The attack took place in the town of Yafe, in the Lahj province, 250

The attack took place in the town of Yafe in the Lahj province 250 kilometres 156 miles

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The attack took place in the town of Yafe, in the Lahj province, 250 kilometres (156 miles) south of San'a, the capital.The attackers, believed to number four, belonged to the tribe of al-Aamas while the dead, who included the mosque's imam, were members of the rival Abdel-Nabi tribe.The officials said the attackers surrendered at the end of a police chase.Last month, a man opened fire on worshippers leaving a northern Yemen mosque, killing six people and wounding 10 in a shooting described as election-related.Yemen is an impoverished country on the tip of the Arabian peninsula. Large parts of it are lawless, inhabited by tribes that often kidnap foreigners or use firearms to settle scores with rivals or to express discontent with the government.. Japanese police have transferred to prosecutors the case of a US Marine suspected of arson attacks on Okinawa. Japanese police have transferred to prosecutors the case of a US Marine suspected of arson attacks on Okinawa. Kurt K Billie, 23, a Marine stationed at Camp Hansen, has been detained by US military authorities in connection with the alleged attacks on two Okinawa restaurants, Marine Corps officials said.Local prosecutors will now investigate the case before deciding whether to indict the Marine, said police spokesman Takaharu Shimada.Okinawan police said that US military authorities refused to hand over Billie to Japanese police.The case is the latest in a series of legal and other strains between Japan and the US military. It comes just days after a US Navy submarine rammed into a Japanese fishing trawler off the coast of Hawaii, leaving nine Japanese missing.Yesterday, Okinawa Gov Keiichi Inamine met Lt Gen Earl Hailston, the top Marine commander on Okinawa, and demanded that Billie be handed over to Japanese police.Just last week, Hailston was forced to apologize for an e-mail he sent to his staff which reportedly referred to local officials as "nuts and a bunch of wimps".Last month a US Navy serviceman was arrested on suspicion of breaking an Okinawa bar owner's finger during a brawl. Also last month, a Marine was arrested on accusations that he sneaked up on a 16-year-old girl in Okinawa, lifted her skirt and took photos.Under Japan-US mutual security arrangements, about 47,000 US troops are now stationed in Japan, more than half of them on Okinawa, about 1,000 miles southwest of Tokyo..

Opposition troops captured the key city of Bamiyan in central Afghanistan, cutting the only road that links the capital of Kabul to northern areas of the country, an opposition spokesman said. Opposition troops captured the key city of Bamiyan in central Afghanistan, cutting the only road that links the capital of Kabul to northern areas of the country, an opposition spokesman said. A official from the ruling Taliban, speaking on condition he not be identified, confirmed the loss of Bamiyan, saying opposition troops ambushed Taliban soldiers in the city forcing them to withdraw.It wasn't known how many casualties either side suffered.The capture of Bamiyan is the first big military victory for the opposition, led by ousted President Burhanuddin Rabbani, in more than one year.Bamiyan is home to Afghanistan's minority Shiite Muslims and according to opposition spokesman, Gulam Raza Azizada, most of the fighting has been done by Hezb-e-Wahadat fighters, who are Shiite Muslims. Hezb-e-Wahadat is one of several small parties that make up the opposition, which is dominated by Rabbani and his military chief Ahmed Shah Massood.With the capture of Bamiyan, the opposition has gained a firm hold on the province, also named Bamiyan, Azizada said. The Taliban, who rule roughly 95 percent of Afghanistan, still hold some parts of the province.The city fell to opposition fighters late yesterday following a two-pronged attack that left several Taliban troops dead, said Azizada.With Bamiyan under its control, the opposition has moved the front line to Doab-e-Belala, which sits in the middle of the only road that connects Kabul, 84 miles to the south, to Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Afghanistan.The Taliban are in control of Mazar-e-Sharif and use the highway to ferry supplies to its soldiers there.

The loss of the supply route could be a major setback for the ruling militia.In neighbouring Pakistan, a Taliban official said that United Nations sanctions have emboldened the opposition.Sanctions which took effect in January imposes a one-sided arms embargo against the Taliban but not against opposition soldiers, who are said to get their supplies from Iran and Russia and several central Asian countries.The Taliban are said to get their military supplies from Pakistan.Also the Taliban offical, who did not want to be identified, said that the religious army withdrew rather than incur heavy civilian casualties in Bamiyan city, where tens of thousands of people live.. The man touted to become Hong Kong's number two official said he'd rather keep his current job, injecting a measure of confusion into the biggest shuffle in the territory's government since China regained sovereignty. The man touted to become Hong Kong's number two official said he'd rather keep his current job, injecting a measure of confusion into the biggest shuffle in the territory's government since China regained sovereignty. Financial Secretary Donald Tsang said yesterday that he has told Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa: "To me, it would be best to retain my present post."Tsang called his preference "a little secret" that he's stated three times to Tung when they have met to discuss who will take over for Chief Secretary for Administration Anson Chan, who has run Hong Kong's civil service since her appointment by the last British colonial governor.Despite Tsang's reservations, newspapers and a government official said today that Tsang is apparently still in line replace Chan, who is highly popular but plans to quit in April. Analysts say her constant quarreling with Tung is the likely reason.Tsang could have just been trying to avoid looking overly ambitious when he said other people in the civil service could serve as chief secretary and that as financial secretary, he still had plenty to do helping Hong Kong continue to bounce back from the Asian crisis.But Tsang created plenty of headlines with his remarks to a confederation of Hong Kong youth groups.Tsang did not say whether he would take or reject the job if it were offered. But the 33-year veteran of the civil service said "my path is totally decided by the system of civil servants within the government."Tung's spokesman, Stephen Lam, said the search to replace Chan was on track without incident, although he would not elaborate on the process or comment on Tsang's remarks."Tung said last week that would name a successor to the chief secretary this week," Lam said by telephone.

"We are proceeding on schedule."Local newspapers reported that Tsang was still expected to get the job, and a government official told The Associated Press that seems likely. The official spoke on condition his name not be used.Tsang said Tuesday night he has discussed the chief secretary job three times with Tung."I am not saying he has asked me to take the post, but we only discussed it," Tsang said. "On this topic, I have given the suggestion to the chief executive - not just one time, or two times, but three times - I said to the chief executive, if he wants to consider the choice of a candidate, if he considers appointing me, I hope he will reconsider this."Tsang's spokeswoman, Cathy Chu, said Tsang was only "describing his present job as financial secretary and that there should be no speculation on his remarks."Chan announced last month she would quit the job in which she has been viewed as a bridge of stability between the former British colonial administration and Hong Kong's current government put in place when China regained sovereignty on July 1, 1997.Chan said she was quitting to spend more time with her family, but most analysts and opposition politicians here believe her feuding with Tung was the real reason.Tsang was immediately tipped to succeed Chan, although critics have expressed concerns that he might become too much of a yes-man to Tung.. Even members of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's own government today joined in criticism of his decision to remain on the golf course for two hours after learning that a US submarine had just sunk a Japanese fishing vessel. Even members of Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's own government today joined in criticism of his decision to remain on the golf course for two hours after learning that a US submarine had just sunk a Japanese fishing vessel. Mori is making the ruling Liberal Democratic Party a "national laughingstock," said Mahito Nakajima, a member of the LDP's largest faction.And Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda, Mori's closest aide reversed the opinion he issued yesterday, this time criticizing his boss."I think he should not have been playing golf," Fukuda said.

"What is being questioned is the political attitude."A day earlier Fukuda defended Mori, saying the premier asked officials to quickly gather information as soon as he heard about it. "What should initially be done, was done," Fukuda said then.Mori has shown no sign that he plans to step down before elections to be held by the end of July.Since taking office in April, Mori's public support ratings have fallen steadily, standing now at about 14 percent. Three of his Cabinet members have resigned in disgrace, Mori himself has been repeatedly criticized for verbal gaffes, and the economy is showing signs of sliding back into recession without ever fully recovering from the worst slowdown since World War II.The latest criticism stems from Mori's decision to stay on the golf course for a couple of hours on Saturday after receiving word that the USS Greeneville had rammed and sunk a Japanese fishing vessel carrying 35 people off Hawaii on Friday. Nine people, including four high school students, were still missing on Wednesday.Mori was unrepentant.Asked by opposition leaders in parliament if his handling of the crisis was appropriate, Mori said that he considered the collision an "accident," not something that calls for "crisis management."Getting "all flustered" would not have been productive, he said."I will take the blame if where I was at the time of the accident was inappropriate," Mori said. "But I have taken the appropriate measure as a leader, which is to gather information, give precise instructions and ask the United States for their utmost efforts in continuing the search.".

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The attack took place in the town of Yafe in the Lahj province 250 kilometres 156 miles

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