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Showing posts from February 9, 2008

In Iraq, More Bombing Creates New Enemies

In Iraq, More Bombing Creates New Enemies : "Baghdad - Now that the smoke has cleared and the rubble settled, residents of a group of bombed Iraqi villages see the raid as really a U.S. loss. Many Iraqis view the attack Jan. 10 by bombers and F-16 jets on a cluster of villages in the Latifiya district south of Baghdad as overkill. 'The use of B1 bombers shows the terrible failure of the U.S. campaign in Iraq,' Iraqi Major General Muhammad al-Azzawy, a military researcher in Baghdad, told IPS. 'U.S. military and political tactics failed in this area, and that is why this massacre. This kind of bombing is usually used for much bigger targets than small villages full of civilians. This was savagery.' The attack on Juboor and neighbouring villages just south of Baghdad had begun a week earlier with heavy artillery and tank bombardment. The attack followed strong resistance from members of the mainly Sunni Muslim al-Juboor tribe against groups that residents de

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Still the Most Divisive Issue (Page 1 of 1)

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Ethiopian Troops Still the Most Divisive Issue (Page 1 of 1) : "'The problem in Somalia can end only when Ethiopian troops leave the whole country [Somalia],' Addow said, adding: 'Then we can hold peace talks to end Somalia's conflicts among Somalis.' During the interview, Addow covered the Islamic Courts' brief rule in southern and central Somalia between June and December 2006. He praised the Courts' efforts for bringing back law and order in the country, for holding three rounds of peace talks with the TFG in Khartoum, Sudan, and for showing the world that all hope is not lost in Somalia. He also dismissed any alleged links between the Islamic Courts and international terror groups, an allegation often repeated by Somali, Ethiopian and American government officials."

Violations of 'Islamic teachings' take deadly toll on Iraqi women - CNN.com

Violations of 'Islamic teachings' take deadly toll on Iraqi women - CNN.com : "The women are killed, police say, because they failed to wear a headscarf or because they ignored other 'rules' that secretive fundamentalist groups want to enforce. 'Fear, fear is always there,' says 30-year-old Safana, an artist and university professor. 'We don't know who to be afraid of. Maybe it's a friend or a student you teach. There is no break, no security. I don't know who to be afraid of.' Her fear is justified. Iraq's second-largest city, Basra, is a stronghold of conservative Shia groups. As many as 133 women were killed in Basra last year -- 79 for violation of 'Islamic teachings' and 47 for so-called honor killings, according to IRIN, the news branch of the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs."

Al Jazeera English - News - Iraqi Groups 'Withdraw' Us Support

Al Jazeera English - News - Iraqi Groups 'Withdraw' Us Support : "Sunni armed groups known as Awakening Councils appear to have withdrawn their support for US forces and the Iraqi government in Diyala province. The move has been seen as a significant blow to the US, which has hailed the groups' work in securing towns and neighbourhoods as a rare success in increasing security in the country. Meanwhile, the US military announced that five American soldiers were killed in two roadside bombings on Friday."

Al Jazeera English - News - Turkey Lifts Campus Headscarf Ban

Al Jazeera English - News - Turkey Lifts Campus Headscarf Ban Turkey's parliament has backed changes to the country's constitution that will lift a decades-old ban on the wearing of headscarves in universities. Tens of thousands of Turks took to the streets of the capital on Saturday to protest against the move, saying it threatened the secular nature of Turkish society. "Turkey is secular and will remain secular," shouted the protesters, many of them waving Turkish flags and carrying portraits of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey.