Iraq......
State Department official James Dobbins dismissed the prospect out of hand, bragging about the “remarkable outcomes” of the occupation and insisting that “the Afghans actually need us to stay,” adding “we have promised to stay.”
The protesters were engaged in morning prayers after an overnight sit-in when troops opened fire on them en masse. Hundreds of others were reported wounded in the attack.
According to FSA spokesman Qassem Saadeddine, Hamami was meeting with fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (a faction of Jabhat al-Nusra) in Latakia to coordinate battle plans. They killed Hamami and reportedly threatened to kill the rest of the FSA’s leadership council.
Iraq Carnage: 96 Killed, 191 Wounded
by Margaret Griffis, July 11, 2013
At least 96 people were killed and 191 were wounded in what appears to be a series of coordinated attacks across the country. In the deadliest attack, a group of security personnel were sitting down to their Iftar meal when gunmen attacked them.
Fourteen security personnel were killed as they gathered to break Ramadan fasting for the day on a highway near Barwana. Some belonged to the oil protection services.
In Muqdadiya, a suicide bomber attacked a funeral where he killed 12 people andwounded 30 others. A separate I.E.D. blast wounded three policemen.
Seven security personnel were killed and 14 more were wounded when gunmen attacked a Ramadi checkpoint. Two I.E.D.s wounded three policemen. Three suicide bombers attacked a police station where they killed two policemen and wounded four others.
Bombs in Yathrib killed 10 people and wounded 18 more near a coffee shop.
In Tuz Khormato, 10 people were killed and 21 more were wounded in a car bombing. Turkmen leader Mohammed Mahdi al-Bayati accused the Kurds of attacks against this Iraqi minority group.
In Baghdad, a car bomb near the Doura district left one policeman dead and nine others wounded. A man was gunned down in Sharqat. Two policemen were killed and two more were wounded in a bombing in Karrada.
In Falluja, a car bomb killed four policemen and wounded seven others, including a civilian. At least two more people were killed and seven more were wounded in this or another event. The number of casualties in a clash between police and gunmen was not released, but at least 40 gunmen were reported to be involved. The police shut down the city’s entrances.
In Mosul, two suicide car bombers killed seven policemen and wounded 18 others, including civilians. A policeman was shot dead. A soldier was gunned down. Gunmen also killed a civilian.
A car bomb near Samarra killed four soldiers and wounded five more.
Three policemen were killed and 10 others were wounded in a bombing in Tikrit.
A suicide bomber in Riyadh killed one policeman and wounded seven others.
In Qaim, two bombs killed a policeman and wounded two others.
Two Sahwa members were killed in a blast in Shirqat.
Gunmen in Qadisiya killed two policemen.
Twelve civilians were wounded in a blast in Debs.
In Bani Saad, an I.E.D. wounded 11 people.
A grenade at the Hammam al-Alil home of a provincial councilmember wounded him.
Mortars and car bombs in Baiji left no casualties.
A bomb wounded three people in Kirkuk.
A blast wounded two policemen in Samarra.
Afghanistan......
US Downplays Possibility of Leaving Afghanistan After 2014
'We Have Promised to Stay'
by Jason Ditz, July 11, 2013
Just days after US officials started claiming that because of their frustration with Afghan President Hamid Karzai the Obama Administration is giving serious consideration to ending the Afghan occupation, officials are quickly downplaying that prospect.
State Department official James Dobbins dismissed the prospect out of hand, bragging about the “remarkable outcomes” of the occupation and insisting that “the Afghans actually need us to stay,” adding “we have promised to stay.”
Sen. Robert Menendez (D – NJ) also suggested the “zero option” of leaving wasn’t serious, insisting the US is committed to a “long-term partnership” with Afghanistan.
The deal to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 hasn’t been finalized, and Karzai suspended talks to protest being sidelined in the US-Taliban talks. Karzai’s term in office ends in early 2014, however, and some have suggested his successor may be easier to make a deal with.
Egypt.....
Egypt Junta Disputes Own Death Toll in Monday Massacre
Insist They Have No Idea How Many Were Really Killed
by Jason Ditz, July 11, 2013
The death toll in the Monday massacre against protesters near the Egyptian Republican Guard headquarters has been estimated between 51 and 55, with the smaller number coming directly from the junta’s own Health Ministry.
The protesters were engaged in morning prayers after an overnight sit-in when troops opened fire on them en masse. Hundreds of others were reported wounded in the attack.
But facing growing international disquiet about their tactics, themilitary is suddenly disputing their own toll, insisting it was part of “some kind of propaganda” by the ousted civilian government aimed at making the junta look bad. They added that they have no figure on tolls but “doubt” that the toll was as high as previously confirmed.
The junta previously insisted that the killings were “self defense” against the unarmed demonstrators, and has ordered the arrests of some of the protest leaders for “incitement” of the shootings.
Syria.....
Rebel Infighting: FSA Accuses al-Qaeda of Killing Their Commander
Commander Was Meeting With al-Qaeda Leaders to Discuss Battle Plans
by Jason Ditz, July 11, 2013
The rebel Free Syrian Army has reported that one of the top commanders in their leadership council, Kamal Hamami, has been assassinated, and they are accusing rebels linked to al-Qaeda with having killed him.
According to FSA spokesman Qassem Saadeddine, Hamami was meeting with fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (a faction of Jabhat al-Nusra) in Latakia to coordinate battle plans. They killed Hamami and reportedly threatened to kill the rest of the FSA’s leadership council.
Supported by the US, the FSA’s leadership is seen as more secular, and has rejected the idea of imposing Taliban-style Sharia law on Syria in the event of regime change, a key goal of al-Qaeda groups.
Secular and Islamist rebel factions have repeatedly clashed over territory in Syria, and both sides have made it clear that they envision eliminating the other after the end of the current civil war. As this war drags on, however, it seems some aren’t willing to wait for the next one.
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