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Aussie Troops Arrive in East Timor

Posted Feb 12, 08 4:05 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – Hundreds of Australian troops began backing up peacekeeping forces in East Timor today as its president recovered from triple gunshot wounds in a failed coup attempt. An Australian warship also anchored off the coast, Reuters reports. A state of emergency has been declared amid concerns that the crisis could quickly worsen. A local military leader criticized the "lack of capacity" of Australian-led United Nations forces, in charge of security since 2005.

The renegade soldiers who attempted the coup and survived the shoot-out have fled into the jungle. The country's top military commander is urging them to return for talks. President Jose Ramos-Horta remains in an Australian hospital where he's expected to remain on life support until next week.
Source: Reuters

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Jose Ramos-Horta speaks at a campaign rally in Dili, the capital of East Timor in this April 4, 2007 file photo. East Timor President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta was wounded in a pre-dawn...   (Associated Press)
U.N. Portuguese police officers stand guard in front of Presidential Palace in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. East Timor government declares state of emergency after assassination attempts...   (Associated Press)
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, center, arrives with Len Notaras, right, medical superintendent at the Royal Darwin Hospital in Darwin, Australia, Tuesday Feb. 12, 2008, for a meeting with...   (Associated Press)
Australian medical assistants carry medical equipment unloaded from the plane that will carry East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta to an Australian hospital after he was wounded in an attack Monday...   (Associated Press)
An Australian soldier guards the government palace after an attack on East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta Monday, Feb. 11, 2008 in Dili, the capital of East Timor. Gunmen shot and wounded Ramos-Horta...   (Associated Press)
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