diff --git a/src/main/java/abra/CigarUtils.java b/src/main/java/abra/CigarUtils.java
index e02c169..5bc7c83 100644
--- a/src/main/java/abra/CigarUtils.java
+++ b/src/main/java/abra/CigarUtils.java
@@ -178,6 +178,50 @@ public static boolean hasNDN(String cigar) {
 		return hasNDM;
 	}
 	
+	/**
+	 * Returns true if the input cigar string begins or ends with 2 adjacent indels.
+	 * Clipping is ignored.
+	 */
+	public static boolean startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel(String cigar) {
+		boolean ret = false;
+		
+		List<CigarBlock> blocks = getUnclippedCigarBlocks(cigar);
+		
+		if (blocks.size() > 1) {
+			if (blocks.get(0).isIndel() && blocks.get(1).isIndel()) {
+				ret = true;
+			} else if (blocks.get(blocks.size()-1).isIndel() && blocks.get(blocks.size()-2).isIndel()) {
+				ret = true;
+			}
+		}
+		
+		return ret;
+	}
+	
+	private static List<CigarBlock> getUnclippedCigarBlocks(String cigar) {
+		
+		List<CigarBlock> cigarBlocks = new ArrayList<CigarBlock>();
+		try {
+			StringBuffer len = new StringBuffer();
+			for (int i=0; i<cigar.length(); i++) {
+				char ch = cigar.charAt(i);
+				if (Character.isDigit(ch)) {
+					len.append(ch);
+				} else {
+					if (ch != 'H' && ch != 'S') {
+						cigarBlocks.add(new CigarBlock(Integer.valueOf(len.toString()), ch));
+					}
+					len.setLength(0);
+				}
+			}
+		} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+			Logger.error("NumberFormatException: " + cigar);
+			throw e;
+		}
+		
+		return cigarBlocks;
+	}
+	
 	private static List<CigarBlock> getCigarBlocks(String cigar) {
 		
 		List<CigarBlock> cigarBlocks = new ArrayList<CigarBlock>();
@@ -272,6 +316,10 @@ static class CigarBlock {
 		boolean isGap() {
 			return type == 'D' || type == 'N';
 		}
+		
+		boolean isIndel() {
+			return type == 'D' || type == 'I';
+		}
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/abra/ReAligner.java b/src/main/java/abra/ReAligner.java
index 6d4dcb8..47503d0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/abra/ReAligner.java
+++ b/src/main/java/abra/ReAligner.java
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ public class ReAligner {
 	private boolean shouldFilterNDN;
 	private boolean isGappedContigsOnly;
 	private boolean shouldUseJunctionsAsContigs;
+	private boolean disallowComplexIndelsAtReadEdge;
 	
 	public void reAlign(String[] inputFiles, String[] outputFiles) throws Exception {
 		
@@ -323,7 +324,7 @@ void processChromosomeChunk(int chromosomeChunkIdx) throws Exception {
 					read1.setBaseQualityString(rc.reverse(read1.getBaseQualityString()));
 					read1.setReadNegativeStrandFlag(false);
 					record.setUnalignedRc(true);
-				}				
+				}
 			}
 			
 			List<Integer> overlappingRegions = new ArrayList<Integer>();
@@ -605,6 +606,8 @@ private void remapRead(ReadEvaluator readEvaluator, SAMRecord read, int origEdit
 				Logger.trace("Not moving read: " + read.getReadName() + " from: " + read.getAlignmentStart() + " to: " + alignment.pos);
 			} else if (shouldFilterNDN && CigarUtils.hasNDN(alignment.cigar)) {
 				Logger.trace("Not remapping read: %s to NDM cigar: %s", read, alignment.cigar);
+			} else if (disallowComplexIndelsAtReadEdge && CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel(alignment.cigar)) {
+				Logger.trace("Not remapping read: %s to edge complex indel cigar: %s", read, alignment.cigar);
 			} else if (origEditDist > alignment.numMismatches) {
 				
 				SAMRecord orig = read.deepCopy();
@@ -1798,6 +1801,7 @@ public static void run(String[] args) throws Exception {
 			realigner.shouldFilterNDN = options.isNoNDN();
 			realigner.isGappedContigsOnly = options.isGappedContigsOnly();
 			realigner.shouldUseJunctionsAsContigs = options.shouldUseJunctionsAsContigs();
+			realigner.disallowComplexIndelsAtReadEdge = options.disallowComplexIndelsAtReadEdge();
 			
 			MAX_REGION_LENGTH = options.getWindowSize();
 			MIN_REGION_REMAINDER = options.getWindowOverlap();
diff --git a/src/main/java/abra/ReAlignerOptions.java b/src/main/java/abra/ReAlignerOptions.java
index 161ff38..bd499e2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/abra/ReAlignerOptions.java
+++ b/src/main/java/abra/ReAlignerOptions.java
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ public class ReAlignerOptions extends Options {
 	private static final String NO_NDN = "no-ndn";
 	private static final String GAPPED_CONTIGS_ONLY = "gc";
 	private static final String USE_JUNCTIONS_AS_CONTIGS = "ujac";
+	private static final String NO_COMPLEX_INDELS_AT_READ_EDGE = "no-edge-ci";
 	
 	private OptionParser parser;
 	private boolean isValid;
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ protected OptionParser getOptionParser() {
             parser.accepts(NO_NDN, "If specified, do not allow adjacent N-D-N cigar elements");
             parser.accepts(GAPPED_CONTIGS_ONLY, "If specified, only reprocess regions that contain at least one contig containing an indel or splice (experimental)");
             parser.accepts(USE_JUNCTIONS_AS_CONTIGS, "If specified, use junction permuations as contigs (Experimental - may use excessive memory and compute times)");
+            parser.accepts(NO_COMPLEX_INDELS_AT_READ_EDGE, "If specified, do not update alignments for reads that have a complex indel at the read edge.  i.e. Do not allow alignments like: 90M10D10I");
     	}
     	
     	return parser;
@@ -456,4 +458,8 @@ public int getCompressionLevel() {
 	public boolean shouldUseJunctionsAsContigs() {
 		return (Boolean) getOptions().has(USE_JUNCTIONS_AS_CONTIGS);
 	}
+
+	public boolean disallowComplexIndelsAtReadEdge() {
+		return (Boolean) getOptions().has(NO_COMPLEX_INDELS_AT_READ_EDGE);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/test/java/abra/CigarUtilsTest.java b/src/test/java/abra/CigarUtilsTest.java
index 2aff60d..3ed9ed1 100644
--- a/src/test/java/abra/CigarUtilsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/abra/CigarUtilsTest.java
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import static org.testng.Assert.assertEquals;
 
-import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.List;
 
@@ -230,4 +229,35 @@ public void testHasNDM() {
 		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.hasNDN("100I"));
 		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.hasNDN("50M200N5M300N5M"));
 	}
+	
+	@Test (groups = "unit")
+	public void testStartsOrEndsWithComplexIndel() {
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("100M"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10D50M"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10I50M"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10I50M5S"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("10S100M10S"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("10H100M10H"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("10H100M1D1M1I"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10D10I50M"));
+		assertEquals(false, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10I10D50M"));
+		
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10I10D"));
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10D10I"));
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10D10I5S"));
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("50M10D10I5S5H"));
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("10D10I50M"));
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("5S10D10I50M"));
+		assertEquals(true, CigarUtils.startsOrEndsWithComplexIndel("5H10I10D50M"));
+		
+		
+	}
+
+	/*
+	public static void main(String[] args) {
+		TestNG testSuite = new TestNG();
+		testSuite.setTestClasses(new Class[] { CigarUtilsTest.class });
+		testSuite.run();
+	}
+	 */	
 }