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Subscribe to RSSPakistan has become the third country in five days to be added to the State Department’s list of countries to which Americans should avoid traveling amid clear signs that anti-Western protests are likely to continue across the Muslim world.
Officials late on Wednesday upgraded their ongoing caution about the travel risks in Pakistan, explicitly advising Americans to put off any non-essential travel to the country and “strongly” urging those already there to avoid protests and large gatherings.
It followed similar warning on Tuesday against all travel to Lebanon and on Sunday against visiting Tunisia.
K.M. Chaudary / AP
Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.
Thursday's warning came as hundreds of Pakistanis angry at a crude, provocative anti-Islam film made in California, clashed with police in the capital, Islamabad.
A crowd of more than 1,000 tried to make their way to the U.S. Embassy inside, which is inside a guarded enclave that houses other embassies and government offices.
Analysis: 'Manufactured outrage' behind Middle East protests
Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep stone-throwing demonstrators away from the enclave, and hundreds of shipping containers were lined up to cordon off the area. Some protesters were students affiliated with the hardline Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami.
There were smaller demonstrations in Indonesia, Iran and Afghanistan.
Akhtar Soomro / Reuters
Protests ignited by a controversial film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad spread throughout Muslim world.
The film’s vulgar depiction of Islam's Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, womanizer and child molester, has sparked angry demonstrations in dozens of countries, including an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which ambassador Chris Stevens was killed. In total, violence related to the film has left at least 30 people in seven countries dead.
The demonstrations are expected to grow in Pakistan on Friday, the traditional day of prayer in the Muslim world. The Pakistani government called a national holiday for Friday so that people could come out and demonstrate peacefully against the film.
That decision drew rare words of praise from the Pakistani Taliban, which is usually at war with the government.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, the U.S. consulate in the country's third-largest city of Medan shut its doors Thursday for a second day because of demonstrations.
Crowds of angry protesters showed up in Kabul, Afghanistan and Jakarta, Indonesia. The violent uprising followed a deadly weekend marking the deaths of eight International Security Assistance Force members. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.
About 50 students from an Islamic university gathered in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province in Indonesia.
They burned tires and forced a McDonald's restaurant to close. The door was later covered with a sign saying, "This must be closed as a symbol of our protest of the 'Innocence of Muslims' made in the U.S.," referring to the title of the film.
In Iran, hundreds of students and clerics gathered outside the French embassy in Tehran to protest the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in a French satirical weekly.
Police are investigating a bomb blast in Peshawar, Pakistan. The explosion killed at least eight people and injured dozens. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
Protesters chanted "Death to France" and "Down with the U.S." and burned the flags of the United States and Israel. The demonstration ended after two hours.
In Afghanistan, a few hundred people demonstrated in downtown Kabul against the film, chanting ant-American slogans before dispersing peacefully.
The State Department currently has warnings in place for 32 countries, although many urge Americans simply to exercise caution when traveling there.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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It appears that the US Embassy in Packistan is under attack right now. You've got to face a few facts folks:
1. The use of this film is an excuse for an international anti-West campaign by radical Islamists and Al-Queda.
2. This backlash is being used in part for leverage against the US during the election so that we don't interject ourselves in Middle East issues (IE- Syria, Iran nuclear, and Israel/Iran tensions). They realize we are essentially impotent during the election cycle.
Notice how we are being attacked daily in Afghanistan now? The Talliban is rising up as well. Now we are talking about pulling out of further "training" of locals as we are getting shot a lot more. That means we'll either be there longer or pull out entirely.
So here we are- Either we stand up to the Embassies being US soil and defend them or we close up shop and remove ourselves, making the Islamists happier and emboldened to move next door and do it again. Maybe a caliphate really is kicking into gear.
Muslim religion of hate. Has long the Governments in Meddle East are governed by clerics , and declare themselves Islamic States, which is sinonimus of intolerance , never is going any to be peace. Nobody , not even their own citizens, that have different religions are safe in those countries. Obama is taking a wrong approach showing weakness instead strenght, because they see in our weakness an opportunity to destroy us.
Let's pull out. Tell them we will blow them up if they set foot outside their sandbox and then do it if they do!
Cheers to that, Frank!
If you caN NOT BELIEVE bozoHUSSEN'S CORRUPT MACHINE, YOU CAN YA BELIEVE??!!
obama got on TV and lied to the Prez of Mexico about him & Holder giving guns to the Drug Cartel.
how about the Whoppers BOZOhussen & Over-the Hill'y are saying about the killing of the USA embassy staff... it was an over -done riot about a movie, that NO one has even seen...It had nothing to do with BOZO shouting " I Killed Osama and saved GM"...it just happened on 9/11.. NOTHING to see here..
Move along....Where is the American Journalism?? OUT drinking KOOLaid with the sheep leader---
OoooobbBAAAAAhhMMMaaaa-- put on your flower pot hats and sing along!!!Drink it UP, Drink it GOOD...BbbbBAAAaaahhhaaa!!!! the chosen one has fixed everything!!! Bad BUSH!!!!BBBAAAHHHAAA!!
Get the guy who made this film and drop him by parachute into the middle of the protests. They will show him how well they like "freedom of speech."
Our being "attacked daily in Afghanistan now" isn't some new development guy. Where have YOU been for the last decade?
I think about how most of the Middle East would look with a glassy sheen.
We still have those big bombs, you know. Time to 'reduce our stockpile' with effective use.
Having been on the receiving end of surprise US bombing attacks and secret assassinations, Pakistani have lived in constant fear for the past several years. Their anger at USA has been simmering just beneath the surface for years. The anti-Islam film is just a convenient trigger to unleash their hatred of USA.
Pakistan used to be an ally of USA. Today, no more. As America continues to wage its wars in Muslim nations, other nations with emerging and fragile government such in Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Syria will succumb to radical anti-American politicians. In time, no American presence will be welcome in the Middle East and parts of Asia, thanks to the blood thirsty war lovers and Military Industrial Complex of USA.
You ever notice how their own religion and people treat each other? There are a lot of stonings and killings and such for any infraction and they tow the line or die. Now we try and treat them nice, and give them money, make it so they can vote for a government and what do they do? They take the flag of the most powerful nation on earth and burn it while yelling death to America. Makes you wonder dont it? Maybe we are using the wrong bait.
im so sick of watching these animals burn an disrespect the american flag and calling for all americans to die,i say we all get together on october 3rd in support of our flag an show our love for our believes and burn some lybian,egyption,pakistany flags,urinate on some pictures of their leaders pictures and in general show them the backbone that our leaders fail to show.
let´s just get out of all those countries. Stop ALL foreign aid to them and stop allowing them into the USA. Also , we could stop selling them weapons and close all of our consumer businesses (coca-cola , Mc Donalds etc) there.
You think going to Pakistan is dangerous. I don't have to be told to know that.
Dammit. And I was so looking forward to that vacation in Gujranwala.
Yup Jut thinking about making love on the desert while drinking a beer gets me excited about being stoned to death!
Yet some idiots will still go anyway. How many times has that happened over the past years and then the families will cry that the government is doing nothing to get them back.
Anyone going to Pakistan has ulterior motives anyway. There is not one good reason why anyone from the U.S. would travel there ... and @!$%#load of bad reasons.
Seriously, I have had no desire to go to any of these places in the past and certainly don't now. Don't even have to tell me not to go.
...why go to Pakistan.....we can smell the people from here.......
The further from shore you lengthen a boardwalk, the more flimsy the structure becomes. We need to concentrate on strengthening the core of America again before attempting to spread tentacles into the rest of the world.
Did anyone from the US really need the State Department to tell them that going to Pakistan would be a bad idea? If so, I fully encourage them to follow their dream and see all of the wonderful things the country of Pakistan has to offer...
Another Government idea is that sending ANY foriegn "aid" to this "@!$%#hole" should be ceased immediately.
The US has been giving hundreds of millions of dollars to Pakistan because we use their trade routes to get supplies to Afghanistan. The US should just get out of the entire region and take can of home.
We should stop all aid money to Pakistan and stop issuing Visas to the Pakis to come here. The Pakis here are all a national security threat anyway and they should have their Visas revoked and be sent home. No more money, no more Visas and no more apologies. Close the US consulates there.
uh, yeah...i took paki off my list 9/12/01....any other revelations our govt would like to share with us? gasoline doesn't taste good. one should not use rice to build a house. boys have a penis...girls have a vagina.
clowns...our entire govt is clowns
Better watch out they have Nuclear Weapons. This crap is not a joke. We need a clear, and concise response to violent actions against Americans and the World. Bush Doctrine has not worked, maybe we need to decide if we want to win. If we used the resolve, camaraderie and tactics we used in WWII it could become a possibility. We were brutal, which is what war is. Massive destruction with no regard for collateral damage.
Pakistan? Puh-lease. I could go to Mexico if I wanted to take my life in my hands. (Or redhook, brooklyn, for that matter.
How about we bring all Americans in Pakistan back here and send all Pakistanis here back over there?
I hate to say it, but I think the Islamic extremests have won. I think that protests in Pakistand and Indonesia are evidence of this.
On March 11, 2005, Al-Quds Al-Arabi published extracts from Saif al-Adel's document "Al Quaeda's Strategy to the Year 2020".[60][61] Abdel Bari Atwan summarizes this strategy as comprising five stages to rid the Ummah from all forms of oppression:
Atwan also noted, regarding the collapse of the U.S., "If this sounds far-fetched, it is sobering to consider that this virtually describes the downfall of the Soviet Union."[60]
Using Reagan's plan that collapsed Russia financially. Obama is on track with islam helping them all he can.
One flaw in that whole plan;
Even if the United States government collapsed, and it won't, the American people are still here and will certainly still be standing. When it came to protecting our homeland, we would make war machines for free! There would be no need for an economy. Every red blooded American would stand up and fight. And it would be a cold day in hell before the people would allow "islamic law" to be installed on this soil.
If this sounds far fetched, consider that after the downfall of the Soviet Union, the Russian people still exist!
How many armed Americans are there in this country ready to take up and fight if that happens and long as Hus-in-sane Obannana and Hillary do not take our guns from us.
I'm at the very least sure that there are way more armed americans than there were four years ago.
UH, duhhhhhhh! What took so long for our extra smart leaders to figure that out. They have been the enemy for years.
We should also stop all and I mean all trade with this country.
They help close the Textile industry of the South (with Carters free trade bull crap) and if we stopped using all those linens, clothes, house decor, and tons of other crap that we import maybe their government would try harder to keep their nut jobs in line.
Agreed Clinton's opening up China as a way to pay Wal Mart back for financial favors has harmed millions of Americans robbing us of jobs and integrity by forcing people on to welfare.
I guess I have to rearrange my bucket list of places to go before I died.
And Pakistan was right in front of the vacuum of deep space.....
Yeah.....big warning since Americans are flocking to Pakistan! It's a no-go state! Cancel your summer vacation plans to Pakistan everyone. I know, I know...you really had big plans to go watch people get stoned to death and beheaded but you will just have to watch it on youtube now. Perhaps you'd rather enjoy a nice tour of Iran or North Korea instead. Thanks for the warning Uncle Sam but we have all pretty much written the middle east off our favorite destinations years ago.
I would think that any country other than the USA that has a large Muslim population would be a good place to avoid for any American traveler. That would include Britain and France, as well as Indonesia and Southern Thailand. Muslims don't care what they're rioting about. They blame the US for all their problems and will gladly attack westerners in the name of Islam for any reason. Of course, if 'allah' really was so great, they wouldn't have any problems at all.
attacking the embassy in pakistan wow drones overhead would surely do a better job of dispersing the crowd than the chicken @!$%# security forces who hid bin laden for years they need to be shown that we do not wnt to play around we mean buisness you burn our flag and destroy our property we might want to take out one of your largest mosques to satisfy ourselves for your idiotic behavior and no there are no virgins left other than some camels and goats for you
mathuin
Since the legal age for marriage is 9 and a muslim is allowed 4 wives , have to agree there aren´t many virgins there (at least , not over the age of 8)
Being put on the no-fly list--yeah, that'll show them what happens when they complain about unmanned drones invading their air space and killing their civilian population without a declaration of war.
I think it's been many years since Americans were commonly going to Pakistan for sightseeing purposes.
Guess I'll just have to go back to Hawaii. I'd go to Mexico first. What would make anyone go there in the first place?
Radical Islam sodomized camels. Radical Islam enjoys being sodomized by camels. Radical Islam is the canker sore on the penis of the world. I only wish our government was such an oversized vagina when it comes to dealing with the Radical Islam problem.
Since we began the so-called War on Terror what everyone has failed to realize is the following:
Simply being a terrorist is a violation of Geneva Convention.
Terrorists have NO PROTECTIONS under the Geneva Convention.
That means they can be tortured, humilated, even eugenically exterminated. And that's EXACTLY what we MUST do if we want to stop Radical Islam once and for all. Any prisoners captured must be medically sterilized before being released so they can never breed, and I'd even favor implanting them with RFID/GPS devices and high explosives. And all others must be killed to the very last, until Radical Islam is only a distant, forgotten memory.
Then, and only then, can the first stones of peace laid.
Love this quote...I absolutely believe it!
Quit the LYING MSDNC! The Obama administration has fesses up the it is self-evident that the murders of four Americans was a terror act. Sure, the movie was a catalyst but the Egyptians primarily want the blind sheikh released from our prison! And in Libya, it is now thought that an AlQaeda terrorist released from Gitmo led the attack!
Now will Obama's excuse be: George Bush let him go so he could plan to sabotage my re-election and the people that joined in the terrorists were tea party subversives!
Apparently, Obama didn't read his daily foreign intelligence briefs before he went on Letterman! Obama was telling Letterman that it was a result of the protest going awry when earlier in the day, an Obama official was testifying before Congress that is was a terrorist attack! An Obama campaign manager was asked if the President was going to do a press conference on the confusion but was told that the testimony was sufficient..testimony that was NOT shown by the majority of networks!
Do people really need to be told not to go to Pakistan?
Watch online Pakistani news, talk shows and entertainment programs
Just visit
Mohamed took it from donkeys and was a pedophile!
There, is that enough to get a muzzie country somewhere to charge me in absentia with insulting islam?
I understand a peaceful protest of the film, makers and contents - but what's all this horse crap about death to France and America? Isn't anybody there smart enough to tell them it isn't "France" or "America" they are protesting? This is why I want our people OUT. There is no such thing as 'essential travel' to these places where populations are used as ignorant tools and weapons to achieve violence. It's intolerable. OUT, I say again if they want us gone or dead.
I haven't yet heard what punishment American Muslims feel is appropriate for the "offense". Hello? Anybody a Muslim here who can tell me? I'd like to hear an honest answer, but I likely won't get any.
The quicker we can kill ALL Islamic followers the better. Any practicing muslim does NOT have any choice but to incite violence against non-believers...It is clearly stated in their book. Sad but true. If you follow Islam, that makes you an enemy of me, my friends and family, AND the United States...period!
Maybe, but probably not. The argument between Muslims and "us" (et al) is central to the set up on this planet. It would be more than sad, it would be dumb. But, it's anybody's call I guess.
G-Dog-787120===If they follow their beliefs to the letter we are their enemies. There is no co-existing with Islam. Their way or no way at all.
Yes, the only way is to make friends of our 'enemies'...seems so impossible doesn't it (not to me).
You go Obama. You've already screwed up America. Now your policies are screwing up the Middle East. No, the whole Muslim milieu. And it ain't about a film. Your groveling changed nothing for the better and actually made it worse. They see you for the weak President that you are. Way to go, Slug.
And Hillary? What a joke. We need a John Bolton for Secretary of State.
Why don't you and your kids go fight them tough guy.
Obama has done nothing the administration before him hadn't already started which is fight a war we couldn't win. What's the difference between the Afghanistan and Vietnam? Essentially nothing. When we pull out, everybody will cheer. It's been a big waste of time, money and lives. Anybody that was thinking of traveling to Pakistan is probably a terrorist and shouldn't be let back in after their "Vacation" anyway. Hiking on the border, anyone? Not me!