18 July 2013

UN envoy says battlefields in Syria and Iraq are merging

The UNSG Special Representative for Iraq Martin Kobler warned the Security Council on Tuesday that the escalating violence in Iraq and the civil war in Syria are inseparable, as the battlefields of the neighbouring states are merging.

According to Kobler, the Syrian conflict is spilling over into Iraq and Iraqi armed groups are now reportedly taking arms against each other inside Syria. Kobler stated that the increasing violence during the past five months in the Shiite majority Iraq is attributable to the perceived marginalization by Sunnis in the region and Iraqis seeking to go fight in Syria. He stressed the need for urgent action to prevent violence in both countries from spiralling out of control.

Source: The Washington Post | UN envoy warns that battlefields in Iraq and Syria are merging