m
'Ulii
NEWS
THE BATTALION
5
Tuesday, July 6, 2004
Joy jump
Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION
iite Ira
I'ifflThree-year-olclThea Miller, of College Station, plays Lions Club sponsored the festivities by providing three
Hillside an air castle Sunday evening near the George air castles, a petting zoo and free watermelon for
litttaHB us h Presidential Library. The College Station Noon children.
loimH -
Family of Lebanese-born Marine
continues tense wait for news
By Paul Foy
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WEST JORDAN, Utah — Amid new evi
dence he may be alive, relatives of abducted
U.S. Marine CpI. Wassef Ali Hassoun said
they hoped he has been released following
conflicting reports of his fate.
In a statement sent to Al-Jazeera televi
sion, the group calling itself “Islamic
Response,” said Monday that Hassoun was
safe at an undisclosed location. The state
ment also claimed that Hassoun had prom
ised not to return to the American military.
“At this point we are uncertain about
the destiny of our brother, our son, our
friend, Wassef,” Tarek Nosseir, a family
spokesman, said Monday.
“We pray that the news of his safe
release is true. If he is still in captivity, we
remind the captors of the saying of our
beloved prophet: Be merciful to those on
earth, mercy will descend upon you from
heaven,” Nosseir said in front of the fami
ly’s home in West Jordan.
Nosseir would not say why the family
thought Hassoun may have been released.
The statement Monday was issued in the
name of the same group that claimed initial
responsibility on the June 27 video for the
kidnapping. The group calls itself “Islamic
Response,” the security wing of the
“National Islamic Resistance — 1920
Revolution Brigades.” The name refers to the
uprising against the British after World War I.
Hassoun’s family has been in seclusion
since Saturday, when a militant group call
ing itself the Ansar al-Sunna Army claimed
on a Web site that it had beheaded the 24-
year-old Marine, adding it would release
video backing up that assertion.
But the group said Sunday it did not
issue the statement, leaving it unclear if the
Hassoun was killed by another group or
was still alive. A posting on another
Internet site said Hassoun was alive.
The National News Agency in Lebanon
reported the death Sunday, citing the
Foreign Ministry, which was informed by
Lebanon’s charge d’affairs in Baghdad,
The agency did not say how Hassoun’s
death had been confirmed.
The U.S. military in Baghdad said it was
checking into the claim but had no confirmation.
Hassoun, educated at American schools in
his native Lebanon before moving to the Salt
Lake City area, was serving his second stint
in Iraq as a translator fluent in Arabic, French
and English, when he disappeared June 20.
Hassoun’s father, Ali Hassoun, who
lives in Tripoli, Lebanon, repeatedly plead
ed for his son’s release. He and his other
sons have contacted politicians and
Muslim clerics in Lebanon and Islamist
groups in Iraq in hopes of securing the
Marine’s release.
U.S. airstrike in Fallujah kills 10
By Danica Kirka
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq— U.S.
jets attacked a house in the
turbulent city of Fallujah on
Monday, killing at least 10
people, officials said. The
U.S. military had no imme
diate comment.
The interim prime minis
ter said he would not inter
fere with an Iraqi tribunal’s
right to decide whether
Saddam Hussein and his top
lieutenants should be exe
cuted on war crimes
charges, the Arab language
television station Al-Arabiya
reported.
Ambulances raced to the
eastern side of Fallujah,
where U.S. airstrikes have
frequently targeted safe-
houses used by members
belonging to the network of
Jordanian militant Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi. Rescue
workers picked up remains
of the dead, witnesses said.
“U.S. jets shelled a resi
dential house in the al-
Shuhdaa neighborhood in
Fallujah,” said police Capt.
Mekky Hussein al-Zaidan.
Dr. Diaa Jumaili of
Fallujah Hospital said 10
bodies had arrived there,
most of them dismembered.
U.S. forces have hit the
area with four airstrikes
since June 19, killing
dozens. Al-Zarqawi, a
Jordanian militant said to
be connected to al-Qaida, is
believed to be behind a
series of coordinated
attacks on police and secu
rity forces that killed 100
people only days before
U.S. forces handed over
power to an Iraqi interim
government June 28.
BANQUET AND EVENT SERVICES—Have your next meet
ing, party or presentation at the Rec. Rec Sports now offers
banquet and event services for Texas A&M affiliated organ-
jzations and departments. For more info call 845-7826.
MASSAGE THERAPY—Give yourself the gift of relaxation
with a one hour Swedish Massage! Appointments are avail
able every day of the week during the academic semesters!
Let the Competition Begin-
IM Sports
I The followina IM sports OPEN for registration Julv 6th:
1 3-ON-3 Basketball
$15/team
I Slow Pitch Softball
$4 5/team
j | Sand Volleyball
$25/team
V Indoor Soccer
$2 5/team
1 Racquetball
FREE
1 Tennis
FREE
Drive On-Texas A&M Golf Course
on
atioi
721
• NEW Full Length Driving Range—Buy a bucket of balls and
practice your swing, or warm up before a round of 18 holes!
• Golf Course Members Only Tournament—The privileges
of membership are yours. Enjoy this two-person scramble
July 24th for only $15. Price includes range balls, cart and
prize fund. Shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. Both players must be Golf
Course Members.
Open to the public! We are located on the south side of the A&M campus.
Call the Pro Shop at 845-1723 & visit us online at http://recsports.tamu.edu.
• Personal Training—A personal trainer can be all you need
to assess your fitness goals, develop a workout plan,
instruct you and even workout with you. Call 862-3995 or
go to http://recsports.tamu.edu for info.
3 sessions $45 individual/$70 partners
5 sessions $73 individual^ 110 partners
7 sessions - $95 individual/$145 partners
10 sessions $130 individual/$l 95 partners
15 sessions $180 individual/$270 partners
*10-15 session packages include a Personal Fitness Profile.
• Summer Instructional Classes—registration open at
Member Services NOW for:
Program Registration Cost
HIP HOP NOW-July 6 $15
MAKE A SPLASH-
Rafting Day Trip
Bike Maintenance 102:
Brakes/Shifters
AstroWorld Theme Park
Lead Climbing Clinic
Horseback/Hiking Day Trip
Rock Climbing 101 Clinic
Sea Kayak the Texas Coast
Bat Watching Canoe Trip
OPEN for registration NOW
Date Registration
July 11 NOW-July 8
July 13
July 17
July 20
July 24
July 24
July 24-25
July 31
NOW-July 12
NOW-July 13
NOW-July 19
NOW-July 20
NOW-July 21
NOW-July 20
NOW-July 27
Don't miss out on this summer's hottest aquatic classes taught by Rec
Sports professionals.
Program Registration
Adult Learn to Swim NOW-July 11
Springboard Diving NOW-July 11
Basic SCUBA NOW-July 11
Cost
$25/$35
$25/$35
$225/$245
AstroWorld Theme Park—Don't leave the family at home
this summer. Join TAMU Outdoors for this "city" adventure
and experience the thrills and excitement that only a theme
park can provide. COST: $44/$52
Horseback/Hiking Day Trip—Escape the stress of everyday
demands with TAMU Outdoors as we ride, hike and picnic
in the Piney Woods of Huntsville State Park. COST:
$53/$63
Sea Kayak the Texas Coast—Paddle along the Texas Gulf
Coast, enjoying abundant wildlife, exploring and relaxing
on the beach and camping under the stars. COST:
$79/$95
Summer Rock Wall Orientation Classes—Going on NOW
at the Rec Center for all climbers at the Rock Wall. Get cer
tified to climb throughout the summer by coming in
Monday-Thursday at 3:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. and Friday
at 3:30 p.m. recsports. tamu.edu