NATO Attacks Kill 14 Afghan fighters

A series of air strikes launched by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has killed 14 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan. NATO attack was launched along with Afghan soldiers As quoted by the Associated Press, Monday, September 13, 2010, attacks came as Nato patrols across the river in the province of Uruzgan.NATO forces then requested air support after receiving small arms fire. NATO to ensure that no civilian casualties.

A number of attacks and clashes in recent improved allied forces to suppress the Taliban fighters.In a separate incident, a rocket fired by Taliban fighters against an army supply base in the Afghan city of Jalalabad, eastern Nangarhar province.A spokesman for local police, Ghafor Khan said the rocket attack was not on target. But it hit a house, until injuring nine civilians, including children.The attacks coincided with rising tensions ahead of parliamentary elections. Taliban try to overthrow the government of the United States and its allies pro in Kabul and expel foreign troops from that country.

Iraqi gunmen wearing military uniforms killed at least 25 people, including women and children

Iraqi gunmen wearing military uniforms killed at least 25 people, including women and children, connected to Sunni groups who fought against al-Qaeda. The gunman stormed three houses in a village in Arab Jabour, a Sunni enclave of Southern Bagdad, late last night. The victims were handcuffed and shot in the head.

At least seven people were left alive after the slaughter, with their hands tied behind their backs, according to Baghdad security spokesman Major General Qassim al-Moussawi. An official at Iraq’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that 20 men and five women and were killed by gunmen in military uniform, riding in pickup trucks.Some victims were members of the Iraqi security forces, while others were connected to the Sons of Iraq group, or Sahwa – former Sunni militants who joined forces with the government and US troops to fight al-Qaeda.

The move, known locally as the Awakening, is credited with helping turn the tide of the Iraq war by quelling insurgency in the country. Last year the US handed over control of the Awakening Councils to the Iraq government, which pays them a salary of around $300. Attacks have fallen significantly the last two years but security officials have warned that tensions resulting from the March 7 parliamentary elections could fuel a fresh wave of violence. Iraq authorities have arrested 25 people in connection with yesterday’s attack and sealed off the area to conduct a search for other suspects.

general who led the army to victory in Sri Lanka's civil war and then was roundly defeated in his bid for the presidency appeared before a court-martial

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka  The general who led the army to victory in Sri Lanka’s civil war and then was roundly defeated in his bid for the presidency appeared before a court-martial Tuesday on allegations of sedition, the military said.Military spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said Sarath Fonseka and his lawyer appeared before a three-member panel for the hearing at the country’s navy headquarters.

Samarasinghe said Fonseka faces charges that he prepared the groundwork for his presidential campaign while still in military uniform.A second charge that Fonseka violated regulations in purchasing military ware will be taken up Wednesday, he said.The military proceeding against former army chief has been condemned by the opposition and human rights groups, who accuse the government of retaliating against a man who dared challenge President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his re-election bid.

“Sarath Fonseka’s arrest continues the Rajapaksa government’s postelection crackdown on political opposition,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.Police used tear gas and batons to disperse a protest in support of Fonseka and arrested 14 people, according to a member of Fonseka’s party, the Democratic National Alliance.

The proceedings against Fonseka were shrouded in secrecy. Reporters were barred from the event, and the military did not release details of the proceedings.Fonseka’s wife, Anoma, said she opted not to attend the hearing because the charges against her husband were “a joke.”Soon after Fonseka’s arrest on Feb. 8, government officials went public with various allegations against him including a plot to assassinate Rajapaksa and capture power. But they are not among the official charges.Fonseka’s supporters have denied the charges brought against him, saying the government is punishing the retired general for challenging Rajapaksa and is attempting to cow the opposition before April 8 parliamentary elections.

Police used tear gas to disperse a protest against the court-martial in the town of Panadura, south of the capital, Colombo, according to Democratic National Alliance party member Nalindra Jayatissa.He said 14 protesters were arrested and two others were hospitalized after being beaten by police.Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said he would not comment until he receives a report from local police.

Rajapaksa and Fonseka were once strong allies in their campaign to defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels and end their 25-year armed campaign for an independent state.After routing the rebels last May, both were hailed as heroes by the country’s Sinhalese majority. But they quickly turned on each other. Fonseka quit the army, challenged Rajapaksa in the Jan. 26 election and lost by 18 percent.His arrest has raised concerns that Rajapaksa’s government is using all the levers of power to quash any opposition to its rule.

Iraqi police say a car bomb targeting a police building has killed three people in the capital of Iraq's western Anbar province

RAMADI,  Iraqi police say a car bomb targeting a police building has killed three people in the capital of Iraq’s western Anbar province.The bombing comes as Iraq is preparing for March 7 parliamentary elections. Insurgents have been repeatedly targeting government institutions in Anbar and the rest of Iraq in an attempt to destabilize the country ahead of the vote.Police officials say a suicide bomber exploded the car outside the Internal Affairs office in the provincial capital, Ramadi.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.Anbar province was considered the hotbed of the insurgency until many fighters turned against the insurgents in what is considered one of the key turning points of the war.Three mortar rounds hit central Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Monday, injuring at least six people and damaging homes and cars, in the latest attack on government targets ahead of March 7 elections.

A police officer in the nearby Kharkh police department said he did not know whether Iraqi or American military personnel were among the injured. He and an Interior Ministry official who also confirmed the blast spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.The U.S. military said it had a report of an indirect fire incident in the Green Zone, referring to a rocket or mortar attack, but had no further information.Government targets such as the Green Zone, a sprawling area where the Iraqi government compound and U.S. Embassy are located, have increasingly come under assault as insurgents attempt to destabilize the Iraqi government ahead of the March 7 parliamentary vote.

Iraqi citizens who live in areas such as the Green Zone sometimes find themselves caught in the fire, hit by mortar rounds or rockets intended for government targets.While violence has fallen dramatically in Iraq since the height of sectarian tensions in 2006 and 2007, sporadic attacks still occur. Hundreds of people have been killed in attacks on government and other targets since August, angering many Iraqis who accuse their government of being unable to protect Iraqi. (AP)