Nineteen U.S troops die in one day in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- More U.S. troops were arriving in Baghdad Sunday amid reports from the U.S. military that it lost 19 soldiers in a single day.
The latest 3,200-soldier brigade should be ready to get to work by Feb. 1 as part of the "Iraqi Baghdad Security Plan," a military official said in a statement.
The military said 19 U.S. soldiers died in four separate incidents Friday, including a helicopter crash that killed all 12 people on board, the Kuwait News Agency, KUNA reported.
The U.S. military said 3,047 American soldiers have been killed in the Iraq war, including 46 in January.
Initial reports on the crash of the U.S. Blackhawk helicopter northeast of Baghdad put its death toll at 13, but that number was later reduced to 12.
Five U.S. soldiers died and three were injured in a militia attack on the joint coordination headquarters in Karbala and two soldiers were killed by roadside bombs in separate incidents.
Report: Pakistan supporting Taliban
QUETTA, Pakistan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- There is evidence Pakistan is supporting a Taliban resurgence along the border of Afghanistan, the New York Times said Sunday.
Pakistani officials denied the allegations from Western diplomats, saying it supported U.S. and NATO forces that drove Taliban militants from control in Afghanistan in 2001, The Times said.
But the newspaper said interviews with many residents indicate Pakistani officials are "encouraging" the Taliban.
A former Taliban commander told the newspaper he was jailed in Pakistan for refusing to fight in Afghanistan. Other former Taliban members who would not re-enlist have been arrested or killed, sources told The Times.
"The Pakistanis are actively supporting the Taliban," a Western diplomat told the newspaper.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, President Pervez Musharraf said he would battle Islamic extremism in Pakistan.
But analysts told The Times Pakistani officials are preparing for the day when Western troops leave Afghanistan.
Richardson announces presidential intent
SANTA FE, N.M., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson Sunday announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. president in 2008.
"I am taking this step because we have to repair the damage that's been done to our country over the last six years," Richardson said in a statement on his official Web site.
"Our reputation in the world is diminished, our economy has languished, and civility and common decency in government has perished," he said.
Richardson said the next president "must get our troops out of Iraq without delay."
"Before I became governor of New Mexico, I served as ambassador to the United Nations and as Secretary of Energy," he said. "I know the Middle East well and it's clear that our presence in Iraq isn't helping any longer," said Richardson.
Richardson became the eighth Democrat to announce he's seeking his party's nomination. Other Democrats in the race are: U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, U.S. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa.
Quake rocks parts of Indonesia
MANADO, Indonesia, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A major earthquake rocked Manado, Indonesia, Sunday.
The 7.6-magnitude quake was centered 80 miles west of Moluccas and 100 miles east of Manado in the Molucca Sea, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its Web site.
MetroTV reported the tremor caused panic among residents, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or tsunamis, the Jakarta Post said.
A shopping mall suffered some cracks after being shaken by the quake for several seconds, the report said.
