2 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, March 8, 2002 NATION/WORLD Search for al-Qaida intensified GARDEZ, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S. troops scoured caves and cleared ridges of al-Qaida diehards yesterday, but sandstorms and high winds grounded helicopters and threatened to dis- rupt the U.S.-led air and ground offensive. After some of the heaviest bombing in the six- day offensive, a number of supply flights were delayed or canceled because of the worsening weather. U.S. officials acknowledged pilots and troops on the ground would have a harder time routing the fighters in such bad conditions. Maj. Bryan Hilfery, spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division, said 100 militants were killed Wednesday. Allied attacks also destroyed some of their heavy weaponry - which includes mortars, small cannons, rocket-propelled grenades and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. "We're continuing to bolster our efforts, and units are continuing to maneuver in fire today, clearing ridgelines, caves and pockets of al-Qaida resistance," Hilfery said at Bagram air base, north of the Afghan capital Kabul. U.S. officials and Afghan commanders said al- Qaida sympathizers - including some from Pak- istan - had crossed into the mountains to join the fight. Afghans said enemy forces may now number 1,000. The commanders insisted the routes to the mountain passes had since been sealed - even though Taliban fighters managed to bring some of their slain comrades to the foothills of Surmad for burial Tuesday. Surmad is 18 miles south of Gardez, the capital of Paktia Province. Gardez is about 75 miles south of Kabul, the capital. U.S. officials have said hundreds of fugitive fighters have been killed since Operation Ana- conda began and small numbers detained. Eight American and three Afghan troops have died in the offensive. Five international peacekeepers were killed Wednesday when a Soviet-era missile they were trying to defuse exploded, the first fatalities in the force. And yesterday in Kandahar, a fire at an ammunition depot near the coalition base killed three U.S.-allied Afghan fighters. Canadian offi- cials said the Afghans may have tripped a booby trap, sparking a fire. New troops were headed to the region, includ- ing about 200 soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division, equipped with 16 Apache helicopters and four CH-47 Chinook; and 107 members of a Canadian infantry unit rotating in. Yesterday dawned over eastern Paktia province with thunderous blasts from U.S. B-52 bombers shaking Gardez and the mountains southwest of here. Dozens of U.S. Army Apache attack helicop- ters, armed with 30 mm guns and Hellfire missiles, pounded targets in the narrow, craggy gorges. The air bombardment, felt 30 miles away, appeared heavier than in recent days as the Unit- ed States accelerated efforts to crack the al-Qaida resistance. NEWS IN BRIEF _4 UNITED NATIONS Iraq, U.N. engage in long awaited talks Iraq and the United Nations agreed Wednesday that their first high-level talks in a year got off to a "positive and constructive" start, but there was no indication Baghdad will allow U.N. weapons inspectors back in the country. No major breakthrough had been expected, and Foreign Minister Naji Sabri announced that the dialogue would continue sometime in mid-April. "I am always optimistic," Sabri said as he left U.N. headquarters. The long-awaited meeting, initiated by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, began with an unusual one-on-one session between Foreign Minister Naji Sabri and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that lasted about 20 minutes, a signal of the high stakes. The United States has demanded the return of U.N. weapons inspectors, accused Iraq of being part of an "axis of evil" supporting terrorism, and hinted it might expand its war on terrorism to the oil-rich Mideast nation. On Wednesday, U.S. officials charged that Iraq is illegally trying to build up its military by converting about 1,000 trucks for military use in viola- tion of U.N. sanctions. Many Arab leaders have warned President Bush that attacking Iraq would dam- age Mideast support for the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign. WASHINGTON Victims of Sept. 11 will get more money U.S. soldiers load a helicopter with ammunition to be delivered to troops searching for al-Qaida members in1 Afghanistan mountains. o -a 20 menu items priced under $4 every day. Unlimited, free fresh-baked breadsticks and soft drink refills with every dine-in order. Ask albout our delivery options. 16 dea in lates They did not get all they wanted, but after two months of politicking and plead- AP PHOTO ing with a federal special master, the families of the Sept. 11 dead will get more money from a federal Victims' Compensation Fund than originally proposed. the Kenneth Feinberg, the fund's special master, announced yesterday the final rules that will govern how much relatives will receive to compensate for economic loss and pain and suffering caused by the multiple terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 that killed 3,062 people and injured hundreds. Overall, the new rules will increase by $200,000 the average award from $1.65 million to $1.85 million before deductions. And there will be far fewer deductions, which had caused great concern. Feinberg conceded that he made many changes in response to a firestorm of criticism by relatives and their advocates. Over the last weeks, he met with family groups, members of Congress, trial lawyers and others who had problems with the draft version of the rules. "I may not agree with every criticism," he said. "But I wanted today to assure the families and others ... that the suggestions have not fallen on deaf ears." 0 libertyT AZo I' ANN ARBOR: 2245 West Stadium Blvd. (between Liberty and Jackson) Phone: 734-623-8202 [uliUi011 fighting JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel pressed its campaign of intense strikes throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip yesterday, conducting sweeps in refugee camps and killing 12 Palestini- ans. A Palestinian suicide bomber attacked a West Bank settlement, while a gunman killed four people and wounded 20 in an Israeli settlement. The attack on the Atzmona settle- ment came shortly after President Bush announced he. planned to send his Mideast envoy back to the region. A Palestinian gunman infiltrated the Gaza settlement late yesterday and killed four people, before soldiers shot him dead. The attacker wounded 20 people, five seriously, the Israeli mili- tary said. Israel Radio reported the military wing of the militant Hamas organiza- tion claimed responsibility. The station said the infiltrator entered the Atzmona settlement from the south, near the Palestinian city of Khan Younis, and threw grenades as well as shooting. Bush said he was sending Anthony Zinni to the troubled region next week in hopes of halting widening violence and called for both sides to end the fighting. The president said the Israelis had to show "a vision for peace. There's got to be more than security." Bush said, how- ever, he fully supported Israel's right to defend itself from Palestinian attacks. He called on Palestinian leader Yass- er Arafat to make a "maximum effort to end terrorism against Israel." Israeli troops stormed through two West Bank refugee camps before dawn and rocketed a police station after nightfall in one of Gaza's most crowd- ed camps, sending Palestinian civilians running for cover. In the biblical West Bank town of Bethlehem, Israeli airstrikes on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's local headquarters hit so hard they blew open bolted doors in nearby homes. Israeli leaders said the campaign was aimed at forcing the Palestinians to stop terror attacks, but there was no sign of that yesterday. News of Zinni's departure came just hours after White House press secre- tary Ari Fleischer said the envoy would not be returning unless there was an "opening where a return by General Zinni would do some good." Raanan Gissin, Israeli Prime Minis- ter Ariel Sharon's spokesman, said he would have no immediate comment on Zinni's return. He said Israel was studying the development. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat welcomed the U.S. decision. "I do think its a useful move, and I do think that in the deteriorating situation it is necessary to have some serious inter- vention." In the deadly conflict, a Palestinian suicide bomber walked into a Jewish settlement's hotel complex and blew himself up in the lobby, injuring four people and sending canned goods and cereal boxes flying in the adjoining su nermat. WASHINGTON Compronse reached on fuel efficiency bill Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced a compro- mise proposal yesterday to increase automobile fuel economy to 36 miles per gallon by 2015 and are considering an exemption for pickup trucks to satis- fy senators from agricultural states. Current standards, known as CAFE for Corporate Average Fuel Economy, are 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for light trucks. Automakers don't have to meet the requirement for every vehicle, but their entire fleet must average the standard. The CAFE provision is among the most contentious issues in a sweeping energy bill being debated this week in the Senate. It is strongly opposed by the, auto industry, the United Auto Workers Union and most Republicans. Opponents claim the proposal would require automakers to build smaller cars that get better gas mileage but are less safe and that American consumers don't want. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Hubble ma now see light o big bang Spacewalking astronauts equipped the Hubble Space Telescope with a new set of digital eyes yesterday, a $75 mil- lion camera expected to extend the observatory's reach to within a -billion years or so of the big bang. The Advanced Camera for Surveys has five times the sensitivity and twice the resolution, or clarity, of Hubble's current visible-light camera, greatly increasing the discovery potential of the $2 billion observatory. "With ACS, Hubble will detect more faint stars and galaxies during its first 18 months than have been detected" since Hubble was launched into space in- 1990, said principal investigator Hol- land Ford of Johns Hopkins University. The new camera is equipped with an internal mirror that exactly counteracts the blurring produced by Hubble's slightly mishaped primary mirror. WH ITEFISH, Mont Group suspected of assassination plot Police say David Burgert's alleged "Project 7" assassination plot is probably fantasy. But they are taking it seriously. Investigators believe Burgert's group was plotting to trigger an anti-govern- ment revolution. Detectives say they discovered it last month when a Project 7 member tipped them off after Burgert beat him up. According to Flathead County Sher- iff Jim Dupont, the conspirators planned to kill judges, prosecutors and police officers in such numbers that the National Guard would be sent in. Then the troops would be killed, forcing the federal government into the fray and sparking a national uprising. Project 7 amassed a huge arsenal - machine guns, 30,000 rounds of ammu- nition, explosives, night-vision equip- ment, body armor and booby traps. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip- tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Colle- giate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. 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