Iraq: Cruelty charges

BAGHDAD — Four American soldiers in Iraq have been charged with cruelty and maltreatment of soldiers in their platoon, the U.S. military said Friday.

The four Multi-National Division-South soldiers are accused of abusing male soldiers with excessive physical fitness, said Lt. Col. Kevin Olson, a military spokesman.

In a statement, the military identified the men as Sgt. Enoch Chatman, Staff Sgt. Bob Clements, Sgt. Jarrett Taylor and Spc. Daniel Weber of B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 13th Calvary Regiment from Fort Bliss, Texas.

Madagascar: Aid frozen

ANTANANARIVO — The U.N. children's agency fears Madagascar's political crisis and a freeze on development aid is hurting the most vulnerable.

UNICEF regional emergency specialist Lana Wreikat says drought in Madagascar's south had left 13 percent of children under 5 malnourished. An emergency would be declared at 15 percent.

Pakistan: Strike kills 12

ISLAMABAD — A U.S. missile strike Friday targeted a Taliban commander blamed for masterminding ambushes on American troops in Afghanistan, the latest assault by unmanned aircraft in northwestern Pakistan, intelligence officials said.

It was unclear if Siraj Haqqani, who also has close ties to al-Qaida, was among the 12 people killed in the house in North Waziristan near the Afghan border, the officials said, adding that three women were among the dead. Haqqani is known to have sometimes visited the house.

Peru: Renewed protests?

LIMA — Peruvian Amazon Indian leaders are warning of renewed protests, alleging Friday that the government has not honored promises made in the aftermath of June violence that left at least 23 police and 10 Indians dead.

Indian leader Salomon Awananch accused the government of blocking the formation of an independent truth commission to investigate the June violence. The government agreed to the commission more than two months ago but has not appointed its representative to the proposed seven-person committee, he said.

Puerto Rico: Guantanamo

SAN JUAN — A Guantanamo prisoner who has been cleared for release by a U.S. judge was fighting Friday against what his lawyers said was an apparent plan to send him to Bosnia, where he would likely be deported to his native Algeria and imprisoned.

Saber Lahmar said the International Committee of the Red Cross told him the U.S. would soon transfer him from the American base in Cuba to Bosnia despite concerns about what may happen upon arrival, said Stephen Oleskey, one of his lawyers. Because the diplomatic efforts on behalf of Guantanamo prisoners are secret, it was impossible to confirm the account.

Russia: Hijacking arrests

MOSCOW — A Moscow court has formally arrested eight people suspected of hijacking a freighter at the center of a monthlong high-seas mystery, according to Russian news agencies.

View Comments

The Maltese-flagged Arctic Sea left Finland on July 21 carrying a load of timber but then appeared to vanish in the Atlantic. It was found two weeks after it had been scheduled to arrive in Algeria thousands of miles off course and long out of radio contact.

Somalia: Deadly gunbattle

MOGADISHU — An insurgent attack on a peacekeeping base sparked gunbattles that killed at least 24 people Friday, as the undermanned African peacekeeping force tried to maintain the government's tenuous hold on Somalia's battered capital.

Mogadishu residents cowered in their homes before dawn as mortars slammed into the seaside capital and splintered the sprawling Bakara Market, where traders were setting up their goods for the day. The al-Shabab insurgent group operates openly in the capital and seeks to overthrow the government and impose a strict form of Islam in Somalia.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.