Syrian forces pound Homs, seven killed

NEW: A witness says tanks fired into homesNEW: At least seven people were killed, a human rights group reportsNEW: The U.N. chief urged an end to operations targeting civiliansThe clashes followed deadly protests Friday
(CNN) -- Syrian forces pounded the western city of Homs Saturday with jets and tanks, sustaining fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, activists told CNN.
At least seven people were killed in the clashes in Syria Saturday, six of them in Homs, according to the Local Coordination Committees (LCC) of Syria, an opposition group that organizes and documents protests in Syria.
Rami Abdel Rahman, president of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported at least four deaths in Homs Saturday.
He said the fierce fighting has been ongoing between armed military defectors and loyalist forces.
For weeks, the military has parked tanks at the entrance to Bab Amer, a Homs neighborhood known as the epicenter of anti-government activity, an activist told CNN Saturday. After the Saturday morning crackdown, the military established new checkpoints and a much heavier presence, the activist said.
He said he heard jets overhead around 9:30 in the morning. A few minutes later, tanks began firing into buildings and homes.
Security forces also cracked down in other Syrian cities Saturday, the LCC reported. There was heavy presence of troops in parts of Edleb and raids in Deir Ezzor.
CNN could not independently confirm the accounts because Syria has not granted international media access to the country.
The clashes erupted after Friday's massive demonstration in Hama where Syrians demanded an end to President Bashar al-Assad's rule and called for his prosecution.
Demonstrators also called on the United Nations to impose a no-fly zone, naval blockade and other measures to protect Syrian protesters.
Security forces fatally shot 35 civilians during protests across the nation Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. At least 100 others were wounded and 500 arrested in several provinces, the opposition group said.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned Friday's killings. He said the deaths of more than 3,000 people killed since the start of the Syrian uprising amounts to an "alarming" toll.
Ban appealed for an end to military operations against civilians.
Meanwhile, the state-run news agency SANA reported that funerals were held Saturday for 15 members of the security forces killed in clashes last week.
CNN's Arwa Damon contributed to this report.
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Army Ranger, 29, killed in Afghanistan on 14th deployment

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Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij, 29, was killed in Afghanistan, along with two other soldiers, on Saturday.NEW: Coach says Kristoffer Domeij's death has been hard on communityDomeij was one of 3 killed days ago while on a mission in Kandahar provinceHe joined the Army in 2001 and became a Ranger the next yearHis unit commander calls him "irreplacable" in combat and in life

(CNN) -- Fourteen times in nine years, Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij had left his family behind and headed out on deployment as an Army Ranger, taking part in hundreds of combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, all before his 30th birthday.

His most recent tour turned out to be his last.

The veteran soldier's death rattled his commanders, as well as those in his native San Diego. His former football coach, Jeff Carpenter, remembered Domeij as diligent, funny, passionate and team-oriented.

"I told my classes that I was incredibly sad to begin with and incredibly angry," said Carpenter, who besides being an assistant coach the past 18 years is also a social sciences teacher at Rancho Bernardo High School. "Just the fact that it happened to someone like him -- it's hard."

Domeij, 1st Lt. Ashley White and Pvt. 1st Class Christopher Horns all died Saturday in Kandahar province when an improvised explosive device blew up near their assault force, according to a U.S. Army Special Operations Command news release.

The trio's death is far from unprecedented: According to CNN's count, based on U.S. military reports, there have been 1,811 U.S. troops killed during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan that began in October 2001.

Each person, each death, is unique. In Domeij's case, that translates to a man whom his unit commander described as "irreplaceable" -- on the battlefield and in life.

"He was one of those men who known by all as much for his humor, enthusiasm and loyal friendship as he was for his unparalleled skill and bravery under fire," said Lt. Col. David Hodne, head of the 75th Ranger Regiment's 2nd battalion. "This was a Ranger you wanted at your side when the chips were down."

Domeij distinguished himself as a person as much as he did as a player while in high school, his former coach recalled.

"He was just a great kid," Carpenter said, describing his great sense of humor and engaging personality. "And we knew, as coaches, that no matter what, this was a kid who was going to play hard and (all) out."

Carpenter said he wasn't surprised when Domeij told him he was going to enlist. "It made all the sense in the world," the coach said, given Domeij's proven dedication to and ability to thrive as a member of a team.

So Domeij joined the Army in July, a few months after graduating high school and not long before the September 11 terrorist attacks. Nine months later, he became part of the Ranger regiment.

Domeij was based at that unit's headquarters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, where his role was as a joint terminal attack controller. The person in this position often advances into harm's way, directing allied combat aircraft on where and when to strike.

His regiment's commander, Col. Mark Odom, called Domeij "technically and tactically competent" as well as critically important.

"His ability to employ fire support platforms made him a game-changer on the battlefield -- an operator who, in real terms, had the value of an entire strike force on the battlefield," Odom said in the news release.

The military culture is very much ingrained in the Southern California culture in which Domeij grew up. Much of the Pacific fleet is based there at U.S. Naval Base San Diego. A large Marine base at Camp Pendleton is about 30 miles northwest of Rancho Bernardo High, with the famed Marine Corps Air Station Miramar about 11 miles south.

The parents of many of that high school's students -- whose enrollment was about 3,000 when Domeij attended -- are in the military, Carpenter notes. Yet while multiple students enlist each year, Domeij's death is the first his coach can recall since Rancho Bernardo opened in 1990.

Carpenter said he'd kept in touch with his former player since graduation, knowing full well that was in Special Operations and in harm's way. But he said neither he nor were others in the community was prepared for the news.

"This was really hard," Carpenter said. "I don't know if we knew how to deal with it."

The thousands of veterans who live in the area know the dangers and trauma of war all too well. That's one reason why they have made it a priority to look out for those now serving overseas, Frank Csaszar said Friday from VFW Post 3788 in San Diego.

"The returning troops coming back home the current wars, we give them a group hug," said Csaszar, an Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War. "We're right there, and we support them."

In Domeij's case, such support now will be extended to his surviving family. He leaves behind his wife, Sarah, and daughters Mikajasa and Aaliyah, both of whom now live in Lacey, Washington. He is also survived by his mother, Scoti Domeij of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and his brother, Kyle Domeij of San Diego.

According to Carpenter, Domeij never relished the spotlight and probably would not want it now, upon his death. But as with other troops who have died in combat, Carpenter said, the recognition is well-deserved.

"Some of this attention would probably bother (Domeij), because he felt he was a guy doing his job, which he believed in," the coach said. "But these guys are heroes."

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Anti-Taliban leader killed in Pakistan

Police chief: Aziz-ur Rehman, his 12-year-old son and two others are killedThe attack takes place in a village in the district of Lower Dir, near the border with Afghanistan
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A leader of an anti-Taliban militia was killed in a bomb attack in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, a Pakistani police official told CNN.
The man, Aziz-ur Rehman, his 12-year-old son and two others were killed in the attack, police said.
The bomb exploded as the militia leader was traveling in a car with his son, son-in-law and a neighbor, said Salim Khan Marwat, a local police chief.
The attack took place in a village in Lower Dir, a district where militant groups have increasingly targeted a growing number of pro-government militias that have formed to take on the Pakistani Taliban and other violent extremist groups in the region.
It was not clear who was responsible for Tuesday's attack.
Journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report.
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10 killed in Afghanistan tanker bombing

A government official says the tanker was filled with 18 tons of fuelSimilar explosive devices have been dismantled
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- At least 10 people died and 35 others were injured Wednesday when a tanker filled with tons of fuel and strapped with a mine exploded near a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said.
"The tanker driver wanted to detonate the explosive device inside Bagram Air Base, but before reaching his goal, the explosive device was detonated," said Roshan Khalid, spokeswoman for the governor of Parwan province.
"In a first small explosion, the tanker fuel poured in the street. When the local people gathered to collect the fuel, the second explosion happened."
The tanker was carrying 18 tons of fuel, according to Khalid.
"In the past, Afghan security forces were able to discover and dismantle explosive devices in three tankers which had planned to enter into Bagram Air Base and detonate their explosives there," she said.
The base is the nerve center of American military operations in Afghanistan and is frequently targeted by militants.
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Georgia sheriff's deputy killed with assault rifle, sheriff says

Deputy James D. Paugh approached a vehicle while investigating a domestic disputePaugh was shot several times with an M4 assault rifle, the Richmond County sheriff saidPaugh apparently fired his weapon at least twiceThe suspect was also found dead at the scene
(CNN) -- A sheriff's deputy in Georgia was shot and killed Sunday morning while investigating a domestic dispute, the Richmond County Sheriff's Office in Augusta said.
At about 1:18 a.m., Deputy James D. Paugh approached a vehicle in a grassy area, Sheriff Ronnie Strength said in a statement.
"It appears, at this point, that Paugh had stopped his motorcycle and was shot several times with an M4 assault rifle by the suspect," Strength said. "Evidence at the scene indicates that Paugh fired his weapon at least two times."
Both Paugh and the suspect were found dead at the scene, Strength said.
Richmond County is in northeastern Georgia, near the South Carolina border.
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Report: 11 killed in Yemen clashes

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Crowds marched through downtown Sanaa, where government forces allegedly gunned down protestersEleven people reportedly die in clashes Tuesday in YemenCrowds march through downtown SanaaCNN has not independently confirmed the details of casualties
(CNN) -- Eleven people were killed Tuesday during clashes with Yemeni security forces after anti-government protests again filled the streets of the country's capital, according to a hospital official.
Crowds marched through downtown Sanaa, where government forces allegedly gunned down protesters -- the latest in a series of confrontations between those loyal to embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh, demonstrators and rival factions.
Hundreds of security forces attempted to restrict the protesters' movements, and tear-gas canisters could be seen flying toward the crowd, said hospital director Mohammed Qubati.
Others carrying sticks and knives also advanced toward the crowds, Qubati added.
CNN has not independently confirmed the details of casualties, and the government has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The violence comes one day after thousands of women demonstrated in front of Yemen's Foreign Ministry in Sanaa, demanding U.N. intervention in the ongoing unrest in the Persian Gulf nation.
The women called for sanctions against Saleh and asked that the International Criminal Court try him.
Saleh said Sunday that "strong documentation of the cooperation" between al Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood indicate a military coup that is destabilizing the country.
He described the opposition as "insane people, who can't sleep and only want to take power."
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