Al-Qaeda in Iraq calls on Sunnis to fight government![]() February 1, 2013 - 14:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Iraq has called on Sunnis to take up arms against the Shiite-led government, as sectarian tensions and large Sunni protests increase, The Associated Press reported. In an audio statement posted Friday, Feb 1, on the website of the Islamic State of Iraq, spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani says Sunnis can bow to the Shiites or to take up arms to restore "dignity and freedom." Al-Adnani says recent Sunni protests against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki mark the end of Sunni humiliation in Iraq. Thousands of Sunnis rallied Friday in the city of Fallujah in the western province of Anbar. Protesters complain of official discrimination, saying anti-terrorism laws and other policies largely target minority Sunnis. The protests were sparked by the December arrests of bodyguards of a senior Sunni politician. Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert. On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. Partner news |