World

Snipers Kill 15 in Libya; Yemen Cracks Down; Bahrain Pulls Back Tanks

CAIRO (AP) — Security forces in Libya and Yemen fired on pro-democracy demonstrators Saturday as the two hard-line regimes struck back against the wave of protests that has already toppled autocrats in Egypt and Tunisia. At least 15 died when police shot into crowds of mourners in Libya’s second-largest city, a hospital official said.

Even as Bahrain’s king bowed to international pressure and withdrew tanks to allow demonstrators to retake a symbolic square in the capital, Libya‘s Moammar Gadhafi and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh made clear they plan to stamp out opposition and not be dragged down by the reform movements that have grown in nations from Algeria to Djibouti to Jordan.

Libyans returned to the street for a fifth straight day of protests against Gadhafi, the most serious uprising in his 42-year reign, despite estimates by human rights groups of 84 deaths in the North African country – with 35 on Friday alone.

Saturday’s deaths, which would push the overall toll to 99, occurred when snipers fired on thousands of mourners in Benghazi, a focal point of unrest, as they attended the funerals of other protesters, a hospital official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

“Many of the dead and the injured are relatives of doctors here,” he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “They are crying and I keep telling them to please stand up and help us.”

Earlier, special forces had attacked hundreds of demonstrators, including lawyers and judges, who were camped out in front of a courthouse in Benghazi, Libya’s second-largest city.

Authorities also cut off the Internet across Libya, further isolating the country. Just after 2 a.m. local time in Libya, the U.S.-based Arbor Networks security company detected a total cessation of online traffic. Protesters confirmed they could not get online.

Reports could not be independently confirmed. Information is tightly controlled in Libya, where journalists cannot work freely, and activists this week have posted videos on the Internet that have been an important source of images of the revolt. Other information about the protests has come from opposition activists in exile.

A female protester in Tripoli, the capital city to the west, said it was much harder to demonstrate there. Police were out in force and Gadhafi was greeted rapturously when he drove through town in a motorcade on Thursday.

Throughout the Middle East, protesters for weeks have been crying out against a similar litany of injustices: repressive governments, corrupt officials and pathetic wages among them. Government responses seem to be hardening. While there was violence during the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, the government retaliation in Yemen and Libya in particular appeared to be more sustained.

In Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, riot police opened fire on thousands of protesters, killing one anti-government demonstrator and injuring five others on a 10th day of revolt against Saleh, a key U.S. ally in fighting al-Qaida.

As on other days earlier this week, protesters marching from Sanaa’s university were met by police and government supporters with clubs and knives who engaged in a stone-throwing battle with the demonstrators. At one point, police fired in the air to disperse the march.

A medical official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said one man was shot in the neck and killed, raising the total death toll from Yemen protests to seven.

In a meeting with civic leaders, Saleh said Yemenis have the right to express themselves peacefully and the perpetrators of the unrest were trying to seize power by fomenting instability.

“The homeland is facing a foreign plot that threatens its future,” Saleh said, without elaborating.

Saleh, who has been in power for three decades, has tried to blunt discontent by promising not to seek re-election when his term ends in 2013.

But he is facing a restless population, with threats from al-Qaida militants who want to oust him, a southern secessionist movement and a sporadic armed rebellion in the north. To try to quell new outbursts of dissent, Saleh also has reached out to tribal chiefs, who are a major base of support for him. So far, however, that has not changed the response in the streets.

In the tiny island nation of Bahrain, thousands of joyful protesters streamed back into the capital’s central Pearl Square after the armed forces withdrew from the streets following two straight days of a bloody crackdown.

The royal family, which was quick to use force earlier this week against demonstrators in the landmark square that has been the heart of the anti-government demonstrations, appeared to back away from further confrontation following international pressure.

President Barack Obama discussed the situation with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, asking him to hold those responsible for the violence accountable. He said in a statement that Bahrain must respect the “universal rights” of its people and embrace “meaningful reform.”

In a telephone call to the crown prince, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said he welcomed the government’s military withdrawal and strongly supported efforts to initiate a dialogue.

The demonstrators have emulated protesters in Tunisia and Egypt by attempting to bring political change to the government in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet – the centerpiece of Washington’s efforts to confront Iranian military influence in the region.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, appealed for calm and political dialogue in a brief address on state TV.

As night fell, though, defiant protesters in Pearl Square erected barriers, wired a sound system, set up a makeshift medical tent and deployed lookouts to warn of approaching security forces.

Protesters took over the square earlier in the week, setting up a camp with tents and placards, but they were driven out by riot police in a deadly assault Thursday that killed five people and injured more than 200. The government then clamped down on Manama by sending the tanks and other armored vehicles into the streets around the square, putting up barbed wire and establishing checkpoints to deter gatherings.

On Friday, army units shot at marchers streaming toward the square. More than 50 people were injured.

Some of the protesters were wary of Bahrain’s leaders, despite the military withdrawal.

“Of course we don’t trust them,” said Ahmed al-Shaik, a 23-year-old civil servant. “They will probably attack more and more, but we have no fear now.”

The cries against the king and his inner circle reflected a sharp escalation of the political uprising, which began with calls to weaken the Sunni monarchy’s power and address claims of discrimination against the Shiite majority.

Algerian police, meanwhile, thwarted a rally by thousands of pro-democracy supporters, breaking up the crowd into isolated groups to keep them from marching.

Police brandishing clubs, but no firearms, weaved their way through the crowd in central Algiers, banging their shields, tackling some protesters and keeping traffic flowing through the planned march route.

A demonstrating lawmaker was hospitalized after suffering a head wound when he fell after police kicked and hit him, colleagues said.

The gathering, organized by the Coordination for Democratic Change in Algeria, comes a week after a similar protest, which organizers said brought an estimated 10,000 people and up to 26,000 riot police onto the streets of Algiers. Algeria has also been hit by numerous strikes over the past month.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has promised to lift the state of emergency, which has been in place since early 1992 to combat a budding insurgency by Islamist extremists. The insurgency, which continues sporadically, has killed an estimated 200,000 people.

Bouteflika has warned, however, that a long-standing ban on protests in Algiers would remain in place, even once the state of emergency is lifted.

Algeria does have many of the ingredients for a popular revolt. It is riddled with corruption and has never successfully grappled with its soaring jobless rate among youth – estimated by some to be up to 42 percent – despite its oil and gas wealth.

“The people are for change, but peacefully,” said sociologist Nasser Djebbi. “We have paid a high price.”

—

Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen; Hadeel al-Shalchi and Barbara Surk in Manama, Bahrain; Elaine Ganley in Algiers, Algeria, and John Affleck in Cairo contributed to this report.

Comments (43)

  • mikee1
    Posted on February 20, 2011 at 9:57am

    Is the brilliant Clinton going to give billions to them next? Eliminate the middle man. Just let China foot all foreign aid from the Unites States. 90 percent of it has always gone to the wrong people since about 1960. These dummycraps make the rinos look a lot better. VOTE TEA PARTY ONLY.

    Report Post » mikee1  
    • wash1776
      Posted on February 20, 2011 at 5:07pm

      You are right. Unfortunately that is the case with any country we send money to. The rulers confiscate most of it for themselves and leave the people in their respective countries in poverty with no improvements for a better life.

      Report Post »  
  • wash1776
    Posted on February 20, 2011 at 5:03am

    All of those repressive regimes need to be brought down. Any government that will kill it’s people in the streets because they protest is not worth having any power. It is obvious how power corrupts and the leaders of these countries get rich while they keep their citizens poor and under their thumbs. That is what obama is attempting to do here. But we need to use the ballot box in 2012 to get rid of this dictator. I don’t doubt he would do the same if he became powerful enough. That is partly what all of his government grabs and restrictive regulations are working toward.

    Report Post »  
  • IBSA-Paradise
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:34pm

    YUP! Satan is working O.T…. When is everyone going to wake up? These are clear-cut signs we are in the “Last Days”. All of this activity throughout the world will only get worse – At anytime the button will be pushed to mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation! READ YOUR BIBLES DAILY!

    Report Post »  
  • JP4JOY
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:33pm

    The radicals that BO has closely associated with in his lifetime are all wishing for “revolution”. They don’t have a clue what that means in other parts of this very diverse world we live in. We had “uprisings” and some went poorly. The Kent State thing, Dem Nat Conv. 1968, Watts Riots,etc. come to mind but all these events we see as horribly violent aren’t even worth a mention for some of these cultures. Sadam killed at least 350,000 and still had ardent followers and supporters, Stalin 10,000,000, Mao maybe 70,000,000, PolPot killed HALF the people in Cambodia and he still had supporters. This “activist” crowd we have at the helm of our ship of state haven’t a clue as to how horribly wrong their reckless meddling could go, but I think they and so many of their useful idiots don’t care what really happens or who may get hurt or killed (as long as its not them), they are doing it because it gives them a thrill up their leg.

    Report Post » JP4JOY  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:33pm

      They’d better be very careful,…

      or they ‘re apt to get way more than a ’thrill’…..

      “There Is Nothing So Exhilarating As To Be Shot At Without Effect.”

      – Winston Churchill

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
  • craig_54
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:51pm

    If this should come to our shores( strings that bind us have been pulled taught in WI and OH). Please remember, a NON VIOLENT stance is the only way. Put down your fist and lock hands and never break the line to show the world the true violators of LIBERTY. The Lord our God shall see us through. Protect what may be dear, family and friends, the neighbor who needs a hand. Channel the any anger you may have. LIBERATING STIFFE! EVOKE our founders spirit and the hand of the Creator to shine a light of truth. Out of darkness comes light.

    Report Post »  
    • shorthanded12
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:38pm

      Your comments are well received but in todays world Bullets will fly to settle disputes and its not to far fetch from with in the shores of OUR homeland. The Left loves a good domestic fight at all cost. Hell the lefties occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

      Report Post »  
    • GOTT-EM-MAUSER
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:19pm

      With all due respect to your Glenn Beck/Tea Party pacifist position; I guess the Founding Fathers should have all joined hands and Peacefully Resisted the Crown back in 1776. Yessir, I am sure that would have worked alot better than fighting the Revolutionary War did.

      Little wonder this country is down by the helm and sinking fast, into Communism/Slavery. Well tell you what, YOU go ahead and stand in front of the Bradleys all peaceful like, and wait for a lightning bolt to knock them out. Hope you won’t mind if the rest of us continue to prepare for what it is REALLY going to take.

      Report Post »  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:20pm

      shorthanded12,

      Truth.

      God did not save the Jews, then.

      God will not save us now.

      I say let them shoot first, then stand and fight.

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:28pm

      GOTT-EM-MAUSER,

      Nope, no ‘GOTT-EM-MAUSER’, ‘cause I buy American, Lol!

      Thompson/Center Arms – ICON Warlord – .308 Winchester

      http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/icon_warlord.php
      [only, mine’s got the original green stock]

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
    • GOTT-EM-MAUSER
      Posted on February 20, 2011 at 9:54pm

      @ONEFUNR6,

      Actually I don’t own a Mauser either, close as I come to that, is my MG42 and MG34 beltfeds. Although my favorites are my Browning Beltfed guns, 1919s and the M3 .50cal.

      “Gott-em-Mauser” was the response from the Boer Freedom fighters in Africa fighting the British, when asked “What do you still have FAITH in?” Translates roughly in English to, “God & the Rifle”. The Boers used the 7.5MM Mauser rifle to kill the British at distances that were times more than the very best British riflemen could begin to fire. Almost all the British casualties were Dead from head shots, almost no wounded in any engagement. The British were soundly defeated in virtually every engagement, so much that they switched to plan B. They simply rounded up all the Boer women and children, interred them in camps and slowly starved them to death. The Boers eventually surrendered to save what they could of their people.

      I use GOTT-EM-MAUSER because We the Sheeple are about to face the same “PLAN”, used on us by OUR VERSION of the BRITISH, we just call them DEMOCRATS and REPUBLICANS. In this respect I have to agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Beck, food, water and the neccessities will determine who survives and who doesn’t, not to mention who can continue to fight and who can’t.

      So today many of us have FAITH ONLY in God & the Rifle, along with the lessons learned by the Boers, and preparations made accordingly. If one wishes to see the outcome should we fail, they need only look at the history of Rhodesia now Zimbabwe. The very same leadership, cut from the same piece of cloth, is in control both places, and the Parasites have now completely consumed the Producers there. The oppressed Zimbabwians mostly eat dirt now, until they starve altogether, that is.

      Report Post »  
  • shorthanded12
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:40pm

    Is BP still dealing with the GOOF DAFFY Regime?

    Report Post »  
  • ChiefGeorge
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:26pm

    A government randomly shooting their own people is what we are headed for if Islam gets a toe hold in the US government. We are a long way from that but I would not be surprised if that is our future.

    Report Post » ChiefGeorge  
    • DonaldH
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:45pm

      Haven’t you ever read the “After Action Report” about Ruby Ridge?

      Report Post » DonaldH  
    • saviorammo
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:43pm

      Where have you been? Ruby Ridge and Waco were years ago. There have been hundred apprehended or shot (expunged) with no evidence whatsoever.

      Now they will even have a scapegoat. Domestic Terrorists. The latest murdering biatch Janet, has already said so.

      White Christian males are the ones to watch for. You need’nt worry about ******* islamists who blow up children.

      Hello

      Report Post »  
  • mendolover
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:54pm

    Found this video and it wasn’t anywhere near a so called main stream news outlet. Not good.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxamRMhAJXw&skipcontrinter=1

    Report Post »  
    • RN MOM
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:38pm

      That was terrible. I feel sorry for anyone who has to exist under those conditions. I can’t help but wonder what people in the middle east/any third world country think about the pansies in Wisconsin. Americans are protesting over bs, these people are protesting over real issues.

      Report Post » RN MOM  
  • dcwu
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:47pm

    You got it Caleb. Impeach now.

    Report Post »  
  • grahampink
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:32pm

    It‘s important to understand that these regimes will kill every last one of it’s citizens to stay in power.
    All the while sleeping soundly in their beds while it happens.

    Report Post » grahampink  
    • saviorammo
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:34pm

      All communists will. Thank you. So with that admitted there is only one conclusion as to what is gonna happen here.

      Elections will be more rigged than ever. IF that doesn‘t produce the desired effect and it won’t, bio-attack, martial law, and blue helmets.

      Damn any idiot who voted for this Obamanation!

      Report Post »  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:08pm

      Gold-plated guns, the currency of the New World Order…..

      Bacon bullets for small change!

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
  • poverty.sucks
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:18pm

    United States Secret Police are taking notes.

    Report Post » poverty.sucks  
    • shorthanded12
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:32pm

      And Im sure Google and Andy Stern is in the middle of that..Since Andy Stern claimed “we know who you are and we know were you live. Im sure every keystroke of everybodies putor is being compiled into one massive data base. I dont trust a single thing about our government anymore.

      Report Post »  
    • shorthanded12
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:40pm

      Let me refraze that “Our Shadow Government”

      Report Post »  
  • SilentReader
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:10pm

    Isn’t this what the Obama minions wanted? They played with fire by orchestrating the overthrow of an ally and they had no idea what fire they were starting.

    That’s what happens when you put revolutionaries in the White House. They’re great at starting fires but not good at preventing them or putting them out.

    Report Post » SilentReader  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:17pm

      “Government is not reason. It is not eloquence. It is force.

      Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

      – George Washington

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
  • 13th Imam
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:08pm

    Our founding fathers had to fight a war for freedom and independence. Then it took over 10 years to create our Constitution.(Which our CIC and some members of our supreme court seem to ignore). These people seem to think DEMOCRACY(CHAOS) is why we are stable, but don’t seem to know that we are a representative republic. The Islamofacist ‘s will never let this happen, women will be oppressed because free women are the stabilizing factor. Seem‘s it’s written in their Koran

    Report Post » 13th Imam  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:14pm

      And they wonder WHY they’re poor and smell bad….

      THEY exclude ONE HALF of their population, from EVERYTHING,…..

      except ‘breeding’……
      which also explains why most of their countries have an average age of under thirty….

      I truly pray that they find freedom and Republican Representative Democracy.

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
  • psycodad36
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:07pm

    President Abcdefg Bouteflika has promised to lift the state of emergency,which has been in place since early 1992to combat a budding insurgency by ISLAMIC radicals.the insurgency,which continues sporadically ,has killed an estimated 200,000 people,.
    the people are for change,but peacefully????

    are you friggin kiddin me?

    Report Post »  
    • 912828Buckeye
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:13pm

      Had to do the math on that one…….29 people a day for 19 years
      Are you friggin kiddin me…….you nailed it.

      Report Post » 912828Buckeye  
  • calebgs83
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 7:57pm

    Is anyone else seeing a trend…he bashes our allies (UK, Israel, Poland)…and promotes unrest in relatively secular countries such as Egypt and Bahrain…it is unbelievable…but I think our community agitator in chief is purposely setting the world on fire.

    Report Post » calebgs83  
  • cheezwhiz
    Posted on February 19, 2011 at 7:48pm

    So what does FairyKhan and Rumrum Fright have to say about the protest in Libya ?
    Are they for it or
    against it ?

    Report Post » cheezwhiz  
    • mcfinch
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 8:42pm

      I saw the trend last week and knew something was going to happen.

      http://politicalbowl.com – Political Videos

      Report Post » mcfinch  
    • cheezwhiz
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:01pm

      If Q-daffy is toppled, what happens to the nation of islam ?

      Report Post » cheezwhiz  
    • 912828Buckeye
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:17pm

      Cheese ……..they are wait’n for the latest poll numbers to come in.

      Report Post » 912828Buckeye  
    • cheezwhiz
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 9:33pm

      @ 912828Buckeye
      Wouldn’t it be nice if Rezko suddenly got his memory back and started singing ?

      Report Post » cheezwhiz  
    • saviorammo
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 10:30pm

      And this $hti isn’t spreading like cheezwhiz all over the middle east and beyond. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

      All news pundits, except for a few, and political leaders who were quoted as saying this crap wasn’t going to catch fire should be fired or worse.

      Keep up the good work, blaze patrons.

      Report Post »  
    • OneFunR6
      Posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:04pm

      saviorammo,

      cheezwhiz is like a diaper, always on my a$$, and full of…..

      say, this IS tasty!

      [and a tasty way of sayin' it! Thnx, cheezwhiz!]

      Report Post » OneFunR6  
    • jzs
      Posted on February 20, 2011 at 12:19am

      Glenn stood solidly behind Mubarak and now he’s standing behind Gadhafi. Most conservatives did the same and they faulted Obama for not supporting those dictatorships, our “friends”.

      According to Beck.The Muslim Brotherhood is behind these protests and they must be stopped at all costs,

      Here ya go Glenn. Good job.

      Report Post » jzs  
    • Sinista Mace
      Posted on February 20, 2011 at 9:09am

      Rotfl @ FairyKhan

      Report Post » V-MAN MACE  

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