Tunisia: Chief of Staff received instructions from Washington, "to take control of the situation"

[Catherina]

Source: Al-Masri Al-Yawm

Tunisia officer: Chief of Staff received instructions from Washington, "to take control of the situation"



Said Ahmed El Khadraoui, an officer in the Tunisian National Guard stated that, "Mr. Rashid Ammar, the Army Chief of Staff of Tunisia, who was sacked 4 days ago by ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, received last minute instructions from the United States, through its embassy, to take control of the situation".

...

He added that about a dozen officers of the Presidential Guard fled to the mountainous region of Harbin in unmarked cars, trying to to flee to Libya, but the security men and inhabitants of border areas adjacent to Libya arrested them.

Witnesses said the President's personal guard Tunisian was afflicted with much confusion after the President fled and other witnesses accused the former President of planning and implementating the "looting, vandalism and intimidation of the people", which is currently taking place throughout the country.

...


http://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%82%D9%89-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%86-%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B4%D9%86%D8%B7%D9%86-%C2%AB%D8%A8%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%B0-%D8%B2%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%88%D8%B1%C2%BB-%D8%A5%D8%B0%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%AF%D8%AB-%D9%81%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-0




US orders in Tunisia

This has not appeared in the US press. The leading Egyptian daily, Al-Masri Al-Yawm (it is time that journalists STOP referring to Al-Ahram as the "leading Egyptian daily" or to An-Nahar as "the leading Lebanese daily"--you need to update your information) reports that a Tunisian officer stated that the former chief-of-staff of the Tunisian Army had orders from the US government to "take control of the situation."

http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/01/us-orders-in-tunisia.html

Read more: http://www.almasryalyoum.com/news/%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%82%D9%89-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85

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Well well well.

[Downwinder]

1. Orders from the Emperor?

[xchrom]

2. Recommend

[aquart]

3. As opposed to letting chaos reign?

What were the good choices? Who would NOT tell the authorities to "take control"?

What grand plot do you see?

Right now, the army has seized control. There is still a controlling force. Whether the army will relinquish control to elections and a civilian authority, time will tell.

As a former retailer, I know that shops and stores are the first target of the angry. You want to revenge on big, greedy corporations, but it's the small, highly competitive retailers with marginal markups who will be destroyed.

So maybe chaos doesn't look as good to me as it does to you.

[Historic NY]

5. I agree it is an attempt to stop what could be blood letting by the army..

someone had to step up to the plate.

[Alamuti Lotus]

8. the "chaos" is being carried out by agents of the deposed dictator

the Army and civilian patrols are closely linking up to protect neighborhoods and businesses from the agents of the US/French-backed dictator.

[Ghost Dog]

10. Yes. I've read in Spanish press that the army is not considered an enemy

of the people, is not too closely associated with the previous regime, is popularly considered to have the merit of being small, being professional, and never having been involved in politics.

The army, apparently, avoided becoming involved in the repressive tactics before the Bin Ali / Trebelsi capitulation: That was the police, intelligence and presidential security apparatus at work. It seems the army is becoming involved now.

[Alamuti Lotus]

13. unfortunately, the secret police are stronger than the army

At least on paper. The army is backed and is backing the people though, so that's a happy alternative to most of these revolution-sorta events lately.

[Catherina]

12. Tunisia does not belong to Washington or to Paris

It is NONE of our business to influence their politics. Tunisia's destiny belongs to the Tunisian people alone. If a few shops get smashed, so be it. Heads were chopped off during the French Revolution and I'm still strongly in favor of what went down. Funnily enough, it was the regime Washington and Paris supported that did the looting and smashing of private property. So much for taking control.

[Alamuti Lotus]

17. Re: shops being smashed

I have read reports from the ground that give interesting insight on the "looting"; discounting the trouble being formented by thugs and loyalists of the deposed US/French-backed dictator, many of the businesses being carefully targetted belong to the lecherous family of the wife of the dictator--these thieves had their fingers in everything, and now those fingers are being broken.

[harun]

14. F'n authorities were the problem. The people took control and good for them.

Some things in life are more important than shops.

[DeSwiss]

4. K&R

- U.S.A., one day karma is going to be a total bitch.....

[Odin2005]

6. Orders from the Emperor in Washington. Who didn't expect this to happen? Honestly?

[harun]

15. After the Wikileaks release everyone could see the puppets for who they really

are in the Arab world. That and not one whisper in the releases about Democracy, just U.S. sponsored oppression.

[JDPriestly]

7. Orders or a suggestion that the US would not interfere if he did take charge?

[dipsydoodle]

9. Associated news : Egypt warns West to stay out of Arab affairs

http://www.france24.com/en/20110116-egypt-warns-west-stay-out-arab-affairs

The "Arab World" will just love this.

Nice find. :thumbsup:

[Alamuti Lotus]

16. between the lines: King Mubarak secretly books his stand-by flight to Riyadh too

bin `Ali has probably reserved a room for him, in slight advance.

[Turborama]

11. K&R Thanks for this update. Cross posting the related article in GD

Hope you don't mind, but Mark LeVine's article goes well with this news.

Tunisia: How the US got it wrong: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x212065