‘Road of death’ links Benghazi to Tripoli
and other news from Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and more:
Developments
Live Blog Libya – March 22
As the uprising in Libya continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe.
http://english.aljazeera.net/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/africa/live-blog-libya-march-22
Qaddafi’s regime paints Libya air strikes as assassination attempt
But some eyewitnesses raised doubt about whether a purported strike last night in Qaddafi’s compound had in fact been the precise target.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/RmYsXlcBdjI/Qaddafi-s-regime-paints-Libya-air-strikes-as-assassination-attempt
Libya denies report of Gaddafi son’s death
Opposition says Khamis Gaddafi killed Saturday when plane deliberately crashed into family compound in Tripoli.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4045624,00.html
Gaddafi forces attack town, some flee to caves
RABAT, March 21 (Reuters) – The western Libyan town of Zintan faced heavy shelling from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on Monday, two witnesses said, forcing residents to flee, including to caves in the mountainous region. “Several houses have been destroyed and a mosque minaret was also brought down,” Abdulrahmane Daw told Reuters by phone from the town. “New forces were sent today to besiege the city. There are now at least 40 tanks at the foothills of the mountains near Zintan.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/gaddafi-forces-attack-town-some-flee-to-caves
Libyan rebel city says dozens killed and wounded
ALGIERS, March 22 (Reuters) – Doctors in Libya’s rebel-held city of Misrata are operating on people with bullet and shrapnel wounds in hospital corridors after attacks by government forces killed dozens and wounded many more, residents said on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/libyan-rebel-city-says-dozens-killed-and-wounded
Libyan rebels, Moammar Kadafi’s forces battle for Misurata
Witnesses report intense combat in the rebel-held city of Misurata, with pro-government forces using Libyan civilians as human shields. Officials of the Western-led bombing campaign reject Kadafi’s claims that it has killed dozens of noncombatants. Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi’s forces continued to battle rebels Monday in the opposition-controlled city of Misurata despite the government’s claims of a cease-fire and a Western-led bombing campaign meant to halt attacks on civilians.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/ZlZgqyE64WQ/la-fg-libya-fighting-20110322,0,1423509.story
Libyan rebel council: no negotiations with Gaddafi
BENGHAZI, Libya, March 21 (Reuters) – A senior official in Libya’s rebel National Council said on Monday it would not negotiate with Muammar Gaddafi to end the war. “We are in a war of attrition this dictator has forced upon us,” Abed al-Hafeez Ghoga told a news conference in Benghazi. “Because of this we refuse to negotiate with him. We will see the end of him rather than negotiate. He is wanted internationally as a war criminal. He will be judged for his genocidal actions against his own people.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/benghazi-libyan-rebel-council-says-will-not-negotiate-with-gad
Buoyed by international strikes, Libya rebels go on the offensive
Libya state TV say new round of strikes have begun in Tripoli, marking third night of bombardment by coalition; air strikes aim at stopping Gadhafi forces from attacking rebel cities.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/buoyed-by-international-strikes-libya-rebels-go-on-the-offensive-1.350964?localLinksEnabled=false
Libya forces retreat after air raids
Pro-Gaddafi troops fall back from rebel stronghold as international forces continue campaign to ensure no-fly zone.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/africa/2011/03/201132114191583907.html
Benghazi residents still fear Gaddafi gunmen
BENGHAZI, March 21 (Reuters) – Fears of loyalist gunmen thought to be hiding in Libya’s rebel capital kept its people on edge on Monday, a day after the euphoria of their rescue by Western airstrikes on Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/benghazi-residents-still-fear-gaddafi-gunmen
Criticism of Gaddafi grows bolder in Libyan capital
TRIPOLI, March 22 (Reuters) – After days of Western air strikes, some people in the Libyan capital felt bold enough on Tuesday to drop their customary praise of leader Muammar Gaddafi for a few moments and say instead they want him gone. Residents who spoke to Reuters reporters in Tripoli were still too wary to give their names, and switched back to extolling Gaddafi when officials came within earshot.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/criticism-of-gaddafi-grows-bolder-in-libyan-capital
International Intervention
U.S. fighter jet crashes in rebel-held Libya
LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) – A U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet crashed in Libya overnight after a mechanical failure but its crew was safe, a spokesman for the U.S. military Africa Command said on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-air-force-fighter-crashes-in-libya
Obama: U.S. policy on Libya is that Gadhafi needs to go
Speaking at news conference in Chile, U.S. president said objective in Libya is to guard civilians from Gadhafi, not oust him; U.S. to transfer lead military role to other allies in matter of days.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/obama-u-s-policy-on-libya-is-that-gadhafi-needs-to-go-1.350956?localLinksEnabled=false
US: Gaddafi not target of allied military action
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, March 21 (Reuters) – Allied military action in Libya is aimed at protecting civilians, not targeting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, a senior White House official said on Monday. “It’s not about regime change,” the official, Ben Rhodes, told reporters on an Air Force One flight from Brazil to Chile.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-gaddafi-not-target-of-allied-military-action
US defense chief: Libya must decide Gaddafi fate
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, March 21 (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday Libyans needed to determine leader Muammar Gaddafi’s fate for themselves and added the U.S. military’s lead in operations there would soon come to an end. Gates made the comments on the first day of a two-day visit to Russia overshadowed by Western air strikes in Libya that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin compared to “crusades”.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-defense-chief-libya-must-decide-gaddafi-fate
Qatar fighter jets expected at Greek base – source
ATHENS, March 21 (Reuters) – Greece expects six fighter jets and a cargo plane from Qatar to land at a military base on the island of Crete by Tuesday, a defence ministry official told Reuters. European and U.S. forces have sent warplanes against Libyan targets under a U.N. Security Council resolution authorising military action to protect civilians from leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/qatar-fighter-jets-expected-at-greek-base-source
Obama says will transfer Libya power to allies in days
SANTIAGO, March 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday the United States expects to transfer the lead military role in Libya to other allies in a matter of days. At a news conference with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Obama said the military objective in Libya is to guard civilians from attacks by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, not oust him from power. However, he said, U.S. policy is that Gaddafi “needs to go.” Of the transfer in operations, Obama said: “We anticipate this transition to take place in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/obama-says-us-policy-is-that-gaddafi-needs-to-go-but-allied
Canadian military jets join Libya air patrols
OTTAWA, March 21 (Reuters) – Canadian military jets flew their first missions over Libya on Monday as part of the U.N.-mandated intervention, officials said. Four CF18 fighter jets and two tankers conducted a patrol off northern Libya, but did not fire shots at any targets, Defense Minister Peter MacKay told reporters in Ottawa.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/canadian-military-jets-join-libya-air-patrols
Italy says need NATO or will resume control of bases
BRUSSELS, March 21 (Reuters) – Italy will resume control of airbases it has authorised for use by allies in operations over Libya unless a NATO coordination structure is agreed for the mission, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Monday. “If there were a multiplication of commands, which would be mistaken in itself, we would have to find a means for Italy to resume control of its own command structures,” Frattini told reporters at a meeting in Brussels. He added that “we would have to look for an operational solution which would ensure than someone else’s action did not rebound on us.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/italy-says-need-nato-or-will-resume-control-of-bases
NATO fails to resolve differences over Libya role
BRUSSELS, March 21 (Reuters) – NATO failed on Monday to resolve differences over whether NATO should take charge of enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya if the United States steps back from leading the operation, diplomats said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/nato-fails-to-resolve-differences-over-libya-role
Europe divided over Libya mission
More and more European warplanes are joining the operations against Libya. But EU leaders meeting in Brussels are divided over the mission. France is already declaring the campaign a success, which has saved the people of Benghazi from a bloodbath. But others say they’re only willing to commit under a NATO umbrella. Al Jazeera’s Laurence Lee reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZTFVFqFGVg&feature=youtube_gdata
Anti-Intervention
EXCLUSIVE: Kucinich calls Obama’s attack on Libya ‘an impeachable offense’
WASHINGTON – In an exclusive interview with Raw Story on Monday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) tore into President Barack Obama’s decision to order U.S. air strikes against Libya, opening the door for impeachment while emphatically declaring that Obama violated the Constitution.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/21/exclusive-kucinich-calls-obamas-libya-attack-an-impeachable-offense/
Ron Paul: Libya no-fly zone ‘unconstitutional’
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) claimed that the Obama administration’s move to impose a no-fly zone over Libya was “unconstitutional” because the president didn’t seek Congressional authorization. In a video posted Friday to YouTube, the isolationist congressman called the no-fly zone — pushed by the U.S., Britain and France and approved by the United Nations — “an act of war” that’s illegitimate without Congress’s approval.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/21/ron-paul-libya-no-fly-zone-unconstitutional/
Putin joins fierce opposition to Libya ‘crusade’
Russian PM slams ‘US foreign policy trend of interfering in other countries’ affairs.’ Qaeda to rebels: Don’t trust Americans.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4045538,00.html
Africa leaders attack Libya raids
The leaders of Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa condemn the air strikes on Libya, saying the West is employing double-standards.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-12816381
Media & Repression/Suppression
Turkey to represent U.S. interests in Libya-ambassador
WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) – The United States asked Turkey to represent its diplomatic interests in Libya as part of a deal to free four New York Times journalists, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States said on Monday. Ambassador Namik Tan told Reuters the United States, which has formally suspended operations at its embassy in Tripoli but has not cut diplomatic ties, had asked Turkey to act as its “protective power” in Libya, which allowed Turkey to facilitate the release of four New York Times journalists on Monday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/turkey-agreed-to-represent-us-interests-in-libya-to-help-secur
Families of Al Jazeera captives hold sit-ins
Protests at Libyan missions in Tunisia and Mauritania demanding release of Al Jazeera team detained by Gaddafi forces.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011321174836211142.html
Libyan Citizen Journalist Mohammed Nabbous Killed by Gunfire While Reporting on the Battle for Benghazi
A coalition of forces from the United States, U.K. and France launched air strikes against Libya over the weekend after the U.N. Security Council on Friday approved a no-fly zone. On Saturday morning, Mohammed Nabbous, a Libyan citizen journalist in Benghazi, was shot and killed. Nabbous established Libya AlHurra TV to broadcast online live feeds and commentary from the popular uprising that began last month. Described as the face of citizen journalism in Libya, Nabbous was killed while reporting on attacks by pro-Gaddafi forces. We play a clip of his final report and an excerpt of an emotional message from his wife urging people to continue to fight for democracy in Libya. Democracy Now! correspondent Anjali Kamat interviewed Nabbous last month at the media center he helped to build. [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/21/libyan_citizen_journalist_mohammed_nabbous_killed
Analysis/Op-ed
Framing the narrative of Libya, Marwan Bishara
Despite all the rhetoric, the Gaddafis bear the responsibility for the ills and misfortunes of their country.
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/03/201132017312717811.html
Libyan No Fly Zone Necessary But Intervention Has Imperialist Objectives, Gilbert Achcar
Slaughter of democratic uprising by Gaddafi was imminent, but killing of civilians and regime change by foreign intervention unacceptable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN6JL0vJJmw&feature=player_embedded
Libya Rebels Want Muammar Gaddafi Ousted, Not Dead
PARIS — Libya’s rebels want to drive Moammar Gaddafi from power and see him tried – not have him killed, a European representative for the leading opposition group said in an interview Monday.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/21/rebels-want-gaddafi-ousted-not-dead_n_838482.html
No water, food or power – and still the rebels resist regime’s attacks
A city besieged and battered, those of its people who remain living without food, water or power for days and facing daily attacks: that was Ajdabiya yesterday as Muammar Gaddafi’s forces fought to retain their hold on this strategic gateway to the east of Libya.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/no-water-food-or-power-ndash-and-still-the-rebels-resist-regimes-attacks-2248910.html
Fight goes on for Gaddafi forces despite aerial bombardment
Ground forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi were still fighting to gain and hold territory yesterday after two nights of western bombardment which saw the first attack on a section of the Libyan leader’s compound in the heart of Tripoli.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/fight-goes-on-for-gaddafi-forces-despite-aerial-bombardment-2248909.html
Guarded by Gaddafi’s men, we only glimpse the real Libya
In any other context the children at Meethaq School would have been easily the best part: bright, friendly and interested in their visitors.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/guarded-by-gaddafis-men-we-only-glimpse-the-real-libya-2248911.html
Iraqis warn Libyans against excessive optimism (AFP)
AFP – Eight years after their own country was plunged into chaos, Iraqis are warning Libyans against excessive optimism but insist that the international community had no option but military intervention to deal with a “sick” dictator.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/iraq/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110321/wl_mideast_afp/libyaconflictiraq
ANALYSIS-Gaddafi armour may seek urban shelter, prolonging war
BRUSSELS/LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) – Allied forces face a long, diplomatically divisive grind in Libya if Muammar Gaddafi holds on to his heavy armour, a goal he may achieve by siting his best weaponry in civilian areas to deter air attack.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/analysis-gaddafi-armour-may-seek-urban-shelter-prolonging-war
Arab world divided on Libya no-fly zone
The Arab world is largely supportive of Libya’s rebels and a no-fly zone to protect them, but is unsure how it feels about Western intervention on their behalf.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/SLQhC7ZFbv0/Arab-world-divided-on-Libya-no-fly-zone
Rules of engagement are murky in Libya air war
The head of U.S. Africa Command, charged with running the operation in Libya, said that the international coalition in Libya will not help the rebels’ military units, only civilians targeted by Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi’s forces — assuming they can tell the difference between the two. “We do not provide close air support for the opposition forces. We protect civilians,” Gen. Carter Ham, the top military official in charge of the operation, told reporters in a conference call on Monday. The problem is, there is no official communication with the rebel forces on the ground and there is no good way to distinguish the rebel fighters engaged against the government forces from civilians fighting to protect themselves, he said.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/03/21/rules_of_engagement_are_murky_in_libya_air_war
Gaddafi’s brutality has united Libya
My colleagues and I defected from the Libyan mission to the UN to draw attention to Gaddafi’s attacks on unarmed protesters
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/22/gaddafi-brutality-libya-libyan-mission
My drive from Tunisia to Tripoli, with a Libyan government escort
On the 100-mile journey there was no sign that the Libyan military was heeding the UN resolution that called for withdraw from several cities where uprisings have been brutally oppressed.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/89kdIj5MdCg/My-drive-from-Tunisia-to-Tripoli-with-a-Libyan-government-escort
No-fly Zone Enacted as U.S. and Allied Forces Launch Air Strikes on Libya Amid Growing Concerns for Civilian Safety
U.S. and allied forces have launched a second wave of air strikes on Libya to enforce a no-fly zone. Targets have included Libya’s air defenses, forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi, and Gaddafi’s fortified compound. The attacks on Libya began on Saturday, the eighth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The Arab League had supported the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya, but Arab League Chief Amr Moussa criticized the U.S.-led air strikes. For analysis, we speak to Phyllis Bennis with the New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. “The U.S. government is going to great lengths to convince the U.S. public and the world that we are not leading. But right now, at this military beginning stage, there’s no question that the U.S. is in command,” Bennis says. [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/21/no_fly_zone_enacted_as_us
Memo From Cairo: Dislike for Qaddafi Gives Arabs a Point of Unity, MICHAEL SLACKMAN
Arab leaders have reluctantly united behind the military intervention in Libya, unifying regimes in the region that are working to silence political opposition in their backyards.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=662f27dd6f34d5e1582ba4c3cb4d1459
Libyan daily
You have to see the front page of the Qadhdhafi daily. It said that the Libyan people have decided to die standing.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/libyan-daily.html
Top Ten Ways that Libya 2011 is Not Iraq 2003, Juan Cole
Here are the differences between George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the current United Nations action in Libya.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/03/top-ten-ways-that-libya-2011-is-not-iraq-2003.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29
“The No-Fly Zone Has Always Been a Recipe for Disaster”: Jeremy Scahill Says Libyan Strategy Has No Endgame
The U.S. and allied air strikes on Libya have entered their fourth day as part of an international effort to enforce a no-fly zone. While the United States is denying it is attempting to assassinate Libyan leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi, allied forces bombed his compound for the second night in a row. “In Iraq, [the no-fly zone] resulted in the strengthening of Saddam Hussein’s regime… I think it could end up backfiring in a tremendous way and keeping Gaddafi in power even longer,” said Jeremy Scahill, Democracy Now! correspondent and independent journalist Jeremy Scahill.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/22/the_no_fly_zone_has_always
Libya: the information gap | Alex Warren
A shortage of reliable information makes it impossible for the west to assess the complex situation in fractured Libya. The west has not run out of patience in Libya; it has run out of options. As of last week, France and the UK had nothing more to lose. They had already severed their political and commercial ties with Gaddafi, meaning that a survival of his regime would have meant a significant strategic loss in the region. The US revealed this realisation slightly later, by waiting until Tuesday to throw its weight behind the UN resolution, but it amounts to the same thing: the only way of ensuring any western leverage over a future Libya would be to protect the opposition headquartered in Benghazi and ideally help them to govern some or all of the country.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/libya-information-gap
Libya and the suspicious rush to war | Jeremy Corbyn
After many more deaths we are likely to see the partition of Libya – why has there been such a consensus for this military action? The House of Commons is debating the government stance on UN resolution 1973, having been invited to give its approval or withhold it. It’s a bit late, as the prime minister made a statement to the Commons on Friday and within 24 hours the bombing had started. We are presented with a fait accompli.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/libya-war-partition-military-action
Are you confident that the coalition forces have an exit strategy from the intervention in Libya? | Poll
The US is careful to talk of the limited goal of the military action against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya, yet the Obama administration has made clear that Gaddafi must go. Are you confident about what the exit strategy is from Libya?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/poll/2011/mar/21/libya-unitednations
Libya Dispatch: Rebel Twinkies fuel the struggle
Napoleon famously said an army marches on its stomach, and in the case of Libya’s rebel forces, that would be tuna sandwiches, fava beans and a lot of junk food. As Western air strikes are restarting once thoroughly defeated rebel advance, the once weirdly successful aspect of their rag tag forces should be gearing up again — their food supply lines. Like everything else about the uprising in eastern Libya seeking to challenge Moammar Gadhafi’s four decade hammerlock on power, the fighters’ food supply was an ad hoc affair of entreprising individuals and local charities with official sanction that somehow seemed to work — even when nothing else really did.
http://www.arabist.net/blog/2011/3/22/libya-dispatch-rebel-twinkies-fuel-the-struggle.html
Yemen
Yemen Live Blog – March 22
As the uprising in Yemen continues, we update you with the latest developments from our correspondents, news agencies and citizens across the globe.
http://english.aljazeera.net/http://blogs.aljazeera.net/live/middle-east/yemen-live-blog-march-22
Funeral Procession in Change Square – Sana’a, Yemen
Funeral procession for those who died in Sana’a’s Change Square on Friday 18th, 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGdkLvMRfTQ&feature=youtu.be
‘Yemeni pres. seeks Saudi asylum’
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has reportedly requested asylum from Saudi Arabia after announcing he will step down by the end of the year.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171185.html
Yemeni president warns of coup
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh says there could be a civil war in the country because of attempts to stage a coup against his rule.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12819003
Yemen’s Saleh to step down by Jan 2012 after polls
SANAA, March 22 (Reuters) – Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh will leave office after organising parliamentary elections by January 2012, refusing to hand over power without knowing who would succeed him, an aide said on Tuesday. “President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he will hand over power through (parliamentary) elections and the formation of democratic institutions at the end of 2011 or January 2012,” Saleh’s media secretary Ahmed al-Sufi told Reuters. “Ali Abdullah Saleh does not seek power. Ali Abdullah Saleh will not leave without knowing who he is handing over to.”
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-president-saleh-says-to-hand-over-power-after-parliamentar
Defections hit Yemen president
President Saleh faces increasing isolation after wave of military and political figures support pro-democracy uprising.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/03/2011321164113728994.html
France says Yemen president’s departure inevitable
BRUSSELS, March 21 (Reuters) – French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said on Monday the resignation of the Yemeni president was now unavoidable, as unrest there escalated and a wave of top military officers and envoys defected or resigned. “We say this to Yemen, where the situation is worsening. We estimate today that the departure of President (Ali Abdullah) Saleh is unavoidable,” Juppe told a news conference in Brussels.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/french-foreign-minister-juppe-says-yemen-president-must-go
Yemen protesters see army as potential protectors
SANAA, March 21 (Reuters) – Yemeni soldiers, some carrying batons and others wielding assault rifles, casually and calmly pat down protesters entering the main scene of anti-government rallies in Sanaa who see them as potential protectors.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-protesters-see-army-as-potential-protectors
Yemen president says majority of Yemenis back him-TV
SANAA, March 21 (Reuters) – Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Monday he was “holding out” and the majority of Yemenis back him, Al Arabiya television said. It was not clear where he made the comments, which came as top generals, ambassadors and some tribes threw their support behind anti-government protesters on Monday in a major blow to Saleh’s 32 year-long rule.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemens-president-saleh-says-majority-of-people-support-him–ara
Yemen: armed forces will carry out duties, avert coup
SANAA, March 21 (Reuters) – Yemen’s army will not hesitate to act against any risks to the country’s constitution, the National Defence Council, comprised of the military command and beleagured President Ali Abdullah Saleh, said on Monday. “The armed forces will not hesitate in carrying out their duties … and standing in the face of any coup plans against constitutional legitimacy,” the statement said. Saleh headed the meeting of the National Defence Council.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-armed-forces-will-carry-out-duties-avert-coup
Yemen army backs President Saleh – defence min says
SANAA, March 21 (Reuters) – Yemen’s defence minister said on Monday that the army supports President Ali Abdullah Saleh and will defend him against any “coup against democracy”, according to a statement. “The armed forces will stay faithful to the oath they gave before God, the nation and political leadership under the brother president Ali Abdullah Saleh…,” said the statement, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/yemen-army-backs-president-saleh-defence-min-says
Defections plague Yemeni leader
President Saleh faces increasing isolation after wave of military and political figures support pro-democracy uprising.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/2011321164113728994.html
Saleh suffers string of major defections after protesters gunned down in Yemen
President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s grip on power looked increasingly tenuous Monday as top generals, tribal leaders and diplomats turned against him, apparently dividing the military and leaving the long-serving former army officer barricaded in his presidential palace.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/21/AR2011032102471.html?wprss=rss_world/mideast
U.S. embassy tells Americans in Yemen to stay indoors
SANAA, March 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. embassy urged its citizens in Yemen to stay indoors on Monday evening due to instability in the Arabian Peninsula country, a travel warning said. “Due to continued political instability and uncertainty in Sanaa and the rest of Yemen, the U.S. Embassy urges all U.S. citizens in Yemen to remain indoors this evening,” the warning said.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-embassy-urges-americans-in-yemen-to-stay-indoors-on-monday
UK “extremely disturbed” by events in Yemen-Cameron
LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) – Britain is “extremely disturbed” by events in Yemen, which has been torn by protests and violence, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday. “We’re obviously extremely disturbed by what is happening in Yemen, particularly the recent events, and we’ve urged every country in that region to respond to the aspirations of its people with reform and not with repression,” Cameron told parliament. Snipers killed 52 anti-government protesters on Friday, prompting President Ali Abdullah Saleh to sack his cabinet and declare a state of emergency for 30 days.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/uk-extremely-disturbed-by-events-in-yemen-cameron
Yemen needs balance, not another strongman
Yemen is not Egypt – a flood of high-level resignations could trigger a battle for the top
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/yemen-egypt-resignations
Yemeni president
It is obvious. The US is not letting `Ali `Abdullah Salih leave office: this is the judgment of Saudi Arabia as well. Remember, that Saudi Arabia was and is opposed to Mubarak abandoning power altogether. I really think that Salih wants to leave office but that the US and Saudi Arabia are insisting that he stays. And did not notice how Western governments and media totally ignored the massacre that was perpetrated in Yemen last week.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/yemeni-president.html
Minister of Human Rights Yemen
She just resigned. She did not know until yesterday that she has been representing a regime that violates human rights.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/minister-of-human-rights-yemen.html
The end for President Salih in Yemen
The regime of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih is decidedly on the brink. With the resignations of over forty parliamentarians, nearly ten ambassadors (including to the U.N., U.K. and Saudi Arabia), and a handful of senior government and tribal figures, the once-nascent protest movement calling for Salih to step down is now reaching its revolutionary potential. Friday’s brutal massacre of over fifty unarmed people – in many cases, by snipers – guaranteed that.
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/151101-the-end-for-president-salih-in-yemen
Jeremy Scahill: As Mass Uprising Threatens the Regime, A Look at the Covert U.S. War in Yemen
The crisis in Yemen is growing following high-level defections from the regime of U.S.-backed President Ali Abudullah Saleh. On Monday, a dozen top military leaders announced their pledge to protect the protest movement after 45 people were killed and some 350 were wounded when Yemeni forces opened fire on demonstrators in the capital of Sana’a on Friday—after two months of nationwide demonstrations. In recent years, the United States has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in military and security aid to Yemen. “The Obama administration has really escalated the covert war inside of Yemen and has dramatically increased the funding to Yemen’s military, particularly its elite counter-terrorism unit, which is trained by U.S. special operations forces,” says Democracy Now! correspondent and independent journalist Jeremy Scahill. “It could get much worse if President Saleh decides to release the U.S. trained counter-terrorism units on his own.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/22/jeremy_scahill_as_mass_uprising_threatens
Bahrain
Rights groups condemn Bahrain violence
Human rights activists have condemned military aggression towards anti-government protesters demanding political change in the Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. Al Jazeera has spoken to the family of a father who was killed after driving past an unofficial checkpoint in the country. Al Jazeera’s correspondent, who we are not naming for his safety, has this report.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8U3SDDrhJM&feature=youtube_gdata
Bahraini woman dies of gunshot wound -opposition
MANAMA, March 22 (Reuters) – A Bahraini woman has died after suffering gunshot wounds to the head and disappearing the day security forces launched a crackdown against protesters, the main Shi’ite Muslim opposition group Wefaq said on Tuesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/bahraini-woman-dies-of-gunshot-wound–opposition
Bahrain says security ‘stable’, two Shiites dead (AFP)
AFP – Bahrain’s interior ministry said on Monday that security across the kingdom was “stable” amid a heavy police presence, and as the opposition announced two new Shiite fatalities.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110321/wl_mideast_afp/bahrainpoliticsunrest
Running scared
Bahrain authorities round up dissidents in continuing clampdown
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-12817106
Bahrain’s unrest halts UAE from sending planes to Libya
UAE’s former commander of the Air Force said on Tuesday that his country is not sending military forces to Libya due to the disagreements with the West over Bahrain.
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/03/22/142571.html
US, Gulf forces stage naval exercise (AFP)
AFP – US and Gulf naval forces have staged a joint exercise in the Gulf focused on tracking vessels deemed threatening, the Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Force (CMF) said on Monday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110321/pl_afp/bahraingulfusmilitarymaritimeexercise
1,000 Pakistanis recruited for Bahrain forces
ISLAMABAD, March 20: More than 1,000 Pakistanis have been recruited to serve in the Bahrain National Guards, learnt on Sunday. The recruitment has been made through the military-run Bahria Foundation and Fauji Foundation, which train the selected personnel before sending them to Bahrain. Sources said that although the recruitment process had started much before the eruption of the current unrest in Bahrain, authorities have been continuing the process. The two organisations have been asked to complete the training process as early as possible.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/21/1000-pakistanis-recruited-for-bahrain-forces.html
Kuwait is sending troops to Bahrain
Now that is hilarious. The country that can’t and could not defend its own borders is planning to protect Bahrain.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/kuwait-is-sending-troops-to-bahrain.html
King of Bahrain
Apparently, we were wrong all along. He not only thwarted a conspiracy against Bahrain: he now claims that he has thwarted a 30-year old conspiracy against the GCC. He said that conspiracy has been coordinated between Iran and hostile alien forces in Mars. Aljazeera supported the claims and pledged to provide live coverage from Mars.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/king-of-bahrain.html
Bahrain buffoon foreign minister with the press
Watch him: he is a buffoon in two languages, it seems.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/bahrain-buffoon-foreign-minister-with.html
Obama administration explains why Bahrain is not a tyranny
“Administration officials say the U.S. in intervening in Libya and not Bahrain or Yemen because the scale of the repression is vastly different. ”Bahrain has been a longtime ally of the United States of America and a longtime partner,” National Security Adviser Tom Donilon said Sunday in response to a question about that country’s crackdown on protesters. He added that Bahrain was attempting to work with the opposition…”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/obama-administration-explains-why.html
Syria
Amnesty International Independent investigation urged into Syria protest deaths
At least six anti-government protesters have died after security forces opened fire on demonstrators during continuing unrest in the southern city of Dera’a. Amnesty International has called on the Syrian authorities to launch an independent investigation into the deaths of at least six anti-government protesters during continuing unrest in the southern city of Dera’a.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/independent-investigation-urged-syria-protest-deaths-2011-03-22
Human Rights Watch Syria: Government Crackdown Leads to Protester Deaths
(Cairo) – Syria should cease use of live fire and other excessive force against protesters, as it did on March 18 and 20, 2011, in the southern town of Daraa, leaving at least five people dead, Human Rights Watch said today.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/21/syria-government-crackdown-leads-protester-deaths
The Syrian Revolution :Day No.4 “Graphic”
For the fourth day the city Daraa in Syria is heading what it seems to be a revolution against the Al Assad regime. The protests did not stop , contrary it seems that it is spreading steadily. There was a protest today in Banyas where people chanted for Syrian unity between sects. There were protests today in Al Qamishli and Duma when I checked in the Facebook.The protests continued in Daraa today following a funeral for another young man killed in the protests in the weekend. According to AFP a 11 years old boy was killed today in Daraa and by experience this will escalate things more and more. Daraa is under heavy siege from the security forces. Again it seems that there are some difficulties in communication. Yesterday there was news that the protesters destroyed the statue of Hafez Al Assad and torched the Baath HQ and other official buildings. There is contradicting news concerning the Baath HQ and official buildings though as people saying who torched the court building were actually police officers and soldiers. Here is a video compilation for the protests in the previous 3 days in Daraa.
http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/03/syrian-revolution-day-no4-graphic.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EgyptianChronicles+%28Egyptian+chronicles%29
Syrians shout ‘No more fear!’ during march
Syrians chanting “No more fear!” held a defiant march after a deadly government crackdown failed to quash three days of massive protests in a southern city — an extraordinary outpouring in a country that brutally suppresses dissent.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syrians-shout-no-more-fear-during-march-2248748.html
INTERVIEW-Syrian opposition figure says citizens crave reform
DAMASCUS, March 21 (Reuters) – Leading opposition figure Haitham al-Maleh said on Monday that a desire for democratic reform was near-universal in Syria, and dismissed the idea that it would lead to sectarian rule. “The revolution is at the door and the regime is still flirting with change,” said Maleh, an 80-year-old lawyer and former judge who has spent his life peacefully resisting the ruling Baath Party’s monopoly on power, much of it from prison.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/interview-syrian-opposition-figure-says-citizens-crave-reform
Syrian opposition
There are two weaknesses for the Syrian opposition that one should bear in mind. 1) Despite all the rhetoric in Israel and the US, both countries prefer the Asad regime to any alternative because they really appreciate the tight control it exercises over the borders. Israel worries about the consequences of chaos scenario like Iraq in Syria and the impact it would have on Israel; 2) that the Syrian opposition rarely act in unison in Syrian cities and towns. I was once making a presentation about my paper on the Syrian opposition under Hafidh Al-Asad in a class on Syrian politics and society at Georgetown University taught by the great, Hanna Batatu. After I finished and in response to a point I made, Batatu looked at me and said: when in the contemporary politics of Syria did Aleppo, Hama, Hums, and Damascus move together? I did not have an intelligent answer, I remember.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/03/syrian-opposition.html
Shameful Syrian Propagandist blames the “unrest” on radical Palestinians
This is a slap in the face to all those morons that believe that Asad supports Palestinians and resistance. Another slap in the face is the Syrian support to the Saudi intervention/invasion of Bahrain. Shame on you for whitewashing and apologizing for this regime and for believing for 1 sec that they care about the resistance.
http://palestinianpundit.blogspot.com/2011/03/shameful-syrian-propagandist-blames.html
Standing up to the west isn’t enough to save Assad
Syria is stable, according to its president. But his regime isn’t immune from forces at work across the Arab world.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/syria-not-immune-to-arab-uprising
Syrians have broken the fear barrier | Ammar Abdulhamid
February’s ‘day of anger’ fizzled out, but protests in Deraa show Syria’s revolutionary spirit is now gathering pace. What a difference six weeks make. Back in early February I was asked whether Syria would be next on the growing list of countries to witness a popular revolution. My answer, which came in the form of an article published on Comment is free, was, in essence, “not yet”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/22/syrians-protests-syria-revolutionary-spirit
Other Mideast
Human Rights Watch Morocco: Thousands Demonstrate Peacefully
(Rabat) – Moroccan authorities allowed peaceful, pro-reform demonstrations to take place in cities across the country on March 20, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today. The police restraint contrasted with their violent dispersal of demonstrators the previous Sunday in Casablanca.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/03/21/morocco-thousands-demonstrate-peacefully
Analysis/Op-ed
Robert Fisk: Right across the Arab world, freedom is now a prospect
In the dying days of the Ottoman empire, American diplomats – US consuls in Beirut, Jerusalem, Cairo and other cities – NGOs across the region and thousands of American missionaries, pleaded with the State Department and with President Wilson to create one modern Arab state stretching from the shores of Morocco to the borders of Mesopotamia and Persia. This, they believed, would bring a large part of the Muslim world into the democratic orbit of Europe and the West.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-right-across-the-arab-world-freedom-is-now-a-prospect-2248975.html
Arab spring: an interactive timeline of Middle East protests
Ever since a man in Tunisia burnt himself to death in December 2010 in protest at his treatment by police, pro-democracy rebellions have erupted across the Arab world. Our interactive timeline traces key events
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline
