The New Nation - Internet Edition

Russian troops start withdrawal from Georgia

AFP, Poti

Russian troops on Saturday left two camps near Georgia's port of Poti, starting a withdrawal pledged by Moscow in a European Union-brokered accord on ending the conflict in the ex-Soviet state.

A convoy of trucks and armoured transport vehicles left the observation post of Nabada at 7:45 am (0345 GMT), taking troops from a camp that had been set up near a Black Sea beach to control maritime traffic from the strategic port.

Fifteen minutes later, Russian forces left another post at the entrance to Poti, continuing a pullback from some of the deepest positions in Georgia where they dug in after routing Georgia's small US-trained army last month.

"We shall leave soon. To Abkhazia and Russia," a Russian soldier told AFP ahead of the withdrawal, adding that the convoy was being coordinated with Russian posts near Senaki, a nearby town with a major Georgian air base.

Abkhazia is one of two rebel regions of Georgia at the heart of last month's conflict, which is estimated to have killed hundreds of people on both sides and left tens of thousands more displaced in temporary camps.

The conflict also led to a deep chill in Russian-western relations, stoking fears of a renewed Cold War.

The pullback from the posts near Poti and Senaki was promised in a September 8 agreement between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, the current EU chief.

Medvedev agreed to pull Russian forces out from the posts by Monday as part of a wider withdrawal to be completed by mid-October, and he also agreed to the deployment of at least 200 EU observers in Georgia by October 1.

But Russia later insisted it would keep 7,600 troops in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the other breakaway region, prompting anger in Georgia and charges from the United States that Moscow was in breach of the ceasefire.

On Friday, Medvedev defended Russia's stance by likening a Georgian military assault on South Ossetia that sparked the conflict to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

"Almost immediately after these events it occurred to me that for Russia, August 8, 2008 was almost like September 11, 2001 in the United States," Medvedev told Western foreign policy experts in Moscow.

Russia responded to the August 8 attack by pouring troops and armour into its southern neighbour, saying it had to defend the thousands of South Ossetians who had been granted Russian citizenship.

In Tbilisi on Friday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili faced his most significant political challenge since the conflict as a former ally openly questioned his leadership and said she would set up her own party.

Nino Burjanadze, a former speaker of parliament, called for an independent investigation to ask "tough questions" about Saakashvili's handling of the events leading up to Georgia's conflict with Russia.

"There is a time for tough questions. Of course what happened was a Russian provocation, but we need to know whether it was possible to not yield to this provocation," Burjanadze said at a news conference.

Georgia and the West have sharply criticised Russia's decision last month to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states, a move Tbilisi described as part of a plan to effectively annex the two regions.

But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday ruled out any discussion of Moscow's recognition of independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia-or on their status-at international talks set for October 15 in Geneva.

He also announced he planned to visit Abkhazia on Sunday and South Ossetia on Monday.

36 killed in Iraq bomb blasts

AP, Baghdad

At least 36 people were killed in two separate bomb blasts in Iraq today and yesterday.

Iraqi authorities say a bomb has killed four people and wounded nine others at a security checkpoint in eastern Baghdad. Police and medics say the dead include three Iraqi police commandos and a member of an armed Sunni group that has turned against al-Qaida in Iraq.

The injured include seven Iraqi security personnel and two bystanders. The police and medics spoke about the attack Saturday on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

On Friday, a car bomb ripped through a crowded commercial district in Dujail, a mainly Shiite town north of Baghdad. Iraqi officials say at least 32 people died.

It was the second attack on Friday targeting the country's majority Shiite community after a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a mosque in the northern town of Sinjar earlier in the day killing two worshippers.

The bomber struck in Dujail, in the Sunni province of Salaheddin north of Baghdad, at around 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) just minutes before people were getting ready to break their daily fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Haider al-Dujaili, the head of the Dujail town council, told AFP that 36 people were slain in the bombing and another 30 wounded and were being treated in the Dujail hospital and in the nearby town of Balad.

But an interior ministry official in Baghdad and a police officer from Tikrit, capital of Salaheddin, put the wounded toll at 40.

The police officer said the police station, located in a crowded commercial area, was surrounded by tall concrete walls and that the bomber had been unable to break through into the interior.

But the impact of the explosion damaged the police station, he said, adding that although most of the casualties were civilians some of the victims were policemen.

Dujail, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Baghdad, was the site of an assassination attempt on executed dictator Saddam Hussein in 1982.

Saddam was executed in December 2006 after an Iraqi court found him guilty of ordering the killing of more than 140 Shiites suspected of planning his assassination in Dujail.

The attack on Friday was the biggest since the June 17 car bombing at a Baghdad bus stop which killed 51 people.

It came at a time when the violence in Iraq is at a four-year low.

Pakistan claims killing of 72 militants in 3 days

AP, Islamabad

Pakistan's military said Saturday it killed at least 72 militants in three days of fighting near the Afghan border, where Taliban and al-Qaida militants are believed to be hiding.

The army has intensified ground and air attacks in an effort to flush out Taliban and local militants from the Bajur tribal region. "We killed 72 militants, while eight of our soldiers died in Bajur since Wednesday," Maj. Murad Khan told The Associated Press, adding the military was still targeting militant positions in various parts of Bajur.

Khan Mohammed, an area resident, said the military was facing "unusual resistance" from militants. "The exchange of fire between the army and Taliban is still continuing," he said.

Pakistan is a key ally in the U.S. war on terror and Bajur is believed to serve as a safe haven for Taliban, al-Qaida and Pakistani militants. The region has been the site of several suspected U.S. missile attacks that have killed several al-Qaida operatives, including close associates of al-Qaida No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri. Although Pakistan has carried out several military operations in its tribal regions in recent years, the latest offensive in Bajur comes amid an increase in suspected U.S. missile attacks in Pakista's tribal areas. Pakistan has vowed to defend its territory since a U.S.-led ground assault killed at least 15 people earlier this month, prompting Islamabad to lodge a strong protest with the United States.

Pakistan's military and civil leadership and opposition parties are perturbed over reports that President Bush secretly approved more aggressive cross-border operations in July.

The party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Friday the change in policy could make it hard for Pakistan to maintain the close alliance with Washington forged by former President Pervez Musharraf.

Bomb kills Afghan governor, 3 others

AP, Paghman

A remote control bomb that witnesses said was set off by two men on a nearby hilltop ripped through an Afghan provincial governor's vehicle on Saturday, killing the governor and three others, officials said.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the blast that killed Abdullah Wardak, the governor of Logar province. Two of Wardak's bodyguards and a driver were also killed, said Gen. Zalmay Khan, a police commander in Kabul province.

The explosion occurred only about 500 yards from the governor's home. He had been traveling in the second car of a three-car convoy that was headed for parliament.

The bomb detonated directly on the governor's vehicle, shredding the front half of the SUV and flipping the remains upside down.

A resident in Paghman, the area where the attack occurred about 12 miles west of Kabul, said he saw two men on the side of a hill near the road where the explosion detonated. Mohammad Shoaib said that after the bomb went off, the two men ran away. Authorities found wires on top of the hill, he said.

Wardak, a former Cabinet member, was in charge of Logar, the province directly south of Kabul. Afghanistan has 34 provinces, each headed by a provincial governor.

Militants frequently target government leaders in their campaign of violence against Afghan authorities.

Meanwhile, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said one of its soldiers was killed Friday when insurgents fired on a patrol. No other details were released.

More than 4,100 people have died in insurgency related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Afghan and Western officials.

Devastating Ike roars ashore in Galveston, Texas

AP, Galveston

A massive Hurricane Ike ravaged southeast Texas early Saturday, battering the coast with driving rain and ferocious wind gusts as residents who decided too late they should have heeded calls to evacuate made futile calls for rescue.

Though it would be daybreak before the storm's toll was clear, already, the damage was extensive. Thousands of homes had flooded, roads were washed out and several fires burned unabated as crews could not reach them. But the biggest fear was that thousands of people had defied orders to flee would need rescue from submerged homes and neighborhoods.

"The unfortunate truth is we're going to have to go in t and put our people in the tough situation to save people who did not choose wisely. We'll probably do the largest search and rescue operation that's ever been conducted in the state of Texas," said Andrew Barlow, spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry.

The eye of the storm powered ashore at 3:10 a.m. EDT at Galveston with 110 mph winds, a strong Category 2 storm.

More than 1.3 million customers - or 2.9 million people - had lost power, and suppliers warned it could be weeks before all the service was restored. There also was fear winds could shatter the windows of the sparkling skyscrapers that define the skyline of America's fourth-largest city. Forecasters said the worst winds and rain would come after the center came ashore.

Though 1 million people fled coastal communities near where the storm made landfall, authorities in three counties alone said roughly 90,000 stayed behind. As the front of the storm moved into Galveston, fire crews rescued nearly 300 people who changed their minds and fled at the last minute, wading through floodwaters carrying clothes and other possessions.

Typhoon hits Taiwan, causing landslides

Reuters, Taipei

A typhoon pounded Taiwan on Saturday, bringing torrential rains and triggering landslides in the central and northern part of the island, the national fire agency said. One person was reported injured.

At 3 a.m. EDT, typhoon Sinlaku was 90 km (55 miles) east of Ilan on the northeast coast, packing winds of up to 209 kph (130 mph), the island's Central Weather Bureau and local media reported.

Schools and offices in the capital, Taipei, were ordered closed on Saturday. Surrounding areas have faced strong weather warnings since late Friday.

Television images showed heavy seas and pouring rain in a coastal part of Hualien, where some trees had been uprooted. Most flights at the island's airports have also been cancelled.

"Up to now, we just know one person was injured and we also see some landslides but repair works are under way," an official at the agency told Reuters.

The category 3 storm was expected to blanket the island before moving on towards Japan, possibly gathering strength, the Central News Agency and the forecasting website Tropical Storm Risk (www.tropicalstormrisk.com) said.

The Xinhua news agency, meanwhile, said Sinlaku was expected to make landfall in eastern China on Sunday morning, battering the coastal provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang.

Taiwan government officials advised people staying away from schools and workplaces to avoid flying debris. The weather bureau said people should stay away from beaches and mudslide-prone mountains.

India tests air-to-air missile

AFP, Bhubaneswar

India on Saturday carried out a successful test of a homemade air-to-air missile designed for its air force, defence sources said.

The Astra-Hindi for weapon-was fired from India's Integrated Testing Range at Chandipur-on-Sea, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Orissa's state capital Bhubaneswar.

The single-stage solid-fuel missile can carry a 15 kilogramme (33 lbs) conventional warhead.

"Astra belongs to the beyond-visual range class of missiles capable of ducking radar eyes and attacking enemy targets up to 80 kilometres," a defence official said on condition of anonymity.

India routinely conducts missile tests and has built a range of ballistic and cruise missiles as a deterrent to neighbours China and Pakistan.

It has fought three wars with Pakistan since their 1947 independence as well as a brief but bitter border war with China in 1962.

Indian troops battle fresh protests in Kashmir

AFP, Srinagar

Indian security forces and stone-throwing protesters demanding an end to Indian rule over Muslim-majority Kashmir clashed for a second straight day on Saturday.

Police used teargas to try and disperse hundreds of Kashmiris who poured on to the streets of the summer capital Srinagar, chanting freedom slogans and denouncing the death of two protesters in similar clashes on Friday that left 80 injured.

The deaths occurred in the Kashmiri towns of Shopian and Baramulla which remained under strict curfew on Saturday. In the past few months, Kashmir has witnessed the biggest pro-independence demonstrations since the separatist insurgency erupted in 1989.

The protests have triggered a heavy crackdown by Indian security forces. Since June, 41 Muslim and three Hindu protesters have been shot dead by security forces in unrest sparked by a state government plan to grant land to a Hindu pilgrim trust.

The land row breathed new life into the separatist struggle in Indian Kashmir, where a two-decade-old insurgency has claimed more than 43,000 lives.