Syrian rebel official backs interim government

ISTANBUL (AP) — The leader of the main Syrian rebel force on Monday threw his weight behind the formation of an interim government to administer rebel-held areas as heavy fighting broke out in the Syrian capital and several suburbs.

At least three mortar shells struck central Damascus, the seat of President Bashar Assad's power. The pro-government's Al-Ikhbariya TV said one of the shells fell in Muhajireen district near Tishreen Palace, one of three palaces that Assad uses in the capital.

Activists also reported that mortar shells struck near state security agencies in al-Barakmeh district and close to the Higher Education Ministry in Mazzeh district.

At least 26 people died in the fighting in Damascus and its suburbs, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Also on Monday, Assad's fighter jets struck targets near the town of Arsal, Lebanon, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. The two countries share a porous border and it was unclear if the shelling occurred inside Lebanon.

The strikes came just days after Damascus warned Beirut to stop militants from crossing the border to fight alongside the rebels.

Lebanon has been on edge since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011. Gunmen on opposing sides of Syrian civil war have frequently clashed in Lebanon, raising concerns of a spillover.

Syria's conflict began with political protests in mid-March, 2011, and has since become a civil war, with hundreds of rebel groups fighting Assad's forces. The U.N. says more than 70,000 people have been killed and millions have been pushed from their homes by the violence.

In Istanbul, Gen. Salim Idris told reporters that fighters affiliated with his Free Syrian Army, the main rebel group, will work under the umbrella of an interim government and protect its members.

"We recognize the coalition as our political umbrella and we hope this government can be formed unanimously and that this government will exercise its powers in all of Syria," said Idris, the chief of staff of the FSA. "We consider it the only legal government in the country."

Idris' comments sought to boost efforts by the opposition's Syrian National Coalition to choose a prime minister who will form an interim government. The coalition has failed to take such a step twice before, but members say there now appears to be more agreement that such a step is necessary.

The coalition's 73 members meeting in Istanbul are expected to elect an interim prime minister from 12 candidates. The vote is expected by Tuesday.

Idris' comments also sought to portray his group as the most powerful and organized rebel formation in Syria. It remains unclear, however, how many of the hundreds of rebel brigades fighting Assad's forces follow Idris' commands or are linked to his group.

Some of the most effective rebel groups are Islamic extremists who have developed their own support networks. One of them, Jabhat al-Nusra, has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and is said to be linked to al-Qaida.

Idris said his group has no relationship with Jabhat al-Nusra.

He renewed his call for world powers to arm rebel fighters, saying his group would insure that the weapons don't fall into the wrong hands — a prime concern of the U.S. and other powers, especially given Syria's southern frontier with Israel.

"We have the power and the organizational capacity to control the movement of these weapons and keep them in safe, trusted hands," he said.

Last week, Britain and France urged the European Union to lift a ban on arming Syrian rebels, but with other EU members opposed, no decision was reached.

The U.S. is reluctant to send weapons, fearing they might end up with extremists, but U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that the Obama administration won't hold anyone back from doing so.

"The United States does not stand in the way of other countries that made a decision to provide arms, whether it's France, or Britain or others," Kerry said in Washington.

The longer Syria's violence goes on, the greater the danger of its institutions collapsing and extremists obtaining chemical weapons, Kerry said.

Idris, meanwhile, suggested other types of possible military aid, saying his group would welcome Lebanese or international forces along Syria's border with Lebanon. He also called for rebel units to be trained to seize Syria's chemical weapons.

"The chemical weapons in Syria are not secured," he said, warning that they could be used against rebels or given to "rogue groups, like the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah."

"We ask the international community to help us train special forces that can secure these weapons and keep them from falling into the hands of extremists," he said.

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US won't stop others from arming Syria rebels

ISTANBUL (AP) — Ending Syria's civil war through negotiations seemed an even more remote prospect Monday, as the main opposition group tried to set up a rival government to PresidentBashar Assad's regime and the U.S. said it won't stop allies from arming the rebels.

The opposition Syrian National Coalition met in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday to elect a prime minister who would run an interim government in Syria's rebel-held areas.

The election was initially set for Tuesday, but officials then said it might take place later Monday. Similar efforts had been derailed by internal disputes in the past.

Setting up such a government, in a direct challenge to the regime, could harden battle lines even more and close the door to negotiations between Assad and the opposition.

The U.S. has been cool to the idea of a rival government, saying the focus should be on a political transition. Under a plan endorsed by the international community last year, Assad's supporters and opponents were to propose representatives for a transition government, with each side able to veto candidates.

However, the plan did not address Assad's role. Most in the Syrian opposition rule out any negotiations with the Syrian ruler.

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the Obama administration wants to leave the door open for a political solution.

But concerning Syria's rebels, "the United States does not stand in the way of other countries that made a decision to provide arms, whether it's France or Britain or others," Kerry said, speaking in Washington.

His comments came after French President Francois Hollande said last week that his country and Britain were pushing the European Union to lift its arms embargo on Syria as soon as possible so that they can send weapons to rebel fighters.

The two countries are seeking military help for the rebels by the end of May or earlier if possible. Germany and other EU nations have been skeptical, pointing to the risk of further escalation.

Britain and France argue that Assad will not hold genuine negotiations if he believes he can survive militarily and that strengthening the rebels is the only way of squeezing the regime.

Kerry's remarks indicate that the Obama administration will not interfere with any country seeking to rebalance the fight against an Assad regime supported by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.

The United States long argued that more weapons in Syria would only make peace harder. As the violence has worsened over the last year, Washington has tempered that message somewhat. It is now promising nonlethal aid to the anti-Assad militias in the form of meals and medical kits, and refusing to rule out further escalation.

The Syria conflict erupted in March 2011 as a largely peaceful uprising. In response to a regime crackdown, the rebellion turned into an armed insurgency and then civil war. More than 70,000 people have been killed and some 4 million of Syria's 22 million people have been driven from their homes by the fighting, according to U.N. estimates.

The conflict remains deadlocked, with rebels controlling large areas in northern and eastern Syria, and the regime defending its hold on the capital Damascus and elsewhere. Services have broken down in many rebel-held areas, which come under frequent regime attack by air-dropped bombs and artillery.

The Syrian National Coalition, largely based in exile, has wrestled for weeks with a decision on setting up an interim government. The exiles could have trouble asserting their authority in war-ravaged regions, and the risk of failure is high.

"Expectations will be high and means will be low," said coalition member Louay Safi.

However, Safi believes support for an interim government will grow if it shows it can deliver services to people in the rebel-run territories. "Anyone who tries to oppose it will be in a difficult position," he said.

All those attending the Istanbul conference said they oppose negotiations between the opposition and the Assad regime on the terms of ending the war.

"We've heard a lot about this 'peaceful solution,' but there are no positive, real steps from the regime, and the opposition presented its plan and it is clear that the regime was just playing for time," said Nizar Al Hrakey, another coalition member.

The election of a prime minister was initially to begin Tuesday, but conference participants said it might take place later Monday.

The coalition's 73-member general assembly is choosing among 12 candidates for the job.

Earlier Monday, the head of the main rebel group, the Free Syrian Army, lent his support to the idea of an interim government.

Gen. Salim Idris told reporters that fighters affiliated with the FSA will recognize the authority of such a government.

"We consider it the only legal government in the country," Idris said in Istanbul.

Idris also portrayed the FSA as the most powerful and organized rebel formation in Syria. It remains unclear, however, how many of the hundreds of rebel brigades fighting Assad's forces follow Idris' commands or are linked to his group.

Some of the most effective rebel groups are Islamic extremists who have developed their own support networks. One of them, Jabhat al-Nusra, has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and is said to be linked to al-Qaida.

Idris said his group has no relationship with Jabhat al-Nusra.

He renewed his call for world powers to arm rebel fighters, saying his group would ensure that the weapons don't fall into the wrong hands — a prime concern of the U.S. and other powers, especially given Syria's southern frontier with Israel.

"We have the power and the organizational capacity to control the movement of these weapons and keep them in safe, trusted hands," he said.

In Syria, meanwhile, three mortar shells struck central Damascus, the seat of Assad's power. The pro-government's Al-Ikhbariya TV said one of the shells fell in Muhajireen district near Tishreen Palace, one of three palaces that Assad uses in the capital.

Activists also reported that mortar shells struck near state security agencies in al-Barakmeh district and close to the Higher Education Ministry in Mazzeh district.

At least 26 people died Monday in fighting in Damascus and its suburbs, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group.

Also on Monday, Assad's fighter jets struck targets near the town of Arsal, Lebanon, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. The two countries share a porous border.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland confirmed that Syrian warplanes and helicopters fired rockets into northern Lebanon, striking near Arsal.

"This constitutes a significant escalation in the violations of Lebanese sovereignty that the Syrian regime has been guilty of," Nuland said. "These kinds of violations of sovereignty are absolutely unacceptable.'

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Rain dampens wildfire near Great Smoky Mountains

Associated Press – 10 hrs ago

Firefighters set a boundary as cabins burn on Black Bear Cub Way in Sevier County, Tenn Sunday, March 17, 2013. As of 8:00 p.m. there was 32 cabins reported burned with 40 more in danger as shifting winds started breaking contain lines. (AP Photo/The Mountain,Curt Habraken) MANDATORY CREDIT

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (AP) — Heavy rain helped firefighterscontain a Tennessee wildfire Monday after flames burned nearly 60 rental cabins in a resort area outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The fire spread across about 160 acres and forced up to 200 people who had been staying in cabins in the area to evacuate.

At the height of the fire, about 100 firefighters from about 30 fire departments battled the blaze that was reported Sunday afternoon, said Ben Bryson, a fire resources coordinator with the Tennessee Division of Forestry.

Firefighters had the fire contained Monday morning, but flames broke through the lines early Monday afternoon before rains from a passing storm system began dousing the flames.

Fire officials had worried earlier that wind-whipped flames might jump a ridgeline and threaten Pigeon Forge, a popular tourism destination that's home to country star Dolly Parton's amusement park, Dollywood.

The National Guard sent in helicopters to scoop up water from a nearby lake to air drop on the fire. But then the series of downpours moved in, dropping more water than the helicopters could.

"We had about three downpours that allowed them to get the fire back under control," said Dean Flener, a spokesman for theTennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Flener said there had been two minor injuries but no deaths. Most firefighters were being pulled back though a small crew was to remain on duty during the night to make sure the blaze didn't start growing again, he said.

Officials have not said what caused the fire.

John Helt was cleaning a cabin Sunday afternoon in Black Bear Ridge Resort when someone alerted him to the spreading fire, he told The Knoxville News Sentinel.

"I went running down there, and I noticed the fire started on the porch where there was a hot tub. I found out (the cabin) was empty."

Helt said he ran through the area knocking on cabin doors to alert people to the fire, running past cabins in flames.

"I don't ever want to see nothing like that ever again," Helt said. "The flames were so hot I nearly passed out from the heat."

The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state emergency Monday morning to make resources available, said Dean Flener, a TEMA spokesman. He said the declaration did not mean the situation was escalating.

Andy and Cassie Endris told the Knoxville newspaper that they traveled to the resort from Indiana with another couple to celebrate a birthday. After hiking and then watching a show and having dinner in Pigeon Forge, they headed back to their cabin and found the roads closed and saw an orange glow from the mountaintop.

"It's just stuff. Everything is replaceable," Cassie Endris said of their clothes and a laptop left in the cabin.

"We're all safe. I'm just shook up," she said.

Paul and Megan Reagan live in the area. They went to church Sunday night and firefighters later escorted them to their home to retrieve medicine, diapers and formula for their daughter.

"We've got what we need," Megan Reagan said, fighting back tears.

The couple planned to spend the night with Megan's mother.

"We've got our family, and we've got God, but it's still just scary," she said.

A separate brush fire was extinguished at Dollywood on Saturday night but park officials said that fire would not affect the season opening this weekend.

Severe storms, large hail pummel parts of South

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Severe thunderstorms Monday raked across a wide area of the South, packing strong winds, rain and some baseball-size hail.

In Mississippi, authorities reported two people were hit on the head by large hail as the enormous storm front crossed the region. Fire official Tim Shanks said baseball-sized hail smashed windows in several vehicles in Clinton, where the two people were hit. He had no immediate word on their condition.

National Weather Service meteorologist Anna Weber said there were reports of hail the size of softballs in some areas around Jackson.

"This is the time of year that we get hail storms, but hail this size is pretty rare," Weber said.

Emergency officials said there were reports of downed trees or other damage in 14 Mississippi counties.

Roads throughout the Jackson area were littered with broken limbs and pine needles, from the hail driving through trees. Cars could be seen driving along the interstate with broken windows and cracked windshields.

"What I found interesting is that hail is the threat that we don't talk about that much," said Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jeff Rent. "But you can see how destructive it can be in a short amount of time. We got a tough lesson today."

Glenn Ezell and his son were putting tarps on the metal roof of their mobile home in Brandon after the storm swept through the area.

"It started hailing big enough that it come through the roof and broke the sheetrock. It was as big as your fist," he said.

Meteorologists issued tornado warnings for parts of northwest Georgia and severe thunderstorm warnings around the state.

Flights were delayed by more than an hour Monday afternoon at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after officials there ordered a ground stop, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Georgia Power officials said 73,000 customers were without power Monday night, and of that number, 31,000 were in northwest Georgia.

In neighboring Alabama, the storms knocked out power to more than 200,000 customers.

Etowah County officials said a person had to be removed from a house in Rainbow City after a tree fell onto it. Nearly two dozen trees had toppled onto Alabama Highway 77.

"I think most of it was caused by straight line winds, we just won't know really until tomorrow when the National Weather Service comes and does an assessment," said Gadsden-Etowah County EMA director Mike Bryant.

Bryant said eight people in the Gadsden area and five others in the county were hospitalized Monday night, but he did not know the extent of their injuries.

Meteorologists recorded wind speeds of 80 mph in some areas, and DeKalb County EMA director Anthony Clifton said the roof was ripped from a school in Collinsville, about 15 miles southwest of Fort Payne.

In Tennessee, heavy rain helped firefighters contain a wildfire that burned nearly 60 rental cabins in a resort area outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The fire forced up to 200 people who had been staying in cabins in the area to evacuate.

Fire officials had worried earlier that wind-whipped flames might jump a ridgeline and threaten Pigeon Forge, a popular tourism destination that's home to country star Dolly Parton's amusement park, Dollywood.

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Police say Fla. college student plotted attack

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A college student with two guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a backpack filled with explosives pulled a dorm fire alarm Monday in an apparent attempt to force other students out into the open so that he could slaughter them, authorities said. But he instead put a bullet in his head as police closed in.

James Oliver Seevakumaran, 30, was found dead in his dorm room at the 51,000-student Orlando campus of the University of Central Florida. No one else was hurt.

"His timeline got off," university Police Chief Richard Beary said. "We think the rapid response of law enforcement may have changed his ability to think quickly on his feet."

Some 500 students were evacuated from the building in the middle of the night, unaware how narrowly they had escaped what could have been another Virginia Tech-style bloodbath.

"It could have been a very bad day here for everybody. All things considered, I think we were very blessed here," Beary said. "Anybody armed with this type of weapon and ammunition could have hurt a lot of people here, particularly in a crowded area as people were evacuating."

Police shed no light on a motive, but university spokesman Grant Heston said that before the episode, the school was in the process of removing Seevakumaran from the dormitory because he hadn't enrolled for the current semester. He had never been seen by university counselors and had no disciplinary problems with other students, Heston said.

Detectives found notes and other writings that indicated Seevakumaran had carefully planned an attack and "laid out a timeline of where he was going to be and what he was going to do," Beary said.

The episode began early Monday, just after midnight, when Seevakumaran pulled a gun on one of his roommates, who holed up in a bathroom and called police, Beary said. Around the same time, Seevakumaran pulled a fire alarm, apparently to get other students out in the open, the police chiefsaid.

In his room, investigators found four makeshift explosive devices in a backpack, a .45-caliber handgun, a .22-caliber tactical rifle, and a couple of hundred rounds of ammunition, police said. Beary said it appears his weapon and ammunition purchases began in February.

Antonio Whitehead, 21, said he heard the fire alarm go off in the dorm and thought it was a routine event.

"All of a sudden, I felt the crowd move a little faster. And a police officer with a machine gun or something told everyone to start moving a lot faster," he said.

Seevakumaran had attended the university from 2010 through the fall semester as a business student. His roommates told detectives that he had shown antisocial behavior but had never shown any violent tendencies, Beary said.

According to Florida records, his only adult arrest in the state was in 2006 for driving with a suspended license.

Morning classes were canceled, but most campus operations resumed around noon.

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Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in Orlando and Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.

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