Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font.
Overview
Political: In southern Dhi Qar province, Romanian President Traian Basescu praised his country’s troops’ service and sacrifice in Iraq during a handover ceremony held on June 4. Romania’s 26th Infantry “Red Scorpions” Battalion has supported Operation Iraqi Freedom since August 2003. Consisting of more than 5,200 troops, they operated unmanned aerial vehicles conducting reconnaissance and surveillance, in addition to carrying out security operations and quick reaction force missions. (USDOS, June-10)
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday (June-16) that Egypt will be sending an ambassador to Iraq. Sharif Kamal Shahine, a veteran diplomat with 27 years experience, will be Egypt’s first envoy since al-Qaeda militants kidnapped and killed the previous envoy in July 2005. In the coming weeks, Egypt will also deploy a team of diplomats and administrative staff to its embassy in Baghdad. The date of the new envoy’s arrival in Iraq has not been specified. (Reuters, June-16)
A US$70 billion plan to rebuild Iraq’s war torn country was proposed to parliament by the Iraqi government on Wednesday (June-17) and will ask companies to accept at least a five-year delay in payment for the projects. Some of the allocations include US$5.539 billion for the water and sewage sector and US$25 billion for the housing sector. Because of the fall in oil prices that has severely affected this year’s budget, the money needed to fund these projects are not available. Ali al-Dabbagh said authorities plan to pay through credit, direct investment or in a partnership between public agencies and private companies. Depending on individual agreements, the Iraqi government will pay back the projects in five years or more. (Reuters, June-17)
UN: A conference was held on Sunday-Monday (June 14-15) by the Iraqi Council of Representatives and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to discuss hydrocarbon revenue and water sharing. Titled, “The Future of Iraq,” the conference examined key challenges in water resources management and reviewed actions by the central and regional governments at various levels to alleviate problems and also called for UN support towards regional dialogue on the management of the Euphrates River. Participants also confirmed their commitment to work towards resolving issues regarding hydrocarbons. This conference was a continuation of a prior roundtable discussion on federalism and hydrocarbon resource management held in Baghdad and Erbil. (UNAMI, June-17)
Refugees/Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): A study conducted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) reported thousands of Iraqi refugees that have resettled in the US are struggling to rebuild their lives. Since 2007, more than 19,000 Iraqis have resettled under a program that prioritizes the most vulnerable refugees. The study that was released on Tuesday (June-16) wrote that the US government refugee resettlement program is “dangerously underfunded,” and no longer met the basic needs of new refugees. The program provides each refugee a one-time federal US$900 stipend, but the IRC noted that it failed to address immediate needs such as rent, clothing and household supplies. The current US recession worsens the struggle for the refugees as some are living in poverty and facing homelessness. In their report, the IRC, among other suggestions, has urged Congress to provide emergency funds to refugees facing eviction and to ensure grants for new refugees to coincide with the cost of living. (Reuters, June-16)
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Iraq remains too fragile for the estimated 1.5 million Iraqis living outside its borders to return home. Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the UNHCR, said “while overall security conditions are improving, they are not sustainable enough to have encouraged massive returns of Iraqis.” Of the returns that have already taken place, many of them have not been safe or sustainable. Forcing the repatriation of refugees would also put individuals at risk. Over 1.5 million Iraqis still live outside the country, mostly in Syria and Jordan, while another 2 million are internally displaced. (UNHCR, June-2)
Civil Society/Rule of Law: The number of deaths in Iraq since March 2003 is estimated by Iraq Body Count (IBC) as between 92,345 and 100,820 for civilians and 4,630 for coalition forces, including 4,312 US troops. While 4,900-6,375 Iraqi military personnel are estimated to have died during the 2003 war, reliable figures are unavailable for the new Iraqi security forces established in late 2003. (Reuters, June-16)
Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the civilian casualty count dramatically decreased in May to its lowest number, according to Iraq’s Health Ministry figures that were released on Sunday (May-31). May’s death toll was 134, which is slightly below the previously record low tallied in January. (Reuters, May-31) However, the month of May also saw the number of US military deaths sharply increase. With 24 US soldiers killed, bringing the overall death toll to at least 4,306 since March 2003, May had the most deaths of any month since September 2008, the BBC reported. (BBC, June-1)
Humanitarian Situation and Access: Iraqi Environment Minister Narmin Othman reported that there are some 25 million landmines in Iraq and more than 25 million unexploded ordnance (UXO), including cluster bombs, saying it is “Iraq’s biggest environmental problem.” According to the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), Othman has appealed for more international support to clear landmines and UXO in Iraq. Because the government is not dependable, international support is imperative to get qualified specialists and financial support, Othman told IRIN on Saturday (June-6). Not knowing how much support was needed, Othman said “billions of dollars” were needed. Currently, three companies are working with the ministry in mine clearance operations, while 17 others are expected to have their licenses within days. Under the 2007 Ottawa Convention, which bans all landmines, Iraq must be declared free of landmines by 2018. (IRIN, June-8)
Economy/Oil: Iraqi crude oil production averaged 2.44 million barrels per day (MBPD) as of June 10, which is an increase of 0.03 from the week of May 27. (USDOS, June-10) Iraqi crude oil exports averaged 1.80 MBPD as of June 10, which is a decrease of 0.08 from the week of May 27. (USDOS, June-10)
On June 10, Iraq’s Ministry of Oil announced that oil-bidding rounds to bolster oil and gas field output will proceed as scheduled on June 29. Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani has endured harsh criticism in recent weeks for failing to boost production of oil, especially as the fall of oil prices severely affect the budget. Al-Shahristani expects the country’s production to go up to 4 million barrels per day once the fields are developed. The US Department of State said 32 of the 35 pre-qualified companies will be participating in the bid round. (USDOS, June-10)
BBC news reported on Monday (June-1) that Iraq’s self-ruled Kurdish region had begun, for the first time, exporting crude oil to foreign markets. The Kurdistan Regional Government will pump up to 90,000-100,000 barrels per day (bpd) to selected companies from two northern oilfields to Turkey. From Iraq’s northern Taq Taq field, oil will be transported by lorry to Erbil province at a rate of 40,000 bpd and then pumped along to the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The decision by the Iraqi government to allow its pipeline to be used comes after a deal that could start to mend internal disputes over Iraq oil wealth. The Kurds, Baghdad and oil companies will share the revenue. At a ceremony held in Erbil, Kurdish President Massoud Barzani was quoted as saying, “We are proud of this success, and this achievement will serve the interests of all Iraqis, especially the Kurds.” (BBC, June-1)
Water/Power: The daily supply from the grid from May 25 – May 31 was 55 percent higher than the same time frame in 2008 and met 70 percent of estimated demand, compared with 48 percent during the same time frame a year earlier. (USDOS, June-10)
Due to sectarian violence and insurgency, attempts to repair Baghdad’s dilapidated sewage pipes and treatment plants was delayed and Iraqis will have to wait three more years for the puddles of sewage to stop and for the treatment of all sewage accumulating in rundown pipes, Baghdad announced on Monday (June-15). With the initiative starting in 2006, it was expected to be completed in five years (2011). According to municipality spokesman Hakim Abdul Zahra, efforts continued after the security situation improved. The amount being spent on sewage works was not clearly indicated, but main projects include a US$90 million 19.4 mile (12 km) sewage pipe from eastern Baghdad to southeastern Baghdad, a US$58 million sewage pipe in Sadr City and US$91 million sewage works in eastern Baghdad. (Reuters, June-15).
Last month, Turkish authorities told a top Iraqi lawmaker they had increased the flow of the Euphrates River through its dams upstream of Iraq to help farmers battling a severe drought, but according to Iraqi Water Resources Minister Abdul Latif Rasheed, nothing has been done. On Sunday (June-7), Iraq called on Turkey again to release more water down the river. Water distribution is a fragile diplomatic issue for Iraq as it tries to better ties with its neighbors and Turkey is one of its most important trading partners. Iraq has accused Turkey, and to a lesser extent Syria, of choking the Euphrates by placing hydroelectric dams on it that have restricted water flow to Iraq, which damages the farm sector already coping with decades of war and neglect. (Reuters, June-7)
Food: In a statement made on Tuesday (June-16), the Iraqi government said they were attempting to rationalize the state-run food aid system by stopping the well-off from benefiting from it and helping the neediest people to ease pressure on the budget. According to the statement, the Cabinet wanted people, who made a monthly income of over US$1,300 (1.5 million Iraqi dinars) to stop receiving food subsidies. Then, the Ministry of Trade would devise a plan that would direct the food rationing system’s financial allocations in the federal budget to the neediest people. In 1995, Iraq’s food rationing system, the Public Distribution System (PDS), was developed as part of the UN’s oil-for-food program. Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the program has suffered poor management, insecurity and recently, corruption. Former Iraqi trade minister, Abdul-Falah al-Sudani, was arrested and charged on June 30 with corruption and embezzlement in relation to food imports for the PDS. (IRIN, June-17)
Health/Medical: During the first 22 weeks of 2009, only two cholera cases have been confirmed. However, since cholera is endemic in Iraq, sporadic cases are expected to surface from time to time. Iraq suffered a cholera outbreak in 2008 with a majority of cases occurring between weeks 33 to 41, the UN Children’s Fund Humanitarian Action Update reported. A total of 11 deaths were recorded among a total of 925 cholera cases, of which 36 percent were children under the age of five. According to updated reports, the outbreak seemed to have subsided after the gradual decrease in new cases had abated to zero by mid-December. Despite cholera cases not being detected, diarrhea cases continue to affect Iraqi populations. During week 22 in 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 18,339 cases of diarrhea. Sixty percent of the samples - or 10,999 - were cultured for the cholera organism, but none were found positive. The agency also tested 2,629 water samples for bacteriological contamination and 16 percent - or 430 - of them were deemed contaminated. (WHO, May-31)
According to the WHO, during the first 22 weeks of 2009, 26,056 suspected measles cases were reported in Iraq. The measles outbreak is mainly affecting the central part of Iraq, reporting 78 percent – or 20,330 – of the cases. The outbreak is beginning to spread to the South and North. (WHO, May-31)
In-Country Humanitarian Assistance Information by Region
North Region
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Erbil, Dahuk, Sulaymaniyah |
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Coordination |
US forces handed responsibility for security in Iraq’s three northern provinces of Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaymaniyah to the Kurdish regional government in May of 2007. |
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Population |
Population of Erbil: 1,392,093 Population of Sulaymaniyah: 1,715,585 Population of Dahuk: 954,087 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by province/governorate
(IASC, Kurdistan Regional Government, June 2008)
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
In Dahuk province, the Gulf Region Division, US Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq developed a new 12-room US$1.1 million Shindokha School, and 600 middle and high school students will benefit from this bigger and better school. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed to mark the opening of the new school that will significantly reduce an overcrowding problem. The school’s entire curriculum is taught in English, and prospective teachers will undergo four months of intensive language training. (AFPS, Mar-30) |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information |
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Security |
No New Information |
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Other/Comments |
No New Information |
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At Tamim, Ninawa, Salah ad Din |
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Coordination |
Five NGOs closed their offices in Mosul (in Ninawa) because of increased violence against aid workers: Mosul Human Rights Association, Supporting Children With Cancer, Ruweida Aid Agency, and two preferring to remain unnamed. The past six months have especially affected relief agencies’ work, according to the Association for NGOs in Northern Iraq. Armed groups pose the largest threat to aid agencies. But an Iraqi Voices of Freedom volunteer said another problem is aid workers being detained by police after returning from displacement areas with suspected insurgents. (IRIN, Sept-24) |
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Population |
Population of Mosul: 2,811,091 Population of Kirkuk: 902,019 Population of Tikrit: 1,191,403 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, June 2008) Of 10,337 displaced families surveyed in At Tamim, Salah ad Din and Diyala provinces, over 92 percent said they had not received any humanitarian aid. (Mercy Corps, Oct-31)
Returns are increasing and displacement is low three years after the bombing of a revered Shia shrine in Samarra that sparked nationwide sectarian violence, causing major displacement. Since February 2006, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that more than 1.6 million Iraqis (about 270,000 families) have been displaced and out of those, at least 49,000 families (almost 300,000 individuals) have returned home. IDPs still face the hardships of a lack of jobs, food shortages, unemployment and a lack of basic services. However, Rafiq Tschannen, chief of mission in Iraq for the IOM, said “the fact that people are returning home, although in smaller than expected numbers, is a positive development which we hope will gather pace.” (IRIN, Feb-22) |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
In Salah ad Din province, the As Sharqat Bridge was opened and is expected to greatly improve travel times in the area, in addition to increasing freedom of movement in the north. The Iraqi Army, police and the Sons of Iraq (SOI) will be coordinating security and traffic. (USDOS, Apr-29) |
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Water & Sanitation |
In a combined multi-agency effort by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) Kirkuk, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Kirkuk provincial government and the US Agency for International Development, the first environmentally engineered and constructed landfill was built in Kirkuk recently. It is the first of its kind in the country and was made as a way to properly dispose of waste and refuse. The landfill meets US and European standards and will teach the Iraqis proper waste management techniques, providing additional jobs to local residents. (USDOS, Mar-11) |
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Security |
In At-Tamim province, two policemen were wounded after a roadside bomb, targeting an Iraqi police patrol, exploded in central Kirkuk, 155 miles (250 km) north of Baghdad, on Saturday (June-13). A bomb fixed to a car killed a man and wounded five other civilians in central Kirkuk on Monday (June-15). In central Kirkuk, gunmen stormed into a mobile phone shop and stabbed the owner to death on Tuesday (June-16).
In Ninawa province on Saturday: two civilians were wounded by a roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol in the west of Mosul, 240 miles (390 km) north of Baghdad. On Sunday (June-14): Two civilians in southern Mosul were wounded by a roadside bomb targeting a US military patrol. Two policemen and one civilian were wounded when gunmen threw a hand grenade at a police patrol in Mosul. One policeman and two civilians were wounded when a roadside bomb aimed at an Iraqi police patrol exploded. On Monday: a judge and two of his aides were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their car in northern Mosul.
In Salah ad Din province, a US soldier was killed during combat related operations in northern Iraq by a roadside bomb on Friday (June-12). An Iraqi officer also died in the incident in Samarra, 62 miles (155 km) north of Baghdad. The same day, another roadside bomb killed a girl and wounded seven other civilians in Baiji, 112 miles (180 km) north of Baghdad. The body of a young man shot in the head and chest was found in central Tikrit, 95 miles (150 km) north of Baghdad, on Friday.
(Reuters, June 11-17) |
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Other/Comments |
Ninawa province complied with a Ministry of Interior directive that requires all currently employed Iraqi Police to be formally trained by June 2009 after 1,000 Iraqi Police graduated from the Mosul Public Service Academy on May 11. All the officers were hired last year and will continue to serve at the police stations where they were previously posted. (USDOS, May-27) |
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Central/West Regions
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Anbar, Diyala, Karbala, Babil, Wasit, Najaf, Qadissiya |
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Coordination |
As a step to operating independently of Coalition Forces under the US-Iraqi Security Agreement, in February, the Multi-National Force-West (MNF-W) transferred responsibility of two observation posts and a patrol base in Anbar province to Iraqi security forces. The MNF-W also closed two other observation posts and a patrol base. (USDOS, Mar-4) |
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Population |
Population of Anbar: 1,485,985 Population of Diyala: 1,560,621 Population of Karbala: 887,858 Population of Babil: 1,651,565 Population of Wasit: 1,064,950 Population of Najaf: 1,081,203 Population of Qadissiya: 990,483 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, IOM, June 2008) |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
In Babil province, an anti-cholera initiative has been implemented to prevent future outbreaks of the disease that affected the area significantly in 2008. Already 13 out of 14 new water tanks have been installed. Also, several solar- powered water purification units were bought as well as water tanker trucks in order to transport clean water to remote villages. (USDOS, Apr-8) |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
Iraqi agricultural specialists from Anbar province recently returned from a trip to California where they visited California State University at Fresno to learn new irrigation techniques, high saline soil farming and integration with the dairy industry. While there, a memorandum of understanding was established with Fresno and Anbar University to build a working relationship between the two educational centers. (USDOS, Apr-29) |
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Water & Sanitation |
On March 4, local residents, contractors, Iraqi police and US soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division’s 8th Infantry Regiment and the 110th Military Police Company gathered in the city of Diwaniya for the opening ceremony of the new police headquarters in Qada district. Iraqi contractors and workers built the facility with coordination through the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Iraqi government. Army 1st Lt. David Faulkner says the central location provides the station with better command, control and coordination of the collective police force in the district. (American Forces Press Service, Mar-11) |
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Security |
In Anbar province, the body of a fellow policeman, who was kidnapped two days ago in northern Ramadi, 60 miles (100 km) west of Baghdad, was found by police on Monday (June-15). Two policemen were killed and a third became seriously ill after poisoned food was given to them by a driver at a checkpoint in Garma, 20 miles (30 km) west of Baghdad, on Monday. In Diyala province, gunmen raided an Iraqi soldier’s home on Friday (June-12) in the town of Baladruz and killed his 17-year-old daughter. The soldier’s mother was also seriously wounded. Three suspects accused of planting roadside bombs targeting Iraqi coalition forces were arrested by Iraqi and US forces in Baquba, 40 miles (65 km) northeast of Baghdad, on Sunday (June-14). In Karbala province, a motorbike bomb exploded on Thursday (June-11), killing two people and wounding three by a café where young people come together. In Babil province, a police officer shot and killed two government-backed militia members as they planted a bomb in Mussayab, 37 miles (60 km) south of Baghdad, on Friday. On Tuesday (June-16), gunmen killed a man in a drive-by shooting in Iskandariya town, 25 miles (40 km) south of Baghdad. In Wasit province, a bus heading to Baghdad from southern Basrah province crashed and burst into flames in Kut, 95 miles (150 km) southeast of Baghdad, killing 14 passengers and wounding at least 30 on Tuesday (June-16).The bus reportedly suffered technical failure, lost control and flipped over. No indication of insurgent involvement was reported. (Reuters, June 11-17) |
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Other/Comments |
No New Information |
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Baghdad
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Baghdad |
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Coordination |
Control of Baghdad’s Green Zone, considered the safest place in Baghdad, has been transferred over to Iraqi security. Iraqi troops now man all checkpoints entering the Green Zone of Iraqi government buildings and foreign embassies. US soldiers are withdrawing from towns and cities this month and are slowly transferring control back to Iraqi security forces. (Reuters, June-16) |
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Population |
Population: 7,145,470 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MoDM), June 2008)
At the end of 2007, Iraq’s MoDM reported that 9,657 IDP families (some 60,000 people) had returned to Baghdad. The Iraqi Red Crescent stated 46,000 refugees had returned from Syria to Baghdad by the end of December. (IOM, Feb-1) |
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
No New Information |
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Security |
On Friday (June-12), six civilians were wounded by a roadside bomb in eastern Baghdad’s New Baghdad district. A bomb attack targeting civilians on a main street in Al-Jadida district killed two people and wounded 10. In the Yarmouk district in Baghdad, gunmen killed Hareth al-Obaidi, the head of the Iraqi Accordance Front bloc and deputy head of parliament’s Human Rights Committee. (CNN, June-16) Acting off a tip, Iraqi forces arrested a suspected al-Qaeda member in Iraq on Wednesday (June-17), who is believed to be the mastermind of the assassination of al-Obaidi. (AP, June-17)
On Sunday (June-14), three suspects linked to al-Qaeda were arrested by US and Iraqi forces during an Iraqi-led operation. In southern Baghdad’s Doura district, a bomb attached to a car that belonged to a member of a government-backed militia detonated at his house. There were no injuries.
On Monday (June-15), a bomb fixed to a bus killed a man and his wife and wounded one other civilian in the Shaab district in northern Baghdad. In the same district, five civilians were wounded after a bomb detonated inside a minibus.
On Tuesday (June-16), a US soldier on patrol was wounded by a roadside bomb in northeast Baghdad.
On Wednesday (June-17), a roadside bomb wounded five people in central Baghdad’s Karrada district.
(Reuters, June 11-17) |
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Water & Sanitation |
After three and a half years, US and Iraqi officials opened a water treatment plant in Baghdad’s Sadr City slum on Wednesday (January-21). The US$65 million plant provides water for 200,000 people, which is only a tenth of the population of the vast slum on Baghdad’s eastern outskirts. (Reuters, Jan-21) |
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Other/Comments |
No New Information |
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South Region
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Basrah |
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Coordination |
British forces officially began withdrawing troops from Iraq’s southern province of Basrah on Tuesday (Mar-31), a move that will be a months-long process ending a role that commenced with the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Last year, Baghdad and London signed a deal agreeing that the last 4,100 British soldiers would leave the country by July 31. About 400 British troops will remain in the country as a residual force to train Iraqi security forces. (BBC, Reuters, Mar-31) |
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Population |
Population of Basrah: 1,912,533 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, June 2008)
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
An unnamed Iranian firm has been contracted by the Basrah Investment Commission to redevelop parts of Basrah. The US$1.5 billion contract includes the construction of 5,000 new housing units in addition to schools, hospitals, parks, a supermarket and commercial units for up to 2,000 shops. This contract is the largest construction contract given to an Iranian firm since 2003. (USDOS, Feb-25) |
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Water & Sanitation |
The Sadr Teaching Hospital in Basrah had been discharging its raw sewage straight into the Shatt al-Arab River for more than 15 years, but with the assistance of Iraqi officials and coalition forces, a new wastewater treatment plant has officially opened. On April 2, the director of the hospital unveiled the new US$1.9 million wastewater treatment plant that holds 487 beds where about 500 patients are treated daily. According to Taha Mohammed al-Qurashi, chief of Basrah Environmental Directorate, the new treatment facility uses modern technology and is an important step toward a cleaner, healthier community. The US Army Corps of Engineers has finished more than 4,500 projects valued at nearly US$7 billion since 2004. (Govt USA, Apr-9)
A US$750,000 rehabilitation project of southern Basrah’s city’s rainwater, drainage and sewage networks has been completed after only six months. Ali Hanon, an official from Basrah’s reconstruction unit, announced the news, highlighting its funding as part of the 2008 provincial development projects program. (USDOS, Apr-8) |
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Security |
No New Information |
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Other/Comments |
On December-9, Iraq’s independent electoral commission announced that it plans to collect signatures in support of a referendum to transform the province of Basrah into an autonomous region much like Kurdistan in the north of the country. (Reuters, Dec-9) |
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Muthanna, Dhi Qar, Maysan |
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Coordination |
No New Information |
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Population |
Population of Muthanna: 614,997 Population of Dhi Qar: 1,616,226 Population of Maysan (Missan): 824,147 |
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IDP Movement |
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by Province/Governorate
(IASC, Iraqi Ministry of Displacement and Migration, June 2008)
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Food |
No New Information |
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Health |
No New Information |
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Non-Food Items –Shelter |
No New Information |
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Water & Sanitation |
No New Information |
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Security |
A large stockpile of heavy ordnance, explosives, weapons and small arms ammunition was seized by Iraqi police on Saturday (June-14) from a home in Nassiriya, 185 miles (300 km) southeast of Baghdad.
A US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb in Samawa, 140 miles (230 km) south of Baghdad, according to a US military statement on Tuesday (June-16).
(Reuters, June 11-17) |
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Other/Comments |
On April 1, around 500 Iraqis from Dhi Qar and Maysan attended the Jazz Masters concert at the Ziggurat of Ur. The show became a family event with women, who seldom join their spouses on such occasions in this part of Iraq. (USDOS, Apr-15) |
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Neighboring Countries’ Humanitarian Activities/Preparations
Jordan
According to Xinhua news agency, a UN official revealed in 2008, nearly 20,000 displaced Iraqis in Jordan have resettled to third countries. A majority of them, around 6,990, were sent to the US, Imran Riza, representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Jordan said, adding that 2009 should expect a greater number of relocations. (Xinhua new agency, December-24)
Iran
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari led an Iraqi delegation to Tehran on May 19 to meet with his Iranian counterpart, Manoucheher Mottaki, to discuss border issues, the water crisis and common security threats. He also met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who said ties were improving and urged quick implementation of bilateral agreements between the countries. Ahmadinejad added that the age of “bullying and arrogant powers” had come to an end. (USDOS, May-20)
On April 23, Iran’s official news agency, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported that Iran and Iraq have agreed to build a pipeline that will feed Iraqi crude oil to an Iranian refinery, in addition to establishing five new oil refineries together. The 32-inch pipeline will carry 50 percent of the crude from Iraq’s southern oil hub in Basrah to be processed at Iran’s Abadan refinery, which has a capacity of 430,000 barrels per day. No timeframe has been set for this project. (AP, April-23)
Turkey
Kurdish rebels and the Turkish military extended a unilateral ceasefire by six weeks to try to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict that has taken 40,000 lives since 1984. The Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has been battling the Turkish government for independence for 25 years. The original ceasefire was declared on April 14 and was due to expire on Monday (June-1), however, the PKK may extend the truce even longer to September 1 if it believes the government is making progress on solving the political problem. (Reuters, June-1)
On Thursday (April 30), Turkey’s military said it had launched air strikes against suspected Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq. The operation was prompted after nine Turkish soldiers were killed by a bomb in southeastern Turkey on April 29. The PKK claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reuters, April-30)
Kuwait
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement on June 3 for Iraq and Kuwait to resolve their issues through dialogue to try and calm strained ties between the countries. After Kuwaiti Ambassador Ali al-Mumen met with al-Maliki, Maliki said he wanted to “resolve any outstanding issues between the neighbors through a dialogue which guarantees the interests of both parties.” Kuwait is also willing to solve issues with Iraq through diplomatic and official channels, UN Special Representative for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura reported after talking with Kuwaiti Parliament Speaker Jassem al-Khorafi. De Mistura urged both countries to show restraint to prevent straining bilateral ties. (USDOS, June-10)
Syria
Despite strained political ties between neighbors Syria and Iraq, Syria started a freight train service to Iraq, Reuters reported official media as saying on Sunday (May-31). According to Syria’s al-Thawra newspaper, the line, which is 894 miles (1,430 km) long between the Syrian port of Tartous on the Mediterranean and Baghdad, was inaugurated on Saturday (May-30) and will begin services this month. The estimated journey time will be at least 72 hours, but will be half the cost of road transport. The neighboring country currently hosts hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees and had hoped to become a main transit hub to Iraq. Syria got to play that role for a short time following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq. (Reuters, May-31)
Saudi Arabia
On Thursday (May-28), Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraq has no intention of making new goodwill gestures towards Saudi Arabia as Maliki’s efforts have been called a sign of weakness by Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Bilateral ties between the two countries have been strained since the US-led invasion in 2003 and continue to decline. Al-Maliki’s Shi’ite-led government accuses Riyadh of not taking enough action to prevent its citizens from crossing the border to join the mainly Sunni insurgency. The Agence France-Presse quoted al-Maliki as saying, “There will be no other initiatives on our part as long as there is no sign from Saudi Arabia that it wants to have good ties with Baghdad.” During an April 25 visit to Baghdad, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed her concerns at the tension between the neighboring countries. (AFP, May-28)