More U.S. troops to head to Iraq
WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Additional U.S. and British troops were expected to deploy to the Persian Gulf. President George W. Bush said the war with Iraq will last until the coalition wins. News reports said late Thursday some 30,000 soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division and other units based at Fort Hood, Texas, were to be deployed to the region in the next few days. Another 100,000 ground troops were expected to be deployed in Iraq in the next month. A defense official told United Press International there was nothing new in the move. "It's all part of the plan," the official said.
U.N. council OKs emergency Iraq aid plan
UNITED NATIONS, March 28 (UPI) -- The U.N. Security Council Friday unanimously approved a resolution to speed humanitarian aid to the war-torn Iraqi people. It grants limited powers to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for 45 days to adjust the so-called oil-for-food program to provide help in the face of unfolding developments.
Iraq army positions bombarded in north
IRBIL, Iraq, March 28 (UPI) -- U.S. and British warplanes bombed Iraqi army positions near the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk Friday morning in apparent anticipation of opening a northern front, Kurdish security sources said. The Kurdistan Democratic Party sources said advanced Iraqi army positions in the areas of Manara, Zour, Kazwar, Debs and Kardaz were hit, rocking the nearby city of Arbil last night and in the morning. The bombardment also targeted a 24-mile-long front south of Irbil and military camps on the outskirts of Kirkuk, 120 miles north of Baghdad.
Iraq: U.S. reconnaissance plane shot down
BAGHDAD, March 28 (UPI) -- Iraq said it shot down a U.S. surveillance drone over Baghdad Friday, sending it crashing into a house. Al-Jazeera satellite television said the Iraqis escorted journalists to the site.
Report: Iraq executes Baath officials
BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 28 (UPI) -- Iraqi commander Ali Hassan al-Majeed ordered seven Baath officials in Basra executed on charges of "treason," Lebanon's al-Mustaqbal newspaper reported Friday. The newspaper also said al-Majeed dismissed the Baath party leader and replaced the military commander.
Egyptian protesters condemn war
CAIRO, March 28 (UPI) -- Hundreds of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo Friday to protest the U.S.-British war in Iraq. The demonstrators departed from al-Azhar mosque in the center of Cairo, brandishing anti-war placards and urging Arab countries to stop providing support or logistic facilities to the invading forces. Among the protesters were Muslim extremists who called on Arab countries to open their borders to facilitate the transfer of Arab volunteers to fight on the Iraqis' side.
U.S. launches Desert Lion in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- U.S. forces Friday launched a second major operation in Afghanistan called Operation Desert Lion. The forces are searching the country's caves and mountains for the remnants of al-Qaida and Taliban fighters.
Missing Serbian president's mystery solved
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, March 28 (UPI) -- Police Minister Dusan Mihajlovic said Friday one of the greatest criminal mysteries in Serbia in recent years has been solved -- the mystery of the disappearance of former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic in August 2000. Mihajlovic said Stambolic's remains were found last night in a hole on Fruska Gora Hill in the northern province of Vojvodina. Stambolic was kidnapped by four members of the Special Operations Unit, or JSO, in a van at Belgrade's Kosutnjak Park. After a change of vehicles, he was taken to Fruska Gora, killed by gunshot and thrown into a hole that was then filled with quick lime, Mihajlovic said.
21 killed in Algeria violence
ALGIERS, Algeria, March 28 (UPI) -- At least 21 civilians were killed and four children wounded by Algerian Muslim militants in the past two days, an official source said Friday. State-run Algerian radio said armed fundamentalist militants killed 12 people Thursday night and Friday morning in an attack on Kfar Shatatiya, in the province of Ghlizan, 240 miles west of Algiers, before fleeing the scene. It said another armed group attacked a family in the Midiya province, 50 miles west of the capital, killing the father and mother and wounding their four children. The same group then killed two other civilians in the same region. On Thursday, Muslim gunmen killed nine civilians in an ambush on a road in the province of Blida, 30 miles west of Algiers.
Air search suspended after deadly crash
LUFKIN, Texas, March 28 (UPI) -- Air operations were suspended Friday in the recovery of space shuttle Columbia debris after two men were killed and three injured in the crash of a search helicopter in southeast Texas. The crash in the Angelina National Forest about 120 miles northeast of Houston was the first deadly accident in the nearly eight weeks since the Columbia broke apart over Texas, killing seven astronauts.
McDonald's: No comment on Partner sale
CHICAGO, March 28 (UPI) -- McDonald's Corp. declined to comment Friday on a report it is planning to sell a controlling stake in its Partner Brands division, which includes Boston Market, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Donatos Pizzeria. The Deal.com, a financial-news Web site, reported talks were under way with several leveraged-buyout firms and financial sponsors to determine interest in buying 51 percent of the division, which accounts for $1 billion of nearly $42 billion in annual sales. The proposed sale is part of a restructuring plan that may include eliminating several hundred administrative jobs. Details are expected to be released next month.
Investors focus on length of war
NEW YORK, March 28 (UPI) -- Prices on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market were little changed in cautious pre-weekend trading Friday as more evidence emerged that the conflict with Iraq could stretch over months. In early afternoon trading, the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average, which lost 28.43 points Thursday, was down 38.73 at 8.162.72. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, which slipped 3.29 points in the previous session, was down 6.79 at 1,377.46.
