The first attack took place in the volatile province of Kandahar, taking five US lives in an improvised roadside bomb incident on Saturday, according to US officials in Kabul and provincial authorities.Another incident took two US lives when an Afghan soldier in the western province of Farah turned his gun on the Americans. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack via email, according to Reuters.The spokesman, Qari Yousouf Ahmadi, explained that the Afghan soldier was actually an “infiltrated mujahidin.”Aside from Saturday’s attacks, three British soldiers were also killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province on Tuesday.Last week’s death toll for US troops amounts to 21, including Saturday’s attacks and three air crashes.The bloody week of violence underlines the lasting volatility in Afghanistan and the dangers faced by the NATO-led international Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ahead of their power handover to Afghan security forces next year, when the US withdraws from the country. … Read More
Separate attacks in Afghanistan kill 8 NATO soldiers
The first attack took place in the volatile province of Kandahar, taking the lives of five US soldiers in an improvised roadside bomb incident on Saturday, according to US officials in Kabul and provincial authorities.Another incident took the lives of another two soldiers when an Afghan soldier in the western province of Farah turned his gun on the troops. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack via email, according to Reuters.One of the soldiers killed was a German national, part of the special forces, the German army confirmed in a statement on Sunday, adding that the soldier was killed in an insurgent attack during a joint operation near the northern city of Baghlan. Another German soldier was wounded during the operation.The spokesman, Qari Yousouf Ahmadi, explained that the Afghan soldier was actually an “infiltrated mujahidin.”Aside from Saturday’s attacks, three British soldiers were also killed by a roadside bomb in Helmand province on Tuesday.Last week’s death toll for US troops amounts to 21, including Saturday’s attacks and three air crashes.The bloody week of violence underlines the lasting volatility in Afghanistan and the dangers faced by the NATO-led international Security Assistance Force (ISAF) ahead of their power handover to Afghan security forces next year, when the US withdraws from the country. … Read More
Five U.S. troops killed in Afghan roadside blast: officials
A roadside bomb killed five US troops in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar on Saturday, provincial officials said. “Five American soldiers were killed at about noon when their armoured vehicle hit a powerful roadside mine in Maiwand district,” Kandahar police chief General Abdul…
Opposition leader Navalny on trial for fraud
The new round of hearings started in the provincial town of Kirov on Wednesday, one week Navalny’s lawer requested an adjournment for more time to study the case.At the very beginning of the Wednesday session the defense again asked for a similar adjournment but the judge turned down the request.Then, the defense lawyers asked for the case to be returned to prosecutors as it allegedly lacked the full list of evidence and some figures were mixed up in the sum of the material damages. The judge turned down this appeal as well.After a break the defense demanded the judge to be replaced saying that the current judge is not free and independent.Like a week ago the court building is surrounded by reporters and supporters of the suspect. Also about 30 people held a rally against Navalny nearby which ended without incident.Navalny is suspected in defrauding the Kirovles state owned timber company of 16 million roubles (over $500,000) in 2009 when he worked as a voluntary aide to regional governor Nikita Belykh. The charges are mostly based on the confession of the former head of Kirovles who had already been tried for embezzlement but entered a plea deal and received a four years suspended sentence.One more person is a suspect in the case – Petr Ofitserov who was heading the company that was allegedly signing false contracts with Kirovles on Navalny’s instructions.Navalny is a trained lawyer (though his opponents question the attorney record that he presented to officially receive this status) with a long history of political work. His allegiances included the veteran pro-democracy Yabloko party, nationalist movements (he himself founded one) and modern pro-market liberals, such as governor Nikita Belykh.The People’s Alliance political party is claiming Navalny as their leader. The party is currently undergoing registration and Navalny says he is neither the official leader nor even a member of the group.Despite intensive media coverage of the process Navalny’s popularity among ordinary people is still average – he is not even the most well known of the opposition figures.According to the latest poll conducted by the VTSIOM public opinion center only 53 percent of Russians know about Navalny and 47 percent admitted that the name did not ring any bells.Of those who know about Navalny 51 percent said they disliked him and only 19 percent told the pollsters they approved of the opposition blogger and his activities.Other opposition leaders appear to be more known to the public with former Nizhny Novgorod governor Boris Nemtsov claiming the highest popularity at 78 percent. Nemtsov outpaced even grandmaster Gary Kasparov and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov – with only 76 and 68 percent of Russians saying they knew their names.When the pollsters asked the Russian public what they thought about the possible motives behind Navalny’s relentless activism, 13 percent said that it was a thirst for power, 10 percent named the discontent with the existing Russian authorities, 6 percent said Navalny was driven by his own urge for justice, and 3 percent agreed that the blogger was fighting corruption. Another 3 percent suggested that Navalny was working on orders from the West. … Read More
Opposition leader Navalny goes on trial, claims case ‘politically motivated’
The new round of hearings started in the provincial town of Kirov on Wednesday, one week after Navalny’s lawyer requested an adjournment for more time to study the case.At the very beginning of the Wednesday session the defense again asked for a similar adjournment but the judge turned down the request.Then, the defense lawyers asked for the case to be returned to prosecutors as it allegedly lacked the full list of evidence and some figures were mixed up in the sum of the material damages. The judge turned down this appeal as well.The defense demanded the judge to be replaced saying that the current judge is not free and independent.The judge, who had to decide on his own replacement ruled not to agree the appeal as the listed reasons were badly founded.Navalny pleaded not guilty and claimed the charges against him were the authorities’ revenge for disclosures made during his anti-corruption campaign. “The case is absolutely political and it is fabricated. I am confident that my innocence will be proved and clear to everyone present in this hall, and also to all citizens who find it interesting to understand the case”.However, the blogger said that he had no doubt that the process would end in a conviction.If convicted Navalny could face up to 10 years in prison. Judge Sergey Blinov has scheduled the court hearings up to May 30 which suggests there will not be a verdict before June.Like a week ago the court building is surrounded by reporters and supporters of the suspect. Also about 30 people held a rally against Navalny nearby which ended without incident.Navalny is suspected in defrauding the Kirovles state owned timber company of 16 million roubles (over $500,000) in 2009 when he worked as a voluntary aide to regional governor Nikita Belykh. The charges are mostly based on the confession of the former head of Kirovles who had already been tried for embezzlement but entered a plea deal and received a four years suspended sentence.One more person is a suspect in the case – Petr Ofitserov who was heading the company that was allegedly signing false contracts with Kirovles on Navalny’s instructions.Navalny is a trained lawyer (though his opponents question the attorney record that he presented to officially receive this status) with a long history of political work. His allegiances included the veteran pro-democracy Yabloko party, nationalist movements (he himself founded one) and modern pro-market liberals, such as governor Nikita Belykh.The People’s Alliance political party is claiming Navalny as their leader. The party is currently undergoing registration and Navalny says he is neither the official leader nor even a member of the group.Despite intensive media coverage of the process Navalny’s popularity among ordinary people is still average – he is not even the most well known of the opposition figures.According to the latest poll conducted by the VTSIOM public opinion center only 53 percent of Russians know about Navalny and 47 percent admitted that the name did not ring any bells.Of those who know about Navalny 51 percent said they disliked him and only 19 percent told the pollsters they approved of the opposition blogger and his activities.Other opposition leaders appear to be more known to the public with former Nizhny Novgorod governor Boris Nemtsov claiming the highest popularity at 78 percent. Nemtsov outpaced even grandmaster Gary Kasparov and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov – with only 76 and 68 percent of Russians saying they knew their names.When the pollsters asked the Russian public what they thought about the possible motives behind Navalny’s relentless activism, 13 percent said that it was a thirst for power, 10 percent named the discontent with the existing Russian authorities, 6 percent said Navalny was driven by his own urge for justice, and 3 percent agreed that the blogger was fighting corruption. Another 3 percent suggested that Navalny was working on orders from the West. … Read More
Violence spikes in Iraq amid first national elections after U.S. departure
Iraqis cast their votes on Saturday in the country’s first polls since US troops departed, a key test of its stability in the face of a spike in attacks that has claimed more than 100 lives. But the credibility of the provincial elections has come into question, with attacks on candidates…
Twelve civilians, including 11 children killed in Afghan NATO strike
“Eleven children and a woman were killed when an air strike hit their houses” in a remote area of Kunar province, provincial government spokesman Wasifullah Wasifi said.Earlier on Sunday a gunfight between Afghan-led security forces and Taliban extremists killed as many as 11 suspected militants and left one American civilian adviser dead.Five Americans, including three US soldiers, a young diplomat and a US Defense Department contractor were also killed when a car bomb targeted their convoy in the southern province of Zabul on Sunday.Recently, Afghan security forces have been taking the lead in operations against Taliban insurgency in preparation for the final withdrawal of alliance forces in 2014.US Special Forces were forced to withdraw from two Afghan provinces back in February by the government after a number of reports of “harassing, torturing and murdering innocent civilians.”Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai slammed the US forces for fueling “insecurity and instability” in troubled provinces located close to Kabul. … Read More
