NPR 2008-02-24

From NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Raum.

Turkish troops are pressing their offensive into Northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels. At least several hundred Turkish troops crossed the border Thursday night, following artillery 1 and air bombardment of the PKK rebel targets. Turkish officials say the offensive is limited to routing the separatist Kurds. The BBC's Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.

The Turkish offensive is taking place in a remote and almost inaccessible 2 mountain area with no independent reports to verify information from either side. The top Turkish diplomat 3 in Baghdad has been called in to receive a protest note from the Iraqi government which has asked Ankara to respect its sovereignty. With the United States, the European Union and the UN all expressing concern, the Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Erdogan has given assurances that the operation is focused purely 4 on PKK targets and will be limited in both scope and time. The BBC's Jim Muir reporting from Baghdad.

Several rockets or mortars 5 were fired on the Green Zone in Baghdad today where US and Iraqi government offices are located. There were no reports of casualties. US officials blamed the attacks on what they called "special groups", rogue 6 elements of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army . Yesterday, Sadr announced he's renewing a six-month ceasefire that he first called in August to reorganize his militia 7.

Marine 8 prosecutors 9 at Camp Pendleton have lost an attempt to obtain outtakes from a ''60 Minutes'' interview. The network has spoken with a leader of a squad 10 that killed 24 civilians 11 in the town of Haditha in 2005. NPR's John McChesney reports.

The prosecutors sought unaired portions of an interview with Sgt. Frank Wuterich. Wuterich faces a court martial 12 on charges of voluntary manslaughter for his alleged 13 part in the killings 14. Military judge Lt. Col. Jeffrey Meeks said the subpoena 15 seemed like a fishing expedition since prosecutors had other ways to obtain evidence concerning Wuterich. Prosecutors argued that the outtakes contained Wuterich's admissions of crimes in the attack. CBS argued that the subpoena should be quashed because granting it would discourage potential witnesses from talking to the media. The killings occurred after one of Wuterich's squad was killed by a roadside bomb. The squad then cleared houses using grenades and rifles and unarmed civilians including women and children were killed. Wuterich is scheduled for trial on March 3rd. John McChesney NPR News.

A B-2 Stealth bomber 16 crashed at an airbase on the U.S. territory of Guam today. Authorities say both pilots ejected safely. They are said to be in good condition. Officials say this was the first time a B2 was crashed since it was first flown in 1989. The cause of the crash is under investigation 17. Each bomber costs about 1.2 billion dollars.

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Congressional investigators 18 have issued subpoenas 19 to two of the owners of the Utah coal mine where nine miners and rescuers died last August. From Salt Lake City, NPR's Howard Berkes reports.

One of the subpoenas was sent to Robert Murray, the combative 20 CEO of Murray Energy who helped courted news conferences outside the Crandall Canyon 21 Mine while rescuers searched for six missing coal miners. Murray blamed an earthquake for the mine collapse 22. Seismologists say the collapse itself caused the tremor 23 that Murray considered a quake. Reporters and critics raised questions about mining practices at Crandall Canyon. Murray declined invitations to testify at Senate hearings. That reluctance 24 produced a subpoena that'll appear before a Senate subcommittee this spring. Now there is a subpoena for the House Labor 25 Committee for a hearing next month. The bodies of the six miners have yet to be recovered. Three rescuers died in the effort to reach them. Howard Berkes, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

A winter storm is moving out to sea after dropping snow and ice on much of the northeastern US. Airlines cancelled more than 1,100 flights in the New York City area alone. Two people were killed in weather-related accidents in upstate New York. A motorist also died in Connecticut.

Chinese officials said today at least 129 people have died in winter storms in China so far this year. It's been an unusually harsh winter for parts of central and southern China. Snow has hampered 26 travel and interrupted electrical service. Officials estimate all losses at 210 million dollars.

Two earthquakes struck a desert area along the border between the US and Mexico yesterday. There were no reports of injuries or damage but dozens of Mexican schools were evacuated 27.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.