Page 112 - War Conflict
Sri Lanka bans drones, unmanned aircraft after bombings
Sri Lanka has banned the use of drones and unmanned aircraft following the massive Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 350 people and injured more than 500 in the country's worst terror attack. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said that the ban will be in effect until further notice. The use of drones and unmanned aircraft has been temporarily banned within the Sri Lankan airspace, Colombo Gazette reported. The CAA said that it was taking the measure "in view of the existing security situation in the country." Meanwhile, authorities continued their search operations with the help of army and arrested many suspects overnight. So far, over 75 people have been arrested in connection with the country's deadliest attack. Nine suicide bombers, believed to be the members of a local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels. As many as 359 people have been killed in the ...
Minor explosion in Sri Lanka, no casualties (2nd Lead)
A minor explosion occurred in the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital on Thursday, although there were no reports of casualties or damages in the incident that came four days after the deadly Easter Sunday bombings that killed 359 people, police said.
Army starts process to induct women as jawans in military police
Opening up a new avenue for females, the Indian Army on Thursday kicked off the process of inducting women as jawans by starting their online registration for recruitment in the corps of military police.This is being seen as a major breakthrough for women in armed forces as so far, they were being inducted only as officers and this is the first time they would be taken in as soldiers."Online registration will start today for the recruitment of women as jawans and the last date for it is June 8. The project was first mooted by Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat soon after he took charge of the force," Army officials said.The decks for the induction were cleared in January this year after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government has taken a "historic" decision to induct women in the military police with an aim to enhance their representation in the three services.Women will be inducted in a graded manner to eventually comprise 20 per cent of total Corps of Military ...
Sri Lanka continues crackdown on terror suspects; 16 held
Authorities in Sri Lanka continued their search operations with the help of army and arrested 16 more suspects in connection with the horrific Easter Sunday blasts in which more than 350 people were killed. The arrested people were being interrogated at length by investigation sleuths in connection with the country's deadliest attack. Nine suicide bombers, believed to be the members of a local Islamist extremist group National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels. As many as 359 people have been killed in the attacks while 500 others injured, according to authorities. Officials said that with the arrest of 16 more people on Wednesday, the total number of suspects under police custody has risen to 76. Many of the arrested people have suspected links to the NTJ, the group blamed for the bombings. However, the NTJ has not claimed responsibility for the attacks. The Islamic State has claimed ...
Minor explosion reported in Sri Lanka
A minor explosion was reported on Thursday in Pugoda on the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, police said, adding there were casualties or damages in the fresh blast that came four days after the Easter Sunday bombings which killed 359 people.
2 Hizbul Kashmiri militants killed in J&K
Two Kashmiri militants affiliated to the Hizbul Mujahideen group were gunned down in an encounter with the security forces on Thursday in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, police said.
2 militants killed in encounter in J&K's Anantnag
Two unidentified militants were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Thursday, police said. Acting on inputs, a cordon and search operation was launched at Bagender Mohalla in Bijbehara area by the police and the security forces, a police official said. The militants fired upon the search party, following which the security forces retaliated, the official said. "In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. Their identities and affiliations are being ascertained." Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site, the official added.
Azam Khan has been winning elections by rigging polls: Jaya Prada
BJP candidate from Rampur Lok Sabha constituency Jaya Prada hit out at SP leader Azam Khan alleging that he has always won the elections by rigging polls.The reaction by actor-turned-politician came on Wednesday in the backdrop of Azam Khan alleging that the district administration in his constituency did not allow Muslims voters to exercise their franchise in the ongoing elections."Seeing his defeat Azam Khan is bewildered and is giving such statements. He is used to resorting to means like casting fake votes at every booth. He has been winning the elections for the last 20 years through fake votes only," said Jaya Prada.During a press conference on Wednesday, Khan had alleged: "For the past one week, houses of Muslims are being looted. They were beaten as well. One day ago, District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police have beaten them as well.""Red cards have been given to Muslims without any official signature and the police have asked them not to come out of houses. They ..
Prince William visits New Zealand after mosque attacks
Britain's Prince William arrived in New Zealand on Thursday for a two-day visit to commemorate wartime soldiers and visit survivors of last month's mosque attacks. The Duke of Cambridge attended an Anzac Day service in Auckland on Thursday morning alongside New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. During the service, William laid a wreath on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Anzac Day is a national holiday similar to Memorial Day in the US marking the anniversary of New Zealand and Australian soldiers, known as Anzacs, landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. More than 10,000 soldiers from the two countries were killed during that WWI campaign in what's now Turkey. William is scheduled to fly to Christchurch on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, he will visit the two mosques where a gunman killed 50 people on March 15. He plans to meet with first responders, Muslim leaders and survivors of the attacks.
Trump renews threat to close Mexico border
President Donald Trump on Wednesday again threatened to shut United States' southern border with Mexico and send more "armed soldiers" to the region if the latter did not block a new caravan of migrants soon."Mexico must apprehend the remainder or we will be forced to close that section of the Border & call up the Military," Trump tweeted."Mexico's Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border. Better not happen again! We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning!" he added.The remarks by the US President came in the wake of April 13 incident in which two US soldiers were questioned by Mexican troops while conducting a surveillance operation on the US side of the southern border, CNN confirmed after quoting US Defence officials.During the incident, the Mexican soldiers pointed their weapons at the US troops, removing a ...
Iran denounces US talks with Taliban
Iran has criticized US talks with the Taliban on ending the Afghanistan war, saying Washington was elevating the role of the militants. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif acknowledged that Iran had also opened dialogue with the Taliban but said that the US push for a deal with the extremists was "seriously wrong". "An attempt to exclude everybody and just talk to the Taliban has alienated the government, has alienated the region, has alienated everybody else and it achieved nothing, as you've seen from the statement that came from the Taliban," Zarif said, apparently referring to the militants' announcement of a new spring offensive. "I was the first to say that in any peace in Afghanistan, the Taliban cannot be set aside or isolated," Zarif said at the Asia Society in New York, which he was visiting to take part in a UN session. "But you cannot negotiate the future of Afghanistan with the Taliban. The Taliban only represent a segment of Afghan society, not all of it," he ...
Poignant Anzac services in New Zealand after mosque attacks
Thousands of people turned out across New Zealand on Thursday to honour their war dead at the annual Anzac Day dawn services, with security tight in the wake of the Christchurch mosque attacks. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the March 15 massacre, which left 50 dead and almost as many wounded, showed "there is still much division to overcome" in the world. Anzac Day marks the April 25, 1915 landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at Gallipoli on the Turkish peninsula in an ill-fated WWI campaign against the German-backed Ottoman forces. More than 10,000 Australian and New Zealand servicemen died but while the battle failed in its military objectives, it gave rise to commemorations of the courage and close friendship that bind the two countries. Similar dawn services were held in Australia. "Each Anzac Day, we take time to reflect and remember," Ardern said in Auckland, calling for a recommitment "to the principles of freedom, democracy and peace that the country had fought ...
Sri Lanka: Two bombers sons were sons of business tycoon
Two of the nine suicide bombers involved in the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka were members of a prominent family in Colombo, sources have told CNN.The brothers, identified as Imsath Ahmed Ibrahim and Ilham Ahmed Ibrahim, were sons of spice merchant Mohamed Ibrahim.Ibrahim, the founder of Colombo-based Ishana Exports, was among one of the dozen people detained in the wake of the attacks.Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan government late on Wednesday reimposed a curfew till Thursday morning in the wake of the devastating blasts which have caused multiple casualties in the island nation, a police spokesperson said.The curfew was imposed from 10 p.m. local time (12.30 p.m. ET) on Wednesday until 4 a.m. Thursday morning,Eight explosions rattled various suburbs in the Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo, Kochchikade and Batticaloa as the Christian community celebrated Easter Sunday on April 21. Over 350 people have lost their lives until now, as more than 560 people have been injured. Out of .
UN says Saudi beheadings shocking, abhorrent
The United Nations on Wednesday condemned Saudi Arabia's mass executions as "shocking" and "abhorrent".Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed 37 men, convicted of terror like activities. Two bodies were crucified publicly sending warning messages to others."I strongly condemn these shocking mass executions across six cities in Saudi Arabia yesterday," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement."It is particularly abhorrent that at least three of those killed were minors at the time of their sentencing," Al Jazeera quoted the envoy as saying.The accused were charged with forming terrorist groups, planning terrorist acts, including killing security officers using explosives and weapons.All the convicts were Saudi nationals.In her statement, Bachelet noted that the executions were carried out despite repeated warnings from human rights officials and the UN rapporteurs over lack of fair trial and allegations of obtaining confessions through torture.The UN ...
Sri Lanka bombings: Prez asks Defence Minister, IG to resign
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday asked Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando and Inspector General (IG) of Police Pujith Jayasundara to resign following the devastating Easter Sunday bombings over allegations of mishandling intelligence reports.Quoting sources, CNN reported that warnings were shared with Sri Lankan security services, including one memo addressed to the IG, prior to the attacks. However, no measures were taken to thwart the deadly terror attacks which killed more than 350 people.In addition, Sirisena, a day before, had said that he had no prior knowledge of the advance warnings related to the attacks. Shortly after the attacks, Sirisena, as well as Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, claimed that they had no clue about the warnings.The call for resignations came amid reports of mounting criticisms against the Sri Lankan government over its failure to curtail the massacre despite detailed warnings.On April 11, India's intelligence agencies sent a ..
'18 dead' in huge blast in northwest Syria
A powerful explosion Wednesday killed 18 people including more than a dozen civilians in jihadist-held northwest Syria, a war monitor said, as rescuers searched for people trapped under the rubble. An AFP reporter at the scene saw a building of at least four storeys that had collapsed in the town of Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib, a region controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. One opposite had partially caved in while surrounding buildings appeared on the verge of collapse. A civil defence worker eased himself under a massive slab of fallen concrete to search for victims, as three colleagues crouched by his side to help. Fifteen civilians were among those killed in the blast, the cause of which was not immediately clear, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group. "The explosion hit next to the market," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The daughter of a Turkestani fighter was among those killed, he said. Abdel Rahman earlier ..
V K Singh visits Lankan HC, expresses condolences on loss of lives in terror attacks
Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh on Wednesday visited the Sri Lankan High Commission here and expressed deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives and injury to the victims of the horrific terrorist attacks in the island nation. Nine Suicide bombers, believed to be members of local Islamist extremist group called National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels. The death toll in the coordinated attacks has risen to 359. "Sharing the grief. MoS @Gen_VKSingh visited the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi today expressing deepest condolences on the tragic loss of lives & injury to the victims of the horrific terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on 21 April," Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
SL top security officials told to quit, toll 359
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has asked the Defence Secretary and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to quit over mishandling of intelligence reports ahead of Easter Sunday suicide bombings as the death toll surged to 359, officials said on Wednesday.
Sri Lankan woman loses most of her family in Easter bombings
On Sunday, 43-year-old Anusha Kumari was left childless and a widow when suicide bombers launched a coordinated attack on churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. More than 350 people were killed in the near-simultaneous bombings. About a third of the victims were celebrating Easter Mass at St. Sebastian's Church in Negombo. Kumari lost her daughter, son, husband, sister-in-law and two nieces. They were buried three days later on some vacant land near the stricken church that has quickly become a cemetery for some of the bombing victims. Sri Lanka's president has asked for the resignations of the defense secretary and national police chief after acknowledging that some intelligence units were aware of threats to churches before the Easter bombings.
No one willing to take up JeM leadership in the Valley: Army
Lt Gen K J S Dhillon Wednesday said after the Pulwama terror attack the security forces launched an offensive against the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the valley, resulting in a situation where no one is willing to take up the leadership of the outfit. "Forty-one militants were killed. Twenty-five of them belonged to JeM. Thirteen were foreign terrorists -- Pakistanis and category A plus and above," said Lt Gen Dhillon, at a joint press briefing accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and Inspector general, CRPF, Zulfiqar Hassan at the police control room here. "We targeted the JeM leadership and the situation now is such that there is no one willing to take up the leadership of the JeM in the valley. In spite of Pakistan's best efforts, we will continue to suppress the JeM," Lt Gen Dhillon, who is the Commander of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, said. DGP Singh said 2018 and the year so far had been successful in containing militancy in the ...