Page 138 - War Conflict
Rockets kill 6 civilians in Syria's Aleppo: state media
Rockets fired by jihadists on Sunday killed at least six civilians in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which is held by President Bashar al-Assad's regime, state news agency SANA reported. Aleppo is located in the north of the country next to Idlib, a province dominated by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Since the regime regained control of Aleppo at the end of 2016, the city has been targeted intermittently by jihadists and rebel fighters. SANA said the rockets fired by "terrorist groups" killed six people and wounded seven in neighbourhoods of Aleppo, using its terminology for jihadists and rebels. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the rockets were fired by jihadist groups, notably HTS. It said 20 rockets were fired into several neighbourhoods of Aleppo, but put the toll at three dead civilians, including a child, and five members of the security services. A photographer with AFP saw pools of blood and body parts on ..
Haftar forces' fighter jet goes down near Libya capital
Libya's UN-backed government said its forces shot down a fighter jet belonging to forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar south of the capital Tripoli on Sunday. A source for Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) confirmed the loss of a MiG-23 aircraft but attributed it to a "technical failure". The source said the pilot had ejected with his parachute and was "safe and sound", denying reports he had been captured by the UN-backed Government of National Accord. GNA spokesman Mohamed Gnounou earlier told AFP that "the forces of the Libyan army shot down an enemy plane that was preparing to conduct air raids in the Wadi al-Rabie area". The LNA launched an offensive 10 days ago to seize Tripoli, the headquarters of the GNA led by Fayez al-Sarraj which is recognised by the international community. In addition to ground fighting, both sides conduct daily air raids and accuse each other of targeting civilians. The clashes have left 121 people dead and 561 wounded since the offensive ...
Unexploded mortar shell kills seven children in Afghanistan
Seven children were killed and 10 more wounded Sunday when an unexploded mortar shell blew up in eastern Afghanistan, an official said. The incident appears to be the latest instance of discarded ordnance claiming civilian lives, in a country littered with landmines, homemade bombs and old shells. Assadullah Dawlatzai, the Laghman governor's spokesman, said the circumstances around how the children found the mortar and why it exploded were under investigation. All the victims were below the age of 15, he said. Abdul Marouf Jalili, the head of the Laghman provincial hospital, said seven bodies and 10 wounded victims had been brought to the facility. He confirmed all were children. The blast occurred on the outskirts of Mehtarlam, the capital of Laghman province, east of Kabul. The United Nations Mine Action Service recently said that in 2017, about 150 people each month were killed or wounded in Afghanistan by mines and so-called explosive remnants of war. Curious kids often pick up ...
Serbian late strongman Milosevic's widow dies: Friend
The widow of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, often dubbed the "Lady Macbeth of the Balkans", has died in Russia at the age of 76, a friend told AFP on Sunday. "I can confirm that unfortunately Mira Markovic passed away," Milutin Mrkonjic, once a close associate of Milosevic and a family friend said by telephone, giving no details. Local media reported that Markovic died in a Moscow hospital. In 2003, Markovic -- who was known to have a huge influence on her husband -- left Serbia, where she was charged with abuse of power and was suspected of cigarette smuggling and political assassination. In 2008, Russia granted both her and her son Marko Milosevic political asylum after Serbia issued an international arrest warrant for them in connection with alleged cigarette smuggling. Slobodan Milosevic died in a prison cell in March 2006 while on trial for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity before the UN war crimes court for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague for his ..
More than 120 killed as Libya's rivals battle for Tripoli
Fighting near Tripoli has killed 121 people since strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive earlier this month to take the Libyan capital, the World Health Organisation said Sunday. In clashes between Haftar's forces and those of the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), both sides have proclaimed "advances" but neither appears to have made substantial progress on the ground in recent days. With more than 560 people wounded since the fighting started on April 4, the WHO said it was sending more medical supplies and staff to Tripoli. On its Twitter feed, the agency denounced "repeated attacks on health care workers" and vehicles during the fighting. The UN's humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, said Saturday that three medical personnel had been killed and that shrapnel had put five ambulances out of action. The mounting violence has sparked global alarm over the oil-rich country, in turmoil since NATO-backed forces overthrew former dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. A ..
Afghan official: Explosion kills 7 children, cause unclear
An Afghan official says an explosion has killed at least seven children playing near their village in the eastern Laghman province, but says the cause of the blast remains unclear. Asadullah Dawlatzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor, says eight other children were wounded Sunday near the provincial capital, Mihterlam. He speculated that either a bomb recently planted by insurgents or leftover unexploded ordinance could have caused the blast. He said all the casualties are between 7 to 15 years of age and at least four were reported in serious condition. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion. Insurgent groups frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials or Afghan security forces across the country.
Political will was lacking to retaliate 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, says Nirmala Sitharaman
Political will was lacking to retaliate the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2018, said Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here on Sunday, while accusing the Congress party of 'politicising the armed forces.'"Nobody wants to politicise armed forces but is it wrong to highlight after Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, then Central government did not give free hand to armed forces to act against the perpetrators of the heinous act. The political will was lacking," she said while speaking at an event here."As a result, we had continuous threat and attacks by non-state actors from across the border with a complete backing of Pakistani agencies," said Defence Minister Sitharaman.The 2008 Mumbai attacks, also referred to as 26/11, had been carried out by 10 terrorists, belonging to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. At least 174 people were killed in a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks, which had lasted four days across Mumbai. Nearly 300 others had been injured in these ...
Pak Army claims Indian politician copies its song and dedicates it to Indian armed forces
The Pakistani Army on Sunday asked India to emulate Pakistan in speaking "truth" as it mocked an Indian legislator, claiming that the politician has copied its anthem and dedicated it to the Indian armed forces. Thakur Raja Singh Lodh, a BJP member of the Telangana legislative assembly representing the Goshamahal constituency in Hyderabad, had tweeted, "My new song which will be released on 14th April at 11:45 AM on the occasion of #SriRamNavami is dedicated to our #IndianArmy forces." However, as Lodh shared a snippet of the song on social media, the Pakistani Army claimed that the composition was a copy of a song released by its media wing on March 23 for Pakistan Day. The song was written by Sahir Ali Bagga. "Glad that you copied. But copy to speak the truth as well," Pakistan army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor tweeted. According to local media reports, Lodh copied the song 'Zindabad Pakistan' and recorded it by changing it to 'Zindabad Hindustan' and dedicated it to Indian .
Major falls into gorge in Kashmir, dies
An Army Major who fell into a gorge near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district succumbed to his injuries on Sunday, police said.
Sri Lanka President calls for unity during new year
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday called upon Sri Lankans, living in the island and overseas, to work unitedly for the upliftment of the nation.
4 labourers die of asphyxiation at factory in Tirupur
: Four workers, aged around 20, died of asphyxiation while cleaning an effluent tank of a textile factory in nearby Tirupur Sunday, police said. All the deceased hailed from Assam. One of them entered the 20-foot deep tank and got suffocated, the police said. Seeing this, the three others got in to help and suffered the same fate resulting in the death of three in the tank, while another died in hospital, they said. The district revenue and police officials rushed to the spot and held an enquiry which revealed that the tank had not been cleaned for the last four years. A case has been registered against the factory owner, Jayakumar, the police said.
Hundreds evacuated in Frankfurt so WWII bomb can be defused
Some 600 people have been evacuated from their homes in the old city of Frankfurt so specialists could remove a World War II-era bomb that was discovered in the Main River. The German news agency dpa reported the bomb was defused, as planned, underwater on Sunday, which led to a loud detonation and a big water fountain on the river. Police told dpa "the bomb is no longer a danger." Firefighters had discovered the American 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb during diving training in the river on Tuesday. Even more than 70 years after the end of the war, bombs and other munitions still turn up regularly in Germany, a testament to the ferocity of the fighting in World War II.
NIA arrests 5th accused in CRPF Group Centre attack
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested Irshad Ahmad Reshi in connection with the attack on CRPF Group Centre at Lethpora in 2017.According to police, he is the fifth accused to have been arrested in the case. His arrest comes close on the heels of disclosures made by Nisar Ahmed Tantray and Syed Hilal Andrabi, who were arrested earlier.Reshi, a resident of Pulwama, will be produced before the special NIA Court here on Monday.Police said Reshi was an active over ground worker (OGW) of the proscribed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM). He was a close associate of slain terrorist and JeM commander Noor Mohammad Tantray, said police."The attack on CRPF Group Centre was executed under a conspiracy to avenge the death of Noor Trali, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in December 2017," police said.The accused Reshi was a key a conspirator, who provided logistic support in the form of sheltering and transport to the terrorists, who carried out .
Terrorist hideout busted in Pulwama
State police working along with the Armed Forces busted a terrorist hideout on Sunday in Manduna village in Koil of South Kashmir's Pulwama district.The operation was executed by a joint team of police and 55 Rashtriya Rifles after receiving credible input.Huge quantities of incriminating materials and other items were recovered from the hideout.Police have registered a case and further investigation in the matter is on.
Over 120 killed, nearly 600 wounded in Libya fighting: WHO
Fighting near Tripoli has killed 121 people and wounded 561 since strongman Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive earlier this month to take the Libyan capital, the World Health Organisation said Sunday. WHO's Libya account said on Twitter the organisation was sending medical supplies and more staff to Tripoli, and denounced "repeated attacks on health care workers, vehicles" during the fighting which erupted on April 4. Haftar's forces, which control swathes of the country's east, have defied international calls to halt their battle against fighters loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord based in Tripoli. The United Nations' office for humanitarian affairs said more than 13,500 people had been displaced by the clashes, while more than 900 residents are living in shelters. "Three medical personnel have been killed and five ambulances have been incapacitated by shrapnel," OCHA said in a Saturday statement. As well as fighting on the ground, the two sides have launched ...
Pak forms team to probe Hazarganj attack as Hazaras continue sit-in for third day
A team comprising senior counter-terror officials have been formed to investigate an ISIS suicide attack targeting Hazara Shias in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, even as the community continued their sit-in for a third day on Sunday demanding better security measures. An ISIS bomber blew himself in Hazarganj fruits and vegetable market in provincial capital Quetta Friday morning, killing 21 people and injuring 60 others, mostly Hazaras. The ISIS Saturday released a photograph of the attacker along with his name and said the attack targeted Shia Muslims. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema said that a team of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials had visited the site of the attack to collect evidence, DawnNewsTV reported. The body parts of the suspected attacker have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency for DNA testing, he said, adding that the test reports would be handed over to Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal. The official did not ...
Vehicle used in Kishtwar terror attack seized
Police have seized the car used in the Kishtwar terror attack in which a senior RSS functionary and his PSO were killed, an officer said Sunday. The vehicle was recovered from an area in Kishtwar district, he said. Police have released a photograph of the owner of the vehicle, Zahid Hussain, who had been absconding since the attack, the officer said. "We have identified and tracked down a vehicle (used in the terror attack). We have identified its owner also," Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu Zone, M K Sinha told PTI. Hussain has reportedly joined terror outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen recently but police did not confirm this. According to sources, the car had a false number plate and had changed hands four times. Senior RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma and his security guard were killed on April 9 when a militant opened fire inside a health centre in Kishtwar town.
Army Major slips into gorge in Kashmir
An Army Major was injured after he slipped into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Militant hideout unearthed in Pulwama
Security forces unearthed a militant hideout in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday and recovered huge quantity of incriminating material, police said. Acting on credible inputs, a joint team of police and security forces unearthed the hideout in Manduna village in Koil area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district, a police spokesman said. He said the security forces recovered huge quantity of incriminating material and other items from the hideout. Police have registered a case and seized the incriminating material, the spokesman said, adding further investigation in the matter is going on.
Group clash after attack on bus carrying BJP workers
: Two groups clashed in Kuttar near here Saturday night after stones wereallegedly thrown at a bus carrying BJP workers returning froma rally addressed by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi in the city. Police sources said the stone throwing incident happened at Madani Nagar at around 8 p.m after which there was an altercationbetween two groups of people. The women in the bus wereallegedly attacked by a group. Those injured in the clash had been hospitalised, theysaid. Meanwhile, BJP workers went to the Konaje police station and demanded the arrest of the culprits. City police Commissioner Sandeep Patil and other top officials visited the spot and the situation was brought undercontrol.