NATO says hit military targets in Libya's Brega (Reuters)

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – NATO said Saturday its missiles had hit a site in Libya used by Muammar Gaddafi's forces to stockpile military supplies and vehicles, while Gaddafi's state media said 15 civilians had been killed.

A top rebel official said rebels would be ready to discuss any political settlement that did not involve Gaddafi remaining in power, although no proposals had emerged yet at talks with Gaddafi allies that were taking place through intermediaries.

The attack late Friday was the second within hours on what NATO said were clearly identified military targets in the coastal city of Brega, around 200 km (130 miles) west of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Libyan state television said a local bakery and a restaurant had been hit, wounding 20 people in addition to the 15 dead. State news agency Jana said a strike in the same area earlier on Friday had killed five civilians.

"We have no indications of any civilian casualties in connection to these strikes," a NATO official said.

"What we know is that the buildings we hit were occupied and used by pro-Gaddafi forces to direct attacks against civilians around Ajdabiya," the official said. Ajdabiya is rebel-held.

"Unlike the pro-Gaddafi forces, we go to great lengths to reduce the possibility of any civilian casualties," the official added.

Libyan television later reported that a number of people were killed in a NATO attack late Saturday on the town of al Qawalish, some 145 km (90 miles) south of Tripoli. It said cars and houses were damaged but gave no further details.

Gaddafi's government says more than 700 civilians have been killed in three months of Western air strikes, but has not presented evidence of such large numbers of civilian deaths.

The alliance acknowledged accidentally killing civilians in a strike on Tripoli a week ago, but has otherwise said it hit only military targets.

A Reuters correspondent in the capital Tripoli heard four explosions as jets flew overhead on two occasions Saturday. The blasts appeared to come from the eastern suburb of Tajura.

In rebel-held Misrata, 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli, a rebel spokesman called Abdelsalam said Gaddafi's forces shelled the city Saturday but the situation was quieter since a NATO strike Wednesday which took out pro-Gaddafi positions. A local doctor told Reuters there had been no serious injuries.

CREDIBILITY

NATO's acknowledgement for the first time that it could have caused civilian casualties a week ago prompted concerns within the alliance.

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said NATO's credibility was at stake and called for a suspension of the campaign -- an appeal that was swiftly knocked down at NATO headquarters and by allies, including France and Britain.

In a televised address this week, Gaddafi branded NATO "murderers" and vowed to fight to the death to stay in power.

The bombing campaign in support of Libyan rebels seeking to end Gaddafi's 41-year-old rule has lasted longer than expected.

Progress has been slow and rebels have taken many casualties, but there are signs Gaddafi's forces also are stretched and the economy in areas under his control is feeling the effects of international sanctions.

Abdel Hafiz Ghoga, vice chairman of the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), recognized by about 20 countries as the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people, reiterated that a political settlement was possible.

"We have agreed to take a serious look at any proposal as long as Gaddafi does not remain in power. We are waiting for any proposals that are (being discussed) around the world," he told reporters in the eastern rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

"We have not received anything yet," he added.

Officials for Gaddafi's government in Tripoli were not immediately available to comment. They have in the past said they were prepared for a ceasefire, but that Gaddafi would not step down. Rebels reject a ceasefire with Gaddafi in charge.

In what could be a morale-booster for the rebels, four members of Libya's national football team and 13 other football figures defected to the rebels, the rebel council said.

(Additional reporting by Ben Deighton in Brussels, Joseph Nasr in Berlin and Maria Golovnina in Benghazi; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Peter Graff; )

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New prosecutor chosen for Gitmo military tribunals (AP)

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The U.S. Defense Department has announced a new chief prosecutor for the military tribunal trials at Guantanamo Bay.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins will be in charge of prosecuting Guantanamo detainees charged with war crimes and other crimes. He succeeds Navy Capt. John Murphy, who has served as chief prosecutor since May 2009.

Martins is currently working in Afghanistan and will take over the position in October.

A Defense Department statement Thursday says Murphy will return to civilian life as an assistant U.S. attorney in Louisiana.

(This version CORRECTS that Murphy is returning to Louisiana, not Martins.)

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Zimbabwe military calls PM a 'security threat' (AP)

HARARE, Zimbabwe – A Zimbabwean general has described the country's prime minister as a "security threat" and accused him of taking instructions from Westerners that endanger national security, in an interview published Thursday by a state-run newspaper.

Brig. Gen. Douglas Nyikayaramba told the Herald Newspaper that the military will do anything to keep longtime President Robert Mugabe in power.

"We will die for him to make sure he remains in power," the Herald quoted him as saying. The Herald is a mouthpiece for Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party.

Nyikayaramba, a member of the Joint Operational Command of generals and police chiefs, said the military and Mugabe's Zanu-PF party are "inseparable."

Mugabe joined a troubled coalition in 2009 with Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader. Tsvangirai on Sunday accused the military of bias and meddling in politics.

In the past, Nyikayaramba has acted as unofficial spokesman for the usually secretive Joint Operational Command that is often seen as the real power behind Mugabe, 87.

Top military officials have repeatedly said they would not serve under Tsvangirai if he became president because he did not take part in guerrilla war that ended white rule at independence in 1980.

Military commanders have refused to salute Tsvangirai on state occasions.

Nyikayaramba, a former guerrilla in the seven-year bush war, said the military now viewed Tsvangirai as a security threat for his ties with Western nations demanding Mugabe's ouster.

"Tsvangirai does not pose a political threat in any way but is a major security threat ... taking instructions from foreigners who seek to effect illegal regime change in Zimbabwe," he said.

Tsvangirai and several independent rights groups blame the army and the police loyal to Mugabe for political violence and human rights violations in a decade of political and economic turmoil that led to Zimbabwe's economic meltdown.

Nyikayaramba also accused Tsvangirai of seeking to overturn Zimbabwe's successes in becoming independent.

"Daydreamers who want to reverse the gains of our liberation struggle ... can go to hell, they will never rule this country," he said.

Nyikayaramba said the military will ensure Mugabe remains in office.

"We cannot keep quiet," Nyikayaramba said. "As the security forces we will not sit back and watch things going wrong. President Mugabe will only leave office when he sees it fit or dies."

Mugabe, who has ruled since independence, has called for elections this year to end the coalition but has been put under pressure from regional leaders to complete electoral and constitutional reforms first.

Regional leaders have rebuked Mugabe's party for unleashing violence and intimidation against opponents and delaying reforms. At a summit earlier this month, the leaders endorsed those criticisms by the chief Zimbabwe mediator, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa. Mugabe later insisted that those criticisms had not been endorsed, but only noted.

Tsvangirai responded on Sunday by saying the Mugabe lied about the summit's outcome. Hardliners in Mugabe's party this week called for Tsvangirai's arrest for insulting the president, an offense under sweeping security laws.

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S. Korean military sorry for jet incident

Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- The South Korean military apologized Monday for shooting at a commercial airplane carrying 119 passengers and crew.

The Asiana Airlines flight was preparing to land Friday morning at Incheon International Airport, 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of Seoul, when two soldiers fired at the aircraft after mistaking it for a North Korean military jet.

The soldiers were on Gyodong Island near the North Korean border. After firing 99 rounds, they reported the incident.

The South Korean military claims the rounds were only warning shots from K-2 rifles, and there was no damage to the aircraft because it was out of range.

"I sincerely apologize for causing the public concern over the incident," Col. Lee Bung-Woo, spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday.

The aircraft, on its way from Chengdu, China, was "flying on its regular route under command of the flight control tower," Asiana Airlines spokesman Ki Won Suh said.

Asiana confirmed two other flights flew on the same route 20 minutes before and after the firing incident, raising questions about why only one flight concerned the soldiers. The passengers and pilots were unaware they had been fired upon until they landed.

"We understand the guards need more education on how to distinguish civilian airplanes," said Lee, the military spokesman. But the South Korean military said it will not reprimand the two soldiers because they acted in accordance with procedure.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two Koreas. Pyongyang said it would cut off all ties with Seoul last month, accusing the South of waging psychological warfare by sending propaganda into North Korea undermining the regime.

CNN's Jiyeon Lee contributed to this report

CNN

Report: Syria military controls town

Mourners at the funeral service of an anti-regime protester on the Syrian side of the Syria-Turkey border, on June 11, 2011.NEW: Opposition members question government report of "mass grave" Syrian military controls northwestern city, human rights network saysBritish foreign secretary: Many have fled the Syrian "military offensive" in Jisr al-ShugurU.N. chief: "The use of military force against civilians is unacceptable"

(CNN) -- The Syrian military is in complete control of Jisr al-Shugur after entering the northwestern city over the weekend, a network of human rights activists said Monday.

The network -- the Local Coordination Committees of Syria -- reported no new explosions, casualties or detentions in the community since Sunday evening, although it did say that Syrian soldiers were searching house-to-house.

At least three people were killed in clashes Sunday, state media reported. One Syrian soldier was killed and four other soldiers injured in the fighting, Syrian state television reported Sunday. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said two gunmen were killed and "many others" were arrested.

State television said Sunday that military units had entered Jisr al-Shugur to "cleanse the national hospital from the elements of the armed gangs after disabling the explosives and the various TNT devices that these gangs planted on the bridges and roads."

Accounts from the Syrian government have sharply contrasted with reports from residents, who say there are no "armed gangs" in Jisr al-Shugur.

State TV also said Sunday that authorities in the town had found a "mass grave" containing decapitated and mutilated bodies of members of security forces killed by "armed gangs." SANA said there were 12 bodies.

Video on state-run TV showed bodies at the site. It was not fully clear what state the bodies were in.

SANA reported Monday that state TV "broadcast the confession of the terrorist, Anwar Nafe al-Dosh, a member of armed terrorist groups in Jisr al-Shugur, who narrated the details of the massacre committed against the police and security forces."

The report quoted al-Dosh as naming the "masterminds" of the "massacre" and saying they had beheaded 10 members of the security forces in what they called a "bloodbath for freedom."

President Bashar al-Assad's regime has consistently blamed armed gangs for the bloodshed in Syria. But activists and protesters say security forces have caused the violence.

Some members of the opposition question the government's report on the purported mass grave.

Fadi, an activist from Jisr al-Shugur who has been traveling between the city and a makeshift camp near the Syrian border, said that two weeks ago, the Syrian army dug a hole in an area outside Jisr al-Shugur and dumped bodies into it the next day. The bodies were those of prisoners, he said.

Wissam Tarif, head of the human rights group INSAN, said there are questions to be answered about the government's report. He said he had information that two army units clashed, leading to numerous deaths.

But an activist based outside of Syria who has an extensive network inside the country said he believed state TV's version of events.

CNN has been unable to independently confirm accounts of the unrest in Syria, because it has not been granted access to the country by the Syrian government.

World leaders, meanwhile, have been mounting pressure on Syria to halt the violence against protesters seeking government reform.

In a statement released Sunday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Syria's use of force against civilians and expressed particular concern about violence in Jisr al-Shugur.

"The Syrian authorities have an obligation to protect their people and respect their rights. The use of military force against civilians is unacceptable," the U.N. statement said.

Many have fled "the Syrian government's military offensive" in Jisr al-Shugur, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement condemning the violence Sunday. He also called on the U.N. Security Council to take a stand.

"I do believe it is time for the Security Council to make a clear statement of the kind that we're advocating calling on the Syrian Government to respond to legitimate grievances, to release prisoners of conscience, to open up access to the Internet and to cooperate with the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights," he told Sky News Sunday.

He said he had been trying to garner support from countries represented on the council, but noted that the prospects of passing a resolution were "on a knife edge" -- particularly since Security Council member Lebanon is a close ally of Syria.

"Close interconnections between the Lebanese government and the Syrian government have made it impossible for Lebanon to take a clear position on this," he told Sky News.

On Friday, Syrian troops came to the entrances of Jisr al-Shugur in an operation "to restore security and tranquility to the area which was being terrorized by armed terrorist groups," SANA reported.

The Syrian government announced it would push into Jisr al-Shugur after it accused "armed groups" of killing at least 120 security forces there several days ago.

Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey have said some Syrian soldiers rebelled after being ordered to fire on unarmed protesters and instead started fighting among themselves.

The number of Syrians escaping to Turkey has escalated to 4,300, a Turkish semi-official news agency reported over the weekend.

A fourth refugee camp was set up Sunday in Hamza Cisligi, about 100 meters (109 yards) from the Syrian border in Turkey, to take in Syrians who have fled the regime's crackdown.

Halit Cevik, the Turkish Foreign Ministry's deputy-undersecretary for the Middle East, told the Anadolu news agency Saturday that Turkey has made preparations for more refugees.

Amnesty International said last week it believes more than 1,100 people -- including 82 children -- have been killed in Syria since the crackdown started in mid-March.

CNN's Arwa Damon, Salma Abdelaziz and Saad Abedine contributed to this report.

CNN

Egypt: Military will not stand in elections

Egyptians protest in Cairo on May 27, 2011 against the military council's handling of the post-revolt phase.The elections are in SeptemberThe military council says it wants to relinquish power to civilians

Cairo (CNN) -- The Egyptian military, which has governed the country since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak, will not field a candidate in the September presidential elections, a military council spokesman said Sunday.

Egyptian protesters in recent weeks have insisted the revolution is not over and have expressed frustration over the

pace and planning of reforms in the four months since Mubarak quit amid a wave of popular unrest.

Some at recent demonstrations have urged the creation of a civil presidential council to replace the military council now in charge of Egypt until democratic elections are held.

A senior Egyptian general recently told CNN that the military council is eager to relinquish power to civilian authorities.

"The army can't wait to return to its barracks and do what it does best -- protect the nation's borders," he said last month. He did not want to be named due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

CNN

Senator: Gadhafi's military seriously degraded (AP)

WASHINGTON – Constant pounding from NATO warplanes has significantly undermined Moammar Gadhafi's military forces and weakened the Libyan leader's political standing, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Friday.

Speaking after a classified Pentagon assessment of the nearly 3-month-old campaign, Sen. Carl Levin said he's satisfied that "NATO operations are going well, they're coordinated, and we have not lost one person yet."

Levin based his assessment on a series of recent NATO strikes on the capital of Tripoli and the surrounding area, in the face of Gadhafi's vow to fight to the death. Determined to push back the rebels, Gadhafi's forces have hit the outskirts of the rebel-held city of Misarata.

"I'm satisfied that Gadhafi's military has been seriously degraded, that politically he's been significantly weakened," Levin, D-Mich., told reporters after emerging from the closed briefing. He said that a sustained NATO operation and the potential involvement of other allied countries will be critical but that "things are going in the right direction in Libya."

The senator said the administration offered no timeline on when operations would end or Gadhafi would leave. But Levin dismissed suggestions that the civil war is at a stalemate.

"Gadhafi's being weakened significantly and continually degraded and there's now an addition of helicopters from two others countries, I believe French and British, able to pick off his tanks in a very careful way without collateral damage," the senator said.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans have been pressing the Obama administration for details on the operation, and the briefing was the second for senators in two days. Levin and Sen. Pete Sessions, R-Ala., were the only two senators at Friday's meeting as the Senate was not in session and most lawmakers had left Washington.

"It's sort of a fait accompli," Sessions said of the Libya operation. "The administration has gone off with this operation which hopefully will be successful."

Last week, the House voted to rebuke President Barack Obama for failing to get authorization from Congress when he ordered airstrikes beginning March 19 against Gadhafi's forces. The Constitution says Congress has the power to declare war, and the 1973 War Powers Resolution requires the president to obtain congressional authorization within 60 days of the start of military operations, a deadline that passed last month.

Levin said he didn't think a majority opposed the U.S. support role in the NATO operation that includes American intelligence, surveillance and the use of Predator drones. But the frustration was evident in the House, nevertheless.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, insisted in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton that the administration comply with the House resolution's request for a report on the scope, costs and other details of the Libyan operation as well as the rationale. The report is due by the end of next week.

"Setting forth that case with specificity is critical to addressing the mistrust that is building and, in turn, critical to mission success," Ros-Lehtinen wrote.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., pressed for the administration to cooperate and provide the report, warning of the consequences if it ignores Congress.

"While members respect the president's authority as commander in chief, it is quite possible that a resolution of disapproval could pass the House, unless the administration provides the information necessary for Congress to conduct constitutional oversight," McKeon wrote.

Separately, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, wrote to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for all Justice Department documents related to the Libyan operation.

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American loosens bag policies for military

American Airlines will allow military personnel to check up to five bags for free.Soldiers back from Afghanistan said Delta charged their unit $2,800 to check extra bagsAmerican will go to five free checked bags for military personnel, up from three Airline: "Full implementation ... should be completed in the next few days"Delta and United/Continental announced bag-check policy changes on Wednesday

(CNN) -- In the wake of an online video in which soldiers returning from Afghanistan complained that Delta Air Lines charged their unit more than $2,800 in bag-check fees, rival carrier American Airlines on Thursday announced it will allow military personnel to check an extra two bags with no out-of-pocket expense.

"Full implementation of that policy should be completed in the next few days," American Airlines spokeswoman Dori Robau Alvarez said in a statement released Thursday.

The airline is the latest of the major U.S. carriers to change its policy. Delta and Continental/United announced Wednesday they were loosening their checked-bag policies for military personnel.

Soldiers' $2,800 bag fee sparks outrage

Previously, American Airlines allowed three bags to be checked free, "with full government reimbursement to military personnel on any bags above that number," but the carrier decided to increase the free-bag limit to five, "given the potential confusion with different military units carrying different amounts of bags depending on their mission," according to the statement.

The statement continued: "Both our revised 5-bag policy as well as the previous policy allowed active military personnel traveling either on orders or on personal travel to utilize our military bag policy. In addition, American also allows military personnel traveling on orders to have one of their free bags weigh up to 100 pounds and (to be) 126 linear inches in size without penalty. ... This greatly helps with the typical, large military duffel bags."

Its limits on other bags are 50 pounds and 62 linear inches, it said.

The Delta incident got instant notoriety after servicemen spoke out about their experience in a video posted on YouTube.

In the clip, which the men say was recorded on board a Delta flight from Baltimore to Atlanta on Tuesday, a day after they returned from Afghanistan, the soldiers explain they had "a little issue with the bags."

CNN affiliate WXIA in Atlanta identified the soldiers as U.S. Army Staff Sgts. Fred Hilliker and Robert O'Hair.

The men, who were bound for Fort Polk, Louisiana, said their military travel orders allowed them to carry up to four bags, but when they arrived at the airport in Baltimore, Delta told them it allowed military personnel to check only three bags for free.

Members of the unit who were traveling with four bags ended up paying out of pocket for their extra luggage, the soldiers said in the video. They were charged $200 per extra bag, so the 34-member unit ended up paying more than $2,800 in bag fees, the soldiers said.

Any extra bag fees charged by an airline will be reimbursed by the government, a military spokeswoman told CNN affiliate WGCL in Atlanta.

One of the soldiers in the video said the bag he had to pay for was a weapons case that contained "the tools that I used to protect myself and Afghan citizens while I was deployed in the country."

The other man then looked into the camera, exasperated.

"Good business model, Delta," he said sarcastically. "Not happy. Not happy at all," he added, shaking his head.

On Wednesday, Delta changed its policy: Effective immediately, U.S. military personnel traveling on orders are now allowed to check up to four bags for free in coach and five bags in first class and business class.

Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliot on Thursday said the airline will reimburse the complaining soldiers for any fourth-bag fees that the military will not cover, and is giving them travel vouchers good for future trips.

United/Continental also announced Wednesday it will allow more bags.

"United and Continental are waiving the fourth checked bag fee for military personnel traveling on orders in recognition of their sacrifice and service to our country," Christen David, a spokeswoman for United/Continental Airlines, said in an e-mail.

The two airlines closed a merger deal in October.

Delta said it deeply respects and admires men and women in uniform and added that it has worked hard to ensure that U.S. military personnel get "additional flexibility" when they travel on the carrier.

The carrier said it's "continuing to work with the soldiers individually to make this situation right for each of them."

The soldiers may have been misinformed about how many bags traveling active duty military personnel can check for free, according to Stars and Stripes, the independent news organization focusing on the military.

CNN's A. Pawlowski contributed to this report.

CNN

Lightning strike at Mississippi military base sends 77 to hospital

NEW: The 77 were college students enrolled in Air Force ROTCThe military sends the 77 cadets to hospitals for evaluation after lightning strikeAll of them were responsive and in stable condition, the military says

(CNN) -- A lightning strike Wednesday afternoon sent 77 Air Force ROTC cadets to hospitals in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area, where they were all responsive and in stable condition, according to spokeswoman Maj. Deidre Musgrave of Camp Shelby.

Two of the 77 were sent by ambulance, and the remaining 75 were sent to the hospital by Camp Shelby buses, Musgrave told CNN.

All 77 were college students enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, which uses Camp Shelby as its summer training site, Musgrave said.

The personnel were sent for medical evaluation because they were in the area of the lightning strike at a training site on Camp Shelby around 2 p.m., Musgrave said in a news release.

"We always want to be safe," she told CNN.

The remaining personnel at Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center quickly responded to the situation to ensure that anyone injured received medical attention, Musgrave said.

CNN

Al Qaeda's 'military brain' killed in Pakistan drone strike

(CNN) -- The man described by counterterrorism officials as al Qaeda's "military brain," Ilyas Kashmiri, was killed in a drone strike Friday night in Pakistan, a spokesman for his group, the jihadist Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami, said.

Pakistani and U.S. officials, however, said they have not confirmed Kashmiri's death.

Kashmiri was killed, along with some aides, in a strike at 11:15 p.m., spokesman Abu Hanzla Kashar said.

"The oppressor U.S. is our only target and, God willing, we will take revenge on the U.S. soon with full force," he said.

A senior Pakistani military official said that in all, nine were killed by the drone strike. The official reiterated that they had not confirmed Kashmiri's demise.

Kashmiri, who was known to operate in North Waziristan, had moved to South Waziristan and was seen at the site of the attack on Friday, the official said.

If confirmed, his death would be the first major kill or capture since Osama Bin Laden, and the highest profile drone target since Beitullah Mehsud in 2009.

It could also be seen as an embarrassment for Pakistanis, who have twice in just over one month, had a major al Qaeda figure killed on their territory without their participation.

U.S. drones now operate entirely autonomously in Pakistan, a Pakistani intelligence source has told CNN. Whereas before the United States cooperated with Pakistan and used their intelligence, today, the Americans have an intelligence network that allows them to go after terrorists unilaterally.

Kashmiri, a veteran jihadist, is considered one of the most dangerous men in the world by counterterrorism officials on three continents.

He was commander of "Brigade 313" of Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami, which has formed a close relationship with al Qaeda.

Kashmiri is also said to have ties with David Coleman Headley, the U.S. citizen who confessed to helping scout

targets for the Mumbai attack in November 2008. After his arrest, Headley said he had twice met Kashmiri.

During questioning by India's National Intelligence Agency, which was given access to him in Chicago, Illinois, in June 2010, Headley said he'd been taken to Pakistan's tribal territories to meet Kashmiri early in 2009.

A copy of the interrogation obtained by CNN reveals that Kashmiri sent Headley on another trip to survey targets in India. One place he said he videotaped was a bakery that was later attacked in Pune in February 2010.

Kashmiri in his early years fought the Indians in the disputed territory of Kashmir and the Russians in Afghanistan, where he lost an eye.

He famously escaped from an Indian jail and went to fight with a unit of Pakistan's special forces. Eventually, he fell out with his sponsors in the Pakistani military, and moved his operations to North Waziristan.

At one point, he was arrested in connection with an attempt to assassinate Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, in 2003. For reasons unknown, Kashmiri was released a short time later.

CNN's Nasir Habib, Nick Paton Walsh and Tim Lister contributed to this report.

CNN

Ollanta Humala: The Military Man Who May Win Peru's Election (Time.com)

Much attention has been spent on the candidacy of Keiko Fujimori to be president of Peru. After all, she is the daughter of a controversial former president who now sits in prison. However, according to polls, she is running neck-and-neck with Ollanta Humala, a political figure who evokes as much controversy and, at times, hatred as the Fujimori family does.

Humala, 48, is a retired lieutenant colonel in the Peruvian Army. The military was his life for 20 years and up until 2005 he thought his service to the country would only be in the army. "I never really thought about the presidency," he insists during an interview with TIME two days before the election. "My dream was to be the commanding general of the army." However, he did enter politics, quitting his job as military attachE in Seoul, South Korea. Frightening the more privileged classes with a leftist rhetoric that conjured up images of Venezuela's Hugo ChAvez, he nevertheless came very close to winning his first presidential run in 2006, receiving 47% of the vote. This time around, he got 32% in the first round of presidential voting in April, placing first by a margin of nearly eight points and moving into Sunday's runoff. (See Ollanta's opponent, Keiko Fujimori.)

Fujimori, however, made up lost ground, took the lead in some polls for a while and is now in a dead heat with Humala. Two polls had in him first place, between one and three points ahead of the congresswoman, while two others had Fujimori up by one point. Giovanna PeNaflor, of the IMASEN polling firm, said the country has never been this politically polarized or divided. She said the election is anyone's game, because "support is fragile. A large number of voters are voting against a candidate instead of for one."

While Humala is defined as center-left and Fujimori as center-right, the two have very similar ideas when it comes to bread-and-butter issues. They both offer a long list of social programs, including free day care, scholarships for the best high school students and assistance to senior citizens. In terms of economic policy, both say they will pay for part of their platforms by levying a windfall tax on mining, the motor of Peru's fast-growing economy, and by attracting more foreign investment. (See why same-sex marriages will influence the race.)

During the campaign, Humala hammered at his opponent over her father's regime - its legacy of corruption and human rights abuse - and the fact that many of his advisors are now her advisors. Humala has made great fun of the fact that the former president's private nurse at his specially built prison cell ran for Congress on his daughter's ticket. In their only official face off, a testy debate on May 29, Fujimori snapped at Humala, saying if he wanted to debate her father he should go to the police barracks where he is incarcerated.

Humala also has problems because of his links to a President - but this one isn't in Peru or even Peruvian. That would be Venezuela's ChAvez. Learning from incumbent President Alan GarcIa's successful run-off against Humala in 2006, the Fujimori campaign has accused the ex-military man of being a puppet of ChAvez. There certainly was a political affinity between Humala and ChAvez in 2006, with the Venezuelan president taking shots at GarcIa during the race. This time around, however, Humala has chosen a new mentor, looking to Brazilian former president, Luiz InAcio Lula da Silva, and the example of Peru's hugely successful neighbor for an economic model.

The U.S. government appears to have taken sides, with a former U.S. assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs Roger Noriega, repeating local allegations that ChAvez has financed Humala's current campaign. "I categorically deny this. It is irresponsible for an ex-diplomat to be making these kinds of allegations three days before Peruvians vote," Humala told TIME. Noriega, like Peruvians who have made similar accusations, did not produce evidence. (See why there might be no good choice in Peru's election.)

Peruvians opposed to Humala see similarities to ChAvez. Humala shot to fame in October 2000 when he led a small band of soldiers in a southern barracks in a revolt against his rival's father who was then the president and already reeling from a massive corruption scandal that would eventually end his rule. ChAvez's political career began in much the same way in the 1990s. Humala, who was then jailed and dismissed from the army, said that action was simply aimed at getting rid of a corrupt president and nothing more. "The only thing I wanted after the uprising was to rejoin the army and continue with my career. I had no political intentions," he told TIME.

But there may be another precedent that Humala may repeat. If he does win on June 5, Humala will be in the footsteps of the only other Peruvian military officer who was democratically elected president. Luis SAnchez Cerro led a military coup in the 1930s and was a military attachE to France. He returned to Peru and was elected president. Humala was reinstated into the army in 2001 after his attempted coup and then named military attachE to France before he went on his brief interlude in South Korea. Instead of being a ChAvez imitator, Humala could very well be replicating SAnchez Cerro.

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Syrian military surrounds town

Two more die in Syria protestsTwelve poeple have now died since military moved on four cities in Homs provinceWitness: Troops have surrounded Rastan and shelled Tabliseh on Monday

(CNN) -- Two people died amid protests in Syria on Monday, as government troops and tanks surrounded one town and apparently shelled another for a second day, according to protest organizers and a witness.

One of the deaths occurred in Rastan and the other in Talbiseh, according to the protest organizers known as the Local Coordination Committees of Syria.

The deaths bring to 12 the total number killed since troops entered towns in Homs province early Sunday to end protests against government rule, according to the committee. Ten people, including two children, died Sunday.

CNN has not been granted access into Syria and is unable to independently verify the accounts.

A witness in Rastan, who did not want to be identified for security reasons, said he heard intense explosions beginning around 4 a.m. that lasted for several hours.

Tanks and soldiers have the city completely surrounded, and there is no electricity or water in the city, the witness said.

Despite the siege, protesters took to the streets for about 30 minutes of defiant protest, the witness said.

The Rastan witness said that residents there could hear shelling and gunfire coming from Talbiseh, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) away. But he said it was unclear what was happening there communications have been shut off.

Security forces shelled that city on Sunday as well, with one round striking a school bus carrying children.

In addition to Rastan and Talbiseh, the towns of Deir Ba'albeh and Teir Ma'alleh were also targeted, according to protest organizers.

Syria's government has undertaken a fierce crackdown against demonstrations that have demanded reforms of President Bashar al-Assad.

Roughly 830 people have been killed in the protests, according tot he Syrian Human Rights Information Link. That number does not include security personnel which the Syrian government claims died in attacks from "armed groups."

The United States has imposed new sanctions on al-Assad and other senior Syrian officials, freezing any assets held in the country over human rights abuses.

CNN's Arwa Damon contributed to this report.

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Uruguay's Congress upholds military amnesty (AP)

By RAUL O. GARCES, Associated Press Raul O. Garces, Associated Press – 31 mins ago

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay – A proposal to overturn an amnesty for officials from Uruguay's former dictatorship fell one vote short in the country's Congress on Friday after a bitter debate that reopened divisions from the 1973-1985 military government.

The ruling center-left Broad Front party had pushed to overturn the amnesty for soldiers, but one of its congressmen abstained, leaving it one vote short of a majority in the 99-seat legislature.

Hundreds of leftist activists ringed the Congress building to demand an end to the amnesty which had protected soldiers from prosecution for kidnappings, killings and other abuses committed by the dictatorship.

Veterans groups, meanwhile, were rankled by the fact that the measure would have left intact a similar amnesty for Marxist guerrillas who fought both the dictatorship and the elected civilian governments that preceded it.

The amnesties were meant to help Uruguayans reconcile after a long period of conflict, and before the vote, Mujica, himself a former rebel, raised questions about how the military might respond. He warned that scrapping the amnesty would create "political dangers that may be impossible to overcome."

The Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that the amnesty was unconstitutional and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled this year that Uruguay must remove roadblocks to prosecuting crimes against humanity.

Human rights groups argue the official amnesty allows government crimes to go unpunished, and Broad Front members say that the government's "dirty war" continued long after the Tupamaro guerrillas had been defeated.

The issue has divided this small country of 3.5 million people almost down the middle.

Uruguay's Senate approved the measure to annul the amnesty by a single vote in April. Two popular plebiscites to overturn the amnesty failed to win majorities, but by thin margins. Forty-six percent voted to overturn the amnesty in 1989 and and 48 percent voted for the measure in 2009.

A peace commission found in 2003 that the dictatorship killed 175 leftist political activists, 26 of them in clandestine torture centers.

But the Tupamaros also committed killings, kidnappings, robberies and other attacks after taking up arms in 1963 against democratically elected governments. They were defeated a decade later.

Leftist activists on Friday commemorated those who died under the dictatorship. The day marks the anniversary of the 1976 murder of two Uruguayan congressmen who were killed while in exile in Argentina after a military government seized power there and cooperated with the soldiers running Uruguay in attacking leftists.

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Military ruler tells Egyptians to look forward (AP)

CAIRO – Egypt's military leader on Monday called on his people to look to the future, help improve internal security and work for a better economy.

It was the first public speech by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi since his Military Council took power in Egypt after President Hosni Mubarak was deposed on Feb. 11 after a popular revolution.

Tantawi spoke at a graduation ceremony for police cadets. His 20-minute speech was broadcast on Egyptian TV.

He said internal security and the economy are linked and spoke against a wave of protests and labor strikes that has rocked the country.

He said, "Let's leave the past aside, not forget it, but put it aside for now so that we can push forward with the most energy we have."

Reformers are pressing for prosecution of Mubarak and members of his regime for corruption.

Mubarak's wife turned over her property and funds to the state, a move designed to settle corruption allegations against her, officials and lawyers said Monday.

Mubarak and his wife, Suzanne, have been questioned about their financial dealings. Some estimates put Mubarak's holdings in the tens of billions of dollars.

The prosecution of former regime officials, including the Mubaraks, has been one of the main demands by the activists who led the uprising that forced Mubarak to step down on Feb.11.

By relinquishing her claims, Mrs. Mubarak is benefiting from articles in the law which allow those accused of making illegal gains of giving them up in exchange for dropping the investigation, said lawyer Nasser Amin.

The move could open the way for others who are in detention on accusations of abusing their powers to settle with the state by returning their money.

Suzanne Mubarak, 70, has been hospitalized following an order to detain her over allegations she took advantage of her husband's position to enrich herself.

Mubarak, 83, is also in the hospital under detention for investigation into his financial dealings. He is also facing allegations that he ordered the a violent crackdown against protesters.

A prosecution official said the investigation by anti-corruption prosecutors disclosed that Suzanne Mubarak had about $3 million in bank accounts in Egypt and owned a villa in the suburb where she and her husband lived. It was not yet clear how much money the Mubaraks had abroad.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose details, said the case against her has not yet been closed, but the settlement strips the case of its importance, and her detention order may be reconsidered.

Amin said the settlement clearly a "compromise" to let the former first lady go free, while her children and husband remain under detention, and to meet one of the demands of the revolutionaries, which is to retrieve wasted money.

He said not everyone will be pleased.

"The decision may not be accepted by society, who after a revolution, side with the idea of revenge. But from the legal point of view, this is in line."

Tantawi, 75, has led a largely secretive military body ruling the country. The Military Council has called parliamentary elections for September, with a presidential election to follow.

Reformers have criticized the military for continuing some of the ways of the Mubarak era, including arresting activists and imprisoning them without charges.

Tantawi appealed for calm and unity, speaking out strongly against Muslim-Christian violence that has erupted several times since Mubarak was deposed.

He said the military rulers will not tolerate religious strife, warning that they will strike with "an iron fist" against instigators.

___

Associated Press writer Ashraf Sweilam contributed to this report from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

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Pakistan wants U.S. military cuts

Pakistanis assailed the United States' military presence in their country Thursday amid a furor over a secret raid by U.S. Special Forces that killed Osama bin Laden.

Pakistani army troops guard the perimeter of the walled compound where Osama bin Laden was caught and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

"The clash of East and West will deepen if America and the rest of the world cannot respect boundaries," said Sehrish Khan of Lahore. "Pakistan is a nuclear state; no country should damn well feel it can carry out a military operation in one of its cities."

Some Pakistanis have criticized the Pakistani army and the government for the raid on the compound of the al-Qaeda leader, who was shot dead early Monday by U.S. Navy SEALs. Many Pakistanis have said they are angry over the violation of the country's sovereignty and doubt government claims that it was not aware of the raid.

"There shall not be any doubt that any repetition of such an act will have disastrous consequences," Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said.

Bashir declined to say whether the American raid was illegal and said relations between Pakistan and the United States remained on course.

In protesting the raid, Pakistan's army called for cuts in the number of U.S. military personnel inside the country. The statement was the first since Monday's raid. The army admitted intelligence "shortcomings" in not finding bin Laden, who was living in Abbottabad, about a two-hour drive from the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan's army chief of staff, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, told his colleagues that a decision had been made to reduce the number of U.S. military personnel to the "minimum essential" levels. The statement gave no details.

The United States has about 275 declared military personnel in Pakistan at any one time, and some of them help train the Pakistani army.

U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.

The Pakistani army also warned that it would review its military and intelligence cooperation with Washington if the United States carries out similar raids.

The army said the Inter-Services Intelligence agency had given initial information to the CIA about bin Laden, but claimed the "CIA did not share further development of intelligence on the case with the ISI, contrary to the existing practice between the two services."

"It is not always an easy relationship," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday in Rome. "But on the other hand, it is a productive one for both of our countries, and we are going to continue to cooperate between our governments, our militaries, our law enforcement agencies."

Khan and other Pakistanis said they are pleased that bin Laden was killed, but the operation should have been done with Pakistan's cooperation.

"Intelligence sharing would have remained a better solution," Khan said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Pakistan orders cuts in U.S. military personnel

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's army ordered a reduction in U.S. military personnel operating inside the country on Thursday in apparent protest at a unilateral American commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Pakistani army troops on Thursday guard the perimeter of the walled compound where Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad during a weekend raid.

The army has been heavily criticized at home for allowing the country's sovereignty to be violated during Monday's pre-dawn operation in a busy garrison town not far from the capital, Islamabad. It is also facing international charges it may have been harboring the al-Qaeda chief, given his location.

The army statement, the first since the raid, appeared aimed at countering both charges.

It said a decision had been made to reduce the number of U.S. military personnel to the "minimum essential" levels, but gave no more details and a spokesman declined to elaborate. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment.

The U.S. has around 275 declared U.S. military personnel in Pakistan at any one time, some of them helping train the Pakistan army.

The Pakistani army also warned that it would review its military and intelligence cooperation with Washington if the United States carries out any more similar raids. Earlier, the government had warned of "disastrous consequences" if the U.S. staged a similar attack on its territory.

But in an apparent nod to international criticism, the army admitted to "shortcomings in developing intelligence on the presence" of bin Laden in Pakistan.

Still, it said its Inter-Services Intelligence agency had given initial information to the CIA about bin Laden, but claimed the "CIA did not share further development of intelligence on the case with the ISI, contrary to the existing practice between the two services."

Ties between American and Pakistan were already strained before Monday's raid because of American allegations it was failing to crackdown on Afghan Taliban factions sheltering on its soil and Pakistan anger over U.S. drone strikes on its soil.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Bin Laden's death scares military families

Priscilla Thurman, with her husband, Sgt. Shawn Thurman, and kids, says she's concerned about his upcoming deployment.News of Osama bin Laden's death met with a mix of elation and fear by military families
Threat of retaliation is shared among many as security alert levels raised
Tonja Dreke, along with other military wives, says, "We are all worried about retribution"
What's your take? Post a video on CNN iReport or sound off in the comments below

(CNN) -- When Priscilla Thurman first heard the news that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden was killed, she was relieved. Soon after though, she said she started to worry about the threat of retaliation directed at U.S. troops.

Thurman, who lives in Killeen, Texas, is anxiously counting down the days until her husband, Sgt. Shawn Thurman, makes his third military deployment, this time to Afghanistan. Bin Laden's death makes the departure even more nerve-racking, she said.

"While most woke up joyous and thinking it's over or we're all safe now, I woke up feeling very uneasy," Thurman wrote on CNN iReport. The 29-year-old mother of three said she was compelled "to share my opinion because I don't know if there's anyone who feels like I do."

As it turns out, Thurman isn't alone. She's among dozens of military wives, mothers and family members who posted iReports and comments on CNN.com expressing concern about the threat of retribution in light of bin Laden's death. As celebrations erupted on college campuses and at monuments across the United States until the wee hours of Monday, the reactions from military families painted a much more somber portrait.

Lori Burdette of Augusta, Georgia, spent Monday morning exchanging text messages and Facebook posts with other military wives concerned about their husbands' safety. "I just feel that the general public doesn't realize what this could mean to our military," she said. "They want to think that this might end the war, but what I'm hearing and feeling from other military wives is fear -- fear that this will escalate the evil and cause more harm to our men and women in uniform."

Read Burdette's thoughts on CNN iReport

Although bin Laden's death undoubtedly weakened al Qaeda, many said they expect the terrorist organization to strike back. The U.S. State Department has issued a worldwide travel advisory for Americans traveling abroad, and a soldier in a special forces unit based in Georgia told CNN on Monday that elite military units have sprung into high alert.

"We are all worried about retribution," said Tonja Dreke, who lives at the Schofield Barracks Army post in Wahiawa, Hawaii. "We are scared for the service members currently deployed; we are scared to live on post, where we have the potential to also be a target."

"I just feel that the general public doesn't realize what this could mean to our military.
--Lori Burdette

Since September 11, her husband has been deployed to Iraq twice and Afghanistan once. Dreke knows that bin Laden's death doesn't mean the threat of deployments will end anytime soon, but she said she does feel some sense of relief.

"I really thought that the man would probably die in the mountains of his own health-related issues. That wasn't the way any of us wanted to see him go," she said. "Whether morally wrong to feel this way, we wanted the U.S. to get him. We wanted it to be our guys who killed him. There's a bit more satisfaction in that than to just know he was gone."

Despite all the fears of retaliation, there were moments of celebration, too. Andrew Tyler McDermott, a student at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, captured photos of Navy midshipmen celebrating the death of the terrorist leader Sunday night. The images show a mob of students cheering and running across campus.

McDermott said it was a touching sight. "It was very inspiring when they sang the national anthem; some people even began to cry," he said.

And for Tosha Phillips of Macon, Georgia, bin Laden's death brings her some much-needed closure. She was just 27 when her husband, Staff Sgt. Ronald Phillips Jr., was killed in Iraq in October 2008.

See CNN's Home and Away tribute page to Sgt. Phillips

When she heard the reports that bin Laden had been killed, she cried tears of joy. "Now I feel that my husband's death was for a reason," she said.

Phillips imagined her husband dancing in heaven upon hearing the news of bin Laden's demise. "It gave me hope that one day this war will end, and one day the troops will come home," she said.

CNN's David Williams and Daphne Sashin contributed to this report.

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Military: Troop ailments, from backs to breathing, swell

WASHINGTON — More than 190,000 active-duty servicemembers sought treatment for back injuries in 2010 ? roughly 70,000 more than did in 2001, before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, according to a Defense Department morbidity report released Friday.

U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin McCune, 21, is carried through a military hospital on March 22, 2010 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 82nd Airborne soldier suffered back injuries when his armored vehicle struck an IED.

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U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin McCune, 21, is carried through a military hospital on March 22, 2010 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. The 82nd Airborne soldier suffered back injuries when his armored vehicle struck an IED.

The number of servicemembers who saw a doctor for adjustment disorders increased from 33,987 in 2001 to 79,500 in 2010.

And 140,000 more servicemembers had signs and symptoms of respiratory problems in 2010 than did the previous year.

Mental disorders possibly caused by combat stress increased by about 170,000 cases from 2001 to 2010. And an increase of epilepsy ? from 1,514 cases in 2001 to 2,620 in 2010 ? may come as a result of an increase in traumatic brain injuries, which has been connected to the disorder

But some of those numbers ? such as a jump from 9,688 diagnosed "all other neurologic conditions" in 2001 to 32,667 in 2010, or the increase from 65,520 cardiovascular cases in 2001 to 91,013 in 2010 ? may seem more mysterious. Doctors, researchers and environmental experts, both civilian and military, believe open burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan may be partly to blame. Most of the pits in Iraq ? one of which burned 240 tons of Styrofoam, plastic water bottles, diesel engines and computer parts along with other trash every day ? have been shut down since Congress demanded it, but new ones have been created to get rid of troop waste in Afghanistan.

And, civilian studies have shown that fine particulate matter increases cases of respiratory and cardiovascular disorders. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates industrial particulate matter for just that reason, but the troops have breathed in everything from cement-factory exhaust to leaded gasoline fumes in the Middle East.

The number of pregnancy complications also increased from 13,755 in 2001 to 24,540 in 2010.

"As noted many times in the past, the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries of all types ? particularly, back injuries ? and the detection, characterization and management of mental disorders ? including substance disorder and deployment stress-related disorders, e.g., PTSD ? should have the highest priorities for military medical research, public health and force health protection programs," states the Defense Department's newly released Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.

The report also cites the "scarce resources for diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and disability compensation."

The numbers include active-duty servicemembers who went to a military health clinic at a permanent base anywhere in the world and do not include evaluations performed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

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Witnesses: Military operation in Syria

NEW: Witness: Soldiers "are breaking into people's houses, firing randomly at houses"3,000 soldiers are in Daraa, a witness saysDaraa is the city where the current anti-government protests beganProtesters want freedom, regime reform, and the ability to create independent political parties

(CNN) -- Fear and panic coursed through Daraa as the Syrian army launched a major military operation in the southern Syrian city Monday.

As one witness spoke to CNN by phone, the sound of gunfire could be heard in the background, along with people screaming, "Allahu Akbar" -- meaning "God is great."

"There are around 3,000 soldiers in Daraa now. They are breaking into people's houses, firing randomly at houses," the resident said. "We were sleeping and not protesting."

Another witness described an onslaught of tanks infiltrating the city.

"Before dawn prayers, around 4:30 a.m., the Syrian security forces broke into Daraa," the witness said. "There were so many tanks that entered the city from its four corners. People were heading to mosques when the attack started. People in mosques started warning the people through loud speakers, but the gunfire had already started."

The witness added that ambulances were not allowed into the city and that electricity and phone lines were down.

CNN was unable to independently verify the accounts, as it has not been granted access into Syria.

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Anti-government protests that have taken hold in many parts of Syria began in Daraa last month following a violent crackdown by security forces on peaceful demonstrators protesting the arrests of youths who scribbled anti-government graffiti. Protesters have asked for freedom and regime reform, and public discontent with President Bashar al-Assad's government has mounted.

Activists also want the easing of the ruling Baath Party's power and a law that would permit the establishment of independent political parties.

The Syrian government has accused protesters of shooting at security forces, while opposition activists and demonstrators accuse the government of killing demonstrators.

Reports of violence over the past several days have been particularly gruesome.

On Sunday, at least three protesters were killed when security forces and secret police raided the town of Jableh on Syria's western coast and fired at demonstrators without warning, according to an eyewitness and demonstrator.

Security forces surrounded a mosque that was being used to treat the wounded, preventing 18 seriously wounded people from being hospitalized, according to a doctor inside.

On Saturday, at least 10 people died Saturday after Syrian security forces opened fire on mourners at funeral processions in the Damascus suburb of Douma and the southern town of Izraa, according to witness accounts.

And Amnesty International reported at least 75 deaths across the country on Friday.

The Syrian government and security forces have been largely silent to international media over the past month and generally speak only through state media. There was no immediate word from the Syrian leadership about the reports from Daraa on Monday.

"The Syrian regime is killing us," one man in Daraa told CNN on Monday. "Please tell the world."

CNN's Raja Razek contributed to this report.

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Michelle Obama's Plane Flew Less Than 3 Miles to Military Jet, Safety Officials Say

The White House plane carrying first lady Michelle Obama came even closer to a military cargo jet than previously reported, according to a new report from the National Safety Transportation Safety Board.

The close call on Monday night left 2.94 miles of distance between the Obama plane and the 200-ton C-17 jet as they both approached landing at Andrews Air Force base just outside of Washington. Air traffic controllers at Andrews directed Obama's plane to abort a landing, the board said in a statement Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration had previously said there was more than three miles between the planes, and had ordered controllers' supervisors to oversee flights carrying the first lady and the vice president. A supervisor was already required to monitors flights with President Obama on board.

Obama's plane, a Boeing 737, was considerably smaller than the 200-ton C17 ahead of it. Federal regulations require five miles between planes to avoid dangerous wake turbulence when the plane in the lead is significantly larger than the one trailing.

The planes were lined up for their landing approach into Andrews by a controller at a regional radar facility in Warrenton, Va., the board said. The planes were already too close when controllers at Andrews took over.

The Andrews controllers immediately ordered the 737 pilot to execute a series of turns to increase its distance from the cargo plane. When the distance continued to narrow, the controllers directed the 737 pilot to abort the landing and circle the airport until the cargo jet cleared the runway.

On board the plane with Mrs. Obama was Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Biden.

The board also said a Southwest Airlines jet with 142 people aboard came perilously close to a small plane over central Florida last month. The planes, traveling at more than 100 miles per hour, could have closed the short distance within seconds. They were flying at an altitude of about 11,000 feet at the time.

The board said previously that a controller at a regional radar facility near Jacksonville asked the Southwest pilot to fly close enough to look into the cockpit window of the smaller plane, a single-engine, four-seat Cirrus SR22. The Cirrus had been out of radio contact for over an hour.

Both planes landed safety. The controller has been suspended pending an investigation.

Also Friday, National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Paul Rinaldi called on the FAA to allow controllers to sleep on breaks during daytime shifts, and to take scheduled naps of as long as two hours during overnight shifts. Rinaldi also endorsed 10 other recommendations for combating fatigue offered by a working group of agency and union officials.

"If we are serious about addressing controller fatigue, then every recommendation must be adopted and implemented" Rinaldi said.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood have ruled out any change in policy to allow controllers to nap during work shifts, even on breaks. That's despite the disclosure since late March of at least five incidents of controllers dozing off at work.

Instead, Babbitt has increased by an hour the minimum amount of rest between work shifts. The FAA has also added a second controller on overnight shifts at 27 airports and a radar facility to prevent any more planes from landing without tower assistance because a controller working alone at night has fallen asleep.

Planes flew unguided because of a sleeping controller into Washington's Reagan National airport last month and in Reno, Nev., this month.

Rinaldi, while appreciative of the changes, said "they barely scratch the surface of the problem."

FAA officials declined comment.

The FAA has known for decades that controllers work exhausting schedules that can affect their ability to safely manage air traffic. The sleeping incidents, as well as recent errors by controllers, have shaken public confidence in the nation's air traffic system.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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