Tuesday, December 01, 2009 MUMBAI: The special trial court hearing the 26/11 terror attack case in Mumbai has sacked Abbas Kazmi, the lawyer of Ajmal Kasab, the only captured terrorist of 26/11, for "non-cooperation."Special sessions judge M L Tahiliyani has sacked Kazmi on charges of non co-operation. A new advocate, KP Pawar, also Kazmis junior has been appointed as the new lawyer in the case.Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said Kazmi was removed as he neither withdrew from the case nor cooperate with the court.“The court had ultimately asked him whether he would like to withdraw from the case or whether he would cooperate with the court or the court should take further action. Mr Kazmi refused to withdraw from the case and since he did not co-operate with the court, the court was compelled to cancel his appointment,” said Nikam.Even as the trial will continue at its regular pace, advocate K P Pawar, who now steps into Kazmi's shoes, initially appointed as an assistant to Kazmi, will now take over Kasab's defense. Amidst much hype the special sessions judge had appointed Kazmi as Kasab's lawyer but all through the 7 months the judge was critical of Kazmi's tendency of seeking extensions. So while the examination of affidavits became the immediate provocation, court sources believe his removal was perhaps in the offing for sometime now.
BAGHDAD: Nearly 500 U.S. Army combat engineers who specialize in clearing roads of explosives started shifting to southern Afghanistan."We are probably going to be the beginning of the influx you are going to see to Afghanistan," Lt. Col. Kevin Landers, commander of the Fort Carson, Colo.-based 4th Engineer Battalion, said as crews packed crates and cleaned vehicles for the flight to Kandahar.Obama has ordered 17,000 more U.S. soldiers and Marines to Afghanistan to bolster the 38,000 American troops already battling the resurgent Taliban."We are going to take this footprint out of Iraq," said Landers, whose battalion received word of its reassignment last month just after taking command of clearing roads in Baghdad of bombs and debris.
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