Gwinnett Daily Post

3 US, 2 NATO troops killed in Afghanistan

KABUL - Three Americans and two other international troops were killed Friday in an attack in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

Insurgents attacked Afghan and international forces Friday with rocket-propelled grenades and guns, NATO forces said in a statement. The troops called in air support, forcing the militants to withdraw. They are being pursued, the statement said.

Col. Greg Julian, a spokesman for U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, confirmed that three of the dead service members were Americans. The nationalities of the other two were not immediately known because NATO typically waits for countries to release such information.

The Taliban have vowed to increase ambushes and other attacks as an additional 21,000 U.S. troops flood into Afghanistan this summer in an attempt to stem the group's resurgence and bolster security for August presidential elections.

April deadliest month for US in Iraq in 7 months

BAGHDAD - The U.S. death toll for April rose to 18, the military said Friday, making it the deadliest in seven months for American forces in Iraq. The sharp increase from the previous month came as a series of bombings also pushed Iraqi deaths to their highest level this year.

In the latest violence, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a restaurant on the reservoir of Iraq's largest dam near the northern city of Mosul. At least five people were killed and 10 wounded, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.

The spike in attacks has raised concerns that insurgents are stepping up their efforts to re-ignite sectarian bloodshed as well as questions about the readiness of the Iraqis to take over responsibility for their own security as U.S. troops begin to withdraw.

1st Asian case of swine flu found in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - A Mexican tourist visiting Hong Kong has become Asia's first confirmed swine flu case, authorities said Friday, as they quarantined about 300 people at a hotel where he stayed and began searching for those he may have contacted.

With memories of 2003's deadly SARS outbreak still fresh, officials ordered the weeklong quarantine and treatment of 200 guests and 100 staff at the Metropark Hotel. The 25-year-old man was isolated at a hospital and was in stable condition Friday.

Health workers wearing full body suits wiped the tables, floor and windows of one of the hotel rooms as guests in other rooms waved to photographers.