Nation briefs 5/9/06

Man shoots cop outside Wash. police station

CHANTILLY, Va. -- An 18-year-old gunman opened fire outside a suburban Washington police station Monday, killing one officer and wounding two others before he was shot and killed, authorities said. No motive was disclosed. A 40-year-old female detective died at a hospital after the shooting, said police Chief David Rohrer, who did not identify the woman, a nine-year veteran of the Fairfax County Police Department. A second officer was in serious condition and undergoing surgery late Monday. A third was treated for minor injuries from flying glass or a ricocheting bullet. Authorities did not divulge the gunman's name. They were uncertain whether he shot himself or was killed in the exchange of gunfire.

CDC wants AIDS virus test in routine physicals

ATLANTA -- Testing for the AIDS virus could become part of routine physical exams for adults and teens if doctors follow new U.S. guidelines expected to be issued by this summer. Federal health officials say they'd like HIV testing to be as common as a cholesterol check. The guidelines for routine testing would apply to every American ages 13 to 64, according to the proposed plan by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One-quarter of the 1 million Americans with the AIDS virus don't know they are infected, and that group is most responsible for HIV's spread, CDC officials said.

Seized papers highlight al-Qaida's concerns

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Al-Qaida in Iraq is concerned about disorganization within its cells in the Baghdad area, with one extremist describing them as simply a "daily annoyance" to the Iraqi government, according to documents released Monday by the U.S. military. The military said the documents were seized during April 16 raids in the Youssifiyah area, 12 miles south of the capital. The documents indicate the group is worried that its forces are unable to secure solid footholds within Baghdad, U.S. military officials said. Release of the documents appears part of a U.S. campaign to deflate the image of al-Qaida in Iraq and its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

U.S. military: Airstrike kills 4 Taliban militants

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. airstrikes on a cave complex near Afghanistan's border with Pakistan on Monday killed four Taliban militants and destroyed a truck loaded with rockets, the U.S. military said. Military officials in Pakistan at first said that helicopters fired missiles into Pakistani territory, and officials opened an investigation into whether U.S. aircraft were involved.

Hamas, Fatah militants clash in Gaza, killing 3

ABASSAN, Gaza Strip -- Militants from the Hamas and Fatah movements clashed with assault rifles and shoulder-held missiles Monday, killing three people in the latest sign the rivals could be heading toward a large-scale confrontation. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas called for restraint and ordered his security chief to impose order. But tensions remained high as the sides accused each other of starting the violence. Friction has been rising since the Islamic militant group Hamas ended Fatah's four-decade control of Palestinian politics by winning January parliament elections.

-- From wire reports