Page 147 - War Conflict
Afghan officials: Taliban storm checkpoints, kill 20 troops
Taliban fighters stormed army checkpoints in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops, an official said Tuesday. Eight other security forces were also wounded in Monday night's attack in Shorabak district, Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in Kandahar, said. An official from the provincial governor's office, who was not authorised to speak with the media, confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but couldn't provide exact figures. Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said the group's fighters also seized weapons and ammunition. Also on Tuesday, US forces in Afghanistan revised the death toll from a Taliban attack a day earlier near the main American base in the country, saying three US soldiers were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities. In northern Sari Pul province, at least five members of the country's ...
Killing of party MLA cannot deter BJP from fighting Naxalism: Shah
BJP chief Amit Shah Tuesday condoled the death of a party MLA in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh and said this act of cowardice cannot deter the party from its commitment to fight Naxalism. BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were killed on Tuesday when their convoy was attacked by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, days before the first-phase of elections in the state, police said. Expressing anguish over the attack, Shah in series of tweets said, "Such act of cowardice can not deter BJP from its commitment to fight Naxalism." He condoled the bereaved family of the MLA. Mandavi's vehicle was blown up with an improvised explosive device at Shyamagiri hills when his convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area, which is about 450 km from state capital Raipur, officials said. After blowing up the vehicle, the Naxals opened fire at the occupants. The MLA and four security personnel were killed in the attack, police officials said.
Prez launches app for families of slain CRPF troops
President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday launched a mobile application for families of personnel killed in the line of duty, officials said. The app will act as an interface between Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) authorities and the next of kin of a slain personnel, they said. It will render all assistance to them with regard to issuance of ex gratia, pensionary benefits and information about all welfare schemes of the government meant for them, the officials said. Kovind launched the app after paying tributes to fallen troops at the National Police Memorial here on the occasion of the CRPF's 'Valour Day'. "Assistance through the app will be rendered to the families of the martyrs on a real-time basis and the CRPF headquarters in Delhi and various group centres across the country will respond to these issues," a CRPF spokesperson said. The android-based app will be installed by the force's officials securely on the phone of the families and will not be available over the app stores, he .
Suicide bombing kills 7 in Egypt's North Sinai: ministry
A teen suicide bomber on Tuesday killed four members of Egypt's security forces and three civilians in an attack in the restive North Sinai region, the interior ministry said. "The suicide bomber aged 15 blew himself up" by a police station in the town of Sheikh Zuweid leaving seven dead and 26 wounded, an interior ministry statement said. The Islamic State group, which has waged a bloody insurgency in the region, released a statement on its social media accounts claiming responsibility and praising the suicide bomber.
Indian Coast Guard Director General meets with Sri Lankan counterpart in Colombo
The Indian Coast Guard Director General Rajendra Singh met with his Sri Lankan counterpart Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunga in Colombo during an official visit on Tuesday.The two Director Generals had also met in May last year when Singh visited Sri Lanka on a three-day visit.The Coast Guards of India and Sri Lanka work closely in areas of coastal security and prevention of illegal activities along their maritime boundary.The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is more than 2,500 years old. Both countries have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction. In recent years, the relationship has been marked by close contacts at all levels.Meanwhile, India and Sri Lanka also participated in the sixth round of defence dialogue on April 8, where issues of mutual interest were discussed and the two sides reviewed bilateral defence cooperation.
Shah condemns Maoist attack killing Chhattisgarh MLA
BJP President Amit Shah on Tuesday condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh in which a party MLA and four others were killed and asserted that "such act of cowardice" will not deter them from fighting the ultra-Left insurgents.
Libya crisis: UN issues war crimes warning
The UN Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Tuesday warned that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Libya could amount to war crimes.
Sacrifice of those killed in Naxal attack will not go in vain: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday "strongly" condemned the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, saying the sacrifice of those killed will not go in vain. BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were Tuesday killed when their convoy was attacked by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, days before the first-phase elections in the state, police said. "Strongly condemn the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh. My tributes to the security personnel who were martyred. The sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain," Modi tweeted. The incident occurred at Shyamagiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area, which is about 450 km from state capital Raipur. The Naxalites blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupants. The MLA and four security personnel were killed in the attack, police officials said. The prime minister said Mandavi was a dedicated 'karyakarta' (worker) of the BJP. "Diligent and courageous, he ...
Sri Lanka opens first new Chinese-funded railway line
China has financed and constructed Sri Lanka's first new railway line after the island nation became independent in 1948.
BJP MLA, 4 security personnel killed in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada
BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel were Tuesday killed when their convoy was attacked by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, days before the first-phase polling in the state, police said. The incident occurred at Shyamagiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area. The Naxalites blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupants. The MLA and four security personnel were killed in the attack, police officials said. Security forces have been rushed to the area, they said. Dantewada falls in the Bastar Lok Sabha seat which will go to polls in the first phase on April 11.
5 security personnel injured in attack on BJP MLA's convoy in Dantewada
Five security personnel were Tuesday injured when Naxalites triggered an IED blast that hit the convoy of the BJP MLA from Dantewada, Bhima Mandavi, police said. The incident occurred at Shyamgiri hills when the MLA's convoy was heading towards Kuwakonda from Bacheli area. The Naxalites blew up a vehicle in the convoy with an IED and opened fire at the occupant. Five security personnel were in the attack, police officials said. Security forces have been rushed to the area. Further details are awaited.
Sudan protesters defiant after aborted bids to clear army HQ sit-in
Thousands of defiant Sudanese protesters remained camped outside army headquarters for a fourth day Tuesday, after security forces abandoned two separate attempts to disperse them when soldiers fired in the air, witnesses said. Chanting "freedom, freedom," crowds of men and women, who had spent the night camped outside Khartoum's sprawling complex that also houses the president's residence, urged top brass to back them in ending Omar al-Bashir's three decades of iron-fisted tule. It is the largest rally since protests erupted following a three-fold increase in bread prices in December, before mushrooming into nationwide demonstrations demanding that Bashir step down. Early on Tuesday, members of the National Intelligence and Security Service and riot police fired tear gas at the protesters in an abortive bid to disperse their sit-in, protest movement organisers said. "There was heavy firing of tear gas after which army soldiers opened the gates of the compound for protesters to ...
Blast in rebel-held Yemen capital killed 14 schoolchildren: UN
An explosion near two schools in the rebel-held Yemeni capital killed 14 children and wounded 16, the UN said Tuesday, but the cause of the weekend blast remains unclear. Most of the child casualties in the city's Saewan district were girls under the age of nine, according to statements by both the UN children's fund (UNICEF) and the UN special envoy for Yemen. Yemen's Huthi rebels have accused a Saudi-led military coalition backing the government of carrying out an air strike. The coalition denied conducting any air raids on the capital on Sunday. "A blast in Sanaa this week killed 14 children and critically injured 16. This is what UNICEF was able to verify, with the actual number of children killed and injured likely to increase," said UNICEF's Middle East and North Africa director, Geert Cappelaere. "It was almost lunchtime and students were in class. The blast shattered the windows and unleashed a burst of shrapnel and broken glass into the classrooms." The United Nations and ...
Citing Pulwama and Parliament attacks, Prez praises valour, sacrifice of security forces
Citing the Pulwama terror attack, President Ram Nath Kovind Tuesday praised the valour and sacrifice of security forces in protecting the country and its citizens. Forces such as the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been playing a pivotal role in checking separatism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, he said. "The valour and bravery with which CRPF personnel faced the terrorists, who attacked the Parliament (in 2001), have become part of the legend of the country's security forces. "CPRF personnel have played an appreciable role in checking separatism and terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir," he said during a remembrance service at the National Police Memorial here. The service marks the annual 'Valour Day' of the CRPF which remembers the gallant fight back by its personnel at the Sardar post in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch against Pakistani troop on this day in 1965. The president paid tributes to police and paramilitary personnel killed in the line of duty, including the 40 CRPF ...
Sri Lanka opens new railway line built with China's assistance
Sri Lanka has opened a new railway line, built with China's assistance, connecting its coastal city of Matara and Beliatta in Hambantota, a move that will boost passenger traffic into the island's deep south. The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948, and it has the country's longest and second longest railway bridges, measuring 1.5-km and 1.04-km, respectively, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The new railway line was declared open on Monday in presence of Sri Lanka's Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranatunga, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera and other parliamentarians. The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the contract was awarded to the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation. According to Sri Lankan media reports the cost of the project was USD 278 million. A major portion of the construction was carried out by the ...
PM Modi-led government looted people during demonetisation, alleges Kapil Sibal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre looted the people's money by banning the notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations during demonetisation in 2016, alleged senior Congress party leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday.Releasing a video here at a press conference which showed the exchange of banned notes with the new currencies at the commission of 15 per cent to 40 per cent, Sibal said: "It is another proof of how Prime Minister Modi-led government looted people by banning the notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denominations during demonetisation in 2016."Claiming that an official of India's elite intelligence agency--Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and that of IndusInd Bank were allegedly involved in the exchange of banned notes, Sibal said: "The video shows the exchange of demonetised notes with the new ones in a government godown in Maharashtra." He said the video has been made by a journalist but refused to give details citing security reasons.Asking the government ..
Attack on RSS leader in Kishtwar; PSO dead; curfew imposed, Army called out
A militant opened fire at an RSS leader at a hospital in Kishtwar, killing his personal security officer and leaving him seriously injured, officials said Tuesday, as curfew was imposed in the communally-sensitive town in the Jammu region. The Army has been out to maintain law and order in Kishtwar and Bhaderwah districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The state administration imposed curfew in the town as well as the neighbouring Bhaderwah, besides snapping the Internet connection. the officials said. The RSS leader, Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO had gone to a hospital in Kishtwar. The militant was watching his movement. He opened fire on them, resulting in the death of the PSO and injury to the leader," Kishtwar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shakti Pathak told PTI. "Curfew has been imposed in the town (as a precautionary measure)", Inspector General (Jammu region) Manish Sinha told PTI. After the firing, the militant took away the weapon of the killed PSO identified as Rajinder ...
Modi should be ashamed to seek votes in name of soldiers:
Mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his failure to build Ram Temple at Ayodhya in the last five years, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised him for seeking votes in the name of soldiers and martyrs. Armed forces belong to each and every Indian and Modi and BJP should not think the forces to be their fiefdom, she said at an election rally here in Uttar Dinajpur district. "For the last five years he could not build the Ram temple (at Ayodhya). But whenever election approaches, he rakes up the issue. The people are not fools. You cannot befool them every time," she said and mentioned that she has respect for every religion in the country. The Trinamool Congress supremo said Modi should be ashamed to seek votes in the name of soldiers and martyrs. Banerjee said, "He is now seeking votes in the name of martyrs and soldiers as if the army belongs to him, as if it their fiefdom. Armed forces belong to everybody. It is our pride. He should first answer why .
RSS leader shot, Army out in J&K town (3rd Lead)
The Army was called out in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town on Tuesday after a suspected militant shot and seriously wounded RSS leader Chandrakant Singh and killed his personal security officer, police said.
2 gunmen killed in predominantly Shiite region in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia says two wanted men were killed in a predominantly Shiite region in the kingdom's east. The region is a place where numerous wanted Saudi men are designated as terrorists for their involvement in violent protests and suspected attacks. The kingdom's security body says its forces spotted four wanted people on Sunday in Qatif as they were heading to carry out a terrorist act. It says the group refused to surrender, shot at security forces and threw a hand grenade into a gas station, causing a fire. Tuesday's statement says two were killed and two others were detained. The security body says a Bahraini woman who happened to be at the gas station with her family, a Pakistani truck driver, and two security men were also wounded.