FOR IRAQ Final Report August 2015 Credits

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

FOR IRAQ Final Report August 2015 Credits SAUDI HUMANITARIAN FUND FOR IRAQ FINAL REPORT August 2015 Credits: 2015 Saudi Humanitarian Fund for Iraq Cover photo: Shekhan camp, outside of Dahuk. Kurdistan region. May 2015. © OCHA/Charlotte Cans. Design and layout: Meredith Pahoulis, Funding Coordination Section (FCS) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). For additional information: www.unocha.org/iraq • [email protected] The boundaries and names shown and the designations used in this report do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. Produced by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs/Funding Coordination Section. August 2015 This page: IDP children playing in Sinjar, where many displaced people live. © Alexander Whitcomb. Back cover: IDP childred at Shariya camp, outside Dahuk, Kurdistan region. May 2015. © OCHA/Charlotte Cans. MAP OF IRAQ TURKEY DAHUK Dahuk Q e z e l O w Mosul z a Arbil n NINAWA ARBIL As Sulaymaniyah SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC Kirkuk AS ISLAMIC SULAYMANIYAH KIRKUK REPUBLIC OF IRAN SALAH AL-DIN Euphrates Samarra DIYALA Lake Tharthar Ba'qubah Ar Ramadi Lake BAGHDAD Habbaniyah AL ANBAR IRAQ Lake Milh WASIT Al Hillah Tig r Karbala' i Al Kut s JORDAN KERBALA' BABIL Ad Diwaniyah Al Amarah An Najaf AL QADISIYAH MAYSAN DHI QAR As Samawah AN NAJAF An Nasiriyah Al Basrah AL BASRAH AL MUTHANNA SAUDI ARABIA KUWAIT KUWAIT 100 km Due to some variance in the English spelling of Iraq’s 18 governorates, the Humanitarian Country Team in Iraq use the following approved operational spellings to ensure consistency in reporting: Anbar; Babylon; Baghdad; Basrah; Dahuk; Diyala; Erbil; Kerbala; Kirkuk; Missan; Muthanna; Najaf; Ninewa; Qadissiya; Salah al-Din; Sulaymaniyah; Thi-Qar; Wassit. TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 1 Executive summary 3 Agency highlights 5 WFP World Food Programme 7 UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund 9 UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 12 IOM International Organization for Migration 15 WHO World Health Organization 17 UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services 21 FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 23 UNFPA United Nations Population Fund 25 UNDP United Nations Development Programme 27 UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme 29 OCHA United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 31 UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 35 UN Women United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women 37 Humanitarian partnership 39 Visibility 41 Voices of the displaced 45 The challenge ahead 43 Acronyms 51 FOREWORD he extraordinary contribution of US$500 My first mission as the new Under-Secretary-General for million from the Government of the Kingdom Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tof Saudi Arabia to relief operations in Iraq in was to Iraq in June of this year, one year after the June 2014 came at a time of increasing population Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced its unparalleled displacements and unprecedented humanitarian needs. contribution. I witnessed first-hand the impact of The contribution represented more than 60 per cent the gift from the Saudi people on the people of Iraq. of humanitarian funding received last year for Iraq— Iraqis forced to flee from their homes due to conflict more than all other donors combined—and covered and violence have received food, water, medicine and nearly half of the relief requirements in the country. shelter. This has meant the difference between life and death for millions of people. 1 SAUDI Humanitarian FUND FOR IRAQ The United Nations Office for the Coordination of and international relief partners. It is a testament to Humanitarian Affairs supported relief agencies in the generosity of the people of the Kingdom of Saudi developing a plan to make the best use of the Saudi Arabia, for which full and grateful recognition is due, contribution and ensure priority needs were addressed. and the resilience of the people of Iraq. Twelve UN agencies and the International Organization for Migration received a portion of the funds. This is the final report for the Saudi Humanitarian Fund for Iraq. It provides an account of the activities undertaken Stephen O’Brien by these relief agencies with the Saudi funding over the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and past year. The report is a tribute to their life-saving work, Emergency Relief Coordinator performed under difficult circumstances alongside the tireless efforts of Government counterparts, and local New York, August 2015 8 June 2015,USG/ERC Stephen O’Brien visited an IDP site in Baghdad, Iraq. © UNAMI-PIO/Sarmad Al-Safy. FINAL Report | AUGUST 2015 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY n 30 June 2014, the Government of the funding received last year for Iraq and covered nearly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced an half of the relief requirements in the country. The size Oextraordinary contribution of US$500 million to and speed of the grant allowed 12 UN agencies and the the United Nations (UN) to provide relief to the people International Organization for Migration (IOM) to launch of Iraq. At the time, the conflict between Government 27 relief projects in the most affected areas nationwide. forces and armed and terrorist groups in Iraq had Each agency has a special area of emergency expertise displaced more than 1 million people from their homes that, when brought together, has provided a holistic, and caused hardship to millions of others affected by coordinated and life-saving response addressing the the violence. myriad needs of the most vulnerable people across the entire country. With time of the essence, the UN Secretary-General and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia agreed The Saudi grant has allowed these 13 front-line agencies, that the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian together with Government counterparts, and national Affairs (OCHA) would be accountable for disbursing the and international non-governmental organizations funds to aid agencies and reporting on its use. OCHA (NGOs), to scale up quickly, and to put contingencies in worked closely with agencies on the ground to develop place to respond to successive waves of displacements, a flexible plan to make best use of the contribution and which peaked at nearly 3 million people by June 2015. ensure that urgent needs were addressed. The size of the grant has permitted a wide spectrum of At the time, the Saudi Humanitarian Fund for Iraq was life-saving humanitarian assistance to be delivered. Food the first major injection of resources commensurate aid has reached nearly 2 million internally displaced to the scale of relief requirements in the country. It persons (IDPs). Health services have been provided represented more than 60 per cent of humanitarian to 3 million people. Schools have been rehabilitated ➟ ➟ ➟ ➟ ➟ ➟ ➟ WFP WHO UNOPS UNICEF FAO UNHCR UNFPA provided food reached provided access provided access to distributed wheat provided reached more than assistance 3 million IDPs to electricity safe drinking water, seed to more than registration 752,000 women to more than with emergency and lighting to sanitation and 181,000 and services to and girls with 1.9 million health services. 680,000 IDPs. hygiene facilities vulnerable 2.3 million IDPs. psychosocial people in all 18 to more than farmers whose support and Iraqi governorates. 2 million people. harvest exceeded reproductive 50,000 metric health services. tonnes and a value of US$30 million. 3 SAUDI Humanitarian FUND FOR IRAQ and temporary learning spaces constructed, allowing Government counterparts at the federal, governorate 250,000 children to continue their education. Hundreds and local level who have provided countless hours of thousands of farmers have received agricultural inputs of technical, operational and logistical leadership. to allow them to feed themselves, their families and Furthermore, the life-saving work of dozens of national their communities. Shelter and basic services have been and international NGO partners, who in some cases provided to more than 2 million IDPs living in camp and have benefited from better knowledge of and access non-camp settings. Hundreds of thousands of people to hard-to-reach areas, has ensured that assistance has have received life-saving supplies including blankets, reached the most vulnerable people in every part of the clothing and basic hygiene items. Emergency cash country. Some $87 million was disbursed to 98 NGO assistance has been disbursed to tens of thousands of partners, with $47 million going to 68 national NGOs displaced vulnerable people, and emergency livelihoods and $40 million to 30 international NGOs. An additional support has kept many Iraqi displaced people and host $1 million was provided to organizations of the Red communities from falling into destitution. Cross/Red Crescent. There are approximately 7 million direct beneficiaries Iraq continues to experience increasing violence and of the Saudi Fund in all, including IDPs and host com- displacement, with more than 3 million people forced munities, with many millions more benefiting indirect- to leave their homes since the conflict began in January ly from the relief programmes. From schoolchildren to 2014. Despite the impact of the Saudi Humanitarian pregnant women, mothers caring for their families, and Fund for Iraq, the UN estimates that more than 8.6 men and boys traumatized by the violence, every facet million people require immediate humanitarian support. of society in every corner
Recommended publications
  • Possibilities of Restoring the Iraqi Marshes Known As the Garden of Eden
    Water and Climate Change in the MENA-Region Adaptation, Mitigation,and Best Practices International Conference April 28-29, 2011 in Berlin, Germany POSSIBILITIES OF RESTORING THE IRAQI MARSHES KNOWN AS THE GARDEN OF EDEN N. Al-Ansari and S. Knutsson Dept. Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, Lulea University, Sweden Abstract The Iraqi marsh lands, which are known as the Garden of Eden, cover an area about 15000- 20000 sq. km in the lower part of the Mesopotamian basin where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow. The marshes lie on a gently sloping plan which causes the two rivers to meander and split in branches forming the marshes and lakes. The marshes had developed after series of transgression and regression of the Gulf sea water. The marshes lie on the thick fluvial sediments carried by the rivers in the area. The area had played a prominent part in the history of man kind and was inhabited since the dawn of civilization by the Summarian more than 6000 BP. The area was considered among the largest wetlands in the world and the greatest in west Asia where it supports a diverse range of flora and fauna and human population of more than 500000 persons and is a major stopping point for migratory birds. The area was inhabited since the dawn of civilization by the Sumerians about 6000 years BP. It had been estimated that 60% of the fish consumed in Iraq comes from the marshes. In addition oil reserves had been discovered in and near the marshlands. The climate of the area is considered continental to subtropical.
    [Show full text]
  • BASRA : ITS HISTORY, CULTURE and HERITAGE Basra Its History, Culture and Heritage
    BASRA : ITS HISTORY, CULTURE AND HERITAGE CULTURE : ITS HISTORY, BASRA ITS HISTORY, CULTURE AND HERITAGE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE BASRAH MUSEUM, SEPTEMBER 28–29, 2016 Edited by Paul Collins Edited by Paul Collins BASRA ITS HISTORY, CULTURE AND HERITAGE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE BASRAH MUSEUM, SEPTEMBER 28–29, 2016 Edited by Paul Collins © BRITISH INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF IRAQ 2019 ISBN 978-0-903472-36-4 Typeset and printed in the United Kingdom by Henry Ling Limited, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, DT1 1HD CONTENTS Figures...................................................................................................................................v Contributors ........................................................................................................................vii Introduction ELEANOR ROBSON .......................................................................................................1 The Mesopotamian Marshlands (Al-Ahwār) in the Past and Today FRANCO D’AGOSTINO AND LICIA ROMANO ...................................................................7 From Basra to Cambridge and Back NAWRAST SABAH AND KELCY DAVENPORT ..................................................................13 A Reserve of Freedom: Remarks on the Time Visualisation for the Historical Maps ALEXEI JANKOWSKI ...................................................................................................19 The Pallakottas Canal, the Sealand, and Alexander STEPHANIE
    [Show full text]
  • Abu Tbeirah, Nasiriyah (Southern Iraq)
    ABU TBEIRAH, NASIRIYAH (SOUTHERN IRAQ). PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE 2013 EXCAVATION CAMPAIGN Franco D’Agostino – Licia Romano – Ali Kadhem Ghanim1 (Sapienza Università di Roma- Soprintendenza di Ur-Iraq) ABSTRACT In this paper the results of the third excavation campaign in Fall 2013 at Abu Tbeirah, Nasiriyah (Southern Iraq), a site whose remains can be chronologically ascribed so far to the second half of 3rd Millennium BC, are presented. The archeological activities in the South-Eastern and North-Eastern sectors of the tell are shown, with the aim of shedding a new light on the life of a big Sumerian city located only 16 km East from the great ancient site of Ur. RIASSUNTO In questo lavoro sono presentati i risultati della terza campagna di scavo dell’autunno 2013 ad Abu Tbeirah, Nasiriyah (Iraq meridionale), un sito i cui ritrovamenti possono essere attribuiti cronologicamente alla seconda metà del 3 ° millennio a.C. Sono presentate le attività archeologiche nel settore sud-orientale e nord- orientale del tell, che possono gettare una nuova luce sulla vita di una grande città sumera situata a soli 16 km a est del grande sito di Ur (Tell al-Muqayyar). KEYWORDS Southern Iraq, Southern Mesopotamia, Abu Tbeirah, Early Dynastic, Akkad. PAROLE CHIAVE Iraq meridionale, Mesopotamia meridionale, Abu Tbeirah, Proto-dinastico, Accadico. 0. Foreword Since five years now we are active, with our archaeological mission at Abu Tbeirah, in southern Iraq, in an area that has not seen for many decades archaeological and scientific activities; we proudly recall here that we were the first to come back and resume these activities in the south after the fall of the former regime.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq and the Kurds: Resolving the Kirkuk Crisis
    IRAQ AND THE KURDS: RESOLVING THE KIRKUK CRISIS Middle East Report N°64 – 19 April 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION: GROWING TENSIONS............................................................... 1 II. A TRAINWRECK IN THE MAKING.......................................................................... 2 A. NORMALISATION ...................................................................................................................2 B. THE ARTICLE 140 COMMITTEE ..............................................................................................4 C. THE ILL-CONSIDERED PUSH FOR A REFERENDUM IN 2007.......................................................7 D. FALL-OUT FROM FAILURE......................................................................................................9 III. THE NEED FOR A PROCESS.................................................................................... 11 IV. THE PATH TO A SETTLEMENT ............................................................................. 15 A. THE UNITED STATES AND TURKEY ......................................................................................15 B. OUTLINES OF A GLOBAL SOLUTION......................................................................................17 V. CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................. 19 APPENDICES A. MAP OF IRAQ ......................................................................................................................21
    [Show full text]
  • The Mesopotamian Wetlands
    3 UNEP/DEWA/TR.01-3 The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem Concerted action by Tigris-Euphrates basin countries is urgently required to protect the last vestige of the Mesopotamian marshlands. Landsat 7 true colour image (Bands 7, 4 and 2) of the remaining northeastern section of Hawr Al Hawizeh/Hawr Al Azim marshes straddling the Iran-Iraq border taken on 14 April 2001. www.unep.org and Assessment Report Warning Early United Nations Environment Programme P.O. Box 30552 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: (254 2) 621234 Fax: (254 2) 623927 E-mail: [email protected] web: www.unep.org The Mesopotamian Marshlands: Demise of an Ecosystem ‘Ever the river has risen and brought us the flood, the mayfly floating on the water. On the face of the sun its countenance gazes, then all of a sudden nothing is there’. – ‘He who saw the Deep’, (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 1,200 B.C.) UNEP DEWA/GRID-Geneva in cooperation with GRID-Sioux Falls and the Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) This report was prepared by Hassan Partow with overall supervision by Ron Witt, and the valuable support of Gene Fosnight and Ashbindu Singh. Cartographic production was carried out by Dominique Del Pietro. i ISBN: 92-807-2069-4 To obtain copies of this publication, please contact: UNEP/DEWA/GRID – Geneva UNEP/DEWA/GRID – Sioux Falls International Environment House USGS EROS Data Center 11 Chemin des Anémones 47914 252nd Street CH-1219 Châtelaine Sioux Falls, SD 47198-001 USA Geneva, Switzerland Tel: 1-605-594-6117 Fax: 1-605-594-6119 Tel: +41-22 9178294/95 Fax: +41-22 9178029 E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] The full report is available online at: http://www.grid.unep.ch/activities/sustainable/tigris/marshlands/ For bibliographic and reference purposes this publication should be cited as: UNEP (2001).
    [Show full text]
  • The Cultural Heritage of Iraq After the 2Nd Gulf War (1)
    The Cultural Heritage of Iraq after the 2nd Gulf War (1) John Curtis (*) Abstract: * British Museum Keeper Curator This paper conducts a review of the situation in which currently Iraq’s archaeological heritage finds itself, following Department Middle East the military intervention carried out by United States and its allies in Iraq, which has had a tremendous impact not [email protected] only on archaeological sites but also on cultural centers and museums Institutions in Baghdad and Mosul. Resumen: En este trabajo se lleva a cabo una revisión de la situación en la que se encuentra actualmente el patrimonio arqueo- lógico iraquí tras la intervención militar llevada a cabo por Estados Unidos y sus aliados en Iraq, que ha afectado de manera importante no sólo a sus yacimientos arqueológicos sino también a los centros culturales y a las instituciones museísticas de Bagdad y Mosul. 75 MARQ. ARQUEOLOGÍA INTRODUCCIÓN Mesopotamia, modern Iraq, has often, quite rightly, been called the cradle of civilization. Here, from about 8000 BC onwards, in the rich alluvial plain created by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, we find evidence for settled communities that are dependent on farming rather than hunting and gathering. After 3000 BC we see the formation of the first cities, the introduction of complex economies, and the invention of writing. In the south part of Mesopotamia, Sumerian civilization flourished in the 3rd millennium BC at cities such as Warka and Ur. In the 2nd millennium BC, the Sumerians were replaced in central Mesopotamia by the Babylonians, whose capital was at Babylon and whose best-known king was Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC), famous for his law code.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of the Effluents of Basra City Main Water Treatment Plants
    Article Assessment of the Effluents of Basra City Main Water Treatment Plants for Drinking and Irrigation Purposes Suhad Almuktar 1,2,3, Ahmed Naseh Ahmed Hamdan 4 and Miklas Scholz 2,3,5,* 1 Department of Architectural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The University of Basra, Al Basra 61004, Iraq; [email protected] 2 Division of Water Resources Engineering, Department of Building and Environmental Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, P.O. Box 118, 221 00 Lund, Sweden 3 Civil Engineering Research Group, School of Science, Engineering and Environment, The University of Salford, Newton Building, Salford M5 4WT, UK 4 Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Basra, Al Basra 61004, Iraq; [email protected] 5 Department of Civil Engineering Science, School of Civil Engineering and the Built Environment, University of Johannesburg, Kingsway Campus, PO Box 524, Aukland Park, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +46-(0)462228920; Fax: +46-(0)462224435 Received: 22 August 2020; Accepted: 25 November 2020; Published: 27 November 2020 Abstract: A severe water scarcity challenge is facing Iraq, which is predominantly due to the absence of water management policies, negatively impacting the water quantity and quality provision from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Moreover, these practices have led to the intrusion of the Arabian Gulf salinity wedge into the Shatt Al-Arab River (SAR), which is the main water source for most water treatment plants (WTPs) in Basra city. In addition, the inadequate management and operation for most WTPs is another reason for the deterioration of water quality provided to Basra province.
    [Show full text]
  • Basra's High Hope: an American Missionary School in Iraq During the World War Era Israa Alhassani James Madison University
    James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2014 Basra's high hope: An American missionary school in Iraq during the World War Era Israa Alhassani James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Alhassani, Israa, "Basra's high hope: An American missionary school in Iraq during the World War Era" (2014). Masters Theses. 129. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/129 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Basra’s High Hope: An American Missionary School in Iraq during the World War Era Israa Alhassani A thesis project submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the degree of Master of Arts Department of History May 2014 To my father who filled our home with history books. To my mother who taught me the power of words. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My gratitude goes to Dr. T.J Fitzgerald who guided me throughout this process and kept my focus on the main thesis of this study. I am grateful to my respected readers Dr. Owusu-Ansah and Dr. Christian Davis who recognized my contribution, and with their suggestions and criticisms, improved and strengthened my argument. My thanks go to Dr. Michael Galgano for opening a window for me and Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq Governorates and Districts
    102 ANBAR (01) KERBALA (12) SULAYMANIYAH (05) Dahuk 58 Iraq Governorates 02 Abu Ghraib 04 Ain Al-Tamur 65 Chamchamal 96 69 83 13 Falluja 23 Al-Hindiya 68 Darbandihkan Dahuk¥«¬ 94 24 Al-Ka'im 76 Kerbala 70 Dokan 53 05 and Districts 25 Kadhimiya 73 Halabja 98 100 66 45 Ramadi 75 Kalar 89 MISSAN (14) ¥«¬ 48 Al-Rutba 84 Penjwin 93 Mosul 17 Erbi¥«¬l 87 85 59 Ana 07 Amara 85 Pshdar 38 Erbil 72 Haditha 26 Al-Kahla 87 Rania 71 34 Al-Maimouna 80 74 Heet 90 Sharbazher 70 90 08 36 Al-Mejar Al-Kabi 81 84 95 Sulaymaniya 82 Sulaymaniyah 11 BABYLON (06) 57 Ali Al-Gharbi Ninewa Kirkuk ¥«¬ 15 86 Qal'at Saleh 08 79 ¥«¬ 95 05 (BABIL) 20 54 Sulaymaniyah 13 19 Hashimiya Tameem TAMEEM (13) 65 68 73 18 22 Hilla MUTHANNA (03) 21 Al-Hawiga 21 67 31 Al-Mada'in 28 Al-Khidhir 67 Daquq 10 32 Al-Mahawil 47 Al-Rumaitha 75 07 79 Kirkuk 62 99 101 33 Mahmudiya 49 Al-Salman 81 Makhmur 01 12 06 16 40 Al-Musayab 50 Al-Samawa 04 Salah al-Din 78 14 59 11 09 BAGHDAD (07) NAJAF (17) 72 Samarra¥«¬ 17 24 77 02 06 Adhamiya 29 Kufa 88 27 03 35 Al-Manathera 39 01 - Anbar 63 02 - Basrah BASRAH (02) 42 Najaf Ba`aqubah ¥«¬ 03 - Muthanna 01 Abu Al-Khaseeb 74 60 09 Basrah Ramadi 15 Diyala 04 - Qadissiya 10 - Diyala NINEWA (15) 14 Fao ¥«¬ 25 05 - Sulaymaniyah 11 - Erbil 05 Akre 06¥«¬ 64 06 - Babylon 12 - Kerbala 37 Al-Midaina 45 02 Baghdad 08 Al-Ba'aj 07 - Baghdad 13 - Tameen 44 Al-Qurna 31 17 Al-Hamdaniya 33 08 - Dahuk 14 - Missan 56 Al-Zubair 13 20 Hatra 61 09 - Thi-Qar 15 - Ninewa 91 Shatt Al-Arab 55 38 Mosul 40 32 16 - Wassit 53 Al-Shikhan Anbar Kerbala ¥«¬ Babylon Wass¥«¬it 17 - Najaf
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq – Nasiriyah – Returnees – Security Situation – Insurgents – Citizenship – Property – Polygamy
    Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: IRQ17405 Country: Iraq Date: 28 June 2005 Keywords: Iraq – Nasiriyah – Returnees – Security situation – Insurgents – Citizenship – Property – Polygamy This response was prepared by the Country Research Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Questions 1. What is the racial, tribal and religious demography of Nasiriyah? 2. How are returnees from the West, particularly in Nasiriyah, treated? Are they viewed as collaborators or targeted for their wealth? 3. How are returnees from Iran treated, with particular reference to Nasiriyah? 4. What is the process for returnees regaining their citizenship? 5. What is the process for returnees regaining their property? 6. What is the current security situation in Nasiriyah with particular reference to extremists such as Zarqawi? 7. Who are the insurgents targeting? 8. Please provide information on the extent of polygamous marriages amongst Shias in Iraq and Iraqi communities in Iran. 9. Please provide information on Abdul Hassan Al Draib, a senior member of the Baath party. RESPONSE 1. What is the racial, tribal and religious demography of Nasiriyah? Nasiriyah (also known as Nasiriyyah, Nasiriyya, Nassiriyyah, Nassiriyya, Nassiriyah, Nassiriya, Nasiriya, Nasseriya, Nasiriah, Nasariyah and Nasariya) is the capital city of Dhi Qar (also known as Thi Qar and Theqar) province. Both are marked on the attached map (US Central Intelligence Agency 2004, ‘Iraq Political Map’, Perry-Castañeda Library, University of Texas website http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/iraq_pol_2004.pdf – Accessed 6 June 2005 – Attachment 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Backgrounder #27 Recent Operations Against Special Groups and JAM in Central and Southern Iraq Farook Ahmed and Marisa Cochrane
    Backgrounder #27 Recent Operations against Special Groups and JAM in Central and Southern Iraq Farook Ahmed and Marisa Cochrane, Researchers, Institute for the Study of War Introduction On Tuesday March 25, 2008, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) launched a security offensive to restore stability and law in Basra province by wresting control of the city from illegal Shi’a militias and criminal groups. Basra had become a haven for militia and criminal activity, especially in the wake of the British withdrawal from the city center in December 2007. Rival Shi’a militias, including Muqtada al-Sadr’s Jaysh al-Mahdi (JAM) militia, have since been engaged in a violent and protracted power struggle;1 and drugs, weapons, and oil smuggling rings have also thrived. While the Iraqi Security Forces had been planning a multi-phased operation in Basra, for reasons not yet known, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki launched the offensive much earlier than many Coalition and Iraqi commanders had expected and before many of the ISF reinforcements had even arrived.2 In the days that followed, as Iraqi Army and Police units sought to oust Jaysh al-Mahdi militias from many of their strongholds in Basra, gunfights and violent clashes broke out across the city. At that time, it became clear that the Mahdi Army—with the help of Iranian-trained, funded, and armed cells known as Special Groups—was deeply entrenched in many neighborhoods of Basra.3 The Iraqi Security Forces faced much tougher resistance than Maliki had expected. As clashes between JAM gunmen and government forces continued, Iraqi reinforcements, Coalition air assets, and even U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The US Army and the Battle for Baghdad: Lessons Learned
    C O R P O R A T I O N The U.S. Army and the Battle for Baghdad Lessons Learned—And Still to Be Learned David E. Johnson, Agnes Gereben Schaefer, Brenna Allen, Raphael S. Cohen, Gian Gentile, James Hoobler, Michael Schwille, Jerry M. Sollinger, Sean M. Zeigler For more information on this publication, visit www.rand.org/t/RR3076 Library of Congress Control Number: 2019940985 ISBN: 978-0-8330-9601-2 Published by the RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, Calif. © Copyright 2019 RAND Corporation R® is a registered trademark. Limited Print and Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited. Permission is given to duplicate this document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions. The RAND Corporation is a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan, and committed to the public interest. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Support RAND Make a tax-deductible charitable contribution at www.rand.org/giving/contribute www.rand.org Preface This report documents research and analysis conducted as part of a project entitled Lessons Learned from 13 Years of Conflict: The Battle for Baghdad, 2003–2008, spon- sored by the Office of Quadrennial Defense Review, U.S.
    [Show full text]