Page 9 - Army

Rwanda rejects US calls for withdrawal of missiles, troops from Congo

Authorities in Rwanda on Monday rejected US calls for the withdrawal of troops and missile systems from eastern Congo, saying they are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a "dramatic military build-up near the border. Rwanda's Foreign Ministry in a statement spoke of threats to Rwandan national security stemming from the presence in Congo of an armed group whose members include alleged perpetrators of the 1994 genocide. The rebel group, known by its initials FDLR, is fully integrated into" the Congolese army, the statement said. Although Rwanda has long cited a threat posed by FLDR, authorities there had never admitted to a military presence in eastern Congo, whose authorities accuse the tiny central African country of actively supporting the violent armed group known as M23. The US State Department in a statement Saturday criticised the worsening violence caused by M23, describing it as a Rwanda-backed armed group. That statement also urged Rwanda to immediately withd

'Pak Army gave 2 options to Sharif, premiership or CM slot for daughter'

Nawaz Sharif sacrificed his ambition to become Pakistan's prime minister for a record fourth term and nominated his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif for the plum post as the powerful Army gave him two options either to choose the premiership or leave it to allow his daughter to become the chief minister of Punjab, according to party insiders. The nomination of Shehbaz Sharif for the slot of prime minister by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo Nawaz Sharif has stirred quite a debate among the PML-N ranks who are questioning why the 74-year-old three-time premier was "sidelined" despite the earlier announcement on the premiership. Sources in the PML-N told the Press Trust of India here that Nawaz Sharif decided to withdraw himself from the race for the prime minister's office for his daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz, 50. "Nawaz Sharif could have become the prime minister to lead the coalition government for the fourth time but then his daughter would have no chance to ...

Defence ministry clears procurement of military hardware worth Rs 84,560 cr

The procurement proposals were cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

World faces dangerous decade as instability, military spending rise: Report

The world has entered an era of increasing instability as countries around the globe boost military spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel and China's growing assertiveness in the South China Sea. That's the conclusion of a new report Tuesday from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which also highlighted rising tensions in the Arctic, North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and the rise of military regimes in the Sahel region of Africa as contributing to a deteriorating security environment. The London-based think tank has compiled its annual estimate of the global military situation for the past 65 years. "The current military-security situation heralds what is likely to be a more dangerous decade, characterized by the brazen application by some of military power to pursue claims evoking a 'might is right' approach as well as the desire among like-minded democracies for stronger bilateral and multilateral defense ties in

President Murmu witnesses ceremonial change-over of Army Guard Battalion

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday witnessed the ceremonial change-over of the Army Guard Battalion stationed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. During the ceremony, the 6th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment on completion of its tenure as the ceremonial Army Guard Battalion handed over the charge to the 1st Battalion of 5th Gorkha Rifles. Different infantry units of the Army function as the ceremonial Army Guard at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by rotation. The Army Guard Battalion performs ceremonial duties at various important events such as the Guard of Honour to dignitaries, the Republic Day parade, the Independence Day parade and the Beating the Retreat Ceremony, apart from performing ceremonial guard duties at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. During the event, the president appreciated the officers and soldiers of 6th Battalion of the Sikh Regiment for following the highest standards of military traditions and for performing their duty with full dedication at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. She welcomed

Indian troops in Maldives will be replaced by 'technical personnel': MEA

The Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government has formally requested that India withdraw its troops from Male

Will not compromise over India's border security, says HM Amit Shah

The government wants friendly relations with all countries but it will not compromise with India's border security and the safety of its people, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday. Shah also said that the Modi government has successfully tackled the three internal security hotspots -- 'Jammu and Kashmir, the Northeast and the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas'? -- in its 10 years of rule. "Our external and internal policy is clear. We want friendly relations with other countries. But there will be no compromise on the country's border security and the security of its people," he said while participating in a discussion on the subject 'Security Beyond Tomorrow: Forging India's Resilient Future' here. Shah said other countries have respected this policy of the government. He said due to the appeasement policy, the previous governments have created many internal security problems. The three internal security hotspots of the country 'Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and L

Havildar Preeti Rajak becomes first woman to hold Subedar rank in Army

Havildar Preeti Rajak, who is a champion trap shooter, has become the first woman to hold the rank of Subedar in the Indian Army after she was promoted on Sunday. Subedar Rajak joined the Army in the Corps of Military Police in December 2022. "In a proud moment for the Indian Army as well as women of the country, today Havildar Preeti Rajak, trap shooter, was promoted to the rank of Subedar," the Army said. "Subedar Preeti Rajak is now the first woman Subedar of the Indian Army. Her achievement is an extraordinary display of Nari Shakti," it said. Subedar Preeti Rajak joined the Army in the Corps of Military Police on December 22, 2022. She was the first meritorious sportswomen in the shooting discipline enrolled in the Army as a Havildar. During the 19th Asian Games, held at Hangzhou in China, Rajak won a silver medal in the trap women team event. Based on her extraordinary performance, she was awarded the first out of turn promotion to Subedar, the Army said in a statement. S

Prez approves 80 gallantry awards, other decorations to Army personnel

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday approved 80 gallantry awards including six Kirti Chakra and 16 Shaurya Chakra on the eve of the 75th Republic Day. Out of the six Kirti Chakra, three were conferred posthumously, and of the 16 Shaurya Chakra, two posthumously. The Kirti Chakra is India's second highest peacetime gallantry award after Ashok Chakra while the Shaurya Chakra is the third highest peacetime. The Kirti Chakra awardees are Major Digvijay Singh Rawat of 21st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (Special Forces), Major Deependra Vikram Basnet from the Sikh Regiment's fourth battalion and Havildar Pawan Kumar Yadav from the 21st battalion of the Mahar Regiment, according to the defence ministry. Those conferred the award posthumously are Captain Anshuman Singh from the 26th battalion of the Punjab Regiment (Army Medical Corps), Havildar Abdul Majid of the Parachute Regiment's ninth battalion (special forces) and Sepoy Pawan Kumar from the 55th battalion of the Rashtriya Rifle

Ground forces encircled southern Gaza city of Khan Younis: Israeli military

The Israeli military says its forces have encircled the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. The territory's second largest city has seen heavy fighting in recent days, with dozens of Palestinians killed and wounded. Israeli officials have said top Hamas leaders may be hiding in tunnels under the city. Khan Younis is the hometown of Yehya Sinwar, Hamas' top leader in Gaza, whose whereabouts are unknown. The military announced the encirclement in a statement Tuesday.

CBI books new corruption case against Lieutenant Colonel Abhishek Chandra

The CBI has slapped a fresh case of corruption against Lieutenant Colonel Abhishek Chandra, the then SSO (contract and victualling) at Andaman and Nicobar Command, for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets and depositing cash in lakhs in accounts of his family members, officials said on Monday. Lieutenant Colonel Chandra was booked in 2022 for allegedly demanding and accepting illegal gratification from various vendors in cash as well as bank deposits in the accounts of his family members, they said. During the probe, the agency scrutinised documents related to his assets which indicated that Chandra and his wife were in possession of assets which they could not satisfactorily account for, the officials said. "It has also been revealed that huge cash amount of Rs 15 lakh was deposited by Lieutenant Colonel Abhishek Chandra and his wife Priya Chandra in cash from Port Blair through cash deposit vouchers in the account of Sashi Sharma (mother of Priya Chandra), Paritosh Sharma ..

76th Army Day 2024: Army Day parade takes place in Lucknow, check updates

76th Army Day 2024: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, along with CM Yogi Adityanath and Governor Anandiben Patel, attended the Army Day parade taking place in Lucknow

Search underway in J&K to track down terrorists who attacked Army convoy

A cordon-and-search operation was underway in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday to track down terrorists who had fired on a convoy of Army vehicles a day ago, officials said. There was no casualty in the attack on the convoy on Friday. Troops are using sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance to comb the area, which has dense forest, the officials said. The cordon-and-search operation was underway to track the attackers, a senior officer said. The vehicles that came under attack near Krishna Ghati in Poonch sector on Friday evening were carrying security personnel back to a camp. No one was injured in the attack and the commanding officer as well as other Army personnel were safe, officials said. A similar ambush on Army vehicles took place in Poonch's Dhatya Morh in the Dera Ki Gali area on December 21. Four Army personnel were killed in the attack. Rajouri and Poonch districts have witnessed targeted attacks by terrorists on the Army and civilians in the recent past

Ethnic guerrilla groups agreed to an immediate cease-fire: Myanmar army

Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country's northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Myanmar's military government confirmed the development, as did the ethnic alliance. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. China hopes the relevant parties in Myanmar can conscientiously implement the agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other and solve the issues through dialogue and consultations, she said at a daily briefing in Beijing. Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson of Myanmar's ruling military council, said in an audio note to journalists that the two sides had met in Kunming and after talks, agreed on a temporary cease-fire agreement. "We will continue discussions We w

Suspected terrorists fire upon Army vehicles in J&K; no one injured

Suspected terrorists fired upon a convoy of vehicles carrying security personnel in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday evening, prompting security forces to launch a search operation, officials said. No security personnel was injured in the attack, they said. "At around 1800h today, a Security Forces convoy of vehicles was fired upon by suspected terrorists from a jungle near Krishna Ghati, Poonch sector. No casualties to own troops. Joint search operations by Indian Army and JKP (Jammu and Kashmir Police) are in progress," the White Night Corps of the Army posted on X. The vehicles that came under attack were carrying security personnel back to the camp, the officials said. The incident came after a high-level security meeting chaired by Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi to chart out an anti-terror operation plan for the new year to foil design of terrorists in the region.

Situation along Northern border stable but sensitive: Army Chief Gen Pande

"Our operational preparedness in these areas continues to be of a very high level. The deployment is both robust and balanced," he said

Closely monitoring: Army Chief Gen Pande on Bhutan-China boundary talks

As Bhutan and China looked at an expeditious resolution of their festering boundary row, Army Chief Gen Manoj Pandey on Thursday said the development is being closely monitored. At a media briefing ahead of the Army Day, he said India has a unique bilateral relationship with Bhutan based on "utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding". "This relationship also transcends into the military domain as we have IMTRAT (Indian Military Training Team) right from the early 1960s. They are at the centre of our relationship," he said. Gen Pande was responding to a question on China and Bhutan making progress in their boundary talks and whether any possible resolution would have security implications for India. "Bhutan and we share mutual security concerns which both of us are aware of. The ongoing talks on the boundary which you alluded to, we are closely monitoring," he said. "We are interacting with our friends in Bhutan on a transparent and regular basis," the Army Chief said. He sa

Working to normalise situation in Manipur: Army chief Manoj Pande

Pande added that the operational preparedness of the Indian Army is very high and deployment robust

Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi assumes role of vice chief of Navy

Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Thursday assumed charge as Vice Chief of the Navy succeeding Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, who became Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the crucial Western Naval Command. Prior to taking charge as the vice chief, Vice Admiral Tripathi was serving as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1985. A Communication and electronic warfare specialist, he served on frontline warships of the Navy as signal communication officer and electronic warfare officer. Vice Admiral Tripathi commanded Indian naval ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul. He has also held various important operational and staff appointments, including fleet operations officer of the Western Fleet at Mumbai, director of naval operations and principal director of network centric operations and naval plans in Delhi. On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, he

Pak Senate moves resolution for severe punishment for anti-army propoganda

Pakistan's Senate on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution to recommend severe punishment for all those found involved in the "negative and malicious propaganda" against the armed forces and other security agencies of the country. Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi of the Pakistan Peoples Party had moved the resolution which acknowledged that a strong army and other security agencies are indispensable for the defence of the country, especially because of the hostile neighbourhood. The resolution expressed deep concern over the negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces and other security agencies on various social media platforms. It highlighted the huge sacrifices of armed forces and other security agencies in the war against terror and for the defence and protection of the country's borders", acknowledging that a strong army and other security agencies are indispensable for the defence of the country, especially because of the hostile neighbourhood. The Senate, therefor