US Secretary of State warns of potential instability in Iraq due to violence in the country and an ongoing conflict in Syria; Syrian refugees poured into the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq
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    • According to reports, US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned of potential instability in Iraq due to a convergence of persistent violence at home and an ongoing conflict in neighbouring Syria. Kerry told that Iraq sits at the intersection of regional currents of increasingly turbulent, violent and unpredictable actions. Deadly attacks are continuing unabated in Iraq after the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq reported the killings of more than 1,000 Iraqis in acts of terrorism and violence in July, the deadliest month in more than five years. Kerry mentioned that a horrific series of assaults in Iraq launched by Al Qaeda, including the recent attacks that killed 74 people during the Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Noting that many Al Qaeda leaders are operating in Syria, he called for all parties to work together toward a diplomatic settlement to the Syrian crisis. He raised again the issue of weapons flowing from Syria into Iraq and vice versa, warning "it's a two-way street and it's a dangerous street." 1

    In another development, according to reports, the United Nations said on August 15 that thousands of Syrian refugees poured into the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq on Thursday, taking advantage of a new bridge along the largely closed border. Between 5,000 and 7,000 refugees followed a first group of some 750 people who crossed the Pontoon bridge at Peshkhabour over the Tigris River, and more buses were seen dropping off families on the Syrian side. Adrian Edwards, spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told “Thousands of Syrians crossed into northern Iraq yesterday (August 15) in a sudden, massive movement.” There are already more than 150,000 Syrian refugees registered in Iraq, according to the UNHCR which has urged all neighbouring countries to keep open their borders to Syrians needing international protection. The border between Syria and Iraq has been largely closed since authorities of the Kurdish regional government shut the crossing on May 19, apart from a single formal crossing point at Al Wahid in Anbar province. 2

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