Page 22 - War Conflict
Maldives seeks foreign help to deal with IS fighters
The Maldives Saturday called for international help to rehabilitate up to 160 of its nationals languishing in Syrian detention camps after the defeat of the Islamic State group. Speaker Mohamed Nasheed said the Maldives kept a close tab on citizens who had joined the militant group, but that the island nation was not ready to accept them back without an internationally supervised reintegration programme. Visiting neighbouring Sri Lanka where 258 people were killed in jihadi attacks recently, Nasheed said the question of foreign IS fighters in Syria should be addressed as a global issue. As many as 160 Maldivians are thought to be held in detention camps after the fall of IS in March. "We do not know the situation they have gone through. We don't have the capacity to rehabilitate these people to the extent that they will not have a further impact on society," Nasheed said. "I think the international community should join together and decide what we should do to the returnees. ...
We fire only when situation turns ugly on border: BSF DG at Dhaka talks
Frontier guarding forces of India and Bangladesh Saturday decided to undertake joint efforts to reduce border killing incidents, as the BSF said it fires only when a situation turns "ugly" and lives of its troops are in danger. The 48th bi-annual Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) concluded in Dhaka and it was mutually decided to enhance cooperation to better check crime and smuggling of cattle and narcotics across the 4,096 km frontier shared by the neighbours, a senior BSF officer said. BSF chief Rajni Kant Mishra told the other side that an Indian soldier was killed while 39 were "grievously" injured in attacks by miscreants and criminals at this border in the last few months. Bangladesh, in the meeting, reiterated its concern over killing of its people on the border by the BSF, while the Indian force maintained that its aim is to stop crime and avoid casualty as far as possible. "Both sides agreed to ...
Car bomb kills eight in Somali capital: emergency services
A car bomb exploded near the Somali parliament Saturday, killing eight people, emergency workers said, hours after militia executed nine civilians from a clan with suspected links to the Islamist Al-Shabaab. "We have confirmed eight people killed and 16 others wounded in the blast," the private Aamin Ambulance service said. A second blast on a key road leading to the airport of the Somali capital Mogadishu did not cause any casualties. The Al-Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attacks saying they were "they were targeting two checkpoints, one of them along the airport road and (the other) along the road that leads to house of legislators." Abdulahi Mire, who witnessed the explosion near the parliament building said; ""I saw four dead bodies and four others wounded in the blast." Police sealed off the road and ambulances rushed to the scene, he added. Local shopkeeper Naimo Ali said the blast was "huge" and destroyed a part of her shop. "I saw several people strewn in the ...
Landmine blast kills 8 Kenyan police near Somali border: police
Eight Kenyan police officers were killed Saturday when their vehicle ran over a landmine during a patrol near the border with Somalia, police sources said. Police Inspector General Hilary Mutyambai said a landcruiser with 11 police on board "was hit by an improvised explosive device". He did not give a toll, but a regional police source told AFP: "we lost eight police officers in this attack".
2 Naxals surrender in Chhattisgarh's Sukma
Two Naxals, one of them carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, Saturday surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said. The duo, identified as Madkam Bheema (25) and Lekam Masa (30), both residents of Tongguda village in Sukma, turned themselves in at Chintalnar police station, Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinha told PTI. While Bheema was a "commander" of the Chetna Natya Mandali, a cultural front outfit of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), Masa was a member of the CNM, he said, adding that Bheema had a reward of Rs 1 lakh against his name. The two were involved in murder, attacks on police and planting explosives to target security forces, Sinha said.
DGP launches Nagaland Police website
Nagaland Police has setup a social media cell under IGP Range to deal with fake news, messages that incite social unrest, Director General of Police, T J Longkumer said Saturday. He said the Nagaland Police is attempting to go digital in lot of ways with a view to serve the public better. In the age of social media, police should be able to establish a system of cooperation with the public in order to maintain social harmony, said the DGP while launching the police website www.police.nagaland.gov.in on Saturday. As part of transparency, the website with interactive features will enable visitor's greater freedom of enquiry and satisfaction, he added. The Nagaland police also plan to have cyber cell in all the districts with proper infrastructure, he said. Earlier, the DGP flagged off a motorcycle squad (e- patrol) to assist the existing police machinery in the district.
12 police officers killed in Nigeria attack
At least 12 Kenyan police officers were on Saturday killed while another escaped with serious injuries after a vehicle they were travelling in was hit by improvised explosive device (IED) in Wajir county along the border with Somalia.
Hong Kong braces for huge rally after leader climbdown
Hong Kong is bracing for another mass rally Sunday as public anger seethes following unprecedented clashes between protesters and police over a controversial extradition law, despite a climbdown by the city's embattled leader. Organisers are hoping for another mammoth turnout as they vowed to keep pressure on chief executive Carrie Lam, who suspended work on the hugely divisive bill Saturday after days of mounting pressure, saying she had misjudged the public mood. Critics fear the Beijing-backed law will tangle people up in China's notoriously opaque and politicised courts as well as hammer the city's reputation as a safe business hub. The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China on Wednesday as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. Lam stopped short of committing to permanently scrapping the proposal and the concession was swiftly rejected by protest leaders, who .
Army organises ex-servicemen rally in Srinagar
Indian Army on Saturday organised a rally for ex-servicemen at Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) Centre in Srinagar.The aim of conducting this event was to make ex-servicemen and their families aware of the benefits of welfare schemes by the Indian Army.Around 700 ex-servicemen and their families participated in the rally.Army organises these rallies frequently to inform the veterans of the welfare schemes.
Nine civilians killed in Somalia revenge attack: Police
Nine civilians were executed by a local militia in war-torn Somalia after the killing of a policeman by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, police said Saturday. The revenge attack on Friday just outside Galkayo -- one of the most developed cities in the centre of the country -- targeted the Rahanweyn clan, several of whose members are suspected of being Shabaab fighters. "This was a horrible incident, a gruesome killing against nine unarmed innocent civilians in southern Galkayo. All of the civilians belong to one clan and the gunmen shot them dead in one location a few minutes after suspected Shabaab gunmen killed" a policeman, Mohamed Abdirahman, a local police official said. "This is an unacceptable act and we will bring those perpetrators to justice," said Hussein Dini, a traditional elder. "Their killing cannot be justified. It seems that the merciless gunmen were retaliating for the security official who they believe was killed by Al-Shabaab gunmen belonging to the clan of .
Baramulla: Four held for exfiltration, handed back to families
Four youths, who were trying to exfiltrate the Line of Control in north Kashmir, were handed over to their families by Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday.They were apprehended in the Limber area of Boniyar in the Baramulla district on Friday, while trying to cross over the LoC to get arms training in Pakistan.The men were "on the path of violence" but now have been sent back to their kin, informed, Brigadier Girish Kalia, Commander of the 79 Mountain Brigade."I appeal to youth to not to get misguided by the propaganda of militants. Youth should choose the path of peace, not violence," Kalia told reporters in a press conference.The Commander added that the four Kashmiri youths were misguided by local militants and their accomplices.Acting swiftly to prevent them from choosing the wrong path, Army's 161 Territorial Army battalion, Baramulla police, and 53 battalion CRPF apprehended the young men.Commander Girish Kalia also informed that the youths were properly ...
14 militants killed in Afghan airstrike
At least 14 militants have been killed in an airstrike targeting Taliban hideouts in Afghanistan's Zabul province, the country's Army said in a statement on Saturday.
10 Kenyan police officers killed in blast near Somalia
Kenyan officials say at least 10 police officers are dead after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near the Somali border in a suspected extremist attack. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to share the information, said those killed Saturday in Wajir County were among 13 officers who were pursuing extremists who had kidnapped police reservists. Police on Friday said an unknown number of gunmen stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists. There was no claim of responsibility for the latest attack. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group often targets Kenyan security forces, vowing retribution after Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the extremists.
Sri Lanka releases 18 Indian fishermen
Sri Lanka has released 18 Indian fishermen arrested for illegally fishing in the Sri Lankan waters, an official said on Saturday. The fishermen, who were held off the coast of Point Pedro two months ago by the Sri Lankan Navy, were freed by a court here on Friday. "They are now to be handed over to the immigration officials for repatriation to India," the official said. Illegal fishing by Indians in the Sri Lankan waters have been a recurring problem and has figured at high level talks between the two neighbours. However, the Navy says there has been a marked decrease in the number of cases compared to a few years ago.
Four youth held trying to cross LoC handed back to families
Four youth, arrested from the Uri sector of the Line of Control (LOC) while trying to cross over into Pakistan-administered Kashmir, were handed back to their families on Saturday after counselling, an official said.
World War II bomb deactivated in Berlin
Bomb disposal squads on Saturday deactivated a 100-kg explosive dating back to the World War II that had been found in Berlins Alexanderplatz square.
160 Sri Lankan military personnel, kin to visit Bodh Gaya
In a bid to further strengthen their friendship, India is hosting 160 Sri Lankan military personnel and their families as part of the second edition of a special pilgrimage trip to Bodh Gaya starting on Saturday."Second annual military personnel and families pilgrimage to Bodh Gaya starts today with an IAF aircraft deployed to Sri Lanka. India will host 160 Sri Lankan military personnel & families, a reciprocal visit by 156 Indian Armed Forces Personnel with families will visit Kandy and Galle in Sri Lanka," the spokesperson for Ministry of Defence tweeted.This is the second time that the Sri Lankan military personnel have come to India with their families for religious tourism.This year, the Indian forces will also send 156 of their personnel and families to Sri Lankan cities Kandy and Galle.The initiative is aimed at fostering cultural exchanges between the militaries of the two neighbouring countries.India and Sri Lanka have developed close military ties in the last many ...
Three IS supporters arrested under UAPA
Three suspected ISIS supporters were arrested here Saturday under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, police said. Mohammed Hussain, Shahjahan and Sheik Shafiullah were detained after searches at their houses here on June 13, they said, adding some digital devices and incriminating documents were seized during the raids. The arrests come days after the NIA carried out raids at seven locations in the city and arrested Mohammed Azarudeen, the alleged mastermind of ISIS Tamil Nadu module who was a Facebook friend of Zahran Hashim, the mastermind of Sri Lanka Easter Sunday suicide bombings. The searches were conducted based on information that the three were staunch supporters of ISIS, had been propagating the terrorist outfit's ideology on social media, supported the mastermind of the Easter Sunday blasts and allegedly conspired to stage terror attacks here. They were booked under sections 18, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. All the three accused were ...
WWII American bomb defused in central Berlin
A 100-kilogramme (220-pound) US World War II bomb was defused overnight near Berlin's central hub of Alexanderplatz, police said Saturday. Police evacuated some 3,000 people from the area on Friday and cordoned it off after the bomb was discovered near a large shopping complex. The evacuation zone covered parts of the shopping centre, and several trains were also suspended during the operation. The US bomb was found at a depth of about three metres (10 feet) and had an intact detonator, police said. "The detonator was successfully destroyed. We are lifting the restrictions in stages. You can return to your apartments soon," the Berlin police said on Twitter. Nearly 75 years after the end of the Second World War, Germany is still littered with bombs and other unexploded ordnance. Experts have said that some 3,000 devices still remain in the German capital's subsoil. Alexanderplatz is one of Berlin's busiest areas, with dozens of shops and residences located near the square that is home
Elderly Buddhist couple shot dead in Thailand's restive south
A Buddhist couple were gunned down in a drive-by shooting on Saturday morning by suspected militants, police said, the latest bout of violence in Thailand's Muslim-majority restive south. Thailand's three southernmost provinces have since 2004 been plagued by conflict between ethnic Malay Muslim rebels agitating for greater autonomy and the Buddhist-majority Thai state, which annexed the region about a century ago. Around 7,000 people have been killed in the violence, mostly civilians from both the Muslim and Buddhist communities. The latest incident came in Narathiwat province's Ra-ngae district, the site of previous skirmishes and bombings as rebels and security forces wrestle for control of the area. Paisal Jungsakul, 65, and his wife Sumol, 58 -- who ran a small restaurant -- were returning home from the market by motorcycle when they were shot dead on a remote road, said a police commander. "Police suspect the killing was the work of a group of militants who operate in that ...