Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

Iraq. In 2012, the Government of Iraq was aware of the extent of terrorist activities occurring in
its territory, and Iraqi leaders and security forces expended considerable effort to counter terrorist
groups and deny terrorists safe havens. While the level of counterterrorism pressure exerted by
security forces varied by region, overall the central government took strong action to eliminate
terrorist safe havens, maintained strong counterterrorism cooperation with the United States, and
made progress in preventing the proliferation and trafficking of weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) both within and across its borders.
Lax border enforcement by the Kurdistan Regional Government, tensions between the central
government and Kurdish security forces, and the ongoing crisis in Syria, however, increased the
likelihood that al-Qa’ida in Iraq and its Syria-based front group, al-Nusrah Front, could
successfully smuggle WMD, conventional weapons, and operatives across the Kurdish areas of
the border into Iraq from Syria.
The Iraqi government made progress in preventing the proliferation and trafficking of WMD. In
February 2012, the Government of Iraq passed the Nonproliferation Act, which will serve as the
basis to further develop its legal infrastructure to control strategic goods through implementing
regulations. The Iraqi government also committed to adopting the EU control list. Furthermore,
Iraq has established a radioactive source regulatory infrastructure, the Iraq Radioactive Source
Regulatory Authority.
The United States continued to work with Iraq to build Iraqi government capacity to secure
potentially dangerous biological and chemical materials and infrastructure housed at Iraqi
facilities, while also productively engaging Iraqi scientists and engineers that have WMD or
WMD-applicable expertise in peaceful, civilian science.
Lebanon. The Lebanese government does not exercise complete control over all regions in the
country or its borders with Syria and Israel. Hizballah militias controlled access to parts of the
country, limiting access by Lebanon’s security services, including the police and army, which
allowed terrorists to operate in these areas with relative impunity. Palestinian refugee camps
were also used as safe havens by Palestinian armed groups and were used to house weapons and
shelter wanted criminals.
The Lebanese security services conducted frequent operations to eliminate Palestinian violent
extremist safe havens and to capture terrorists. They did not target or arrest Hizballah members;
although in August, the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch arrested a political ally of
Hizballah, former government minister Michel Samaha, on suspicion that he was involved in a
plot to carry out terrorist attacks in north Lebanon on orders from Syrian officials. The Lebanese
Armed Forces and Internal Security Force continued to participate in U.S. counterterrorism
training programs and improved their ability to conduct successful operations.
Lebanon is not a source country for weapons of mass destruction components, but the primary
concern is that Lebanon’s porous borders will make the country vulnerable for use as a transit
and transshipment hub for proliferation-sensitive transfers. The conflict in Syria increases the
risk of illicit transfers of items of proliferation concern across the Lebanese border. The United
States conducted technical exchanges focusing on drafting comprehensive strategic trade control
legislation and adopting and implementing a control list for strategic goods. On border security,
207