Shiite

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Despite Maliki Crackdown, US Still Selling Arms to Iraq

Iraqi PM hasn't followed through on his end of agreement

(Newser) - The US is charging ahead with an $11 billion arms deal with Iraq, and has even delivered some of the promised fighter jets, tanks, and weapons—even though Nouri al-Maliki has blatantly failed to follow through on an agreement intended to ensure he would not marginalize his Sunni rivals. Indeed,...

VP: Maliki Pushing Iraq Toward Sectarian War

Tariq al-Hashemi accuses Shiite PM of eliminating rivals

(Newser) - Sunni VP Tariq al-Hashemi today openly accused Nouri al-Maliki of trying to eliminate his political rivals and run Iraq like a "one-man-show," a move that Hashemi says is pushing the country toward sectarian war. The comments came during an interview with the AP, which notes that the escalating...

Iraqi VP: I&#39;m No Terrorist
 Iraqi VP: I'm No Terrorist 

Iraqi VP: I'm No Terrorist

Tariq al-Hashemi says Maliki forced his guards to confess

(Newser) - Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi vigorously denied the terrorism charges leveled against him yesterday , saying that Shiite-led security personnel had forced false confessions out of his personal guards. "I swear by God I didn’t do this disobedience against Iraqi blood, and I would never do this," he...

Political Crisis Flares in Iraq as Sunnis Walk Out of Parliament
 Political Crisis Flares in Iraq 

Political Crisis Flares in Iraq

Sunnis walk out of parliament, demand more power

(Newser) - Iraq's political structure already seems to be unraveling. Before the last US troops have left , Sunni politicians are walking out of parliament and threatening to quit altogether, the Washington Post reports. Ministers in the Sunni Iraqiya bloc are demanding more political power and greater control of Iraq's Shiite-dominated...

Karzai: Pakistan Behind Kabul Attack

Death toll hits 60 in twin Afghanistan bombings

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai vowed today to confront the government in Islamabad over a devastating suicide bombing against a Shiite shrine in Kabul that he said originated on Pakistani soil. At least 56 people were killed in yesterday's bombing at the shrine, and four more when a second bomb hit a...

58 Killed in Rare Attacks on Afghan Shiites

They mark first major sectarian assaults in a decade

(Newser) - A suicide bomber struck a crowd of Shiite worshippers at a mosque in Kabul today, killing at least 54 people and wounding more than 160 in one of two deadly attacks on a Shiite holy day—the first major sectarian assaults since the fall of the Taliban a decade ago....

US Sees Iran's Hand in Iraq Violence

June the deadliest month in two years

(Newser) - June was the deadliest month in two years for US troops in Iraq, with 15 killed in various attacks—and the US thinks Iran is to blame. Military officials think Iran is handing militia groups more sophisticated weapons, like rockets, armor-piercing grenades, and improved jam-resistant roadside bombs, the Washington Post...

Saudis Forming Anti-Shiite 'Club of Kings'

Royal family moves to form alliance against Iran, uprisings

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is moving to firm up alliances with Sunni nations in a bid to limit Iran’s influence and stem the tide of revolts in the Arab world. It has asked several countries across the Middle East and Asia, including Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to join an informal alliance...

Gunmen Kill Saudi Diplomat in Pakistan

Karachi shooting tied to recent grenade attack on consulate

(Newser) - Gunmen on a motorbike shot and killed a Saudi diplomat as he was driving in Pakistan's largest city today, just days after two hand grenades were tossed at the Saudi consulate, police in Karachi said. The diplomat, who was a member of the security staff at the consulate, was...

Secret Hand in Syria Crackdown: Iran

And it may soon help protesters in Bahrain, Yemen

(Newser) - Iran has a hand in the revolutions currently sweeping the rest of the Arab world. In Syria, Iran is secretly assisting President Bashar al-Assad to quell the pro-democracy demonstrations, US officials say. But in Bahrain and Yemen, Iran is looking to aid Shiite protesters, thus destabilizing the countries—both US...

Bahrain Detains Opposition Activists

Security forces take control of central Manama

(Newser) - Bahraini security forces detained at least six prominent opposition activists today, the Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights tells the AP . According to the society, two of those taken were also among the 25 Shiite activists who were released earlier in a bid to ease tensions. Their arrests suggest authorities...

Army Fires Rockets at Yemen Protest: Rebels

2 killed, 7 wounded in attack, say demonstrators

(Newser) - Yemen’s military fired rockets at rebel protesters in the northern city of Harf Sufyan today, killing two, and wounding 13, the demonstrators said in a statement. The AP reports that witnesses say soldiers in an army post opened fire with heavy machine guns, believing the protesters were trying to...

Libya's Revolt Could Solve Riddle of Missing Cleric

Moussa al-Sadr disappeared in 1978

(Newser) - Thanks to the Libyan revolution, Lebanon thinks it may finally learn the answer to a mystery that’s been vexing it for decades: What happened to Moussa al-Sadr? The cleric, a seminal figure in the Shiite empowerment movement, disappeared during a trip to Tripoli in 1978, the AP explains. Now,...

As Mideast Seethes, Saudis Stand Alone

Kingdom feels encircled by enemies around the region

(Newser) - Popular unrest roiling the Middle East is is rocking the ultra-rich, ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia, leaving its rulers feeling isolated both from regional allies and the United States alike, reports the New York Times . King Abdullah has called President Obama at least twice to voice his concerns about Egypt,...

Suicide Bomber Kills 25 Pilgrims in Iraq

At least 24 more injured at holy site in Samarra

(Newser) - Iraqi police say a suicide bomber struck Shiite pilgrims near a shrine north of Baghdad that has been a flashpoint in sectarian strife, killing at least 25 people. Authorities say the bomber blew himself up this afternoon in a crowd of pilgrims just 200 yards outside the al-Askari mosque. A...

Car Bombs Targeting Pilgrims Kill 18 in Iraq

Separate Baghdad bombings kill 2

(Newser) - Two car bombs struck Shiite pilgrims today in an Iraqi holy city, killing at least 18 people as crowds massed for religious rituals marking the end of a 40-day mourning period for the Islamic sect's most beloved saint. The blasts in Karbala were the latest in nearly a week of...

Muqtada al-Sadr: We Reject America
Muqtada al-Sadr:
We Reject America

Muqtada al-Sadr: We Reject America

Cleric gives fiery speech after ending 4-year exile

(Newser) - Muqtada al-Sadr returned to Iraq Thursday after a four-year exile, and his first speech back made it clear that absence hadn't made the Shiite cleric's heart grow fonder of the US. "Let the whole world hear that we reject America. No, no to the occupier," the fiery 37-year-old...

Iran Mosque Blast Kills 38
Iran Mosque Blast
Kills 38

Iran Mosque Blast Kills 38

Sunni militants suspected

(Newser) - A suicide bomber killed at least 38 people near a mosque in Iran as Shiite Muslims took part in one of their holiest ceremonies. Iranian authorities say two other bombers were arrested after their explosive belts apparently failed to detonate, reports the New York Times . There was no immediate claim...

Series of Blasts Kill 76 in Baghdad

180 wounded; France grants asylum to Christians

(Newser) - At least 13 separate attacks pounded Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods today, killing 76 and wounding nearly 200, the AP reports. The assault was highly organized, with mortar attacks coordinated with bomb-rigged cars and roadside mines. Coming just two days after a hostage crisis at a Catholic church that left 58 dead,...

Saddam Crony Tariq Aziz Will Hang

Death sentence for Iraq's elderly former foreign minister

(Newser) - Saddam Hussein's foreign minister Tariq Aziz was sentenced to death by hanging today for persecuting members of Shiite religious parties under the former regime. Iraq's high criminal court spokesman Mohammed Abdul Sahib did not say when the 74-year-old would be put to death. The death sentence was for a conviction...

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