Beltway Area Indymedia

Individuals opposing the proposed US military base in Vicenza, Italy gathered on Monday, May 7th at noon outside of the Italian embassy in Washingon, DC, at 3000 Whitehaven Street NW. Among them were several Italian citizens, who are currently in the United States in an effort to make known the opposition of the local community to the proposed US military base, called Dal Molin. The Italians are also here to try to speak with members of the US Congress to make clear that residents of Vicenza do not want the base in their town. For more background information, please click here.

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.