From Washington this is VOA news. A verdict in the trial of Hosni Mubarak. And a daring rescue in Afghanistan. I’m Martin Johnson reporting from Washington.
That is the crowd outside Cairo courthouse where ousted president Hosni Mubarak has received a sentence of life in prison for his role in the death of hundreds of anti-government protesters killed during last year’s uprising that forced him from power. The former president was immediately (taken in) prison. He had consistently arrived in court on a stretcher that had been held in a hospital during his day but that change adds up today. Elizabeth Arrott has more from Cairo.
Elizabeth Arrott: “Hosni Mubarak has been (sentenced to life) in prison for his complicity in the killing of anti-government protesters, escaping the death penalty called for by the trial prosecutor. As Judge Ahmed Rifaat read the (verdict), the anti-Mubarak crowd outside the courthouse erupted in chants of “god is great” and set off fireworks to mark the decision. The first Arab leader ousted during the region’s uprising to face court Mubarak was acquitted along with his sons, Gamal and Alaa, of corruption charges. The news dampened the jubilation of the crowd with suspicions that the vast wealth allegedly be accumulated by the Mubarak family and inner circle were remain in their hands. Elizabeth Arrott, VOA news, Cairo.”
NATO coalition forces has staged a daring nighttime raid, swooping in with (helicopters), to free four humanitarian aid workers who were being held in a cave in a remote Afghan province. Five kidnappers were killed in the operation early today. The aid workers were kidnapped May 22 while traveling by horseback to aid village workers suffering from malnutrition in Badakhshan. Coalition forces spokesperson Lieutenant Lauren Rago described the raid.
Lauren Rago: The rescue team was inserted by helicopter under the cover of darkness and confirmed the presence of the (hostages). After securing the location, ISAF forces conducted the rescue mission and successfully freed all four hostages.”
Rescue workers were employed by Medair, a Swiss-based humanitarian non-governmental organization, who identified their employees as 28-year-old Helen Johnston, who is British, 26-year-old Moragwa Oirere who is Kenyan as well as two Afghans. British forces took part in the operation which was authorized by the British Prime Minister David Cameron. U.S. General John Allen who is the (top commander) of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan praised the efforts as planned, rehearsed and successfully conducted.
Security officials in northwestern Pakistan say U.S. a drone strike has killed at two suspected militants. Authorities say the strike took place early today in the South Waziristan tribal district which borders Afghanistan. Relations between Pakistan and the U.S. plunged into crisis after U.S. airstrikes killed (24) Pakistani soldiers last November resulting in Pakistan shutting its Afghan border to NATO supplies.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the U.S. will shift the majority of its warships to the Asia-Pacific region over the next several years as part of a new strategic focus on Asia. In Singapore today, Panetta told a conference of (defense officials) from 30 Asia-Pacific nations the U.S. navy will reposition its forces from the approximately 50-50 split between the Pacific and Atlantic to 60% of naval forces in the Pacific and 40% in the Atlantic.
Leon Panetta: “Out approach to achieving the long-term goal in the Asia-Pacific is to stay firmly committed to a basic set of (shared principles), principles that promote international rules and order to advance peace and security in the region.”
The defense secretary also told delegates the annual Shangri-La Dialogue that the redeployment should be completed by 2020 and pledged to expand U.S. military exercises in the Pacific as well as port visits in areas such as the Indian Ocean.
A U.S. government website has published what is says a (photographic evidence) of mass graves and attacks on civilian areas by Syrian government forces. The website operated by the State Department, humanrights.gov, published the satellite images Friday. More than 100 people, nearly half of them children, were killed in a massacre in Houla, Syria on May 25. The killings there sparked widespread outrage with some leading diplomats calling for an international coalition to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power. The U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, called the Syrian government’s assault on Houla the most unambiguous indictment of the Assad regime to date. The uprising there started more than a year ago.
I’m Martin Johnson, VOA news in Washington. There is more news on our website at voanews.com.