Page 165 - War Conflict
Boko Haram attacks in eastern Niger leave 10 dead: mayor
Ten people were killed along with two suicide bombers in a coordinated attack late Tuesday by Boko Haram jihadists on a town in eastern Niger, the local mayor said. "Two female suicide bombers blew themselves up and gunmen then attacked civilians," the mayor of the town of N'Guigmi, Abba Kaya Issa, told AFP on Wednesday. "We have a provisional toll of 10 dead plus the two suicide bombers," along with "seven or eight" wounded, he said, blaming "Boko Haram elements" for the assault. "One of the suicide bombers blew herself up in the courtyard of a policeman's home, which is located inside the police barracks, and the second triggered her explosives belt between the town hall, the police barracks and the prefecture," he said, referring to the office of the state representative. A local resident said several houses had been burned and wounded children in the police camp had been taken to the local hospital. Another inhabitant said "armed Boko Haram" attacked the district of Dileram, ...
Lithuania jails Soviet defense minister for 1991 crackdown
A Lithuanian court on Wednesday found the Soviet Union's last defense minister guilty of war crimes for his role in a violent crackdown on the Baltic country's independence move 28 years ago. The Vilnius Regional Court sentenced 94-year-old Dmitry Yazov in absentia to 10 years in prison. He and 66 other Soviet-era officials were on trial for the violence that left 14 people dead and hundreds injured when Soviet troops stormed a television tower and an adjacent building in Vilnius on Jan. 13, 1991. The defendants were citizens of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. The trial began in 2016. Only two defendants were present in court with most of the others being in Russia, which has refused to hand them over. Those present have pleaded not guilty. Russia had also rejected the Lithuania court's request to question former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The verdict comes at a time of growing military activity in the Baltic Sea region, with several reports of alleged airspace violations by ...
India, Sri Lanka hold joint military drill to boost counter-terror cooperation
India and Sri Lanka have begun a two-week joint military exercise in the island nation with an aim to bring synergy and cooperation including in the field of counter-terrorism between the two armed forces, officials said Wednesday. The 'Mitra Shakti - VI' annual exercise is designed to bolster military relations further between the armies of India and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Army said. Some 120 Indian Army soldiers and as many Sri Lanka Army personnel are participating in the two-week military drill. It aims to share knowledge on military tactics, experience, exchange of infantry technicalities, counter-terrorism practices, long-range reconnaissance patrol, small group operations, effective employment of infantry weapons, simulated attacks on terrorist hideouts, suicide bombing and improvised explosive devices, officials said. The contingent of the Indian Army personnel, led by Colonel Parthasarathy Roy, Colonel Sombit Ghosh, Major Pujam Manhas and Major Rohith Kumar Tripathi were ...
EC's special police observers for Tripura, Mizoram, Bengal, Jharkhand
The Election Commission has appointed Special Central Police Observers for Tripura, Mizoram, West Bengal and Jharkhand, an official said here on Wednesday.
Suspected militants shot dead civilian in J-K's Shopian
Suspected militants on Wednesday shot dead a civilian in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Militants fired upon Tanveer Ahmad Dar, a resident of the Bemnipora area of south Kashmir's Shopian district, near Kachdoora village in the afternoon, a police official said. He said Dar received critical injuries which led to his instant death. A case has been registered and an investigation started, the official said.
Arakan Army attacks Myanmar posts in Rakhine
Myanmar military posts have been attacked by the Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine state, leaving casualties on both sides, the Defense Services said on Wednesday.
J-K Police releases posters of 6 Hizbul, 1 LeT terrorists
Jammu and Kashmir Police here has released posters of seven active terrorists in the Valley.The police have announced cash rewards and job for the person who will give information about them.Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kishtwar, Shakti Pathak has assured that police will maintain the secrecy of the person, who shares information in the connection."So far there are seven active terrorists. Six are from Hizbul Mujahedeen while one is from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). People should be aware of such terrorists who are wanted. Those who wish to inform us about them can contact us. Informant's identity will be kept secret," Pathak said.
Four Naxals killed in an encounter with police in Sukma
Four Naxalites including two women were killed in a joint encounter by CoBRA battalion of CRPF and Chhattisgarh police here in Sukma on Tuesday.One INSAS rifle, two .303 rifles and one .315 rifle were recovered from the encounter site.One male identified as Dudi Hirma and one female naxalite identified as Vanjam Aihete.Police said that they had prior information regarding the movement of Naxalites in the area, after which two police parties were deployed in their search. According to police Naxalites who were hiding opened fire on one of the police party which retaliated effectively."The forces operate in a well-coordinated manner.
Russia says troops sent to Venezuela in accordance with 'legal norms'
Russia's foreign ministry said Tuesday that Moscow's decision to send military specialists to Caracas was in full accordance with Venezuelan law, after Russian military planes delivered troops and equipment to the country in a move denounced by Washington. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement that Moscow is "developing cooperation with Venezuela in strict accordance with the constitution of that country and with full respect for its legal norms." She added that "the presence of Russian specialists on Venezuelan territory is regulated by an agreement between the Russian and Venezuelan governments on military and technical cooperation that was signed in May 2001.
4 terrorists killed in Pak's Balochistan province
Four terrorists, including a woman, were killed by security forces on Tuesday in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province, officials said. Assistant Superintendent of Police Attaur Rehman said security forces raided a house in Nasirabad area of Loralai district in the province after receiving an intelligence tip-off that some terrorists were hiding out there. Rehman said a cache of weapons, suicide jackets and heavy explosives, personal belongings including service cards were also recovered. The terrorists blew themselves up inside their hideout, he said, adding that four security personnel were also injured in the exchange of fire. "A woman was also present among the four terrorists who blew themselves up, the official added. According to the Inter Services Public relations (ISPR), the media wing of the army, the terrorists killed in the intelligence based security operation in Loralai were responsible for carrying out terrorist activities in the province which included an attack on .
Boy, his sister drown in water tank in Rajasthan's Barmer
A teenaged boy and his sister drowned in a water tank in Rajasthan's Barmer district on Tuesday, police said. The incident occurred in Bhurtia village under Nagana police station area where 18-year-old Kishan Singh accidently slipped into a water tank inside a farm, they said. His sister, Manisha (15), raised an alarm and jumped into the tank to rescue Kisan but both drowned, police said. The bodies were taken out and handed over to their family members after postmortem examination.
Two women among 4 Naxals killed in Chhattisgarh encounter
Four Naxals, including two women, were gunned down in a fierce encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district Tuesday, police said. Of the deceased, two Naxals, including a woman, were members of the military wing of Maoists and were carrying cash rewards of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads, they said. The encounter took place at around 6 am in the forest of Karkanguda village under the Chintalnar police station area when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Deputy Inspector General (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sundarraj P told PTI. The operation was launched by the 201st battalion of CoBRA, an elite unit of CRPF, and the district force on the basis of a specific input about the presence of ultras in the area, he said. When the patrolling team was advancing through Karkanguda, around 500 km from the state capital Raipur, an exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, he said. "After the guns fell silent, bodies of four ultras, ...
Britain commemorates WWII "Great Escape" heroes
Members of Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) on Sunday marked 75 years since the so-called "Great Escape" at two remembrance ceremonies in Poland, where the legendary event took place.
IS jihadists kill 7 US-backed fighters in Syria
The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed an attack on US-backed forces in the northern Syrian city of Manbij, days after their "caliphate" was declared defeated. Manbij is a former IS stronghold that is now ruled by a military council affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-backed Kurdish-led alliance that declared victory over IS in its last redoubt in eastern Syria on Saturday. At around midnight (2200 GMT) on Monday, gunmen opened fire at fighters manning a checkpoint at the entrance to the city, killing seven, the council said. IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement published on its social media channels on Tuesday. "The caliphate's soldiers attacked a checkpoint... west of Manbij city last night," it said. A spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, Sherfan Darwish, said it could be a revenge attack. "After the victory over IS, we have entered the phase of sleeper cells," Darwish told AFP. "These sleeper cells are being activated and ...
Kashmir has seen too much suffering of parents: Omar
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday visited Hajin town in Bandipora district to condole the family of 11-year-old Atif Mir who was killed after being held hostage by two Pakistani LeT militants.
Journalists jailed in Myanmar file final appeal
Two journalists who were jailed after reporting a massacre carried out by Myanmar's military forces against the Rohingya minority on Tuesday filed their final appeal in the Supreme Court against their seven-year prison sentence.
Terrorists arrested in Patna with ISIS posters, docus of troop deployment in J-K: Police
Two Bangladeshi nationals with alleged links to terror outfits have been arrested near Patna Junction railway station and documents related to deputation of central forces in Jammu and Kashmir have been found from them, officials said Tuesday. Photocopies of orders pertaining to deputation of central forces in Jammu and Kashmir post Pulwama terror attack, besides pamphlets and posters of terror group ISIS were found from them when they were arrested on Monday evening, a statement issued by the Anti-Terror Squad of the Bihar Police said. The duo -- Khairul Mandal and Abu Sultan from Jhenaidah district of Bangladesh -- are associated with the terror outfit Jamiat-Ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and Islamic State Bangladesh (ISBD), it said. The ATS team acting on specific inputs had caught the two Bangladeshi men from a motorcycle stand adjacent to Madni Musafirkhana, a lodge near the railway station. They were produced before the ATS court, which sent them to jail, the statement ...
C'garh: Security forces bust Naxal camp in Kondagaon
A Naxal camp was busted by security forces in Chhattisgarh's Kondagoan district and locally-made grenades and other explosives were seized, police said Tuesday. The operation on the camp located in the dense forest near Tuswal village under Mardapal police station limits was carried out Monday by a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF) and district force personnel, an official said. "The Naxals fled when the security forces entered the camp. We have recovered 30 locally-made grenades, one pipe bomb, four bundles of wire, a packet of splinters used in air guns, Maoist literatureand pamphlets, English, Hindi and Telugu dictionaries, stationery, mobile chargers among other things," he said. It appears the Maoists had assembled there to carry out some operation, he said.
Enhancing retirement age: CRPF seeks addnl battalions, new peacetime duties
The CRPF has asked the government to allow it to raise at least 16 new battalions and provide it with more static duties in case it raises the retirement age of its combat personnel from the present 57 to 60 years, officials said Tuesday. The about 3-lakh personnel paramilitary force, during a recent meeting called by the Union home ministry on the subject, informed that it will have an addition of a total 16,844 older personnel in its ranks (between 2020-2022) if a recent Delhi High Court directive to enhance the superannuation age of personnel up to the Commandant rank is implemented. The force has told the government, that it should be allowed to raise at least 16 new battalions to enable it to have young manpower to meet its operational requirements and to compensate the gain of over 16,000 older personnel. A CRPF battalion has over 1,000 personnel. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the designated lead internal security force of the country and is the mainstay for ...
Ravi Shankar Prasad, R.K. Sinha supporters clash
Supporters of senior BJP leaders -- Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajya Sabha member R.K. Sinha -- clashed outside the Patna airport on Tuesday after the party decided to field Prasad from the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha seat.