Page 213 - War Conflict
Centre to deploy 100 companies of paramilitary forces in J&K
In the wake of the Pulwama attack, the Centre has decided to deploy additional 100 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) on an urgent basis in Jammu and Kashmir, the MHA has said.
Blasts heard in Nigerian city of Maiduguri before polls
A series of explosions was heard in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday, shortly before the opening of polls in presidential and parliamentary elections. Multiple blasts were heard at about 6:00 am (0500 GMT), locals told AFP. There was no immediate indication of the cause. Security sources meanwhile reported clashes between the military and suspected Boko Haram fighters in Auno, on the border of Borno state with neighbouring Yobe. An attack in the town of Geidam, north of the Yobe state capital Damaturu, also forced residents to flee, they added. Maiduguri is the birthplace of Boko Haram Islamists and has been repeatedly attacked during their nearly 10-year insurgency that has devastated the remote region. Polls open at 0700 GMT, with President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army general who has vowed to defeat the jihadists, seeking a second term. Boko Haram has warned it will disrupt the elections. One resident in the Gomari neighbourhood of Maiduguri said: "I heard ...
No reversing course in Syria, says Trump
The US is not reversing course in Syria, President Donald Trump has said as he defended his decision to keep a small number of troops in the war-torn country after the withdrawal of American forces. Trump agreed on Thursday to keep about 200 US troops as part of planned multinational force that would maintain a safe zone in northeastern Syria, the official said. This force would be in addition to the 200 troops the US is planning to maintain after the withdrawal at its base in at-Tanf, Syria, the official said. "I'm not reversing course," Trump told reporters responding to a question on his decision on keeping some 200 US troops in Syria as against his previous decision on full withdrawal of more than 2,500 troops. "I have done something that nobody else has been able to do. In another short period of time, like hours, you'll be hearing about the caliphate. It'll 100 per cent defeated. Nobody's been able to say that," Trump said. "That doesn't mean there aren't some very bad people ...
'Kesari' piques interest in Battle of Saragarhi
With over 20 million views in 24 hours since its release, the trailer of Akshay Kumar's "Kesari" has piqued interest about the historic Battle of Saragarhi of 1897.
Goa cops gear up to ensure safety of Kashmiris
Senior Goa police officers have been directed to ensure safety of Jammu and Kashmir residents staying in the coastal state, in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack. State Director General of Police (DGP) Muktesh Chander Friday said superintendents of police from North Goa and South Goa districts and Special Branch have been directed to take necessary steps. "Police officers have been directed to take cognisance of any issue raised by the Jammu and Kashmir residents," the DGP said. The instructions came against the backdrop of various incidents in parts of the country wherein students of Jammu and Kashmir were either intimidated or forced to leave colleges amidst national outrage over the Pulwama incident in which 40 jawans of the CRPF were killed in a blast triggered by a suicide bomber on February 14. Hearing a plea, the Supreme Court on February 22 directed chief secretaries and DGPs of 11 states to take "prompt" and necessary action to prevent incidents of threat, .
Thousands evacuate last IS bastion in Syria
Thousands of people evacuated the Islamic State (IS) terror group's last bastion in Syria in vehicles escorted by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Top Al-Qaeda commander killed in Sahel: France
French armed forces have killed a top jihadist leader in an air and ground ambush in Mali, the government said on Friday, ending a years-long hunt for a man accused of masterminding the kidnapping of Westerners in the Sahel region. Djamel Okacha, an Algerian commander in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was killed on Thursday after French commandos, helicopters and a drone hit a column of vehicles he was travelling in north of Timbuktu, French officials said. Okacha, a jihadist veteran known also as Yahya Abou El Hamame, was "the mastermind and financier of several attacks," the defence ministry said. US officials had accused him of kidnapping a number of Westerners in North and West Africa. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe arrived late Friday in the capital, Bamako, along with Defence Minister Florence Parly, on a visit to show "support" for Mali, where some 4,500 French troops have been deployed since 2014 to retake the north of the country after it fell to jihadist ...
500 Chad troops enter Nigeria to help tackle Boko Haram: Army
A contingent of more than 500 Chadian troops entered Nigeria on Friday to "lend a hand" to the Nigerian army in its efforts to tackle the Boko Haram jihadist goup, a Chad army spokesman told AFP. The soldiers, part of a regional force comprised of troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, will be deployed on Saturday, the day Nigerians will vote in presidential and parliamentary elections. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, seeking re-election, vowed Friday that voters will be able to vote in security, despite a week-long postponement and renewed violence. The election campaign has coincided with fresh violence in the north, blamed on both criminal gangs and Boko Haram jihadists. More than 200 people have died since the start of this month alone. In 2015 Buhari was elected on a promise to put an end to the Boko Haram threat. The conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian army has claimed more than 27,000 lives since 2009 and more than 1.7 million people are still unable to ..
Venezuela soldiers kill two in clash over aid on Brazil border: NGO
Venezuelan soldiers killed two people and wounded 15 others when they tried to prevent the troops from blocking an entry route for humanitarian aid on the Brazilian border, a human rights groups said Friday. "An indigenous woman and her husband were killed and at least 15 other members of the Pemon indigenous community were injured," said the group, Kape Kape. The clash occurred in southeastern Bolivar state close to the border with Brazil, which President Nicolas Maduro ordered closed on Thursday.
Venezuela soldiers kill two in clash over aid on Brazil border: NGO
Venezuelan soldiers killed two people and wounded 15 others when they tried to prevent the troops from blocking an entry route for humanitarian aid on the Brazilian border, a human rights groups said Friday. "An indigenous woman and her husband were killed and at least 15 other members of the Pemon indigenous community were injured," said the group, Kape Kape. The clash occurred in southeastern Bolivar state close to the border with Brazil, which President Nicolas Maduro ordered closed on Thursday.
Four killed in presumed jihadist attack on hamlet in Niger
Four people were killed Friday and seven were reported missing in an attack attributed to Boko Haram jihadists on a small settlement in southeast Niger, a local official said. Two of those killed were from Niger and two from Nigeria, said the representative of the Diffa region near the border with northeast Nigeria. "Seven other people were reported missing, including two children." The attack, which also left one person seriously injured, targeted the hamlet of Garin-Amadou, near the village of Bosso. The assault was the latest in a series ascribed to the jihadist group which began a bloody insurgency in 2009 that has spread to neighbouring countries, prompting a regional military response. Bosso, near Lake Chad, has been attacked several times since February 2015. Boko Haram fighters are active in the Lake Chad basin shared between Niger, Chad, and Nigeria. On Sunday, a resident of Bosso was killed in a suicide attack blamed on Nigerian Islamists. And on February 15, seven soldiers .
JKLF chief Yaseen Malik detained in J&K
JKLF chief Yaseen Malik was detained Friday night amid indications of a wider crackdown on separatists in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Police and paramilitary forces have been put on high alert but there was no confirmation about any more detentions. The action comes eight days after an audacious terror attack on a convoy in Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF personnel lost their lives.
Arunachal not to table report on PRC after shutdown turns violent
The Arunachal Pradesh government on Friday decided not to table the Joint High Power Committee (JHPC) report on Permanent Residential Certificate (PRC) to non-Arunachal Pradesh Scheduled Tribe communities of Namsai and Changlang districts following violent protests.
FATF keeps Pakistan in 'grey' list
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday said Pakistan has not done enough to curb finances of terror groups, which means it continues to remain in 'the grey list', making it difficult for the country to get international loans.
Seven Haryana cops suspended after two prisoners escape
Seven Haryana Police personnel were placed under suspension on Friday after two prisoners escaped from police custody while being taken in a police van in Haryana's Jhajjar district.
France says kills top Al-Qaeda commander in Sahel
French armed forces have killed a top jihadist leader in an air and ground ambush in Mali, the government said on Friday, ending a years-long hunt for a man accused of masterminding the kidnapping of Westerners in the Sahel region. Djamel Okacha, an Algerian commander in Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), was killed on Thursday after French commandos, helicopters and a drone hit a column of vehicles he was travelling in north of Timbuktu, French officials said. Okacha, a jihadist veteran known also as Yahya Abou El Hamame, was "the mastermind and financer of several attacks," the defence ministry said. US officials had accused him of kidnapping a number of Westerners in North and West Africa. Defence Minister Florence Parly described his killing as a "spectacular action", saying it followed a manhunt which lasted several years. His death "deals a very hard blow to terrorist groups in the Sahel," Parly said. "When commandos approached, (jihadist) pickups opened fire, prompting the
Shutdown in Arunachal turns violent, one injured
Security forces on Friday fired tear gas shells and used water cannons to disperse protestors as day two of the 48-hour shutdown turned violent in the mountainous capital city of Arunachal Pradesh.
One killed, 6 hurt as US gas giant's convoys attacked in Mozambique
A Mozambican worker was killed and six others were wounded when two road convoys operated by US gas giant Anadarko came under attack in northern Mozambique, an area grappling with jihadist violence, the company said Friday. The convoys were targeted Thursday on a highway linking Mocimboa da Praia to Afungi Bay in Palma, the nerve centre of Mozambique's nascent gas industry. They are the first such attacks by militants targeting gas operators in the area. Anadarko said there were "two related attacks" that occurred around 5 pm (1500 GMT) some 20 kilometres (12 miles) from an LNG project construction site at Afungi Bay. "The first involved a convoy where six contract personnel sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were either treated or are receiving treatment, and we have accounted for all personnel," it said. "Tragically, the second attack, which involved the firm contracted to construct an airstrip for the project, resulted in one fatality," it said in a updated statement. A ...
Pulwama attack: UP MLA donates one-month salary
Uttar Pradesh MLA Dhirendra Singh, who represents Jewar assembly constituency in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Friday donated his one-month salary in aid to the families of soldiers killed in the Pulwama terror attack. Singh said he met UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his 5 Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow where he handed over to him a cheque of Rs 1.25 lakh. "It includes my one-month salary and other allowances as a member of the legislative assembly," he told PTI over the phone. Condemning the attack, the BJP MLA said several government agencies, private organisations and individuals have come forward in solidarity with the families of the 40 Central Reserved Police Force (CRPF) soldiers killed in the February 14 suicide bombing. "To the same effect, it was decided on February 18 that all MLAs in Uttar Pradesh will contribute their one-month salary to support the families of the soldiers," he said.
Substantial increase in number of service voters: EC
The Election Commission Friday said there has been a substantial increase in the number of service voters enrolled ahead of the Lok Sabha elections as compared to 2014. A total of 16,62,993 service personnel have been enrolled as Service Electors in the country in the Electoral Roll 2019. In 2014, the corresponding figure was 13,27,627. "Thus, the 2019 ER has recorded a substantial increase on the total number of service voters of 2014. This increase in number of service voters has been due to the commission's all-out efforts to maximise the registration of service electors during summary revision 2019 and active cooperation of the services/departments concerned and greater participation of service personnel," the Election Commission said in a statement. As per the provisions of the law and instructions of the commission, all left-out and unregistered eligible service personnel can still file their applications for registration. Personnel of the armed forces, central armed police ...