World briefs 4/6/06

Video: Insurgents drag burning body of U.S. pilot

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Gunmen shouting "God is Great!" dragged the burning body of what they said was a U.S. pilot in a horrific video posted Wednesday on the Web by a new al-Qaida-affiliated group that claimed it shot down an Apache helicopter last weekend. The U.S. military expressed outrage over the release of "such a despicable video for public exposure" but said it had serious doubts that the footage was authentic. The AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter was downed near Youssifiyah about 12 miles southwest of Baghdad on Saturday, killing the two pilots. A U.S. statement said troops had recovered "all available remains" although "reports of a Web site video suggest that terrorists removed part of a body from the crash site." The camera panned over bloodstained debris, then showed several men dragging the burning body of a man across a field as they shouted "Allahu Akbar," or "God is Great!" Voices could be heard in the background shouting "come, come, help me carry it."

Defense asks judge to halt Guantanamo Bay proceeding

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- A defense attorney for a Canadian teenager accused of killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan asked the judge on Wednesday to halt proceedings because of a lack of established rules for the military trials. "Sir, you should halt these proceedings ... until the government gets the rules together," said Army Capt. John Merriam, an attorney for Omar Khadr, 19. Shouting and table banging punctuated Wednesday's hearing at this isolated U.S. military base as the judge, Marine Col. Robert S. Chester, and another of Khadr's defense attorneys clashed over the lack of rules for the first military tribunals since the World War II era. Chester said he would rule on Merriam's request to halt proceedings after he has read relevant material delivered by the defense.

Iran claims third success test with missile

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran said Wednesday it has successfully test-fired a "top secret" missile, the third in a week, state-run television reported. The report called the missile an "ultra-horizon" weapon and said it could be fired from all military helicopters and jet fighters. The tests came amid war games being held since Friday by the elite Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea at a time of increased tension with the United States over Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian television called it a "turning point" in its missile tests but gave no other details.

Militants who seized ship deny they're pirates

SEOUL, South Korea -- Militants who captured a South Korean fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia denied Wednesday they were pirates and said they were defending their waters from illegal fishing. The 361-ton 628 Dongwon was seized Tuesday afternoon by eight armed men who approached in two speedboats firing guns, South Korea's Foreign Ministry said. All 25 crew members -- eight South Koreans, nine Indonesians, five Vietnamese and three Chinese -- were being held captive, the ministry said. Abdi Garaad Daahir, a militia spokesman contacted by The Associated Press via two-way radio, said fighters from his clan had captured the vessel fishing illegally in Somalia's territorial waters.

Killings in Venezuela set off protests

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Protests erupted across Venezuela's capital Wednesday with demonstrators blocking streets and police responding with tear gas as the slaying of three young brothers by kidnappers set off an outcry against violent crime and police corruption. At least five areas in the city were hit by demonstrations. Hundreds of protesters gathered to block a highway Wednesday night near the affluent neighborhood of Altamira in eastern Caracas, a stronghold for opponents of President Hugo Chavez. National Guard troops arrived shooting rubber bullets above protesters' heads and launching canisters of tear gas into the air, witnesses said. As the protesters were pushed back off highway, some began setting tires and trash bins afire on nearby roads. The unrest was touched off by the discovery Tuesday of the bodies of the three Faddoul brothers -- John, 17, Kevin, 13, and Jason, 12, with dual Canadian-Venezuelan citizenship.

-- From wire reports