Consider the following pairs:
| Towns sometimes mentioned in news | Country | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Aleppo | Syria |
| 2. | Kirkuk | Yemen |
| 3. | Mosul | Palestine |
| 4. | Mazar-i-sharif | Afghanistan |
Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 1 and 4
Aleppo is in Syria and Mazar-i-Sharif is in Afghanistan, so pairs 1 and 4 are correct. Kirkuk and Mosul are both cities of Iraq, not of Yemen or Palestine.
- ✓ 1. Aleppo is a historic city of Syria; its Ancient City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in that country.
- ✗ 2. Kirkuk is in Iraq, where its Citadel is on the country's UNESCO tentative list. It is not in Yemen.
- ✗ 3. Mosul is in Iraq. India's Ministry of External Affairs records that 39 Indian nationals were killed in Mosul, and their remains were brought back from Baghdad in April 2018. It is not in Palestine.
- ✓ 4. Mazar-i-Sharif (also spelt Mazar-e-Sharif) is one of the main cities of Afghanistan; India has run an Indian Medical Mission there.
Remember · Aleppo: Syria. Mosul and Kirkuk: Iraq. Mazar-i-Sharif: Afghanistan.
Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Ancient City of Aleppo ↗ “The city's development is being considered under the 'Programme for Sustainable Urban Development in Syria' (UDP), a joint undertaking between international agencies, the Syrian Ministry for Local Administration and Environment”
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Tentative Lists, Iraq ↗ “States Parties: Iraq close Order by States Parties Iraq Archaeological site of Aqar Quf (ancient Dur-Kurigalzu) 31/01/2025 The Hajj Pilgrimage Routes: The Darb Zubaydah 02/01/2022 Kirkuk Citadel 06/04/2021 Lalish Temple 15/04/2020 Old City of Mosul 17/08/2018”
- MEA, India-Iraq Bilateral Brief ↗ “MoS for External Affairs visited Baghdad on April 1-2, 2018 in a Special Aircraft to bring back mortal remains of the 39 Indian nationals who were killed in Mosul.”
- MEA, India-Afghanistan: A Development Partnership ↗ “five Indian Medical Missions (IMMs) have been working in Kabul, Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar and Mazar-e-Sharif, attending and disbursing medicines to 30,000 patients per month.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·