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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Two journalists, NATO soldier killed

The Spokesman-Review

Two German journalists who had pitched a tent on the side of a road outside a northern Afghan village were killed by gunmen early Saturday, the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan.

The freelance journalists conducting research for a documentary were the first foreign reporters killed in Afghanistan since late 2001, when eight journalists died.

A NATO soldier, meanwhile, was killed by militants who detonated a roadside bomb and fired on a military patrol in southern Afghanistan.

The slain journalists were identified as Karen Fischer, 30, and Christian Struwe, 38.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

U.S. general lauds intelligence help

The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East praised Pakistan’s intelligence service on Saturday for its fight against terrorism.

Gen. John Abizaid, who met with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf on Saturday, made the comments in talks with Musharraf at his office in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, a government statement said.

“(Abizaid) particularly lauded the role of Pakistan’s intelligence agencies in the anti-terror campaign, and said their cooperation was crucial in thwarting plots and apprehending most-wanted terrorists,” it said.

Indian police a week ago alleged that Pakistan’s secret service was behind a series of bombings that hit Mumbai trains in July, killing more than 200 people.

Pakistan immediately denied the claims and demanded evidence.

CARACAS, Venezuela

Chavez opponents rally by thousands

Thousands marched Saturday in the biggest show of public support yet for Venezuela’s main opposition presidential candidate, who pledged to undo what he called the ills of President Hugo Chavez’s government.

Manuel Rosales accused the government of mismanaging the country’s oil wealth and ignoring crime. He also played on fears that Chavez’s close friendship with Cuban leader Fidel Castro was leading Venezuela down the same path as the communist island.

“They say the Venezuelan people rule – that’s a lie,” said Rosales, governor of oil-rich, western Zulia state, who faces Chavez in the Dec. 3 election. “(We have) a government that is a puppet of a communist, totalitarian system.”