Page 116 - War Conflict
2 more JDS workers confirmed dead; kin of victims to bring
Two more JDS workers were Tuesday confirmed dead in the devastating Colombo serial bomb blasts as shattered relatives of the victims waited anxiously to bring the bodies back home and perform the last rites. The High Commission of India in Colombo tweeted confirming the death of two more persons, pushing up to 10 the number of victims from Karnataka, including eight JDS workers on a holiday after a grinding campaign in the Lok Sabha polls. The agonising pain and wait for over 48 hours finally came to an end for the family of 37-year-old Puttaraju, a JD(S) worker, with the High Commission of India in Colombo Tuesday confirming his death in the multiple blasts that rocked Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. "We just got to know about his death, Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs Minister) has tweeted. Finally we have heard what we were suspecting," a friend of Puttarajau's brother Rudresh said. "It was a long wait....while those with him (Puttaraju) were declared dead and their bodies
Bangladesh PM Hasina's 8-year-old relative killed in Lanka blasts
An 8-year-old relative of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is among the 45 children who were killed in the devastating suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, media reports said Tuesday. Ruling Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim's grandson Zayan Chowdhary, who was reported missing after bombings in Sri Lanka, has died, the reports said. The boy was having breakfast with his father Moshiul Haque Chowdhary Prince at a restaurant on the ground floor of a luxury hotel in Colombo that came under attack along with several other hotels and churches on Easter Sunday that killed 321 people and injured nearly 500 others. Selim's younger brother Sheikh Fazlur Rahman Maruf said that Zayan's body would be brought back to Dhaka on Wednesday, the Dhaka Tribune reported. Zayan's younger brother Zohan Chowdhary and mother Sheikh Amina Sultana Sonia were in their hotel room when the blast occured. The family went to Sri Lanka on a holiday. Selim is a cousin of Prime ...
Sri Lanka will eradicate terrorism with global help: PM
Sri Lanka will eradicate terrorism with the help of international community, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Tuesday in the wake of the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings which killed 321 people and injured over 500. Addressing Parliament, he said investigators have made good progress identifying the suspects and that some of the bombers travelled abroad and then returned home. He said "it was possible" the bombings were a "retaliation" for the New Zealand mosque attacks that left 50 Muslims dead and were blamed on a white supremacist from Australia. Defence Minister Ruwan Wijewardene made the similar remark earlier in the day. Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka has been offered assistance by many countries and international organisations, including the UN, the Interpol, to combat terrorism. Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando said Tuesday that the FBI has already commenced investigations into the incident while the Interpol is expected to arrive in the country. He also ...
Sri Lanka may ban burqa following Easter Sunday terror attack: report
Sri Lanka has initiated a plan to ban the burqa as interrogation of suspects and other evidence are pointing to the involvement of a large number of women in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed at least 321 people and wounded nearly 500 others in the island nation, a media report said on Tuesday. The government is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities, the Daily Mirror reported quoting sources. "The government, he said (source), is planning to implement the move in consultation with the mosque authorities and on Monday several ministers had spoken to President Maithripala Sirisena on the matter," the paper reported the source as saying. It has been pointed out that burqa and niqab were never part of the traditional attire of Muslim women in Sri Lanka until the Gulf War in the early 1990s which saw extremist elements introducing the garb to Muslim women. Defence sources said that a number of female accomplices of incidents in Dematagoda too had ...
Possible it could have been due to Christchurch attack, says Sri Lankan PM on Easter Sunday killings
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday asserted that there is a possibility that the Easter Sunday attack in the country could have been due to the Christchurch attack."It is possible it could have been due to Christchurch attack (on two mosques in New Zealand), but we cannot say yet. Police who are questioning will be able to say so. They will be able to find out," he said.He also said that the investigators are making good progress in regard to identifying the culprits."We have to identify all of them and look at what the network is. Many countries are helping us, starting from the United States. There is news coming from Cairo that ISIS is claiming responsibility. We knew earlier that there were foreign links and this could not have been done just locally," he added.On being asked about the level of foreign involvement, he said: "There was foreign involvement. We feel that some of them might have travelled abroad. There may be more than that."Wickremesinghe also .
Bangladesh PM's relative killed in Sri Lanka
An eight-year-old relative of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was among 321 people killed in the Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Sri Lanka.
Islamic State claims Easter Sunday blasts in Sri Lanka; identifies 7 suicide bombers
The Islamic State Tuesday claimed responsibility for the devastating Easter blasts in Sri Lanka that killed 321 people and identified the seven suicide bombers who were involved in the attacks. In a statement issued through its propaganda 'Amaq' news agency, the ISIS said that "the executors of the attack that targeted citizens of coalition states and Christians in Sri Lanka two days ago were with the group," according to the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities. The statement identified the attackers as Abu Ubayda, Abu al-Mukhtar, Abu Khalil, Abu Hamza, Abu al-Bara'a, Abu Muhammad and Abu Abdullah, and their respective targets. It also claimed that around 1,000 people were killed or wounded in the blasts. "The detail given in #ISIS' communique (attackers' names, where each of them attacked) shows that the group had a hand in the attack - the degree to which still remains to be seen. The group's delay in claiming is also an unanswered variable," SITE ...
Foreign involvement in Sri Lanka bombings: PM
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday said that authorities were making progress in identifying the culprits of the Easter Sunday suicide bombings which killed 321 people and wounded over 500 and evidence had been found on foreign links of the attacks.
Sri Lankan schools to remain shut till April 29
All government schools across Sri Lanka will remain closed until April 29 in view of the security situation, Education Minister Akila V. Kariyawasam announced on Tuesday.
Lanka terror:Grief-stricken kin waiting to bring remains home
Yet to come to grips with the loss of their dear ones, shattered kith and kin of those killed in the devastating serial blasts in Sri Lanka are now faced with the problem of bringing the dismembered bodies home which, according to a relative, have started decomposing. Family members are anxiously waiting for the bodies to take them back to India and perform the last rites, said a relative of a JDS worker killed in the blast that ripped through Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo on Easter Sunday. S Shivakumar, who is in Sri Lanka, told PTI over phone Tuesday that the autopsy on his relative H Shivakumar's body has been completed but the problem was to fly it to India. "The body is dismembered. There is no storage facility here. It is decaying fast. We have to bring it to Bengaluru. There are eight bodies here. They (Sri Lankan authorities) told us that three bodies could be flown today and rest will be flown tomorrow," a distraught Shivakumar said. As many as 321 people were ...
Lt General Ranbir Singh reviews security in Eastern Ladakh in J-K
General Officer Commanding In Chief of Army's Northern Command Lt General Ranbir Singh Tuesday reviewed the security situation and operational preparedness in the Eastern Ladakh sector of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said here. "Lt Gen Singh visited forward areas to review the security situation and operational preparedness in Eastern Ladakh today (Tuesday)," defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said. He said the Army Commander was accompanied by the Fire and Fury Corps Commander during the visit. "The Army Commander was briefed in detail by the General Officer Commanding Trishul Division about the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness in Eastern Ladakh," the spokesman said. During his interaction with the troops, Lt Gen Singh appreciated their hardwork and dedication in their endeavour to safeguard the nation's borders while operating in hostile terrain and adverse weather conditions, he added.
NZealand has 'not yet seen' intel linking Sri Lanka bombings to Christchurch
New Zealand has "not yet seen" any intelligence reports linking the deadly bombings in Sri Lanka to last month's mosque massacre in Christchurch, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's office said late Tuesday. A Sri Lankan official earlier Tuesday said "preliminary investigations" had found that the bombings on Sunday, which left more than 300 dead, were "in retaliation for the attack against Muslims in Christchurch." The March 15 shooting rampage on two Christchurch mosques killed 50 Muslims. A self-proclaimed white nationalist has been charged with the attack. A spokesperson for Ardern said the government had seen reports of the statement by Sri Lanka's Minister of state for defence alleging the link between the Easter Sunday attack and Christchurch. "We understand the Sri Lankan investigation into the attack is in its early stages," the spokesperson said. "New Zealand has not yet seen any intelligence upon which such an assessment might be based." "New Zealanders oppose terrorism and ...
At least 45 children killed in Sri Lanka attacks: UN
At least 45 children were among the more than 320 people killed in suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka, the United Nations said Tuesday. "The total now is 45 children who died," UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told reporters in Geneva. He added that the toll from the Sunday attacks could rise as many other minors "are wounded and are now fighting for their lives in intensive care units across the country." UNICEF has confirmed that 27 children were killed and another 10 injured in the attack at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo. In the eastern city of Batticaloa, 13 children were killed, including an 18-month-old baby, UNICEF said. Those 40 children who lost their lives in the two cities were Sri Lankan nationals, while UNICEF has confirmed that another five children of foreign nationality were also killed. Boulierac was not immediately able to provide details on where the non-Sri Lankan children died. Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, who was on vacation in Sri Lanka with ..
Sri Lanka will eradicate terrorism with global help: PM
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday said that the government would eradicate terrorism with the assistance offered by the international community in the wake of the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings which killed 321 people and injured over 500.
UNSC strongly condemns 'heinous and cowardly' terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka
The UN Security Council has strongly condemned the series of "heinous and cowardly" terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter that killed 321 people, underlining the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice. In a press statement issued by Council President Christoph Heusgen, Germany's Ambassador to the UN, on the series of terrorist attacks across Sri Lanka, the 15-nation council "condemned in the strongest terms the series of heinous and cowardly terrorist attacks" in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. Expressing their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Sri Lanka, the members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible ...
At least 264 dead in battle for Libya capital: WHO
At least 264 people have been killed and 1,266 wounded, including civilians, in an offensive by military strongman Khalifa Haftar to seize Libya's capital Tripoli, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday. The UN agency called on Twitter for "a temporary cessation of hostilities" between Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) and forces loyal to the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). It urged "all parties to respect international humanitarian law". Fighting since April 4 in the southern suburbs of Tripoli has displaced 35,000, UN humanitarian coordinator for Libya Maria do Valle Ribeiro said on Monday. "Displacement is continuing at an increasing rate every day", she added. She warned that the numbers were "a minimal estimate of the impact" of the clashes. "There needs to be pressure put on everybody to respect civilians. Any country who has leverage should be using that leverage to ensure that civilians can be protected and be least affected by
Two bombed hotels shut, Army briefs on security
Two of the three luxury hotels in Colombo targeted by suicide bombers on Easter Sunday have shut down while a third has stopped accepting fresh bookings.
45 children killed in Sri Lanka bombings: UN
At least 45 children were among 321 people killed in Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday suicide bombings, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
Prisoners clash with wardens in Madurai jail, 2 injured
Prisoners in the Central jail here clashed with wardens, leaving two of the inmates seriously injured Tuesday, police said. Trouble broke out when two prisoners were separated for frisking, the police said. However, prisoners were heard shouting about lack of basic amenitiesin the jail. A riot-like situation prevailed as several prisoners climbed walls and pelted the prison officials with stones, they said adding the situation was brought under control after a three-hour effort by the authorities. A strong contingent of policemen has been deployed at the prison where tension prevailed, police said.
40 foreigners killed in Sri Lanka bombings
A total of 40 foreigners have been killed in the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka and another 30 are receiving treatment in various hospitals, an official said on Tuesday.