Karzai questions drawdown time line

Karzai questions drawdown time line

KABUL, Afghanistan

President Hamid Karzai on Thursday criticized the U.S. plan to begin withdrawing troops starting next July and said the war on terror cannot succeed as long as the Taliban and their allies maintain sanctuaries in Pakistan.

Karzai’s statements were made during a meeting with visiting U.S. congressmen and come at a time when the Obama administration is ratcheting up pressure on the Afghan leader to do more to stamp out corruption.

Feds: Don’t tip off miners about visits

WASHINGTON

Some mine companies are tipping off their underground workers before federal officials make surprise inspections, an illegal practice that has become more prevalent since a West Virginia explosion killed 29 miners, the nation’s top mine official said Thursday.

“We’re looking at this as a chronic problem without question,” Mine Safety and Health Administration director Joe Main told The Associated Press. “We have found enough evidence to know that we need to act to beef-up enforcement of the law to prevent this advance notice.”

Main’s comments came as his agency issued a special guidance bulletin to mines around the country clarifying the ban on giving advance notice of inspections.

Officials start ID’ing massacred migrants

SAN FERNANDO, Mexico

Working under heavy security in a region controlled by a brutal drug gang, authorities and diplomats began the gruesome task Thursday of identifying 72 Central and South American migrants killed just 100 miles from their destination — the U.S. border.

Marines guarded the pink, one-story funeral home where the bodies were taken after being discovered on a ranch Tuesday, bound, blindfolded and slumped against a wall.

A funeral home employee, who like most people in San Fernando was too frightened to give his name, said the dead were stored in a refrigerated truck in the parking lot, where flies buzzed over white powder spread over bloodstains.

The victims of what could be Mexico’s biggest drug-gang massacre were trying to reach Texas, traversing some of Mexico’s most dangerous territory. The lone survivor said the assassins identified themselves as Zetas, a drug gang that dominates parts of the northern state of Tamaulipas.

Salmonella find ties farms to egg recall

WASHINGTON

Food and Drug Administration officials say they have found positive samples of salmonella that link two Iowa farms to a massive egg recall.

Investigators found salmonella in chicken feed at Wright County Egg that was used by that farm and also Hillandale Farms, the FDA said. Authorities also found additional samples of salmonella in other locations at Wright County Egg. More than 550 million eggs from the two farms were recalled this month after they were linked to salmonella poisoning in several states.

Taliban hint at aid-worker attack

MIR ALI, Pakistan

The Taliban hinted they may launch attacks against foreigners helping Pakistan respond to the worst floods in the country’s history, saying their presence was “unacceptable.” The U.N. said it would not be deterred by violent threats.

The militant group has attacked aid workers in the country before, and an outbreak of violence could complicate a relief effort that has already struggled to reach the 8 million people who are in need of emergency assistance.

Plane’s tires catch fire during landing

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

The tires of a JetBlue airplane caught fire Thursday during a hard landing in Sacramento that left 15 people with minor injuries and sent passengers down emergency slides to escape the aircraft.

Passenger Michelle McDuffie said people onboard felt a thud when the plane touched down at about 12:50 p.m. after a flight from Long Beach, but nobody thought there was an emergency until the crew shouted for everyone to exit on the inflatable slides.

McDuffie saw the burning tires when she was on the ground.

“I thought, Oh I wish I had gotten my bag off. But I was just happy that I wasn’t hurt,” said McDuffie, 33, of Mission Viejo.

The plane appeared to experience trouble with its brakes, and four tires blew out during the landing, airline spokeswoman Sharon Jones said.

Sacramento Fire Department crews were on scene within four minutes of being dispatched and were escorted to the runway by airport security, according to the department.

Associated Press