Government crackdowns against social media users continued in 2018. In Turkey, "Judicial actions have been taken against 2,793 social media users in 2018, Istanbul police have said in a statement. …
U.S. State Department Updates Algeria Travel Warning
"The Department of State urges U.S. citizens who travel to Algeria to evaluate carefully the risks posed to their personal safety. There is a high threat of terrorism and kidnappings in Algeria. This …
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Iraqis March in Baghdad to Protest Security Pact
Followers of the anti-American cleric Moktada al-Sadr took to the streets on Saturday in a demonstration against the proposed security agreement between the American and Iraqi government being …
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Sadr Asks Followers not to Attack Iraqi Forces
Under pressure from Iraqi government troops and the American military, Moktada al-Sadr called on his followers to stop the bloodshed, unite with all Iraqis and focus their firepower on driving out the …
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U.S. Troops Kill 11 Shiite Militiamen
American soldiers raided a neighborhood in the southern Iraqi city of Kut early Thursday morning, killing 11 members of the Mahdi Army, the militia loyal to the anti-American Shiite cleric Moktada …
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Iraqi factions try to undercut a plan to isolate extremists
Several Iraqi political groups on Thursday maneuvered to undercut an American-backed initiative that would create a multisectarian bloc intended to isolate extremists like the Shiite cleric and …
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Iraqi Militia Leader Lashes Out at U.S. and Israel
The firebrand Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr said on today that Iraqis would not “sit by with folded hands” while Israel struck at Lebanon, signaling a possible increase in attacks from his mercurial …
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Beleaguered Premier Warns U.S. to Stop Interfering in Iraq’s Politics
Facing growing pressure from the Bush administration to step down, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari of Iraq vigorously asserted his right to stay in office on Wednesday and warned the Americans …
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Radical Cleric Rising as a Kingmaker in Iraqi Politics
Late Saturday night, on the eve of a crucial vote to choose Iraq's next prime minister, a senior Iraqi politician's cellphone rang. A supporter of the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr was on the line …
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Defiant Shiite Cleric Uses Violence and Political Popularity to Increase Power
Men loyal to Moktada al-Sadr piled out of their cars at a plantation near Baghdad on a recent morning, bristling with Kalashnikov rifles and eager to exact vengeance on the Sunni Arab fighters who had …