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WORLD NEWSThursday 1 October 2015
Weapons believed to be from Iran seized in Arabian Sea
ADAM SCHRECK seizure conflicted in some Tehran. the dhow, a type of ves- its illicit weapons cache is
Associated Press instances with an earlier sel commonly used in the believed to be Iran,” the
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- account provided by a The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, Persian Gulf and Indian Navy said, adding that the
ates (AP) — A ship carrying separate Saudi-led coali- Ocean. weapons included anti-
illicit arms believed to be tion battling Yemen’s Shi- based in Bahrain, said a A search of the ship deter- tank arms thought to be of
from Iran was intercepted ite rebels, which claimed mined that it was “state- Iranian and Russian origin.
last week off the southern in a statement carried by member of the Combined less,” or not formally reg- The dhow’s crew alleged
Arabian Peninsula by a the state-run Saudi Press istered to any country, al- that the vessel was bound
member of a U.S.-backed Agency that it had foiled Maritime Forces, a long- though it appears to have for Somalia, which sits just
naval coalition and was the smuggling attempt. been coming from Iran, across the Gulf of Aden
not registered with any The Saudi coalition alleged standing multinational according to the U.S. Navy. from Yemen. They were al-
country, the U.S. Navy said that Iran was using the “Based on statements from lowed to depart once the
Wednesday. vessel to ship arms to the coalition, intercepted the the dhow’s crew, the port weapons were confiscat-
The description of the ship’s rebels, charges denied by of origin of the dhow and ed, the U.S. said.q
vessel in international wa-
ters last Friday.
An American guided mis-
sile destroyer, the USS
Forrest Sherman, arrived
to assist once the weap-
ons were found aboard
US airstrikes back Afghan push to retake city from Taliban
LYNNE O’DONNELL Afghan National Army soldiers arrive to start an operation soon, outside of Kunduz city, north of cial forces and comman-
Associated Press dos. Coordination and
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015. The U.S. military says it has conducted two more planning was likely to take
Afghan troops backed by some time: The Afghan
U.S. airstrikes massed Tues- airstrikes overnight on Taliban positions around a northern Afghan city seized by the insurgents forces have been fight-
day on the outskirts of a key ing alone only since the
northern city seized by the this week. (Najim Rahim via AP) withdrawal last year of U.S.
Taliban in the buildup for and NATO combat troops,
what is likely to be a long including special forces, situations and if they need kept essential supplies of and the learning curve has
and difficult campaign to were also at the scene “in to defend themselves, they food and medicine from been steep and casualties
drive out the insurgents. the Kunduz area, advising will,” Tribus added. reaching the city of some high. The protracted crisis is
Despite the overnight U.S. Afghan security forces.” Residents reported increas- 300,000 people. a huge blow for President
bombing of Taliban posi- He denied reports that ing distress as insurgents put Afghan military planners, Ashraf Ghani, who took
tions, the militants extend- they were fighting on the the city under virtual lock- backed by U.S. and NATO office a year ago pledg-
ed their grip on Kunduz, ground, stressing the forces down, blocking roads and advisers, were bringing in ing to restore peace to Af-
forcing government forces were there in a non-com- setting up checkpoints to units from across the na- ghanistan, and who had
to retreat from a strategic bat, train-and-assist role. prevent people from leav- tion’s security forces — promised Kunduz would
fortress hilltop and giving “But these are dangerous ing. The roadblocks also army, air force, police, spe- soon be back under gov-
the insurgents a vantage ernment control.
point overlooking the city. But the complicated na-
The airport remained the ture of the fight and the
only pocket of resistance need for a cross-pillar ap-
to the militant onslaught, proach under a single
which began with a coor- command means it could
dinated attack Monday be some time before prog-
that took the government, ress is visible, military ex-
military and intelligence perts said.
agencies by surprise. “Neither heavy artillery
At least three U.S. airstrikes nor airstrikes on the city it-
had targeted Taliban fight- self are practical as the
ers near the city by early Taliban have embedded
Wednesday. U.S. Army themselves within the civil-
spokesman, Col. Brian Tri- ian population,” said re-
bus, said that U.S. and tired Afghan army Gen.
NATO coalition advisers, Atiqullah Amerkhail.q
Court gives death to 5 for 2006 Mumbai train bombings
NEW DELHI (AP) — An In- wage war against the gov- court verdict. stan has denied the charg- independent confirmation
dian court on Wednesday ernment, imposed death The trial in India’s notorious- es. of his claim.
sentenced five suspected sentences on five of the ly slow justice system lasted Lashkar-e-Taiba is a Paki- India accuses Pakistan of
Islamic militants to death men who the prosecution more than seven years. stan-based Islamic militant arming and training Islamic
and gave seven others life said had planted the ex- One person was acquitted group. insurgents, a charge Paki-
in prison for bombing at- plosives on the trains. for lack of evidence. The 12 convicted men stan denies.
tacks nine years ago on Seven bombs exploded Prosecutors said the attack were believed to belong to The neighboring countries
seven Mumbai commuter during a 10-minute span was hatched by Pakistan’s the Indian militant group. have fought three wars,
trains that killed 188 people during the evening rush Directorate of Inter-Servic- K.P. Raghuvanshi, a police two of them over control
and wounded more than hour in July 2006 in Mum- es Intelligence and carried officer who investigated of disputed Kashmir, since
800. bai, the financial and en- out by Lashkar-e-Taiba op- the case, said one Paki- their independence from
Judge Y.D. Shinde, who tertainment capital of In- eratives with help from the stani suspect was killed Britain in 1947 and have
convicted them earlier dia. Students’ Islamic Move- in the blasts and another been engaged in a fitful
this month for murder and A defense attorney said he ment of India, a banned was shot dead by Indian peace process in recent
a criminal conspiracy to would appeal the Mumbai militant organization. Paki- police. But there was no years.q
