Street demonstrations in Gaza City

Several hundred protesters have gone to the street of Gaza City, protesting against Hamas rule and civil liberties abuses in the Gaza Strip. Hamas deployed troops, and the subsequent clashes left several protesters injured.

This is the first major show of opposition in the Gaza strip since Hamas took over control two months ago.

Read more in the BBC article

Abdullah Gul attends military parade

After 2 days of speculation, new President of Turkey was present on a military parade celebrating the end of Victory week, a period in Turkish history in which the country won its independence. Although Mr. Gul was a guest of honor, his wife wasn't present. Top army commanders frequently accused him of harboring an Islamic agenda, and the traditional Muslim headscarf Mrs. Gul always wears in public was seen as another confirmation of those doubts.

Main religion in Turkey is Islam but its modern roots are strongly secular, and Abdullah Gul Islamic past is seen by many as troublesome and threatening.


Read the Al Jazeera article

Al-Mahdi Army suspends all activity

Moqtada al-Sadr announced that his Al-Madi Army is freezing all activities for the following 6 months. Although the official given reason for this move was internal reorganization, annalist believe that al-Sadr is trying to reestablish his control of the Shiite fraction.

The event comes on the same day when US forces arrested 7 Iranians in Baghdad, but released almost immediately, admitting the cause was an identity mix-up.

Read more on Mahid Army in the BBC article

Million pilgrims forced to leave because of fighting in Karbala

Around one million pilgrims marking the birth of the last Shiite imam have been ordered by the Iraqi police to leave the city of Karbala. The reason behind this decision is the escalating violence between Al-Mahdi Army and the government security forces. The first in a series of gun battles started on Monday, but continued throughout the following day, prompting police to impose a citywide curfew.
At least 52 people have been killed so far.

Muqtada al-Sadrs Al-Mahdi Army is the biggest armed group in the country, and although its leader is in good relationship with the government, there were indications in the recent months that several senior ground commanders have started to operate independently.
Some speculated that as much as one third of all Al-Mahdi Army members are outside of al-Sadrs direct control.

Read more about the Karbala clashes in the Al Jazeera article.

Hamas accused of planning new suicide attacks in Israel

Israel intelligence agency has accused Hamas of smuggling more than 40 tons of weapons in Gaza since that militant organization took over control in June, and that it's planning suicide attacks inside Israel. Although Hamas hasn't conducted a suicide bombing inside Israel territory for the last 3 years, Tel Aviv is claiming that its exiled leadership is preparing a new campaign.

The previously elected Hamas government hasn't been recognized neither by USA or the EU, and the mounting pressures between Hamas and Fatah have brought Palestinian territories on the brink of civil war. Currently, Gaza strip is under Hamas control and Fatah runs the West Bank.

Read more on smuggling accusations in the AP article

UK troops withdraw from a base in Basra

British troops have left one of the two remaining bases in second largest Iraq city, Basra. This withdrawal is a part of the larger plan that calls for gradual scaling down of the UK presence in the south of the country. In the coming period, the last base in the city will be handed over to the Iraqi police and army.

Although the predominantly Shiite southern part of Iraq is seen as more safe and stable, two provincial governors were killed in the last month. It's believed that they died as a result of a much larger power struggle between different Shiite groups.

Read more about the withdrawal in the BBC article.

Baghdad car bombing

At least 7 people were killed and 30 wounded when a car bomb detonated in the Iraq capital. The bomb was placed in Kazimiyah district, populated mainly by Shiites. It's believed that the targets were Shiite pilgrims and the nearby shrine.

One of the main weak points of the recent US troop surge in Iraq is the continuing and unrelenting campaign of car bombings, conducted by several Sunny extremist gropes.

Read the AP article

Friendly fire kills 3 UK soldiers in Afghanistan

3 UK soldiers were killed and another 2 injured when they came under fire form US warplanes. The incident took place in Afghanistan Helmand province, and the BBC reports that planes dropped a bomb near the UK patrol. All casualties were part of the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.

This event will almost certainly draw comparison to another US-UK friendly fire accident that occurred in the beginning phases of the Iraq war, in which 2 USAF A-10 planes attacked an armored UK unit, killing one soldier.

Read the Reuters story.

Al Qaeda attacks Sunni leaders in central Iraq

The BBC reports that 22 people have died and at least 7 were kidnapped in multiple an Al Qaeda attack in Diyala province. One of the victims is Sheikh Yunis al-Tai, a Sunni leader that opposed Al Qaeda.

In the past few months, some militant Sunni groups decided to abandon their alliance with Al Qaeda in Iraq and join US Forces in their home provinces.

Although the US military hailed the deal with Sunni groups, the critics have pointed out the danger of arming very fluid organizations that can take up arms against US and Government forces at any point.

Read the complete BBC article.

Welcome to the Today in the Middle East (TME) blog!

My name is Ivica, and here I will try to bring you up-to-date with all the relevant news and stories that are making an impact in the Middle East.

Although I live and work in southern Europe (Republic of Serbia, to be precise) I follow events from that region on a daily basis and research the background stories as much as I can, primarily using different on-line recourses.
I'm not claiming to be an analyst or an expert, because my education is very broad and ongoing. Also, all of my sources are accessible to anyone, and mainly consist of several major world news agencies.

On the other hand, I have completed specialized journalistic studies and I see myself as a freelance journalist.
I will do my best to uphold ethical and moral guidelines of the journalist profession in my every article.

I hope you'll find your future visits to TME blog worthwhile and informative.