3 Americans dead in Afghanistan attack
KABUL, Afghanistan A man in an Afghan army uniform turned his weapon on American trainers working with him in the countrys east on Saturday, killing two American service members and one U.S. civilian.The shooting in Paktika province was the latest in a string of so-called insider attacks in which Afghan forces open fire on their own comrades or international troops. The incidents threaten to shake the confidence and trust of the two sides as the 2014 withdrawal of most of the international forces approaches.
Car bomb kills 7 people in central Syrian city
BEIRUT A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car Saturday in Syrias central city of Homs, tearing through an area largely populated by the regimes Alawite sect and killing seven people, a state-owned TV station reported. Meanwhile, government troops took control of a key village as the regime presses its offensive to clear a path between Damascus and the Mediterranean coast.
With the help of Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, President Bashar Assads regime has been chasing rebels from long-held strategic areas linking the capital, Damascus, with the government stronghold areas along Mediterranean coast. It gained momentum this week after seizing the strategic city of Qusair and the army has begun advancing north toward the cities of Homs and Aleppo.
Islamic extremists kill 13 in northeast Nigeria
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria Witnesses say Islamic extremists who hid their weapons inside a coffin shot and killed 13 people in a northeast Nigeria city.
The attack happened Friday in Maiduguri, the spiritual home of the extremist network Boko Haram. Witnesses said the attack appeared to be in retaliation for a local vigilante group pointing out Boko Haram members to the military there. They say eight Boko Haram fighters were killed in the attack.
Health official: 7 dead in Libya clashes
TRIPOLI, Libya A health official in Libyas second largest city of Benghazi says seven people have been killed in clashes between protesters and former rebels aligned with the military.
The doctor in Benghazis main hospital said the gunfight also left 37 people wounded. He gave no further details about the injured.
A security official in Benghazi says clashes erupted Saturday after protesters stormed a base belonging to Libya Shield, a grouping of pro-government militias tasked to maintain security.
Candidate vows to reset Irans foreign ties
TEHRAN, Iran Irans former top nuclear negotiator, a candidate in next weeks presidential elections, vowed Saturday he will reset the countrys economy and reverse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads foreign policy stance if elected.
Addressing a campaign rally in Tehran, Hasan Rowhani said his priority in foreign policy would be to reconcile with the outside world and distance Iran from Ahmadinejads combative, hardline style.
Irans president does not have control of central issues such as nuclear policy, but a president who has a close relationship with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can wield influence.
Associated Press
