Wars
and Conflicts of 2013
Rebels
fighting in the Syrian Civil War, 2013
Wars
and Conflicts of 2013
This page
lists major wars and conflicts of the year 2013, many of
which are carry-over conflicts from 2012 wars and
earlier. Many of these conflicts continued on and were
active in 2016.
Afghan
Civil War
(1978-Present)-This war, which is merely the latest
in constant fighting between various Afghan factions, has
been ongoing since the communist coup of 1978 and the
subsequent Soviet invasion to support that new communist
government. Following the fall of the communists, other
factions continued to fight for control, until finally, a
new rebel force, called the Taliban, swept into power
after a swift military offensive. Resistance against the
Taliban continued, with the Northern Alliance being the
main surviving anti-Taliban force. After the 9/11 Terror
attacks on America, the U.S. and other Western allies
entered the fray, swept the Taliban from power, and set
up a more-or-less consensual government in Kabul. The
current stage of this civil war features the Taliban,
with allies such as the Haqqani network and others,
pitted against the Kabul governement of Hamid Karzai and
his increasingly reluctant U.S. and NATO
allies.
Boko Haram
Insurgency in Nigeria (2009-Present)--The Islamic
fundamentalist group Boko Haram is waging a war against
the Nigerian government and against the Christian
community in Nigeria.
Central
African Republic War-(2012-present)-Rebels seized
several major cities and towns as they advanced on the
capital city of Bangui in December, 2012. Neighboring
Chad sent around 2,000 troops to aid the CAR government.
After only three weeks of fighting, by December 30, the
rebels contolled about one-third of the country, and were
in place to assault Bangui. Also in late December, France
sent more troops to augment the forces they already had
in the country. France had publicly stated that they
would not intervene to save the government from the
rebels, but were only interested in protecting French
citizens.
Chechen
War
(1999-Present)--Chechen rebels continue to battle
against the Russian government in the Russian Caucasus
region.
Congo
War (1998-Present)--Beginning
in 1998, Congo (Kinshasa), has been wracked with civil
war, rebellions, presidential assassinations, and foreign
interventions and invasions. The latest fighting in the
eastern part of Congo involves a rebel group known as
The March 23 Movement, better know as M23,
led by Bosco Ntaganda, and covertly supported by Uganda
and Rwanda. The United Nations is also involved, trying
to aid the Kinshasa government.
Iraqi
Insurgency (Post-U.S.
Withdrawal-2012-Present)-Despite the withdrawal of U.S.
troops in December, 2011, the anti-government insurgency
in Iraq continues, with thousands of casualties in 2012.
In addition to this insurgency, tensions between the
largely autonomous Kurdish north and the Baghdad
governement have escalated through 2012, along with
increased bloodshed between the Sunni and Shi'ite Arab
communities.
Kurdish War
in Turkey (1984-Present)--The Kurdish ethnic minority
in eastern Turkey has long sought autonomy (and in some
cases, outright independence), and the PKK guerrilla
force has stepped up its war againt the Turkish
government in 2012, and the Turkish military has
conducted several large-scale offensives against the
Kurds.
Lord's
Resistance Army
Insugency
(1987-Present)--Another example of a long-running
conflict that morphs from one war and one opponent into
something quite different from the original conflict.
This war began as a quasi-religious uprising against the
government of Uganda in the 1980s, and is now a
multi-nation hunt for warlord Joseph Kony and his
remaining small number of guerrillas. He and his "Lord's
Resistance Army" now ranges between South Sudan, Congo,
Uganda, and the Central African Republic and is pursued
by the military forces of all these nations (mostly by
Uganda), and also by Special Forces from the United
States.
Mexican Drug
War (2006-Present)-Ongoing conflict between the
Mexican government and the various drug cartels. This
conflict also pits the drug cartels against each
other.
Northern
Mali Conflict (2012-Present)-- In 2012, the
long-simmering hostility between the Mali government and
the northern Taureg ethnic group exploded with the Taureg
conquest of northern Mali. Many of the Taureg fighters
had recently arrived from Libya, where thousands of the
Taureg had served in the military of fallen Libyan
dictator Muammar Gadaffi. With Gadaffi's fall, these
mercenaries left Libya with their weapons and experience
and returned to Mali, where they took up arms against the
Mali government. Soon after the rebel victory, al-Qaida
affiliated Islamists took over the Taureg revolution and
began invoking Islamist Sharia law. A coalition of
African and European nations is trying to cobble together
a military force to retake northern Mali.
Pakistan's
Taliban War (2004-Present)--Pakistan is combating a
Taliban insurgency along the Northwest frontier with
Afghanistan.
Somali Civil
War (1991-Present)--The latest stage of this war pits
the weak central government against the al-Qaida
affiliated al-Shabaab rebels. The government is aided by
the United States, and by trooops provided by Kenya,
Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and other African
nations.
South
Sudan-Sudan Border Conflict (2012-Present)-Sudan has
been wracked by multiple insurgencies and has undergone
two significant civil wars (1955-1972 and 1983-2005), the
Darfur War (2003-2011), various clashes between Sudanese
nomadic tribal groups (2009-Present), and the ongoing
Lord's Resistance Army conflict that spans several
central and east African nations. The largest potential
conflict involving the Sudans is the ongoing border
conflict between Sudan and the newly independent South
Sudan over the Greater Nile Oil Pipeline and the disputed
(and oil-rich) region of Abyei. There is no love lost
between the mostly Muslim and Arabic-speaking Sudan and
the more Black South Sudanese, who are mostly Christian
and various pagan/animist worshipers. The previous two
large Sudanese civil wars were between these two groups
prior to the independence of South Sudan.
Yemen
War--This is a civil war with many fronts and many
belligerents. The Yemen government is faced with a
Shi'ite rebellion in the north, a separatist rebellion in
the south, and an al-Qaida connected Sunni Islamist
insurgency that has drawn in the United States. Yemen is
one of America's fronts in the ongoing war against
al-Qaida, with frequent drone strikes against Islamist
and Jihadist targets in Yemen. Several terrorist attempts
against the U.S. have originated in Yemen.
Wars
Involving the United States of America in 2013--The
United States, officially at war on several fronts since
2001 (and unofficially, since at least 1991), is battling
al-Qaida in several nations around the world, as is
actively involved in covert wars in several others.
America's current wars and conflicts include wars
in:
Afghanistan--Since
the 9/11 Terrorist attacks on the U.S., American
forces have been actively engaged against al-Qaida and
the Taliban in Afghanistan. All signs point to an
American withdrawal from Afghanistan over the next two
years, but until then, the warfare continues.
Iraq-While
officially, America's war in Iraq ended in December,
2011, hundreds of U.S. military personnel remain in
Iraq as trainers for the Iraqi military and security
forces. As the Iraqi insurgency continues, it would be
foolish to believe that America's involvement in Iraq
is truly over.
Iran-The
U.S., Israel, and likely other Western allies are
engaged in a proxy/covert war with Iran over Iran's
involvement in the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq,
and Afghanistan.
Syria-As
2013 begins, U.S. and allied pressure on the Assad
regime continues and it is well-known that the U.S. is
aiding the anti-Assad rebels. The U.S. now formally
recognizes the Syrian rebels as legitimate government
of Syria. Worries over Syria's chemical weapons, and
the possibility that Assad may use them or transfer
them to Hezbollah, lead to the very strong possibility
of U.S. and allied military intervention in Syria in
2013. U.S. special forces are reportedly
pre-positioned in Jordan, and U.S. and other NATO
forces are taking up positions in southern Turkey,
manning Patriot missile batteries.
Libya--After
the successful military intervention in Libya in 2011,
continued American involvement in Libya hit the public
eye with the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S.
embassy in Benghazi and the death of four Americans,
including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya. The U.S. is
actively involved in hunting down missing weapons in
Libya and in supporting the new Libyan government. To
date, there has been no publicly acknowledged military
retaliation against the Libyan militants who attacked
the embassy.
Mali--In
2012, the long-simmering hostility between the Mali
government and the northern Taureg ethnic group
exploded with the Taureg conquest of northern Mali.
Soon after the rebel victory, al-Qaida affiliated
Islamists took over the Taureg revolution and began
invoking Islamist Sharia law. A coalition of African
and European nations is trying to cobble together a
military force to retake northern Mali. The U.S. is
involved in this effort, and 2013 may very well see
some form of U.S. military intervention in this
al-Qaida-related conflict.
Somalia
and the Horn of Africa--The U.S. and many other
nations continue to engage in anti-piracy operations
off the Somali coastline. These operations at times
result in military engagements with the pirates, up to
and including rescue operations inside Somalia itself.
Besides the anti-piracy operations, the U.S. is also
involved in Somalia due to the continuing Shabaab War.
The U.S. funds and trains Ugandan, Burundian,
Ethiopian, Kenyan, and other African forces who are
actively fighting in Somalia to aid the weak central
government against the al-Qaida affiliated al-Shabaab
rebels. The U.S., over the past few years, frequently
launches drone attacks, Special Forces raids, and
naval attacks on al-Qaida targets in Somalia. There is
no reason to believe this will change in
2013.
Pakistan--The
U.S. has been using remote-controlled drones to attack
Taliban and al-Qaida strongholds in Pakistan since
2004. Conservative reports put the death toll in
Pakistan from these drone attacks at a minimum of
3,000.
Philippines--Since
2002, U.S. Special Forces have been aiding and
training Filipino forces in their ongoing fight
against al-Qaida affiliated Islamist rebels in the
southern Philippines. These rebel groups include Abu
Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah. In 2009, two U.S. Special
Forces troops were killed by a roadside bomb. While
officially engaged in only training missions, it is
highly likely that U.S. troops are more actively
engaged.
Yemen--Yemen
is one of America's fronts in the ongoing war against
al-Qaida, with frequent drone strikes against Islamist
and Jihadist targets in Yemen. Several terrorist
attempts against the U.S. have originated in
Yemen.