Page 249 - War Conflict
Powerful explosion in busy market in Somali capital: police
A powerful blast rocked a busy market Monday in the Somali capital, which is regularly targeted by Al-Shabaab Islamists, police said. "There was a strong explosion at the Hamarweyne market," said police officer Ibrahim Mohamed. "We have no details for now but the area where the blast happened is a densely populated market." Mohamed said the market was near Mogadishu's municipality buildings. The Al-Qaeda affiliated group was largely driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 and has lost many of its strongholds. But it retains control of large rural swathes of the country and continues to wage a guerrilla war against the authorities.
"Want to keep forces in Iraq to watch on Iran", says Trump
At a time when Washington has announced pull out of its troops from Syria, United States President Donald Trump said that he would continue to deploy armed forces in Iraq to keep a "watch on Iran". During an interview with the CBS News on Sunday, ahead of the Super Bowl, Trump noted, "Well, we spent a fortune on building this incredible base. We might as well keep it. And one of the reasons I want to keep it is because I want to be looking a little bit at Iran because Iran is a real problem.""We're going to keep watching and we're going to keep seeing and if there's trouble, if somebody is looking to do nuclear weapons or other things, we're going to know it before they do," he added.To a question on the vacuum that would be created by the sudden withdrawal of US troops, which the Al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS) would seek to refill, the US President replied, "You know what we'll do? We'll come back if we have to"."We have very fast airplanes, we have very good cargo planes. We ...
Philippine police: 5 suspects in church bombing in custody
The Philippine police chief says five suspected Abu Sayyaf militants wanted for alleged involvement in the bombing of a church have surrendered to authorities. Police chief Oscar Albayalde said Monday that the five will be charged with murder for their role in the Jan. 27 bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral in Sulu province's Jolo town that killed 23 people and wounded about 100. Police say the suspects escorted the two suicide bombers around Jolo and to a meeting with the Abu Sayyaf commander accused of funding the attack. Police have said the two suicide bombers were Indonesians. The attack has renewed terrorism fears across the Philippines, where the national police have been placed on full alert and security has been strengthened in churches, shopping malls and other public areas.
7 Iranian pilgrims wounded in shooting attack in Iraq
Police and medical officials say seven Iranian Shiite pilgrims travelling in central Iraq were wounded when their bus came under attack by unidentified gunmen. The officials said late Sunday that the bus carrying 10 pilgrims was north of the capital of Baghdad when gunmen opened fire. They say the wounded passengers were taken to a hospital, including a woman who was in serious condition. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
CBI chief Rishi Kumar Shukla likely to take charge on Monday
Newly-appointed CBI Chief Rishi Kumar Shukla is likely to take over the reins of the probe agency Monday. A 1983-batch IPS officer, Shukla will be taking charge at a time the agency is busy in a dirty battle of turf war with the Kolkata Police which has spiralled into a political slugfest between the Centre and West Bengal Government. A perplexed interim CBI chief M Nageswara Rao was seen scrambling resources to counter the West Bengal Police's action that not only detained a CBI team, which went to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, but also cordoned off the agency's office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake city. The arrival of 58-year old Shukla, a former DGP of the Madhya Pradesh Police and an Intelligence Bureau veteran, as a full-fledged director is likely to bring some sort of order in the agency as it moves to the Supreme Court to challenge the action of the West Bengal government in ponzi scam cases. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had started a dharna on Sunday ..
Pentagon sending another 3,750 troops to Southwest border
The Pentagon says it will send 3,750 more troops to the US-Mexico border to put up another 150 miles of concertina wire and provide other support for Customs and Border Protection. The additions announced Sunday will bring the total number of active-duty troops on the border to 4,350. The announcement is in line with what Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan had said on Tuesday when he provided estimates for the next phase of a military mission that critics have derided as a political ploy by the White House. Shanahan said several thousand more troops would be sent mainly to install additional wire barriers and provide a large new system of mobile surveillance and monitoring of the border area. Sunday's announcement said the mobile surveillance mission would last through September 30.
Trump says he 'does not necessarily agree' with US spymasters' assessments
US President Donald Trump on Sunday disputed American intelligence services' assessments of the threat posed by Iran and said he "does not necessarily agree" with their analysis. He also said the national security advisers' false assessment on Iraq led the US to engage in a war that it should never have been. The US' intelligence services had said that the then Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction that became the basis of American invasion in the middle east nation. However, the assessment was later proven wrong. "I have intel people, but that does not mean I have to agree (with their assessments)...people that said Saddam Hussein...in Iraq had nuclear weapons...Those intel people didn't know what the hell they were doing, and they got us tied up in a war that we should have never been in," Trump told CBS News in an interview. As a result of that intelligence assessment under the Bush administration, Trump said the US spent USD 7 trillion in the Middle East
Trump indicates leaving small number of troops in Afghanistan
President Donald Trump on Sunday indicated that he might leave a small number of troops and a strong presence of the US intelligence system in the war-torn Afghanistan, amid ongoing talks with the Taliban by his special envoy. Trump last year ordered withdrawal of 7,000 troops from Afghanistan and 2,000 from Syria. "Yes", Trump told the CBS 'Face the Nation' when asked in an interview that "Is there a scenario where you would keep troops in Afghanistan? A smaller number?" The interview, recorded Friday, was aired on Sunday. "And I'll leave intelligence there. Real intelligence, by the way. I'll leave intelligence there and if I see nests forming, I'll do something about it. But for us to be spending USD 51 billion, like last year, or if you average the cost it's - I mean you're talking about numbers that nobody's ever heard of before," he said. Responding to a question, Trump said the US should not have been in Afghanistan for 19 years. "We have been in Afghanistan for 19 years. And ..
Army chief visits Arunachal Pradesh
Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Sunday called on Arunachal Pradesh Governor retired Brig. B.D. Mishra at Raj Bhavan.
Modi a pickpocket, Mamata his associate: Yechury
Likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a 'chowkidar' (guard) selling dreams and looting the country instead of remaining vigilant and awake, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Sunday said he has to be removed and an alternative secular government installed for ushering in policies benefiting the country and its people.
Taliban to meet Afghan opposition in Moscow: official
The Taliban said Sunday it will send a delegation to Russia for a rare meeting with Afghan opposition leaders, just days after peace talks with the United States that excluded the Kabul government. The two-day sit-down in Moscow, starting Tuesday, will be attended by some of President Ashraf Ghani's chief political rivals, but none of the government envoys tasked with Taliban negotiations. Ghani has appealed to the insurgents to talk after being frozen out of six days of discussions between the Taliban and the United States in Doha last month that sealed the outlines of a peace deal. Instead the Taliban, which refuses to recognise Ghani's government, will sit down in Moscow with some of the president's main opponents to discuss the country's future -- stirring frustrations in Kabul. "It shows the peak of depression, and begging to terrorists," said Amrullah Saleh, who is running as vice-president on Ghani's ticket in elections slated for July. "A smile to the enemy is a blow to the ...
Ghani slams Taliban's remarks on dissolving army
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani lashed out at the Taliban on Sunday saying, "those who are forcefully bringing others to negotiate should not say that the army is not required to reinstate peace in the country"."Those who are forcefully bringing others to negotiate must not talk about dissolving our "lions" (army); if they are so brave, then they must come and fight on the battlefield instead of carrying out suicide (attacks) and explosions," Ghani said.Tolo News quoted Ghani as saying in the Afghan capital, during an event to honour commandos, after they were freed last week from a Taliban prison. The remarks by the Afghan President came after senior Taliban leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, in a video stated that after the United States pulls out half of its armed forces from Afghanistan, there would be no need for an army to stabilise peace in the region. The video was released by the Taliban representative post the recent Doha talks over Afghan peace reconciliation took place ..
Kharge brought down the value of dissent: Jaitley
Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday expressed his annoyance at Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for his dissent to the appointment of Rishi Kumar Shukla as new CBI chief and accused him of using the weapon of dissent "excessively" and not "objectively".
Jaitley hits out at Kharge, calls him a 'regular dissenter'
Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley hit out at Congress leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge for opposing the appointment of new CBI director RK Shukla and termed him a regular "dissenter". "Kharge dissents regularly. He dissented when Alok Verma was appointed, dissented when Alok Verma was transferred and has now dissented when R. K. Shukla has been appointed. The only thing constant in the High Powered Committee comprising of the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition which deals with the CBI Director's appointment and transfer, is the Kharge dissent," Jaitley said in his latest blog post.The comment comes a day after Kharge, who is a part of the Selection Committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposed the appointment of Shukla, the former DGP of Madhya Pradesh, as the new CBI director. Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister soon after the appointment was announced, contending that Shukla has no experience of anti-corruption investigations .
Woman killed in Naxal-police crossfire in C'garh
A woman who was killed and another who sustained injuries in an encounter between security forces and Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday were later identified as civilians, police said. Earlier it was suspected that the two women were Naxals, but later it was found they had no links with ultras and that they were local villagers, Sukma's Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI on Sunday. "Investigation revealed that both the women were residents of Godelguda village and not Naxal cadres. They were caught in the crossfire between security personnel and ultras while they had gone to a forest for some routine work," he said. An inquiry has been initiated into the incident. The kin of the victims will be provided necessary assistance by the district administration and police, he said. When a joint squad of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police was returning from an area domination operation, around six-seven armed Naxals, dressed
Ten killed in Colombia clash with FARC splinter group
Colombia's armed forces clashed Saturday with FARC dissident rebels, killing 10 from the group that split from the 2016 peace process. Army special forces and police launched an operation in Caqueta department, in which a longtime group leader Rodrigo Cadete, 52, was killed. "Another nine guerrillas we killed; we have several captures and the fighting continues in the region," Defense chief Guillermo Botero said in a statement in Manizales. Though some 7,000 members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) laid down their arms, about 1,700 are still in the insurgent struggle funded by drug money, military intelligence says. With no unified command, dissidents operate in remote areas where they fight other groups to control drug trafficking and drug trafficking routes. Colombia has experienced relative calm since the 2016 peace deal signed by then-president Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebels. With the landmark agreement turning the FARC into a political party, the smaller .
Sri Lanka arrests Maldivians flying drone near airport
Sri Lankan authorities arrested four Maldivian nationals, including a woman, for illegally operating a drone near the country's main international airport, police said Sunday. The suspects were taken into custody on Saturday night after they were seen using a drone within the high security zone of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), police said in a statement. "They were filming the airport area with the drone. Investigations are continuing," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. "The suspects -- aged between 19 and 23 -- will be produced before a magistrate today." It was the first arrest in the country in connection with an illegal operation of a drone near an airport. The incident came hours before Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was due to arrive in Sri Lanka to attend the country's 71st national day ceremony in Colombo. Operating any kind of drone near airports is banned while drone photography and aerial mapping are also highly regulated by civil aviation ..
Bomb de terre: WW1 grenade found in French potato shipment
A German World War I hand grenade was found among a shipment of French potatoes imported for a Hong Kong crisp factory, police said. The device was safely detonated after it was discovered at the Calbee snacks factory Saturday. "The grenade was in an unstable condition because it has been previously discharged but failed to detonate," Superintendent Wilfred Wong Ho-hon told reporters. Police detonated it on site, Wong said, with a police video showing bomb disposal officers packing the grenade in a drainage channel at the factory before blowing it up. The grenade was eight centimetres (three inches) wide and weighed about one kilogram (two pounds). "All the information to date suggested that the grenade was imported from France together with the other potatoes," Wong said. The grenade is believed to have been left in a trench during World War I and accidentally gathered up with potatoes planted a century later in the former battlefield. "If it was covered in mud, the grenade was ...
Maha: 5 persons injured in multiple attacks in Malegaon
Five people were injured after a group of persons attacked them with sharp weapons in Malegaon town in Maharashtra's Nashik district, police said Saturday. In a series of attacks that started late Friday night, the gang first attacked Harun Khan and an aide in Ayesha Nagar locality of the town, then assaulted Atiq Khan in Jafar Nagar, damaging vehicles and ransacking a hotel there in the process, police said. The group of attackers then moved to Millat Nagar area and assaulted powerloom owner Mohammad Abid and his employee Fayyaz, police added. The group used choppers, knives and swords in the multiple attacks that took place over half an hour, an official said. The five injured persons are undergoing treatment at a private hospital here, he added. He said the attackers are history-sheeters and the assaults are possibly the fallout of a complaint filed against them earlier by the brother of powerloom owner Mohammad Abid. A case has been registered at Pawarwadi police ...
UN set for Yemen truce talks aboard ship
The head of the UN mission in Yemen boarded a vessel that will be the venue for key talks between the government and Huthi rebels on shoring up a ceasefire. Retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert picked up a government delegation at a rendezvous in the Red Sea before returning to the port of Hodeida to await Huthi envoys who are to arrive on Sunday, a UN statement said. The sides will discuss the next steps to implement an agreement reached in Sweden in December that calls for a ceasefire in Hodeida and a pullback of forces from the port city. It is the third meeting of a joint committee on implementing the agreement which has been hailed as a major step toward ending the four-year devastating war in Yemen. On Sunday, the "parties will then resume joint discussions on the implementation of the redeployment of forces and the facilitation of humanitarian operations, as agreed in the Stockholm Agreement," said a UN statement. The Saudi-backed government and Huthi rebels have accused each