23 Tajik soldiers dead after rebel attack - Summary

Dushanbe, Tajikistan - Suspected terrorists attacked a convoy of troops in the central Asian nation of Tajikistan Sunday, killing at least 23, according to local media.

Ten others were injured by gunfire in the attack on the convoy in eastern Tajikistan, about 185 kilometres east of the capital, Dushanbe.

Authorities suspect terrorists, many of whom escaped jail in August during a mass prison break and took to the mountains bordering China. The area was the headquarters of a rebellion in the 1990s that left tens of thousands dead in the country.

President Emomali Rahmon called on security forces to use "all necessary means" to ensure order in the region.

Military and secret service officials were searching for the attackers, which are believed to include members of the radical Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which is aligned with al-Qaeda.

Defence Minister Sheraly Khairulloyev was on his way to survey the attack site.

Violent incidents are on the rise in Tajikistan. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in front of a police station earlier this month, killing two police officers.
 

Thai exports up 23.9 per cent in August

Bangkok - Thai exports rose 23.9 per cent year-on-year in August to reach 16.45 billion dollars, the Commerce Ministry said Monday.

Imports for the month were 15.8 billion dollars, up 41.1 per cent, leaving the kingdom with a surplus of 643 million dollars.

Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said exports were up in all sectors last month, with the value of rubber exports jumping 97 per cent. Thailand's main exports include electronics, electrical appliances and automobiles.

Thailand's exports have been the main engine for growth this year, after anti-government demonstrations and the ensuing crackdown in April-May impacted tourism and consumer spending.

For the period from January to August, exports reached 125.08 billion dollars, up 32.63 per cent year-on-year, while imports rose 47.9 per cent to 119 billion dollars.

The Commerce Ministry has set an export growth target of 20 per cent this year, bringing a total figure for the year of 183 billion dollars.

Exports are expected to slow in the latter part of 2010, as demand for Thai goods eases in the US and Europe, and the baht's strength against the dollar undermines the competitiveness of Thai exports.
 

US commander in Afghanistan expects attacks during election

Berlin - The US commander in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has told Germany's Bild newspaper that he expects Taliban attacks during the country's elections.

"We definitely know this because we have uncovered some of their plans and obstructed them," he was quoted saying. Bild released a German translation of his English remarks on Saturday. It said he was interviewed in Kabul. The full text was to be published Monday.

"Within in a space of just 24 hours, we caught eight terrorists who were planning attacks on election day.

"The previous election day a year ago was also marred by violence. So we are prepared," he said, according to Bild's media release.

Petraeus attributed the recent upsurge in western casualties in Afghanistan - nearly 300 soldiers have been killed since June - to the push into Taliban areas. He said the other side had been expected to resist.

"We always knew this was going to become more difficult before it became easier," he was quoted saying.