Page 102 - War Conflict
France holds 4 over 'extremely violent' attack plot
Three adults and a teenager have been arrested over a planned attack on the security forces in the coming days, prosecutors said Monday, which a minister described as "extremely violent". All four were arrested on Friday as part of an investigation into a terrorist conspiracy, but there were no immediate details on the nature of the planned attack. "Four people are being held over a plan to carry out an extremely violent terror attack," Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told reporters. One of the suspects is a minor serving a probationary sentence at an educational facility after being sentenced to three years, two suspended, for trying to travel to Syria, the Paris prosecutors office said. The other three are known for common law offences, according to a source close to the inquiry which was opened by prosecutors on February 1 and is being handled by the DGSI, France's domestic intelligence agency. France has been on high alert since the start of a wave of jihadist attacks began .
Ghani calls for 'durable peace' at grand assembly
Afghanistan's President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani stressed achieving viable peace in his militancy-battered country through dialogue in the much-awaited consultative Loya Jirga or traditional grand assembly of elders and chieftains inaugurated here on Monday.
Pakistani, US officials discuss Afghan peace process
The US and Pakistan officials on Monday held talks here on key bilateral and regional issues, including the peace process in Afghanistan. Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad accompanied by a delegation, including Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, South and Central Asia, Alice G Wells, arrived in Islamabad. The purpose of the trip is "to hold meetings - part of regular consultations, on bilateral relationship & Afghan peace process," said Faisal. He said Ambassador Wells held delegation-level talks at the ministry of foreign affairs with the Pakistan side led by Aftab Khokhar, Additional Secretary (Americas). The ties between the two countries strained after US President Donald Trump, while announcing his Afghanistan and South Asia policy in 2017, hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to "agents of chaos" that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has "much
Bihar records 32.48 per cent voting till 1 PM
An estimated 32.48 per cent voters of the 87.74 electorate cast their ballots till 1 PM in Bihar, where polling for five Lok Sabha seats is underway on Monday, an election official said. Bihar Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary exercised his franchise at a polling station in Kyonta village under Ujiarpur Lok Sabha constituency while former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar cast his vote at Masnadpur polling station under Teghra assembly segment of Begusarai seat. Union Minister Giriraj Singh cast his vote at a polling station at Barahiya under Munger Lok Sabha seat. A total of 66 candidates, including three women nominees, are in the fray from Darbhanga, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai and Munger constituencies in the fourth phase of polling in the state. "Polling has been peaceful with no untoward incidents reported from any of the constituencies so far," the official said. Voting was initialLy hampered at three polling stations in Munger, two polling stations in ...
Thousands gather in Kabul for Afghan peace meeting
Thousands of politicians and officials from across Afghanistan gathered amid tight security in Kabul Monday to discuss the war and US efforts to forge a peace deal with the Taliban. More than 3,000 people have been invited to the rare "loya jirga", which is being billed as the largest in modern Afghan history, in a bid to set possible conditions under which they might accept a peace settlement. The loya jirga -- literally "grand assembly" in Pashto -- is being held as the US and Taliban are discussing a possible foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and various Taliban pledges. The talks have so far cut out the government of President Ashraf Ghani, whom the Taliban view as a US stooge. "We want to specify the main lines for the negotiations with the Taliban," Ghani said at the start of the summit. "We want clear advice from all of you." Ghani's government hopes the high-stakes meeting will set out Kabul's conditions for any deal, including the
Sri Lankan intelligence receives inputs of attacks on Buddhist temples by female bombers
Female bombers posing as devotees may have been planning to attack Sri Lanka's Buddhist temples after authorities seized white clothes from a house that was raided following Easter Sunday blasts, a media report said on Monday. The Sri Lankan intelligence agency has received inputs of possible attacks on Buddhist temples by female bombers of the banned local terror outfit National Thawheeth Jamath (NTJ) after police found white pairs of skirts and blouses from the house which was raided after the explosion in Sainthamuruthu area in the Eastern province, raising suspicion that the attackers might pose as Buddhist devotees, the Daily Mirror reported. On March 29, Muslim women had spent 29,000 Sri Lankan rupees (USD 166) to purchase nine sets of such clothes from a textile shop in Giriulla, the report said. The CCTV footage of the shop shows the visuals of these women who purchased clothes from the shop. So far, five sets of white clothes have been found from this house and intelligence ..
Sri Lankan prez suspends defiant police chief over blasts
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has suspended police chief Pujith Jayasundara, his office announced on Monday after the defiant Inspector General refused to quit taking responsibility for the intelligence failure that led to the massive Easter Sunday bombings. The police chief can only be removed through a parliamentary procedure and Sirisena's action is the first step towards that, officials said. Senior Deputy Inspector General CD Wickremaratne has been appointed as the acting police chief. Jayasundara has steadfastly refused to heed Sirisena's call to resign following April 21 coordinated blasts on three churches and three luxury hotels. The attacks carried out by suicide bombers came in spite of early warnings and the security establishment's failure to take preventive action has come under severe criticism. Sirisena, who also keeps the defence portfolio with him, said he wanted to revamp the security system and his defence ministry secretary Hemasiri Fernando resigned ..
Woman in Sri Lanka gifts 5 pet dogs to Army for explosive-detection training after blasts
A woman in Sri Lanka has gifted her five German Shepherd dogs to the Army for explosive detection training in the wake of the massive Easter Sunday bombings. Dr Shiru Wijemanne, a lecturer in an international open university, gifted the canines to be used for emergencies, Colombo Page reported. The five German Shepherd dogs of a single family, including parent dogs in the age of two years and others of six months in age, were handed over to Brigadier A N Amarasekara at her residence in Narahenpita area here. She said that she was impressed with the role the Army was playing in detection of explosives and drugs. The dogs are to be trained in the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Squadron of the Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE) within a few weeks before they are tasked with specific roles, the Army said. The Army has trained a number of dogs for mine detection, drug and explosive sniffing among others. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three ...
Sri Lanka's face veil ban takes effect under new regulation after Easter bombings
Muslim women in Sri Lanka will not be allowed to wear any form of face veils in public from Monday under new regulations announced by President Maithripala Sirisena who used emergency powers in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings. The new regulation banning any form of face covering was announced by the President on Sunday, a week after the coordinated blasts hit three churches and three luxury hotels, killing over 250 people and inuring more than 500 others. "The ban is to ensure national security... No one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult," Sirisena's office said in a statement. He took steps under the emergency regulation to prohibit the use of face coverings of all sorts which is an obstacle to ensure the identity of the people and a threat to national and public security, Colombo Page reported. The order clarifies that the key criterion for establishing the identity of a person is the need to clearly expose the face, the report said. The President ...
7.92 per cent voting recorded till 9 am in 5 LS seats of Bihar
An estimated 7.92 per cent voting was recorded Monday in the first two hours of polling in five Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar in the fourth phase of general elections, officials said. A total of 87.74 lakh voters would decide the fate of 66 candidates, including three women nominees, in this phase of polling in 8,834 booths. Polling is underway in the five Lok Sabha constituencies of Darbhanga, Ujiarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai and Munger. "Voting has been peaceful with no untoward incident reported from any of these constituencies so far," election officials said. Polling was, however, briefly hampered at three booths in Munger, two in Darbhanga and three in Begusarai due to glitches in EVMs, which were rectified, they said. People boycotted voting at a polling station in Rajwara village of Teghra assembly segment in Begusarai lok Sabha constituency, owing to lack of road connectivity, an Election Commission source said. Prominent candidates in this phase include ...
SL bomb suspect's sister fears 18 relatives killed
The sister of the suspected ringleader of Sri Lanka's deadly April 21 Easter Sunday bombings has said that up to 18 of her family members are missing and feared dead since the attacks and subsequent raids, the media reported.
First phase polling begins in 3 Maoist-affected LS seats in Jharkhand
Polling began at 7 am at three Maoist affected Lok Sabha seats spread over in six districts of Jharkhand on Monday, said an official.
Nigeria gunmen kidnap foreign oil workers: security forces
Gunmen in Nigeria's restive oil-rich south have attacked an oil rig, kidnapping a British, a Canadian and a Nigerian worker, security forces said Sunday. The violence is the latest in a long line of attacks in Nigeria's southern Rivers state, where kidnapping for ransom is rife. Half a dozen gunmen attacked the rig on Saturday in the Ogbele area of Rivers state, firing weapons as they stormed in, grabbing the three men and then heading off into the thick forest and swamps around. "The victims are a Canadian, a Scottish man, and we have also been briefed that a Nigerian worker is also unaccounted for," said Abdullahi Ibrahim, a spokesman for the government security force, part of the team known as Operation Delta Safe. "Efforts have been intensified, and are still ongoing towards rescuing the victims and arresting the hoodlums," Ibrahim added. The oil rig was reported to be operated by Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR). In past such attacks, the victims have often been released ...
Father, 2 brothers of SL Easter bombings suspect killed in raid
The father and two brothers of Zahran Hashim, the suspected mastermind of the gruesome coordinated terror Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka, were killed in Friday's overnight gun battle between troops and suspects in the eastern Ampara district, the police said on Sunday.On Friday, at least 15 people, including six children, were killed in bomb blasts and gunfire as Sri Lankan security forces closed in on a low-slung house in the seaside Sri Lankan town of Sainthamaruthu, The Washington Post reported.Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara on Sunday said that a woman, identified as Abdul Cader Fathima Kadiyar -- Hashim's wife along with his daughter, were rescued alive from the house at the center of Friday's gun battle and bomb blasts.The police said that both wife and the daughter were hospitalised and were under security cover by the police while adding that the two were identified by Zahran's driver, who was arrested on Friday.The raid on Friday's night killed 15 people. Bomb ...
Sri Lanka imposes burqa ban post Easter Sunday attacks
The Sri Lankan government on Sunday took necessary measures to impose a complete ban on all types of burqas and face covers in the wake of the horrific terror bombings that rattled the entire country on Easter Sunday, claiming lives of more than 250 people and injuring hundreds.Colombo Page quoted the Prime Minister's Office as saying in a statement that Prime Minister Wickremesinghe has stated that since the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the organisation of Muslim clerics in Sri Lanka has proposed to ban the burqa, the Minister of Justice will discuss with the council and draft the necessary legislation.The decision to ban burqas across the country came just days after a Sri Lankan parliamentarian MP Ashu Marasinghe had submitted a Private Member's Motion to ban the burqa on security grounds post the Easter Sunday blasts.Marasinghe, in his motion submitted to parliament, said the burka is not a part of traditional Muslim attire and is used to around the world by men to hide ...
UP Police busts gang involved in cellphone theft cases
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday busted a gang involved in mobiles theft cases."Three robbers who used to loot mobile phones were arrested from Ayodhya on Sunday. Several complaints were registered against them in various police stations of the district," police said.Police have also recovered 27 cell phones and three bikes from them.A case of theft has been registered and further investigation is underway.
Assam Rifles accuses NSCN-IM of violating ceasefire, cautions against escalation
The NSCN-IM has committed a serious violation of ceasefire ground rules by setting up an "unauthorised camp" in Ukhrul district of Manipur, Indian Army sources have said.
Centre accuses NSCN (IM) of violating ceasefire, puts onus of escalation on the group
The Centre on Sunday said that Naga insurgent group NSCN (IM) has violated the ceasefire by setting up an unauthorised camp at Khunou-Khamosam, Ukhrul, in Manipur."During the routine aerial recee on April 25, some suspected temporary hut type structures were observed in the forest, in general area Sihai Khunou/Khamasom, Ukhrul. Troops deployed to verify confirmed the existence of an unauthorised camp of NSCN (IM) in that area," Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh, Defence PRO, Shillong, said in a statement."The Commander requested the villagers and pastor to inform NSCN (IM) cadres to vacate the camp immediately as it is an unauthorised camp and is in gross violation of existing ceasefire ground rules," he added.Reportedly, the same day, Gen real Secretary of United Naga Council gave a phone call to Commander of Assam Rifles Sector and confirmed the presence of NSCN(IM) camp in that area."The Chairman of Ceasefire Monitoring Group (CFMG) was briefed about the prevailing situation and the ...
Congress accuses Modi govt of deceiving armed forces
Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of deceiving the armed forces, alleging that it has failed on the national security front - BJP's prime poll plank in the Lok Sabha elections."The government has deceived the armed forces. Modi is politicising the martyrdom of the soldiers for electoral gains but the security personnel get nothing other than disappointment and disdain from this government," said senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala at a press conference here.The Congress said the Pulwama attack could have been prevented had intelligence agencies not failed.Surjewala said, "Pulwama attack is a result of our intelligence failure. It is still unknown how terrorists get hundreds of kilograms of RDX, rocket launcher, and MI 4 carbines in Srinagar. How a car filled with RDX collided with the CRPF convoy given there is a standard security protocol in place.""PM was busy in shooting a film before and after the attack. When the country was saddened,
3 terrorists arrested for attacking police post in Srinagar
Three terrorists linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were arrested from Wathora area of Budgam district for allegedly attacking a police post in Srinagar, said Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday.One Chinese pistol, two magazines, six live rounds were recovered from their possession.The three terrorists identified as Mushtaq, Junaid and Lateef are accused of carrying out an attack at a police post in Chanpora, Srinagar on Friday.According to police, while Junaid carried out a recce around the police post, Lateef transported the two on his bike and the main accused Mushtaq fired at the constable.Mushtaq wanted to loot weapons from the police post on the instruction of one Sameer, a terrorist who is active in Pulwama area, police said.Srinagar SSP Dr Haseeb Mughal said, "Sameer Ahmed and Mushtaq were college mates in Kashmir University. Mushtaq hatched a conspiracy to loot weapons on the instructions of his friend Sameer. We have found JeM's involvement in this case."Junaid has been ...