World briefs 8/16/05

Sri Lankan Tamils fear becoming targets

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- With Sri Lanka's foreign minister dead and the country under emergency rule, there is growing fear among the island's minority Tamils that they may once again be targeted by the security forces fighting Tamil Tiger rebels. The Tigers have denied government claims they were behind Friday's assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar -- one of their most vociferous critics -- and urged the military to look within its own ranks for the perpetrator. But nearly everyone seems to agree the murder was a severe blow to Sri Lanka's fragile peace process.

Explosion wounds Sinai peacekeepers in Egypt

EL-ARISH, Egypt -- A crude roadside bomb blasted a vehicle belonging to international peacekeepers in the Sinai Peninsula on Monday, lightly wounding two Canadians in an already tense area near the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Egyptian officials said. It was a rare incident involving the Multinational Force and Observers, whose 1,800 members monitor the 1979 Egypt-Israeli peace deal.

Afghan security forces kill at least 28 insurgents

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghan security forces killed at least 28 suspected insurgents in a nationwide offensive against Taliban rebels and other militants intent on subverting crucial legislative elections next month, officials said Monday. Taliban rebels and other militants have stepped up attacks ahead of the Sept. 18 elections -- the next major step toward democracy for Afghanistan after more than two decades of war and civil strife.

-- From wire reports