World / Nation Briefs March 15, 2012

Obama, Cameron outline shift in Afghanistan role

WASHINGTON - Determined to show momentum in a war marred by setbacks, President Barack Obama and British Prime Minster David Cameron said for the first time Wednesday that NATO forces would hand over the lead combat role to Afghanistan forces next year as the U.S. and its allies aim to get out by the end of 2014.

The announcement added both clarity and urgency to the path of a war that has fallen into a demoralizing period, rocked by the burnings of Qurans at a U.S. base, deadly protests against Americans and a shooting rampage, alleged against a U.S. soldier, that left 16 Afghan civilians dead.

Yet Obama made clear those incidents, and intensifying political pressure surrounding them, will not lead him to bring American troops home sooner.

He said he still plans to gradually withdraw forces through 2014 as Afghan forces take on more responsibility, cautioning no one should expect "any sudden, additional changes" in the pace of withdrawal.

The trials of war, bloodshed in Syria and a nuclear standoff in Iran dominated questioning at a joint appearance by Obama and Cameron at the White House. By contrast, the personal tone of their visit has been all ease as Obama has lavished attention on his younger ally, from a college basketball tournament game on Tuesday night to the magnolia blossoms of the Rose Garden where their news conference was held. It was all to be capped by a glitzy state dinner on the South Lawn.

Accused soldierflown out of Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan - The American soldier accused of shooting 16 Afghan villagers in a pre-dawn killing spree was flown out of Afghanistan on Wednesday to Kuwait, even as many Afghans called for him to face justice in their country.

Afghan government officials did not immediately respond to calls for comment on the late-night announcement. The U.S. military said the transfer did not preclude the possibility of trying the case in Afghanistan, and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the soldier could receive capital punishment if convicted.

The soldier was held by the U.S. military in Kandahar until Wednesday evening, when he was flown out of Afghanistan to Kuwait, said a U.S. official.

Many fear a misstep by the U.S. military in handling the case could ignite a firestorm in Afghanistan that would shatter already tense relations between the two countries. The alliance appeared near the breaking point last month when the burning of Qurans in a garbage pit at a U.S. base sparked protests and retaliatory attacks that killed more than 30 people, including six U.S. soldiers.

In recent days the two nations made headway toward an agreement governing a long-term American presence here, but the massacre in Kandahar province on Sunday has called all such negotiations into question.

Swiss tunnel bus crash kills 28; most are children

SIERRE, Switzerland - A tour bus carrying schoolchildren home from a class trip slammed head-on into a tunnel wall in the Swiss Alps, killing 22 Belgian students and six adults and instantly changing a joyous skiing vacation into a tragedy spanning several European nations.

As authorities tried Wednesday to piece together what happened, parents, classmates and rescue workers struggled to grasp the awful turn of events. Only days earlier, the children had updated a lively blog about the highlights of their adventure: ravioli and meatball dinners, cable-car rides and sing-a-longs.

Police said the bus was not speeding and everyone aboard had been wearing seat belts when it crashed late Tuesday inside the 1.5-mile Tunnel de Geronde on a highway near the southern town of Sierre, a gateway to the Val d'Anniviers tourist region. No other vehicles were involved.

Prison-bound, ex-Illinois governor asserts innocence

CHICAGO - Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich embraced the public spotlight one last time Wednesday, claiming on the day before he reports to prison that he always believed what he did was legal and expressing faith that an appeal of his corruption convictions will succeed.

The famously talkative Blagojevich seemed to relish the attention as he spoke to a throng of television cameras, reporters and well-wishers outside his Chicago home less than 24 hours before he was due to arrive at a Colorado prison to begin serving a 14-year sentence. He was convicted on 18 counts during two trials, including charges that he tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.

"While my faith in things has sometimes been challenged, I still believe this is America, this is a country that is governed by the rule of law, that the truth ultimately will prevail," the impeached governor said during an event that seemed part farewell, part campaign rally.

Supporters chanted "free our governor" and "he's not guilty."

- The Associated Press