Gwinnett Daily Post

Shooter in Afghan army uniform kills NATO trooper

KABUL, Afghanistan — A man in an Afghan army uniform shot and killed a NATO service member Saturday, and the Taliban said the assailant was a sleeper agent who had infiltrated the Afghan military.

Cases of foreign troops being attacked by rogue policemen and soldiers — or militants impersonating them — are on the rise as international forces are increasingly partnered with Afghan troops preparing to take the lead in security by the end of 2014.

The shooting was part of a spate of weekend attacks that killed at least 10 people, including three other foreign troops. The nationalities of the slain foreign soldiers were not released.

Cuba bound, Chavez hands out some duties

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez delegated some of his duties to his vice president and finance minister on Saturday as he prepared to fly to Cuba to start chemotherapy and a new stage of cancer treatment.

Chavez had refused opposition demands that he temporarily cede power to Vice President Elias Jaua while undergoing chemotherapy in Havana. But shortly after a legislative vote approving his trip, Chavez announced at a televised Cabinet meeting that he would hand off some responsibilities.

‘‘Tomorrow I begin chemotherapy treatment, and we’re going to give it everything we’ve got,’’ Chavez said in a televised speech. He said the treatment would ensure cancer cells have not spread or reappeared since he underwent surgery last month to remove a tumor.

5 killed in Iraq bombings

BAGHDAD — Two separate blasts killed five people and wounded nearly three dozen Saturday, Iraqi officials said, in the latest reminder of the violence and instability in the country as U.S. troops prepare to leave.

The first bomb, hidden in an empty rickshaw, blew up near Shiite pilgrims headed to the holy city of Karbala early Saturday morning, killing two people and wounding 26, two policemen said. A doctor in Karbala confirmed the casualty figures.

The pilgrims were standing in line for a ride to Karbala for celebrations marking the birthday of Mohammed al-Mahdi, the12th and so-called hidden imam, who disappeared in the ninth century.

— From wire reports