East Timor's army joins hunt for rebels blamed in attack on president

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
East Timor's army joined the hunt for rebels blamed for attacks against the country's top two leaders, the army chief said Saturday. Meanwhile, President Jose Ramos-Horta, who won the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for decades of peaceful resistance to Indonesian occupation, was recovering from gunshot wounds at an Australian hospital. Rebels on Monday shot Ramos-Horta outside his home. His guards killed wanted militant leader Alfredo Reinado during the attack. An hour later, gunmen opened fire on Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, but he escaped unhurt. The East Timor Defense Force joined Australian-led foreign troops in the search for more than 30 militants hiding out in the hillside jungle outside the capital, national army chief Taur Matan Ruak told reporters Saturday.