Civil Unrest in the Mid East and Africa (All Articles)

Syria Pins Massacre on Rebel Gunmen

• 
• Reuters
• Syria's foreign ministry spokesman denies government troops were behind massacre that left 90 dead, including at least 32 kids under the age of 10, claiming instead that anti-government gunmen were responsible.

• 32 Children, 60 Adults Killed in Syria Attack

Egypt's Mubarak sentenced to life in prison

Egypt's ex-President Hosni Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison Saturday for his role in the killing of protesters during last year's revolution that forced him from power, a verdict that caps a stunning fall from grace for a man who ruled the country as his personal fiefdom for nearly three decades.

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Clinton Asks Russia, China to Help in Syria Crisis
RIA Novosti - ‎45 minutes ago‎

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called on China and Russia to apply its influence on Damascus to stop the bloodshed in Syria but said that it must include a political transition from the al-Assad regime.
Related Vladimir Putin » Syria » Bashar al-Assad »
Russia to talk Syria transition with USSydney Morning Herald
Russia wants broad Syria meeting to support Annan planReuters India
From China:China, Russia agree to enhance strategic partnershipXinhua
From Russia:Russia cements partnership with ChinaTne Moscow News
Opinion:Annan's new road map for peace in SyriaWashington Post
In Depth:Diplomacy divided and failing as Syria violence escalatesLos Angeles Times

Related Vladimir Putin » Syria » Bashar al-Assad »




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Mubarak's health reported worsening after prison sentence
Los Angeles Times - ‎1 hour ago‎

CAIRO -- Egypt's deposed President Hosni Mubarak may be transferred to a private military hospital after a marked decline in his health following his sentencing over the weekend to life in prison in the deaths of protesters during last year's uprising, ...
Related Hosni Mubarak » Egypt » Cairo »
Egyptian Officials: Mubarak's Health WorsensNPR
Egypt: Mubarak's health said deterioratingFox News
From Egypt:Mubarak put on artificial respiration five times since Tuesday: Official sourceAhram Online
Opinion:Egypt's hopeful roadBaltimore Sun
In Depth:MIDEAST WEEKAHEAD-Egypt waits on presidential vote; Gulf eyes on EuropeReuters
Wikipedia:Hosni Mubarak

Related Hosni Mubarak » Egypt » Cairo »




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The new Netanyahu: Not so beholden to Israeli settlers
Christian Science Monitor - ‎1 hour ago‎

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, newly aligned with the more centrist Kadima party, moved today to knock down settler houses built on Palestinian property.

• Violence in Syria Proves Too Much for UN Monitors
  
  

UN observers in Syria suspend mission due to escalating violence, as Annan peace plan appears to unravel

• OPINION: 'Civil War' in Syria?
• VIDEO: Is Putin Key to Ending Bloodshed in Syria?

Downed Turkish Fighter Jet Further Ignites Tensions

Turkey investigates cause of downed fighter near Syria because consequences could be 'quite serious'

• US Officials Mum on CIA Involvement in Aiding Syria Opposition
• VIDEO: Is the CIA Helping Syrian Rebels?

• Annan Calls for Iran to Get Involved

Egypt Braces for Election Results

• 
• AP
• Egypt to release results from disputed presidential elections, an announcement that will put an end to uncertainty about winner but promises no resolution to power struggles, as some politicians accuse US of 'meddling.'

• Full Coverage: Egypt

This will make OBAMA happy:Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, elected.

Morsi declared Egypt's new president

Both candidates had declared victory in days leading up to results

UPDATED 11:21 AM EDT Jun 24, 2012

CAIRO (CNN) -
Mohamed Morsi was declared the new president of Egypt on Sunday, following the first democratic election in Egypt's history.The announcement triggered massive cheers and celebratory gunfire in Cairo's Tahrir Square.
Authorities had been on "high alert" for potential violence if his rival Ahmed Shafik won. Instead, the huge crowd erupted in celebration -- even in scorching temperatures near 100 Fahrenheit (38 Celsius).
Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, had more than 13 million votes, while Shafik -- the last prime minister to serve under ousted president Hosni Mubarak -- had more than 12 million, election officials announced.
Morsi ended up with just under 52% of the vote, while Shafik got just over 48%, officials said.


Read more: http://www.wcvb.com/news/money/technology/Morsi-declared-Egypt-s-new-president/-/9848656/15221848/-/3kymnmz/-/index.html#ixzz1yj1VhxEF

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-...-Our-Capital-Shall-Be-Jerusalem-Allah-Willing

Egypt's new leader says Jerusalem (Israel) shall be their capital allah willing....... Thanks President Obama for backing the Arab Spring last year. The Israelis must be so appreciative.......

First Libya now Egypt and Syria soon to follow. Said it before the devil you know........
Muslim Brotherhood 3 The free world 0! Sharia law coming to a nation near you!

Syrian opposition says 800 killed in past week

Published July 01, 2012

Associated Press

BEIRUT – Syria's main opposition group said nearly 800 people have been killed in violence across the country in the past week which saw some of the bloodiest violence in the 16-month uprising against President Bashar Assad.

Opposition activists groups say more than 14,000 people have been killed in the 15-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad's authoritarian rule, or on average of about 900 a month. That would make last week's toll alone, tallied by the Syrian National Council (SNC), almost as high as the monthly average.

The conflict is also threatening to spill across borders after Syria shot down a warplane from neighboring Turkey, which responded by setting up anti-aircraft guns along the frontier. Turkey said Sunday it scrambled fighter jets to its border after Syrian helicopters flew too close to the frontier.

The cross-border tensions and the mounting death toll have added urgency to the diplomatic efforts at an international conference over the weekend aimed at stopping the bloodshed.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/01/syrian-opposition-rejects-un-transition-plan/?test=latestnews#ixzz1zO3ujJA1

Kenya police: church attacks kill 15, wound 40

Published July 01, 2012
Associated Press

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  July 1, 2012: Members of the Kenyan security forces inspect the scene, as a body lies covered by a sheet, outside the African Inland Church in Garissa, Kenya. (AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya – Gunmen killed two policemen guarding a church, snatched their rifles and then opened fire on the congregation from inside and out on Sunday, killing 15 people and wounding 40, security officials said.
Two gunmen entered the simple wooden church in the city of Garissa at around 10:15 a.m. Sunday, while two others waited outside, police commander Philip Ndolo said. When the congregation fled the attack inside, they ran straight into another hail of bullets from gunmen outside, he said. At least one grenade was detonated in the attack.
Overturned wooden benches littered the church afterward. A victim wearing a simple blue dress lay on the sandy earth outside. Witnesses reported seeing the four gunmen flee in dark blue outfits and masks.
"We were deep in prayers preparing to give our offerings," said a visibly shaken David Mwange, a churchgoer. "We first had a loud bang from outside which we mistook to be coming from the rooftops. We then had gun shots which made us to lie down. Within no time we had gunshots all over. Everybody was shouting and wailing in pain."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/01/kenya-police-church-attacks-kill-10-wound-40/?test=latestnews#ixzz1zO4tpIAk

Reuters
Iran's latest missile system tests, following up on similar tests in 2009, shown above, come on the heels of threats to Israel in the face of new sanctions from the US and Europe over Iran's nuclear program.

• VIDEO: Assessing US Strategy in Iran, Syria | Iran Says It Wants 'Win-Win' in Nuclear Talks

Syria military conducts large-scale exercises

Published July 08, 2012
Associated Press

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  This citizen journalism image released by Shaam News Network taken Friday, July 6, 2012 purports to show anti-Assad demonstrators in what they called a "Friday of freedom from war" protest in Kafr Nabil, in Northwestern Syria. Arabic written on boy reads "No to the death of children, no to Arab and international inaction, Kafr Nabil." (AP/Shaam News Network)

DAMASCUS, Syria – Syria's military began large-scale exercises simulating defense against outside "aggression," the state-run news agency said Sunday — an apparent warning to other countries not to intervene in the country's crisis.
The exercise began Saturday with naval forces in a scenario where they repelled an attack from the sea, and will include air and ground forces over the next few days, SANA agency said. State TV broadcast footage of missiles being fired from launch vehicles and warships.
Some in the Syrian opposition have appealed to the West for foreign forces to step in to stop bloodshed that they say has left more than 14,000 dead since an uprising against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011. So far, the West has shown little appetite to intervene.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/08/syrian-military-conducts-military-exercises/?test=latestnews#ixzz201xaJtmA

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...opters-for-Syrian-regime-sets-sail-again.html

Does Russia's Vladimir Putin want a war with the west?

US: Syria Moves Chemical Stockpile

• AP
• Syria moves at least a portion of its vast chemical weapons stockpile, defense source tells Fox News, as US officials fear Damascus intends to use the weapons against rebels and civilians.

• VIDEO: Syria's Chemical Stockpile on the Move

Syria state TV says defense minister, Assad's brother-in-law killed in blast

Published July 18, 2012
Associated Press
BEIRUT – Syria's rebel commander says his forces carried out an attack in Damascus that killed the defense minister and other regime officials. But he denies it was a suicide bombing.
Riad al-Asaad said in a phone interview from his headquarters in Turkey that rebel forces planted a bomb inside a room where senior government officials were meeting Wednesday.
Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha and his deputy Gen. Assef Shawkat, who also was President Bashar Assad's brother-in-law, were killed.
The rebel leader denies government claims that it was a suicide attack, saying all those who carried out the operation are safe.
He said the attack marked "the beginning of the end of the regime."
The capital has seen four straight days of clashes pitting government troops against rebels, who are trying to bring down the regime by force. The fighting is an unprecedented challenge to government rule in the tightly controlled capital.
Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha, 65, a former army general, was the most senior Christian government official in Syria. Assad appointed him to the post last year.
Gen. Assef Shawkat was the deputy defense minister. He was among the most feared figures in Assad's inner circle. He is married to Assad's elder sister, Bushra.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/07/18/syria-state-tv-says-defense-minister-killed-in-blast/?test=latestnews#ixzz20zHLrFgM

• Beginning of the End for Syria's Assad Regime?
  
  
  US braces for potential 'collapse' as experts say the demise of Assad regime may be hours away
  • Syrian Rebels Target Assad Regime in Deadly Bombing
• OPINION: Officials' Deaths Suggests Regime on Verge of Collapse

• VIDEO: White House Says It's Clear Assad Has Lost Control

• US, Allies Have 'Good Fix' on Syria Weapons Location
  
  
  Federal officials say US, allies know where most of Syria's weapons are stored, brace for worst-case scenarios
  • Assad Reportedly Flees Capital
• House OKs Defense Bill Making Issue of Russian Ties to Syria

• OPINION: Brutal Syria Conflict Is Obama's Shame

Al Qaeda Taking Deadly New Role in Syria Conflict

CAIRO — It is the sort of image that has become a staple of the Syrian revolution, a video of masked men calling themselves the Free Syrian Army and brandishing AK-47s — with one unsettling difference. In the background hang two flags of Al Qaeda, white Arabic writing on a black field.
“We are now forming suicide cells to make jihad in the name of God,” said a speaker in the video using the classical Arabic favored by Al Qaeda.
The video, posted on YouTube, is one more bit of evidence that Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists are doing their best to hijack the Syrian revolution, with a growing although still limited success that has American intelligence officials publicly concerned, and Iraqi officials next door openly alarmed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/25/w...rias-conflict.html?_r=1&partner=MYWAY&ei=5065

Israel May Move on Chemical Threat

• AP
• As Syria's regime teeters on the brink of collapse, Israeli soldiers and civilians prepare for possible military action to prevent chemical weapons from falling into the hands of terror groups.

• VIDEO: Fear of Another Massacre
• Helicopters Pound Aleppo, Activists Say
• Syria Olympic Official Says Army Protects People
• Jordan: Syrian Army Kills Refugee Boy

Obama authorized secret support for Syrian rebels

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A Free Syrian Army member aims his weapon after hearing shooting in Aleppo July 29, 2012. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST MILITARY)
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  Syrian rebel fighters pose for …

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, sources familiar with the matter said.
Obama's order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence "finding," broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.
This and other developments signal a shift toward growing, albeit still circumscribed, support for Assad's armed opponents - a shift that intensified following last month's failure of the U.N. Security Council to agree on tougher sanctions against the Damascus government.
The White House is for now apparently stopping short of giving the rebels lethal weapons, even as some U.S. allies do just that.

http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-obama-authorizes-secret-support-syrian-rebels-010014457.html

Turkey authorizes military operations in Syria

Published October 04, 2012

Associated Press

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  Oct. 3, 2012: Smoke rises over the streets after an mortar bomb landed from Syria in the border village of Akcakale, southeastern Sanliurfa province. (Reuters)

Turkey's Parliament authorized military operations against Syria on Thursday and its military fired on targets there for a second day after deadly shelling from Syria killed five civilians in a Turkish border town.

For its part, Syria admitted it was responsible for the shelling that killed five people in Turkey and formally apologized for the deaths, a top Turkish official said.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said Syria has reassured the U.N. that "such an incident will not occur again."

The border violence has added a dangerous new dimension to Syria's civil war, dragging Syria's neighbors deeper into a conflict that activists say has already killed 30,000 people since an uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime began in March 2011.

Atalay said Parliament's authorization was not declaration of war on Syria but gives Turkey the right to respond to any future attacks from Syria.

"The bill is not for war," Atalay said. "It has deterrent qualities."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/04/turkey-wont-declare-war-on-syria-despite-shelling-official-says-642342356/?intcmp=trending#ixzz28LJyD31s

Activists: Airstrikes in northern Syria kill at least 20, trap dead and wounded under rubble

Published October 18, 2012
Associated Press
BEIRUT – Syrian activists say a string of government airstrikes on rebel areas in the country's north has killed at least 20 people, leveled buildings and forced residents to dig through mounds of rubble in search of survivors.
The activists say the strikes happened late Wednesday and early Thursday and hit a total of four towns in Idlib and Aleppo provinces.
They say residents are searching through the rubble in some of the towns, while in others the dead were buried before being identified.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/10/18/rebels-blow-up-oil-and-gas-pipelines-in-eastern-syria-state-news-agency-says/?test=latestnews#ixzz29eRPlKRC