NewsMay 31, 2011
The world in brief 5/30/11
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber blew up an explosives-packed car at the gates of an Italian military base Monday in one of two attacks on the relatively secure western city of Herat, killing at least five Afghans in a major commercial center slated to be handed over by NATO to Afghan control in July. ...
The Associated Press
Bombing at Italian base kills five Afghans
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A suicide bomber blew up an explosives-packed car at the gates of an Italian military base Monday in one of two attacks on the relatively secure western city of Herat, killing at least five Afghans in a major commercial center slated to be handed over by NATO to Afghan control in July. The bombings claimed by the Taliban were the second major attack in three days as insurgents expand their targets outside the southern and eastern theaters that were the focus of American offensives last winter. In other violence around Afghanistan, four NATO service members were killed Monday. The expansion of Taliban assaults into new areas suggests that the insurgents are making a statement about their reach just as NATO is trying to shift some more secure areas of the country to Afghan control.
Report: Fewer people died in Haiti quake
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Far fewer people died or were left homeless by last year's devastating earthquake than claimed by Haitian leaders, a report commissioned by the U.S. government has concluded -- challenging a central premise behind a multibillion-dollar aid and reconstruction effort. The report, a copy of which was obtained Monday by The Associated Press, estimates that the death toll was between 46,000 and 85,000, far below the Haitian government's official figure of 316,000. The report was prepared for the U.S. Agency for International Development but has not yet been publicly released.
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Syrian residents put up fierce resistance
BEIRUT -- Residents used automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades to repel advancing government troops in central Syria on Monday, putting up a fierce fight for the first time in their two-month-old revolt against President Bashar Assad's autocratic regime. The escalation raised fears the popular uprising may be moving toward a Libya-style armed conflict. Until now, the opposition against Assad has taken the form of peaceful protests by unarmed demonstrators, though authorities have claimed, without offering solid proof, that it was being led by armed gangs and propelled by foreign conspiracies. Activists said residents of the towns of Talbiseh and Rastan, which have been under attack since Sunday in central Homs province, decided to fight back with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, and at least four civilians were killed.
Suicide attack on AU base in Somalia kills 3
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Three people were killed after suicide bombers attacked an African Union peacekeeping base in the Somali capital Monday, the AU said in a news release. Incidents on four other bases initially believed to be similar attacks appeared to be false alarms, a Nairobi-based diplomat said. The AU press release said suicide bombers had driven up to a key AU base and engaged the troops there in a firefight but had been unable to get in. Three would-be attackers were shot, the press release said. Two AU soldiers and one member of a government-allied militia were killed in the attack and when the body of one of the attackers blew up, the statement said.
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