The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

The mysterious identity of the "King of the North" and "Small Horn" discussed here. The "Great War" of Daniel 10:1 (NIV) discussed here. The heavenly & earthly establishment of God's Kingdom discussed here at length. Answers such questions as when does Jesus' Kingdom Rule begin and end.

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Abaddon (Ex. 23:21)
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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#46 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Wed Aug 03, 2011 4:45 pm

Syrian Forces Occupy Central Hama Square: Residents

Image
An image grab from a video uploaded on YouTube shows what anti-regime protesters claim
to be defected soldiers standing on tanks amid demonstrators in the city of Hama. Note: AFP is not authorized to cover this
event and is therefore using pictures from alternative sources, which cannot be independently verified


By Khaled Oweis
Article Source
Reuters – 2 hrs 5 mins ago

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian tanks occupied the main square in central Hama Wednesday after heavy shelling of the city, residents said, taking control of the site of some of the largest protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

Human rights campaigners say more than 90 people have been killed in Hama since Assad unleashed a military assault on Sunday to regain control, triggering international condemnation and calls from U.S. senators for sanctions on Syria's energy sector.

At the United Nations, a diplomat said the Security Council had "substantially agreed upon" a draft statement that would condemn human rights violations and use of force against civilians by Syrian authorities. The council diplomat said the statement could be adopted later Wednesday.

Wednesday's push into the heart of the city coincided with the opening of the trial in Egypt of former President Hosni Mubarak, toppled by an uprising which shook the Arab world and inspired the protests against Assad.

"All communications have been cut off. The regime is using the media focus on the Hosni Mubarak trial to finish off Hama," one resident told Reuters by satellite phone from the city.

He said tanks and military units including paratroopers and special forces were seen moving to the central Orontes Square from the south, accompanied by militia known as 'shabbiha'.

Residents said shelling concentrated on al-Hader district, large parts of which were razed in 1982 when Assad's late father President Hafez al-Assad crushed an armed Islamist uprising, killing thousands.
Image
In this image made from amateur video released by the so-called Shams News Network, a loosely organized anti-Assad group and
accessed via The Associated Press Television News on Monday, Aug. 1, 2011, military armored vehicles are seen in the central
city of Hama, Syria. Syrian troops kept up attacks on the restive city of Hama Monday, Aug. 1, 2011 the start of the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan, a day after a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters killed at least 70 and drew harsh rebukes from
the U.S. and Europe. (AP Photo/APTN) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION
OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL


A Syrian pharmacist who managed to talk with her family in the city told Reuters that they had tried to flee but that the 'shabbiha' were randomly shooting residents. Several buildings in Hama had caught fire from heavy tank shelling, with snipers seen deploying on rooftops in Orontes Square, she said.

The Local Coordination Committees grassroots activists' group said in a statement the authorities were trying prevent any news from emerging on the ferocity of the assault. The group could no longer contact its members in Hama.

"Communications have been totally cut off in Hama, together with water and electricity. There is a big movement of refugees trying to flee the city," the statement said.

Authorities say the army has entered Hama to confront gunmen who were intimidating residents. State television broadcast footage of armed men in civilian clothes who it said had attacked security forces and government buildings.

Syria has expelled most independent media, making it difficult to verify accounts from activists and authorities.

The plight of Hama has prompted many Syrians to stage solidarity marches since the start of the holy month of Ramadan Monday.

But Assad's response suggests he will resist calls for change that have swept Syria and much of the Arab world, and has led to Western calls for tougher international measures.

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk said Tuesday the United States should impose crippling sanctions in response to the killing of civilians by troops under orders from Assad.

Kirk, a Republican, was introducing legislation in Washington to target firms that invest in Syria's energy sector, purchase its oil or sell gasoline.

His bill was also sponsored by Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and independent Senator Joseph Lieberman, who said it was time to push for "a democratic transition that reflects the will of the Syrian people."
Image
People duck to avoid gunfire in Kazou neighbourhood in Hama in this still image
taken from video, July 31, 2011. REUTERS/YouTube via Reuters TV


Washington says Assad has lost legitimacy and has imposed sanctions on the president and his top officials, but has stopped short of directly calling on him to leave office as it did to Mubarak and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.

Western officials fear instability in Syria and the wider Middle East if protesters oust Assad, whose family has ruled for four decades and kept Syria's frontier with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights quiet despite its anti-Israel alliance with Iran.

The White House slightly hardened its stance against Assad Wednesday, saying the United States viewed him as the cause of instability in the country.

"Syria would be a better place without President Assad," White House spokesman Jay Carney said at a news conference.

OIL OUTPUT STEADY

The state news agency SANA said oil production in the first half of the year had risen marginally to 387,000 barrels per day, suggesting the unrest has had little impact on output. Around 40 percent of the oil was exported, earning vital revenues for an economy hit by a sharp fall in tourism.

Human rights campaigners said the assaults by Assad's forces across Syria Monday and Tuesday had killed at least 27 civilians, including 13 in Hama. That brought the total to about 137 dead throughout Syria since Sunday, 93 of them in Hama, according to witnesses, residents and rights campaigners.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Arinc Bulent, whose country had grown close to Assad in recent years, issued the strongest condemnation yet of the Syrian president by a Turkish leader.

"I'm saying this on my behalf, what's going on in Hama today is an atrocity ... Whoever carries this out can't be our friend. They are making a big mistake," he said.

"We insisted on democratic and peaceful solutions and starting reforms. We told them they would collapse otherwise ... Recent events show no lessons were learned from these suggestions," he told reporters.

At the United Nations Russia and some other countries had sought a statement that would blame both Syrian authorities and the opposition for the violence, but Western nations say the two sides cannot be equated.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#47 Post by Mary » Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:31 pm

Syria Uses Gunboats For 1st Time To Crush Uprising


AP By ZEINA KARAM
Article Source
Associated Press
7 hrs ago
Image
Syrian warships 'shell port city': Syrian warships join a military assault


BEIRUT (AP) — Syria used gunboats for the first time Sunday to crush the uprising against Bashar Assad's regime, hammering parts of the Mediterranean coastal city of Latakia after thousands marched there over the weekend to demand the president's ouster. At least 25 people were killed, according to activists.

The coordinated attacks by gunboats and ground troops were the latest wave of a brutal offensive against anti-government protests launched at the beginning of the month. The assault showed Assad has no intention of scaling back the campaign even though it has brought international outrage and new U.S. and European sanctions.

"We are being targeted from the ground and the sea," said a frightened resident of the al-Ramel district of Latakia, the hardest hit neighborhood. "The shooting is intense. We cannot go out. They are raiding and breaking into people's homes," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Image
As the gunships blasted waterfront districts, ground troops backed by tanks and security forces stormed several neighborhoods including al-Ramel, sending terrified women and children fleeing, some on foot, to safer areas.

The al-Ramel resident said at least three gunboats were taking part in the offensive, and that many people have been killed and wounded. The shooting targeted several mosques in the area.

"Many homes have been destroyed and the shabiha have broken into shops and businesses," he said, referring to pro-government gunmen, as they are called by Syrians.

The assault on Latakia began Saturday, when tanks and armored personnel carriers rolled into al-Ramel district amid intense gunfire. The security forces appear to be intent on crushing dissent in the neighborhood, which has seen large anti-Assad protests since the Syrian uprising began in mid-March. On Friday, as many as 10,000 marched there, calling for the president's ouster.

After their initial assault on the city Saturday, Syrian forces pushed back into Latakia again Sunday.

State-run news agency SANA said troops were pursuing "gunmen using machine guns, hand grenades and bombs who have been terrorizing residents in al-Ramel district." The agency denied reports the area was being targeted from the sea. It quoted a health official in Latakia as saying two law enforcement officials were killed.

At least 25 people were killed in the city on Sunday, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. One of the dead was a 2-year-old girl who was in a car with her father when security forces at a checkpoint opened fire, he said. The activist network the Local Coordination Committees gave the same death toll and said it included three children.

Activists said at least two people were killed in al-Ramel on Saturday.

Residents and several activist groups said gunboats in the Mediterranean were taking part in the offensive, firing machine guns. Many people were wounded from indiscriminate fire on houses, they said.

"They are trying to take control of the city as they did in other places," said Abdul-Rahman.

Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, said the state was setting a "precedent" by using gunboats to shell its own people.

Using gunboats to fight protesters, who are most unarmed and peaceful, marks a new escalation in the regime's crackdown. But the determined opposition is so far unbowed even though at least 1,700 people have been killed since March, according to activists and human rights groups.

The tough new offensive began with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the start of August and killed several hundred people in the first week alone.

The brutality fueled international outrage with Syria, a hardline Arab state closely allied with Iran, and led to new sanctions against the regime by the U.S., Canada and Europe.

The United States stepped up calls for a global trade embargo on oil and gas from Syria, warning even some of America's closest allies that they must "get on the right side of history" and cut links with a government that uses violence to repress protesters.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said international opinion was hardening against Assad, noting a "crescendo of condemnation" from world powers and Syria's Arab neighbors. But she said tougher action was required, too.

In Latakia on Sunday, the sharp crackle of machine-gun fire and loud explosions sounded across parts of the city, once known for its beach resorts that attracted tourists throughout the summer season. Gray smoke drifted across the sea front.

The city has a potentially explosive sectarian mix. Sunnis, which are a majority in Syria, live in Latakia's urban core, while Assad's minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, populates villages on the city's outskirts, along with small minorities of Christians, ethnic Turks and other groups.

The crackdown, which has targeted predominantly Sunni areas of the city of more than 600,000, raised concerns of sectarian bloodshed in a country that has already seen an alarming rise in sectarian tensions since the start of the uprising.
Image
Amateur videos posted on the Internet by activists showed at least one gunship patrolling the coast opposite al-Ramel, and tanks rumbling along the waterfront.

The Associated Press could not verify the activists' accounts or the contents of the videos. Syria has banned most foreign media and restricted local coverage, making it impossible to get independent confirmation of the events on the ground.

The protests calling for the Assad regime's downfall have grown dramatically over the past five months, driven in part by anger over the government's bloody crackdown.

Thousands of others have been arrested, many of them tortured, according to rights groups.

The Observatory said in a statement Sunday that it has documented the names of 71 Syrians who have died under torture in Syria since the start of the uprising in mid-March.

The government has justified its crackdown by saying it's dealing with terrorist gangs and criminals who are fomenting unrest.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#48 Post by Mary » Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:13 pm

NATO Sinks Boat Carrying Gadhafi Troops
Image
Painter Rafat Askar, 46, rests at the seaside of the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya,
Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011. The paint on the wall reads: "Libya Free."
(AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
By KARIN LAUB
Article Source
Associated Press, SLOBODAN LEKIC
August 19, 2011

ZAWIYA, Libya (AP) — NATO warplanes sunk a tugboat carrying troops loyal to Moammar Gadhafi away from the strategic western city of Zawiya as rebels advanced closer to the Libyan capital, the alliance said Friday.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration said an operation to rescue "large numbers" of Egyptians and other foreigners from Tripoli will begin in coming days.

The attack struck the tugboat Wednesday as rebels in Zawiya laid siege to Libya's last functioning oil refinery in a symbolic coup for the opposition, although government forces still hold the center.

In London, British military spokesman Maj. Gen. Nick Pope said pilots noticed a unit of government troops that had been fighting in the oil refinery using a tugboat "in an attempt to redeploy to new positions."

One of the jets used a laser-guided bomb to hit the boat, he said. "It was clear from their actions that these troops continued to pose a threat to the local population," Pope said. He did not elaborate.

An officer at NATO's operational headquarters in Naples, Italy, said a rescue attempt was made after aircraft spotted several survivors of the sinking swimming toward a nearby buoy. The officer could not be identified under standing rules.

Libyan rebels have clashed with Gadhafi troops in Zawiya this week in an attempt to take the city and inch closer to the capital Tripoli just 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the east.

The rebels claimed Thursday they had captured the 120,000-barrel-per-day refinery in fighting that could be a turning point in the six-month civil war between Gadhafi and forces seeking to oust him.

The flow of crude to the refinery from fields in the southwest of Libya had largely been halted since midsummer and its capture was unlikely to have a major impact on Gadhafi's ability to secure fuel, but it was seen as a significant step in the rebel advance toward the capital.

Explosions also shook the capital early Friday as NATO jets were heard circling overhead. Flames lit up the Tripoli skies near Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya headquarters and army barracks.

Seven thunderous blasts could be felt at a hotel where foreign journalists stay in Tripoli. Residents also told The Associated Press that three strikes were heard hitting the road to the airport in the capital.

NATO also said its planes took out five tanks in Zawiya on Thursday.

IOM spokeswoman Jemini Pandya said the organization has appealed to donors for emergency funding to finance the evacuation. She said "a large group of journalists who are also stranded in Tripoli" also has asked to be rescued.

Pandya says "we have a very limited window of opportunity to carry out this operation because of the fighting."

The revolt in Libya began in mid-February, with the rebels quickly wresting control of much of the eastern half of the country, as well as pockets in the west.

But the conflict later settled into a stalemate with the rebels failing to budge the front lines in the east since April, and making only minor gains from the pockets they control in the western Nafusa mountains until this week as the rebels made enormous gains in capturing many western towns and claiming to control the road from Tripoli to the Tunisian border — the supply line of the capital.

The opposition said it has cut off fuel supplies to the regime's stronghold of Tripoli. A rebel field commander in Zawiya, says the fighting has shut down an oil pipeline to the capital, where a third of Libya's six million people live. The rebels have surrounded the refinery.

NATO said it hit four military facilities and on surface to air missile in Tripoli on Thursday.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#49 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Wed Aug 24, 2011 4:12 pm

Rebels Battle Libyan Forces Near Gadhafi Compound

By BEN HUBBARD & PAUL SCHEMM
Article Source
Associated Press
August 24, 2011
Image
Rebel fighters celebrate as they stand on top of the monument inside Moammar Gadhafi's compound in Bab Al-Aziziya in Tripoli, LIbya, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. The rebels say they have now taken control of nearly all of Tripoli, but sporadic gunfire could still be heard Wednesday, and Gadhafi loyalists fired shells and assault rifles at fighters who had captured the Libyan leader's personal compound one day earlier. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Pro-regime snipers cut off the road to Tripoli's airport on Wednesday, fired at motorists near the capital's port and launched repeated attacks on Moammar's Gadhafi's sprawling government compound, stormed by thousands of rebels a day earlier.

Still the opposition fighters claimed they now control most of Tripoli. Streets were largely deserted, scattered with debris, broken glass and other remnants of fighting, while rebels manned checkpoints every few hundred yards.

But there were intense clashes in the Abu Salim neighborhood next to Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound. Gadhafi loyalists fired shells and assault rifles at fighters who captured the compound on Tuesday. Abu Salim is home to a notorious prison and thought to be one of the last remaining regime strongholds within the capital.

Rebels stormed Gadhafi's compound Tuesday but found no sign of the longtime leader. Still the conquest effectively signaled the end of the regime, even though the opposition may face pockets of stiff resistance for some time to come. And rebels know they cannot really proclaim victory until Gadhafi is found.

On Wednesday morning, rebel fighters said they controlled most of Bab al-Aziziya but not all of it.

The rebel fighters are now using Bab al-Aziziya as staging area for their operations, loading huge trucks with ammunition and discussing where they need to deploy.

About 20 rebels were taking cover behind a wall of the compound and firing rifles and rocket-propelled grenades toward Gadhafi's snipers in tall buildings in nearby Abu Salim. They came under heavy incoming fire.

"There are also civilians in those buildings who support Gadhafi and they too are firing on us," said Mohammed Amin, a rebel fighter.

He said the rebels have been unable to push into Abu Salim but have surrounded it. Amin added that one rebel was killed in the area when they took up positions in the morning and four were kidnapped by Gadhafi troops while on patrol nearby.

The rebels claim they control the Tripoli airport but are still clashing with Gadhafi forces around it. AP reporters said the road leading to the airport is closed because of heavy fire from regime snipers.

Khalil Mabrouk, a 37-year-old rebel fighter, said he had just come from the airport and the rebels have been inside since Monday. Most of the immediate area in the airport was cleared of Gadhafi troops, he said. But south of it, Gadhafi's forces are firing rockets and shelling rebel positions inside the airport.

Foreign journalists are still being held at gunpoint at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli, which is next to Abu Salim where the heaviest fighting was raging on Wednesday.

When an AP reporter entered the hotel and asked if he could take out several journalists, the guard, carrying a Kalashnikov, said they were not allowed to leave.

When a group of four other journalists, including New York Times reporter David Kirkpatrick, pulled up to the front gate in a car displaying a rebel flag, they were ordered out of the car at gunpoint.

The driver was placed on the floor of the parking lot by one guard while the others were menaced at gunpoint and later taken inside the hotel. Only two armed guards were in evidence.

A steady barrage of automatic weapons fire and heavy weapons could be heard in the surrounding area where Gadhafi loyalists are still fighting, including in a large wooded park behind the hotel.

The journalists trapped in the Rixos appeared to be in good health but said that after four days of fighting in the area, nerves were stretched thin.

Elsewhere in the city, streets were deserted aside from rebel checkpoints, which were every 100 yards in some parts. Buildings were covered in pro-rebel graffiti that has sprung up just in the last few days.

Trash, already a problem in the waning months of Gadhafi's rule, covers the empty streets, piled in corners and all over the sidewalks. There are ripped up remnants of Gadhafi's green flags that once flew everywhere around the city.

Rebels at the checkpoints looked for Gadhafi' supporters, checking the trunks of cars to see if anyone was carrying weapons and not expressing support for the rebel movement. At one checkpoint a picture of Gadhafi, once ubiquitous throughout the city, had been laid on the ground so that cars had to drive over it.

Two young rebel fighters searched through a heap of pill packages in a building they said had served as a pharmacy. A broken TV, its screen shattered, lay on the ground in the courtyard. Debris littered the ground. A dozen young fighters posed for pictures next to a gold-colored statue of a clenched fist squeezing a plane — a memorial to the 1986 U.S. airstrikes on the compound in retaliation for a bombing at a German disco frequented by U.S. servicemen.

"The blood of our martyrs will not be spilled in vain," the fighters chanted, pumping their fists.

Even as his 42-year-old regime was crumbling around him, Gadhafi vowed not to surrender. In an audio message early Wednesday, he called on residents of the Libyan capital and loyal tribesmen across his North African nation to free Tripoli from the "devils and traitors" who have overrun it.

Rebel leaders, meanwhile, made first moves to set up a new government in the capital. During Libya's six-month civil war, opposition leaders had established their interim administration, the National Transitional Council, in the eastern city of Benghazi, which fell under rebel control shortly after the outbreak of widespread anti-regime protests in February.

"Members of the council are now moving one by one from Benghazi to Tripoli," said Mansour Seyf al-Nasr, the Libyan opposition's new ambassador to France.

A rebel leader, Mahmoud Jibril, was to meet later Wednesday with French President Nicholas Sarkozy, one of the earliest and staunchest supporters of the Libyan opposition, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron.

In London, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was clear Gadhafi had lost control of the majority of the Libyan capital and that this served as a "fundamental and decisive rejection" of the tyrant's regime.

Hague called on Gadhafi to "stop issuing delusional statements."


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#50 Post by Mary » Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:47 pm

Libyan Rebels Put Million-Dollar Bounty On Gadhafi's Head


Reports claim former leader moving around capital in disguise;
Western powers prepare to unfreeze Libyan assets and remove sanctions.


Published 18:02 24.08.11
Article Source
By DPA and Reuters
Haaretz.com

The rebel Transitional National Council offered Wednesday a 1.7 million dollars reward to anyone who caught Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, reported the broadcaster Al Jazeera.

The opposition council also promised pardon to anyone killing Gadhafi, added the Doha-based television. The whereabouts of Gaddafi, who ruled Libya for 42 years, were still unknown.
Image
Rebel fighters chant slogans and tear up a portrait
of Moammar Gadhafi in his Bab al-Aziziya compound
in Tripoli, Libya, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011.


Earlier Wednesday, Gadhafi claimed to have been moving around the capital Tripoli in disguise after rebels seized the city. "I walked a little in Tripoli without anybody seeing me. And I did not feel I was in danger," Gadhafi said in an audio message, his second on Wednesday.

The broadcast came a day after hundreds of Libyan rebels stormed Gadhafi's compound in the capital but found no sign of the longtime leader. On Monday, the rebels entered Tripoli, a metropolis of some 2 million people on the Mediterranean coast, pouring into the city in their thousands in a stunning breakthrough. They claim to control 80 percent of Tripoli.

Meanwhile, France and its partners at the United Nations are drafting a resolution to unfreeze Libyan assets and unlock sanctions now that rebels appear close to ousting Muammar Gaddafi, a French diplomatic source said on Wednesday.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#51 Post by Mary » Fri Aug 26, 2011 3:53 pm

Fighting Rages In Tripoli As Loyalists Hold Out

Image
Efforts were launched at the UN and in Qatar to unlock of billions of dollars of assets for the rebels. By Patrick Baz (AFP)

Marc Bastian and Dominique Soguel
Article Source
Africa August 24, 2011
ModernGhana.com

TRIPOLI (AFP) - Rebels battled to gain full control of the Libyan capital as pockets of loyalists held out and speculation mounted as to the whereabouts of Moamer Kadhafi, despite a reward of $1.7 million for the elusive strongman, dead or alive.

Meanwhile diplomatic efforts were launched at the United Nations and in Qatar by backers of the insurgents to secure the unlocking of billions of dollars of Libyan assets for the rebels.

Washington for its part said Libya's stockpile of weapons of mass destruction had been secured and that it was confident the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) could set up governing structures after overrunning Tripoli.

A group of mostly foreign journalists who had been confined to Tripoli's Rixos Hotel by pro-Kadhafi hardliners were freed but other loyalists kidnapped four Italian journalists near the capital, and two French journalists were wounded by stray gunfire at the compound but were recovering.

The rebels also made key diplomatic gains when two of Kadhafi's staunchest African allies -- Chad and Burkina Faso -- said they recognise the NTC as the sole representative of the Libyan people.

During the afternoon, thick smoke hung over the Bab al-Aziziya complex, where rebels and Kadhafi forces fought with light arms, heavy machine guns, rocket propelled grenades and mortars.

Fighting also spread to the nearby Abu Slim area, where loyalists were on the attack, a day after they fled as rebels overran Bab al-Aziziya.

Other pro-Kadhafi troops fired heavy Grad rockets in a bid to regain control of Tripoli's airport from a small group of rebels holding on.

But manager Arabi Mustafa said that once the security problems are resolved and water and electricity restored, the airport would be reopened.

A rebel military spokesman told Al-Jazeera television that "Libyan territory is 90 to 95 percent under the control of the rebellion."

Colonel Abdullah Abu Afra said "the fall of Bab al-Aziziya marked the end of the Kadhafi regime in Tripoli and in Libya" after 42 years in power.

But rebels said Kadhafi forces were pounding insurgents holding the centre of Zuwarah, west of Tripoli, adding that reinforcements were lacking to lift the siege.

Rebels advancing towards Kadhafi's birthplace of Sirte were also blocked Wednesday in the town of Bin Jawad as loyalists kept up a stiff resistance.

"Kadhafi's forces are still fighting, we are surprised. We thought they would surrender with the fall of Tripoli," Bukatif said.

"Maybe something or somebody is behind them," he said, adding "maybe" when asked if he was referring to Kadhafi or his sons.

Rebels said they had found no trace of Kadhafi when they swarmed through his compound on Tuesday, and the whereabouts of him and his family remains a mystery.

However, in audio messages broadcast early Wednesday Kadhafi said he had abandoned his compound in a "tactical withdrawal" and urged people to "go into the streets ... and cleanse Tripoli of rats" -- referring to the rebels.

Wherever he may be, the NTC wants him, dead or alive, and has put a $1.7 million (1.2 million euro) price on his head.

"The NTC supports the initiative of businessmen who are offering two million dinars for the capture of Moamer Kadhafi, dead or alive," NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said in Benghazi.

Jalil also offered amnesty to "members of (Kadhafi's) close circle who kill him or capture him."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he had invited the countries he regards as "the friends of Libya" to talks in Paris on September 1 on the future of the country after Kadhafi.

"We have decided in full agreement with (British Prime Minister) David Cameron to hold a great international conference to help the free Libya of tomorrow, to show that we're passing towards the future," Sarkozy said.

In Doha the NTC sought five billion dollars in emergency aid from frozen assets at a meeting with foreign representatives from the Libya contact group, the NTC's delegate Aref Ali Nayed said.

The sum was twice that announced Tuesday by NTC number two Mahmud Jibril.

Nayed said the NTC needed the cash to pay civil servants' wages, meet other basic humanitarian needs, clear mines from towns and cities and restore schools and hospitals.

Putting the economy back on its feet, and in particular starting Libya's oil flowing again, were also priorities, he added.

But at the United Nations South Africa refused to lift a block on the United States unfreezing 1.5 billion dollars of Libyan assets to buy humanitarian aid, setting up a diplomatic showdown at the Security Council.

South Africa insisted the council wait for the African Union to decide whether to recognize the NTC at a summit Thursday before approving the move.

For its part, the Pentagon said Libya's stockpile of chemical weapons, including more than 10 tons of mustard gas, was "secure" but that an arsenal of thousands of shoulder-launched missiles remained a cause for concern.

Josh Earnest, a White House spokesman, said Washington has "confidence in the TNC" and is "encouraged by they way they have conducted themselves so far."

While journalists trapped at the Rixos Hotel since Monday walked free, four Italians were kidnapped between Zawiyah and Tripoli. Italian media said two worked for the top Italian daily Corriere della Sera, one for La Stampa and the fourth for Avenire, a Roman Catholic paper.

In other developments, close Kadhafi ally and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez charged that his country's embassy in Tripoli was "assaulted and totally sacked," demanding that the ambassador and his staff be protected.

Chavez has been an unyielding opponent of a NATO air campaign against Kadhafi and has extended his personal support to the Libyan leader on numerous occasions during the six-month-long uprising against him.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#52 Post by Mary » Sat Aug 27, 2011 11:58 am

Three Killed As Thousands Of Syrians March Against Assad
Image
People protest against President Bashar al-Assad after Friday prayers in the city of Amude August 26, 2011.
Syrian forces killed at least two protesters on Saturday as tens of thousands of people marched again to demand the removal of President Bashar al-Assad,
activists and residents said. The placards read (centre and right) "Congratulations freedom to Libya's people". Niron died, Roma did not die".
By Khaled Oweis
Article Source
Reuters
August 27,2011

AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian forces killed at least three protesters on Saturday as tens of thousands of people marched again to demand the removal of President Bashar al-Assad on a major religious occasion, activists and residents said.

Syria's ally Iran said Assad needed to respond to the "legitimate demands of the people" after five months of protests and Arab League foreign ministers were expected to call on him to stop military operations against protests, a delegate said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), citing witnesses, said more demonstrations had broken out in Damascus overnight and on Saturday morning than at any time since the pro-democracy uprising erupted in March.

Two of the three were killed as Assad's forces fired live ammunition to disperse demonstrators streaming from mosques in the city of Qusair and Latakia port after al-Qadr prayers, the night Muslims believe the Prophet received the Koran.

At the al-Rifai mosque in the upscale Damascus district of Kfar Sousa, where the main secret police headquarters are located, witnesses said hundreds of security police and militiamen loyal to Assad attacked worshippers who tried to demonstrate as al-Qadr prayers finished around dawn.

"Some of the 'amn' (security) went on the roof and began firing from their AK-47s to scare the crowd. Around 10 people were wounded, with two hit by bullets in the neck and chest," a cleric who lives in the area told Reuters by phone.

SOHR, headed by dissident Rami Abdelrahman, said Syrian forces fired at a funeral turned protest on Saturday in the town of Kfar Roumeh in the northwestern Idlib province bordering Turkey, wounding at least ten.

The organization said another man was killed in raids and house-to-house arrests in the nearby town of Kfar Nubul.

"Besides the killings, another tragedy in Syria is the tens of thousands of people arrested since the beginning of uprising, many of whose whereabouts are unknown," Abdelrahman told Reuters.

IRAN SAYS ASSAD MUST ACT

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Assad and other leaders needed to respond to their people.

"We believe developments in the region's countries stem from dissatisfaction and discontent of the peoples in those countries," ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.

"The governments must be responsive to the legitimate demands of the people in these countries, be it Syria, Yemen or other countries," he said.

A delegate to the Arab League in Cairo said Arab foreign ministers would step up pressure on Assad later on Saturday with a demand he end the crackdown on demonstrators.

"There has been an agreement in talks held between the Arab states on...pressuring the Syrian regime to completely stop the military operations and withdraw its forces," the delegate said, adding ministers would discuss sending a mission to Damascus.

The United Nations says 2,200 people have been killed since Assad sent in tanks and troops to crush months of street demonstrations calling for an end to his family's 41-year rule.

Syrian authorities have blamed armed "terrorist groups" for the bloodshed and say 500 police and army have been killed. They have expelled most independent journalists, making it difficult to verify events on the ground.

The United States and EU have urged Assad to step down but their push at the U.N. to impose Security Council sanctions on Syria over its crackdown has met resistance from Russia and China, diplomats said.

Russia has a naval base in Syria and is one of its main arms suppliers. One proposed sanction is an arms embargo while other sanctions would freeze the assets of Assad and his associates.

Assad himself would be excluded from a proposed travel ban on his relatives and associates to allow him an escape route.

The proposed U.N. measures are not as severe as U.S. sanctions in place and a proposed expansion of EU steps against Damascus that would forbid the import of Syrian oil.
Image
The Syrian National Human Rights Organization (SNHRO), headed by opposition figure Ammar Qurabi, said nearly 100 civilians were killed by security forces in the week to Friday "in another bloody week."

The uprising has shattered Syria's economy, hitting investment and the tourism industry, forcing businesses to lay off workers.

Any power shakeup in Syria would have major regional repercussions. Assad, from Syria's minority Alawite sect, still has alliances with the country's influential Sunni business class and a loyalist core in the army and security service.

WIDESPREAD PROTEST

Since Ramadan began on August 1, tanks have entered the cities of Hama, scene of a 1982 massacre by the military, Deir al-Zor and Latakia on the Mediterranean coast.

During a protest overnight in the Damascus suburb of Hajar al-Aswad, home to refugees from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, demonstrators chanted: "The people want the execution of the president."

Similar demonstrations were reported in other Damascus suburbs such as Douma and Qadam. Protests were also seen in Homs, hometown of Assad's wife Asma, the ancient desert city of Palmyra, Hama, and the eastern province of Hasakeh.

A YouTube video showed marchers shouting "Death but not humiliation" in the provincial capital of Idlib. They carried the old Syrian green and white flag of the republic before the Baath Party took power in a 1963 coup, ushering in almost five decades of minority Alawite rule.

On Friday, residents of Deir al-Zor said security forces opened fire to disperse scores of protesters, killing two of them on the spot. Another youth was taken to hospital with serious gunshot wounds and died later, a witness said.

Nine other protesters were killed across the country on Friday, the SNHRO said, including in the southern town of Nawa. State television said two gunmen were killed in Deir al-Zor.

(Additional reporting by Patrick Worsnip at the United Nations and Hashem Kalantari in Tehran; Editing by Dominic Evans and Rosalind Russell)


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#53 Post by Mary » Mon Aug 29, 2011 11:27 am

Syria Unrest: Deadlock As Pressure Builds
Image
The assault on Hama seems to have galvanised international opinion.
By Jim Muir
Article Source
BBC News, Beirut
9 August 2011 Last updated at 14:29 ET

After nearly five months of uprising and carnage in Syria, nobody really knows whether President Bashar al-Assad and his Baathist regime will still be in power a year hence.

Analysts use phrases like "war of attrition" or "immovable object meeting irresistible force" to describe the stalemate between a popular revolt that will not go away, and a regime that seems determined to cling to power at any cost.

Both may have gone beyond the point of no return on the courses they have adopted.

If the regime were to heed calls to withdraw its army and security forces from the fray, it is clear that large parts of the country could spin out of control.

And if the rebels were to call off their uprising in the hope of securing political gains, they would risk being left with nothing but further severe repression.

Too much blood has been spilled for the clock to be turned back.

Losing friends

Despite concerted and ruthless efforts, the regime has not been able to stamp out the flames of defiance in almost any part of the country - including in the birthplace of the uprising in and around Deraa in the far south.

But neither have the rebels been able to push their revolt to tipping-point by having it engulf the two biggest cities, Aleppo and Damascus, and getting hundreds of thousands, or even millions, onto the streets, rather than tens of thousands or less as at present.

The basic deadlock does not, however, mean that the situation is static.
Image
Neither activists in Syria nor the outside world take
the proposals of reform and dialogue seriously.
Pressure is clearly building up, the longer the conflict grinds on.

The army and security forces' latest operations, in the central city of Hama and Deir al-Zour in the east, both seem to have triggered significant changes in international and regional diplomacy and politics over Syria.

Hama has strong international resonance because of the massacre of many thousands there when an Islamist uprising was brutally suppressed in 1982.

The latest assault on Hama, which began on 31 July, seems to have galvanised international opinion sufficiently to produce, within three days, the first UN Security Council statement condemning the state violence against civilians.

Traditional friends of Syria, such as the Russians and Chinese, went along with the statement, and other council members (Brazil, South Africa and India) also dropped their reservations and backed a statement that had taken months of diplomatic haggling.

Russian support for the statement seemed to reflect a real shift in position in Moscow, where President Dmitry Medvedev said that if President Assad did not bring about serious changes quickly, he would face "a sad fate".

The US position also seemed to harden somewhat, although the uncertainty of what might follow the current Syrian regime has led Washington to continue to hedge its bets by not entirely excluding a role for President Assad in a transitional future.

But a meeting between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and some US-based Syrian opposition figures was a clear signal to Damascus that other ways forward were being actively explored.

Sunni disapproval

The move a week after Hama against Deir al-Zour, a heavily tribal area, may have been the last straw that broke Saudi patience over the unrelenting crackdown on an uprising largely involving the poorer sections of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority.
Image
Saudi Arabia sees itself as the regional patrons and protectors of the Sunnis.
The following day saw King Abdullah take the unusual step of unleashing a powerful admonitory blast on al-Arabiya TV, announcing that Riyadh was recalling its ambassador to signal its displeasure with Damascus.

He warned that Syria would descend into chaos if it did not enact swift and meaningful reforms.

The Saudi move was all the more significant given the irony that just a year and one week earlier, King Abdullah visited President Assad in Damascus before the two men made an unprecedented joint trip to Beirut to reinforce a Saudi-Syrian initiative easing tensions between Sunnis and Shia in Lebanon.

The Saudis see themselves as the regional patrons and protectors of the Sunnis, and the ongoing and worsening bloodletting in Syria apparently made that consideration override King Abdullah's prior entente with President Assad.

Activists on the ground in Syria were clearly heartened by the Saudi move, and staged demonstrations of gratitude, with tribal elements to the fore.

With Bahrain and Kuwait following suit and pulling ambassadors out of Damascus, the Arab League voicing similar concerns, and neighbouring Turkey weighing in to warn that time and patience were running out, the whole Sunni world seemed to be mobilising in disapproval of the suppression of Syria's Sunni community by its minority Alawite-dominated government.

The fear underlying all this is that Syria may be sliding inexorably into a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Alawites that would aggravate confessional fault-lines running through the region, especially in neighbouring Lebanon and Iraq.

Internal triggers

The basic deadlock and bloody repression could continue for a long time despite all the diplomatic pressure.

But if the internal pressure keeps rising, change could also come about out of the blue, from several possible sources. They include:
  • Splits in the military: So far, despite persistent reports of defections by individuals or small groups of soldiers on the ground, there has been no evidence of major divisions involving whole units. But it stands to reason that the longer the repression goes on, the more tensions will mount within an institution where the rank and file are necessarily Sunni, but the levers of power in Alawite hands. The announcement on Monday that Defence Minister Ali Habib had been replaced prompted rumours that he had opposed the attack on Hama, or even that he had tried to stage a coup, and also that he had been killed.
  • The economy: It is being steadily degraded as the crisis goes on and many businesses feel the pinch. Substantial sections of the population - the Sunni middle classes, the merchants, and minorities such as the Christians - have generally supported the regime because they could benefit from the stability it conferred. But if the economy worsens and stability collapses, they may agree it is time for a change.
  • The Alawite community: If sectarian tensions keep rising, it is not out of the question that President Assad's own Alawite community might turn against him rather than risk annihilation for the sake of one rapacious clan. But given the excesses of the regime and the mainly-Alawite shabiha militia, it may be too late for that.
The regime has so far reacted to all the outside pressure by retorting that the trouble is caused by "armed terrorist gangs", and that the "comprehensive reform programme" launched by President Assad is serious but needs more time.

But given what is happening on the ground, neither activists in Syria nor the outside world take the reform and dialogue proposals seriously.

One of the regime's early moves was to scrap existing state of emergency laws which gave carte blanche to repression and abuses, but that has made no difference at all.

Despite the hardening international position on Syria, external intervention as in Libya has been ruled out from the beginning and is no more likely now, for many reasons.

But there are lesser ways in which the outside world can tighten the pressure on the regime, through economic moves and support for the opposition.

That may embolden the activists on the ground. In the end, the outcome will be up to them and the rest of the Syrian people.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#54 Post by Mary » Mon Aug 29, 2011 11:47 am

Syrian Unrest: Tension High Before Ramadan
Image
A huge crowd protested in Hama on Friday - followed by a violent crackdown.
By Lina Sinjab
Article Source
BBC News, Damascus
31 July 2011 Last updated at 13:42 ET

Shadi Abu Fakher, a filmmaker in his mid-20s, went missing early this week while wandering around central Damascus.

His friends have set up a support campaign on Facebook and released white balloons with "Free Shadi" written on them. He is one of many who have been arrested.

For four months, anti-government protests have appeared to gain momentum week by week but as the holy month of Ramadan starts, the expectation is that protests will grow. Operations by security forces have also intensified.

"Syria has become a big prison," says Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Human Rights Organisation in a statement issued to condemn the mass arrests against peaceful campaigners.

"In the last few days, at least 600 were arrested in Rukn al-Dine, 300 in one day in Kanakera and 150 in Zabadani," Mr Qurabi told the BBC.

"Those arrested are all aged between 15 and 40. They are stepping up the security assault as there are concerns more protests will take place and cities and towns that haven't joined the protests will do so in Ramadan."

'Thousands arrested'

Avaaz, the global campaign movement, said in a recent report that since 15 March 1,634 had died in the crackdown.

The group estimated that 2,918 people had disappeared, about 26,000 had been arrested with many of them beaten and tortured, and 12,617 were still in detention.

"Hour by hour, peaceful protesters are plucked from the crowds by Syria's infamously brutal security forces, never to be seen again," said Ricken Patel, executive director at Avaaz.

"President Assad's attempt to terrorise Syrians into submission isn't working, but they urgently need the international community to demand the release of the disappeared and a transition to democracy."

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC), which represent the protesters, estimate that about 40,000 people have been arrested since the start of the protests, with at least 15,000 still behind bars. They have just launched "Detainees Week".

The committees, which have documented all the human rights violations, are releasing information on the numbers of detainees and their names, posting this on walls in busy streets.

Tension appears to be increasing in several Syrian cities and towns with military and security operations across the country.

The government says it is targeting armed gangs and blames the killing of both civilians and military personnel on them. Officials also warn that Salafist militants are trying to turn the country into an Islamic state.

But protesters say it is the security forces that are carrying out the killings of unarmed civilians.

Many people are holding their breath awaiting the start of Ramadan. Sources close to the regime say there will be a strong security crackdown and no tolerance towards the protesters.

'Tortured in custody'

In Qaboun, an area of Damascus that saw some big protests in last weeks, the security crackdown succeeded in stopping protesters from taking to the streets in recent days.
"They would beat me until I passed out, put me in a tank, throw cold water on me, then start beating me again”
Unnamed former detainee
Zaher, a local resident, says they have arrested hundreds of people in the last few days: "Security forces are there all the time and it was hard to move around on Friday.

"They checked my ID and wanted to prevent me from leaving my house or coming back to it but I didn't accept that."

Zaher lives in Qaboun but did not take part in any protest. Still, he is fed up with the way the authorities are dealing with the situation.

"Enough of humiliation and repression," he says.

Mr Qurabi says the authorities are using torture and humiliation, forcing detainees to strip.

Activists have released several videos on YouTube which appear to show evidence of torture of detainees with children among them, including 13-year-old Hamza al-Kahtib.

The BBC cannot verify these videos but many people who left prison alive speak about severe torture.

"I was beaten and left for days in solitary confinement," said one, who asked not to be named.

"They would beat me until I passed out, put me in a tank, throw cold water on me, then start beating me again.

"Three of them would stand on my body and start kicking and beating me, using degrading language. They even covered my face with faeces."

It took the activist only a few days to recover from his detention and get back to protesting in the streets again.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#55 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:10 pm

Iran Warns Of Regional Crisis If Syria Falls
Image
In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network, Anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters, hold up Arabic placards reading:"We need international protection, help the Syrian people, Gadhafi didn't stay so how Assad stay," during a demonstration against the Syrian regime, in Homs, Syria, on Friday Aug. 26, 2011. Syrian security forces killed at least two people as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters flooded the streets on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, a time that many activists hoped would become a turning point in the uprising. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY
Article Source
Associated Press
August 27, 2011

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's powerful ally Iran warned Saturday that a power vacuum in Damascus could spark an unprecedented regional crisis, as thousands of protesters insisted they will defy tanks and bullets until President Bashar Assad is toppled.

The 5-month-old uprising in Syria has left Assad with few international allies — with the vital exception of Iran, which the U.S. and other nations say is helping drive the deadly crackdown on dissent.

"If a vacuum is created in the Syrian ruling system, it will have unprecedented repercussions," Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Saturday, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency. He said Syria has "sensitive neighbors" and that change in the country could lead to regional crisis.

Syria borders five other nations and controls water supplies to Iraq, Jordan and parts of Israel.

Iran's ties with Syria go far beyond the countries' long-standing friendship in a region dominated by Arab suspicions of Tehran's aims. Syria also is Iran's conduit for aid to powerful anti-Israel proxies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Should Assad's regime fall, it could rob Iran of a loyal Arab partner in a region profoundly realigned by uprisings demanding more freedom and democracy.

More than five months into the uprising against Assad, the conflict has descended into a bloody stalemate.

Human rights groups say Assad's forces have killed more than 2,000 people since the uprising erupted in March, touched off by the wave of revolts sweeping the Arab world. The European Union imposed sanctions Wednesday against an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, saying the Quds Force is providing equipment and other support to help crush the revolt.

Assad has shrugged off international condemnation and calls for him to step down. Economic and other sanctions could slowly chip away at the regime in the long-term, however. Iran has offered unwavering support for Damascus, and there has been speculation that Tehran is providing funds to cushion Assad's government as it burns through the $17 billion in foreign reserves that the government had at the start of the uprising.

But Iran cannot prop up the regime indefinitely.
Image
In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters, hold a cartoon placard depicting Moammar Gadhafi, right, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, with Arabic words read:"step back," during a demonstration against the Syrian regime, at Maaret Harma village, in Edlib province, Syria, on Friday Aug. 26, 2011. Syrian security forces killed at least two people as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters flooded the streets on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan, a time that many activists hoped would become a turning point in the uprising. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO
Thousands of Syrians held protests overnight and early Saturday across the country of 22 million, according to the Local Coordination Committees, which helps organize the demonstrations.

The security presence was heavy by Saturday afternoon, particularly in the Damascus suburbs, the eastern city of Deir el-Zour and the coastal city of Latakia.

Sporadic shooting was reported.

A day earlier, Syrian security forces killed at least two people during protests on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Friday has become the main day for protests.

The government crackdown escalated dramatically at the start of Ramadan, a time of introspection, piety and dawn-to-dusk fasting. Muslims typically gather in mosques during the month for special nightly prayers after breaking the fast. The Assad government used deadly force to prevent such large gatherings from turning into more anti-government protests.

Assad's promises of reforms have been rejected as insincere by the opposition.

Although the crackdown has led to broad condemnation, Assad is in no immediate danger of falling. For one thing, the Syrian opposition movement is disparate and largely disorganized, without a strong leadership.

Assad's main base of support includes Syrians who have benefited financially from the regime, minority groups who feel they will be targeted if the Sunni majority takes over, and others who see no clear and safe alternative to Assad.

Assad, who inherited power from his father in 2000, has stacked key military posts with members of his minority Alawite sect.

Assad's backers portray him as the only leader capable of staving off civil war. And while most analysts say Assad is exploiting those fears, few deny that such violence is a serious possibility. The country has a potentially volatile mix of religious groups and sects.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#56 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:15 pm

Syrian Town Of Rastan 'Surrounded By Tanks'
Image
Syrian security forces have been carrying out operations across the country.
BBC News
Article Source
29 August 2011 Last updated at 11:39 ET
Syrian tanks and armoured vehicles have surrounded the town of Rastan,
north of Homs, which has been the site of anti-regime dissent, activists say.
In separate operations in the capital and in the northern province of Idlib, at least six people were reportedly killed.

Meanwhile, the opposition has announced a council to lead the uprising.

The UN says more than 2,200 people have died since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began in March.

One of the most influential Sunni clerics, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar in Cairo, has condemned attacks on protesters taking refuge in mosques.

He said the aggressors would be punished in this world and the next.

'Long bursts'

In Rastan, residents reported heavy machine-gun fire by security forces at the entrance to the town.

Rastan has been caught up in the protests taking place across the country and correspondents say that dissent has continued there despite harsh repression.

"The tanks deployed at both banks of the highway, which remained open, and fired long bursts from their machine guns at Rastan," one resident told Reuters news agency by phone.
Image
Unconfirmed reports from activists say the latest move was prompted by defections among Syrian troops in the area, the agency reports.

Monday's fighting has caused many of the town's inhabitants to flee.

Most foreign journalists have been barred from Syria, making it difficult to verify reports from the country.

Further to the north-west, tanks and troops are reported to have stormed the town of Sarmin, in Idlib province, taking up positions in the central market and firing randomly to keep people off the streets, according to the London-based Observatory for Human Rights.

It said at least five people, including a child, had been killed, and that more than 60 were wounded.

One person died in another raid involving armoured vehicles on Qara, a suburb of the capital, Damascus. About 40 people were arrested there, the group said.

Opposition council

Other attacks were reported near Deir ez-Zor in the east, and around Heet near the Lebanese border in the west. The operation in Heet reportedly sent many civilians fleeing over the border.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition leaders meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, have announced the formation of a Transitional National Council to provide political leadership for the uprising, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

The council will be made up of 94 members, including some leaders still inside Syria and others outside.

It seems to be the most serious attempt so far to unite the opposition on a single platform, but it remains to be seen whether it will gain universal acceptance by all strands of the opposition, especially the activists on the ground, our correspondent adds.

Syria has come under increasing international pressure to end attacks on protesters.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Mr Assad on Monday to deliver a message from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

According to a statement on the Russian presidency's website, "the Russian side stressed the need to immediately and fully end violence from any side, to take specific steps to implement the reforms announced by the Syrian leadership without any delay".

It also said "the opposition should not try to evade taking part in dialogue".

A report on state news agency Sana said Russia's position on Syria was "unchanged", and that Moscow had expressed hope that "security and stability would be maintained".

Both the Turkish president and his prime minister have made further outspoken criticisms of the Syrian leadership, saying it is now too late for corrective steps and reform offers.

The European Union is considering banning the import of oil from Syria in an effort to increase pressure on the Assad regime.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#57 Post by Mary » Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:30 pm

Syrian Town Of Rastan 'Surrounded By Tanks'
Image
Syrian security forces have been carrying out operations across the country.
BBC News
Article Source
29 August 2011 Last updated at 11:39 ET
Syrian tanks and armoured vehicles have surrounded the town of Rastan,
north of Homs, which has been the site of anti-regime dissent, activists say.
In separate operations in the capital and in the northern province of Idlib, at least six people were reportedly killed.

Meanwhile, the opposition has announced a council to lead the uprising.

The UN says more than 2,200 people have died since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began in March.

One of the most influential Sunni clerics, the Sheikh of Al-Azhar in Cairo, has condemned attacks on protesters taking refuge in mosques.

He said the aggressors would be punished in this world and the next.

'Long bursts'

In Rastan, residents reported heavy machine-gun fire by security forces at the entrance to the town.

Rastan has been caught up in the protests taking place across the country and correspondents say that dissent has continued there despite harsh repression.

"The tanks deployed at both banks of the highway, which remained open, and fired long bursts from their machine guns at Rastan," one resident told Reuters news agency by phone.
Image
Unconfirmed reports from activists say the latest move was prompted by defections among Syrian troops in the area, the agency reports.

Monday's fighting has caused many of the town's inhabitants to flee.

Most foreign journalists have been barred from Syria, making it difficult to verify reports from the country.

Further to the north-west, tanks and troops are reported to have stormed the town of Sarmin, in Idlib province, taking up positions in the central market and firing randomly to keep people off the streets, according to the London-based Observatory for Human Rights.

It said at least five people, including a child, had been killed, and that more than 60 were wounded.

One person died in another raid involving armoured vehicles on Qara, a suburb of the capital, Damascus. About 40 people were arrested there, the group said.

Opposition council

Other attacks were reported near Deir ez-Zor in the east, and around Heet near the Lebanese border in the west. The operation in Heet reportedly sent many civilians fleeing over the border.

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition leaders meeting in the Turkish capital, Ankara, have announced the formation of a Transitional National Council to provide political leadership for the uprising, reports the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut.

The council will be made up of 94 members, including some leaders still inside Syria and others outside.

It seems to be the most serious attempt so far to unite the opposition on a single platform, but it remains to be seen whether it will gain universal acceptance by all strands of the opposition, especially the activists on the ground, our correspondent adds.

Syria has come under increasing international pressure to end attacks on protesters.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov visited Mr Assad on Monday to deliver a message from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

According to a statement on the Russian presidency's website, "the Russian side stressed the need to immediately and fully end violence from any side, to take specific steps to implement the reforms announced by the Syrian leadership without any delay".

It also said "the opposition should not try to evade taking part in dialogue".

A report on state news agency Sana said Russia's position on Syria was "unchanged", and that Moscow had expressed hope that "security and stability would be maintained".

Both the Turkish president and his prime minister have made further outspoken criticisms of the Syrian leadership, saying it is now too late for corrective steps and reform offers.

The European Union is considering banning the import of oil from Syria in an effort to increase pressure on the Assad regime.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#58 Post by Mary » Mon Aug 29, 2011 1:49 pm

Gadhafi's Family Fled To Algeria
By BEN HUBBARD
Article Source
Associated Press
August 29, 2011 – 51 mins ago

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's wife and other relatives fled to Algeria Monday, the Algerian foreign ministry said.

The Algerian government said Gadhafi's wife, daughter, two of his sons and their children entered the neighboring country on Monday. It did not say whether Gadhafi himself was with the family.
Image
Libyan rebels man a checkpoint in Tripoli, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011.
Libyan rebel leaders asked NATO on Monday to keep up pressure on elements of Moammar Gadhafi's
regime and to protect those struggling to restore electricity and water to the battle-scarred capital
of Tripoli. (AP Photo/Abdel Magid Al Fergany)

It said the U.N. secretary-general and Security Council and the head of Libyan rebel National Transition Council were informed.

The report came as battles raged on two sides of Sirte, the southern city that is the headquarters of Gadhafi's tribe and his regime's last major bastion. The rebels were consolidating control of Tripoli, the capital.

Despite effectively ending his rule, the rebels have yet to find Gadhafi or his family members — something that has cast a pall of lingering uncertainty over the opposition's victory.
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Libyan women gather bottles outside a mosque where volunteers distribute water in Tripoli, Libya, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011.
Libyan rebel leaders asked NATO on Monday to keep up pressure on elements of Moammar Gadhafi's regime and to protect
those struggling to restore electricity and water to the battle-scarred capital of Tripoli. (AP Photo/Abdel Magid Al Fergany)
The Egyptian news agency MENA, quoting unidentified rebel fighters, had reported from Tripoli over the weekend that six armored Mercedes sedans, possibly carrying Gadhafi's sons or other top regime figures, had crossed the border at the southwestern Libyan town of Ghadamis into Algeria. Algeria's Foreign Ministry had denied that report.

Ahmed Jibril, an aide to rebel National Transitional Council head Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said if the report of Ghadafi relatives in Algeria is true, "we will demand that Algerian authorities hand them over to Libya to be tried before Libyan courts."

Ahmed Bani, military spokesman of the council, said he was not surprised to hear Algeria had welcomed Gadhafi relatives. Throughout the six-month Libyan uprising, rebels have accused Algeria of providing Gadhafi with mercenaries to curb the revolution.


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Mary
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#59 Post by Mary » Thu Sep 01, 2011 11:32 am

Gaddafi Called Algerian President: Report
By Mark Heinrich
Article Source
Reuters
September 1, 2011 – 3 hrs ago
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ALGIERS (Reuters) - Muammar Gaddafi called Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to negotiate a passage into his country but the latter refused to take his call, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.

Algeria announced on Monday that Gaddafi's wife, two of his sons and his daughter had crossed into its territory, prompting Libya's ruling interim council to demand that they be handed back to face trial.

Quoting a source close to the Algerian presidency, Algeria's El Watan newspaper said Gaddafi was believed to be on the Libyan-Algerian border town of Ghadamis.

His location remains unknown more than a week after Tripoli fell to his foes. A top military commander of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC) said on Thursday he was believed to be in the desert town of Bani Walid about 150 (95 miles) southeast of Tripoli.

"Gaddafi tried to reach President Bouteflika by phone but he refused to take the call. A presidential adviser excused him saying he was absent and busy with events in Algeria," El Watan quoted the source as saying in a report on its website.

It was not clear when the call was made.

"It is not the first time that Gaddafi and some of his aides have tried to get in touch with the president for potential negotiations but the Algerian position is clear and neutral and we refuse to get involved in Libya's internal affairs," it quoted the source as saying.

No one was immediately available for comment from the Algerian government.

Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said on Thursday Algeria would not give refuge to Gaddafi himself, although it had allowed Gaddafi's wife and three of his children to enter the country -- a move denounced by the NTC as an act of aggression.

El Watan quoted the source as saying the NTC had been told about Gaddafi family members crossing into Algeria.

Algeria is the only one of Libya's North African neighbors yet to recognize the NTC, whose fighters have taken control of the capital Tripoli and much of the rest of the country, ending Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule.

Medelci said Algeria would recognize Libya's new leaders when they establish a representative government.

Algerian officials say they are concerned Islamist militants have infiltrated the NTC and that al Qaeda's North African wing will exploit the chaos in Libya to acquire weapons and explosives.


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Re: The "Small Horn" Of Bible Prophecy Emerges!!!

#60 Post by Mary » Wed Sep 07, 2011 12:40 am

U.S. Urges Niger To Detain Libyan Officials In Convoy
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Gaddafi government who it believes corssed into Niger in a convoy from Libya, the US State Department said.
By Mark Hosenball, Andrew Quinn, Phil Stewart and Arshad Mohammed
Article Source
Reuters
September 6, 2011 – 11 hrs ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday urged Niger to detain senior officials from the Gaddafi government who it believes crossed into the country in a convoy from Libya, the U.S. State Department said.

Niger officials informed the U.S. ambassador that the convoy carried "a dozen or more" senior members of Gaddafi's government, but gave no indication that Gaddafi himself was among them, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said.

"We have strongly urged the Nigerien officials to detain those members of the regime who may be subject to prosecution, to ensure that they confiscate any weapons that are found and to ensure that any state property of the government of Libya, money, jewels, etc., also be impounded so that it can be returned to the Libyan people," Nuland said.

She said the United States had also urged Niger to work with Libya's ruling interim council to ensure that its interests are served in bringing the convoy's passengers to justice.

"All of them would be subject to the U.N. travel ban which is why we're working closely with the government of Niger," Nuland said, adding that the two governments had had "a very good conversation about what needs to happen to them."

"Our understanding is that they are going to take appropriate measures so that they can take the steps that are necessary and to work in the future with the (interim council) on what is to be done with both the people and the property," she said.

The United States suspended all non-humanitarian assistance to Niger in 2009 after former president Mamadou Tandja changed the constitution to extend his rule, but resumed aid programs this year after Tandja was ousted by the military and replaced through elections.

Niger officials said Mansour Dhao, Gaddafi's personal security chief, crossed into Niger on Sunday and a U.S. national security official said Washington believed the convoy also carried several other prominent Libyan passengers.

A second U.S. official said that one of the convoys was of a "configuration" which suggested it was carrying high-ranking figures from Gaddafi's government.

However, this official said he had no information about Gaddafi himself traveling in the convoy or fleeing Libya, and Nuland said Niger had given no indication that any Gaddafi family members were among the passengers.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Gaddafi was "on the run" but that he had no precise information about his location. "I wish I knew," Panetta said.

The Pentagon has said previously it had no reason to believe Gaddafi had left Libya. Asked whether that assessment had changed, Panetta said only: "I don't have any information as to his location."

Military sources told Reuters that a convoy of between 200 and 250 vehicles had been escorted to the northern city of Agadez by Niger army personnel. U.S. officials said Gaddafi's government had close ties to Niger-based Tuareg rebels, some of whom had gone to Libya to help defend Gaddafi.

A French military source told Reuters it was possible that Gaddafi and his son and would-be heir, Saif al-Islam, could join the convoy later and head for neighboring Burkina Faso.

Nuland said U.S. diplomats had in recent days met formally with governments in all of Libya's neighbors to underscore the necessity that Gaddafi be brought to justice.

"We have been talking in recent days with all of the neighboring states in Libya about their U.N. Security Council obligations and those conversations will continue," she said.


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