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682 civilians killed in year in Somalia, report says

By TIMES WIRES
Published July 24, 2006

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Gunmen have killed 682 civilians, including a foreign journalist, in executions over the past year in Somalia, a local rights group said Sunday.

The killings took place largely in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Some came during battles for control of the city, others were due to clan differences, a few were kidnappings and some were for unknown motives, according to the report by the Dr. Ismael Jumale Human Rights Center.

Those killings included the June slaying of Swedish journalist Martin Adler as he filmed a protest in Mogadishu. An unidentified gunman shot Adler in the back.

The report said combatants killed 400 civilians and injured 1,500 during sporadic fighting since February between Islamic militiamen and secular warlords for the control of Mogadishu.

Indian police kill eight in raid of communist rebels

HYDERABAD, India - Police raided a forest hideout for communist rebels in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday, killing a guerrilla chief and at least seven other people, the state's police chief said.

Top rebel leader Burra Chinnaiah, the state chief of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist group, was among those killed Sunday, said Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen, who described the operation as a major blow to the rebels.

State Home Minister K. Jana Reddy applauded the police raids and said there was no unnecessary carnage. Five women were among the dead.

Tsunami-wary Indonesians flee homes after quake

JAKARTA, Indonesia - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 struck off Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Sunday, causing residents to flee coastal areas in fear of a tsunami. Indonesian officials, who recorded the quake at 6.6, said no tsunami was generated and told residents to return home.

[Last modified July 24, 2006, 01:27:06]