BRIEFS

WORLD

KABUL, Afghanistan – Six U.S.
troops were killed when insurgents
ambushed their foot patrol in the high
mountains of eastern Afghanistan,
officials said Saturday. The attack, the
most lethal against American forces
this year, made 2007 the deadliest for
U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The troops were returning from a
meeting with village elders late Friday
afternoon in Nuristan province when
militants attacked them with rocket
propelled grenades and gunfire, Lt.
Col. David Accetta told The Associated
Press.

“They were attacked from several
enemy positions at the same time,”
said Accetta, a spokesman for NATO’s
International Security Assistance Force
and the U.S. military. “It was a complex
ambush.”

The six deaths brings the total number
of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan
this year to at least 101, according to
a count by the AP. That makes this
year the deadliest for Americans here
since the 2001 invasion, a war initially
launched to oust Taliban and al-Qaida
fighters after the terror attacks of Sept.
11, but one that has evolved into an
increasingly bloody counterinsurgency
campaign.

Three Afghan soldiers were also
killed in Friday’s ambush, while
eight Americans and 11 Afghans were
wounded. The 14 total U.S. casualties
was the highest number of wounded
and killed from a battle in Afghanistan
this year, Accetta said.

“With Sunday being Veterans Day,
this is a reminder of the sacrifices that
our troops and our Afghan partners
make for the peace and stability of the
Afghan people,” Accetta said.

NATION

ATLANTA – A mutated version
of a common cold virus has caused
10 deaths in the last 18 months, U.S.
health officials said Thursday.

Adenoviruses usually cause respiratory
infections that aren’t considered
lethal. But a new variant has caused
at least 140 illnesses in New York,
Oregon, Washington and Texas, according
to a report issued Thursday by
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.

CDC officials don’t consider the
mutation to be a cause for alarm for
most people, and they’re not recommending
any new precautions for the
general public.

“What really got people’s attention
is these are healthy young adults
landing in the hospital and, in some
cases, the ICU,” said Dr. John Su, an
infectious diseases investigator with
the CDC.

Severe illnesses are more likely in
people with weaker immune systems.
There are no good antiviral medications
for adenoviruses. Patients are
usually treated with aspirin, liquids
and bed rest.

Some people who get infected by
the new bug probably would not suffer
symptoms, and some may just feel a
common cold. Sick people should see a
doctor if they suffer a high fever or have
trouble breathing, Anderson said.

LOCAL

BLACKSBURG – Thousands of
people assembled on Virginia Tech’s
Drillfield on Saturday to form a giant,
human thank you card to the world for its
support after the April 16 massacre.

Dressed in the school colors of
maroon and orange, the crowd was
arranged to form Tech’s “VT” logo, and
under it, “THANK YOU.” A satellite
aimed to capture the image as the
thousands waved up at the sky.

“We’re very pleased with how it
went,” said Peter Sforza, geography
department faculty member and
coordinator of the event.
However, he said organizers won’t
know until Monday whether the
satellite photo worked out.

“During the satellite overpass
window, we had about 50 percent
clouds at that moment. It’s a hit or
miss thing,” he said.

They hope to post the satellite image
on the Internet.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply