallaght-598091.htmlhttp://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/army-examine-homemade-bomb-made-safe-in-tallaght-598091.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bomb-blast-gunmen-attack-compound-mogadishu-19433846http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bomb-blast-gunmen-attack-compound-mogadishu-19433846http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bomb-blast-gunmen-attack-compound-mogadishu-19433846http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Major-killed-in-a-bomb-attack-30208894.htmlhttp://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Major-killed-in-a-bomb-attack-30208894.htmlhttp://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Major-killed-in-a-bomb-attack-30208894.htmlhttps://www.cimicweb.org/sites/C-IED/Documents/CFC%20C-IED%20products/035IED%20(25-Jun-13)%20CFC%20IED-Demining%20Weekly%20Events.pdfhttp://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Major-killed-in-a-bomb-attack-30208894.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/bomb-blast-gunmen-attack-compound-mogadishu-19433846http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/army-examine-homemade-bomb-made-safe-in-tallaght-598091.htmlmailto:[email protected]://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2013/jun/20/syria-crisis-world-heritage-sites-endangeredhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10132558/Syria-world-sleep-walking-into-greatest-ever-refugee-crisis.htmlhttp://www.voanews.com/content/syria-iran-currency/1686151.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/world/middleeast/syria-is-facing-currency-crisis.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/world/middleeast/philippines-warns-that-it-may-pull-peacekeepers-out-of-golan.html?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/world/middleeast/philippines-warns-that-it-may-pull-peacekeepers-out-of-golan.html?partner=rss&emc=rsshttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/fiji-offers-more-than-500/715436.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/content/jordan-syria-us-russia/25024624.htmlhttp://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syria-infiltrators-jordan-military-clash-dead-19439884http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-23/221298-suicide-bombing-hits-north-damascus-casualties-tv.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvgehttp://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2013/06/19/Assad-forces-build-up-for-Aleppo-offensive/UPI-13761371648604/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/19/us-syria-crisis-highway-idUSBRE95I0N220130619?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNewshttp://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Jun-22/221176-syrias-sectarian-war-causes-hamas-split-analysts-say.ashx#axzz2X3E6Hvge