Page 265 - War Conflict
Filipinos set to vote on Bangsamoro referendum on Monday
Localities in southern Philippines are all set to vote for a historic proposal on Monday that would provide greater autonomy to the region.South China Morning Post reported on Sunday that Monday's referendum will provide those residing in the autonomous region in Muslim majority Mindanao, also known as Bangsamoro, with more funding and a bigger revenue share, along with the full control of its resources, ending a decades-long conflict in the between locals and the Philippines government.Few officials from the Philippine government seemed to oppose the referendum and the new political entity that would take control of the region soon.Insurgency has been plaguing the region since the past four decades, claiming lives of thousands of people and restricting the economic development of the region, which is rich in mineral deposits worth approximately USD 300 billion.Head of Bangsamoro's investment board, Ishak Mastura, was quoted as saying, "The approval of this law will signal peace, and .
SIT report a cover up of 2002 Gujarat riots: former Army officer
Lt General Zameer Uddin Shah (retd), whose explosive memoir "The Sarkari Mussalman" created a storm in 2018, said on Sunday that the SIT report that cleared then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's name is a "cover up" of the 2002 riots in the state.
Massive explosion heard in Damascus
A massive explosion was heard in the Syrian capital on Sunday morning, local news agency SANA reported, adding that the same was a result of an improvised explosive device blast.The explosion is believed to be an act of terrorism. An investigation into the matter is continuing. However, no further details have been provided.Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying that the massive explosion, heard in the Syrian capital killed an undisclosed number of people and injured many others, followed by gunfire in the region.
2 killed, 8 injured in Syria bus explosion
As many as two people were killed and eight others reportedly injured in twin explosions in the northern Syrian town of Afrin on Sunday.According to Turkey's Anadolu news agency, the bombings are seen as terrorist attacks planned by US-back Kurdish forces in northern Syria, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its Syrian affiliate the YPG (People's Protection Units).The first attack targeting a bus, killed two civilians and injured eight others, while there were no causalities or injuries reported so far from the second blast triggered by bomb placed inside a dustbin, on a busy street in Afrin.The attacks took place on the first anniversary of Operation Olive Branch, an ongoing cross-border counter-terrorist operation initiated by the Turkish Armed Forces and allied Syrian Arab on the Kurdish-majority district of Afrin.
'Bomb blast' rocks Syrian capital Damascus
A bomb blast hit the capital of war-torn Syria on Sunday and a "terrorist" was arrested, state media said, in a rare attack in the city that has been largely insulated from violence. A Britain-based war monitor said a "huge explosion" near a military intelligence office in southern Damascus had left a number of people dead and wounded. State news agency SANA said that a "bomb blast" had caused an explosion "without leaving any victims". "There is confirmation of reports that a terrorist has been arrested," it said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor told AFP that "the explosion took place near a security branch in the south of the city". "There are some people killed and injured but we could not verify the toll immediately," it said. It was unclear if the blast was caused by a bomb that was planted or a suicide attack, according to the monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside the country. It said that shooting followed the explosion. Syria is locked in a civil
Attack on UN base in Mali kills 8 peacekeepers: UN source
Gunmen killed at least eight Chadian UN peacekeepers in an attack Sunday on one of their bases in northern Mali, said a source close to the MINUSMA force. "According to a new toll, still provisional, at least eight peacekeepers have been killed," the source said. The attacked happened early Sunday at the Aguelhok base 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of Kidal, the source added.
At least seven killed in attack on Afghan provincial governor
A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least seven security guards Sunday after targeting the convoy of an Afghan governor, officials said, in the latest violence to rock the war-torn country. The attacker rammed a vehicle full of explosives into the convoy of Anwar Ishaqzai, the governor of central Logar province, who was travelling with his provincial intelligence chief on the highway connecting the region to the capital Kabul. "Fortunately, both officials escaped unhurt. But the attack has left eight people dead, all bodyguards of the governor," provincial police spokesman Shahpoor Ahmadzai told AFP, adding that seven people were wounded by the blast. Abdul Wali Wakil -- a member of the Logar provincial council -- confirmed the incident but said seven people were killed. The Taliban, who have been waging a 17-year war against the Western-backed Afghan government, claimed responsibility for the attack. The bombing comes days after the Taliban struck a fortified foreign compound in Kabul
Top financier of Dhaka cafe attack arrested
A top Islamist extremist, who allegedly supplied arms, explosives and money to the militants who carried out 2016 terror attack on a cafe in Bangladesh, has been arrested, police said on Sunday. The militant was arrested from a bus in Gazipur city in the outskirts of the capital and has been identified as absconding Holey Artisan attack suspect Mamunur Rashid Ripon, said the police's elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). "He was arrested around 1 am on Sunday aboard a bus travelling from Haluaghat to Dhaka," RAB spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan was quoted as saying by the bdnews24. The RAB claimed that he is the top financier and weapon supplier of banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), which carried out the the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery, an upmarket cafe in Dhaka on July 1, 2016 that killed 22 people, including a 19-year-old Indian girl. According to investigators, 30-year-old Ripon supplied money, arms, ammunition and explosives for the attack." Eighteen ...
Will also be fulfilling dream of my father: Head of IAF contingent for R-Day parade
When Flt Lt Srikant Sharma will lead the 144-strong India Air Force contingent on Rajpath on January 26, he will not only fulfil his own dream to march down the ceremonial boulevard during the Republic Day parade, but also redeem wishes of his father, who wanted to join the armed forces. The 26-year-old IAF officer, brimming with pride, says the "eyes of the country will be on us too when the contingent walks past the president, but the honour also fills me with humility". Sharma, who hails from Jaipur and has been an NCC cadet, shared that this achievement is also a nod to his father's dream of serving in the armed forces. "I have seen the R-Day parade on TV and my brother had led a contingent of an Army regiment last year. And now I will be at the helm for the IAF contingent. So, my dad will have seen both his sons as leaders," he told PTI. The IAF officer said he was ecstatic about leading the contingent, but "my father will be more delighted". "He (father) wanted to join the armed
9 killed in blast targeting Afghan governor's convoy
At least nine people were killed and 15 injured on Sunday in a car bomb blast targeting the convoy of an Afghan governor in Logar province, police said.
Blast kills 5 demining experts in Yemen: security source
An explosion killed five demining specialists in war-torn Yemen's central province of Maarib on Sunday, security and medical sources said. A pro-government security official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the the five were foreign experts working on the Saudi-backed Masam landmine clearance project. AFP could not independently confirm which countries they came from. The official said the blast occurred as landmines were being transported to be destroyed. A medic at a Maarib hospital confirmed five bodies were brought to the hospital, adding that a number of other people were injured in the incident. The Saudi-led coalition fighting alongside the government could not immediately be reached for comment. The Yemen conflict has killed some 10,000 people since the coalition intervened in support of the beleaguered authorities in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization. The war has triggered what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian ...
Bomb blast in a bus kills 3 civilians in Syria's Afrin: Monitor
A bomb blast in a bus killed three civilians Sunday in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on the first anniversary of a Turkish attack on the Kurdish-majority region, a war monitor said. Nine other people, including fighters, were killed in the explosion, said the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Turkish troops and allied rebel groups seized the Afrin region from Kurdish forces in March last year after a two-month air and ground offensive.
Suicide attack in Afghanistan, 8 dead
Eight people were killed and 10 others injured in a suicide attack targeting a convoy of Logar governor and the provincial NDS chief on Sunday in Mohammad Agha district of the province.Tolo News quoted Nasir Ghairat, member of Logar Provincial Council as saying, "Casualties are feared but the governor and the provincial NDS chief have survived the attack."According to unconfirmed reports, as many as seven of the governor's bodyguards have been injured, however, the provincial security officials have refrained from commenting about the matter.Taliban has claimed that responsibility for the suicide attack.
Syria condemns continuous US-led attack
Syria has condemned the continued attacks of the US-led coalition on civilians here.Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry sent letters to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN Security Council on Saturday about the new crime committed by warplanes of the international coalition in al-Baghouz Foqani village, reported Sana News Agency.Syria also stated that the nation has incurred a great loss due to attacks causing damage to infrastructure, economic, service, oil and gas facilities and to public and private properties.The ministry further referred to the crimes as "systematic and behavioural," stating that the US-led coalition has violated sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic under exposed pretexts.The war-torn nation emphasised that the coalition which was formed illegally and outside the jurisdiction of the UN Security Council has strengthened the terrorist groups and have increased cooperation and coordination among them.The letters ...
Devotees throng Allahabad for 2nd major 'snan'; security tightened
A day before Paush Purnima, the second auspicious bathing day during the Kumbh, all roads led virtually to the 'Sangam' the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati as devotees from across the country thronged the city. Security personnel from the UP police department and central para-military forces kept a tight vigil at Prayagraj railway station, civil lines bus station and other areas frequented by the visitors. "Our main focus is to ensure absolutely a safe and secure Kumbh, and we will leave no stone unturned," Uttar Pradesh Additional DG (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said. An estimated 20 lakh devotees are likely to take the bath Monday. Prior to Paush Purnima, devotees had taken the first dip in this year's Kumbh on Makar Sankranti. Kumar said steps have been taken to ensure a peaceful and organised Kumbh Mela. "This includes deployment of forces and use of technology. We will ensure that everyone coming to the Kumbh is taken care of. We are making efforts to
Most militants killed in J&K in 2018 in 4 years (IANS Special)
Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the killing of 257 militants in 2018 - the highest in four years - by security forces, official figures show.
Opposition has united fearing PM Modi's popularity: Haryana CM
Opposition parties have united out of "fear" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity and their togetherness is not going to last, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said Sunday. He was speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on investment opportunities organised by the Haryana government as part of the 9th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit. "This (opposition) unity is not going to last. They have united out of fear of Narendra Modi's popularity and the country's growing position in the world. This (opposition unity) is going to make no difference to the people," Khattar claimed. "They (opposition parties) had looted the country for several years. They have united as they are not getting the opportunity to loot the country," Khattar added. He was responding to a query on the Trinamool Congress-led mega opposition rally, titled 'United India Rally', held in the Brigade Grounds in Kolkata on Saturday. He also mocked the opposition parties' lack of a ...
Mexico pipeline blast toll reaches 73
The death toll from a devastating oil pipeline blast in Mexico has increased to 73, officials said.
US airstrike kills 52 Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia
The US Army said it has conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabaab terrorists in southern Somalia, killing 52 militants.
US airstrike in Somalia kills 52 al-Shabab extremists
The US military says it has carried out an airstrike in Somalia that killed 52 al-Shabab extremists in response to an attack on Somali forces. The US Africa Command statement says the airstrike occurred on Saturday near Jilib in Middle Juba region. The US says Somali forces had come under attack by a "large group" of the al-Qaida-linked extremists. The statement does not say how many Somali forces were killed or wounded. There are no reports of Americans killed or wounded. Al-Shabab controls large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere. The group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on a luxury hotel complex in Kenya's capital on Tuesday.