Al-Qaida Calls for More Violence Against US Embassies

Posted September 15th, 2012 at 4:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen is calling for more violence against American embassies after days of deadly protests against a U.S.-made anti-Muslim film.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula says it wants the fires to blaze at U.S. embassies across the Arab world.

Some parts of the Muslim world returned to calm Saturday after violence that left the U.S. ambassador to Libya dead along with three other American diplomats, and at least five demonstrators.

Sudanese police patrolled the streets of Khartoum Saturday, a day after protesters attacked the British, German, and U.S. embassies.

Sudan's foreign minister, Ali Karti, is rejecting a U.S. request to send Marines to the capital to protect the embassy. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland notes that the Vienna Convention obligates Sudan to protect the U.S. mission. She said the United States is watching closely to ensure it has what it needs to protect its people in Sudan.

Egyptian workers spent Saturday cleaning up Cairo's Tahrir Square after a night of fighting between police and demonstrators that left one person dead. Firefighters put out a number of small blazes burning in the square. Egyptian forces have sealed off the area near the U.S. embassy and arrested dozens of protesters.

Other countries which had seen days of protests, including Tunisia and Yemen, were also quieter Saturday. But new protests erupted in Afghanistan, India and Sydney, Australia.

An attack Tuesday on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three of his staffers. Some U.S. and Libyan officials say the attack was planned and that the attackers used the protest against the film as a cover.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has told Foreign Policy magazine that Washington is positioning its forces to protect American personnel and respond to continued unrest. Other governments also have increased security.