Suspicion rises between Western advisers, Afghans

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- "Shoulder to shoulder" is the mantra of the NATO-Afghan military partnership. Now, after Afghan soldiers and police turned their guns on their foreign partners during outrage over the Quran burnings, even Western advisers - not just combat troops - are looking over their shoulders.


The deepening distrust is jeopardizing the U.S.-led coalition's strategy of training Afghan security forces and helping government workers so that international troops can go home.


The advisers do a variety of jobs. While some focus on the battlefield, others pore over geological surveys, lure outside investors or make sure that key mountain passes are clear of snow. They work closely with their Afghan counterparts to build a government strong enough to fend off threats and attacks from the Taliban and other militants trying to destabilize their country.


There has been lingering distrust for years. Afghan soldiers and police, or militants dressed in their uniforms, have shot and killed more than 75 U.S. and other coalition forces in Afghanistan since 2007.


But tensions soared Feb. 25 when two U.S. military advisers were found dead with gunshots to the back of the head inside the Afghan Ministry of Interior, one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the capital, Kabul.


The two were among six U.S. troops killed by Afghan security forces during a week of demonstrations over the burning of Islamic books and Qurans at a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan. President Barack Obama and U.S. military officials say the burnings were a mistake and not intentional.

Suicide bomber assassinates Kandahar police chief in HQ

The assassination today of the top law enforcement official in Kandahar province signals a dangerous escalation of Taliban violence and tactical sophistication that has chilled Afghanistan’s second-largest city.

The provincial police chief, Khan Mohammad Mujahid, died inside his headquarters in the early afternoon, the victim of a suicide bomber who somehow breached what is supposed to be one of the most heavily guarded places in the city.

Over the last six months, American-led forces have concentrated on wresting rural districts near the city from the Taliban, and NATO officials have insisted they have turned a corner in disabling the insurgency. But their operations have been accompanied by a surge of suicide attacks on local police in the provincial capital, killings of Afghan officials and threats to anyone working for the government.

In an interview earlier this week, the Afghan-Canadian provincial governor, Tooryalai Wesa, worried out loud that the Taliban was switching from battles with foreign forces to targeted attacks by militants who can blend into the crowds in the city’s serpentine alleyways and markets.

That a human bomb strapped with explosives could penetrate the headquarters compound, where every man entering is usually patted down, is a devastating blow to both the Afghan and NATO attempts to demonstrate they are in control.

Mr. Mujahid had survived three other Taliban assassination attempts in the last few months, including an all-out assault by insurgents who shelled the police compound and blew themselves up at its gates.

NATO concern at Libya use of human-shields in Misrata

Nato says forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi are using human shields in the war-torn town of Misrata.

The coalition says Col Gaddafi's troops are using civilian vehicles and hiding their heavy armour in civilian areas.

Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu told the BBC: "Misrata remains our number one priority... but [Gaddafi's troops] are using human shields to protect themselves."

Earlier a rebel urged Nato must do more to help the besieged western town.

Gen Abdul Fattah Younis of the anti-Gaddafi forces complained that bureaucracy was causing Nato to take hours to respond to calls for air strikes.

"[Nato] is letting the people of Misrata die every day," he said.

In a separate development, a former US Republican congressman is now in Tripoli to hold talks with Col Gaddafi.

Curt Weldon said his aim was to persuade Col Gaddafi to "step aside".

Mr Weldon said he was visiting the Libyan capital in a personal capacity at the invitation of Col Gaddafi's chief of staff and that the administration of Barack Obama was aware of the trip.

NATO Airstrike Reportedly Kills Rebels in Libya

BREGA, Libya — A NATO airstrike intended for the forces of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi apparently killed at least eight rebel fighters in the battle outside this pivotal oil port, an ambulance driver and news reports said Saturday.

The deaths underscored the challenge that the Western allies and the rebels face in relying on airstrikes to push back the Qaddafi forces as the two sides mix in the battle zone along the front.

Perhaps in response to the Western airstrikes, the Qaddafi forces are increasingly plunging into combat in equipment similar to what the rebels are using, mainly pickup trucks mounted with machine guns or artillery. The move makes it increasingly difficult for even the combatants to distinguish one group from the other at first sight.

NATO, which said Saturday that it had conducted 148 airstrike sorties in the previous 24 hours, said it was investigating the episode, according to news reports.

News services reported other rebels grieving for their dead. A rebel spokesman said he could not confirm that the dead were rebels, but he called for continued airstrikes.

“You have to look at the big picture,” the spokesman, Mustafa Gheriani, told Reuters. “Mistakes will happen. We are trying to get rid of Qaddafi, and there will be casualties, although of course it does not make us happy.”

Libyan rebels say 13 killed in NATO airstrike

The main Libyan opposition spokesman says 13 rebels have accidentally been killed and seven injured in a NATO airstrike targeting Moammar Gadhafi's forces.

Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga said Saturday that the attack occurred as the rebels prepared to take over the oil city of Brega.

His comments are the first confirmation that the rebels were killed in an airstrike. NATO says it's looking into the report.

Calling it an "unfortunate accident," Ghoga says the rebels were killed as they moved forward while the NATO strike was in progress late Friday.

NATO Takes Over Libya Air Operations

NATO has assumed full command of all air operations over Libya, taking over from the U.S., which had played a leading role since international forces began enforcing a no-fly zone on March 19.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the transition was completed early Thursday. The NATO operation, called "Unified Protector", includes enforcing the U.N. Security Council resolution that mandates the no-fly zone along with an arms embargo and airstrikes to protect civilians.

Meanwhile, U.S. media reports say the CIA has sent teams of operatives into Libya to gather intelligence and make contact with anti-Gadhafi forces. The reports cite officials as saying intelligence agents are looking into the identities and abilities of rebel forces before foreign allies consider providing them with direct military aid.

British sources told The New York Times that British special forces and intelligence officers also are in the North African nation.

In Washington, the White House repeated that the U.S. has not made a decision on whether to provide arms to rebel forces in Libya. Wednesday's statement was issued amid reports that President Barack Obama has approved a secret authorization for covert efforts to support anti-government rebels.

Earlier Wednesday, troops loyal to Gadhafi drove anti-government rebels from key coastal cities they had seized days before, reversing opposition gains made since international airstrikes began.

Kadhafi forces sweep through Misrata

Tanks and troops loyal to Moamer Kadhafi swept through rebel-held Misrata on Tuesday, a rebel spokesman said as a doctor in Libya's third city put the death toll at 142 since March 18.

Kadhafi troops indiscriminately shelled Misrata, 214 kilometres (132 miles) east of Tripoli, and are preparing for a "massacre," the rebel spokesman told AFP by telephone.

"Misrata is in danger. The criminal forces are advancing on the city and the tanks are firing shells indiscriminately," he said, asking that his name be withheld.

"The massacre that was avoided in Benghazi thanks to the intervention of coalition forces will be carried out in the Misrata," the spokesman said.

The rebel stronghold of Benghazi is located 810 kilometers (503 miles) east of Misrata along the Mediterranean coast.

Western coalition forces launched a campaign on March 19 to enforce a UN no-fly zone in Libya and to protect civilians under attack and pounded Kadhafi forces in and around the rebel stronghold.

"Unlike what happened in Benghazi, coalition warplanes did not hit (Kadhafi) tanks that are already inside Misrata to avoid civilian casualties," the spokesman said.

He also spoke of a "humanitarian catastrophe" while a city doctor speaking separately to AFP said that at least 142 people were killed and more than 1,400 others injured since Kadhafi loyalists began hammering the city on March 18.

"We have had 142 dead since March 18," including four people who died on Monday, said the doctor, also speaking on condition of anonymity.

"We can't keep count anymore of the wounded but it is clearly more than 1,400, including 90 in a serious condition," he added.

He said that a Turkish boat was expected to dock at Misrata port later Tuesday to evacuate at least 50 wounded.

Rebels earlier said that a hospital ship was due in Misrata.

"It is a floating hospital that is being escorted by NATO that was delayed," a rebel spokesman, Shamsiddin Abdulmolah, said.

He said the vessel's arrival came two days after that of another ship in Misrata carrying humanitarian supplies, including food, milk, flour and other staples.

Abdulmolah could not provide further details about either ship, or which organisation chartered them.

Journalists in Tripoli on Monday were bussed to the outskirts of Misrata by Libyan government officials, to witness a pro-Kadhafi demonstration as it was broadcast live by Libyan state television.

They said they were not taken into the city, but it was clear that widespread destruction and fighting had occurred, and black smoke hung over the area.

Rebels have said that Kadhafi forces expelled more than 5,000 families from their homes in the western part of the city.

"Hundreds of families have found refuge in schools and mosques. The situation is very dangerous, very delicate," a rebel spokesman said.

He said Kadhafi forces were controlling the northwestern part of Misrata.

The Libyan foreign ministry said on Monday that its troops completed an offensive against Misrata and that "calm" reigned once again in the strategic city.

"Anti-terrorist units have ceased firing on armed terrorist groups who have committed all manner of acts of terrorism against the population of Misrata and disrupted their lives," a foreign ministry statement said.

"The town of Misrata currently enjoys an atmosphere of safety and calm and its public bodies are once again able to serve the public normally," said the statement carried by the official news agency Jana.

It was not clear however if Kadhafi forces were in full control of Misrata or just part of it.

NATO commander: Mission is to protect civilians

NATO's commander for Libya deflected suggestions Monday that international airstrikes against Moammar Gadhafi's forces were essentially providing air cover for advancing rebels, insisting that NATO's mission is purely designed to protect civilians.

Lt. Gen. Charles Bouchard of Canada told a press conference that the military alliance was in the process of taking over command from the U.S.-led operation after NATO's 28 members agreed Sunday to the transition. He declined to say how long it would take, saying it was complex and still being coordinated, though officials in Brussels have said it would be a few days.

The move effectively means that once the transition is complete, NATO could bomb Gadhafi's forces if they are threatening to harm civilian populations. International airstrikes have crippled Gadhafi's forces, allowing rebels to advance near Gadhafi's stronghold of Sirte after appearing at the brink of defeat.

The U.N. Security Council authorized countries to take all necessary measures to protect civilians in Libya. But critics have said the military campaign goes far beyond what was authorized: On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the international air campaign breached the U.N. resolution and amounted to international interference in what he called Libya's civil war.

Asked where NATO drew the line between protecting the civilians and aiding rebels, Bouchard said his mission was clear:

"Our goal is to protect and help the civilians and population centers under the threat of attack," he said.

NATO decision body meets to consider air strikes

NATO's top decision-making body meets Sunday to expand its its enforcement of the no-fly zone to include air strikes against Libyan ground targets.

After nearly a week of deliberations, the North Atlantic Council agreed on Friday that the alliance should take on the no-fly zone in accordance with the U.N. Security Council's mandate. But the air strikes intended to protect civilians from Gadhafi's forces were temporarily left to the U.S.-led international force.

Washington has been eager to hand off responsibility to NATO, which is expected to take command Sunday of the no-fly zone mission.

A Canadian three-star general, Charles Bouchard, will take charge. He reports to an American admiral, Samuel Locklear, commander of NATO's Allied Joint Force Command Naples.

Canadian general to take NATO command of Libya

A Canadian general will take over command of the NATO mission in Libya.

Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay said Friday that Lt.-Gen. Charles Bouchard has been designated to lead the alliance's military campaign in Libya.

Bouchard, a lieutenant-general whose rank is equivalent to a three-star U.S. general, is stationed in Naples, Italy, at the Allied Joint Force Command.

Bouchard's recent job was deputy commander of NORAD, reporting to an American general.

"He will be a commander of the NATO operations, yet to be fully defined NATO operations," MacKay said.

The international coalition confronting Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has agreed to put NATO in charge of enforcing the no-fly zone. It was still trying to hammer out a deal to relieve U.S. forces of command of all military operations in the country.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have both said that American command of the operations would last only a few days.

NATO airstrike accidentally kills 2 civilians

A NATO helicopter gunship inadvertently killed two civilians while attacking suspected insurgents in the eastern province of Khost, NATO announced Thursday.

The attack targeted a Haqqani network leader in Tere Zayi district on Wednesday, according to NATO.

"At the time of the strike, two civilians were walking near the moving targeted vehicle," NATO said. "They were previously unseen by coalition forces prior to the initiation of the airstrike. Unfortunately both were killed as an unintended result of the strike."

Khost provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai said at least one of the civilians was a child.

NATO's initial description of Wednesday's attack said a "precision airstrike" killed the Haqqani leader and two other insurgents while they were driving in a vehicle. That announcement also described how NATO troops nearly missed civilians near the site of the attack.

"Just prior to the weapon impact, an unassociated civilian vehicle and two pedestrians walking in a wadi appeared, next to the target vehicle," NATO said. Wadis are dried out riverbeds.

Afghan forces determined that the occupants of the vehicle were unharmed, NATO said. It was unclear what happened to the Haqqani network leader.

Serbia, arms dealer to Libya, silent on rebellion

As Libya churned with popular rebellion, Serbia's ex-president flew to Tripoli to arrange an interview with Moammar Gadhafi for a Serbian TV channel - giving the Libyan leader a platform to bluster about his grip on power.

"The Libyan people are fully behind me," Gadhafi defiantly told Pink TV in a telephone interview.

The gesture of support for Gadhafi was not officially endorsed by the Serbian government. But it has been criticized at home for failing to join worldwide condemnation of Gadhafi's bloody crackdown against the uprising.

A possible reason for the silence: hundreds of millions of dollars worth of military and construction contracts. Serbia's cozy ties with Libya sit ill with its recent efforts to rehabilitate its image after the Balkan wars, in particular by participating in peace keeping missions.

It's almost certain that some of the ammunition fired by Gadhafi's troops against pro-democracy protesters in Libya was made in Serbia, and that some of the air force pilots who targeted rebel-held positions were trained by Serbs.

Western nations like Britain and Italy have armed and cooperated with Gadhafi's regime, but the issue is particularly sensitive for Serbia as it tries to join the European Union and possibly NATO and shed its image as a pariah nation.

NATO apologizes for killing 9 Afghan civilians

NATO has apologized for killing nine civilians in Kunar province, a hotbed of the insurgency in northeast Afghanistan.

In a statement Wednesday, the coalition said preliminary findings indicate that NATO forces accidentally killed nine civilians in the Pech district of Kunar province on Tuesday. Local officials say nine boys, ages 12 and under, were killed as they were gathering firewood.

The coalition says there apparently was miscommunication in passing information about the location of militants firing on a coalition base.

Top NATO commander Gen. David Petraeus said the coalition was "deeply sorry" for the tragedy and said the deaths should never have occurred. Petraeus says he will personally apologize to President Hamid Karzai when he returns from London.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.