World briefs 6/18/06

Russia: Chechen rebel leader slain by police

GROZNY, Russia -- Police killed the Chechen rebel leader Saturday allegedly acting on a tip from within his network. Abdul-Khalim Sadulayev was shot during a raid on a hideout in his Chechen hometown of Argun, nine miles east of Grozny. He had been planning a terror attack in Argun to coincide with the Group of Eight summit of leading industrialized nations in St. Petersburg in mid-July, the Moscow-backed Chechen premier claimed.

Witnesses say Sri Lankan troops fired on civilians

MANNAR, Sri Lanka -- Sri Lankan troops in boats and helicopters battled Tamil rebels Saturday, and witnesses accused government forces of opening fire in a fishing village, killing five people -- one inside a church -- and wounding dozens. The surging violence heightened fears that the island nation was moving toward a return to all-out civil war.

Islamic leader: Ethiopian troops entered Somalia

JOWHAR, Somalia -- The leader of the Islamic militia that seized Somalia's capital said Saturday that 300 Ethiopian soldiers had entered the country to help his rivals, but he promised not to attack the weak government that represented his only challenge. An Ethiopian official denied Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed's claims, but said his government had massed troops along the border and was monitoring the Islamic militants' advance across the country.

Nigerian president says two terms enough

LONDON -- Saying two terms is enough, Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo said Saturday that trying to uproot the corruption entangling Africa's biggest oil-exporting nation and making strides to transform the economy were the main challenges during his seven years in power.

-- From wire reports