Iraq postpones the disarmament of the factions until 2027, Gaza warns of the collapse of buildings, and Syria signs a road maintenance contract with a Kuwaiti company.
Quick Look
- Iraq announced the postponement of its plan to disarm the armed factions until mid-2027, after the original date was the end of this month, while officials in Gaza warned of the collapse of about two thousand inhabited buildings due to the damage they sustained during the war.
- The Syrian General Corporation for Road Transport signed a contract with the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) to maintain the 100-kilometre-long Damascus-Nasib Highway, worth $46 million, for 13 months.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Iraq's postponement of the plan to disarm the factions comes under internal and external pressure, while Gaza faces increasing humanitarian risks due to damage to infrastructure during the war, and Syria seeks to improve its vital roads to boost trade and transportation with neighboring countries.
Iraq postponed its plan to disarm the factions until mid-2027, after its date was set for the end of this month.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced a plan to integrate the factions’ elements, “starting with a 90-day phase that guarantees a cessation of their attacks in exchange for not being subjected to American strikes.”
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he “agreed with Al-Zaidi to dismantle the militias and stop their attacks,” according to a statement issued after their meeting in New York.
US envoy Tom Barrack spoke of an Iraqi pledge that “by the end of June 2027, the state will be the only party that possesses military power.”
Officials in Gaza estimate the number of inhabited buildings in the Strip at risk of collapse at about two thousand. However, residents and officials acknowledge that there is no alternative to protect them from threats of the roofs sheltering them falling.
Eyewitnesses and those affected by the collapse of the “Al-Saada” building in Gaza City a week ago spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about potential dangers with the approach of winter and rain, which may accelerate the collapse of other buildings destroyed by the Israeli war on the Strip.
On Tuesday, the Syrian General Corporation for Road Transport signed a contract with the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company (CGC) for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the Damascus-Nasib Highway (Jordanian border), at the Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus.
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of the Minister of Transport, Yaarub Badr, the Governor of Daraa, Anwar Al-Zoubi, and representatives of the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company, according to Al-Ekhbariya correspondent.
Director of the General Corporation for Road Transport, Moaz Najjar, said that the rehabilitation of the highway represents an important step to develop the road network and raise the efficiency of the infrastructure, noting that the project would improve the flow of transport and trade.
Najjar explained that the Nassib-Damascus Highway is a vital hub for transportation, freight and connectivity between Syria and neighboring countries, expressing his aspiration that the project will constitute a model of cooperation and investment in infrastructure projects.
For his part, the representative of the Kuwaiti Combined Group Contracting Company, Jibril Jaber, confirmed that the company will carry out maintenance and rehabilitation work in accordance with approved quality standards and specifications.
In a special statement to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, the head of the Roads and Transport Committee of the Engineers Syndicate, Damascus branch, Muhannad Muhammad Alfa, stated that the value of the contract is estimated at $46 million to rehabilitate and maintain the road over a distance of 100 kilometers, for a period of up to 13 months.
The works include rehabilitating the asphalt layer, lighting, treating all defects in the paving layers, road planning, placing warning signs and indications, and all measures and procedures with the aim of raising the level of the road, enhancing traffic safety and reducing accidents. Alpha noted that the project contributes to reviving international transit traffic and facilitating the flow of goods and travelers with a number of neighboring countries, and to the Gulf states and Egypt.
Last August, the General Corporation for Road Transport announced the start of road rehabilitation procedures. The project includes the rehabilitation of a section approximately 100 kilometers long, with works related to asphalt layers, traffic safety, signals and lighting.
Last April, the Kuwait Joint Contracting Group (CGC) carried out survey and evaluation work on the road in both directions, using laser technologies and high-resolution cameras to produce three-dimensional models of the road surface, allowing the various defects to be accurately identified.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The implementation of the 90-day phase to integrate faction elements in Iraq will begin soon, with America monitoring its commitment to stopping the attacks.
Likely · Within weeks
The maintenance of the Damascus-Nasib Highway will be completed within 13 months, which will improve the movement of transport and trade between Syria and neighboring countries.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What are the specific mechanisms to ensure the factions' commitment to stop attacks during the 90-day period?
- How will the Damascus-Nasib Highway maintenance project be financed, and what are the guarantees provided by the Kuwaiti company?
- What alternative plans are available to Gazans who are threatened by the collapse of their buildings as winter approaches?
