NPR 2011-06-05

Pakistani officials say a US drone attack killed one of the five most wanted men in Pakistan last night. Ilyas Kashmiri was suspected of orchestrating deadly attacks in Pakistan and India, including the siege in Mumbai in 2008, in which more than 160 people died. The US had offered a five-million-dollar reward for information on his whereabouts.

NATO has launched its first attacks, using helicopters against Libyan government forces. Teri Schultz reports the new air power gives the alliance more flexibility 1 but also carries more risk.

British and French helicopters swooped 2 in overnight in their first missions against targets too difficult for fighter jets to reach with a necessary position. NATO says the helicopters carried out what it calls a "successful engagement" with military vehicles, equipment and forces of the Libyan regime. Until the commitment by Britain and France of the helicopters last month, the alliance had been hindered by concern for civilian 3 casualties and striking the military asset that accuses President Muammar Gaddafi of hiding in populated areas. With the increased flexibility, however, use of the helicopters also increases the possibility of casualties on NATO side. French military officials confirmed their helicopters did draw live ground fire in the overnight attacks but suffered no damage. For NPR News, I'm Teri Schultz.

A bomb killed four NATO soldiers in eastern Afghanistan today. NPR's Ahmad Shafi says more than 50 international troops have died since the Taliban began a spring offensive.

NATO says the four foreign soldiers died following a roadside bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan today. They gave no other details. Most NATO troops, serving in eastern Afghanistan near the border with Pakistan, are Americans. Meanwhile, Afghanistan officials say a suicide bomber 4 attacked a joint 5 Afghan and NATO patrol in Marawara district in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan. An Afghan provincial 6 spokesperson says three Afghan counter-terrorism officials working for NATO have been killed. More than 200 NATO soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year. Most of the deaths have occurred in the bordering Afghan provinces, where the Taliban militants 7 launch frequent attacks from their safe sanctuaries 8 in Pakistan. Ahmad Shafi, NPR News, Kabul.

Defense 9 Secretary Robert Gates is in Afghanistan to say goodbye. He's retiring as Defense Secretary at the end of the month.

Lawrence Eagleburger died today. He served as Secretary of State in the first Bush administration. He was the first career foreign service officer to rise to the top job at State. Eagleburger's diplomatic career spent eight presidents. At an appearance at the State Department last month, he recalled he once got in trouble for saying the Bay of Pigs Invasion in Cuba wouldn't work.

"The next thing I know: I'm in the White House and being beaten up by every political advisor 10 who's with the president, whoever existed. And I, you know, I come out of there, bloody 11 but unbowed."   

Eagleburger died after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 80.

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Firefighters in Arizona are trying to contain two of the largest fires in state history. Together, they've burned more than 300 square miles. Fire information officer Deryl Jevons says firefighters from other states are joining the effort.

"We've brought in fire engines and additional hand crews and helicopters from pretty much all over the Western United States."

But other western states are fighting fires of their own. Flames came within 50 yards of some homes in Colorado. A blaze is burning at a national forest in California, and firefighters in Alaska continue to battle a blaze threatening cabins 50 miles northwest of Fairbanks.

Canada is moving to impose biometric scanning on travelers seeking visas to enter the country. Dan Karpenchuk reports it's not clear yet which countries will be targeted.

Sources in Ottawa have said the federal government is planning to roll out its 200-million-dollar electronic fingerprinting 12 program in India mainly because of concerns about widespread immigration fraud on applications from that country. But the Federal Immigration Department insisted there's been no decision yet on which countries will be first. Biometric technology uses the measurement of the face, fingerprints 13 or retinas to create digital identification records. The technology is considered more reliable than the use of photo ID by immigration agents because digital information can be scanned into computers. Ottawa announced in 2008 that it was moving to biometrics, part of its agreement with Washington to beef up border security. For NPR News, I'm Dan Karpenchuk in Toronto.

Li Na won the women's final at the French Open today. She beat Francesca Schiavone, 6-4, 7-6. Li is the first Chinese tennis player to win a Grand Slam Championship.

I'm Nora Raum, NPR News in Washington.