Four cities keep appearing in conflict news, each tied to a different country. Exams mix them up on purpose.
✊ Must Know
The Four Cities, Correctly Matched
- Aleppo Aleppo is in Syria. It was a major battleground in the Syrian civil war.
- Kirkuk Kirkuk is in Iraq, not Yemen. It sits in a disputed, oil-rich region contested by Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Two More Frequently Confused
- Mosul Mosul is in Iraq, not Palestine. It was the site of a major campaign against ISIS in 2016-17.
- Mazar-i-Sharif Mazar-i-Sharif is correctly matched to Afghanistan. It is the country’s fourth-largest city.
💡 Good to Know
Why Kirkuk Matters
- Dispute Kirkuk is claimed by both the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government.
- Resources Its oil reserves make the dispute over its control especially high-stakes.
Why Mosul Matters
- ISIS campaign Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, recaptured Mosul from ISIS in a nine-month campaign ending July 2017.
Test Yourself
🌟 Great to Know
The Trap Pattern
- Watch for Two of the four pairs here are deliberately wrong. Kirkuk is not Yemen, and Mosul is not Palestine.
- Same Format For other “match the region to the news story” traps, see IntlRel0133 — Regions in the News and IntlRel0145 — Conflict Regions in the News.
📝 Previous Year Questions
UPSC CSP 2018 — Matching Conflict Cities to Countries
- UPSC 2018 The correct answer is (b) 1 and 4. Aleppo-Syria and Mazar-i-Sharif-Afghanistan are correctly matched. Kirkuk is in Iraq, not Yemen. Mosul is in Iraq, not Palestine. See UPSC CSP 2018 GS Paper I, Q37.
Beyond the answer
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📚 Keep reading
UPSC CSP 2018 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)UPSC CSP 2016 — General Studies Paper I (Full Question Paper)IntlRel0145 — Conflict Regions in the News: North Kivu, Nagorno-Karabakh, KhersonIntlRel0133 — Regions in the News: Catalonia, Crimea, Mindanao, OromiaUPSC CDS (I) 2021 — English (Full Question Paper)❓ Practice this topic
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