Iraqi vendors diversify supplies in response to Syria, Anbar conflicts
Military operations launched in the Anbar province, located along the Syrian border, have disrupted the import of goods from Syria, leading Iraqi vendors to turn to other states to import goods.
Some of the shops in Jamila, a district in eastern Baghdad that is known for food wholesalers, are empty of goods, after nearly two months have passed since the Iraqi army launched military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in the Anbar province in western Iraq.
The majority of these shops depend on goods coming overland through Syria. The armed conflict raging in Syria, which intensified in late 2012, affected the flow of goods. However, things had been going well, although goods would sometimes take more than a week to arrive whenever the conflict worsened in Syria.
Yet, the ongoing military operations in Anbar have completely disrupted the import process. This is because goods carrying vehicles coming from Syria can no longer pass through the international border linking the two countries, which is seen as another scene of Anbar's military operations.
According to Ahmed Ugaili, the owner of the Akhawein pickle shop, "Pickle shops depend on Syrian products in an essential way. Since the outbreak of the Anbar crisis, products are no longer delivered to our shops."
