Iraq Bans Nine Media Outlets

Al-Jazeera among those accused of inciting sectarian violence

Iraqi authorities have suspended the the licenses of the pan-Arabic television network al-Jazeera and nine other satellite television operations, after accusing them of inciting sectarian violence.

The suspensions, announced Sunday and effective immediately, come as Baghdad seeks to curb rising unrest spawned by clashes at a Sunni protest camp last week. At least 170 people have been killed in the fighting since Tuesday. A statement from al-Jazeera based in Qatar said it was "astonished" by the suspension, saying it covers all sides of news stories in Iraq.