WASHINGTON: The United States' top military officer says it cannot be successful in Afghanistan if large numbers of civilians keep getting killed amid the conflict. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed to this month's disputed U.S. airstrikes in Farah province which led to notes of regret from President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials.Dozens of civilians reportedly died in the incident in the air strikesMullen also refused to rule out strikes from unmanned drones, often used to launch missiles at militant hideouts.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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