Page 261 - War Conflict
Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani to be conferred with Ashok Chakra
Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani, who laid down his life during an anti-terror operation at Shopian in Kashmir in November last year, will be conferred with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, officials said Thursday. Wani, 38, hailed from Ashmuji in Kulgmam. He died on November 25 during a fierce gunfight. He was a militant, but later came into the mainstream. He joined the Army in 2004. Wani was part of a number of anti-terror operations in South Kashmir, officials said. Ashok Chakra is the highest peacetime military decoration for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield. Wani was also awarded Sena Medal for his indomitable spirit in fighting terrorists.
Once a terrorist, Lance Naik Nazir Wani to get Ashok Chakra posthumously for Kashmir operations
Kashmiri militant-turned-soldier Lance Naik Nazir Wani, who got martyred while killing 6 terrorists in an operation in the valley, has been chosen for this year's Ashok Chakra, the highest peace time gallantry award.The soldier was once a terrorist, but he gave up those activities and joined the Terrotorial Army. He was in the 34 Rashtriya Rifles during the operations in which he was martyred and was in the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry regiment.The highly-decorated soldier has already received the Sena Medal twice for his gallantry against terrorists.A resident of Cheki Ashmuji village in Kulgam, he is survived by his wife and two children.Ashok Chakra is the highest peacetime gallantry award in the country, followed by the Kirti Chakra and Shaurya Chakra, respectively.Four officers and soldiers have received the Kirti Chakra while 12 others have also been awarded the Shaurya Chakra this year.
Singapore heartthrob Aloysius Pang dies during military training in New Zealand
Singaporean actor Aloysius Pang has died after sustaining serious injuries to his chest and abdomen during a compulsory military training exercise in New Zealand. The accident occured on Saturday when Pang, 28, had been carrying out repair works inside a Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer -- an artillery gun mounted on an armoured chassis -- with two other Singapore Armed Forces personnel at the Waiouru Training area. He succumbed to injuries Wednesday after a series of stomach operations at the Waikato Hospital in Hamilton, where he was receiving treatment, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday night. He is an armament technician from the 268th Battalion Singapore Artillery. "Unfortunately, Corporal First Class (National Service) Pang sustained injuries when the gun barrel was lowered," said the ministry. He was on reservist duty as part of young Singaporeans commitment to be battle ready to serve in the armed forces under the compulsory National Service. Pang was ...
Regional powers back Maduro opponent as Venezuela leader
The head of Venezuela's opposition-led legislature proclaimed himself "acting president" in a bid to oust leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, winning immediate backing from regional powers led by the United States. The move by Juan Guaido -- which came as thousands of rival protesters jammed the streets of Caracas, at times clashing with riot police -- sharply raised the stakes in the oil-rich nation become impoverished under Maduro. It also capped days of political drama that has seen seven protesters killed since Tuesday night. "I swear to formally assume the national executive powers as acting president of Venezuela to end the usurpation, (install) a transitional government and hold free elections," the 35-year-old Guaido told a throng of cheering supporters. Within minutes, President Donald Trump issued a statement declaring Maduro "illegitimate" and calling the National Assembly "the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people." A dozen regional players .
Bomb at Sudan wedding party kills 2, wounds 50: Police
Two children were killed and 50 other people wounded when an assailant threw a bomb at a wedding party in the Sudanese capital, police said Wednesday. In an apparently personal affair, the bomber struck in the southern district of Mayo, police spokesman General Hashim Abdelrahim said in a statement to AFP. "Someone threw a bomb at a wedding party on Tuesday night, in which two children have been killed and 50 others wounded," Abdelrahim said. "The police have arrested the culprit and all indications are that the issue is related to the wedding," he said, without giving the suspect's identity. Many residents of Mayo, an impoverished neighbourhood, are from Darfur and the Nuba mountains, while some are South Sudanese. Sudan has been swept by a month of protests and clashes with security forces that have left 26 people dead, according to officials.
J-K: Three LeT terrorists killed in encounter
Three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces on Wednesday in Baramullah district of Jammu and Kashmir.They have been identified as Suhaib Farooq Akhoon resident of Baramulla , Mohsin Mushtaq Bhat resident of Baramulla, Nasir Ahmad Darzi resident of Sopore .Arms and ammunition including 3 AK 47 rifles were recovered from the site of encounter. All these materials have been taken in case records for further investigation. All three were affiliated to Lashkar-e-Taib (LeT) and were wanted in terror crimes including attack on security establishments & civilian atrocities.All the three killed terrorists according to the police records were active in Baramulla and Sopore areas and had a long history of terror crime records for which several terror cases were registered against them. They were involved in gruesome killing of three young boys in Baramulla in April last year"It is to mention that they were provided with ample opportunity to surrender however they ...
Goods worth lakhs stolen from electronics showroom in Delhi
A group of robbers broke into an electronics showroom situated on Ring Road in Delhi's South Extension and looted articles worth lakhs of rupees, police said Wednesday. The incident took place on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, they said. A group of four to five robbers, who arrived in a car, broke open the glass door of the showroom and looted electronic goods estimated to be worth Rs 50 to 60 lakh before fleeing from the spot, a senior police officer said. The entire incident was captured by CCTV cameras, he said. Police teams have been formed to nab the accused persons and a case has been registered, the officer said.
Four dead in clashes ahead of Venezuela protests
At least four people have died following overnight clashes ahead of Wednesday's rival protests in Venezuela by supporters and opponents of President Nicolas Maduro, police and a non-governmental organization said. A 16-year-old was among the dead, having suffered "a firearm injury during a demonstration" in the capital Caracas, the Social Conflict Observatory said. Police said the other three deaths occurred during looting in Bolivar City in the southeastern Bolivar State that borders Brazil. A statue of iconic socialist revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez, Maduro's predecessor, was torched by dozens of protesters in the town of San Felix, Bolivar State. Photos and videos shared on social media showed the statue, which was vandalized last year, engulfed in flames. Tensions have been running high in the country since Monday when a group of soldiers took over a command post in the north of the capital and rose up against Maduro, publishing a video calling on people to come out into the ...
R-Day parade to see 'Nari Shakti' on display; INA veterans to take part for first time
The 70th Republic Day parade will be a dazzling display of 'Nari Shakti', led by the Assam Rifles contingent, besides a lone woman officer exhibiting bike stunts on Rajpath as part of the iconic daredevil team. Addressing a press conference here Wednesday, Maj Gen Rajpal Punia, Chief of Staff, HQ Delhi Area, also said that four Indian National Army (INA) veterans, aged over 90 years, will also take part in the parade for the first time. The artillery gun system M777 American Ultra Light Howitzers, recently acquired from the US and K9 Vajra, a self-propelled artillery gun will be new additions this year, he said. Vajra is a symbol of the prime minister's Make in India initiative, Punia added. "This Republic Day parade will also be an amazing display of 'Nari Shakti' (women power), as many contingents will be led by women, besides an all-women contingent of the Assam Rifles," he said. Contingents of the Navy, India Army Service Corps and a unit of Corps of Signals (transportable ...
Three LeT militants killed in Baramulla encounter
Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, police said. The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Binner area of the district on receiving information about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into a gunfight after the ultras opened fire at the the security personnel. Three militants were killed in the operation, the official said, adding weapons and other incriminating material were recovered from the spot. The slain militants were affiliated with proscribed outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and identified as Suhaib Farooq Akhoon,Mohsin Mushtaq Bhat and Nasir Ahmad Darzi, the official said. He said they were involved in several militancy-related cases in north Kashmir.
100-year-old INA soldier to take part in Republic Day parade
More than 70 years after independence, four personnel of the freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's Indian National Army (INA) would march on the Republic Day parade this year."This would be the first time that INA soldiers will take part in the Republic Day parade," Major General Rajpal Poonia, Parade Deputy Commander, said here.The age of the four soldiers is between 97 and 100 and they hail from nearby areas of Delhi-NCR.The senior-most soldier is 100 years old, named Bhagmal resident of Manesar, Haryana who had joined and fought for INA in 1942.Asked why only four soldiers of INA are taking part, Poonia said it was difficult to find members of the INA who are still alive.The other three members include Lalti Ram, 98, from Panchkula, Hira Singh, 97, from Narnaul in Haryana and Parmanand Yadav from Chandigarh.Founded in 1942 by Ras Bihari Bose, INA was led into war by Netaji who had fought fierce battles with the British till Independence.However, the INA soldiers were not ...
Afghan spy agency says it killed Taliban base attack mastermind
The Taliban "mastermind" behind an attack which left 65 dead has been killed in an airstrike, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said Wednesday -- a claim the insurgents deny. Monday's violence was the latest high-casualty assault on Afghan forces, who experts say are continuing to suffer "unsustainable" losses since NATO withdrew combat forces from the country in 2014. Militants detonated a Humvee filled with explosions before three gunmen opened fire at a National Directorate of Security (NDS) intelligence agency base in central Wardak province, but further details have been difficult to independently verify. A local official told AFP at least 65 people had been killed. The NDS has given a lower toll, instead claiming 36 had been killed and 58 wounded. Afghan authorities are known to downplay casualties. The agency said an aerial bombardment in the provincial capital the following night killed eight Taliban insurgents, including the planner of the Monday attack. "Commander Noman... .
K-9 Vajra, M777 howitzers to make first appearance at R-Day parade
Newly-acquired M777 howitzers and K-9 Vajra self-propelled artillery guns would be on public display for the first time along with other weapons at the Republic Day parade that boasts of many "firsts".
146 rebels arrested in North Chhotanagar division last year
At least 146 rebels were arrested in the North Chhotanagpur division of Jharkhand and huge cache of arms and ammunition seized in more than 2,334 operations last year, a senior police officer has said. The North Chhotanagpur division comprises of Ramgarh, Hazaribagh, Chatra, Koderma and Giridih districts. DIG (North Chhotanagpur division) Pankaj Kamboj Tuesday said that 1,221 operations were carried out against the rebels in Giridih district while 675 operations conducted by Chatra police followed by Ramgarh (19), Hazaribagh (380) and Koderma (49). The DIG said that a total of 116 firearms, 725 kg explosive, 196 detonators, 5,381 live cartridges and 39 magazines and Rs 15.32 lakh cash were seized during operations. He also said that four rebels had surrendered with arms to join the mainstream in Ramgarh district last year.
Four dead in clashes ahead of Venezuela protests: Police, NGO
At least four people have died following overnight clashes ahead of Wednesday's rival protests in Venezuela by supporters and opponents of President Nicolas Maduro, police and non-governmental organizations said. A 16-year-old was among the dead having suffered "a firearm injury during a demonstration" in the capital Caracas, the Social Conflict Observatory said. The other three deaths were registered in the southern state of Bolivar.
K-9 Vajra, M777 howitzers to be showstoppers at R-Day parade
Indias military might will be on full display at the Republic Day parade, with some newly-acquired weapons and old war horses strutting down Rajpath in the company of military bands and with attack choppers and fighter jets roaring above in the sky.
France sends top African football official to war crimes court
France on Wednesday transferred Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, a member of Africa's top footballing body, to the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he faces war crimes charges, the ICC said. Ngaissona, who sits on the board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), is charged with coordinating so-called anti-Balaka militia which emerged after civil war broke out in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2013. The former CAR sports minister was arrested in France on December 12 on an ICC warrant. The court said Ngaissona was extradited by France Wednesday "pursuant to an ICC arrest warrant for crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in the Central African Republic." "This transfer followed the completion of necessary national proceedings in France", it said. ICC Registrar Peter Lewis, "thanked the authorities of the French Republic and of the host State, The Netherlands, for their cooperation in the arrest and transfer of Mr Ngaissona to the Court", the
Afghan CEO urges patience amid talk of US troops withdrawal
Afghanistan's chief executive is urging the world not to give up on his impoverished country after the Trump administration suggested the United States could withdraw troops. Afghanistan has struggled with corruption, political instability and a long Taliban insurgency, frustrating efforts to stabilize it. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration last month indicated it could pull out half of the 14,000 U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan. "Don't lose patience," Abdullah Abdullah told The Associated Press in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "We all made mistakes in the past 18 years" - since U.S. forces overthrew a Taliban regime in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks only to see the fundamentalist Islamic militia regroup in the years afterward. Abdullah said the situation on the troops withdrawal was unclear: U.S. officials in Afghanistan have said "there isn't any instruction" to pull out troops. Still, he said, "it might come one way .
Women in the lead at R-Day parade
A display of women power in the armed forces will be a major highlight of this year's Republic Day parade with a slew of women officers in leading roles.
Three militants killed in Baramulla
Three militants were killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district.