GAZA’S ECONOMY SUFFERS AS EGYPT DESTROYS TUNNELS
In the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, prices are rising, employees are being laid off, salaries are going unpaid, and markets are unusually quiet as the Egyptian regime has been destroying tunnels under the border with Palestinian territory. The destruction of some 800 tunnels has crippled the supply of cheap Egyptian fuel, exacerbated power cuts, and made basic food unusually expensive. Gaza officials report that $450 million was lost to the local economy between mid-June and the end of August because of the tunnel closures. More than a quarter million jobs have been lost and the building boom has been reversed. The Hamas government is also feeling the pressure as it has lost almost all of its revenue from the taxes on the goods brought through the tunnels. (The Guardian October 14, 2013)
42 EXECUTED IN IRAQ FOR MASS KILLINGS AND “TERRORISM”
This week Iraq executed 42 people for mass killings and other "terrorism" related offenses. A surge in sectarian violence preceded the executions, which raised protests from the United Nations and Amnesty International, who have both urged Baghdad to immediately suspend the death penalty. The 42 people hanged amount to nearly a third of all the people executed in 2012. Over 6,000 people have been killed in violent attacks this year and the Sunni Islamist insurgency, which is led by al-Qaeda's Iraq franchise, is seen believed to be on the ascendancy. (The Washington Post October 10, 2013)
SAUDI ARABIA AND UAE TO SEEK $11B IN U.S. ARMS
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are seeking $10.8 billion in advanced U. S.-made missiles and other weapons systems. Notifications posted on a Pentagon website claim Saudi Arabia is seeking to purchase $6.8 billion in missiles, bombs, launch systems, and other ordinance and the UAE is pursuing approval for a similar set estimated at $4 billion. The announcement comes as Western-allied Gulf states seek to counter military strides made by regional-rival Iran. (The Washington Post October 16, 2013)
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR UPDATE
New reports suggest the al-Qaeda-linked groups who have flooded into Syria to fight the regime of President Bashar Assad have virtually secured control over northern Syria. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in particular has gained ground at the expense of the more secular opposition fighting under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) banner. Towns in the north now under ISIS control fly the flag of al Qaeda, carry out public executions, and have banned alcohol and tobacco.
The developments are particularly troubling to Turkey, which straddles Syria’s northern border, and has been supportive of the opposition of Bashar al Assad but of late has grown concerned about the rise of fanatical Islamists within the opposition. Turkey has reportedly begun construction of a 6-foot high wall along the Syrian border.
Meanwhile, fighting between Islamist groups like ISIS and the Kurds of northern Syria has intensified. This week at least 41 fighters were killed in clashes between the Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG) and radical groups like ISIS and the Al-Nusra Front. While both the Kurds and the Sunni Islamists oppose the Assad government, they have engaged in fierce battles for resources and territory in “liberated” parts of Syria. Finally, in yet another indication that the Assad regime is far from toppling, Syrian troops have recaptured the town Bweida, south of Damascus, reportedly with the assistance of Shi’ite militias from both Lebanon and Iraq. (Fox News October 15, 2013, The Daily StarOctober 16, 2013, France 24 October 16, 2013)