Protests denounce Israeli bombing of Gaza

People across the Middle East have protested against Israel's aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Source: AAP

THOUSANDS of people across the Middle East have protested against Israel's aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip, with some chanting "death to Israel" and others calling for the bombing of Tel Aviv.

In Cairo, several thousand protesters gathered outside Al-Azhar mosque on Friday after weekly Muslim prayers and chanted "We will go to Gaza in our millions", swearing to "sacrifice ourselves for you, Palestine".

"It's the least we can do," protester Ahmed Selim told AFP. "We need to show Israel our anger."

President Mohamed Morsi himself branded the Israeli assault in which 23 Palestinians have been killed as a "blatant aggression against humanity" and promised that "Egypt will not leave Gaza on its own", MENA news agency said.

He sent Prime Minister Hisham Qandil to Gaza on Friday, where the premier vowed to intensify Cairo's efforts to secure a truce and end Israel's "aggression".

"Egypt will not hesitate to intensify its efforts and make sacrifices to stop this aggression and achieve a lasting truce," he said.

Before the Cairo demonstration, influential Egyptian-born theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi said in a sermon at Al-Azhar that the "Muslim nation should join ranks".

"Our umma (the worldwide Muslim community) is the strongest of ummas," he said. "Israel the arrogant cannot humiliate it, despite its missiles and its arms."

One demonstrator, Mohammed al-Masri, said "what we want is to break relations with Israel".

Egypt became in 1979 the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state.

In the central West Bank city of Ramallah, more than 1000 protesters gathered shouted slogans of support for Gaza's Hamas rulers, and waving the Islamist movement's green flag, AFP correspondents said.

"Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv!" they chanted a day after a rocket from Gaza struck the sea just offshore from the sprawling coastal city.

In Lebanon, thousands turned out for demonstrations in Palestinian refugee camps in the north and south of the country in outrage over the onslaught, echoing the calls from Ramallah.

"O Qassam, O beloved, bomb and destroy Tel Aviv," they shouted in reference to the rocket and the armed wing of Hamas of the same name.

Demonstrations in Tehran and 700 other Iranian cities after Friday prayers, called for by the authorities, saw crowds chanting "death to Israel" and "death to America", according to news agency ISNA.

"One must salute the Palestinians' popular resistance and the response they have given to the Zionist regime (by firing rockets into Israel)," Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said at the weekly prayers in Tehran, IRNA news agency said.

"Your method is good and you can bring the Zionist regime to its knees," he added.

Israel continued its bombardment on Friday and said it was considering launching a ground offensive into the Hamas-controlled territory.

Three Israelis have also died in the tit-for-tat violence.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Seven-year-old feared killed by croc in NT

Police are searching for an NT girl who was seen being pulled under water by a crocodile. Source: AAP

POLICE searching for a missing girl in the Northern Territory have found what they believe to be human remains inside a crocodile.

The seven-year-old girl was swimming with other children and an adult at a local waterhole at the Gumarrirnbang outstation, 100 kilometres west of the remote community of Maningrida, when a crocodile attacked on Friday afternoon.

She was last seen being dragged under the water by the animal, which had also attacked the man who had been with her in the billabong.

A three-metre crocodile was shot dead in the billabong just before noon on Saturday, Senior Sergeant Shaun Gill of NT Police said.

When it was examined, they found what is thought to be human remains in its stomach contents.

"Further forensic testing will be conducted in Darwin to determine if the remains are human and, if found human, the identity of the person," Sgt Gill said.

Police will prepare a report for the coroner and an investigation will be launched.

Members of the community had been searching for the girl from first light on Saturday, joined by the Territory Response Group, the Water Police Section and a ranger from the Crocodile Management Unit.

Sgt Gill said officers had worked under difficult conditions.

"This is a heartbreaking outcome for the family and the community," he said.

Crocodiles are not thought to have been seen in the area previously and the community believed the billabong to be safe.

AAP lt/mp/de

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nigerian troops kill ex-general's killers

NIGERIA'S military claims to have killed a Boko Haram commander behind the recent high-profile assassination of a retired general in a "major offensive".

"During the offensive and in a counter-attack, a major commander of the Boko Haram terrorist sect commanding the northwest and the northeast, Ibn Saleh Ibrahim, with some of his commanders and foot soldiers, were killed by (our) own operation troops," a military statement said of Thursday's operation in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.

"The late Ibn Saleh was confirmed to be responsible for the recent assassination of Civil War hero the late General Mamman Shuwa through the orders of the leader of the Boko Haram terrorists, Abubakar Shekau."

It added that the operation was still ongoing and that weapons and explosives had been recovered.

Nigeria's military has however frequently exaggerated its successes against Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, whose insurgency in the country's northern and central regions has left hundreds of people dead.

The claim from the military could not be independently verified.

The statement called it a "major offensive" that included armoured vehicles and helicopters.

The retired general, a key figure in the 1960s civil war, was shot dead on November 2 by what was then described as unknown gunmen at his home in Maiduguri, the city hardest hit by the Islamist insurgency.

Shuwa, 79, was a top adviser to Yakubu Gowon, the former military head of state who led Nigeria during the 1967-70 Biafra civil war that left more than one million dead, including many from starvation.

He also served as a senior leader in the 1975-76 junta of Murtala Mohammed.

In an interview at his home in May, Shuwa pulled out a handgun that he said he carried for his own protection and told AFP that anyone could potentially be targeted by Boko Haram in the violence-torn city.

Boko Haram has carried out scores of targeted assassinations in addition to bombings and shootings.

The insurgency has left some 3000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.

The group has claimed to be seeking an Islamic state in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, though its demands have repeatedly shifted.

At the same time, Nigeria's military has been accused of widespread abuses in its bid to crack down on the Islamists, including killings of civilians, burnings of homes and unlawful detentions.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canberra forum to discuss Gallipoli

A COMMUNITY forum will be held in Canberra next week so people can discuss arrangements for travelling to Gallipoli for the Anzac centenary in 2015.

The federal government in September warned travellers intent on visiting Gallipoli for the centenary to beware of tour operators promising tickets for this historic event.

Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said at the time the Australian and New Zealand governments had decided on a quota of 10,000 places to be decided by a public ballot.

A period of public consultation is open to give all Australians an opportunity to have a say as to who should be represented at Gallipoli in 2015.

They can take part by attending a forum or completing an online survey.

The forum will be held at the Canberra Southern Cross club in Woden at 6.15pm (AEDT) on Monday.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mander replaces Flegg in Qld minister

FORMER National Rugby League referee Tim Mander says he isn't surprised by his elevation to the Queensland cabinet after only eight months in politics.

Premier Campbell Newman announced on Thursday Mr Mander would replace Bruce Flegg as the state's housing and public works minister.

Dr Flegg stood down voluntarily on Wednesday amid allegations he misled parliament over the amount of contact he had with his lobbyist son Jonathon, who works for communications and business advisory firm Rowland.

Mr Mander says he has aspired to a cabinet role since winning the Brisbane seat of Everton in March, although he expected the process to take longer.

"I've learned very quickly in my short time in politics that a day is a long time in politics, and I'm just delighted to be able to take up the challenge," the former referee and Scripture Union CEO told reporters.

The reshuffle also sees Mirani MP Ted Malone assume the newly created role of assistant minister for police and community safety.

Former police minister David Gibson was named to chair the Parliamentary Committee for State Development.

The Gympie MP was sacked as police and community safety minister weeks after the election over unpaid speeding fines.

But Mr Newman said the appointment did not necessary herald Mr Gibson's return back to cabinet.

"I can't leave his talents sitting there on the backbench any longer," he told reporters.

"David has paid the price for the things that have been canvassed before."

Mr Gibson said the new role was "an opportunity to serve".

"I've always been willing to serve in the parliament in whichever capacity has been extended to me at whatever the time," he said.

Mr Mander's former role as assistant minister for sport and racing will not be filled.

"We already have enough assistant ministers," Mr Newman said.

Water and Energy Minister Mark McArdle will take responsibility for housing and public works until Mr Mander is sworn in.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gillard welcomes China's new leader

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has welcomed the transition of the Chinese leadership to Xi Jinping. Source: AAP

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard has welcomed the transition of the Chinese leadership to Xi Jinping.

Xi, who is expected to be confirmed as president in March, has become general secretary of the Communist Party and head of the commission that oversees the military.

The former Chinese vice-president for the past five years visited Australia two years ago.

A spokesman for Ms Gillard told AAP on Thursday the government congratulated Mr Xi on his appointment at the 18th congress of the Communist Party of China as party general secretary.

"General secretary Xi Jinping is well known to Australia and we look forward to working closely with him in his new leadership role to deepen and enhance bilateral relations and to strengthen our engagement on a broad range of shared regional and global challenges," he said.

"Australia is committed to a positive, comprehensive, constructive and cooperative relationship with China, now and into the future."

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the new Chinese leader had visited Australia, had a good knowledge of Australia and appreciated the nation's importance to China.

"We would see an opportunity to engage with the new leadership," he told ABC television on Thursday.

Senator Carr said there was potential for a negotiated settlement over disputed territories in the South China Sea.

"I think with the leadership confirmed and the new leadership taking root there's hope to believe China will take a realistic and forceful attitude, but an attitude that leads towards a negotiated settlement," he said.

Diplomatic talks are under way on a code of conduct for managing the regional dispute.

Having met with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Perth this week, Senator Carr said he believed China was "comfortable" with Australia's defence ties with the United States.

"Our position is we'd like more transparency about (China's military), but we recognise China as a great economic power will seek to modernise and diversify its military," he said.

"At the same time, China must acknowledge that Australia ... will want to tend to its security concerns and will do so, as we have for 60 years, by cultivating, by nurturing a security treaty with the United States.

"That doesn't require us to choose between China and the US. Indeed I'd say China, deep down, is comfortable with knowing Australia is defining itself in this way. They know where we stand."

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coles pressure on truckies deadly: union

The Transport Workers' Union says Coles is putting lethal deadline pressure on truck drivers. Source: AAP

A TRANSPORT union which says Coles risks lives by pressuring truck drivers to meet tight deadlines is staging protests aimed at the supermarket giant's shareholders as well as customers.

Transport Workers' Union (TWU) members turned out for a small protest near a Sydney CBD Coles store on Wednesday, ahead of the annual general meeting of Wesfarmers, the owner of Coles, in Perth.

Acting TWU national secretary Michael Kaine said it was one of several rallies around the country drawing a link between Coles and deaths on Australian roads.

"We're saying to shareholders that, while the company is telling you Coles is winning the price war ... the cost of that war is absolute tragedy for Australians," Mr Kaine said.

He said 330 people die in Australian truck crashes each year.

A TWU report found 80 per cent of surveyed truck drivers carrying freight for Coles believed pressure from the company led to unsafe on-road practices. Half said they had been forced to delay vehicle maintenance.

Mr Kaine told AAP the company could afford to address supply chain hazards, even though most drivers were not directly employed by Coles.

"This is the standard line from major retailers and particularly Coles, that they don't have control, it's not their responsibility," he said.

"But of course it is. They have absolute and supreme economic control. Any supplier who tries to cross them is ostracised. The commercial retribution is instant and fatal for those companies."

Wearing shirts that aped the supermarket's 'big red hand' logo, the dozen-odd TWU members at Wednesday's lunchtime rally sang to bemused city workers passing by.

"I don't know but I've been told, life is tough out on the road. Coles we know you are to blame, pushing safety down the chain," they chorused.

The union planned to put questions on supply chain safety to the Wesfarmers board later on Wednesday, Mr Kaine said.

Coles spokesman Jim Cooper told AAP, "Our transport business is managed by large and reputable transport providers such as Linfox and Toll, who are very proud of their safety record.

"In no way do our transport contracts with such companies force drivers into unsafe or illegal practices."

In a statement, the company said only 35 deaths involving trucks in 2011 were related to the food and liquor industry, and none of these involved deliveries to Coles.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nauru mass hunger strike draws to an end

MOST asylum seekers on Nauru have called off their mass hunger strike after news that representatives from Amnesty International will visit the camp next week.

More than 300 would-be refugees were believed to be on a hunger strike, demanding the camp be closed and for the their asylum applications to be processed.

All but six called off their strike on Tuesday night in the hope that a visit from Amnesty International will bring some attention to their plight, says refugee advocate Ian Rintoul.

"They've got some hope that the Amnesty International visit is going to provide some remedy, some relief and some answers," he said.

But one Iranian man is still refusing to eat and is on his 34th day of hunger strike.

"I had a brief chat with him yesterday and he's still quite weak," Mr Rintoul said.

A spokesman for the immigration department confirmed a "handful" of people were still missing meals.

"The vast majority of clients are taking meals and participating in programs and activities both on and off site," he said.

Dr Graham Thom, Amnesty International Australia's national refugee coordinator, will visit the camp on Monday and hopes to speak to detainees about their living conditions.

"It was concerning to us that people were being (kept) in tents, that there wasn't freedom of movement and that the processing hadn't started yet," he told AAP.

"Our belief is that there needs to be some sort of transparency if they are going to take people to remote island nations."

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said she was alarmed to hear asylum seekers were on a hunger strike.

"It is an indication of the unbearable conditions under which they are being held, the uncertainty of their future," she told ABC radio on Wednesday.

Australia introduced its new offshore border protection policies in mid-August, under which asylum seekers arriving by boat can be transferred to processing centres in Nauru or Papua New Guinea.

This policy is a revival of the measure used by the former coalition government as part of its suite of policies to stem the flow of boats into Australian waters.

"I am afraid this new scheme of having them appraised on offshore islands is just going to end up in another regime of indefinite detention, which is what we objected to all along about this scheme," Ms Pillay said.

Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young called on the government to listen to the criticisms of its policies.

"The world is watching while Australia mistreats extremely vulnerable people who come to us for help," she said in a statement.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust share market closes lower

THE Australian share market has closed sharply lower after its biggest one-day fall in four months.

Investors fretted over the ongoing bailout of Greece and negotiations in the US to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" that threatens to derail the wider world economy.

At 1615 AEDT on Tuesday, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index was down 68.2 points, or 1.53 per cent, at 4,379.8 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index had fallen 65.7 points, or 1.47 per cent, to 4,404.2 points.

On the ASX 24, the December share price index futures contract was 62 points lower at 4,395 points, on volume of 31,774 contracts, according to preliminary calculations.

It was the biggest one-day fall on the S&P/ASX200 index since July.

Stocks fell as European finance ministers delayed approval of the next instalment of a massive bailout loan for debt-ridden Greece.

European finance ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday gave Greece until 2016 to reduce its deficit and restructure its economy but postponed approval of the next instalment of a bailout loan.

The fiscal cliff in the US refers to government spending cuts and tax increases that are scheduled to start in the new year, unless a divided Congress and the White House can work out a compromise beforehand.

OptionsXpress market analyst Ben Le Brun said the Australian share market experienced selling across all sectors on Tuesday.

He said the sell-off had gained momentum during the session.

"We've got the EU (European Union) ministers trying to flesh out a deal for Greece. We've got the US fiscal cliff, and we've had a pretty consistent outperformance (of the Australian market) against the US (market) for the last couple of weeks, so we might be coming back down to earth with a bit of a thud," Mr Le Brun said.

Investors were waiting to see if there would be an interest rate cut in Australia in December, and some recent bad corporate news on the local front added to a general air of uncertainty.

Among the major banks, ANZ was off 40 cents at $24.05, National Australia descended 53 cents to $23.11, Westpac dumped 55 cents at $24.80, and Commonwealth Bank surrendered 70 cents to $58.70.

Elsewhere in the financial services sector, global insurer QBE was 88 cents, or 7.46 per cent, lower at $10.92 following several broker downgrades and speculation that a capital raising that the company was undertaking would be insufficient, Mr Le Brun.

QBE shares have fallen sharply after the company on Monday downgraded its earnings expectations in the wake of superstorm Sandy in the US.

Among resource stocks, BHP Billiton was 55 cents lower at $33.75 as it was given until 2016 to go ahead with the expansion at the Olympic Dam mine in South Australia.

Rio Tinto lost 97 cents at $57.67 as it said a planned strike at its Blair Athol coal mine over claims of unfair redundancy payments would have minimal impact before the mine closes.

Among other stocks, Seven West Media jumped 13 cents, or 11.21 per cent, to $1.29 after it told shareholders it expects to record lower first half earnings in a difficult media market, and outlined cost-cutting targets.

Engineering firm UGL dipped four cents to $10.15 after it said it still expected to post similar full year results to those of 2012, with trading conditions remaining challenging.

Incitec Pivot was 11 cents higher at $3.02 as it said it was taking steps to reduce the risk associated with its fertiliser business while continuing to focus on expanding its explosives business, especially in Asia.

Preliminary national turnover was 1.63 billion shares worth $4.62 billion, with 661 stocks down, 301 up and 360 unchanged.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Gillard, Clinton to have 'one on one' time

PRIME Minister Julia Gillard says she is looking forward to having "one on one" chat time with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Ms Gillard smiled cheerfully when asked by reporters in Perth on Tuesday about her upcoming meeting with the woman many believe could become the first female president of the United States in 2016.

She did not directly answer a question about whether she would be giving Mrs Clinton any tips about being the first female leader of a country, but did say she was looking forward to meeting Mrs Clinton again.

"We've had the opportunity to meet on a number of occasions and spend some time together - just her and me - so that's been very valuable for me," she said.

"I'm looking forward to having another chat.

"We will have the opportunity to have some discussions one on one, as well as the more formal discussions about our defence cooperation and our cooperation in foreign affairs."

Both women are in Perth this week for the annual Australia-United States Ministerial (AUSMIN) meetings.

US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta is also due to fly in to Perth later on Tuesday.

AUSMIN is the highest-level forum for Australian/US consultation on foreign policy, defence and strategic issues.

Talks will cover regional issues important to both nations, but a main focus will be the potential increase in the American military presence at northern Australian airbases, which could also mean a higher rotation of US marines through Darwin.

The future of Afghanistan will also be discussed, with Ms Gillard saying she is interested in exchanging views on the mission.

Ms Gillard will meet Mrs Clinton and Mr Panetta later on Tuesday.

She said the United States was Australia's oldest ally and the nations were "good mates at every level".

"We share a strategic partnership and defence partnership," she said.

"We share strong economic bonds, with the US being a huge investor in the Australian economy.

"We share strong people links. We share values and similar cultural outlooks on the world."

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Carr to meet Clinton at Perth talks

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr and Defence Minister Stephen Smith will sit down with their US counterparts in Perth on Wednesday in talks likely to touch on regional security and greater US use of Australian facilities.

Visiting Australia, possibly for the last time in their official capacities, will be Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta.

Both will attend the annual Australia-United States Ministerial consultations held alternately in the US and Australia. The last AUSMIN meeting was in San Francisco.

This is the top-level forum for mutual consultations under the ANZUS alliance.

Ms Clinton and Mr Panetta are unlikely to make a big deal over reported US concerns about Australian defence budget cuts.

Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the issue wasn't even on the agenda, despite comments last week from a US official who said it would certainly be raised.

Mr Smith said Australia was going through a tough time with defence spending, as was the US, which faced half a trillion dollars of cuts over the next 10 years.

"But the assertion that somehow the United States are coming here to talk about our defence cuts is, frankly, a nonsense," he told the Ten Network on Sunday.

Mr Smith said the meeting would "traverse the challenges and opportunities", including regional security and the inaugural training of 200 US Marines in Australia's north this year.

"It's gone very well, and I think the review of the arrangement that we do in the course of our AUSMIN meeting will confirm that, and our meeting will essentially be a consolidation of the Marine arrangement," he said.

Mr Smith also mentioned a proposed expansion of visits of US aircraft, and HMAS Stirling, Australia's main naval base on the west coast, which is slated as likely to host increased US ship visits.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) executive director Peter Jennings said his experience of recent visits to the US indicated a large number of current and former US officials were concerned about Australian policy.

In particular, he said, they were dismayed about the quick reversal of the ambitious spending plans outlined in the 2009 Defence White Paper and commentary suggesting Australia needed to distance itself from the US in order to get close to China.

"AUSMIN would therefore be a good opportunity for both parties to reassure each other that they are staying the course on defence cooperation and that spending cuts won't be allowed to slow or reduce American Marine and Air Force deployments and the other proposed activities," he said in a blog on the ASPI website.

The US media is unlikely to be interested in Australia's budget difficulties.

More likely, it will be keen to assess the views of the secretaries on the sudden resignation of Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus over his affair with his biographer.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aust bonds higher despite positive data

AUSTRALIAN bond futures prices are higher amid a global move toward safe haven assets, despite stronger than expected domestic economic data.

CMC Markets chief market strategist Michael McCarthy said bond futures prices opened higher on Monday, reflecting a rally in safe haven assets on Friday night.

Prices eased off a little during the day, but remained relatively high despite the release of relatively strong domestic housing data.

Housing finance data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday showed the number of home loans approved in September rose 0.9 per cent, while the value of home loans rose 3.8 per cent.

"On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be a good reason for bonds to rally on local data," he said.

"So the rally we have seen is in line with what we have seen across the markets on Friday night and across Asia today."

He said demand for local bond futures was likely to remain strong throughout the week.

At 1630 AEDT on Monday, the December 10-year bond futures contract was trading at 97.005 (implying a yield of 2.995 per cent), up from 96.975 (3.025 per cent) on Friday.

The December three-year bond futures contract was at 97.460 (2.540 per cent), up from 97.430 (2.570 per cent).

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Greens back national church sex inquiry

THE Australian Greens have joined a growing chorus demanding a royal commission be set up to investigate claims of child abuse in the Catholic Church.

Greens leader Christine Milne on Sunday said she would be urging the federal government to establish a national commission when the Senate resumes in just over a week.

A national response was needed to a national problem, as certain evidence or records about alleged crimes may be beyond the scope of a state inquiry, Senator Milne said.

Only the coercive powers of a royal commission would expose the "systematic failings" that have allowed the church to hide abuse for decades.

"How is it that senior clergy have been able to transfer priests and brothers to other schools, often interstate, rather than report alleged abuse to the police?" she said in a statement.

"The victims of abuse need this royal commission and whilst it will be painful, it is the victims who have been at the forefront of pursuing it."

She said there were many "wonderful, selfless people" in the church who deserved to have the "cloud that hangs over the church" removed by an investigation.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon on Saturday said allegations made by a senior NSW police detective about sex abuse in the church were so grave only a national royal commission could get to the truth.

Detective Inspector Peter Fox claims the church covers up for paedophile priests, silences investigations and destroys crucial evidence to avoid prosecution.

Leading child protection advocacy groups Bravehearts and the National Child Protection Alliance have also urged Prime Minister Julia Gillard to launch a federal inquiry.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Victims testify about Afghan massacre

STORIES of the massacre came one by one over a live video link from Afghanistan into a military courtroom outside Seattle: torched bodies, a son finding his wounded father, boys cowering behind a curtain while others screamed "We are children! We are children!"

As the Afghans recounted the horror that left 16 dead in the darkness early on March 11, the US soldier accused of carrying out the rampage sat quietly in the courtroom.

At one point, Staff Sergeant Robert Bales moved closer to a large monitor showing the testimony. At other times, he watched as it played on a laptop screen in front of him. Either way, he gave no discernible reaction to the stories he heard.

Speaking through an interpreter, one Afghan closed his remarks with the words: "My request is to get justice."

The hearing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is meant to help determine whether Bales, 39, will face a court-martial in the deaths of the seven adults and nine children. He could face the death penalty if he is convicted.

Bales, an Ohio native and father of two from Lake Tapps, Washington, has not entered a plea and was not expected to testify. His lawyers have not discussed the evidence, but say he has post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered a concussive head injury while serving in Iraq.

The hearing, which began last Monday, was held overnight on Friday to accommodate the Afghan witnesses.

They recounted the villagers who lived in the attacked compounds and listed the names of those killed, to provide a record of the lives lost. The bodies were buried quickly under Islamic custom, and no forensic evidence was available to prove the number of victims.

The youngest witness was Sadiquallah, a slight boy of about 13 or 14 whose head rose just above the back of the seat he was sitting in. He described being awakened by a neighbour screaming that an American had "killed our men."

He said he and another boy ran to hide in a storage room and ducked behind a curtain. It provided no protection from the bullet that grazed his head and fractured his skull. Sadiquallah said the shooter had a gun and a light, but he could not identify the man.

The other child was hit in the thigh and also survived. The boy, Rafiullah, testified on Saturday that an American had attacked them and put a gun in his sister's mouth.

Sadiquallah's older brother, Quadratullah, sought refuge with other children in a different part of the house. When the gunman found them, Quadratullah testified, the children scrambled, yelling "We are children! We are children!"

The boys' father, Haji Mohammed Naim, was the first person shot at the home. He testified that he was awoken by shots and dogs barking. He asked his wife to light a lantern, and saw the shooter climb over a compound wall.

"He jumped from the wall, and I just saw the light on his head," Naim said. "He just started shooting me."

Asked how close the gunman was to him when he was shot, the thick-bearded Naim gestured toward a water bottle on the table in front of him, less than an arm's length away: "He was as close as this bottle."

One older son, Faizullah, recalled being awoken by someone telling him there had been a shooting at his father's compound. He rushed there to find him with a gunshot wound to the throat. One of Naim's daughters was also wounded, as were two neighbour siblings.

Faizullah said he loaded the wounded into a car, using a blanket to lift some of them. They were treated at a nearby base, then flown to a bigger military hospital in Kandahar. All five survived.

Khamal Adin, who had a beard and was wearing a turban, sat at the witness table with his arms folded. He described the carnage at the second village, Najiban.

The morning after the rampage, Adin said he arrived at a compound belonging to his cousin, Mohammed Wazir. Wazir had been away on a trip, and he found Wazir's mother lying dead in a doorway, a gunshot to her head.

Further inside, Adin said, he found the bodies of six of his cousin's seven children, the man's wife, and other relatives. The fire that burned the bodies was out, but he said he could still smell smoke.

When Adin began to testify, Bales moved from his seat to be closer to the courtroom monitor.

Adin was asked if he could say he personally saw the bodies. He answered: "Yes. I have seen each individual and took them out by myself." Asked to describe the injuries, he said: "Everybody was shot on the head. ... I didn't pay attention to the rest of the wounds."

Prosecutors say Bales broke his shooting rampage into two episodes, attacking one village, returning to the base and then departing again to raid another.

In between his attacks, he woke a fellow soldier, reported what he'd done and said he was headed out to kill more, the soldier testified. But the soldier didn't believe what Bales said, and went back to sleep.

Dressed in green fatigues, two Afghan National Army guards recounted what they had seen in the pre-dawn darkness outside the base the night of the killings.

One guard recounted that a man had arrived at the base and did not stop even after he asked him three times to do so. Later in the night, the second guard said, he saw a soldier leave the base - laughing as he went.

They did not say the soldier was the same person nor did they identify him as Bales.

On Saturday, Criminal Investigations Command Special Agent Leona Mansapit testified that one of the witnesses to the massacre claimed that at least two American soldiers were involved.

Mansapit said Masoma Dawood, a woman whose husband was shot, recalled seeing two soldiers. Every other eyewitness has indicated that only one US soldier was involved, and a surveillance video showed only one soldier returning to the American's base after the killings.

Interviewed months later, Dawood reported having seen two soldiers in her room, and that one of them held her back as the other shot her husband.

12.59 | 0 komentar | Read More