World Digest

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban Attack Kills 20

Eleven Taliban suicide bombers attacked government buildings in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, sparking gun battles that killed at least 20 people and wounded three U.S. troops, officials said. U.S. and Afghan troops freed 20 hostages taken by the insurgents.

The assault began about 10 a.m. when a suicide bomber in a burqa attacked the governor's compound in Khost, an eastern city on the border with Pakistan that houses a major U.S. base. That blast was followed soon after by a suicide car-bomb explosion, a police spokesman said.

U.S. forces responded to the attacks and killed an unknown number of insurgents, according to a U.S. military spokeswoman.

The Defense Ministry said that at least 11 insurgents and nine other people, including police and civilians, were killed in the running street clashes and explosions that continued until late afternoon.

-- Associated Press

SRI LANKA

Shell Strikes Hospital

A mortar shell slammed into a crowd of injured civilians waiting for treatment Tuesday at the only medical facility left in Sri Lanka's war zone, killing 49 people in the third day of intense shelling in the area, health officials said.

The Tamil Tiger rebels blamed the government for the attack -- the second deadly strike on the hospital this month -- and called on the international community to push for an immediate cease-fire.

Sri Lankan officials denied responsibility, saying they had stopped using artillery and mortars weeks ago. But the U.N. humanitarian chief said there was evidence the government was still using heavy weapons, despite the estimated 50,000 civilians stuck in the tiny coastal strip still under rebel control.

Also Tuesday, the International Committee of the Red Cross said a ferry attempting to bring aid had to turn back because of fighting.

-- Associated Press

Violence Unabated in Somali Capital: Fierce fighting in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, has killed 113 civilians in the past three days and forced more than 27,000 to flee their homes, a human rights organization said. About 10,000 civilians fled their homes on Tuesday alone, according to the independent Elman Peace and Human Rights Center.

Al-Qaeda-Linked Group in Iraq Denies Leader's Capture: An al-Qaeda-linked group in Iraq has denied Iraqi government reports of the capture of one of its leaders, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, releasing an audiotape it said was of him mocking the U.S.-backed authorities. Iraq's Defense Ministry announced Baghdadi's capture last month. Some experts say they are not convinced Baghdadi exists.

Israeli Soldiers Arrested Over Gaza Looting: Israeli military police arrested two soldiers as part of an investigation into alleged looting during Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip in January, the military said. A newspaper said the two soldiers were suspected of stealing and using a Palestinian family's credit card.

France Moves to Curb Internet Piracy: The French lower house passed a bill that would cut the Internet connections of users who repeatedly download music and films illegally, creating what may be the first government agency to track and punish online pirates. The Senate was expected to pass the measure Wednesday.

-- From News Services