Syrian army overtakes mosque, killing 4

(MSNBC / AP) - BEIRUT — Syrian army troops backed by tanks and three helicopters on Saturday took a prominent mosque that had been controlled by residents in a besieged southern city killing four people, a witness said.

The operation in the town of Daraa came a day after President Bashar Assad unleashed deadly force to crush a months-old revolt, killing at least 65 people, mostly in the border town.

Daraa resident Abdullah Abazeid said the assault on the mosque lasted 90 minutes during which troops used tank shells and heavy machine guns. Three helicopters took part of the operation dropping paratroopers on to the mosque itself, he said.

The Omari mosque, in Daraa's Roman-era old town, had been under the control of the residents.

Story: US toughens sanctions against Syria

Daraa is the heart of a six-week-old uprising against the government and has been under siege since Monday when the government first sent in tanks to crush the daily demonstrations.

Abazeid said that among the dead was Osama Ahmad, the son of the mosque's imam, Sheik Ahmad Sayasna. The other three were a woman and her two daughters who were killed when a tank shell hit their home near the mosque, he said.

In the early hours of the morning, military reinforcements poured into Daraa, including 20 armored personnel carriers, four tanks, and a military ambulance, a resident of the city told The Associated Press.

Uprising has cost 535 their lives
The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said 65 people were killed Friday. with 36 deaths in the Daraa province, 27 in the central Homs region, one in Latakia and another in the Damascus countryside. Total civilian deaths since the uprising began has reached 535, he said.

The latest deaths came as the United States slapped three top officials in Assad's regime — including his brother — with sanctions and nations agreed to launch a U.N.-led investigation of Syria's crackdown.

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Election 2012: The Lesser of Two Evils — Again

It is time once again to prepare for another long presidential electoral season, a season which will last just shy of 20 months. Looking at the field of potential candidates, we see many of the same faces we saw in 2008, with a few notable exceptions. I, for one, think that it is time to retire at least some of these political has-beens and bring in some fresh blood with fresh ideas.

In the Republican corner we have:

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts. Mr. Romney is 63 years old, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and currently works giving keynote speeches and doing fundraising for the Republican party. Romney was a 2008 presidential candidate.

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas. Mr. Huckabee is 55 years old, a member of the Southern Baptist Church, and currently works as the host of Huckabee on Fox News. Huckabee was a presidential candidate in 2008.

Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska. Ms. Palin is 46 years old, a member of a non-denominational Christian church, and currently works as a reality TV show host and Fox News contributor. Palin was a vice presidential candidate in 2008.

Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota. Mr. Pawlenty is 50 years old, and a member of the Baptist Church. Pawlenty has never run for president.

Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House. Mr. Gingrich is 67 years old, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and currently works as Chairman, American Solutions for Winning the Future; and a college professor. Gingrich has never run for president.

Mitch Daniels, governor of Indiana. Mr. Daniels is 61 years old, and a member of the Presbyterian Church. Daniels has never run for president.

Donald Trump, real estate developer, and reality TV show star. Mr. Trump is 64 years old, a member of the Presbyterian Church, and currently works as Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization. Trump has never run for president.

Michele Bachmann, congresswoman from Minnesota. Ms. Bachmann is 54 years old, and a member of the Lutheran Church. Bachmann has never run for president.

Ron Paul, a congressman from Texas. Mr. Paul is 75 years old, and a member of the Baptist Church. Paul ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian and again in 2008 as a Republican.

These are just some of the potential candidates in 2012, this however, is not an exhaustive list. Some other notables are John Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Rick Santorum, former senator from Pennsylvania, and Jon Huntsman, former U.S. Ambassador to China, among others.

From first appearances, there does not seem to be a standout in this group strong enough to unseat our sitting president, Barack Obama. What we have is a diluted pool from which to choose from with not a single candidate as I see it, capable of winning.

With Republican candidates catering to select groups of constituents, such as the Tea Party, by Palin and Bachmann, and the religious right by candidate Huckabee to name a few, who is left to satisfy the majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents? I contend that there is no one in the Republican list that would be electable.

On the democratic side we have our current president, Barack Obama.

It would almost take an act of God to prevent Mr. Obama from being renominated by the Democrats. Based on his performance in office to date, I would be extremely hesitant to vote for President Obama.

If the Republicans are to have any chance of unseating Obama, they will have to field someone far stronger, more likable, and highly respected by the American public than those they are offering now. He or she will have to tackle and follow through on the issues that are most important to all citizens, such as unemployment, immigration, healthcare, taxes, and education, not just Republican issues. Candidates of both parties have always run on platforms that claim to address these issues, but once elected, they fall by the wayside and business in Washington carries on as usual.

The bottom line is that it appears we are going to have yet another election where we pick the lesser of two evils to be the leader of the free world. When our choices include reality TV show hosts, ultra-conservative talk show hosts, radical Tea Party-backed conservatives and smooth-talking left wing used car salesman, we as a nation are doomed.

If you are like me, you don’t see any hope of change in 2012 with the current pool of potential candidates, Republican or Democrat. When will we as Americans wake up and demand more from our elected officials, especially from our president.

Who would you like to see run in 2012?

Article first published as Election 2012: The Lesser of Two Evils — Again on Blogcritics.

Governor Mitch Daniels to sign bill defunding Planned Parenthood

(Associated Press) - NDIANAPOLIS – Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said Friday he will sign restrictive abortion legislation, making Indiana the first state to cut off all government funding for Planned Parenthood and boosting Daniels' credentials among social conservatives as he considers whether to run for president.

Daniels said he supported the abortion restrictions from the outset and that the provision added to defund abortion providers did not change his mind. He said women's health, family planning and other services will remain available.

Governor Mitch Daniels

"The principle involved commands the support of an overwhelming majority of Hoosiers," Daniels said in a statement announcing his intention to sign the bill when it arrives on his desk in about a week.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana said in a statement it would file an injunction to "try to halt this alarming erosion of public health policy in our state."

Organization president Betty Cockrum said Daniels' decision to sign the bill was unconscionable and unspeakable.

"We will now suffer the consequences of lawmakers who have no regard for fact-based decision making and sound public health policy," she said.

The bill puts Indiana at risk of losing $4 million a year in federal family planning grants likely to be cut off because of the legislation. Daniels, known as a fiscal hawk, did not address the loss in his statement.

The bill wasn't part of Daniels' agenda and he did not publicly advocate for the Planned Parenthood provision, but signing it might help his chances of winning the GOP nomination. Daniels opposes abortion rights, but his call for a Republican "truce" on social issues has drawn the ire of the social conservatives.

Bill sponsor state Rep. Eric Turner, R-Cicero, said social conservatives will be happy with Daniels' decision.

"No one will talk about the truce," Turner said. "People in the conservative community care about action, and he's clearly the most pro-life governor in America with a signature on that bill."

State Rep. Linda Lawson, a Democrat from Hammond who opposes the bill, said the legislation wouldn't win Daniels any friends among independents and women.

"It might be a maneuver, but I don't know if it's in his best interest," Lawson said.

While some at the Statehouse thought Daniels' decision was a sign he'll be running for president, House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said people shouldn't read too much into it. He said he thought the governor would likely sign the bill regardless of his future plans.

Planned Parenthood says the bill could leave as many as 22,000 patients without access to Pap tests, birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

The governor's office said the law will affect 7 entities in Indiana that have a total of 34 locations in 21 counties.

Daniels said he has ordered Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration to ensure Medicaid recipients receive prompt notice of nearby care options.

"We will take any actions necessary to ensure that vital medical care is, if anything, more widely available than before," Daniels said.

"Any organization affected by this provision can resume receiving taxpayer dollars immediately by ceasing or separating its operations that perform abortions."

Planned Parenthood of Indiana had urged Daniels to veto the bill and started a series of statewide rallies against it Friday.

Daniels, 62, has said he will decide on a run for president after the Indiana Legislature adjourns, which is expected Friday. He's also said he will not have a decision this weekend.

Gadhafi offers truce as NATO strikes in Tripoli

(Associated Press) - TRIPOLI, Libya – NATO bombs struck a Libyan government complex before dawn Saturday, damaging two buildings, just as Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi called for a cease-fire and negotiations with NATO powers in a live speech on state TV.

The targeted compound included the state television building, and a Libyan official alleged the strikes were meant to kill Gadhafi. "We believe the target was the leader," said government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim.

However, the TV building was not damaged, and Gadhafi spoke from an undisclosed location.

AP – Injured Libyan youth Abdul Salam, 10,
who suffers shrapnel wounds caused by the
shelling of his house 

Reporters visiting the scene of the strikes were told the damaged buildings housed a commission for women and children and offices of parliament staff. One of at least three bombs or missiles knocked down a huge part of a two-story Italian-style building. In another, doors were blown out and ceiling tiles dropped to the ground. A policeman said three people were wounded, one seriously.

Gadhafi, meanwhile, called for a cease-fire in a speech that was both subdued and defiant and lasted for more than an hour. "The door to peace is open," said the Libyan leader, sitting behind a desk and repeatedly flipping through handwritten notes. "You are the aggressors. We will negotiate with you," he said. "Come, France, Italy, U.K., America, come, we will negotiate with you. Why are you attacking us?"

He said Libyans have the right to choose their own political system, but not under the threat of NATO bombings.

"Why are you killing our children? Why are you destroying our infrastructure," he said, denying that his forces had killed Libyan civilians.

Rebel leaders have said they would only negotiate a truce after Gadhafi has stepped aside, something the Libyan leader has refused to do. The uprising against Gadhafi, Libya's ruler of 42 years, erupted in mid-February, and has claimed hundreds of lives. Rebels are controlling the east of the country, while Gadhafi has retained most of the west.

Just hours before the speech, Gadhafi's forces shelled the besieged rebel city of Misrata, killing 15 people, including a 9-year-old boy, hospital doctors said. The city of 300,000 is the main rebel stronghold in western Libya, and has been under siege for two months, with the port its only link to the outside.

On Friday, NATO foiled attempts by regime loyalists to close the only access route to Misrata, intercepting boats that were laying anti-ship mines in the waters around the port.

The Gadhafi regime signaled Friday that it is trying to block access to Misrata by sea.

Ibrahim, the Libyan official, said he was unaware of the attempted mine-laying. However, he said the government is trying to prevent weapons shipments from reaching the rebels by sea. Asked whether aid vessels would also be blocked, he said any aid shipments must be coordinated with the authorities and should preferably come overland.

Gadhafi's forces have repeatedly shelled the port area in the past. Libyan troops are deployed on the outskirts of Misrata, after having been driven out of the downtown area by the rebels last week.

Iran Suddenly Turns Silent As Protests Spread In Syria

(NPR) - Iran's government celebrated the popular uprisings first in Tunisia, then in Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen. But when protests began in Syria, Iran turned uneasy and uncertain.

Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in 
Banias on April 29, the "Day of Rage" called by activists 
to pile pressure on President Bashar Assad as 
his regime enacted a violent crackdown on dissent. 

Syria is one of Iran's few real allies in the Arab Middle East, and Tehran has carefully cultivated a relationship with the ruling Assad family for more than 30 years.

If Syria's President Bashar Assad falls, Iran can no longer count on Syria. And among other benefits, the Syrian connection is crucial for Iran's relationship with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Bruce Riedel, a Middle East analyst at the Brookings Institution's Saban Center, notes that for Iran, it is no longer a simple matter of praising the people in the streets and condemning their rulers.

"If the Syrian government is toppled, in a revolution like Egypt's or Tunisia's, Iran will be the big loser, and the Iranian intelligence services will have lost a key ally in their ability to project power in the Middle East," Riedel says.

Iran's Media Shuts Down Protest Coverage

Iran's news media have gone quiet on Syria, leaving Iranians to rely on satellite TV for coverage of the protests there. As the demonstrations in Syria have spread and hundreds of people have been shot, Iran's leaders have said next to nothing.

Haleh Esfandiari, the director of the Wilson International Center's Middle East program in Washington, says the Iranian leaders are at a loss — they simply cannot take up the cause of the Syrian protesters as they did with earlier Arab demonstrations.

"The best excuse is to blame it not on the grievances of the population but say that these are foreign-instigated uprisings by the Israelis and the Americans," Esfandiari says.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did just that in a speech a few days ago. He said that the enemy's conspiracy is to spur war between the nations and create Iranian-Arab and Shiite-Sunni tension. All of this is plotted by the United States and its allies, he said.

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Bahrain sentences 4 Shiite protesters to death

(CTV News) - DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A military court in Bahrain sentenced four Shiite protesters to death after convicting them on Thursday of killing two policemen during anti-government demonstrations last month, state media said.

Three other Shiite activists, who were also on trial, were sentenced to life in prison after they were convicted of playing a role in the policemen's deaths.

The verdicts -- which can be appealed -- were the first related to Bahrain's uprising. The kingdom's Shiite majority has long complained of discrimination and is campaigning for greater freedoms and equal rights in the tiny, Sunni-ruled island nation, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

Bahraini human rights groups blasted the verdict and said the trial, conducted in secrecy, had no legal credibility and was politically motivated.

A Bahraini man passes graffiti partly painted over by authorities
calling for the release of people detained during an
anti-government uprising in the northern Shiite Muslim
village of Diraz, Bahrain Friday, April 8, 2011. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

"This verdict is a message from the government, determined to stop the democracy movement," said Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights. "It's a warning saying 'this is how we will treat you if you continue to demand your rights.'"

Faced with unprecedented political unrest, Bahrain's king declared martial law and invited troops from Saudi Arabia and other Sunni-ruled Gulf countries to help quell Shiite dissent after weeks of street marches and bloody clashes in the capital Manama. At least 30 people have died since Feb. 15, when the anti-government protests erupted. Four opposition supporters have also died in police custody.

For Sunni Arabs rulers around the Gulf, Bahrain is seen as a critical showdown with Shiite powerhouse Iran. Arab leaders fear that any serious political gains by Bahrain's Shiites -- about 70 per cent of the population -- could open the door for greater influence by the Islamic Republic even though there is no history of close bonds between Iran and Bahraini Shiites.

Earlier this month, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council issued a strongly worded warning to Iran to stop "meddling" in their affairs. Bahrain this week expelled an Iranian diplomat.

Iran, in turn, has called the Saudi-led force an "occupation" and said it reserves the right to take further diplomatic action against Bahrain.

The seven opposition supporters sentenced Thursday were tried behind closed doors on charges of premeditated murder of government employees. In an earlier hearing this week, Bahrain state media said the military prosecutor presented evidence that showed the defendants killed the policemen intentionally by running them over with a car.

Their lawyers denied the charges.

International rights groups have expressed deep concern over the verdict that followed a trial of civilians in a military court, set up under emergency laws.

"This is very worrisome by the international standards for fair trials," said Malcolm Smart, a Middle East and North Africa director with Amnesty International.

The president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, denounced the death sentences and called the closed-door trial "deplorable."

Foreign media was barred from the courtroom, but selected representatives from state-aligned media were allowed. Family members of the defendants also attended the trial.

A relative of one of the defendants sentenced to death, said there were no emotional outbursts in the courtroom when the verdicts were read.

"He was smiling when they said it, because he did not want us to cry," the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment by the authorities and of jeopardizing the appeal.

A report by the Bahrain News Agency said the defendants had "all their legal rights" during the trial for what it called "one of the most gruesome murders in Bahrain."

The report carried links to government-produced videos posted on YouTube, including clips of purported confessions of alleged accomplices describing the policemen's killings. They also included testimonials from alleged relatives of one of the slain policemen and a taxi driver killed in the unrest. The footage refers to demonstrators as "gangs of outlaws" and "beasts without mercy."

Hundreds of protesters, opposition leaders and human rights activists and Shiite professionals such as doctors and lawyers have been detained since emergency rule was declared March 15. Earlier this month, the authorities banned media from covering legal proceedings in the country's military courts.

Bahrain rarely uses capital punishment, and when it does it is usually applied to foreigners. After a decade-long moratorium on the death penalty, three Bangladeshi citizens were put to death in 2006, according to Amnesty International.

Another Bangladeshi man was executed last July after being convicted of premeditated murder.

Saudi Arabia tightens hold on the media

(Reuters) - Saudi Arabia tightened its control of the media on Friday, threatening fines and closure of publications that jeopardised its stability or offended clerics, state media reported.

The desert kingdom and major U.S. ally has managed to stave off the unrest which has rocked the Arab world, toppling leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.

"All those responsible for publication are banned from publishing ... anything contradicting Islamic Sharia Law; anything inciting disruption of state security or public order or anything serving foreign interests that contradict national interests," the state news agency SPA said.

Saudi Arabia follows an austere version of Sunni Islam and does not tolerate any form of dissent. It has no elected parliament and no political parties.

The tighter media controls were set out in amendments to the media law issued as a royal order late on Friday. They also banned stirring up sectarianism and "anything that causes harm to the general interest of the country."

Almost no Saudis in major cities answered a Facebook call for protests on March 11, in the face of a massive security presence around the country.

Minority Shi'ites have staged a number of street marches in the Eastern Province, where most of Saudi Arabia's oil fields are located.

Shi'ites are said to represent between 10 and 15 percent of the country's 18 million people and have long complained of discrimination, a charge the government denies.

Saudi authorities arrested two Shi'ite bloggers from Eastern Province this week, adding to a total of 160 Saudis detained since February, according to a Human Rights Watch report in April.

Clerics played a major role in banning protests by issuing a religious edict which said that demonstrations are against Islamic law.

In turn, the royal order banned the "infringement of the reputation or dignity, the slander or the personal offence of the Grand Mufti or any of the country's senior clerics or statesmen."

King Abdullah has strengthened the security and religious police forces, which played a major role in banning protests in the kingdom.

The amendment published on Friday detailed punishments for breaking the media laws, including a fine of half a million riyals ($133,000) and the shutting down of the publication that published the violation, as well as banning the writer from contributing to any media.

Clashes in Russia's Caucasus kill 10 rebels

(Reuters) - Russian security forces killed at least 10 suspected militants on Friday in clashes in the North Caucasus, where the Kremlin is fighting a growing Islamist insurgency, federal authorities said.

Russia's National Anti-terrorist Committee said the dead included insurgent group leaders behind several attacks in the Kabardino-Balkaria province over the past year.

A decade after federal forces drove rebels out of power in Chechnya, the North Caucasus remains plagued by violence. The insurgency is gaining in numbers and spreading in scope.

The latest skirmishes took place in southern Russia along the border between mainly Muslim Kabardino-Balkaria and the predominantly Orthodox Christian Stavropol region, Interfax news agency cited investigators as saying.

It said Russian forces acted in response to insurgents opening fire on their positions.

Violence in Kabardino-Balkaria has increased over the last year, leading analysts to suggest the insurgency is expanding beyond its usual centers such as Dagestan and Chechnya.

Attacks in or near the Stavropol region have also been on the rise but remain relatively rare.

The National Anti-terrorist Committee said senior militants Asker Dzhappuyev, Ratmir Shameyev and Aslanbek Khamurzov, as well as two female rebels, were among the dead, the Interfax reported.

It said their groups were suspected of carrying out a hydropower plant bombing last July as well as a bomb attack that brought down a cable car ski-lift and the killing of three vacationers from the Moscow area near Mt. Elbrus in February.

Rebels want to carve out a separate Islamic state in Russia's North Caucasus and install Islamic Sharia law.

They said they ordered the attack on Moscow's busiest airport last month that killed 37 and promised to increase attacks on the Russian heartland in the year before the 2012 presidential election.

The regions' proximity to the Black Sea coastal town of Sochi, site of the 2014 Winter Olympics, is of deep concern for the Kremlin, which has vowed to beef up security for the event.

New Egyptian independent labour union calls for celebrations in Tahrir

Ridding themselves of Egypt's old regime labour union, a new independent labour union details their next steps, including the Labour Day Tahrir celebration on Sunday.

(Ahram Online) - The Egyptian revolution has opened the door for workers’ unions to mobilise in Egypt – and it is bearing fruit. The Egypt Federation for Independent Unions was established as a result of the revolution and gave their first press conference yesterday at their headquarters to raise the curtain on the 1 May Labour Day and to explain several issues.

“Before the revolution all laws limited the syndicates’ activities, but the constitutional decree gives us back our rights - and here we are establishing our independent union,” Kamal Abbas, one of the founders of Egypt Federation for Independent Unions, told Ahram Online.

Labour Day celebration in Tahrir on Sunday

Thousands of labourers and Egyptians are expected to celebrate Labour Day this Sunday in a way that that has never been seen prior to the January 25 Revolution.

“Workers will gather with their families in Tahrir Square on Labour Day with Egyptian flags to celebrate their day after the revolution,” said Abbas.

According to Abbas, the union has informed the military council, the ministry of interior and the Egyptian cabinet about the celebration, which will kick off with a 20-minute play, then several speeches by the heads of the unions, followed by a concert of famous Egyptian singer, Ali El-Haggar.

Current labour issues

Abbas, speaking on the petition to the Egyptian state council to dissolve the General Federation of Trade Unions of Egypt, asserts: “This is a part of the old regime and the National Democratic Party, which, having been dissolved by the revolution, should also be dissolved.” They are also petitioning for the NDP-affiliated trade union to have their assets frozen and transferred to the strongest independent available labour union.

Not only is this union accused of being too closely related to the old, corrupt regime, but its head, Hussein Megawer is furthermore accused of taking part in the planning of the “Battle of the Camel,” which was a camel- and horse-mounted deadly attack spearheaded by the NDP of peaceful protesters on the third day of demonstrations.

Blacklist us no more from the International Labour Conference

The ministry of manpower and immigration is proposing new draft laws on the freedom of association, especially as related to labour laws.

“We are working on a law that ensures freedoms to be able to attend the International Labour Conference held in Genève by the beginning of June and delete Egypt from the blacklist,” said Abbas.

Egypt was blacklisted from the International Labour Conference because the Mubarak regime denied Egyptian workers the right to organise independent trade unions, but now the Egypt Federation for Independent Unions has 12 syndicates with 250 thousands members.

Gaddafi: No one can force me to leave Libya

Defiant Libyan leader says he will not leave country and is prepared for a ceasefire only if all sides are involved.

(Al Jazeera) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said that he will not leave Libya and that he is still prepared to enter a ceasefire but only if all sides are involved.

Gaddafi gave a speech live on state television
early on Saturday morning [AFP]

"I'm not leaving my country," he said in a live address on state television in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"No one can force me to leave my country and no one can tell me not to fight for my country."
Gaddafi said that he was still ready to enter a ceasefire but that all sides must be involved and not only his own forces fighting against rebels in the east.

"[Libya] is ready until now to enter a ceasefire ... but a ceasefire cannot be from one side," he said in his live speech.

"We were the first to welcome a ceasefire and we were the first to accept a ceasefire ... but the crusader NATO attack has not stopped."

The Libyan leader also called for negotiations with NATO powers to end the air strikes on Libya.
"We did not attack them or cross the sea ... why are they attacking us? Let us negotiate with you, the countries that attack us. Let us negotiate."

Gaddafi added that if it was oil the coalition countries were after there was no problem in negotiating contracts.

If NATO powers were not interested in talks, however, the Libyan people would not surrender and were willing to die resisting what he called its "terrorist" attacks.

He warned NATO that its forces would die if it invaded by land.

"Either freedom or death. No surrender. No fear. No departure," he said.

Gaddafi said the NATO airstrikes and naval patrols went beyond the United Nations mandate and urged Russia, China and friendly African and Latin American countries to press the Security Council to take a fresh look at the resolution.

Conciliatory note

In a marked contrast to previous speeches, where he called the rebels "rats" and promised to track the down house by house, Gaddafi urged the rebels to lay down their weapons and said Libyans should not be fighting each other.

He blamed the rebellion on mercenaries and foreigners.

"We cannot fight each other," he said. "We are one family."

Gaddafi denied mass attacks on civilians and challenged NATO to find him 1,000 people who had been killed in the conflict.

"We did not attack them or cross the sea ... why are they attacking us?" asked Gaddafi, referring to European countries involved in the air strikes. "Let us negotiate with you, the countries that attack us. Let us negotiate."

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Obama's Inconsistency Doctrine on the Arab Spring

International criticism is mounting and Syrian protesters are planning another day of rage after Assad regime’s brutal crackdown left hundreds dead. So why, asks former Assistant Secretary of State P.J. Crowley, isn’t the president telling Bashar al-Assad to step down, like Muammar Gaddafi in Libya?

(the Daily Beast) - When President Obama authorized an intervention in Libya in March, pundits rushed to declare an Obama Doctrine.

But one decision does not a doctrine make, despite the popular idea that every modern president must have one. Although Obama seemed to embrace the concept of “responsibility to protect” in intervening in Libya and calling for Muammar Gaddafi to step down from power, he has not done the same in Syria. If Gaddafi must go because he is unwilling to reform and has employed extreme state-controlled violence against a population that no longer fears him, so should President Bashar al-Assad.

The responsibility to protect, or the notion that the international community has an obligation to intervene when governments threaten their people with mass atrocities, leaves undefined a specific trigger for intervention. Obama, supported by a U.N. Security Council resolution and a clear call for action by the Arab League, pointed to Gaddafi’s threat to attack Benghazi, the center of the rebellion against the Libyan dictator. So far, so good.

But the president went beyond simply justifying military action. Because of Gaddafi’s explicit threat, Obama said, the Libyan “lost legitimacy with his people” and “needs to step down from power.” While for Egypt the president publicly encouraged only a transition, Obama called for regime change in Libya. Transformation became personal.

The White House was quick to downplay the idea of a precedent. “We don’t make decisions about questions like intervention based on consistency or precedent,” said Denis McDonough, the deputy national-security adviser.

Having publicly called for Gaddafi’s departure, the administration is hesitating to do the same with Assad. It shouldn’t.

So we have the Doctrine of Inconsistency, which is becoming ever clearer as the administration struggles to develop a coherent approach to events in Syria in light of our statements on and actions in Libya.

If Libya, then why not Syria?

Let’s stipulate that, in the face of truly transformational change, any government will be challenged. Whether televised or tweeted, history is unfolding in real time and policymakers—and spokesmen, of which I was one until mid-March—are constantly playing catchup with events the U.S. cannot control.

Throughout this Arab awakening, the administration’s words and actions have actually been pretty consistent. Starting with Secretary of State Clinton’s speech in Doha in January, the Obama team has urgently called on the region to embrace political, social, and economic reform. It laid down broad principles to guide change: no violence, respect for human rights and universal principles including freedom of speech and assembly, and real reform. The administration has made clear repeatedly that specific actions would vary country by country.

And in contrast to Libya, there is no viable military option in Syria. But what about the question of legitimacy? As the crackdown in Syria escalates, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish Gaddafi’s sins from those of Assad. Having publicly called for Gaddafi’s departure, the administration is hesitating to do the same with Assad. It shouldn’t.

No bright lines determine crimes against humanity; as Potter Stewart once said about obscenity, we know it when we see it. Gaddafi has killed thousands while Assad reportedly has killed hundreds—so far. But both are aggressively employing the full weight of their security forces to violently quell all political opposition.

While some regional leaders are still heeding calls for reform, potentially sooner in Yemen and later in Bahrain because of Saudi opposition, Gaddafi is not listening to anyone—and neither is Assad. For more than a decade, Assad has always chosen survival over reform. There is no indication he will make a different choice with his back against the wall.

The administration’s caution with Syria is certainly due in part to the uncertainty that what follows Assad would be better. But if that were the criteria guiding us, we would have stuck with Hosni Mubarak. Another factor is the absence of the strong regional support that crystallized around Libya. Again, if that is a precondition, the Arab Spring will end in Tripoli or Sana’a, depending on which leader holds out the longest.

And yet the political case for regime change in Syria is compelling, and far more fundamental to long-term regional interests. We want Gaddafi to go, a leader we took off the state sponsor of terrorism list. We appear prepared to tolerate a leader whose regime remains on the list—and for good reason.

While Assad has kept the border with Israel quiet, every other action he has taken, most particularly his alliances with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, undermine the overarching U.S. objective in the region: comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

If the United States is committed to promoting responsible, accountable, and representative government around the world, it cannot just do so where it is easy. It should do so where it matters. If Gaddafi has forfeited his legitimacy, then Assad is as well, and the world’s most powerful democracy should say so now, when it matters.

Philip J. (P.J.) Crowley is the 2011-2012 Omar Bradley Chair for Strategic Leadership at Dickinson College, Penn State University Dickinson School of Law and School of International Affairs, and the Army War College. He served as the assistant secretary of state for public affairs and spokesman for the State Department from May 2009 until March 2011.

Bomb hits Pakistan navy bus, 2 dead

(Associated Press) - KARACHI, Pakistan — A roadside bomb tore through a bus taking Pakistani navy employees to work in Karachi on Thursday, killing two people in the third such attack in the country's largest city this week, authorities said.

The attack showed the strength and reach of Islamist extremist networks in Pakistan, and came less than a week after the country's army chief publicly claimed that the "backbone" of the militants had been broken.

Eleven people were also wounded in the bombing, navy spokesman Salman Ali said. The identities of the dead were not released.

On Tuesday, four people were killed in twin blasts against navy buses in the city.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for those strikes, and warned of more unless the army stopped its campaigns against their heartlands in the northwest close to the Afghan border.

Karachi is home to 18 million people and is the economic heart of Pakistan. It is far from the northwest, but has not been spared the Islamist violence wracking the country over the last four years.

The Pakistan navy is based in the city, which is on the Arabian Sea.

Explosion rocks Egypt gas pipeline

Security official blames armed gang for "attack" at terminal that supplies natural gas to Jordan and Israel.

A blast struck a different section of the pipeline
 in February, sending flames into the air near the town
 of El-Arish [AFP]

(Al Jazeera) - An explosion in Egypt's North Sinai has rocked a terminal that supplies natural gas to Jordan and Israel.

Flames shot into the air at the al-Sabil terminal on Wednesday, sending nearby residents fleeing from their homes. No casualties were reported.

A security official blamed saboteurs for the blast south of the town of El-Arish, 50km from the border with Israel.

"An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline near Arish city," the unnamed security source told the Reuters news agency, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit.

Armed forces rushed to the scene to put out flames as high as 20 metres (65 feet) shooting from the ruptured pipeline, Egyptian state news agency MENA reported.

Several hours later, Gasco, the company responsible for the pipeline, said the fire had been brought under control. A technical committee has been tasked with evaluating the damage, Gasco president Majdi Tewfik said.

The attack would not immediately impact Israel’s gas supply, Israel's National Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau told army radio. Egypt supplies an estimated 40 percent of Israel's gas requirements.

Asked if he expected a shortage that would result in electricity cuts, Landau said: "No. There is still a certain amount of gas in the pipeline which we can use."

"After that, the electricity board must find alternatives by using gas from Yam Tethys or by using coal or fuel oil," he said, referring to Israel's existing gas field, which is on the verge of being depleted.

Amos Gilad, a senior official at Israel's defence ministry, told public radio it is "essential for the Egyptian government to follow a clear policy to ensure the provision of gas and to maintain the peace accord."

"The situation is very delicate, the only possible policy is to rely on the Egyptians," he added.

Jordan's Energy Minister Khaled Tuqan confirmed Egyptian gas supplies had been halted after the attack. "Power stations are now depending on heavy fuel and diesel to generate electricity," he said.

But he warned Jordan now has only "enough supplies of heavy fuel and diesel for two weeks." A previous disruption in February cost the Jordan economy some $4.2 million a day, Tuqan said at the time.

Jordan imports about 240 million cubic feet (6.8 million cubic metres) of Egyptian gas a day, or 80 percent of its electricity needs.

On February 5, an explosion at a different section of the pipeline severed gas exports to neighbouring Israel and Jordan in an incident that came during an 18-day popular uprising that forced former president Hosni Mubarak from power.

Egypt's natural gas company blamed the February incident on a gas leak, although local security officials said they suspected sabotage in that blast.

Bedouin tribesmen of the Sinai Peninsula attempted to blow up the pipeline last July as tensions intensified between them and the Egyptian government, which they accuse of discrimination and of ignoring their plight.

Ivory Coast militia leader killed

(Al Jazeera) - The leader of a militia that helped Alassane Ouattara defeat rival Laurent Gbagbo for the presidency in Ivory Coast has been killed.

Coulibaly had refused to surrender when government
troops seized the Abobo neighbourhood on Wednesday [AFP]

Ibrahim Coulibaly died in a gun battle on Wednesday after he and his men refused to obey presidential orders to disarm.

The insurgents have been accused of not meeting a deadline to surrender arms and join the new army under Ouattara.

"I can confirm that Ibrahim Coulibaly was killed during fighting today," Captain Alla Kouakou Leon, a defence ministry spokesman, told Reuters news agency.

Ouattara had on Friday ordered Coulibaly and his forces to disarm or expect to have weapons seized by force. Coulibaly said that disarming would take time to organise.

Coulibaly's 'Invisible Commando' insurgents had fought alongside what is now the Ivorian national army to topple Gbagbo.

Last week Coulibaly pledged loyalty to Ouattara saying his 5,000 men were ready to join to new army. He requested a meeting with Ouattara but was told to disarm without condition.

It is believed that Coulibaly turned the gun on himself instead of surrendering to a group that he once considered an ally.

Fighting broke out on Wednesday night in the Abidjan neighbourhood of Abobo near the militia's headquarters as Ouattara's forces attacked the insurgents.

"Our positions were attacked this morning by Republican Forces (FRCI) while our soldiers had met to wait for disarmament overseen by the UN," Felix Anoble, a spokesman for Coulibaly, said.

Coulibaly had led a successful 1999 coup that installed General Robert Guei, who was assassinated after elections in 2000.

In 2002 Coulibaly helped lead a failed coup against Gbagbo and made no secret of his own presidential aspirations. Later that year, he began the rebellion that divided Ivory Coast between a rebel-held north and government-run south.

Rival Palestinian factions reach unity agreement

(Associated Press) - GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Rival Palestinian groups said they reached an agreement Wednesday on reuniting their governments in the West Bank and Gaza after years of bitter infighting that weakened them politically and caused the deaths of hundreds in violent clashes and crackdowns since.

Even as the tentative agreement revived hopes among Palestinians that they might be able to form a unified front, unity between the rival groups Fatah and Hamas appeared unlikely to jump start negotiations with Israel for an independent Palestinian state.

Israel swiftly rejected the prospect of a Palestinian government including Hamas, citing the militant group's stated goal of destroying the Jewish state. The U.S. expressed similar concerns.

The plan, brokered by Egypt, calls for the formation of a single caretaker government in the coming days. The government would administer day-to-day business until new presidential and legislative elections are to be held in a year's time.

"The people want to end the division ... and we say: what you demanded has been achieved today," said Azzam al-Ahmed, the chief Fatah negotiator at a news conference in Cairo with his Hamas counterpart. The two groups inked an initial deal Wednesday.

Rivalries between the two Palestinian factions began in earnest in 2006 after the militant Islamic group Hamas won elections in Gaza and the West Bank. A year later, frustrated by what it viewed as Fatah efforts to cripple its rule, Hamas seized power in Gaza in a violent takeover.

The split left Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian Authority, dominated by Fatah, in the West Bank. The two territories are separated by Israel, further deepening the divide between two groups.

The Palestinians claim both territories for a future independent state, along with east Jerusalem.

Hani Masri, a member of a Palestinian delegation that met with Hamas leaders in Syria and the new leadership in Egypt, said the political upheavals in both countries pushed the two rivals together and "made the agreement possible."

Previous attempts over the years to hammer out a deal ended in failure.

The current agreement still appears shaky. Hamas officials in Gaza said their security forces would retain control over the coastal strip for the time being. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief the media.

Al-Ahmed, the chief Fatah negotiator, said that under the deal, Fatah and Hamas security forces would be unified and "restructured" under "Arab supervision."

The security forces are at the heart of the Palestinian rift. Fatah and Hamas formed a short-lived unity government in 2007, only to see it disintegrate in several days of fighting in Gaza.

And while Abbas would remain in power under the emerging unity deal, the agreement would require the two prime ministers — Salam Fayyad in the West Bank and Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza — to resign. Both have entrenched their positions in recent years, Haniyeh as the front man for Hamas in Gaza and Fayyad as the Palestinian bridge to the West and its aid.

Al-Ahmed said the sides would need to agree on a new prime minister in the coming days, a process that is likely to lead to deep disagreements. He added that the new government would consist solely of political independents in order to not anger the international community.

The internal rift has prevented the Palestinians from speaking in one voice. That, in turn, has made it next to impossible to move ahead with peace efforts with Israel.

Talks have been stymied for months over a dispute about Israeli construction in West Bank settlements, but the unity issue has lurked prominently in the background.

Still, Palestinian political unity is no more likely to push the peace process forward, with Israel and the international community refusing to deal with Hamas. The group is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., and European Union for its role of sending dozens of suicide bombers and thousands of rockets into the Jewish state.

"The Palestinian Authority must choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "Peace with both is impossible because of the Hamas goal of destroying the state of Israel, which it expresses openly," he said, pointing to the ongoing rocket attacks.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heide Bronke-Fulton called on the future Palestinian government to recognize Israel — something Hamas has steadfastly refused to do.

Al-Ahmed said reconciliation was more important than negotiating with Israel, and said unity would make their position stronger in seeking statehood.

Palestinians intend to ask the United Nations General Assembly in September to recognize their state after decades of failed negotiations for statehood with Israel. A functioning agreement to put all the Palestinian areas under a single government would boost that effort.

SECURITY COUNCIL MUST REFER SYRIA TO THE ICC

26 April 2011

(Amnesty International) - The UN Security Council must refer the situation in Syria to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Amnesty International said today, amid escalating government violence against protesters calling for reform.

The call comes as the Security Council considers its response to the brutal crackdown that has left some 400 people dead since mid-March.

“The Syrian government is clearly trying to shatter the will of those peacefully expressing dissent by shelling them, firing on them and locking them up,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“The Syrian government and its security forces have long felt able to operate with total impunity, and we are now seeing the result of that in the kinds of bloody acts that they have been committing on the streets of Syria in recent days.”

“President al-Assad and those around him have to understand that their actions will have consequences, namely that if they gun down their own citizens the international community will hold them individually criminally responsible before the ICC or national courts of states exercising universal jurisdiction.”

The organization also called for the imposition of a comprehensive arms embargo on Syria and an assets freeze on President Bashar al-Assad and others involved in ordering or perpetrating serious human rights abuses.

Since protests began in March, unarmed Syrians gathering to call for greater freedom have routinely been attacked by security forces firing live ammunition directly into crowds of peaceful demonstrators.

The government last week announced the lifting of the 48-year-old state of emergency but violence has since spiralled, with at least 120 people killed on Friday, until then the bloodiest day so far.

Amnesty International has received the names of 393 people killed since protests began, but the real number is likely to be higher.

In a number of incidents, snipers have targeted wounded people lying in the streets and people trying to assist them, according to Amnesty International's sources.

The organization rejected claims by the Syrian government that many of the killings had been committed by anti-government armed groups, saying that it had seen no evidence to support such allegations.

After the Syrian army deployed in Dera'a on 25 April, tanks were reportedly used to shell residential buildings where there was no evidence that the persons inside were armed.

Several hundred people have been arrested across the country, the vast majority held incommunicado and with their whereabouts unknown. Many of those who have been released have reported that they were tortured in detention.

On 26 February the UN Security Council unanimously resolved to refer the situation in Libya to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

“The Security Council needs now to step up to the mark and show leadership on Syria as it did on Libya,” said Salil Shetty.

“A consistent policy of zero-tolerance for crimes against humanity will send a signal to all governments that impunity for crimes under international law is no longer acceptable.”

Doctor says 9 protesters killed in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen (AP) -- A Yemeni doctor says nine protesters have been killed and some 100 wounded when security forces opened fire on an anti-government demonstration in the Yemeni capital.

Mohammed al-Ibahi, a doctor at the scene of the shooting in a square in Sanaa, said many of the dead and wounded suffered gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

The protest on Wednesday is the latest in a wave of massive demonstrations demanding the ouster of longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's leader of 32 years.

The deadly clash Wednesday is likely to further fuel the two-month, anti-regime protests.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

SANAA, Yemen (AP) - Yemenis in major cities and towns across the nation launched a civil disobedience campaign Wednesday to bring down the long-serving president as security troops fired into anti-government protesters in another day of deadly violence, activists said.

The disobedience campaign is the latest in Yemen's uprising that started in early February, inspired by revolts across the Arab world. Massive near-daily protests have called for the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the country's ruler of 32 years.

According to opposition activists, residents in at least 18 cities and towns got involved in the disobedience campaign, with shops and schools closed and government offices shuttered. The closures are planned twice weekly until Saleh goes, activists said.

Saleh has clung to power despite the street protests and defections by many loyalist, including his tribesmen, military officers and ranking government figures. More than 130 people have been killed by security forces and Saleh's supporters since the unrest erupted.

In Wednesday's violence, units of the Republican Guard in the southern port city of Aden clashed with anti-government demonstrators who were marking the anniversary of the 1994 outbreak of Yemen's civil war that saw Saleh's army suppress an attempt by the southerners to secede.

One protester was killed and dozens were wounded in the clashes that involved tanks, armored cars and heavy weapons, according to local activist Wajdi al-Shaabi.

The capital Sanaa saw about 100,000 protesters flood a landmark square at the epicenter of the uprising, spilling into the streets around the state TV building. Witnesses said security forces and Republican Guard shot live ammunition and tear gas into the crowd to break it up. Snipers were seen on nearby rooftops aiming at the crowd.

Hospital officials said five protesters were wounded. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals.

And in the country's second largest city, Taiz, tens of thousands of protesters demonstrated Wednesday in main streets against a Gulf Arab initiative which gives Saleh and his family immunity against prosecution, activist Nouh al-Wafi said.

Elsewhere, two soldiers were killed and three others wounded when masked gunmen attacked a military checkpoint at the entrance of Zinjibar, the capital of southern Abyan province that has been a hotbed for Islamic militants.

Col. Ahmed al-Muhsini of Zinjibar intelligence office confirmed the attack over the telephone and told The Associated Press that the assailants fled afterward.

Along with prevailing poverty, rampant corruption and lawlessness, southern secessionism and a Shiite uprising in the north, Yemen has also had to deal with brazen militant attacks and a resurgent al-Qaida branch that has been active both inside the country and beyond its borders.

The authors of the Gulf Arab initiative, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, will meet Sunday in the Saudi capital Riyadh where its foreign ministers are to fine-tune the draft proposal for ending Yemen's crisis.

Yemen's opposition parties said Tuesday they will soon sign the deal, which Saleh has already agreed to. It calls for the creation of national unity government and would have Saleh transfer power to his vice president within 30 days of the signing of the deal. In exchange, Saleh and his family would received immunity from prosecution.

But the proposal appears to have opened a serious rift between opposition parties and the hundreds of thousands of protesters on the streets, who are suspicious and instead demand Saleh resign immediately.

The head of the Yemeni opposition's council for dialogue, Salem Mohammed Bassindwa, said GCC chief Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani would visit Sanaa on Saturday, ahead of the meeting in Riyadh.

Saudi reports have speculated that the deal on ending Yemen's crisis could be signed as early as Monday in Riyadh.

In a sign of the opposition's suspicions, Bassindwa said his side would only accept a deal that Saleh signed personally and not one signed by a presidential envoy. He suggested it would be best for Saleh to sign the agreement in Sanaa, with witnesses from the GCC, United States and the European Union.

Afghan officer fires on US troops, kills 9

KABUL, Afghanistan – A senior U.S. defense official says all eight of the military troops and the contractor killed by an Afghan pilot Wednesday in Kabul were Americans.

The official says it is not certain what branch of the military the troops were in. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been made public.

AP – Afghan soldiers look out through the
security hole of one of the gates at the
 airport after a firing …

Officials said it was the deadliest episode to date of an Afghan turning against his own coalition partners.

The shooting took place in an Afghan Air Corps meeting room at Kabul airport. Officials said a veteran Afghan military pilot fired on the foreigners after an argument.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Eight NATO troops and a contractor died Wednesday after an Afghan military pilot opened fire in a meeting — the deadliest episode to date of an Afghan turning against his own coalition partners, officials said.

The Afghan officer, who was a veteran military pilot, fired on the foreigners after an argument. The shooting occurred in an operations room of the Afghan Air Corps at Kabul airport.

"Suddenly, in the middle of the meeting, shooting started," said Afghan Air Corps spokesman Col. Bahader, who uses only one name. "After the shooting started, we saw a number of Afghan army officers and soldiers running out of the building. Some were even throwing themselves out of the windows to get away."

The nationalities of the eight NATO service members have not been released.

Five Afghan soldiers were wounded. At least one Afghan soldier was shot — in the wrist — but most of the soldiers suffered broken bones and cuts, Bahader said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the shooting and offered his condolences to the relatives of the victims. He said those killed were trainers and advisers for the Afghan air force. The president ordered his defense and security officials to investigate the recent incidents to determine why they occurred.

It was the seventh time so far this year that members of the Afghan security forces, or insurgents impersonating them, have killed coalition soldiers or members of the Afghan security forces.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the gunman, who was killed during the shooting, was impersonating an army officer and that others at the facility helped him gain access.

However, Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said the gunman was an Afghan military pilot of 20 years.

"An argument happened between him and the foreigners and we have to investigate that," Azimi said.

An Afghan pilot who spoke on condition of anonymity, identified the gunman was Ahmad Gul, a 50-year-old pilot from Tarakhail district of Kabul province.

Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks on government and military installations across Afghanistan.

_On April 18, an insurgent managed to sneak past security at the heavily fortified Afghan Defense Ministry compound in the capital and killed two Afghan soldiers and an officer.

_Two days before that, an Afghan soldier walked into a meeting of NATO trainers and Afghan troops at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman province in eastern Afghanistan and detonated a vest of explosives hidden underneath his uniform. The blast, the worst before Wednesday's shooting, killed six American troops, four Afghan soldiers and an interpreter.

_On April, 15, a suicide bomber dressed as a policeman blew himself up inside the Kandahar police headquarters complex, killing the top law enforcement officer in the restive southern province.

_In northwest Afghanistan, a man wearing an Afghan border police uniform shot and killed two American military personnel on April 4 in Faryab. The gunman was upset over the recent burning of the Quran at a Florida church, according to NATO intelligence officials.

_In February, an Afghan soldier, who felt he had been personally offended by his German partners, shot and killed three German soldiers and wounded six others in the northern province of Baghlan.

_In January, an Afghan solider killed an Italian soldier and wounded another in Badghis province. The two soldiers were cleaning their weapons at a combat outpost when an Afghan soldier approached them with an M16 rifle and asked to use their equipment to clean his gun. The Italians saw that the Afghan soldier's rifle was loaded and asked him to unload it, at which point the Afghan soldier shot the two Italians and escaped from the base.

Before the airport shooting, the coalition had recorded 20 incidents since March 2009 where a member of the Afghan security forces or someone wearing a uniform used by them attacked coalition forces, killing a total of 36. It is not known how many of the 282,000 members of the Afghan security forces have been killed in these type of incidents.

According to information compiled by NATO, half of the 20 incidents involved the impersonation of an Afghan policeman or soldier. The cause of the other 10 incidents were attributed to combat stress or unknown reasons. NATO said that so far, there is no solid evidence — despite Taliban assertions — that any insurgent has joined the Afghan security forces for the sole purpose of conducting attacks on coalition or Afghan forces.

Hundreds demonstrate in Cairo in solidarity with Syrian uprising

Protesters converge outside Syrian embassy demonstrating against the brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists across Syria.

Protesters outside Syrian embassy in Cairo on 26 April. (Photo: Mai Ezzat)

(Ahram Online, Egypt) - Several hundred demonstrators, many of them Syrians, protested today in front of the Syrian embassy in Cairo, calling for the departure of President Bashar Al-Assad and declaring their solidarity with the Syrian opposition.

"We are all here to condemn the crimes committed by the Syrian regime and the killing of young people who were just expressing themselves in a peaceful way," said Hany Al Mahy, the general co-coordinator of the Syrian-Egyptian Union that called for the protests. Hany expressed his optimism that such messages sent by both Syrians and Egyptians are reaching those calling for democracy in Syria. "This is the 10th day that we have come and shown solidarity with the people of Daraa and elsewhere in Syria and each time, Egyptians and Syrians participate. We have always been one country," he added.

"The protest was a mixture of all ages and different political views," explained Syrian protester Mohamed Meslim. "This is what we need in a new free country open to everyone in the society and not a closed prison where we fear to talk."

But for Fateen Attasy, a Syrian university student studying in Egypt, freedom of expression was not the only reason behind the Syrian revolt. "Low wages and poor education are also a reason for the anger," he explained. Like other young Syrians, Attasy admitted that he was afraid he would pay a price for participating in the protests. Despite this, he insisted on staying till the end, continuing to protest as long as he feels that his solidarity is needed.

Original story.

Libya calls on AU to join fight against 'Western colonisers'

Libya is calling on the African Union to hold an emergency summit to invoke a mutual defence pact to deal with Western air strikes that seek to "punish Africa".

(Mail & Guardian Online / Reuters) - Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi accused the west of aiming "to punish Africa through Libya" and to "steal its wealth and colonise it again".

He told the Peace and Security Council of the 53-nation AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa the organisation should invoke a mutual defence pact in response to western air strikes.

"My delegation proposes the holding as soon as possible of an extraordinary session of the Assembly of the Union," he said.

"This would identify the ways that enable our continent to mobilise capabilities to face the external forces which aggress against us."

Muammar Gaddafi. (AP)

The AU, in which Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi is one of the most influential members, wielding both financial and political clout, has been trying to broker a peaceful solution to the Libyan conflict.

Obeidi and rebels have been meeting separately with AU officials in Addis Ababa to discuss an end to the war.

The AU has proposed a solution that calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities followed by a transitional period and political dialogue.

The rebels rejected the plan earlier this month, saying any settlement must include the departure of Gaddafi and his sons.

Earlier on Tuesday an AU official accused Western nations of undermining its efforts to find a solution with its air strikes.

"I would like to point out that the pursuit of other agendas in Libya, by non-African actors, has had an impact on the implementation of the AU roadmap," Ramtane Lamamra, AU's Commissioner for Peace and Security, told AU foreign ministers.

"Attempts have been made to marginalise an African solution to the crisis, specifically the timely implementation of the AU roadmap in a way that is fully consistent with and complementary to United Nations Security Council resolutions."

Lamamra said the intervention by the coalition and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) had failed to provide resolution of the crisis.

"The imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya and aerial bombardment by the coalition, and now by Nato, have not brought a solution to the crisis," Lamamra said.

"In fact, the military situation on the ground seems to be sliding into a stalemate."

Critics have noted that the AU's bids to end conflicts or disputes in Somalia, Madagascar and Ivory Coast have not borne fruit. -- Reuters

Inside the Obama team’s “shift” on Syria

Bashar al-Assad

(Foreign Policy) - The Obama administration is preparing a wide range of new actions to condemn the Syrian government's brutal violence against protesters. However, U.S. officials still remain skeptical that they have the leverage to significantly affect the unfolding crisis in the country.

For the first three weeks of the protests in Syria, which first broke out on March 15, the Obama administration debated internally how to react to while generally proceeding cautiously in public. Occupied with the Libya war and skeptical that Syria would reach the current level of unrest, the administration's policy was to issue carefully worded statements condemning the violence while encouraging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to pursue reform and reconciliation.

Two weeks ago, however, the mood inside the administration changed in response to Assad's brutal crackdown and the realization that he was not listening to pro-reform voices from inside or outside Syria. After a series of deliberations, culminating in a Deputies Committee meeting at the National Security Council last week, a new policy course was set. In the coming days, expect a new executive order on Syria, a draft presidential statement at the U.N. Security Council, new designations of Syrian officials as targets of sanctions, and a firmer tone on the violence that will include references to Iran's unhelpful influence on Syria's crackdown.

The new sanctions will not target Assad directly and there will be no call for him to go.

"The days of just making statements are over and we are at a turning point," said Andrew Tabler, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "What that turning point leads to we don't know yet."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came under criticism for her March 27 statement, "Many of the members of Congress of both parties who have gone to Syria in recent months have said they believe [Assad]'s a reformer."

But based on the information at the time, most inside the administration didn't feel she had said anything wrong. Multiple administration officials told The Cable that the administration had simply concluded, incorrectly, that the Syrian crisis would never grow this serious. That judgment informed their go-slow approach in responding to the protests.

But one month later, as the protest movement has gained strength and spread to cities throughout Syria, nobody inside the Obama administration is saying that now.

"A lot of people were wrong. The general assessment [inside the administration] was that this wouldn't happen, that Assad was too good at nipping these movements in the bud and also that he was not afraid to be brutal," one administration official said. "All of these things combined made this more of a surprise and made it much harder to deal with."

For the first three weeks of the protests, the analysts told the policy makers that it was unclear whether the opposition had wide support throughout the country and whether the protest movement would be able to sustain itself and grow.

"Then, gradually, every day we saw the protests get larger, and we realized this is going to get worse and that [Assad] wasn't going to listen to anyone else," the official said, explaining the administration's recent stream of increasingly harsh condemnations of the Syrian government's actions. "It was a reaction to the events on the ground."

The Obama administration has always been divided between those who prioritized efforts to convince Assad to break with Iran, those who wanted to concentrate on Syrian-Israeli negotiations (sometimes known as the "peace process junkies"), and those who believed that Assad would always be a ruthless and anti-Western dictator, and should be treated as such.

As the violence in Syria escalated, different parts of the administration pushed for different courses of action. At the Treasury Department, for example, sanctions experts were pushing for targeted and specific measures that could put financial pressure on the Syrian government. These measures are the fastest options to deploy, and also the easiest, because they don't require Congressional buy-in.

At the State Department, the bureau of Near Eastern Affairs was also pressing for quicker decision making, multiple administration sources said. U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, in search of clear guidance for his discussions with the Assad regime, was pushing for specifics on U.S. demands and what pressures might be forthcoming should Syria not comply.

However, a push for aggressive action wasn't necessarily the State Department's position at the end of the day. Multiple sources said that, when the Syria discussions reached the deputies or principals level, State was often viewed as taking a cautious line, not wanting to give U.S. critics ammunition to claim the protests were driven by the West. Meanwhile, the NSC staff was asking what leverage the United States has over Syria, and what exact steps it wanted the Syrian government to take.

The view inside the administration is that Syria is a particularly complicated problem because the United States does not have good relationships with either the government or the opposition and lacks the leverage to affect events in the country.

"The people inside the administration who have been trying to craft a systematic narrative as to how the U.S. is responding to the Arab spring, they would like to see a more forceful response, but they are right to be cautious because it's very unclear exactly how widespread the support for the protests really are," said George Washington University professor Marc Lynch.

The administration now has no choice but to increase its involvement, but it will continue to be mindful that U.S. pressure, even with international support, has limited influence.

"Once Assad decided to use brutal force, it really forced their hand. But we still don't have a lot of leverage," Lynch said.

Posted by Josh Rogin