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

#61 Post by Mary » Wed Sep 07, 2011 10:58 am

Libyan Fighters Say Gadhafi Surrounded

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A rebel fighter stands on a military vehicle that fighter have taken control of take control
that was positioned to defend what used to be Gadhafi's 32nd infantry regiment's base at Mardun, some 10 kilometers
from the outskirts of Ban Walid, Libya, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Gaia Anderson)
By BEN HUBBARD
Article Source
Associated Press
August 7, 2011

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan fighters have surrounded ousted dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and it is only a matter of time until he is captured or killed, a spokesman for Tripoli's new military council said Wednesday.

The council's deputy defense minister said, however, that Libya's former rebels had no idea where Gadhafi was, and they were focusing on taking control of territory instead of tracking down the former leader.

Figures in Libya's new government have given a series of conflicting statements about Gadhafi's presumed whereabouts since the fall of the capital last month and many reports about his location have proven untrue.

Anis Sharif told The Associated Press that Gadhafi was still in Libya and had been tracked using advanced technology and human intelligence. Rebel forces have taken up positions on all sides of Gadhafi's presumed location, with none more than 40 miles (60 kilometers) away, he said, without providing details.

"He can't get out," said Sharif, who added the former rebels are preparing to either detain him or kill him. "We are just playing games with him," Sharif said.

NATO said that it had made a number of airstrikes around Sirte — Gadhafi's hometown — on Tuesday, hitting six tanks, six armored fighting vehicles and an ammunition storage facility, among other targets. They also targeted the Gadhafi loyalist strongholds of Hun, Sabha and Waddan.

Deputy Defense Minister Mohammad Tanaz told the AP that the former rebels don't know where Gadhafi is, and the fugitive could still be hiding in tunnels under Tripoli.

He said the manhunt was not a focus for his men.

"Our priority is to liberate all of Libya," he said.

Locating Gadhafi would help seal the new rulers' hold on the country. Convoys of Gadhafi loyalists, including his security chief, fled across the Sahara into Niger this week in a move that Libya's former rebels hoped could help lead to the surrender of his last strongholds.
Image
Rebel fighters take control of a military vehicle, centre, positioned to defend what used
to be Gadhafi's 32nd infantry regiment's base at Mardun, some 10 kilometers from the outskirts of Ban Walid, Libya,
Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Gaia Anderson)
In Niger's capital, Niamey, Massoudou Hassoumi, a spokesman for the president, said Gadhafi's security chief had crossed the desert into Niger on Monday.

Mansour Dao, the former commander of Libya's Revolutionary Guards who is a cousin of Gadhafi as well as a member of his inner circle, is the only senior Libyan figure to have crossed into Niger, said Hassoumi.

Hassoumi said the group of nine people also included several pro-Gadhafi businessmen, as well as Agaly ag Alambo, a Tuareg rebel leader from Niger who led a failed uprising in the country's north before crossing into Libya, where he was believed to be fighting for Gadhafi.

Since Tripoli's fall last month to Libyan rebels, there has been a movement of Gadhafi loyalists across the porous desert border that separates Libya from Niger. They include Tuareg fighters who are nationals of Niger and next-door neighbor Mali who fought on Gadhafi's behalf in the recent civil war.
Niger's foreign minister told Algeria's state news agency that several Libyan convoys had entered his country, but that none carried Gadhafi.

Algeria, which like Niger shares a border with Libya — confirmed last week that the ousted leader's wife, his daughter, two of his sons, and several grandchildren had crossed into Algeria.

The West African nation of Burkina Faso, which borders Niger, offered Gadhafi asylum last month. On Tuesday, Burkina Faso distanced itself from Gadhafi, indicating he would be arrested if he went there.

The anti-Gadhafi fighters who toppled his regime by sweeping into Tripoli last month have been struggling to uproot the his bastions of support, particularly in the cities of Bani Walid, Sirte and Sabha. They say residents in those cities have been prevented from surrendering to the new post-Gadhafi rule because of former regime figures in their midst.

Hassan Droua, a representative of Sirte in the rebel's National Transitional Council, said he had reports from witnesses that a convoy of cars belonging to Gadhafi's son, Muatassim, was headed for the Niger border loaded with cash and gold from the city's Central Bank branch.

Meanwhile, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, the head of the Transitional Council — the closest thing to a Libyan government now — warned that the loyalist town of Bani Walid had until Friday to surrender or else the former rebel forces would move in.

More truckloads of former rebels arrived Wednesday outside Bani Walid, a dusty city of 100,000 strung the low ridges overlooking a dried up desert river valle on the road connecting Sirte and Sabha. .Bani Walid is the homeland of Libya's largest tribe, the Warfala. In 1993, some Warfala attempted a coup against Gadhafi but were brutally crushed. The masterminds were executed, their homes demolished and their clans shunned while Gadhafi brought other members of the tribe to dominance, giving them powerful government jobs and lucrative posts.


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

#62 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:10 pm

Yemeni Forces Open Fire On Protesters, 26 Killed
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Anti-government protestors carry a wounded protestor from the site of clashes with security forces, in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. Yemeni government forces opened fire with anti-aircraft guns and automatic weapons on tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in the capital pushing for ouster of longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, killing several people and wounding dozens.(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Associated Press
By AHMED AL-HAJ
Article Source
September 19, 2011

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni government forces opened fire with anti-aircraft guns and automatic weapons on tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in the capital demanding ouster of their longtime ruler, killing at least 26 and wounding dozens, medical officials and witnesses said.

After nightfall, Sanaa sank into complete darkness after a sudden power outage, as protesters took control of a vital bridge, halting traffic and setting up tents. Thousands of other protesters attacked government buildings and set fires to buildings they said were used by snipers and pro-government thugs.

The attack was the deadliest in months against protesters and comes as tensions have been escalating in the long, drawn-out stalemate between the regime and the opposition. The president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, left for Saudi Arabia for treatment after being severely wounded in a June 3 attack on his palace, raising hopes for his swift removal — but instead, he has dug in, refusing to step down.

The protest movement has stepped up demonstrations the past week, angered after Saleh deputized Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to negotiate a power-transfer deal. Many believe the move is just the latest of many delaying tactics.

At the same time, greater numbers of the powerful Republican Guards force, led by Saleh's son and heir apparent Ahmed and armed regime supporters have also been turning out in the streets in recent days, raising fears of a new bloody confrontation.

More than 100,000 protesters massed Sunday around the state radio building and government offices, witnesses said. When the crowd began to march toward the nearby Presidential Palace, security forces opened fire and shot tear gas canisters, they said. Snipers fired down at the crowd from nearby rooftops, and plainclothes Saleh supporters armed with automatic rifles, swords and batons attacked the protesters. Protesters took control of a main bridge, closed off the entrances and set fire to tents in a camp used by pro-government forces.

"This peaceful protest was confronted by heavy weapons and anti-aircraft guns," said Mohammed al-Sabri, an opposition spokesman. He vowed that the intensifying protests "will not stop and will not retreat."

At the neighborhood of al-Zubairi in the heart of Sanaa, troops opened fire at an anti-government force, the 1st Armored Division led by Maj. Gen. Ali al-Ahmar, who defected to the opposition along with his 50,000 troops several months ago.
Image
Wounded anti-government protestors lay on the ground as they received medical help at a field hospital during clashes with security forces in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2011. Yemeni government forces opened fire with anti-aircraft guns and automatic weapons on tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in the capital pushing for ouster of longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh, killing several people and wounding dozens. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
Witnesses said al-Ahmar's forces engaged in the fighting Sunday for the first time, but Abdel-Ghani al-Shemari, spokesman for al-Ahmar division denied that and said they are "maintaining self-restraint."

Tarek Noaman, a doctor at Sanaa field hospital, said that 26 protesters were shot dead and more than 200 were wounded. "Most of the injuries are at the chest, shoulder, head and face," he said, and said 25 of injured protesters were in critical condition.

He accused security forces of preventing ambulances from evacuating the wounded and collecting bodies of the slain protesters.

A Yemeni opposition television network carried live video of men carrying injured protesters on stretchers, including a motionless man whose face was covered with blood and eyes wrapped with bandages. Other young men were lying on the floor in the chaotic field hospital. Men on motorcycles rushed the injured from the square to field hospital.

Protesters throwing stones managed to break through security force lines and advance to near the Yemeni Republican Palace at the heart of Sanaa, turning the clashes with the security forces into street battles.

The Youth Revolution committee, which leads the protests, called on Yemenis to rally "day and night and everywhere in Yemen until we topple the remnants of the regime."

The Yemeni state news agency Saba quoted a security official as saying that the Muslim Brotherhood rallied "unlicensed protests" near the university of Sanaa, and "the militia threw firebombs at a power station, setting it on fire."

Though Saleh has been in Saudi Arabia since June, he has resisted calls to resign. Last week he deputized his vice president to discuss a Gulf-mediated, U.S.-backed deal under which he would step down in return for immunity from prosecution. Saleh has already backed away three times from signing the deal.

The U.S. once saw Saleh as a key ally in the battle against the dangerous Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, which has taken over parts of southern Yemen under cover of the political turmoil in the country. The U.S. withdrew its support of Saleh as the protests gained strength.

Later Sunday, Abdullah Oubal, a leading opposition member, charged that the violence was linked to the power deal.

"This is intentional. The hawks within the ruling regime are trying to abort efforts to seal the deal," he said.

Demonstrations also took place Sunday in many other Yemeni cities, including Taiz, Saada, Ibb and Damar.


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

#63 Post by Abaddon (Ex. 23:21) » Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:16 pm

Assault On Gaddafi Bastion Ends In Chaotic Retreat
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Anti-Gaddafi fighters point at a confiscated pickup truck at the frontline of the besieged city of Bani Walid September 18, 2011. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Reuters
By Maria Golovnina and Alexander Dziadosz
Article Source
September 18, 2011

BANI WALID/SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan interim government forces fled on Sunday in a chaotic retreat from the town of Bani Walid, after failing in yet another attempt to storm the final bastions of loyalists of ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Since taking the capital Tripoli last month, motley forces of the ruling National Transitional Council have met stiff resistance in Bani Walid and Gaddafi's birthplace Sirte, which they must capture before they can declare Libya "liberated."

Anti-Gaddafi fighters have tried several times to storm Bani Walid, 150 km (95 miles) southeast of Tripoli, in recent days only to retreat in disorder under fire from defenders. Sunday's failed attempt appeared to be among the worst yet, setting off angry recriminations among the attackers.

NTC fighters said they had planned for tanks and pickup trucks with anti-aircraft guns and rocket launchers to lead Sunday's attack, but foot soldiers had piled in first.

"There is a lack of organization so far. Infantry men are running in all directions," said Zakaria Tuham, a senior fighter with a Tripoli-based unit. "Our commanders had been told that heavy artillery units had already gone ahead, but when we advanced into Bani Walid they were nowhere to be seen.

"Gaddafi forces were hitting us heavily with rockets and mortars, so we have pulled out."

A Reuters reporter saw fighters withdraw around two km (more than a mile) after they had stormed into the town.

Anti-Gaddafi fighters from Bani Walid blamed comrades from elsewhere in Libya for being unwilling to coordinate. Those from elsewhere accused some local fighters of being traitors and passing information to Gaddafi loyalists.

"Commanders who are from the Warfalla tribe, they tell us one thing and then commanders from the other cities say something else. We do not understand anything," said pro-NTC fighter Mohamed Saleh.

"So we are just going in and pulling back without a single purpose. It's impossible to take this city this way. It will continue like this until they send more experienced troops who know how to use their weapons."

Some fighters openly disobeyed orders. In one incident, an officer from Bani Walid was heckled by troops from Tripoli after he tried to order them to stop randomly shooting in the air as they celebrated seizing a mortar from Gaddafi forces.

"You are not my boss. Don't tell me what to do," one of the Tripoli fighters snapped back at him.

Shells whistled above anti-Gaddafi positions and exploded across the desert valley as invisible snipers sprayed bullets from Bani Walid's rooftops and smoke rose above the town.

NTC fighters helped some families evacuate from the town, driving them out in military pickup trucks.

"The past two weeks been awful but last night was particularly bad," said Zamzam al-Taher, a 38-year-old mother of four. "We have been trapped here without a car and with no food. Snipers are everywhere."

"The biggest mistake by the rebels is that they come in and leave without setting up checkpoints. When they leave, Gaddafi militiamen come in with their own checkpoints and flags and terrorise local people," she added.
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An anti-Gaddafi fighter shouts "God is Greatest" after he came back from the frontline at a strategic checkpoint north of the besieged Libyan city of Bani Walid September 18, 2011. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
BATTLE FOR SIRTE

NTC forces and NATO warplanes also attacked Sirte, Gaddafi's birthplace. Fighters launched rockets from the city's southern entrance and traded fire with Gaddafi loyalists holed up in a conference center.

"The situation is very dangerous. There are so many snipers and all the types of weapons you can imagine," said fighter Mohamed Abdullah as rockets whooshed through the air and black smoke rose above the city.

Medics mopped the floor of a small field hospital on Sirte's western outskirts as they prepared for more casualties, following bloody but inconclusive clashes a day earlier. A doctor said 16 NTC fighters and an ambulance driver had died in Saturday's fighting. He had also received 62 wounded.

As in many episodes during Libya's conflict, the frontlines at Sirte and Bani Walid have ebbed back and forth, with shows of bravado colliding with the reality of battle.

An incoming shell landed within 200 metres of NTC-held lines only to be met with return fire from NTC fighters shouting "God is greatest!"

Speaking against the roar of NATO jets overhead, one anti-Gaddafi fighter at Sirte, Mahmoud Othman, said his men were helping families who had fled ahead of the next assault.

"We don't want any more bloodshed between us. But if the Gaddafa want more blood, we are ready," he said, referring to the deposed leader's tribe. "In the end we want Gaddafi."

Scores of civilian cars and pickup trucks poured out of the city, with residents describing water and electricity shortages amid street fighting. Gaddafi forces were patrolling the streets in the center, they said, making their lives a misery.

"People are living in terror," resident Taher al-Menseli, 33, said as NTC fighters searched his car at a checkpoint. "Gaddafi supporters are trying to convince people the revolutionaries are criminals and that you have to kill them. Even if you don't believe this, you have to appear convinced."

Nearby, three young men knelt in the sand beside the road, their hands tied behind their backs. NTC fighters said they had found two assault rifles and ammunition in their car.

Gaddafi's spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said NATO air raids had killed 354 people in Sirte on Friday night, an accusation Reuters could not verify without access to the city. A NATO spokesman in Naples said previous such reports had been false.

"We will be able to continue this fight and we have enough arms for months and months to come," Ibrahim said in a call to Reuters via satellite telephone on Saturday.

British warplanes, operating under NATO's U.N. mandate to protect Libyan civilians, bombed a Gaddafi ammunition dump west of Sirte on Sunday, after destroying an armoured troop carrier and two armoured pickup trucks in the Sirte area the day before, a British military spokesman said.

More NTC fighters were advancing from the east to reinforce those assaulting Sirte. The slow and cautious advance met resistance from pro-Gaddafi fighters who fired Grad rockets and machine guns rounds, sending plumes of smoke into the air.

"We will not retreat. God willing we will reach Sirte either tonight or tomorrow," fighter Ali Hassan al-Jaber said.

Outside Bani Walid, NTC fighters captured a man hailing from neighbouring Chad, accusing him of being a Gaddafi gunman.

Shaking with fear, the man, who gave his name as Mohamed Ezzein, whispered that he had nothing to do with the war.

"I'm just a shepherd. What fighting? What fighting?" he repeated from the back of a pickup truck as anti-Gaddafi fighters pushed him around saying: "Don't lie, don't lie."


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

#64 Post by Sunshine » Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:59 pm

Yemen Protesters Storm Elite Military Base; 50 Die

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Associated Press
By AHMED AL-HAJ and HAMZA HENDAWI
Article Source
September 19, 2011

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Thousands of protesters backed by military defectors seized a base of the elite Republican Guards on Monday, weakening the control of Yemen's embattled president over this poor, fractured Arab nation. His forces fired on unarmed demonstrators elsewhere in the capital, killing scores, wounding hundreds and sparking international condemnation.

The protesters, joined by soldiers from the renegade 1st Armored Division, stormed the base without firing a single shot, according to witnesses and security officials. Some carried sticks and rocks. They used sandbags to erect barricades to protect their comrades from the possibility of weapons fire from inside the base, but none came and the Republican Guards eventually fled, leaving their weapons behind.

Although the base was not particularly large — the Republican Guards have bigger ones in the capital and elsewhere in Yemen — its capture buoyed the protesters' spirits and signaled what could be the start of the collapse of President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year-old regime.

"It was unbelievable," said protester Ameen Ali Saleh of storming the base on the west side of the major al-Zubairy road, which runs through the heart of Sanaa. "We acted like it was us who had the weapons, not the soldiers."

"Now the remainder of the regime will finally crumble," said another demonstrator, Mohammed al-Wasaby. "Our will is more effective than weapons. The soldiers loyal to Saleh just ran away."

As clashes continued into the night, several loud explosions rocked Sanaa, and a mortar hit the Islamic University of Al-Iman, killing one and injuring two others. The cause of the explosions was not known.

Saleh went to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment after a June attack on his Sanaa compound and has not returned to Yemen, but has resisted calls to resign.

A final showdown may well pit the Republican Guards, led by Saleh's son and heir apparent Ahmed, against the soldiers of the 1st Armored Division, another elite outfit that has fought in all of Yemen's wars over the past two decades, and their tribal allies in the capital.

The Republican Guards and the Special Forces, also led by the president's son, have long been thought to be the regime's last line of defense against the seven-month-old uprising.

The storming of the base capped two days of clashes in the capital that have left at least 50 people dead and nearly 1,000 injured, mostly demonstrators.

Government forces used snipers stationed on rooftops, anti-aircraft guns, rocket propelled grenades and mortars against the unarmed protesters. Witnesses and security officials described scenes of mutilated bodies, some torn apart. An infant girl, a 14-year-old boy and three rebel soldiers were among the at least 23 people killed on Monday.

"It is over," concluded protest leader Abdul-Hadi al-Azzai. "The Ali Abdullah Saleh regime is finished. How can you negotiate while massacres are ongoing? The world is silent."

The head of doctors' syndicate, Abdel-Qawi al-Shemmari, said that two medics were shot to death while trying to rescue the injured. A news cameraman, Hassan Wadah, was in a coma after he was shot in the face, according to witnesses.

The Yemeni Interior Ministry said in a statement that two members of security forces and three citizens were killed, without referring to protesters.

The violence led authorities to close Sanaa's airport and order four flights to go instead to the southern port city of Aden, according to an airport official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

But even Aden did not escape bloodshed. Three protesters were wounded in clashes with government forces, witnesses there said.

In the southern city of Taiz, at least four protesters were killed and 40 others were wounded Monday in clashes between anti-regime demonstrators and security forces, according to witnesses.

The latest violence was born partly out of frustration after Saleh shattered hopes raised by the U.S. last week that he was about to relinquish power. The United States once saw Saleh as a key ally in the battle against al-Qaida, but withdrew its support for him as the protests gained strength.

Much is at stake in Yemen for the United States, its Gulf Arab allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, and the West.

Yemen is close to the major oil fields of the Gulf region and overlooks key shipping lanes in the Red and Arabian seas. It is home to one of the world's most dangerous al-Qaida branches, whose militants have staged or inspired a series of attacks on U.S. territory. Already, the chaos in Yemen has allowed al-Qaida militants to capture and hold a string of towns in the nearly lawless south of the country.

Monday's events could significantly help the protesters' cause against the regime, but it is also likely to push Yemen toward civil war or to break up along tribal or regional lines.

The clashes coincided with a flurry of diplomatic activity designed to resolve the crisis.

U.N. envoy Gamal bin Omar and Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani, secretary-general of a regional alliance that groups Yemen's six Gulf Arab neighbors, were in Yemen on Monday. Saleh and King Abdullah, the Saudi monarch, met in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

"The situation is tense. It can't continue like this. This is a sign of deep crisis," bin Omar told The Associated Press.

Opposition figures refused to meet the envoys.

"We can't talk after all the bloodshed, the torn limbs and the killing of our people. Any talks would be a collaboration in the crimes committed by the regime," said Mohammed al-Sabri, an opposition spokesman.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned "the excessive use of force by government security forces against unarmed protesters" and called on all sides "to exercise utmost restraint and desist from provocative actions," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

The U.S. Embassy said it regretted the bloodshed and called on all parties to "refrain from actions that provoke further violence."

Yemen's foreign minister, Abubakr al-Qirbi, said the government was committed to political reforms, but rejected claims of excessive force by police and pro-government militia, accusing some opposition groups of terrorist activity.

Troops from the Republican Guards and the 1st Armored Division were engaged in skirmishes for most of Monday.

"I have been hearing heavy explosions and gunshots since morning," said Atiaf Alwazir, a 31-year-old blogger from Sanaa. Soldiers from the 1st Armored Division soldiers, she said, returned fire, giving pro-regime forces "an excuse to shoot at peaceful protesters."

The 1st Armored Division, along with its commander, mutinied and joined the protesters about six months ago. Its mutiny was followed by a series of high-profile defections that left the president largely isolated but did not weaken his resolve to stay in office.

Last Thursday, the U.S. State Department raised expectations by predicting Saleh would relinquish power within a week under a Gulf-mediated, U.S.-backed deal that would grant him immunity from prosecution in return for stepping down. But violence flared anew after Saleh said he had asked Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to negotiate further.

Saleh has already backed away three times from signing the deal, and many believe this move is the latest of many delaying tactics.

His departure for Saudi Arabia in June left the country without an effective political leadership. Hadi took over the reins of power but his authority appeared to pale in comparison to that of the president's son, two powerful nephews as well as the tribal leaders who took the side of the protesters.


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

#65 Post by Sunshine » Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:50 pm

Yemeni President's Troops Kill 40 In New Battles

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A man kisses the face of an anti-government protestor who was killed in clashes with security forces at a field hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. A Yemeni pro-opposition officer says troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh are attacking soldiers who sided with the opposition in the capital Sanaa, killing several. Abdel-Ghani al-Shimiri says government forces are also moving to clear the opposition encampment on Change Square, which has been the epicenter of Yemen's uprising. Earlier in the day, more than a dozen people died as government forces attacked the protest camp at the square.(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
By AHMED AL-HAJ
Associated Press
Article Source
September 24, 2011

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Forces loyal to Yemen's newly returned president attacked pro-opposition troops with mortar shells and heavy gunfire Saturday and used rooftop snipers to pick off unarmed protesters fleeing in panic, killing more than 40 people and littering the streets of the capital with bodies.

One of the most powerful rivals to President Ali Abdullah Saleh — a senior general who threw his support and his troops behind the anti-regime uprising — warned that the president appears set on driving the country into civil war, calling on the international community to rein him in.

Saleh, who has clung to power despite nearly eight months of protests and an assassination attempt that left him severely burned, abruptly returned to Yemen on Friday after more than three months of treatment in Saudi Arabia for his wounds. Street battles that had reignited a week earlier in Sanaa rapidly escalated, signaling a possible full-fledged attempt to crush his rivals and tighten his grip on the country he has ruled for 33 years.

In a strongly worded statement, Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who commands the 1st Armored Division, called Saleh a "sick, vengeful soul" and compared him to the Roman emperor Nero, burning down his own city.

"With his return, Yemen is experiencing sweeping chaos, and the harbingers of a crushing civil war which this ignorant is determined to ignite," al-Ahmar said in the statement.

He called on the neighboring Gulf countries, the United States, and the international community to "deter him, stop his irresponsible behavior that aims to ignite a civil war that would have repercussions on the whole region."

Yemen's turmoil is of deep concern to the United States and much of the West because the country is a haven for Islamic militants, including a branch of al-Qaida that Washington says is the most dangerous remnant of the terror network. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has launched several nearly successful attacks on the U.S., including the failed plot to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner in December 2009 with explosives sewn into the underwear of a would-be suicide bomber.

With the country spiraling deeper into disorder, al-Qaida linked militants have already seized control of entire towns in southern Yemen beyond their traditional strongholds.

In response to the recent violence, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the alliance of Saudi Arabia and five other energy-rich nations, called for a cease-fire and urged Saleh to immediately sign a power transfer deal proposed by the group.

"The security and humanitarian situation in Yemen can't take any more delays," a statement issued by the group, currently in New York, said.

Opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri held Saleh directly responsible for the killings.

"It's as if he was unleashed from a cage and came out to retaliate," al-Sabri said. "This man deals with Yemen as if he's a gang leader, not a leader of a nation."

Saturday's deaths raise to at least 140 the number of people killed the past week.

Much of Saturday's violence centered on the neighborhoods around the main protest encampment known as Change Square, where thousands have held a sit-in since February to demand that Saleh give up power.

Republican Guard troops and Central Security forces battled soldiers loyal to al-Ahmar who were trying to protect the protesters. Government forces pounded the area with mortar shells and fired anti-aircraft guns and rocket-propelled grenades down streets. From above, snipers methodically fired at panicked protesters running for shelter. The shelling wrecked several houses, witnesses said.

At least 28 protesters and one of the soldiers guarding them were killed Saturday, said Mohammed al-Qabati, a medic who works at a field hospital in the square. Fifty-four people were wounded, he said.

The intensity of the fighting forced ambulance crews to leave many of the bodies in the streets, he said.
Image
Protestors react during a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. A Yemeni pro-opposition officer says troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh are attacking soldiers who sided with the opposition in the capital Sanaa, killing several. Abdel-Ghani al-Shimiri says government forces are also moving to clear the opposition encampment on Change Square, which has been the epicenter of Yemen's uprising. Earlier in the day, more than a dozen people died as government forces attacked the protest camp at the square.(AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
"More bodies and injured are pouring into the hospital," al-Qabati said, adding that many of the injured were transported by motorcycle.

In the northwest of the capital, Sanaa, mortar shells rained down on the headquarters of the Al-Ahmar's 1st Armored Division. Eleven of al-Ahmar's troops were killed and 112 were wounded, according to Abdel-Ghani al-Shimiri, a spokesman for the soldiers.

An official in al-Ahmar's office said the troops will remain only in on the defensive and won't go after Saleh's troops. The official said al-Ahmar conveyed the message to diplomats in Sanaa, who are apparently trying to contain the violence.

On a third front, Saleh's troops fought anti-government tribesmen in the capital's Hassaba district. Clashes there over the past two days killed 18 tribal fighters, according to a statement Saturday from tribal elders.

Hassaba is home to Yemen's most powerful tribal confederation, the Hashid, led by Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar, another Saleh foe. He is not related to Maj. Gen. al-Ahmar.

Eight government troops were also killed and dozens wounded, said Interior Minister Gen. Mouthar al-Masri. He did not specify when or where the casualties occurred.

Violence also shook the southern city of Taiz, home to one of the strongest waves of anti-Saleh protests, and at least one protester was killed there, a medical official said.

Yemen's uprising began in February as the unrest spreading throughout the Arab world set off largely peaceful protests in this deeply unstable corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Saleh's government responded with a heavy crackdown that has killed hundreds.

In another sign that Saleh is trying to cement his authority after returning, he is pressuring his vice president to leave the country, and some of the government shelling even targeted an area near the vice president's house, government officials said. Speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, they said Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was very disappointed with the renewed violence.

During Saleh's absence, Hadi was officially in charge of Yemen's day-to-day affairs and led negotiations with government opponents aiming for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

But Saleh used his powerful son Ahmed, who controls the elite Republican Guard forces, to remain in ultimate control behind the scenes.

A U.S.-backed deal mediated by Yemen's Arab neighbors would have required Saleh to resign and transfer his powers to the vice president in return for immunity from any prosecution. Saleh endorsed the deal several times only to balk at signing at the last minute.

Abdu al-Janadi, a government spokesman, told reporters Saturday that the deal could be signed soon after the various parties agree on a mechanism of implementation.

Still, the opposition is deeply distrustful of Saleh, and some factions now say too much blood has been spilled to let Saleh escape justice.


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#66 Post by Sunshine » Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:55 pm

Libyan Forces Push Into Gadhafi's Hometown Sirte

Image
Revolutionary fighters take cover from heavy artillery, rocket and missile counter-attacks launched by Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte, Libya, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. Backed by rockets and heavy artillery, hundreds of Libyan revolutionary fighters pushed into Moammar Gadhafi's hometown from the west Saturday in the first significant assault in about a week. (AP Photo/Gaia Anderson)
Associated Press
By BEN HUBBARD
Article Source
September 24, 2011

SIRTE, Libya (AP) — Hundreds of revolutionary fighters pushed into Moammar Gadhafi's hometown Saturday in the first significant assault in about a week as Libya's new rulers try to rout remaining loyalists of the fugitive leader. At the same time, the political leadership sought to boost its authority, promising to announce an interim government.

Explosions rocked the city of Sirte and smoke rose into the sky as Gadhafi's forces fired mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades at the fighters. Ambulances sped from the direction of the front line, and a doctor said at least one fighter was killed and 25 others wounded in the battle.

The two sides have been locked in a standoff since former rebels tried to advance on the city a week ago but were repelled by fierce resistance. More than a months since the then-rebels swept into Tripoli and pushed Gadhafi out of power, they are still struggling to overrun his remaining strongholds in the center of the country and the south.

In the capital, Tripoli, a series of explosions went off at a military storage warehouse near the harbor Saturday afternoon and heavy black smoke poured out of the facility. A revolutionary command spokesman, Abdel-Rahman Busin, said it was an accident caused by either an electrical problem or the improper storage of ammunition. He said no injuries were reported.

Underscoring the paranoia among Libyans with Gadhafi still on the loose, revolutionary fighters rushed to the site and many speculated it could have been an attack by loyalists who had sneaked back into Tripoli.

Members of the National Transitional Council, which was the leadership of the rebellion, are now Libya's formal rulers, though they are still working to establish their authority. On Saturday, the council's chief, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, said it will announce a new interim government in the coming week.

The step would presumably give their rule a more formal structure as they move toward holding elections, and it could be an opportunity to expand the council's base. The NTC failed to seat a new Cabinet last week amid disagreements over which cities should be represented and other issues. On Saturday, Abdul-Jalil underlined that Libyans must be united to form a new government.

He spoke to reporters after returning from New York where he and the NTC's prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, represented Libya at the first post-Gadhafi U.N. General Assembly.

In Sirte, revolutionary fighters occupied a key roundabout called Zafaran west of the downtown area in the Mediterranean coastal city, 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli. They then advanced to a broadcasting station on a major boulevard. Many were wounded by hand grenades and snipers firing from tall buildings, according to witnesses returning from the front lines.
Image
A pall of smoke covers the city of Tripoli, Libya, as it rises from the military warehouse belonged to the army of Libya's ousted leader Moammar Gadhafi in the port area of the city, Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011. A series of explosions rocked the military warehouse and a huge plume of smoke rose over the harbor on Saturday afternoon, although the cause of the blasts is not immediately known. (AP)
Moftah Mohammed, a 28-year-old fighter who brought four of his wounded friends to a field hospital on the western edge of the city, described heavy gunfire from houses and fierce street battles.

He said his friends were wounded by snipers who shot them as they drove forward to fire a rocket-propelled grenade, then attackers threw hand grenades at two other revolutionary fighters who went to pull the wounded from the car.

Revolutionary fighters tried to push into the city last weekend but were driven back by fierce rocket barrages and gunfire, with at least 25 former rebels killed and dozens wounded. They pulled back to regroup and let civilians leave the area, although the two sides exchanged fire daily.

More than 1,300 families have left the city in the past week, fighters said. A few dozen waiting at a checkpoint outside the city on Saturday described rapidly deteriorating conditions, with entire families hiding in basements and children suffering from diarrhea because clean water is scarce.

The former rebels had said they would wait until civilians could escape, but a brigade commander, Mohammed al-Sugatri, said the revolutionaries decided to advance because several families living in Sirte who are originally from the nearby anti-Gadhafi city of Misrata were in danger.

"There are lots of people from Misrata who are stuck in the city living in basements. They have no food or water and many of their children are sick so we had no choice but to attack," he said.

A field outside the city's western side was crowded with trucks and ambulances filled with wounded men.

Munther Kareyem, a doctor at the field hospital, said one dead fighter and more than 25 wounded had been brought in with shrapnel wounds. One man lost a leg.

Men chanted "There is no God but Allah" as the slain fighter was carried out, covered by a bloodstained white sheet.


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

#67 Post by Sunshine » Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:29 am

Afghans Thwart Karzai Assassination Plot, Officials Say
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai listens to a question during a press conference with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, in this July 12, 2011 file photo. (Shah Marai/AFP/Getty Images)
ABC News
By ALEEM AGHA and LEE FERRAN
Article Source
Oct. 5, 2011

Afghanistan's intelligence agency arrested a group of six people, including one of President Hamid Karzai's own bodyguards, in a plot to assassinate the Afghan leader, Afghan officials said today.

Among the other suspects is a university professor, a spokesman for Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security said, adding that at least some of the suspects appeared to have been trained in Pakistan. The bodyguard arrested in the plot hails from the same home village of President Karzai, the spokesperson said.

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry also made a statement crediting the Intelligence Directorate with the arrests.

The arrests come after a string of high-profile assassinations in Afghanistan.

Karzai's half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, was gunned down by a close associate in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in July. Ahmed Wali Karzai, a highly influential politician in the region, had been lured into seclusion by the man who said he needed to speak with him privately, but instead opened fire, according to one witness. Ahmed Wali Karzai's bodyguard then rushed to the scene and killed the assassin.

READ: Afghan President Hamid Karzai Half-Brother Assassinated

Only two weeks later, the mayor of Kandahar, an American-Afghan named Ghulam Haider Hamidi, was killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives hidden in his turban. Hamidi, who held dual U.S.-Afghan citizenship, had been praised for his choice to stay in Kandahar to help the city of half-a-million rather than return to Virginia where he had worked as an accountant for 20 years.

Bomb in Turban Kills Afghan-American Mayor in Kandahar

Most recently, last month another suicide bomber employed the same bomb-in-a-turban tactic to kill Burhanuddin Rabbani, the head of Afghanistan's High Peace Council and a key figure in peace negotiations with the Taliban. Rabbani had been tricked into meeting with the bomber, who convinced one of Rabbani's colleagues he was interested in speaking with him about peace in Afghanistan.

READ: Suicide Bomber Assassinates Afghan Peace Council Leader


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

#68 Post by Sunshine » Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:55 am

Libyan Dictator Moammar Gadhafi Is Dead, Libya's Prime Minister Says


ABC News
By HUMA KHAN
Article Source
October 20, 2011 – 33 mins ago
Image
Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, the most wanted man in the world, has been killed, Libyan Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril said today.

The flamboyant tyrant who terrorized his country and much of the world during his 42 years of despotic rule was reportedly cornered by insurgents in the town of Sirte, where Gadhafi had been born and a stronghold of his supporters.

"We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Moammar Gadhafi has been killed," Jibril said at a news conference in Tripoli.
He added that the rebel government will wait until later today or Friday to officially declare what it calls a state of liberation.

The National Transition Council earlier today said that its fighters found and shot Gadhafi in Sirte, which finally fell to the rebels today after weeks of tough fighting. Rebels now control the entire country.

Word of Gadhafi's death triggered celebrations in the streets of Tripoli with insurgent fighters waving their weapons and dancing jubilantly.
The White House and NATO said they were unable to confirm reports of his death.

Al Jazeera aired video of what appeared to be the dead leader, which showed Gadhafi lying in a pool of blood in the street, shirtless, and surrounded by people.
Libya's Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam told the Associated Press that Gadhafi was in a convoy when he was attacked by rebels.

NATO said that its jet fighters struck a convoy of Gadhafi's loyalists fleeing Sirte this morning, but could not confirm that Gadhafi was in the convoy, the Associated Press reported.

Gadhafi had been on the run for weeks after being chased out of the capital Tripoli by NATO bombers and rebel troops.

He had been believed to be hiding in the vast Libyan desert while calling on his supporters to rise up and sweep the rebel "dogs" away, but his once fearsome power was scoffed at by Libyans who had ransacked his palace compound and hounded him into hiding.

Gadhafi, 69, ruled Libya with an iron fist for almost 42 years. He seized control of Libya in Sept., 1969 in a bloodless coup when he was just 27 years old. The then young and dashing army captain and his small band of military officers overthrew the monarch King Idris, setting up a new Libyan Arab Republic that over the years became increasingly isolated from the rest of the world.

Gadhafi took over the top spot as the world's most wanted man after Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. troops in Pakistan.

At the height of his ability to threaten terrorism, President Ronald Reagan dubbed Gadhafi the "mad dog of the Middle East."

He was accused of backing the 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco popular with American soldiers, reportedly funding the hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985, and the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which resulted in the U.N. and United States imposing sanctions on Libya.

For years, Gadhafi refused to take responsibility for the bombing, but that changed in 2003 when he acknowledged his role and tried to make amends.
The eccentric leader, who amassed power and wealth by controlling the nation's oil industry, held the title of being the longest-serving leader in Africa and the Arab world.

Over the years, Gadhafi earned an international reputation for his outlandish apparel and much-ridiculed phobias and proclivities.

In U.S. diplomatic cables recently released by WikiLeaks, Gadhafi was described as a "mercurial and eccentric figure who suffers from severe phobias, enjoys flamenco dancing and horse racing, acts on whims and irritates friends and enemies alike."

He was "obsessively dependent on a small core of trusted personnel," especially his longtime Ukrainian nurse Galyna, who has been described as a "voluptuous blonde," according to the cables.

Among his other unusual behaviors, the Libyan leader reportedly feared flying over water, didn't like staying on upper floors and traveled with a "pistol packing' posse" of female bodyguards.


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#69 Post by Sunshine » Fri Oct 21, 2011 1:33 pm

Gaddafi's Killing Fuels Syria's Friday Protests
Reuters
By Khaled Yacoub Oweis
Article Source
Amman newsroom

AMMAN (Reuters) - The killing of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi fueled demonstrations across Syria after Friday prayers that called for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, braving a heavier than normal security presence, activists and residents said.

Initial reports from activists said at least two protesters had been killed by live ammunition fired by security forces trying to disperse demonstrations in the central city of Homs.

The city of one million has been scene of extensive military operations to suppress regular protests and a nascent armed insurgency that has emerged after a relentless crackdown on persistent demonstrations calling for more political freedoms.

"Gaddafi is finished. It is your turn now Bashar!" shouted demonstrators in the town of Maaret al-Numaan in the northwestern province of Idlib, according to one witness.

"Prepare yourself Assad!" chanted protesters in the town of Tayyana in the tribal province of Deir al-Zor, on the border with Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland.

Assad, an ophthalmologist who inherited power from his late father in 2000, strengthened ties with Gaddafi months before the Arab Spring wave of popular unrest against repressive ruling elites erupted in Tunisia in December.

The two countries struck a series of cooperation deals and Assad later allowing a Syrian-based satellite station to broadcast messages from Gaddafi while he was on the run. He was killed in unclear circumstances after his capture on Thursday.

In the town of Houla northwest of Homs, a crowd of several thousands held shoulders and waved old Syrian flags dating to before Assad's Baath party took power in a coup 48 years ago.

Video: http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/27026098

"Doctor, you are next!" read banners carried by the villagers, according to live video footage.

Demonstrations also broke out in Homs, the provincial capital 140 km (85 miles) north of Damascus, where three members of same family were also shot dead at an army road block in Bab Sbaa district on their way to prayers, local activists said.

Syrian authorities say they are fighting "armed terrorist groups" in Homs who have been killing civilians, prominent figures and troops. The authorities have banned most foreign media, making verification of events on the ground difficult.


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

#70 Post by Sunshine » Sat Oct 29, 2011 4:08 pm

Al-Qaida Plants Its Flag — Literally — In Libya


Published: 5:26 PM 10/28/2011
Article Source
By Zach Gorelick
Image
Men walk on a street carrying a pre-Gadhafi's flag during the celebrations of the capture in Tripoli of his son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, early Monday, Aug. 22, 2011. Libyan rebels raced into Tripoli in a lightning advance Sunday that met little resistance as Moammar Gadhafi's defenders melted away and his 40-year rule appeared to rapidly crumble. The euphoric fighters celebrated with residents of the capital in the city's main square, the symbolic heart of the regime. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
If there were questions about al-Qaida’s role in post-Gadhafi Libya, VICE reporter Sherif Elhelwa provides some answers in a new story with eyewitness descriptions.

Al-Qaida flags, Elhelwa reports, are popping up around Benghazi. At the city courthouse, which played a prominent role in the Libyan revolution, residents are flying the late terrorist’s Osama bin Laden’s colors.

Similarly, Elhelwa recounts a regular evening sight: “Islamists driving brand-new SUVs and waving the black al Qaeda flag drive the city’s streets at night.”

Armed guards walk the streets, he reports, inspiring fear. Friendly civilians hurriedly warn Elhelwa that he is being watched by the Islamists. “I recommend that you leave now,” he is told.

Confirming his suspicion that Islamist extremists may have a larger foothold in the recovering region, one partisan near the courthouse threatens Elhelwa, warning him that if he disparages the al-Qaida flag, “we will cut off [your] tongue. I recommend that you don’t publish these [images]. You will bring trouble to yourself.”

“The war to rid the country of the Gadhafi dictatorship might have ended,” Elhelwa says, “but the battle for control of post-revolutionary Libya has only just begun.”


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

#71 Post by Sunshine » Sat Oct 29, 2011 4:09 pm

Al Qaeda Plants Its Flag in Libya
Vice.com
By Sherif Elhelwa
Article Source
Image
It was here at the courthouse in Benghazi where the first spark of the Libyan revolution ignited. It’s the symbolic seat of the revolution; post-Gaddafi Libya’s equivalent of Egypt’s Tahrir Square. And it was here, in the tumultuous months of civil war, that the ragtag rebel forces established their provisional government and primitive, yet effective, media center from which to tell foreign journalists about their “fight for freedom.”

But according to multiple eyewitnesses—myself included—one can now see both the Libyan rebel flag and the flag of al Qaeda fluttering atop Benghazi’s courthouse.

According to one Benghazi resident, Islamists driving brand-new SUVs and waving the black al Qaeda flag drive the city’s streets at night shouting, "Islamiya, Islamiya! No East, nor West," a reference to previous worries that the country would be bifurcated between Gaddafi opponents in the east and the pro-Gaddafi elements in the west.
Image
Earlier this week, I went to the Benghazi courthouse and confirmed the rumors: an al Qaeda flag was clearly visible; its Arabic script declaring that “there is no God but Allah” and a full moon underneath. When I tried to take pictures, a Salafi-looking guard, wearing a green camouflage outfit, rushed towards me and demanded to know what I was doing. My response was straightforward: I was taking a picture of the flag. He gave me an intimidating look and hissed, "Whomever speaks ill of this flag, we will cut off his tongue. I recommend that you don't publish these. You will bring trouble to yourself.”
Image
He followed me inside the courthouse, but luckily my driver Khaled was close by, and interceded on my behalf. According to Khaled, the guard had angrily threatened to harm me. When I again engaged him in conversation, he told me "this flag is the true flag of Islam," and was unresponsive when I argued with him that historically Islam has never been represented by a single flag. The guard claimed repeatedly that there is no al Qaeda in Libya, and that the flag flying atop the courthouse is “dark black,” while the al Qaeda flag is charcoal black. To many locals, it’s a distinction without a difference. One man approached me with a friendly warning: "I recommend that you leave now; [the Islamist fighters] could be watching you."

But none of this should be surprising. In Tripoli, Abdelhakim Belhaj, a well-known al Qaeda fighter and founder of the notorious Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), is now leading the rebel “military counsel” in Tripoli. A few weeks ago, Belhaj ordered his fighters to take command of the Tripoli airport, then controlled by a group of Zintan fighters, a brigade of Berber Libyans who helped liberate the capital from Gaddafi loyalists. A few days later, Belhaj gave a speech emphasizing that his actions had the blessings of Libya’s National Transitional Counsel (NTC), who appointed him to the leadership of Tripoli’s military command.

According to a Libyan who didn't want to be named, a special military group inside the NTC is calling on Salafi fighters with military backgrounds to join a special group fighting in the rebellion. "There will be special benefits if you join whether you die in battle, or when you return home,” including monthly salaries. (One NTC source told me that Belhaj’s fighters are the only rebel fighters who receive a monthly salary.)
Image
In a recent speech heralding the new beginning of post-Gaddafi Libya, Moustafa Abdeljalil, the head of the NTC, declared the country an “Islamic state, and sharia law is the source of all our laws." It was indeed an odd declaration for a leader celebrating his country’s liberation, leading many to wonder: Who are Abdeljalil and the NTC trying to appease?

It isn’t uncommon to discover rebels with radical backgrounds. In an off-the-record interview, one NTC member spoke casually of his past, explaining that the Gaddafi regime blacklisted him from the country for his ties to LIFG. He told me of his close association with Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the infamous “blind cleric” jailed for his involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, who he helped ferry across the borders of Pakistan and Afghanistan during the mujahedeen fight against the Soviet Union.

The war to rid the country of the Gaddafi dictatorship might have ended, but the battle for control of post-revolutionary Libya has only just begun. And it will surprise few that assorted radicals, jihadists, Salafists, and LIFG veterans are attempting to fill the power vacuum and replace one dictatorship with another.


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

#72 Post by Sunshine » Sat Oct 29, 2011 5:30 pm

Al-Qaeda Flag Planted On Libyan Courthouse…
Fox News
Article Source
October 29, 2011
Image
By Sherif Elhelwa, Vice

It was here at the courthouse in Benghazi where the first spark of the Libyan revolution ignited. It’s the symbolic seat of the revolution; post-Gaddafi Libya’s equivalent of Egypt’s Tahrir Square. And it was here, in the tumultuous months of civil war, that the ragtag rebel forces established their provisional government and primitive, yet effective, media center from which to tell foreign journalists about their “fight for freedom.”

But according to multiple eyewitnesses—myself included—one can now see both the Libyan rebel flag and the flag of al Qaeda fluttering atop Benghazi’s courthouse.


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

#73 Post by Sunshine » Mon Nov 14, 2011 2:11 pm

Jordan's King Urges Syria's Assad To Step Down
Associated Press
By ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY
Article Source
November 14, 2011
Image
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem speaks during a press conference, in Damascus, Syria, on Monday Nov. 14, 2011. Syria's foreign minister accused Arab states on Monday of conspiring against Damascus after the Arab League voted to suspend Syria's membership over the government's deadly crackdown on an eight month-old uprising. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)
BEIRUT (AP) — Jordan's King Abdullah said Tuesday that Syrian President Bashar Assad should step down, making him the first Arab ruler to issue such a call over the regime's deadly crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising.

The surprising statement comes as Arabs close ranks against Damascus. On Saturday, the Arab League voted to suspend Syria over attacks on protesters that the U.N. estimates have killed 3,500 people since mid-March.

"If Bashar (Assad) has the interest of his country, he would step down, but he would also create an ability to reach out and start a new phase of Syrian political life," Abdullah told the BBC in an interview.

Damascus had no immediate public comment.

Earlier Monday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem accused Arab nations of conspiring against Damascus, calling Saturday's near-unanimous vote at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo "shameful and malicious."

The vote was a stinging rebuke to a regime that prides itself as a bastion of Arab nationalism and left Syria increasingly isolated over its crackdown.

"We wanted the role of the Arab League to be a supporting role, but if the Arabs wanted to be conspirators, this is their business," al-Moallem said at a news conference in Damascus, betraying his country's deep alarm over the decision.

The vote to suspend Syria — a major boost for the Syrian opposition — put Damascus in direct confrontation with other Arab powers, including Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who were pushing for the suspension.

The unified Arab position also puts more pressure on the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions, despite objections by Syrian allies Russia and China. Of the Arab League's 22 members, only Syria, Lebanon and Yemen voted against the suspension of Syria, with Iraq abstaining.

A similar Arab League decision to suspend Libya's membership earlier this year paved the way for the U.N.-mandated no-fly zone and NATO airstrikes that eventually brought down Moammar Gadhafi, but the group has stressed international intervention was not on the agenda in Syria.

Still, al-Moallem played on fears that the diplomatic campaign could escalate to Libya-style military action, saying Syria's army is far stronger than Libya's.
"They know that our valiant army has capabilities that they might not be able to tolerate if they are used," he said.

Assad asserts that extremists pushing a foreign agenda to destabilize Syria are behind the country's unrest, rather than true reform-seekers aiming to open the country's autocratic political system.

Syria has asked the Arab League to convene an emergency Arab summit to discuss the country's spiraling political unrest. Critics say that is another possible bid by Assad to buy time as he faces snowballing punitive action.

An Arab League official in Cairo said the call for a summit would be discussed by Arab foreign ministers during their meeting in Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday.
There are several obstacles, however, including a requirement that any call for a summit must come from the leader of the nation holding its rotating presidency, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief the media. Currently that is Libya, but the country has just emerged from civil war and only has interim leaders.

In Brussels, European Union foreign ministers decided Monday to impose additional sanctions on 18 Syrians and organizations in response to the killings of protesters.

The names of those sanctioned will not be known until they are published in the EU's official journal in a day or two. Sanctions generally include visa and travel bans on people, the freezing of assets, and prohibitions on trade.

The EU has already placed sanctions on 56 Syrians and 19 organizations in its effort to get Assad to halt his bloody crackdown, and has banned the import into the EU of Syrian crude oil.

Russia, meanwhile, indicated that Assad still has the support of Moscow. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by the ITAR-Tass news agency saying Moscow opposes the Arab League's decision to suspend Syria.

Earlier, Syria invited Arab League officials to visit before the membership suspension is scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, and said they could bring any civilian or military observers they deem appropriate to oversee implementation of an Arab League plan for ending the bloodshed.

The Syrian government is usually loath to accept anything resembling foreign intervention, and the invitation signaled the government's concern over the Arab action.

The crisis has raised regional tensions, with Turkey sending a plane to evacuate nonessential personnel after Saturday attacks on several embassies including Ankara's by Syrian government supporters angry over the Arab League decision.

Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Monday that his country would take a "decisive attitude" in the face of attacks on its missions in Syria, and will continue his country's policy of supporting the Syrian opposition.

Turkey also formally protested the attacks and issued a warning against traveling to Syria.


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

#74 Post by Sunshine » Wed Nov 16, 2011 6:46 am

Syrian Soldiers Killed As Crisis Accelerates
Associated Press
By BASSEM MROUE and ELIZABETH A. KENNEDY
Article Source
November 15, 2011
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In this image from amateur video made available by the Ugarit News group on Tuesday Nov. 15, 2011 shows a boy throwing an object at a vehicle as a Syrian tank burns in Daraa, Syria on Monday Nov. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Ugarit vai APTN) TV OUT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT
BEIRUT (AP) — Army defectors ambushed dozens of Syrian troops and regime forces gunned down civilians during one of the bloodiest days of the 8-month-old uprising, which appeared Tuesday to be spiraling out of President Bashar Assad's control.

Up to 90 people were killed in a gruesome wave of violence Monday, activists said. The extent of the bloodshed only came to light Tuesday, in part because corpses lying in the streets did not reach the morgue until daylight.

As the bloodshed spiked, Assad's former allies were turning on him in rapid succession — a sign of profound impatience with a leader who has failed to stem months of unrest that could explode into a regional conflagration.

Turkey, Jordan and the 22-member Arab League all signaled they were fed up with Assad's response to the uprising and were ready to pressure him to go.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he no longer has confidence in the government led by Assad, a 46-year-old eye doctor who inherited power from his father 11 years ago.

"No regime can survive by killing or jailing," said Erdogan, who cultivated close ties with Assad before the uprising began in March. "No one can build a future over the blood of the oppressed."

Erdogan — who disrespectfully addressed Assad by his first name — warned that the brutal crackdown threatens to place him on a list of leaders who "feed on blood."

Turkey also canceled plans for oil exploration in Syria and threatened to cut electricity supplies to the country, which is burning through the $17 billion in foreign reserves the government had at the start of the uprising. Turkey provides around 7 percent of Syria's total electricity consumption.

A day earlier, Jordan's King Abdullah II said Assad should step down, the first Arab leader to publicly make such a call. And over the weekend, the 22-member Arab League took a near-unanimous vote to suspend Damascus from the regional body.

In a sign that Saudi Arabia's rulers now foresee an end to Assad's rule, the former Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki Al Faisal, told reporters in Washington that it was "inevitable" that Assad would step down.

"I think what we're seeing here and continue to see is that the drumbeat of international pressure is increasing on Assad," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

Despite the widespread condemnation, Assad was unlikely to put an end to the crackdown, said Fadia Kiwan, a political science professor at Beirut's St. Joseph University. The reason is simple: Assad's regime would almost certainly fall if the crackdown ends, she said.

Although activists say the anti-government protesters have remained largely peaceful, an armed insurgency has developed in recent months targeting Assad's military and security forces.

Thirty-four soldiers were killed Monday in an ambush in Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The brazen attack by army defectors suggests a new confidence among troops who have sided with the protesters and highlights the potential for an armed confrontation to escalate.
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In this image from amateur video made available by the Ugarit News group on Tuesday Nov. 15, 2011 shows a a burning Syrian tank in Daraa, Syria on Monday Nov. 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Ugarit vai APTN) TV OUT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE CONTENT, DATE, LOCATION OR AUTHENTICITY OF THIS MATERIAL. TV OUT
Amateur video provided by activists showed what appeared to be an army tank and other military vehicles engulfed in flames in Daraa. "God is great!" a voice cried out. "This is an armored vehicle with a machine gun from Assad's brigades. God is great!"

Other footage showed a fire at the end of an alley sending up a plume of smoke, followed by an explosion. "That's the free army!" a man shouted as gunshots rang out. "That's a sniper," another voice said. "There's a sniper at the school."

Other videos showed tanks on urban streets firing their cannons and crowds of people running from the sound of automatic gunfire.

An activist in the area said he counted the bodies of 12 civilians killed by security forces' fire. "I saw two army armored personnel carriers, totally burnt," he told The Associated Press by telephone.

A resident near the town of Khirbet Ghazaleh in Daraa province said he heard more than four hours of intense gunfire. Both witnesses asked that their names not be used for fear of government reprisals.

As many as 90 people were killed nationwide Monday, including 19 civilians whose bodies were collected from the streets of Homs and delivered to the morgue.

The U.N. estimates the regime's military crackdown has killed 3,500 people in the past eight months. November is shaping up to be the bloodiest month of the revolt, with well over 300 people killed so far.

The latest death toll was compiled by sources including British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Local Coordination Committees activist coalition and morgue officials.

In many ways, the violence against security forces plays directly into the regime's hands by giving it a pretext to crack down with overwhelming force, analysts say.

Assad says extremists pushing a foreign agenda to destabilize Syria are behind the unrest, not true reform-seekers aiming to open the country's autocratic political system.

Assad has responded with once-unthinkable promises of reform in one of the most authoritarian states in the Middle East. But he simultaneously unleashed the military to crush the protests with tanks, gunfire and snipers.

On Tuesday, the regime announced an amnesty for 1,180 prisoners who were arrested over the past eight months but whose "hands have not been stained by blood." Earlier this month, Assad freed 533 prisoners to mark Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice.

The regime also released Kamal Labwani, 54, one of the country's most prominent detainees, according to the observatory for human rights. Labwani was serving a 12-year sentence on charges of anti-government activities after he met White House officials.

Still, the gestures ring hollow alongside the mounting death toll and amateur videos posted online every day that appear to show random gunfire and shelling.

The Syrian government has largely sealed off the country, barring most foreign journalists and preventing independent reporting. But details gathered by activist groups and witnesses, along with the amateur videos, have become key channels of information.

The bloodshed also has laid bare Syria's long-simmering sectarian tensions, with disturbing reports of Iraq-style sectarian killings.

Syria is an overwhelmingly Sunni country of 22 million, but Assad and the ruling elite belong to the minority Alawite sect. Assad, and his father before him, stacked key military posts with Alawites to meld the fates of the army and the regime — a tactic aimed at compelling the army to fight to the death to protect the Assad family dynasty.

To a large degree, the military has remained loyal. Most of the defectors appear to be lower-level Sunni conscripts, not officers. But observers say the tide could change if the military continues to be called upon to shoot unarmed protesters.

On Wednesday, the Arab League will meet in Morocco and the group is expected to formally suspend Syria. The decision has enraged Syria, which considers itself a bastion of Arab nationalism.

Syria announced on state-run TV that it would boycott the meeting.

Damascus fears the United States and its allies might use the rare Arab consensus to press for tougher sanctions at the United Nations. Veto-wielding Russia and China have so far opposed efforts at the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Syria — a stance that could become harder to maintain.


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

#75 Post by Sunshine » Thu Nov 24, 2011 3:09 pm

Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh Steps Down Finally
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By Gobby Wang
Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Article Source
2011-11-24 11:36 AM

Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to sign an agreement to transfer the Yemeni regime to vice President Hardy immediately. Saleh is ending his 33 years of rule over Yemen for in exchange for judicial immunity for him and his family members.
In addition, CNN quotes a source as saying that Saleh, 69, will not return to Yemen after he signs the agreement. He will stay in Saudi Arabia indefinitely. There are many armed rebellions taking place in Yemen along with an economic slump, and Saleh has refused many times to step down.

The UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy in Yemen Jamal bin Omar stated that Saleh’s resignation has indeed taken place. Omar said that the Gulf Cooperation Council has agreed to mediate the case and an enforcement mechanism is being developed to transfer power to Vice president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. According to Yemeni TV news reports, GCC representatives have already arrived in Yemen.

The source points out that according to the power transfer agreement, Saleh will transfer constitutional power to vice President Hadi and will retain a post as Honorary President for 90 days. The Congress will vote on Hadi as a transitional president.


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