Mr.Ahmadinejad's assault against opposition leaders comes at a time when he is being criticized by his own supporters for using poor judgment in trying to form a new government, and while Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has softened criticism of the opposition.

VOA: standard.2009.08.28

Ngoga Gateretse, Senior Advisor to the African Union Special Envoy for Somalia, called the situation in Mogadishu grave and said al-Shabaab is trying to force an extreme form of Islam on the Somali people, "This is completely new and shocking to the majority of the Somalis.

VOA: standard.2009.06.26