December 27th, 2011
07:44 AM ET
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Swedish journalists receive 11 years in jail

Two Swedish journalists who were found guilty in Ethiopia of supporting terrorism were sentenced to 11 years in jail Tuesday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said.

"Our belief was that the court would think they were journalists and they would be released. This is what the prime minister has said before," ministry spokesman Anders Jörle said. "It is not fair that they are sentenced since they are journalists on a journalistic mission."

"They are innocent and have been convicted because of their journalistic work," said Tomas Olsson, the journalists' Swedish attorney. "We are very disappointed."

A court convicted Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye last week.

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Filed under: Ethiopia • Sweden
Report: U.S. setting up drone bases in Africa, Indian Ocean
A U.S. Predator drone is shown in Afghanistan last year.
September 21st, 2011
08:15 AM ET
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Report: U.S. setting up drone bases in Africa, Indian Ocean

The United States is assembling a network of secret drone bases in Africa and around the Indian Ocean to fight terror groups in the region, the Washington Post reports.

The bases are in Ethiopia, the Seychelles islands, Djibouti on the Horn of Africa and in an unnamed location on the Arabian Peninsula, the Post reported, citing unnamed U.S. officials.

The base network is being set up to fight al Qaeda-affiliated terror groups in Somalia and Yemen, according to the report, and the locations “are based on potential target sets,” the Post quotes a senior U.S. military official as saying.

“If you look at it geographically, it makes sense — you get out a ruler and draw the distances (drones) can fly and where they take off from,” the official told the Post.

The report says the U.S. has used drones in attacks in six countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen.

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Filed under: Africa • Al Qaeda • Ethiopia • Seychelles • Somalia • Terrorism • World • Yemen