Free Republic

An F-16 based at Aviano dropped two external fuel tanks and an inert missile on an empty field Tuesday night after the pilot declared an in-flight emergency shortly after take-off, according to a 31st Fighter Wing press release. The jet returned safely to base. The debris fell on fields near Dandolo about six miles east of the base. No one was hurt and property was not damaged, according to the release. Wing officials did not release information on the nature of the in-flight emergency. Italian news agency Adnkronos reported that Italian police and fire-fighters and U.S. military personnel went to...

Italy probes possible CIA role in abduction By John Crewdson (Chicago) Tribune senior correspondent An Italian prosecutor investigating the apparent kidnapping of a suspected Islamic militant in the streets of Milan served military authorities this week with a demand for records of flights into and out of a joint U.S.-Italian air base in northern Italy. Italian newspapers have reported that the prosecutor, Armando Spataro, is investigating the possible role of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in the disappearance of Osama Nasr Mostafa Hassan, better known as Abu Omar, a popular figure in Milan's Islamic community who vanished Feb. 17, 2003....