Zawahiri urges Afghans to rise against ‘Crusader pigs’

 

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Afghans to rise up against “Crusader pigs” in an audio message on Wednesday, after he referred to the burning of the Quran by U.S. soldiers last month.

Zawahiri also made reference to an online video in which U.S. Marines were shown in an online video urinating on the corpses of Taliban militants in January.

The message, which the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said was posted on extremist forums, mentioned a series of scandals in Afghanistan that have sent U.S.-Afghan tensions soaring.

But the message made no reference to a massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier in southern Afghanistan earlier this month, which has further complicated relations between Washington and Kabul and prompted calls for an accelerated withdrawal of foreign forces.

“Allah disclosed the Americans through the tape that appeared on the Internet showing the Crusader pigs of the Marines as they urinated on the body of an Afghan mujahed, may the vast mercy of Allah be upon him,” Zawahiri said in Arabic in his audio speech, according to a SITE translation.

“This is their view towards other people in general and the Muslims in particular, and this is their way of treating us.”

The Marine video set off a military investigation amid concerns it would be used as a recruiting tool by Afghan insurgents.

Appealing to Afghans’ pride, Zawahiri asked how they will respond when their children ask what they did to those who insulted the Quran, mocked the Prophet Mohammed, killed their fellow countrymen and urinated on their bodies.

The al-Qaeda chief said the proper response would be to join the insurgency led by the Taliban and al-Qaeda against foreign troops.

“O honorable, strong Afghan, the path is now clear and the way is shown, so either you stand under the banner of Islam as a mujahed and a helper to the mujahedeen with your hand, tongue, opinion, money and heart, or you will face the humiliation of the world and the shame of the hereafter,” he said.

“You saw with your own eyes how the Crusaders look at you and what your value is to them.

Last month, Somalia’s militant group al-Shabaab joined ranks with al-Qaeda, Zawahiri announced in a video message posted on jihadist forums.

“Today, I have glad tidings for the Muslim ummah (nation) that will please the believers and disturb the disbelievers, which is the joining of the al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen Movement in Somalia to Qaedat al-Jihad to support the jihadi unity against the Zionist-Crusader campaign and their assistants amongst the treacherous agent rulers,” said a bespectacled Zawahri in the video.

“The jihadist movement is with the grace of Allah, growing and spreading within its Muslim nation despite facing the fiercest crusade campaign in history by the West,” said Zawahiri in the video released by al-Qaeda’s media arm As-Sahab.

Sunni lawmakers accuse Iraq government of torture

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi lawmakers from the Sunni-dominated bloc are accusing the country's Shiite government of torturing to death a jailed bodyguard who worked for the fugitive Sunni vice president.

The guard was held on suspicion of terrorism. Authorities say he died of kidney failure on March 15.

A Sunni lawmaker from Iraqiya, Salman al-Jumaili, demanded an investigation on Thursday. He says human rights organizations should look into the case.

Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi - Iraq's the highest-ranking Sunni official - has been accused of running death squads against Shiite pilgrims, government officials and security forces.

He has denied the charges and has fled to the semi-autonomous Kurdish region to avoid an arrest warrant issued in December.

Rights group accuses some Syrian rebels of abuses

BEIRUT (AP) -- An international human rights group Tuesday accused some in Syria's armed opposition of carrying out serious abuses, including the kidnapping and torture of security forces, in a sign of the growing complexity of the year-old uprising against President Bashar Assad.

The statement by Human Rights Watch comes as Syria's rebellion transforms into an insurgency, with army defectors and other government opponents taking up arms to drive out Assad. The development has added another violent dimension to a conflict that already has killed 8,000 people since last March.

"The Syrian government's brutal tactics cannot justify abuses by armed opposition groups," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Opposition leaders should make it clear to their followers that they must not torture, kidnap, or execute under any circumstances."

The Syrian uprising began with mostly peaceful protests against the government, inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings across the region. But the regime cracked down violently, opening fire on demonstrations and rounding up thousands of protesters. Assad has justified the crackdown by saying terrorists and foreign extremists are driving the revolt.

The regime has used the increasing attacks on security forces and military sites as vindication that it is facing an extremist threat.

But the opposition denies that, saying Assad's opponents have been forced to take up weapons because government troops used tanks and snipers on peaceful protests.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch made Tuesday's statement in an open letter to the opposition Syrian National Council. The group stressed that many of the anti-government groups reported to be carrying out abuses do not appear to belong to an organized command structure or to be following orders from the Syrian National Council.

But Syria's opposition leadership has a responsibility to speak out and condemn such abuses, Human Rights Watch said. The group also said it has received reports of executions by armed opposition groups of security force members and civilians.

SNC leaders did not immediately respond to calls by The Associated Press seeking comment.

The most potent armed force fighting Assad's regime is the Free Syrian Army, made up of army defectors and others. But there are other, smaller groups operating as well.

The report cited witnesses who told Human Rights Watch that armed groups identifying themselves with the opposition are kidnapping both civilians and members of the security forces.

An activist identified as Mazen said he learned that three people who worked with the government had been tortured to death in Idlib in northern Syria, an opposition stronghold.

Another Syrian activist identified as Samih told HRW that members of the Free Syrian Army were kidnapping soldiers.

"They would kidnap them and ask their parents to pay a ransom to let them go," Samih said, according to Human Rights Watch. The Free Syrian Army denied kidnapping soldiers, saying they were detaining them during military operations.

The U.N. says more than 8,000 people have been killed in the yearlong uprising, which has deeply polarized a country where the Assad family has ruled for more than 40 years.

On Monday, Syrian rebels battled regime forces in a heavily protected, upscale area of Damascus, activists said, in a sign that the country's outgunned opposition is increasingly turning to insurgent tactics.

Russia said Tuesday it is ready to support a U.N. resolution endorsing Kofi Annan's plan for settling the Syrian crisis, signaling it is prepared to raise the pressure on its old ally.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the resolution shouldn't turn into an ultimatum to the Syrian government, setting the stage for tough bargaining over the wording of the document at the Security Council. But Lavrov's statement appeared to indicate a shift in Moscow's stance, showing signs of impatience with Assad.

Russia and China have twice shielded Assad's regime from U.N. sanctions over its yearlong crackdown on protesters. But the Kremlin has also offered strong support to Annan, the former U.N. secretary-general who is now a joint U.N.-Arab League special envoy to Syria.

Egypt's Christians bid farewell to their patriarch

CAIRO (AP) -- Tearful and wearing mourning black, tens of thousands of Egyptian Coptic Christians joined Tuesday a funeral mass for their patriarch, Pope Shenouda III, led by senior clerics at the main cathedral in Cairo.

St. Mark's Cathedral was packed full with local clerics, visiting clergymen and dignitaries as deacons chanted somber hymns and bearded, black-clad priests and monks recited prayers and dispensed incense smoke from censers. Shenouda's body lay in a white casket in the elaborate regalia he traditionally wore to oversee services, complete with an ornate golden crown.

Many in the congregation broke down in tears, while others frantically waved goodbye as the mass came to a close.

Clerics, deacons and laypeople gathered around the casket, kissing it, standing in silence or bowing in respect.

Tens of thousands more who could not get in followed the mass outside the cathedral, carrying portraits of Shenouda and crosses. Many wept, wiping tears off their faces as the melancholic tunes of the hymns reached them through loudspeakers.

Scores of military police were deployed to maintain security outside the cathedral, with the normally congested traffic of central Cairo backed up for hours because of the crowds. The cathedral is located on a main downtown artery.

"I know he is now in a better place, but it is difficult now he's gone. We miss you," said a grief-stricken Marianne Saad as she stood in the crowd outside the cathedral.

"After God, he was our only protector," lamented another young woman in the crowd. "We will miss him, but he will always be in our hearts," said a young Christian man, Hani Suleiman.

Shenouda died on Saturday at age 88 after spending 40 years at the helm of the Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the world's most ancient Christian denominations. Most of Egypt's estimated 10 million Christians are Orthodox Copts.

After the mass, Shenouda's body was ferried to a military airport east of Cairo, from which it was to be flown later on Tuesday to the desert St. Bishoy monastery northwest of the capital where he will buried.

The monastery, which dates back to the 4th century, has been a favorite of Shenouda's.

Egypt's military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, declared a nationwide state of mourning on Tuesday.

A successor to Pope Shenouda has yet to be found and it could take months before the complex process is completed.

Egypt's Coptic Christians have long complained of discrimination by the nation's Muslim majority. The political ascent of Islamists since the ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak a year ago has added to their worries.

"Words, my beloved, can never do Pope Shenouda justice. He left us an example of leadership that we should all follow," a senior cleric said in an address to the congregation. "It is because of him that we have national unity with our Muslim brothers."

During his 40 years as patriarch, Shenouda strove to ensure his place among the main players in this mainly Muslim nation, pressing demands behind the scenes while keeping Christians' anger over violence and discrimination in check. It was a delicate balancing act.

Shenouda maintained a high media profile, giving interviews, speaking on key domestic and regional developments and never allowing himself to show anger at times of crisis.

Egyptian authorities deny any discrimination, but Christians say it happens in numerous and subtle ways. Christians, for example, rarely assume leadership jobs on the police force, particularly the security agencies. The Islamist-dominated parliament only has a handful of Christians, and there are never more than one or two Christians among 30-plus Cabinet ministers.

As Egypt grew more religiously conservative over the past 40 years, the discrimination became more manifest in everyday life, particularly when Christians came into direct contact with government departments or enrolled their children at state schools, where Islamists often dominate teaching staff.

The pope, accustomed to the monastic traditions of Egypt's unforgiving desert, had on occasion protested what he perceived to be gross injustices to his flock by living in seclusion for days or even weeks in remote monasteries. Although he had publicly acknowledged that Christians were discriminated against, he never accepted that they be referred to as a minority, insisting that Copts were an integral part of the nation's fabric.

"When he got upset and angry, he left the world behind and returned to his cave where he spoke to no one for days except his secretaries," said Father Wissa, a monk at St. Bishoy monastery. "No one can replace him. God brought us this person at a time we were in need for someone like him. Now at these difficult times, we need his wisdom the most."

The ceiling of the burial chamber where Shenouda will be laid to rest is covered with a mosaic depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints. The chamber has a large dome surrounded by smaller ones symbolizing open skies. The chamber has several small windows, big enough to let in a faint light.

The chamber was originally a small museum housing a collection of antiquities belonging to the monastery such as clay pots, the garments of the monastery's early fathers as well as musical instruments. The collection was moved elsewhere after Shenouda expressed two months ago a desire to be buried in the monastery, Father Wissa said.

Afghan VP: Deal with US will respect sovereignty

MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan (AP) -- Afghanistan's vice president said Tuesday that any long-term military agreement with the United States will respect his nation's sovereignty and will be based on the interests of both countries.

Afghanistan and the United States are pressing to get a deal signed to govern the continued presence of U.S. forces in the country after 2014, when the majority of combat troops are scheduled to leave. But negotiations have come at a strained time for Afghan-U.S. relations with last month's burning of Qurans at a U.S. base and now the alleged killing of 16 Afghan civilians by a U.S. soldier on a shooting spree.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has since asked for international forces to pull out of Afghan villages now and to hand over control of countrywide security by 2013. The comments by his first vice president on Tuesday echoed Karzai's vow that Afghan sovereignty must be respected.

"This strategic partnership, for which work is continuing right now, will be according to the national sovereignty of Afghanistan and based on the interests of both countries," First Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim told Afghans celebrating the Persian new year, or Nowruz, in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.

Before the long-term deal can be signed, the Afghan government has said the two countries must come to an agreement about how international forces conduct night raids in Afghanistan. Karzai has insisted that international troops stop the operations altogether, but NATO and U.S. officials have maintained that the nighttime raids are essential for their strategy in Afghanistan.

In Washington, a senior defense official said U.S. officials are considering instituting some process that could require warrants ahead of time for the raids. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of talking about ideas the two nations are just starting to discuss.

He said there has been "no offer" on the idea of warrants, but rather officials are just in the beginning stages of talking with the Afghans on how "we could move those operations into a law enforcement environment."

An Afghan official said that "limiting all special operations, including special operations at night, to warrants from competent Afghan judges will most likely be an element of the discussions" but that nothing was decided. The official spoke anonymously to talk about closed-door negotiations.

In his own Nowruz address to Afghans, the commander of NATO and U.S. troops in the country said the country's international allies remain committed to a long-lasting "partnership" with Afghanistan.

"On this new year, we reaffirm our pledge that we are committed to a long and lasting partnership with you, our Afghan brothers, a partnership well beyond 2014," Marine Gen. John Allen said in a recorded statement.

Attacks in 8 Iraq cities kill 46 ahead of summit

BAGHDAD (AP) -- A torrent of bombings and shootings ripped across eight Iraqi cities on Tuesday, targeting police and Shiite pilgrims and killing 46 people. The deadly wave undermined the government's hopes for stability ahead of next week's meeting of the Arab world's top leaders.

The Iraqi wing of al-Qaida said it was behind at least one of the attacks near Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone. A statement on a militant website said the group targeted the office that will oversee security for the upcoming Arab League summit - the first time the meeting is set to be held in Baghdad for more than a generation.

"Death is approaching you, when you least expect it," said the Islamic state of Iraq, a local front group for al-Qaida.

Authorities have feared al-Qaida or its Sunni sympathizers would try to thwart this year's Arab League summit. Plans for Baghdad to host the meeting last year were postponed, in part because of concerns about Iraq's security.

In all, eight cities were hit Tuesday in what appeared to be coordinated attacks against police and government officials. More than 200 people were wounded in a gloomy reminder of the violence that has sown chaos across Iraq since the U.S. invasion exactly nine years ago.

One of the deadliest strikes came in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, where officials said two car bombs exploded in a crowded shopping and restaurant area. Thirteen people were killed and another 50 were wounded in that assault, said local provincial council member Hussein Shadhan al-Aboudi.

Five Iranian pilgrims were among the dead. Located 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Karbala is a destination for thousands of Shiite pilgrims from around the world who visit the golden shrines of two revered imams each day.

"The intention of these attacks is to destabilize the security situation in Karbala and other Iraqi cities and to shake the people's confidence on the government," al-Aboudi said. "It seems that the terrorists want to abort the upcoming Arab Summit in Baghdad. The message is directed to the Arab leaders that Iraq is not safe enough to be visited."

The wave of violence began after dawn Tuesday.

Militants blew up the house of a police official in the western city of Fallujah, planted bombs near the fortified Green Zone and shot up a security checkpoint in Baghdad, set off an explosion at a police station in the northern city of Kirkuk and attacked restaurants and shopping areas in two southern towns.

Police and health officials in each city who confirmed the casualties spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Saman Majid, a cameraman for the Kirkuk police department said he had just arrived at work when the bomb outside the station exploded. He said he was wounded by small shrapnel that hit his head and ran to the Kirkuk General Hospital for treatment instead of waiting for an ambulance.

"I quickly got out of my car to see burned bodies trapped inside the cars," he said. "Dozens of cars were on fire. It was a scene from hell, where there is only a huge fire and dead people and nothing else."

Thirteen people, most of them policemen, were killed in Kirkuk, said Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir. An additional 59 were wounded. Kirkuk is 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Officials have been bracing for attacks in the run-up to the Arab League summit during which the Shiite-led government hopes to showcase Iraq's improved security and stability since the sectarian fighting a few years ago that almost pulled the country into civil war.

Insurgents are seeking to belie Baghdad's better image, and officials expect more attacks as hundreds of dignitaries and journalists converge on the capital next week.

Two of the attacks Tuesday hit right outside the Green Zone where the summit will be held.

Last week, the government said Iraq would deploy an unprecedented number of security forces to protect the capital for the summit. An estimated 26,000 police and soldiers - including more than 4,000 from Iraq's north and south - are expected to be deployed in Baghdad.

But citizens and lawmakers have questioned whether Baghdad would be safe during the Arab meeting.

Extremists have launched large-scale attacks in Iraq every few weeks for nearly a year. The violence now is nowhere as frequent as it was during the tit-for-tat sectarian fighting a few years ago. But the attacks appear to be more deadly than they were before American military's withdrawal in late December.

The last widespread wave of attacks across Iraq, on Feb. 23, killed 55 people and wounded more than 225.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh on Tuesday announced a weeklong federal holiday in Baghdad, from March 25-31, when government offices will be shut down.

Officials also will impose a curfew in parts of Baghdad on March 29, when the Arab heads of state fly in, and try to curb violence by shutting off roads near the Green Zone and encouraging people to stay at home.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq claims responsibility of Baghdad police attack

Qaeda’s affiliate in Iraq has claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb attack against police officers and cadets that killed 19 people in Baghdad on Feb. 19, a group that monitors online communication among insurgents said.

The car exploded as it careered into a crowd of cadets who had just been escorted out of a police academy in central Baghdad and were standing in the street.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), an umbrella group for al Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents, claimed responsibility for the incident in a statement posted on Islamist websites on Friday.

“The lion of Islam Sheikh Abu Ghassan al-Ansari penetrated the gates of the academy with his explosives-laden vehicle ... and detonated his vehicle,” ISI was quoted by SITE as saying.

SITE said the group also listed 29 operations carried out around Baghdad between Feb. 13-29, which targeted Iraqi forces and officials.

ISI said on Thursday it was behind attacks in western Iraq on March 5 that killed 27 members of the security forces.

Bombings and killings occur daily in Iraq, which is still plagued by a lethal Sunni insurgency and Shiite militias, although overall violence has decreased since the height of sectarian fighting in 2006-07.