Shiite vs Sunni strife spring up all over the Middle East .....
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/24/310617/prominent-shia-sheikh-killed-in-egypt/
Shias, who form just one percent of Egypt’s population, are often under attack by extremist groups in the North African country."
The attack was carried out on Sunday when a crowd of several hundred assailants attacked Sheikh Shehata’s home and then set it on fire at the village of Abu Mussalam.
Brutal scenes of the crime were posted on the internet late Sunday, showing men dragging Sheikh Shehata’s bloody body on the street and beating him as the Sheikh chanted “Allahu Akbar [God is Great].”
Dozens of other devotees who were at Sheikh Shehata’s house for commemorating a Shia holy day were also injured.
Dr. Khaled Hamza, General Manager of Hawamdia Hospital in Giza, where the Sheikh was taken after the incident, said:
Egypt’s security forces have been sent to the village to disperse the crowds and contain the situation.
The Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has denounced the incident, saying he was closely following the investigation into the attack and promised that the culprits will be punished.
The incident comes a week after Takfiri clerics insulted Shia Muslims during a rally attended by the Egyptian president.
Shias, who form just one percent of Egypt’s population, are often under attack by extremist groups in the North African country.
DB/HSn/PG/SS/SL
Today the soldiers attacked the cleric’s home mosque in Sidon in a protracted siege. In the end at least 16 Lebanese soldiers were killed along with a large number of worshipers, 22 by early estimates. Nearly 100 Salafists were wounded in the mosque attack, while the Lebanese army reported 128 troops wounded.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/24/310617/prominent-shia-sheikh-killed-in-egypt/
Takfiri extremists kill top Shia cleric and 4 others in Egypt
Mon Jun 24, 2013 3:13PM GMT
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Prominent Egyptian Shia cleric, Sheikh Hassan Shehata, and four of his devotees have been killed in a brutal attack carried out by Takfiri extremists in Giza Province near Cairo.
The attack was carried out on Sunday when a crowd of several hundred assailants attacked Sheikh Shehata’s home and then set it on fire at the village of Abu Mussalam.
Brutal scenes of the crime were posted on the internet late Sunday, showing men dragging Sheikh Shehata’s bloody body on the street and beating him as the Sheikh chanted “Allahu Akbar [God is Great].”
Dozens of other devotees who were at Sheikh Shehata’s house for commemorating a Shia holy day were also injured.
Dr. Khaled Hamza, General Manager of Hawamdia Hospital in Giza, where the Sheikh was taken after the incident, said:
“Initial medical reports reveal that when Sheikh Hassan Shehata arrived to the hospital, he appeared to be slaughtered from his neck, in addition to several injuries around his body,” adding that “the rest of the bodies had several injuries as well as skull fractures.”
Egypt’s security forces have been sent to the village to disperse the crowds and contain the situation.
The Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has denounced the incident, saying he was closely following the investigation into the attack and promised that the culprits will be punished.
The incident comes a week after Takfiri clerics insulted Shia Muslims during a rally attended by the Egyptian president.
Shias, who form just one percent of Egypt’s population, are often under attack by extremist groups in the North African country.
DB/HSn/PG/SS/SL
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2013/06/24/shabaniya-holiday-attacks-leave-47-dead-81-wounded-in-iraq/
Shabaniya Holiday Attacks Leave 47 Dead, 81 Wounded in Iraq
by Margaret Griffis, June 24, 2013
Shi’ite Muslims marked Shabaniya, the anniversary of the birth of Imam Mehdi, today, making Shi’ite neighborhoods in Baghdad obvious targets. Overall, at least 47 people were killed today, and another 81 were wounded.
In Baghdad, ten bombs killed at least 39 people and wounded 65 more. Among the attacks: A car bomb in Karrada killed eight people and wounded 16 more. Four civilians were killed and 15 more were wounded in a bombing in Nahrawan. A car bomb in New Baghdad killed three and wounded 10 more; a second bomb killed two people and wounded eight more at a bus stop. Two people were killed in a blast inGarage al-Amana. Eight people were killed in a double bombing in Jihad.
In Mosul, a soldier and a police officer were killed when a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into an army patrol; seven people were wounded. Gunmen wounded a neighborhood leader. Two civilians were shot dead.
A suicide bomber attacked a police official inside a university parking garage inTikrit. The official and two bodyguards were killed, while five students were wounded.
A Sahwa commander was wounded in a roadside bombing in Zab.
In Khalis, a sticky bomb wounded the driver of a car.
A soldier was wounded in Riyadh, when a roadside bomb exploded.
- Iraq: 43 Killed, including Saddam Executioner – June 23rd, 2013
- 57 Killed across Iraq as Suicide Bombers Strike in the North – June 22nd, 2013
- 14 Killed Across Central and Western Iraq – June 21st, 2013
- 12 Iraqis Killed in Election Day Attacks – June 20th, 2013
- 21 Iraqis Killed Ahead of Provincial Elections – June 19th, 2013
Lebanon sees sectarian strife on the upswing also....
Lebanese army storms cleric's headquarters |
Soldiers control Sidon base of Sunni cleric after two days of fighting that has left dozens dead.
Last Modified: 24 Jun 2013 19:21
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| Lebanon's army has seized control of the headquarters of an Islamic cleric and arrested dozens of his supporters, following a second day of clashes fuelled by Syria's civil war. The army said 12 soldiers had been killed in the fighting in Abra, near Sidon, while security sources gave a higher army death toll of 18 and said 20 of Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir's supporters were killed. The clashes subsided on Monday evening but Assir, who has accused the army of backing the interests of the Shia group Hezbollah, remains at large. Local media reported that he and some supporters had gone into hiding in Ain el Helweh, one of the Palestinian refugee camps nearby, following the battle. The army is trying to kill or capture him, after accusing him of killing soldiers "in cold blood" on Sunday. Offices destroyed Reports from Abra described at least four tanks and several army vehicles ablaze, while abandoned weapons and military clothing were found inside the cleric's headquarters. Many buildings in the complex had been damaged by fire, with Assir's main office said to have been totally destroyed. Al Jazeera's Nour Samaha, reporting from outside Sidon, earlier said fighting had raged around Abra and the Ain el Helweh camp. Members of the Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam armed groups have joined the battle, she added. However, roadblocks were lifted and gunfire subsided after the army gained control of Assir's headquarters. Tensions had been rising in Sidon since the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah sent fighters into Syria to help recapture a strategic border town controlled by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's forces. The army said clashes broke out on Sunday after security forces detained one of Assir's followers. His supporters retaliated by opening fire on an army checkpoint. Army commanders pledged to crush Assir's forces. Restoring security "We affirm to all Lebanese that the army is determined to eradicate strife, and will not halt its military operations until security is completely restored to the city," the army said in a statement on Monday. At least 62 Assir supporters were arrested as soldiers combed the area they had seized, a security source said. One of the men captured had disguised himself as a woman. Lebanon's commissioner to the military court, Judge Sakr Sakr, said that Assir had been summoned "to be put on trial, along with 123 of his followers, including his brother and Fadl Shaker," a prominent Lebanese singer who abandoned his career to join Assir's ultraconservative group. "Come and save your people who are being massacred," said an appeal on Assir's Twitter account on Monday. Assir, whose supporters accuse the army of giving cover to Hezbollah gunmen, called for people across the country to join him and demanded that "honourable" soldiers defect. Assir has a small group of staunch supporters, believed to be in the hundreds. But many Lebanese Sunnis see him as a militant and troublemaker. Lebanon's grand mufti, Mohammad Rashid Qabbani, condemned the fighting, saying that there was never a justified reason to attack the armed forces. But in the northern coastal city of Tripoli, a Sunni stronghold, masked gunmen roamed the streets on motorbikes and fired guns and sound grenades in a show of support for Assir. Other supporters blocked main roads with cement blocks and burning tires. |
At Least 16 Lebanese Soldiers Killed as Southern Fighting Escalates
Troops Attack Salafist Mosque in Sidon
by Jason Ditz, June 24, 2013
What started as a clash over the detention of a Salafist cleric at a military checkpoint near the village of Abra has escalated precipitously in Southern Lebanon, as the military forces, routed yesterday by Salafist militias, came back in larger numbers.
Today the soldiers attacked the cleric’s home mosque in Sidon in a protracted siege. In the end at least 16 Lebanese soldiers were killed along with a large number of worshipers, 22 by early estimates. Nearly 100 Salafists were wounded in the mosque attack, while the Lebanese army reported 128 troops wounded.
The Lebanese military has vowed to “capture or kill” the cleric, identified as Sheikh Ahmed al-Assir. Assir had accused the military of being pro-Hezbollah. Assir’s forces still control a great deal of Sidon, and the military’s current focus is attacking the random homes around the mosque, so the fighting may take quite some time.
Assir was relatively obscure in the past but has gained prominence for his outspoken support for the Syrian rebellion. His followers have clashed with Shi’ites in and around Sidon.
The details of the checkpoint clash that started this latest round of bloodletting remain hotly disputed, as witnesses report that the checkpoint detained Assir’s convoy, at which point the fighters in the convoy surrounded the checkpoint and killed the three soldiers within. The military insists, however, that the checkpoint was randomly attacked by a rocket-propelled grenade and no standoff ever occurred. Either way, it was led to growing military action in the area and mass arrests of suspected followers of Assir.
And the news on Qatar was accurate - the Emir of Qatar is turning power over to his second son Tuesday !
And the news on Qatar was accurate - the Emir of Qatar is turning power over to his second son Tuesday !
Qatari emir to transfer power to his son |
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani tells members of the ruling family that he will step down in favour of heir apparent.
Last Modified: 24 Jun 2013 19:57
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Sheikh Hamad, in power since 1995, has been an important player on regional and international political scenes [Reuters]
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| The Qatari emir has confirmed to members of the ruling family that he will step down and transfer power to his heir apparent. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani met royals and prominent members of Qatari society on Monday, and announced plans for a transition to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Tamim, 33, has been groomed for the position since 2003, when his elder brother stepped aside. Sheikh Hamad has been in power since 1995, during which Qatar has evolved into an important player on the regional and international political scenes. Abdullah al-Athbah, the managing editor of Al Arab newspaper, earlier told Al Jazeera that he did not expect to see a change in policy after the succession. "The heir apparent has been very close to his father and Sheikh Jassim," he said, referring to the prime minister. "I don't think there will be a big change in policy, foreign or domestic." Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is the second son of the emir and Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser. Sheikh Hamad is due to address the nation on Tuesday, which will also be a public holiday, the official Qatar News Agency reported. The Qatari Emiri Diwan announced later on Monday that it would receive citizens on Tuesday and on Wednesday to pledge allegiance to Sheikh Tamim as the new Emir of Qatar. The British-educated Sheikh Tamim is deputy commander of the armed forces and head of the National Olympic Committee. He also chairs the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee which is in charge of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. |
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