US citizens in Uganda warned on security

KAMPALA, May 14 -- The United States embassy in Uganda has issued an anti-terror security warning to US citizens in the east African country."We are warning US citizens resident in Uganda that supporters of the Al-Qaeda and other extremists are still active in east Africa," US embassy spokesperson Mary Jeffers was quoted by government-run newspaper New Vision as saying on Wednesday.

The US State Department said in a notice issued on Monday that US fears Muslim extremists in east Africa may attack the region when they commemorate Prophet Mohammed's birth anniversary on Thursday."The State Department has issued warnings. We have just issued a similar notice," Jeffers said on Tuesday.

"We are warning US citizens to remain alert. We have been in a state of security alert since 1998. That notice is one of the reminders for us to stay alert," Jeffers added.Meanwhile, Ugandan Chief of Military Intelligence Col. Noble Mayombo said here on Tuesday that "we are working closely with ourUS colleagues on this matter."

"We are very much on the alert and we are working round the clock to enhance our security. Uganda is security," he said.In a similar development, the Australian foreign ministry has also warned its citizens not to travel to Uganda, saying that Australians should defer all travel to Uganda's border regions because of rebel groups and bandits were a potential risk to westerners.

US confusion over Saudi bombing death toll

WASHINGTON: US officials gave widely varying figures on Tuesday for the death toll in a suspected al-Qaeda attack in Saudi Arabia as they emphasised that no definite casualty figure was available.At the top of the range was Vice President Dick Cheney, who cited the attack's body count to emphasise that the war on terror was far from over."Lest any of us think this struggle is over with, all we have to do is contemplate last night's tragic events in Riyadh where some 91 people were killed," Cheney told an audience at the Hudson Institute as he gave an introduction for Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Previously Saudi officials put the death toll at 29 and the vice president did not give an explanation of how he came to this much higher figure. It was unclear from his speech whether he was repeating unconfirmed news reports or whether his information was from official estimates.After the speech a US official said the vice president was merely repeating news reports. "He was referring to news accounts," said the official.

State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said he too had seen news reports citing the figure of 91 dead but added, "I can't give you a specific, accurate number.""That (the figure of 91) is one estimate that has been put out there. I have seen it in a number of reports," he said. "As the vice president indicated that type of death toll shows how truly vicious this type of attack is."US officials have said there were large discrepancies in the numbers they were hearing from Saudi Arabia.

Accounts of the death toll have varied. Secretary of State Colin Powell, visiting Saudi Arabia shortly after the bombing, said up to 10 Americans had died. Saudi authorities confirmed 20 victims, including seven dead Americans, as well as nine dead attackers.

US recalls diplomats from Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON: The United States ordered most US diplomatic personnel home from Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, one day after attackers shot their way into three housing compounds in the Saudi capital and detonated multiple suicide car bombs, killing at least 29, including the nine attackers, reported Associated Press. The report said nonessential diplomats and family members were directed to leave Saudi Arabia/ FBI investigators were dispatched to the country to help with the probe of what Saudi officials said was the deadly work of al-Qaeda.

Magazine runs what it calls bin Laden's will

Saturday, October 26, 2002 Posted: 2:14 PM EDT (1814 GMT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- The editor-in-chief of a London-based Arab news magazine said a purported will it published Saturday was written late last year by Osama bin Laden, and shows "he's dying or he's going to die soon." U.S. intelligence officials say they have the purported will, but are not able to say if it is genuine. CNN has not been able to verify that the document is bin Laden's will. Full Report