Military Base

Hundreds of former and would-be soldiers in Haiti refused government orders to disband and marched through the capital on Friday, a show of force that culminated in the evening with a tense exchange of gunfire with police outside an old military base. The ex-soldiers and their young recruits have been pressing President Michel Martelly to honor his campaign goal of restoring the armed forces, which was abolished in 1995 because of its abusive record, holding marches in the capital, often in mismatching uniforms.

Two Americans jailed in Haiti were charged with conspiracy for participating in a street march that pressed for the return of the country's disbanded army, a Haitian government official said Sunday. Reginald Delva, Haiti's Secretary of State for Public Security, said Jason William Petrie and Steven Parker Shaw were charged Saturday night because of their involvement in last week's march. Petrie, 39, is from Barberton, Ohio; and Shaw, 57, is from Dighton, Massachusetts. "They were providing logistical support," Delva said by telephone.

A US Marine from Sudbury was found dead on a military base near San Diego Monday morning, a spokesman for the First Marine Expeditionary Force said. Military officials and paramedics found Lance Corporal Michael J. Ronner, 23, at about 9:15 a.m. at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Second Lieutenant Garth Langley said in a statement. The paramedics tried to resuscitate Ronner but were unsuccessful, Langley said. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating Ronner's death.

Hundreds of former and would-be soldiers in Haiti refused government orders to disband and marched through the capital on Friday, a show of force that culminated in the evening with a tense exchange of gunfire with police outside an old military base. The ex-soldiers and their young recruits have been pressing President Michel Martelly to honor his campaign goal of restoring the armed forces, which was abolished in 1995 because of its abusive record, holding marches in the capital, often in mismatching uniforms.

Israel's Justice Ministry has indicted five alleged Jewish extremists in connection with a rampage at an Israeli army base in the West Bank last month. On Dec. 13, dozens of settlers and their supporters entered the base, vandalized property and attacked military personnel. According to Sunday's indictment, the five helped plan the rampage in hopes of foiling the evacuation of illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank. They are to remain in custody until the end of proceedings.

SANA, Yemen - Thousands of protesters backed by military defectors seized a base of the elite Republican Guards yesterday, weakening the control of Yemen's embattled president over this poor, fractured Arab nation. President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces fired on unarmed demonstrators elsewhere in the capital, killing scores, wounding hundreds, and sparking international condemnation. The protesters, joined by soldiers from the renegade 1st Armored Division, stormed the base without firing a single shot, according to witnesses and security officials.

Two Americans jailed in Haiti were charged with conspiracy for participating in a street march that pressed for the return of the country's disbanded army, a Haitian government official said Sunday. Reginald Delva, Haiti's Secretary of State for Public Security, said Jason William Petrie and Steven Parker Shaw were charged Saturday night because of their involvement in last week's march. Petrie, 39, is from Barberton, Ohio; and Shaw, 57, is from Dighton, Massachusetts. "They were providing logistical support," Delva said by telephone.

Mexico's army said it had detained a third general for questioning on Thursday, hours after a judge placed the two other officers under a form of house arrest pending an investigation for possible links to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel. A Defense Department statement did not say specifically whether retired Gen. Ricardo Escorcia was detained in connection with same allegations pending against the other two generals, who were brought in on Tuesday. But it did note that the detention order for Escorcia's was issued "simultaneously with the two previous detentions, with the aim of...

BAMAKO, Mali - Gunfire echoed across Bamako on Tuesday as Malian government troops battled each other, with one side trying to oust soldiers who seized power in a coup more than a month ago. Coup leaders, who ostensibly ceded power to an interim civilian government on April 12 but who still wield power, said they control the state broadcaster, the airport, and a military base, fending off attacks by opposing forces. Captain Amadou Sanogo, the junta's leader, told a private radio station Monday that the countercoup had failed...

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — Thousands of people crowded a stadium for safety yesterday after a military ammunition depot exploded and showered the city with a series of blasts, killing at least 25 and prompting a stampede getaway. In the pandemonium of residents fleeing the blasts, more than 150 children lost track of their parents. Officials appealed for mothers and fathers to report to the stadium to reunite with their offspring. President Jakaya Kikwete promised an investigation into the explosions, which occurred Wednesday night and yesterday morning, the second fatal military...

Mexico's army said it had detained a third general for questioning on Thursday, hours after a judge placed the two other officers under a form of house arrest pending an investigation for possible links to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel. A Defense Department statement did not say specifically whether retired Gen. Ricardo Escorcia was detained in connection with same allegations pending against the other two generals, who were brought in on Tuesday. But it did note that the detention order for Escorcia's was issued "simultaneously with the two previous detentions, with the aim of...

A US Marine from Sudbury was found dead on a military base near San Diego Monday morning, a spokesman for the First Marine Expeditionary Force said. Military officials and paramedics found Lance Corporal Michael J. Ronner, 23, at about 9:15 a.m. at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Second Lieutenant Garth Langley said in a statement. The paramedics tried to resuscitate Ronner but were unsuccessful, Langley said. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating Ronner's death.

SANAA, Yemen — Al Qaeda militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing 22 soldiers and capturing 25 others just hours after a US drone strike killed a senior terrorist figure linked to the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. It was not immediately clear if the predawn attack on the military base in the southern Abyan province was in retaliation for the death of Fahd al-Quso, an Al Qaeda leader on the FBI's most wanted list. The militants managed to reach the base both from the sea and by land, gunning down troops and making away with weapons and...

South Sudan's military spokesman says Sudanese aircraft dropped 10 bombs in an oil-rich region near a military base south of the shared border. Col. Philip Aguer said Friday that the bombs were dropped late Thursday afternoon. He said two civilians were wounded in the bombings, which took place on the town of Laloba, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Unity State capital of Bentiu in South Sudan. The attacks came one day after Sudan announced it had accepted an agreement put forward by the African Union to return to talks with South Sudan.

BAMAKO, Mali - Gunfire echoed across Bamako on Tuesday as Malian government troops battled each other, with one side trying to oust soldiers who seized power in a coup more than a month ago. Coup leaders, who ostensibly ceded power to an interim civilian government on April 12 but who still wield power, said they control the state broadcaster, the airport, and a military base, fending off attacks by opposing forces. Captain Amadou Sanogo, the junta's leader, told a private radio station Monday that the countercoup had failed and that his...

Gunfire echoed across Bamako on Tuesday as Malian government troops battled each other, with one side trying to oust soldiers who seized power in a coup over a month ago. Mali's coup leaders, who ostensibly handed over power to an interim civilian government on April 12 but who still wield power, said they control the state broadcaster, the airport and a military base, fending off attacks by opposing forces. Coup leader Capt. Amadou Sanogo told a private radio station Monday night that the countercoup had failed and that his soldiers have captured foreign fighters.

MARSEILLE, France - Officials in Marseille evacuated an area around the French Mediterranean city's port Sunday so they could remove a 1-ton German bomb that dates to World War II. About 1,000 people were asked to clear out from the district. Boat traffic was halted and access to several coastal roads blocked. After being delicately removed, the bomb was taken to a military base to be detonated. It was discovered a week ago by construction workers who accidentally pierced the explosive with their back hoe. The regional government says the bomb's ignition system no longer works but the...

Town Meeting voters in Harvard and Ayer rejected plans Wednesday to redevelop historic Vicksburg Square at Devens. Opponents of Boston-based Trinity Financial's proposal, which would have renovated the old military barracks complex into 246 units of affordable and market-rate housing, argued that an influx of renters would strain local schools and municipal finances. The vote followed a defeat in 2009 of a previous push to convert Vicksburg Square into housing. While Shirley voters approved the Vicksburg Square plan 105 to 41, the proposal had to pass muster in all three towns that abut the old...

Town Meeting voters in Harvard and Ayer rejected plans Wednesday to redevelop historic Vicksburg Square at Devens. Opponents of Boston-based Trinity Financial's proposal, which would have renovated the old military barracks complex into 246 units of affordable and market-rate housing, argued that an influx of renters would strain local schools and municipal finances. The vote followed a defeat in 2009 of a previous push to convert Vicksburg Square into housing. While Shirley voters approved the Vicksburg Square plan 105 to 41, the proposal had to pass muster in all three towns that abut the old...