Town mourns 19 firefighters killed in Ariz. blaze

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — The firefighters walked down the bleachers in a silent gymnasium full of mourners, their heavy work boots drumming a march on the wooden steps.

They bowed their heads for moments of silence at the front of an auditorium that was so packed organizers had to send people outside for fear of violating the fire code. The burly men then hugged each other and cried at the end of a deeply emotional memorial Monday evening in the Arizona mountain town of Prescott.

More than 1,000 people gathered in the gymnasium on the campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as others throughout the state and beyond also mourned the deaths of the 19 Prescott-based firefighters killed Sunday outside nearby Yarnell. The day marked the nation's deadliest for fire crews since Sept. 11, 2001.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo spoke in a shaky voice at the memorial as he described throwing a picnic a month ago for the department's new recruits and meeting their families.

"About five hours ago, I met those same families at an auditorium," he said. "Those families lost. The Prescott Fire Department lost. The city of Prescott lost, the state of Arizona and the nation lost," he said before receiving a standing ovation as he left the podium.

For the 19 killed, violent wind gusts turned a lightning-caused forest fire into a death trap that left no escape.

In a desperate attempt at survival, the firefighters — members of a highly skilled Arizona-based Hotshot crew — had unfurled their foil-lined, heat-resistant shelters and rushed to cover themselves on the ground. But the success of the shelters depends on firefighters being in a cleared area away from fuels and not in the direct path of a raging fire.

Only one member of the 20-person crew survived, and that was because he was moving the unit's truck at the time.

The blaze grew from 200 acres to about 2,000 in a matter of hours, and Prescott City Councilman Len Scamardo said the wind and fire made it impossible for the firefighters to flee around 3 p.m. Sunday.

"The winds were coming from the southeast, blowing to the west, away from Yarnell and populated areas. Then the wind started to blow in, the wind kicked up to 40 to 50 mph gusts and it blew east, south, west - every which way," he said. "What limited information we have was there was a gust of wind from the north that blew the fire backed, and trapped them."

Authorities are investigating to figure out what exactly went wrong after the wind suddenly changed direction. Mary Rasmussen, a spokeswoman for the Southwest incident team, said Atlanta NIMO - National Incident Management Organization will be the lead in the probe and will aim to put out a report in the coming days with preliminary information.

The multi-agency group of investigators arrived Monday and was being briefed in Phoenix. Judith Downing, a spokeswoman for the taskforce, said they would go to the fire scene Tuesday.

Southwest incident team leader Clay Templin said the crew and its commanders were following safety protocols, and it appears the fire's erratic nature simply overwhelmed them.

The Hotshot team had spent recent weeks fighting fires in New Mexico and Prescott before being called to Yarnell, entering the smoky wilderness over the weekend with backpacks, chainsaws and other heavy gear to remove brush and trees.

In a heartbreaking sight, a long line of vans from a coroner's office carried the bodies of the 19 firefighters Monday from Yarnell to Phoenix for autopsies, as the fire burned out of control. It was zero percent contained and had burned 8,400 acres as a heat wave across the Southwest sent temperature soaring.

Yavapai County said an estimated 200 homes and other structures burned in Yarnell and hundreds of people have been evacuated.

About 200 firefighters arrived to the scorching mountains, doubling the number of firefighters battling the blaze, ignited by lightning. Many of them also were part of Hotshot crews.

In addition to the flames, downed power lines and exploding propane tanks continued to threaten what was left of the town, said fire information officer Steve Skurja. A light rain fell over the area but did little in helping crews gain the upper hand fire.

Arizona's governor called Sunday "as dark a day as I can remember" and ordered flags flown at half-staff.

"I know that it is unbearable for many of you, but it also is unbearable for me. I know the pain that everyone is trying to overcome and deal with today," said Gov. Jan Brewer, her voice catching several times as she addressed reporters and residents at Prescott High School in the town of 40,000.

Fraijo said he feared the worst when he received a call Sunday afternoon from someone assigned to the fire.

"All he said was, 'We might have bad news. The entire Hotshot crew deployed their shelters,'" Fraijo said. "When we talk about deploying the shelters, that's an automatic fear, absolutely. That's a last-ditch effort to save yourself when you deploy your shelter."

The 19 killed were Andrew Ashcraft, 29; Kevin Woyjeck, 21; Anthony Rose, 23; Eric Marsh, 43; Christopher MacKenzie, 30; Robert Caldwell, 23; Clayton Whitted , 28; Scott Norris, 28; Dustin Deford, 24; Sean Misner, 26; Garret Zuppiger, 27; Travis Carter, 31; Grant McKee, 21; Travis Turbyfill, 27; Jesse Steed, 36; Wade Parker, 22; Joe Thurston, 32; William Warneke, 25; and John Percin, 24.

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Associated Press writers Bob Christie in Phoenix, Brian Skoloff in Yarnell, Felicia Fonseca in Prescott, and Martin Di Caro in Washington contributed to this report.

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Company IDs 7 killed in Afghanistan plane crash

DETROIT (AP) — Jamie Brokaw was an experienced navigator who was no stranger to dangerous flying situations and had the skills to stay cool in the face of danger, according to close friend Chris Connerton.

"He was a very good person and very smart person," Connerton told The Associated Press by telephone from Rochester, Minn.

Brokaw, 33, of Monroe, Mich., was among seven Americans killed Monday when their National Air Cargo plane crashed near an Air Force base in Afghanistan. Six of the victims were from Michigan and a seventh was from Kentucky, said Shirley Kaufman, National Air Cargo vice president.

Connerton said Brokaw was a key reason he was able to make it through flight school in Jacksonville, Fla., where they met.

Connerton also described a harrowing flight two years ago from Toledo, Ohio, to an international flight expo in Lakeland, Fla. Connerton said ice had built up on the plane to the point that he could no longer get it to climb.

"If it wasn't for Jamie's navigation and know-how ... we wouldn't have made it," Connerton said.

Killed along with Brokaw in the Afghanistan crash were Gary Stockdale, 51; pilots Brad Hasler, 34, of Trenton, Mich., and Jeremy Lipka, 37, of Brooklyn, Mich.; first officer Rinku Summan, 32, of Canton, Mich.; loadmaster Michael Sheets, 36, of Ypsilanti, Mich.; and maintenance crewman Timothy Garrett, 51, of Louisville, Ky.

Building model planes and working on real ones comprised Stockdale's passion, filling the family's basement with models in his youth, jumping into aviation as a career at age 16 — and later working at two Detroit-area airports.

Stockdale also knew the dangers of flying, his older brother said Tuesday.

"He always said it was dangerous," said Glenn Stockdale, 55. "He would always say, 'You either will die in a car crash or a ball of flame in a plane.'"

Lipka had flow in Iraq as well as Afghanistan and had close calls before, said his stepfather, Dave Buttman.

"There was risk there all the time. He knew the risks. He volunteered to take the trips," Buttman told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis. "Basically, you're taking your chances flying in there and he was just happy to be one of the pilots to do it."

The Dubai-bound Boeing 747-400 — operated by National Air Cargo — crashed just after takeoff Monday from Bagram Air Base around 11:20 a.m. local time, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement Tuesday.

The accident site is within the perimeter of Bagram Air Base.

The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for downing the plane, but NATO said the claims were false and there was no sign of insurgent activity in the area at the time of the crash.

The NTSB said it will lead a team of three investigators to assist the Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation in investigating the crash. But a ministry spokesman, Nangoialy Qalatwal, said Tuesday the ministry is not involved with the investigation because it occurred at a military and not a civilian airport.

Kaufman said the plane — owned by National Airlines, an Orlando, Fla.-based subsidiary of National Air Cargo — was carrying vehicles and other cargo.

Elena Garrett, of Jeffersonville, Ind., just across the Ohio River from Louisville, said ex-husband Timothy Garrett would have turned 52 on Saturday. They have two daughters together, ages 11 and 12.

"We're all devastated," Elena Garrett said about his death. "We were still best friends. He's the best father I've ever seen (and) ready to help anybody. He would give the shirt off his back for anybody."

Bill Hasler said his family learned Monday morning that his brother, Brad, was one of the crash victims.

"Brad was a wonderful father to two young children, a beloved husband to a wife who is expecting another child, a loving son, and the most loyal and supportive brother I could have ever asked for," Bill Hasler said in a statement. "His influence in the lives of all of us who loved him is immeasurable, and our grief is indescribable."

National Airlines was based until recently at Michigan's Willow Run Airport, west of Detroit. It carries cargo both commercially and for the military, Kaufman said. She said the company employs about 225 people.

Summan had worked 2? years for National Air Cargo, said his wife, Rajnit Summan.

Rajnit Summan said she last spoke to her husband Sunday.

"I told him to be safe," she said.

___

Joan Lowy reported from Washington. Associated Press writers David N. Goodman in Detroit, Elizabeth Campbell in Louisville, Ky., and Patrick Quinn in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.

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Official: 1 adult, 4 kids killed in Georgia fire

NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) — A woman and four young children died early Saturday as a fire engulfed a home in west Georgia, and authorities said only an 11-year-old girl who was woken by her mother escaped. The woman died trying to save the remaining children.

Firefighters were alerted at 1:17 a.m. Saturday to the blaze at the single-story home in Newnan, about 40 miles southwest of Atlanta. Georgia state Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens ruled that the fire was accidental and appeared to have originated in an electrical panel in the home's den area, said Glenn Allen, the commissioner's spokesman.

The fire killed Alonna T. McCrary, 27, as well as her 5-year-old daughter Eriel McCrary and 2-year-old daughter Nikia White, according to Allen. Two other children — Messiah White, 3, and McKenzie Florence, 2 — also died. Allen said the two were sleeping over at the home.

A fifth child, 11-year-old Nautica McCrary, escaped the burning home and was taken to a hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Allen said she has since been released.

Newnan police Chief Buster Meadows said the older girl's mother was able to get her safely out of the burning house.

"The mother woke her up and told her to run," Meadows said. "There was someone outside who she ran to, and the mother went back after the others. Neither her nor the other four children made it out."

By the time firefighters arrived, Meadows said, the house was completely engulfed in flames.

Neighbor Jemeka Beadles said McCrary's running back into the home was a testament to the kind of mother she was.

"She did what any woman would do in that situation," Beadles said.

Beadles said Eriel had recently graduated from pre-kindergarten. "Her mom had just put all her little graduation pictures on Facebook with her cap and gown on," she said. "It seems unreal, it just seems so unreal."

McCrary's cousin, Tamara Terrell, said she had lived in the house for nearly four years before McCrary moved in. Terrell cried as she sat with others across the street and recalled having problems with the home's gas and electrical system before she moved out in January. Terrell said McCrary moved into the house the next month.

But landlord Glenn Marlowe, of Moreland, said, "There was never an electrical problem in the house, period." He said he hadn't owned the home for very long and couldn't provide additional information.

Coweta County property records show that the landlord's wife, Peggy Marlowe, has owned the house since March 2011. Tax records list her as the owner of six residential properties in the county, including the house where she and her husband live in Moreland.

Firefighters found the charred remains of a smoke detector inside the home but it was unclear whether the device worked, Allen said.

The burned house was still surrounded by yellow tape 12 hours after the fire. Its brick walls were charred and the roof had gaping holes exposing the rafters. Soot covered a car parked in the driveway.

Before noon, friends and relatives had started a makeshift memorial of items left beside the mailbox. Neighbors tied a cluster of balloons— one reading "We Love You" — to the mailbox and left candles, teddy bears and a small cross. A pair of bicycles, one pink and one purple, also had been left near the growing memorial. One neighbor used spray paint to write a Bible verse on a blanket, then left it on the lawn.

Neighbors said the fire devastated the close-knit community, but they vowed to stay strong for the surviving child and for one another.

"We're country folks. We did a lot of things together — raised our kids together, played together, we cry together, we eat together," Belinda Beasely said. "We don't have that much, but we learn to love each other and appreciate what we got."

____

Associated Press writer Russ Bynum in Savannah, Ga., contributed to this report.

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BBC reporter killed in Afghanistan

Afghan journalists place wreaths for Ahmad Omid Khpalwak during a memorial gathering in Kabul on August 4, 2011. Ahmad Omid Khpalwak was killed in July after an insurgent attack in Tarin KowtHe worked for the BBC and Pajhwok News AgencyA soldier thought the man was wearing a suicide vest

(CNN) -- A reporter was killed by a U.S. service member last July in southern Afghanistan in a case of mistaken identity, according to the results of an investigation by NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Ahmad Omid Khpalwak -- a free-lancer for the BBC and Pajhwok News Agency in Afghanistan -- was killed during an insurgent attack in the Uruzgan province city of Tarin Kowt on July 28. He was 25 and joined the BBC in May 2008 as a stringer, the network said.

"Mr. Khpalwak was shot by an ISAF member who believed he was an insurgent that posed a threat and was about to detonate a suicide vest improvised explosive device," the NATO-led force said in a statement Thursday. ISAF identified the soldiers at the scene as Americans.

"The investigating officer found that the ISAF member involved in this incident complied with the laws of armed conflict and rules of engagement and acted reasonably under the circumstances."

Peter Horrocks, director BBC Global News, said the death is "a tragedy for his family and friends as well as his colleagues at the BBC."

It "further highlights the great dangers facing journalists who put their lives on the line to provide vital news from around the world," he said. "It is essential that journalists are given the best possible protection whilst reporting in dangerous situations so that the world can hear their stories."

Insurgents staged what ISAF said was a "complex attack" on a number of targets, including the provincial governor's compound and the Radio Television Afghanistan compound. The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 22 people were killed and 37 people were injured.

Gen. John R. Allen, commander of ISAF, appointed an independent investigating officer to examine the circumstances of the death.

The report said two insurgents gained entry to the RTA compound when they used a car bomb to destroy a gate and a section of the wall.

From inside the building they traded fire with uniformed Afghan forces and shot at U.S. soldiers arriving at the scene. The firing from the insurgents eventually stopped amid escalating force by the Americans.

Afghan leadership told the forces that two suicide bombers were in the RTA building and that they "were not aware of any civilians present," ISAF said.

"Upon U.S. soldiers entering the RTA building, the two suicide bombers detonated their explosives, collapsing the front walls of the building and trapping members of the clearing team under heavy brick debris," ISAF said.

As some soldiers aided the injured, some continued clearing building remains and others "remained in overwatch to provide security."

During the clearing operation, a soldier "identified movement of a young adult male in the building through a large hole in a broken wall."

"The room the man was in was immediately adjacent to the room where one of the suicide bombers had detonated his suicide vest IED, and across the hall from the other suicide vest detonation, just minutes before," ISAF said.

The soldier heard a shot he thought was from the man's "exact location." ISAF said "it is probable that the shot he heard was actually fire by a soldier inside the building during the building clearing."

The soldier "assessed the individual he observed to be enemy and fired a single round which did not strike him. In the stress and urgency of the moment, it is highly probable that soldiers in the courtyard outside the building incorrectly perceived that shot as having been fired by the man in the building."

ISAF said several soldiers thought the man was shooting, and called out warnings.

"A soldier was directed to move up to the broken wall where the man was seen. As the soldier approached he observed a young adult male with a beard with something clinched in one of his fists and reaching for something on his person with his other hand."

The soldier assessed the actions as those of a suicide bomber who was working to detonate an IED that "posed a lethal threat."

The soldier shot and killed the man. They later discovered that the man was Khpalwak. No weapon was found on him.

"It appears that all the rounds perceived as coming from his location were instead fired by U.S. soldiers," ISAF said.

The BBC said the "confusion surrounding the circumstances" intensified "the tragedy felt by the journalist's family and colleagues."

"The BBC recognizes that ISAF has provided clarification that he was killed by a U.S. soldier, ending a period of uncertainty," the network said in a statement. "We will be studying the details of the findings and await receipt of the full report."

CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report

CNN

Two women journalists killed in Mexico City (Reuters)

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican authorities are investigating the murder of two women journalists whose bodies were found in a park in the south of Mexico City on Thursday.

Dozens of journalists have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico in the past five years. However, the attorney general's office in the capital said the motive for the killing of the two friends was unclear.

"This is still being investigated," a spokesman said, adding that initial findings suggested the victims had been strangled. Both women were 48, the spokesman added.

One of the women, Ana Yarce, was the founder of investigative magazine Contralinea, it said in a statement. The other, Rocio Gonzalez, had worked previously for broadcaster Televisa, the magazine added.

Daily newspaper Reforma said Gonzalez had apparently just withdrawn a large sum of money and the two women may have been victims of a violent robbery.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Todd Eastham)

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3 killed in southern Australia helicopter crash (AP)

SYDNEY – Three people were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Australia, police said Friday, with a prominent Australian journalist believed to be among the dead.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. said three members of its news crew, including veteran journalist Paul Lockyer, are believed to have died when their chopper crashed Thursday in a remote part of South Australia state.

Lockyer, cameraman John Bean and pilot Gary Ticehurst were working in the area on a story about Lake Eyre, a massive Outback lake, the ABC said.

South Australia police confirmed three people were killed in the accident and said they were investigating the cause of the crash.

A tour guide who had chatted with those on board shortly before they took off saw a large fireball in the distance soon after the helicopter departed, Police Assistant Commissioner Neil Smith said.

The crash site is surrounded by water and boggy land, making access to the area difficult, Smith said. The remoteness of the region was also making it tough to get in touch with investigators on the scene, he said.

"We are not expecting to have any positive news, any positive identification or the full extent of the detail for some time," Smith told reporters in Adelaide.

Lockyer was an award-winning journalist whose career spanned more than 40 years and included assignments in Washington and Asia.

Ticehurst was a well-known media pilot who worked for the ABC for more than 25 years. Bean, a Brisbane-based cameraman, was a 20-year veteran of the ABC who worked throughout Australia, the Pacific and in Washington.

"This has been the longest of nights and we fear it will be the saddest of days," ABC managing director Mark Scott said.

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9 killed in Shiite holy city in Iraq

Many Shiite pilgrims have started walking to Karbala, home to a shrine honoring the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.An additional 70 people are woundedIn one attack, a motorcycle rigged with explosives detonatesIn another attack, two car bombs explode

Baghdad (CNN) -- Separate blasts in Iraq killed nine people and left dozens wounded in attacks targeting pilgrims near the Shiite holy city of Karbala, authorities said Saturday.

An additional 70 people were wounded in the three blasts between Friday and Saturday, the Interior Ministry officials said.

A motorcycle rigged with explosives detonated in southern Karbala Saturday morning, killing one and wounding 27 others.

In a second attack, two car bombs exploded Friday afternoon within a few seconds in the Awan district north of Karbala. Two died and 15 were injured.

A third car bomb exploded Friday night in Twareej district north of Karbala, killing six people and wounding 28 others.

All the attacks targeted Shiite pilgrims heading to Karbala to mark the Shabaniya, the birthday of the 12th and last Imam, Mohammed Ibn Hassan al-Mahdi. Since 2003, thousands of Shiite pilgrims have been killed and wounded in explosions and assassinations.

Shabaniya falls on Sunday but many pilgrims have already started walking to Karbala, about 100km (62 miles) south of Baghdad.

No group claimed responsibility, but such attacks bear the hallmark of al-Qaeda in Iraq, said an Interior Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media.

CNN

Six killed at Pakistan political rally

The blast occurs in Butgram, about 80 miles north of IslamabadThe suicide attacker detonates explosives when he is stopped at the entrance to the rallyThe lawmaker who was scheduled to speak was not present, an official says

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least six people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide attack targeting a political rally in northwest Pakistan on Monday, officials said.

The blast took place in Butgram, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Islamabad in Khyber Pakhtunkwa province. The province was formerly known as the North West Frontier Province.

Amir Muqam, a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), was scheduled to address the rally, said senior government official Khalid Umarzai.

The lawmaker had not yet arrived when security personnel stopped the alleged bomber at the entrance to the event, Umarzai said.

The bomber then detonated explosives, he said.

Among those killed were two police officers, two women and a child, Umarzai said.

Journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report.

CNN

Up to 13 Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrike (AFP)

KHOST, Afghanistan (AFP) – Up to 13 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in a NATO airstrike on Thursday in the eastern Afghan province of Khost, provincial police chief Mohamad Zazai said.

"Unfortunately eight women, four children, and one man were killed in a NATO airstrike on a residential house in Dowamanda district early this morning," Zazai said.

He said four militants from the Taliban-linked Haqqani network were also killed in the strike.

"The body of a Haqqani commander and three fighters have also been recovered from the vicinity of the house. A delegation has been sent to investigate the incident," he said.

A spokesman for the provincial governor confirmed that civilians had been killed in the incident but gave no further details.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force said those killed were family members of the Haqqani network, which is a target of the alliance force.

A spokesman for the coalition said Afghan-led forces had gone in search of the insurgents when they came under attack by rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire.

"Responding to the insurgent attack, the security forces returned fire and called in an air weapons team. The subsequent air strike killed several insurgents and unintentionally a number of associated family members," the spokesman said.

The deaths triggered protests that blocked the main highway to Kabul nearby.

They come a day after provincial authorities in southern Ghazni claimed two civilians were killed in another military incident. NATO said it was looking into those claims.

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1 Marine killed, 5 injured in helicopter crash

The crash occurs around noon at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps baseOfficials are investigating the cause

Los Angeles (CNN) -- One of the Marines injured in a helicopter crash in southern California has died, authorities said.

The Marine, whose name was not released, was among six who were rushed to hospitals after a UH-1Y (Huey) helicopter crashed in the northern section of Camp Pendleton on Wednesday, a Marine Corps statement said.

The other five were recuperating early Thursday morning.

The helicopter, belonging to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, crashed shortly before noon Wednesday in the San Mateo Area of Camp Pendleton, southeast of San Clemente.

Officials are investigating what caused the mishap.

CNN

15 killed in Mexican shootout

Alleged member of Los Zetas drug cartel Abraham Barrios Caporal, aka 'El Erasmo', is presented to the press in Mexico City, on June 30.Clashes take place in the small town of San Jose de Lourdes Alleged members of the Zetas cartel spray bullets from a safe houseSix navy fighters are wounded

(CNN) -- A five-hour shootout between Mexican navy fighters and alleged members of the "Zetas" cartel left 15 people dead and several wounded, the official Notimex news agency reported Friday.

The clashes in the small town of San Jose de Lourdes, Zacatecas, led to the arrest of 17 people, Notimex reported.

Alleged members of the Zetas cartel sprayed bullets from a safe house, wounding six navy fighters, Notimex reported.

The Los Zetas cartel is behind a string of massacres in Tamaulipas and as far as Guatemala, according to law enforcement officials in Mexico and the United States,

Mexican officials arrested alleged Zetas member Abraham Barrios Caporal, also known as "Erasmo," during an army operation in the eastern state of Veracruz on Thursday.

Barrios admitted to his involvement in the killing and burial of 193 people in the town of San Fernando, Tamaulipas, last April, officials said.

Los Zetas cartel was founded by Mexican army deserters, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

It's an "extremely brutal" cartel involved in kidnappings, torture and beheadings, according to the DEA.

CNN

Nine killed as Syrian protesters tell Assad to go (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian forces shot dead nine protesters on Friday as tens of thousands of people called on President Bashar to step down in some of the biggest demonstrations since Syria's uprising began in March.

The Local Coordination Committees, a group of grassroots activists, said three demonstrators were shot dead in the central city of Homs, three in the northern province of Idlib, two in Damascus suburbs and one in Latakia.

Defying Assad's military crackdown, demonstrators took to the streets again after Friday prayers across the country, from towns near the western Lebanese border to the desert regions near Iraq in the east.

"Bashar get out of our lives," read placards carried by thousands of Kurds who marched in the northeastern city of Amouda, according to a YouTube video taken by resident.

In the city of Hama, video footage appeared to show tens of thousands of protesters massed in a central square. Witnesses and activists said demonstrators in Hama and in Kurdish eastern areas carried red cards, employing a soccer symbol to demand Assad's "sending off."

Authorities banned most international media from operating in Syria since the outbreak of the protests in March, making it difficult to verify reports from activists and authorities.

State television said gunmen had fired on security forces in Homs in several other towns, wounding two of them.

In the old Homs district of Bab Sbaa, a witness said several armored vehicles deployed and soldiers fired at protesters from road blocks set up in main streets in the city of one million.

Another activist in Homs said the death toll could be higher, with troops surrounding a private hospital in Bab Sbaa and several wounded people rushed to another hospital on the outskirts of the city where security forces were not present.

ASSAD "RUNNING OUT OF TIME"

Protesters have taken to the streets for 14 weeks to protest against Assad in unrest which has claimed the lives of around 1,300 civilians, according to rights groups. Authorities say 500 police and soldiers have been killed by gunmen they also blame for most of the civilian deaths.

Alongside the military crackdown, Assad has promised a national dialogue on political reforms and on Monday gave a rare platform to opposition demands when authorities allowed a conference in Damascus attended by 150 intellectuals.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was "disheartened" by reports of continued violence near the Syrian border with Turkey. Monday's meeting in Damascus, she said, was not enough on its own to address demands for reform.

"It is absolutely clear that the Syrian government is running out of time," she said during a visit to Lithuania.

"They are either going to allow a serious political process that will include peaceful protests to take place throughout Syria and engage in a productive dialogue with members of the opposition and civil society, or they're going to continue to see increasingly organized resistance."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that tank assaults killed three people overnight in hillside villages of the northern Idlib province near the Turkish border.

Around 100 people crossed over into Lebanon early on Friday, witnesses said. Thousands have fled to Lebanon during the three months of unrest, but many have returned and it is unclear how many remain in Lebanon.

Syrian television showed a pro-Assad demonstration of around 100 people in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, and state media reported several other large gatherings on Thursday which they said expressed support for Assad's proposed reforms.

The United States and European Union have imposed sanctions on Assad and his top officials in response to the violent repression of the protests.

On Wednesday the U.S. Treasury Department said it was also imposing sanctions against Syria's security forces for human rights abuses and against Iran for supporting them.

The Treasury named the four major branches of Syria's security forces and said any assets they may have subject to U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen and that Americans are barred from any dealings with them.

Damascus and Tehran both deny Western accusations that Iran has supported the crackdown on Syrian protesters.

(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Vilnius; Writing by Dominic Evans)

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Ten killed as Taliban storm Kabul hotel (AFP)

KABUL (AFP) – Heavily armed Taliban militants stormed a leading Kabul hotel, sparking a ferocious battle involving Afghan commandos and a NATO helicopter gunship that ended hours later with 10 civilians dead.

Officials said all eight of the attackers were killed after they raided the hilltop Intercontinental Hotel, whose faded grandeur frequently pays host to Afghan officials and Westerners, late Tuesday.

Red tracer bullets arced through the night sky around the hotel and part of the building was left in flames.

The state-owned 1960s hotel, which is not part of the global InterContinental chain, was hosting delegates attending an Afghan security conference and a large wedding party when the insurgents struck.

Kabul police chief Ayub Salangi said that 10 people, mostly hotel workers, were killed in the raid and three police officers were wounded.

Interior ministry spokesman Seddiq Seddiqi identified the dead as two policemen and eight civilians, and said that eight other civilians were wounded.

He said the slain hotel workers had been on the first floor and in the lobby at the time of the attack.

Two New Zealand special forces troops who had been supporting the Afghan commandos received "moderate injuries", the country's defence force said.

An AFP photographer saw half a dozen of what appeared to be Western special forces soldiers emerging from the Intercontinental compound, one of whom had blood on his right cheek and on his hands.

The attackers steered clear of the normally heavily guarded road snaking up to the hotel, instead picking their way through the trees on the northern slope towards the building, police said.

"Eight armed terrorists attacked the Intercontinental hotel at 11:00 last night... the operation ended at 3:00 am Wednesday morning after the eight terrorists were killed," the interior ministry said.

Among those staying at the hotel were provincial government officials who were in Kabul for a conference on the handover of power from foreign to Afghan security forces. The process starts next month.

Panicked guests were told to stay in their rooms as the attackers, thought to have suicide vests, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, roamed through the building.

Major Tim James, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said ISAF deployed one helicopter at the request of Afghan authorities.

"It flew over the hotel, circled it a few times. They were able to clearly identify a number of insurgents who were armed and wearing suicide vests and then they engaged the individuals with small-arms fire," James told AFP.

"We've had reports that there were a number of explosions caused either by the insurgents detonating themselves or the engagement by the helicopter causing that (suicide vests) to explode," he said.

Witnesses identified the NATO aircraft as an Apache attack helicopter.

A member of staff named Ezatullah said he hid in a room on the fifth floor when the attack started.

"There was first gunfire, and then two blasts. It continued and got worse. The room I was hiding in filled with smoke," he said.

"I had to leave. As I got out I saw trails of blood, and then the police came and took me out of the building."

Security at most high-end hotels in Kabul was significantly stepped up after an attack on the city centre's Serena Hotel in 2008 left seven people dead.

The Intercontinental is less deluxe than the Serena, which is the favoured choice of foreign officials and business people visiting the Afghan capital.

The US State Department said: "The United States strongly condemns the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, which once again demonstrates the terrorists' complete disregard for human life."

During the assault, AFP reporters saw 10-15 armoured vehicles carrying Afghan commandos entering the hotel compound.

The reporters heard five separate explosions as the attack unfolded and said the hotel was in darkness after power in the area was apparently cut. Ambulances rushed to the site to ferry away casualties.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the militant Islamist group was behind the attack, which comes weeks before foreign forces are expected to start withdrawals from Afghanistan.

Some 10,000 US troops are due to leave the country this year, ahead of the planned end of foreign combat operations at the end of 2014. Security in Kabul is already under the control of Afghan forces.

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Syrian general: 400 soliders killed

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Syria's military spokesman now says more than 400 members of security forces have been killed in the months-long unrest that has taken hold in the country, a charge that came as videos surfaced allegedly showing children killed in the violence.

In an interview with CNN in Damascus, Maj. Gen. Riad Haddad initially said about 1,300 security personnel had been killed. He corrected that figure Sunday, saying 300 soldiers, 60 security officials and 50 police died in the violence.

He also has said 700 people, whom he described as terrorists, and their families had fled Syrian authorities to Turkey.

Haddad offered no details about the killings of the security forces other than to blame the deaths on armed gangs. CNN cannot independently verify the claim.

President Bashar al-Assad has faced growing criticism from leaders in the United States, Europe and elsewhere over his government's violent clampdown on demonstrators. Al-Assad has repeatedly blamed "armed gangs" in explaining its military crackdowns, which have led thousands of Syrians to cross into Turkey.

Months of protests have left more than 1,100 dead, according to human rights activists. But the extent of the carnage is not clear. About 10,000 people have been jailed since mid-March when the protests began, said Rami Abdelrahman, head of the London-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights.

CNN cannot independently verify the claims of the activist or the human rights group.

Haddad's claim came as two videos surfaced on YouTube purporting to show a 13-year-old boy killed Friday in al-Kiswah, a suburb of Damascus. In the video, a hand is seen turning the head of the boy to reveal what appears to be a surgical scar. The boy's mother is also seen in the video moaning and cursing al-Assad and his security forces.

A voice on the video identifies the boy as Ridah Alawiyah.

In another video, mourners are seen at a funeral for two children and a man who were said to have been killed in a Damascus suburb. Mourners can be heard chanting: "Patience oh Assad, patience, we will dig your grave."

While the videos appeared to be from Syria, CNN was not able to independently verify their authenticity. The network's reporters had been barred until recently from officially entering Syria, and its reporting about events inside the country had been limited largely to what the network was able to piece together based on official government reports, witnesses in the country, and accounts and videos posted on the Internet.

Meanwhile, Syrian state TV reported that some of the thousands who fled to Turkey to escape a military offensive have begun to return to their homes.

About 730 people returned to the town of Jisr al-Shugur, SANA -- the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency -- reported. But more than 11,400 Syrians are still in Turkey, the Turkish government said Sunday.

SANA said some residents returned to find electricity, water and phone lines ransacked by armed groups.

But opposition activists countered SANA's report, saying about 500 people were detained in neighboring villages and sent to Jisr al-Shugur ahead of the media's arrival.

Jameel Saib, a Syrian activist who lives on the other side of the border in Turkey, said he saw an interview with an alleged shop owner of a store in Jisr al-Shugur but "everyone knows that is not actually the man that owns the store."

Mohammed Fedo, another activist who lives on the Turkish side of the border, said about 300 to 400 Syrians returned to Jisr al-Shugur because conditions in the refugee camps in Turkey were unbearable.

Fedo said residents who were returning to Jisr al-Shugur were reporting arrests and killings by security forces.

Both activists said they had received reports from residents who said Syrian security forces had entered two towns, Najay and Habosh. Fedo said residents were reporting that Syrian forces were firing indiscriminately.

Haddad, the military spokesman, told CNN the military did enter Habosh but there was no evidence of violence, arrests or casualties. He denied security forces entered Najay.

CNN cannot independently verify the claims of the activists or Haddad.

CNN's Arwa Damon and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.

CNN

At least 20 killed in suicide bombing in east Afghanistan (Reuters)

PULE ALAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A suicide car bomber killed at least 20 people, and possibly as many as 35, in an attack at a hospital in a remote district of eastern Afghanistan on Saturday that damaged its maternity ward, officials said.

Estimates of the casualties, which included patients and medical staff, varied widely in chaotic scenes outside the hospital in the remote Azra district of eastern Logar province, which is just south of Kabul.

Dozens more were wounded in one of the worst attacks this year.

Deen Mohammad Darwish, a spokesman for the Logar provincial government, said as many as 35 people were killed, although Afghanistan's Interior Ministry put the death toll at 20.

"The exact target is still not clear," Interior minister deputy spokesman Najib Nikzad said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied responsibility and said the Islamist insurgents never attack hospitals.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack in which he said "tens of civilians" were killed. The United Nations said the maternity ward was hit in the bombing.

"This is a despicable attack against civilians who were seeking medical care, as well as visiting family members and health workers," Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. chief in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

Tensions have flared over civilian casualties, with insurgents and the Afghan government alike criticizing NATO-led forces for killing innocent Afghans while hunting for militants.

United Nations figures however show that insurgents are responsible for three-quarters of civilian deaths.

Military and civilian casualties hit record levels in 2010, the most violent year of the war since U.S.-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.

This year is following a similar trend, with violence growing across Afghanistan since the Taliban announced a spring offensive at the beginning of May.

U.S. commanders had already said they expected a rise in attacks as insurgents hit back after U.S. and NATO forces made gains during operations in the Taliban heartland in the south over the past 18 months.

The United Nations said two weeks ago that May had been the deadliest month for civilians since it began compiling statistics four years ago.

It said it had documented 368 "conflict-related" civilian deaths, 82 percent of them caused by insurgents.

The latest violence comes as seven areas across the country prepare to take over security responsibilities from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) fighting an increasingly unpopular war that has dragged on for 10 years.

That will coincide with the start in July of a gradual drawdown of U.S. troops. U.S. and NATO troops plan to hand over security responsibility for all of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, although critics warn the handover date is premature.

While most of the ISAF gains have been in Taliban strongholds in the south, the insurgency in eastern provinces like Logar and Kunar near the border with Pakistan is much more fragmented.

Taliban fighters often slip across the border from safe havens in Pakistan's largely lawless northwest but other groups like the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network also operate extensively in the area.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

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Group: 20 protesters killed in Syria

An image from Sham SNN, a Syrian opposition web channel, shows a wounded anti-government protester in Al-Keswa Friday.NEW: Syrian official says "extremist" groups to blame for violenceHuman rights group: 1,337 protesters have been killed since the unrest beganThose who died Friday include five youths, an activist group saysAn EU body has expanded sanctions against Syria

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Syria's deputy foreign minister says the grassroots violence engulfing his country was ignited and fueled by "extremist" groups with religious affiliations.

Fayssal Mekdad, speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN's Hala Gorani in Damascus, said the people are members of "extremist religious groups" and they are "financed" outside Syria.

But, he didn't elaborate on the identities of the groups, their makeup or their backers. The majority of people in Syria are Sunni Muslims but the government is dominated by Alawites, a minority group whose faith is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

Government media have consistently blamed the killings on extremists and armed groups without providing much context on who they are.

More than 1,600 people -- the vast majority of them demonstrators -- have died since the unrest in Syria began, Rami Abdelrahman, head of the London-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday.

But Mekdad disputed the steady stream of accounts that the military and security forces have enforced a violent response to demonstrators.

"There is no crackdown," said Mekdad, speaking to CNN after another bloody day of demonstrations on Friday. "There is a crackdown from these military groups against the government and against civilians."

Until Thursday, CNN has been barred from officially entering Syria and its reporting about events inside the country had been limited largely to what the network was able to piece together based on official government reports and accounts and videos posted on the Internet.

CNN journalists arrived Thursday in Syria, where they were assigned government minders to accompany them on video shoots.

The minders said they had not received permission to take the journalists to the areas where protests were occurring. Instead, they took the journalists to Damascus' historic old city, where their appearance on the streets prompted a crowd of a few dozen Syrians to erupt into pro-government chants. Posters and pictures of President Bashar al-Assad quickly materialized.

Violence raged in demonstrations after Friday Muslim prayers.

One Syrian activist group reported 20 anti-government protesters dead during Friday demonstrations and the government. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria -- an organization pushing for regime change in the country -- said five youths, including three 17-year-olds, were among those killed. The group said clashes occurred in several cities of Daraa, Homs, and Hama.

The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) put Friday's death toll during the protests at seven civilians and law-enforcement personnel.

CNN could not immediately verify the reported death tolls.

SANA also said Syrian TV on Friday aired "confessions of three members of the armed terrorist groups that murdered and mutilated security forces personnel, terrorized citizens and committed rape in Jisr al-Shugur."

One of those three said members of families distributed weapons to the people, and another said weapons were purchased in neighboring Turkey, according to the SANA report.

Many people in and around Jisr al-Shugur fled to Turkey in recent weeks to escape a military offensive. The governor's office in Turkey's southern Hatay province said Friday that the number of Syrian refugees in the country has reached 11,739.

Anger toward the Syrian government has spread across the world. The European Council condemned Syria on Friday, saying the "regime is calling its legitimacy into question" by opting for a "path of repression instead of fulfilling its own promises on broad reforms."

The council -- comprising the heads of state of European Union member states -- deplored the "ongoing repression and unacceptable and shocking violence the Syrian regime continues to apply against its own citizens."

The European Council expressed grave concern about reports of Syrian military activity near the Turkish border at Khirbet al-Jouz and urged "maximum restraint."

The statements came after the Council of the European Union voted Thursday to expand sanctions against Syria by freezing the assets of seven people and four businesses with connections to the regime.

The detail was published in the European Union's Official Journal on Friday, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague hailed the measures.

"These measures are carefully targeted and focused on those responsible for violent repression," Hague said. "Contrary to the Syrian authorities' claims, the economic problems Syria is facing are a direct and predictable consequence of the Syrian authorities' decision to choose repression over reform."

Among those sanctioned were three commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps accused of helping the "regime suppress protests" and "providing equipment and support" to the government, according to the European Union Official Journal. One of the three is Brig. Cmdr. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the corps' general commander.

Two of those sanctioned were first cousins of the president. They are Zoulhima Chaliche, head of presidential security, and Riyad Chaliche, director of the military housing establishment. Two others were business associates of Maher al-Assad, the president's brother and commander of the army's 4th Division and "strongman of the Republican Guard."

Anti-government protests have raged in Syria for more than three months, with demonstrations gaining momentum amid a tough government crackdown.

Abdelrahman said 1,337 protesters and 341 soldiers and security forces have been killed, and about 10,000 people have been jailed since mid-March.

CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali and Eve Bower contributed to this report

CNN

Group: 20 protesters killed in Syria

An image from Sham SNN, a Syrian opposition web channel, shows a wounded anti-government protester in Al-Keswa Friday.NEW: Human rights group: 1,337 protesters have been killed since the unrest beganThose who died Friday include five youths, an activist group saysState-run media: Seven civilians and law-enforcement personnel were killed An EU body has expanded sanctions against Syria

Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- Fighting across several Syrian cities Friday left a total of 20 anti-government protesters dead, a Syrian activist group said Saturday.

The Local Coordination Committees of Syria -- an organization pushing for regime change in the country -- said five youths, including three 17-year-olds, were among those killed. The group said clashes occurred in the cities of Al-Kisweh, Daraa, Homs, Al-Qusayr and Hama.

The state-run SANA news organization put Friday's death toll during the protests at seven civilians and law-enforcement personnel.

CNN could not immediately verify the reported death tolls.

Until Thursday, CNN has been barred from officially entering Syria and its reporting about events inside the country had been limited largely to what the network was able to piece together based on official government reports and accounts and videos posted on the Internet.

Recently, the government granted access to CNN journalists, who arrived Thursday in Syria, where they were assigned government "minders" to accompany them on video shoots.

The minders said they had not received permission to take the journalists to the areas where protests were occurring. Instead, they took the journalists to Damascus' historic old city, where their appearance on the streets prompted a crowd of a few dozen Syrians to erupt into pro-government chants. Posters and pictures of President Bashar al-Assad quickly materialized.

But as more violence erupted in Syria, the European Council condemned the nation Friday, saying the "regime is calling its legitimacy into question" by opting for a "path of repression instead of fulfilling its own promises on broad reforms."

The European Council -- comprising the heads of state of European Union member states -- deplored the "ongoing repression and unacceptable and shocking violence the Syrian regime continues to apply against its own citizens."

The unrest has prompted waves of Syrians to flee to Turkey. The governor's office in Turkey's southern Hatay province said Friday that the number of Syrian refugees in the country has reached 11,739.

The European Council expressed grave concern about reports of Syrian military activity near the Turkish border at Khirbet al-Jouz and urged "maximum restraint."

The statements came after the Council of the European Union voted Thursday to expand sanctions against Syria by freezing the assets of seven people and four businesses with connections to the regime.

The detail was published in the European Union's Official Journal on Friday, and British Foreign Secretary William Hague hailed the measures.

"These measures are carefully targeted and focused on those responsible for violent repression," Hague said. "Contrary to the Syrian authorities' claims, the economic problems Syria is facing are a direct and predictable consequence of the Syrian authorities' decision to choose repression over reform."

Among those sanctioned were three commanders in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps accused of helping the "regime suppress protests" and "providing equipment and support" to the government, according to the European Union Official Journal. One of the three is Brig. Cmdr. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the corps' general commander.

"I welcome the inclusion of three Iranian individuals on the list," Hague said. "The Iranian government's provision of equipment and technical advice to help suppress peaceful protests is absolutely unacceptable. Iran's actions are in stark contrast to the will of the Syrian people. They also highlight again Iran's blatant hypocrisy, claiming publicly to support freedom in the Arab world, while privately assisting in violent repression."

Two of those sanctioned were first cousins of the president. They are Zoulhima Chaliche, head of presidential security, and Riyad Chaliche, director of the military housing establishment. Two others were business associates of Maher al-Assad, the president's brother and commander of the army's 4th Division and "strongman of the Republican Guard."

Anti-government protests have raged in Syria for more than three months, with demonstrations gaining momentum amid a tough government crackdown.

More than 1,600 have died since the unrest in Syria began, Rami Abdelrahman, head of the London-based Syria Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday. He said 1,337 protesters and 341 soldiers and security forces have been killed, and about 10,000 people have been jailed.

Nadim Houri of Human Rights Watch placed the death toll at 1,350.

CNN's Arwa Damon, Hamdi Alkhshali, Eve Bower, Azadeh Ansari, Nada Husseini, Carol Jordan, Per Nyberg, Tracy Doueiry and Joe Sterling contributed to this report.

CNN

At least 15 killed in suicide bombing in east Afghanistan (Reuters)

PULE ALAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A suicide car bomber killed at least 15 people, and possibly as many as 35, in an attack near a hospital in a remote district of eastern Afghanistan Saturday, government and security officials said.

Estimates of the casualties, which included women and children, varied widely in chaotic scenes outside the hospital in the remote Azra district of eastern Logar province. Dozens more were wounded.

Deen Mohammad Darwish, a spokesman for the Logar provincial government, said as many as 35 people were killed, although Afghanistan's Interior Ministry put the death toll at 15.

"The exact target is still not clear and the death toll is expected to rise," Interior minister deputy spokesman Najib Nikzad said.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack in which he said "tens of civilians" were killed.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied responsibility and said the Islamist insurgents never attack hospitals.

Tensions have flared over civilian casualties, with insurgents and the Afghan government alike criticizing NATO-led forces for killing innocent Afghans while hunting for militants.

United Nations figures however show that insurgents are responsible for three-quarters of civilian deaths.

Military and civilian casualties hit record levels in 2010, the most violent year of the war since U.S.-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in late 2001.

This year is following a similar trend, with violence growing across Afghanistan since the Taliban announced a spring offensive at the beginning of May.

U.S. commanders had already said they expected a rise in attacks as insurgents hit back after U.S. and NATO forces made gains during operations in the Taliban heartland in the south over the past 18 months.

The United Nations said two weeks ago that May had been the deadliest month for civilians since it began compiling statistics four years ago.

It said it had documented 368 "conflict-related" civilian deaths, 82 percent of them caused by insurgents.

The latest violence comes as seven areas across the country prepare to take over security responsibilities from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) fighting an increasingly unpopular war that has dragged on for 10 years.

That will coincide with the start in July of a gradual drawdown of U.S. troops. U.S. and NATO troops plan to hand over security responsibility for all of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, although critics warn the handover date is premature.

While most of the ISAF gains have been in Taliban strongholds in the south, the insurgency in eastern provinces like Logar and Kunar near the border with Pakistan is much more fragmented.

Taliban fighters often slip across the border from safe havens in Pakistan's largely lawless northwest but other groups like the al Qaeda-linked Haqqani network also operate extensively in the area.

(Additional reporting by Hamid Shalizi; Writing by Alistair Scrutton; Editing by Sugita Katyal)

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Mexico demands probe in migrant killed by US agent (AP)

MEXICO CITY – Mexico's government on Wednesday condemned a fatal shooting by a U.S. Border Patrol agent of a Mexican man who was allegedly trying to sneak across the border.

The Foreign Relations Department urged U.S. authorities to conduct a thorough investigation of the death.

Its statement questioned the U.S. officer's "use of firearms to repel an attack with stones," calling that "a disproportionate use of force."

U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Steven Pitts has said the Border Patrol agent fatally shot a migrant Tuesday night at the U.S.-Mexico border as the man was about to hit another officer with a concrete slab. U.S. officers are generally permitted to use lethal force against rock throwers.

Mexico identified the dead man as Jose Alfredo Yanez, 40. Police in Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, said Yanez was shot once in the torso and once in the head and died on Mexico's side of the border.

Another man, presumably Mexican, was attempting to cross the border illegally with Yanez when the fatal shooting occurred a mile west of the San Ysidro border crossing, Pitts said. That man returned safely to Mexico, Mexican police said.

San Diego police are leading the investigation into the incident.

In December, the Mexican and U.S. governments issued a joint declaration saying they would work together in an effort to prevent this kind of violence in the border region.

Border Patrol agents have fatally shot rock throwers before.

A year ago on the border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, a U.S. officer shot a 15-year-old Mexican boy dead who was trying to cross into the U.S., investigators have said. The FBI said the agent fired his gun while repelling an attack with rocks.

The family of the boy, Sergio Adrian Hernandez Guereca, filed a lawsuit in El Paso that seeks $25 million in damages from the U.S. government.

Mexico's government offered to help the family Wednesday, including providing "necessary legal backing," the Foreign Relations Department's statement said.

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Yemen: 17 al Qaeda terrorists killed

(CNN) -- Ongoing clashes have left seven Yemeni soldiers and 17 Islamic militants dead in the past two days in the southern province of Abyan, a senior security official said Monday.

At least eight soldiers were wounded in the clashes, three of them in serious condition, said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the media and requested his name not be used. The fighting is mainly concentrated in the cities of Zinjibar and Jaar, the official said.

State-run Yemen TV reported that at least 17 al Qaeda militants have been killed in the fighting.

Qasim Bin Hadi, the head of security in Zinjibar in Abyan, said that city has turned into a ghost town and that clashes between government forces and al Qaeda militants have been nonstop since Saturday.

"Bodies of dead people are everywhere in the streets," Bin Hadi said.

Militants seized control of Zinjibar several weeks ago, local residents said.

Airstrikes targeting militant hideouts in Zinjibar and Jaar were behind many of the deaths reported Sunday, said the security official who requested anonymity.

Medics at the Republican hospital in Aden, where injured soldiers are being taken for treatment, said at least 29 soldiers were admitted at the hospital since Saturday night, all having come from Abyan.

"Most of those admitted to the hospital were injured, but the death toll among security forces will rise over the next 48 hours," said one medic, who asked not to be named, as he is concerned for his safety.

On Sunday, more than 100 influential religious and tribal leaders said President Ali Abdullah Saleh was not able to lead the country and should step down.

"Saleh was injured seriously during the assassination attempt on his life. We call on Saleh to hand over powers to his vice president Abdu Rabu Mansoor Hadi, to save the country from further clashes and bloodshed," said the statement, which was circulated to the media.

Saleh and other senior officials were injured in a June 3 attack on the mosque at the presidential palace. Saleh is being treated in Saudi Arabia. Officials loyal to him have said he will return when he has recovered.

Among those signing the statement was Sheikh Abdul Majid al-Zindani, Yemen's most prominent cleric. The United States considers al-Zindani a terrorist, accused in 2004 of supplying weapons to al Qaeda. But he wields considerable influence in Yemen.

The influential signatories are the latest in a growing number of powerful voices seeking Saleh's ouster and demanding a transitional government be formed as quickly as possible.

Unrest has consumed Yemen for months as protesters have demanded an end to Saleh's rule.

In recent weeks, government troops have battled both anti-government tribal forces and Islamic militants, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom and journalist Hakim Almasmari contributed to this report.

CNN