Page 167 - War Conflict
Three missing boys reunited with families in J-K
Three boys, who had gone missing from Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, have been traced and reunited with their families, police said Monday. A report was lodged at Vilgam police station Sunday stating that three boys from neighbouring village of Dohama in Handwara area of the north Kashmir district were missing, a police spokesman said. He said a case was registered and investigation initiated. During the course of investigation, the spokesman said, it surfaced that the missing trio along with their other friends had left their home for Handwara town. While the other friends came back to their homes, the three did not return, he said. Police initiated searches and traced the three boys in Srinagar, the spokesman said. He said they were safely brought back and have been handed over to their families after proper counselling.
Centre sets up tribunal to decide if Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir is an unlawful association
The Centre has constituted a tribunal headed by a Delhi High Court judge to decide whether there is sufficient cause for declaring Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir as an unlawful association. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on March 23 issued a notification which states that Justice Mukta Gupta would head the tribunal set up under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Justice Gupta is presently heading another tribunal set up under UAPA to ascertain whether there was sufficient cause to extend the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as an unlawful association. The tribunal's proceedings with regard to the ban on SIMI commenced on February 28 and is ongoing. As the proceedings against SIMI commenced, the same day, the Centre banned Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) Jammu and Kashmir for five years under the anti-terror law on grounds that it was "in close touch" with militant outfits and is expected to "escalate secessionist movement" in the state. The government in .
Air strike kills 13 civilians, mostly children, in Afghanistan
At least 13 civilians were killed, mostly children, in an air strike by "international forces" in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz late last week, the United Nations said Monday. The strike happened between late Friday and early Saturday in support of ground operations conducted by pro-government forces fighting against Taliban militants in the area. "Initial fact-finding indicates that 10 of those killed were children, part of the same extended family whom were displaced by fighting elsewhere in the country," the UN mission in Afghanistan said in a statement. The US is the only member of the international coalition in Afghanistan that provides air support in the conflict. A NATO spokesperson told AFP the coalition was investigating the claims. The deaths come as ordinary Afghans continues to bear the brunt of the war in Afghanistan, with more civilians killed in the Afghan war in 2018 than during any other year on record, according to a UN report. The uptick in violence in 2018 ...
Two injured as armed robbers looted petrol pump in JK's Kathua
Two persons were injured after they were shot at by robbers who looted cash from a filling station on Jammu-Pathankot highway in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said Monday. Three bike-borne masked robbers reached a petrol pump at Seswan in Chadwal area of Rajbagh Saturday night and shot at and injured two workers before fleeing with "unspecified amount" of cash, a police official said. He said the injured, Hans Raj of Mahanpur and Parkash Singh of Gujjroo, were rushed to hospital. Acase was registered in connection with the robbery and efforts are on to nab the accused, the official said.
Netanyahu to cut short US visit over Gaza strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short his visit to the US on Monday, hours after a rocket launched from Gaza struck a house outside Tel Aviv, injuring seven people.
New Zealand PM initatites independent judicial probe into Christchurch terror attacks
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday initiated an independent judicial probe into the twin Christchurch mosque attacks that killed 50 people and injured several others, asking whether police and intelligence services could have prevented the March 15 attack.According to local media reports Ardern urged police and other intelligence officials to implement a royal commission, the most powerful judicial probe available under New Zealand law. The probe,Arden was quoted as saying, was needed to find out how a lone shooter was able to gun down 50 people, adding that the man had not been on any watch lists in New Zealand or Australia."It is important that no stone is left unturned to get to how this act of terrorism occurred and how we could have stopped it," Ardern was quoted as telling reporters.The probe will also include the role of social media in Christchurch attacks and how the accused, 28-year-old Brenton Tarrant, came to acquire an automatic weapon, Ardern noted."One question we
Afghan official: Taliban killed 33 troops, police in Helmand
An Afghan official says a devastating Taliban attack over the weekend on an army outpost in southern Helmand province killed 26 soldiers and seven policemen casualties the country's defense ministry has refused to disclose. Provincial council chief Attahullah Afghan told The Associated Press on Monday that the attack took place in Sangin district on Friday and that it also left 31 soldiers wounded. The Taliban claimed the attack a day later, on Saturday. There was no government statement on the attack. Afghan military spokesman Nawab Shah said government jets aided the besieged troops and eventually sent reinforcements to Helmand, an old Taliban heartland. He refused to discuss casualties. The insurgents stage near-daily attacks on Afghan forces, inflicting staggering casualties, even as they hold peace talks with the United States.
Rocket hits house north of Tel Aviv, Israelis wounded: police, medics
A rocket hit a house in a community north of Tel Aviv and caused it to catch fire on Monday, wounding five Israelis, police and medics said. Israel's army had earlier reported a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel but a spokeswoman could not comment further for now. The house hit was located in the community of Mishmeret, police said. Medics said they were treating one Israeli with moderate wounds and four others injured lightly. Mishmeret is more than 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the Gaza Strip and rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave at that distance is rare. It would be sure to draw an Israeli response, risking another escalation between the two sides after mounting tensions in recent weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently in Washington, where he is due to meet US President Donald Trump later Monday. The rocket fire comes at a highly sensitive time for Israel, which holds elections on April 9.
IAF to induct first unit of four Chinook helicopters today
The Indian Air Force will be inducting the first unit of four US-made Chinook heavy-lift helicopters on Monday.The first four of such 15 choppers have arrived at Chandigarh's Air Force Station 12 Wing for their deployment by the IAF.Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa will induct the aircraft, the IAF said.On the features of the chopper, the IAF posted on its official Twitter handle: "Chinook is a heavy lift, tandem rotor helicopter which serves armed forces of 19 countries. It is a multi-role platform and is used for the transport of troops and material among other roles. It will greatly enhance IAF's HADR capability."India has paid close to USD 1.5 billion for 15 of these helicopters which would be also used for deploying troops and machinery at high-altitude locations.Chinook is one of the two helicopters other than the Apache attack choppers for which India had signed deals in 2015-16. The supplies of Apaches will also start by September this year when they start arriving at the Pathankot
Two injured in J&K petrol pump robbery
Two people were injured on Monday when robbers looted a petrol pump in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district, police said.
New Zealand attack note left at fire at California mosque
A note referencing the recent terrorist attacks in New Zealand was found at the scene of a possible arson fire at a Southern California mosque, police said Sunday. Nobody was hurt, and members of the Islamic Center of Escondido were able to extinguish the small blaze before firefighters, officials said. The incident was being investigated as arson and a possible hate crime, said police in the city about 48 kilometers north of downtown San Diego. A note was found in the parking lot referencing the shootings this month that killed 50 people at mosques in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, police Lt. Chris Lick said. He did not elaborate about the contents of the note. Investigators did not release information about a suspect. The fire caused minor damage to the building's exterior. Seven people were inside the mosque at the time of the fire, police told the KNSD TV station. They were able to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before firefighters arrived on the scene, KNSD ...
Russian military planes deliver troops and cargo to Venezuela: Sputnik
Two Russian military planes delivered troops and equipment to Venezuela over the weekend, Russian state news agency Sputnik reported Sunday. "Two Russian planes arrived in Venezuela on Saturday with equipment and personnel to fulfil technical military contracts," the agency reported on the Spanish-language version of its website. It gave no other details but quoted an unnamed official from the Russian embassy in Caracas saying "there is nothing mysterious" about the flights. The Sputnik report was published after an independent Venezuela journalist, Javier Mayorca, said on his Twitter feed that a Russian air force Antonov-124 cargo plane and a smaller jet, apparently an Ilyushin Il-62, had landed at the main airport outside Caracas on Saturday. He said the planes offloaded around 100 Russian soldiers led by General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, head of the Mobilization Directorate of Russia's armed forces, and disembarked 35 tonnes of equipment. Social media and non-state Venezuelan media ...
Boko Haram kills 7 Niger villagers near Nigeria border
Boko Haram jihadists killed at least seven villagers in a series of attacks in southeastern Niger near the border with Nigeria, a local official and an NGO said Sunday. The attackers carried out three separate raids overnight Saturday, said a senior official in the Diffa region, which borders northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram's base. In the course of the raids they killed seven people, abducted two women and burned down a market and several houses, the official said. Alternative Espace Citoyen, a group active in the region, posted a message on Facebook saying there had been four attacks in which 11 people had been killed. Already last Thursday, a Boko Haram attack in Karidi, a village on the border with Nigeria, killed eight people including one woman, according to local officials. On March 9, jihadists killed nine Niger soldiers in an attack in the same area. And another seven soldiers perished last month in a Boko Haram attack on their position near the border. Earlier this month, ...
Three Jaish terrorists arrested in J&K
Three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were arrested by security forces on Sunday from the outskirts of the city, police said. "Three car-borne terrorists affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM (were) arrested by police and security forces at Lawaypora (on Srinagar-Baramulla road) (based) on a credible input today," a police spokesperson said. The spokesperson said ammunition, including live rounds, was seized from the three terrorists. They were identified as Rayees Hurrah,Shahid Bhat and Ishaq Lone.
Russian plane in Venezuela amid reports of Russian military arrival
A cargo plane bearing the Russian flag was spotted by AFP at the main airport in Venezuela Sunday amid reports that Moscow has dispatched troops and a senior military official to the country. The aircraft was seen at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas guarded by a contingent of Venezuelan National Guardsmen. Javier Mayorca, an independent journalist, reported on his twitter account the arrival of two Russian panes -- an Antonov-124 cargo plane and a smaller jet -- late Saturday at the airport. He said around 100 Russian soldiers led by General Vasily Tonkoshkurov, head of the Mobilization Directorate of Russia's armed forces, disembarked along with about 35 tons of equipment. A picture of a Russian flagged aircraft posted on social media showed men in uniform clustered around it on the tarmac. There was no confirmation from Venezuelan authorities, and the Russian embassy in Caracas declined to comment to AFP on the report, which was widely carried by Venezuelan media. Russia and China .
Mali sacks senior army officers, dissolves milita after massacre
Mali's government on Sunday announced the sacking of senior military officers and the dissolution of a militia, a day after the massacre of more than 130 Muslims, including women and children. Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga said new military chiefs would be named, and that the Dan Nan Ambassagou association, composed of Dogon hunters, had been dissolved. The dissolution of the militia was to send a clear message, Maiga told journalists: "The protection of the population will remain the monopoly of the state." Survivors of Saturday's attack said ethnic Dogon hunters carried out the deadly raid in Ogossagou, a village in central Mali inhabited by the Muslim Fulani community. Maiga did not name the senior officers sacked, but defence ministry sources told AFP they were the Armed Forces Chief of General Staff M'Bemba Moussa Keita, and chiefs of the Army and the Air Force. The prime minister's announcement came hours after an emergency meeting called by President Ibrahim Boubacar ..
Soldier dies, another injured in gas cylinder blast
A soldier was killed and another injured on Sunday when a cooking gas cylinder exploded in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district.
Man held under Mental Health Act over UK mosque attacks
A man arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage after attacks on five mosques across the city of Birmingham earlier this week has been detained under the UK's Mental Health Act, West Midlands Police said on Sunday. The 34-year-old handed himself into a Birmingham police station on Friday after counter-terrorism officers launched an investigation into the smashing of windows and vandalism at five mosques in the city. Local police said that while its investigation continues, they are not seeking anyone else in connection with the attacks and do not believe the man arrested was part of any organised network. Another 38-year-old man arrested after being detained by members of the community on Friday afternoon will face no further action and has been released without charge, West Midlands Police said in a statement. "We continue to work in partnership with mosques and local communities around the West Midlands. There will be a visual police presence at key locations to ..
Body of jawan killed in ceasefire violation in J-K's Poonch reaches Rajasthan
The body of grenadier Hari Bhakar, who was killed in a ceasefire violation along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistani troops, reached here Sunday and will be taken to his native village in Nagaur by road. Bhakar was part of the 4 Grenadiers Regiment. The soldier was injured in the cross-border firing around 4 am on Sunday and was immediately taken to the nearest field hospital, where he succumbed to injuries, officials said. His last rites will be performed on Monday. Pakistani forces opened fire on the Shahpur and Kerni areas in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district around 5.30 pm on Saturday and it continued intermittently through the night, officials said.
Soldier killed, another injured in cylinder blast inside camp in J&K's Kathua
An Army soldier was killed Sunday and another injured when a gas cylinder exploded inside a camp in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The incident occurred when the soldiers were carrying a gas cylinder inside their barrack in Janglote army camp in the afternoon, a police official said. He said Naik Deepank Twang (35) of Darjeeling was killed and another soldier was injured in the blast. After completion of legal formalities, the body of the deceased was handed over to his unit for last rites, the official said.