Officials: U.S., Afghan attack leaves dozens dead

Officials: U.S., Afghan attack leaves dozens dead

KABUL, Afghanistan — Scores of Afghan civilians who had gathered in a small village for the memorial ceremony of a militia commander were killed when U.S. and Afghan soldiers launched an attack in the middle of the night, officials and villagers said Saturday.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the early Friday operation in western Afghanistan and said most of the dead were civilians. The U.S. coalition, however, said it believed only five civilians were among those killed and said that it would investigate the Afghan claims.

An Afghan human rights group that visited the site of the operation said Saturday that at least 78 people were killed. The Ministry of Interior has said 76 civilians died, including 50 children under the age of 15, though the Ministry of Defense said 25 militants and five civilians were killed.

Al-Qaida says it killed 130 in Algeria attacks

ALGIERS, Algeria — Al-Qaida’s North African branch claimed to have killed at least 130 people in Algeria in a spate of attacks this month — nearly twice the official death toll, said a statement carried on a Web site frequently used by militants.

The group described the attacks targeting a police academy, a military barracks and a Canadian engineering company last week as its retaliation against security forces for their recent crackdown on militants.

The militant group also denied Algerian government claims that it was targeting the general population, insisting that it only hit security forces, which it accused of being apostates, or traitors to Islam.

The bombings “killed more than 130 apostates, wounded more than 100 and destroyed three barracks and several vehicles,” the militant group said in a statement carried late Friday on a Web site often used by militants.

Pakistan’s ruling coalition on the verge of collapse

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s ruling coalition teetered on the brink of collapse Saturday as the two main partners squabbled over a successor to ousted President Pervez Musharraf.

Former Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif, who heads the junior partner in the coalition, demanded the dominant Pakistan People’s Party slash the president’s powers before he would support its candidate.

Asif Ali Zardari, head of the PPP and widower of the party’s assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto, agreed Saturday to run for the presidency.

Sharif also pushed forward the deadline for restoration of dozens of judges sacked by Musharraf — another key issue dividing the two main parties since they forced the president from power less than a week ago.

10 killed in plane crash

MOAB, Utah — A small plane crashed and burned shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board, including the pilot and nine people who had spent the day working at a skin cancer clinic in a remote community.

The twin-engine Beech King Air A-100 crashed shortly after takeoff Friday evening from Canyonlands Field airport, 18 miles northwest of Moab. It hit the ground in nearby hills, flattened and exploded on impact, authorities said.

Emergency responders rushed to the site to search for possible survivors and fight a brush fire that was apparently sparked by the crash.

Man, pregnant girlfriend charged in motel standoff

BALTIMORE — A man who held police at bay during a two-day Maryland motel standoff and his pregnant girlfriend, who claimed to be his hostage, both face charges, state police said Saturday.

James Prevatt III, 26, and Rene Reynolds, 21, both of Moncks Corner, S.C., were captured Friday at the Hancock, Md., motel that officers had surrounded for two days. Prevatt threatened to kill officers and Reynolds during the standoff, which ended without injury when police burst into the room after Prevatt opened the door for a food delivery.

He faces charges of theft, threat of arson with an explosive device and drug possession. Reynolds faces charges of theft, conspiracy to threaten arson and drug possession.

Prevatt told police he had used drugs before and during the ordeal, Maryland State Police spokesman Greg Shipley said Friday. After the pair was captured, police said they found what they believe to be marijuana and Ecstasy in the room.

Associated Press