| Africa North |
| 'Ben Ali in coma after stroke' |
| 2011-02-18 |
| [Iran Press TV] Deposed Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has reportedly slipped into a coma after suffering a stroke and is currently hospitalized in Soddy Arabia. French newspaper Le Monde reported on Thursday that Ben Ali had a stroke earlier this week in Soddy Arabia, where he decamped to in January following his ouster. The paper has described the deposed president's condition as "worrying," citing the blog of French journalist Nicolas Beau, a veteran news hound specializing in Tunisia. The 74-year-old reportedly slipped into a coma on Tuesday while being treated in a Jeddah hospital after suffering a stroke. "Doctor! Is he...?" "He's lost the will to live, Felice!" [sob!] The hospital in Jeddah, where Ben Ali was admitted under false identity, is reserved for Saudi princes, according to Le Monde. Ben Ali and his family decamped Tunisia for Soddy Arabia on January 14 after a popular revolution put an end to the dictator's 23-year grip on the North African country. At least 147 people were killed and 510 injured during the Tunisian revolution, according to the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society. |
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| Afghanistan |
| Three Canadian soldiers hospitalized after IED blast Tuesday |
| 2007-11-28 |
| KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Three Canadian soldiers were sent to hospital Tuesday after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device on a dangerous stretch of road west of Kandahar. Lieut. Commander Pierre Babinsky says the light armoured vehicle drove over the IED around 10 a.m. local time. The three soldiers, who were on patrol, were airlifted to hospital at Kandahar Air Field with non- life threatening injuries. The narrow road, about 40 km west of Kandahar city, near Sperwan Ghar is a favourite spot of the Taliban and has been nicknamed IED alley because of the high number of explosives found there. Two Canadians and an Afghan interpreter were killed early this month in the nearby Zhari district when their vehicle was also hit by an IED. Cpl. Nicolas Beauchamp and Pte. Michel Levesque became the 72 and 73rd Canadian soldiers to die in Afghanistan since the mission began five years ago. |
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| Africa North | |
| Morocco Under Fire | |
| 2007-03-31 | |
| On March 11, three years to the day after the Madrid bombings, a cybercafe in Casablanca was hit. Two terrorists carrying explosive belts entered the cybercafe to surf the web. They were trying to connect to a terrorism-related site, and the manager wanted to prevent them from doing so. When he approached one of the two terrorists, the suicide bomber decided to activate his bomb, killing himself and injuring four. His accomplice fled but was later arrested by Moroccan police. The most credible explanation is that the two terrorists wanted to consult the website in order to receive their orders for an attack against some other target, most likely the police headquarters or some Western interests. But there's no doubt now: Morocco is under attack. In their new book "Quand le Maroc sera islamiste" (When Morocco will be Islamist), journalists Nicolas Beau and Catherine Graciet paint a very bleak albeit realistic picture of the Kingdom. Indeed, one of the top French anti-terrorism officials, cited by Beau and Graciet, recently stated that Morocco is by far the most worrying country in North Africa. The official's comparison: "today, Morocco is 1916 Russia." Also, according to Spanish anti-terror judge Baltazar Garzon: "Morocco is the worst terrorist threat for Europe." He estimated that the al Qaeda-linked cells number more than 100 and that at least 1,000 terrorists are now being actively sought by Moroccan authorities.
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