Beltway Area Indymedia

Israel's airstrike on a target in Syria has raised fears of a spreading war. This scenario is exactly how many expect any war with IRAN to start, and two carrier battle groups are now in the Persian Gulf. Guess we now know why they are there...

On September 4 members of the Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) will start a month long fast against war and military recruitment at the doors of the Armed Forces Career Center (military recruiting station) on Forbes Ave. Throughout the fast, participants and supporters will remain camped out in front of the station to put a spotlight on one of the most grotesque symbols of militarism in our community. We invite our friends and supporters to join us in our campout and, as your health situation and work schedules allow, join us for all or part of the fast.

On May 24, the Swarm on Congress continued with actions at the Dept of Injustice, the Cannon Building-and the Hart building again. In the Hart, a 75 year old activists was arrested on sight!

This arrest was for allegedly violating a stay-away order. Rev Yearwood spoke afterwards, comnparing her action to Rosa Parks getting fed up and refusing to take any more shit.

An independent Afghan human rights commission report released today shows that U.S. Marines committed indiscriminate killings in the Nangahar province of Afghanistan on the morning of March 4, 2007. A platoon of Elite Special Operations Marines shot at occupied cars and bystanders that “reports uniformly indicate … were exclusively civilian in nature and that no kind of provocative or threatening behavior on their part preceded the attacks.” The Afghans were killed in several locations along a 16-kilometer stretch of road.

With Turkey threatening an invasion of northern Iraq to attack Kurds and rebel forces stationed there, the Iraqi Parliament warned that any such military action would be "repulsed". Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Speaker of the Iraq Parliament, said any Turkish "hand" interfereing "in our internal affairs will be cut, if not today then tomorrow." The warnings echoed statements from the Iraqi Kurdistan assembly, which called Turkey's threats of invasion a "dangerous escalation" and a "threat to the Iraqi people."

The government of Turkey has launched a major military operation against the Kurdish Workers Party, known as the PKK, in southeast Turkey, and the Turkish military officially requested permission from the government to cross the border into northern Iraq. Turkish General Yasar Buyukanit stated, "An operation into Iraq is necessary."

The US is preparing to launch an attack against Iran, possibly within the next few days, according to media reports today. Targets including Iran’s nuclear facilities and military command and control centers may be hit as early as Friday, April 6th, using missiles and air attacks, according to reports that first appeared in Russian news outlets.