World Scene
March 3, 2008
IRAQ
U.S. missile kills al Qaeda leader
BAGHDAD — A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted al Qaeda in Iraq leader from Saudi Arabia who was responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said yesterday.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul.
According to the military, al-Saudi conducted numerous attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces, including a Jan. 28 bombing that killed the five U.S. soldiers.
In that attack, insurgents blasted a U.S. patrol with a roadside bomb and showered survivors with gunfire from a mosque. The soldiers died in the explosion — the deadliest American forces since six soldiers were killed Jan. 9 in a booby-trapped house north of Baghdad.
SOMALIA
Government closes critical radio stations
MOGADISHU — Government troops raided independent radio stations in the capital yesterday, seizing equipment, forcing the stations off the air and arresting one journalist.
On Saturday, at least 14 persons died and 30 were wounded in fighting that pitted soldiers and their Ethiopian allies against insurgent suspects.
An anchor and producer at Radio Horn Afrik, Mohamed Abukar, said troops broke down their doors and ordered the station off the air. The other shuttered station was Simba.
ALGERIA
Delegation IDs Gitmo prisoners
ALGIERS — A high-level Algerian delegation has visited the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay and confirmed the identities of 17 Algerians imprisoned there, the justice minister said yesterday.
It was the first time a clear figure for the number of Algerians held at Guantanamo has been made public.
Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz did not say when the delegation visited Guantanamo but indicated the purpose of the trip was to confirm the nationalities of prisoners thought to be Algerians.
Days earlier, Assistant Secretary of State David Welch said during a visit to Algeria that Washington wants an accord with Algeria on repatriating its citizens released from Guantanamo.
AFGHANISTAN
Hundreds protest cartoon, film
KABUL — Hundreds of demonstrators set the Danish and Dutch flags ablaze yesterday in northern Afghanistan to protest the reprint of prophet Muhammad cartoons in Denmark and an upcoming Dutch film criticizing the Koran.
Clerics and madrassa students gathered in front of Afghanistan's largest shrine in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif to demand that the government shut down the Danish and Dutch embassies in Kabul.
"We don't want our government to have any diplomatic relations with these two countries," said Maulawi Abdul Hadi, one of the clerics organizing the protest. "We don't want Danish and Dutch troops in Afghanistan. They should be kicked out of the NATO forces here."
EAST TIMOR
Assassin suspect surrenders to police
DILI — An ex-policeman suspected of having shot and wounded East Timor's president last month was in custody yesterday after surrendering to police, military officials said.
Amaro da Costa surrendered without a fight late yesterday, handing over two automatic weapons and some ammunition, Lt. Col. Filomeno Paixao said.
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