Page 27 - War Conflict
Nicaragua frees 50 opposition prisoners under amnesty law
Nicaragua has released 50 opposition prisoners under a controversial new law granting amnesty to protesters and police involved in last year's deadly uprising against President Daniel Ortega. The Interior Ministry announced the release of "50 people in compliance with the provisions of the Amnesty Law approved by the National Assembly" on Saturday. The Central American country plunged into crisis in April 2018 after widespread opposition protests broke out, and a brutal crackdown over the next four months by Ortega's troops left 325 dead, 800 in prison and thousands in exile. While the new law calls for jailed dissidents to be released "immediately," it also closes the door on investigating and punishing security forces involved in the deadly quashing of the protests. The amnesty law was rejected by a coalition of more than 70 opposition groups as well as human rights organisations because it implies that no one is responsible for the deaths. The law stipulates that those released ...
Two AGH militants killed in gunfight in J&K Shopian
Two local militants belonging to Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH) outfit were killed on Tuesday in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.
2 terrorists killed in Shopian
Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Awneera area of Shopian in early hours after receiving information about presence of terrorists there, a police spokesman said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after terrorists opened fire towards security forces. "Two terrorists were killed in the retaliatory firing by the security forces. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the scene of the encounter," he said. The spokesman said the identity and the group affiliation of the terrorists were being ascertained.
J-K: 2 terrorists neutralised by security forces during encounter in Shopian
Two terrorists were neutralised by security forces in an exchange of fire that broke out in Awneera area of Shopian district on Tuesday morning.Troops of CRPF 178 Battalion, SOG Jainapora, one Rashtriya Rifles carried out the cordoned off and search operation (CASO) during which the encounter occurred at 3:25 am.The Indian Army said, "During the search operation, the troops recovered bodies of two terrorists."The operation has been concluded now.
Militant killed in gunfight in J&K's Shopian
One militant was killed on Tuesday in an ongoing gunfight between the security forces and holed up militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.
UN unanimously extends Libya's arms embargo for 1 year
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday unanimously extended the ban on the flow of weapons to Libya for another one year, even as infighting between rebel commander Khalifa Haftar's forces and UN-backed government shows no signs of abating in the strife-torn North African nation.The arms embargo, which is implemented by a European Union (EU) force, will remain in effect until June 2020.In 2016, UNSC had authorised EU's Operation Sophia, which was initially aimed at tackling human trafficking, to inspect ships in the Mediterranean Sea suspected of carrying weapons that could violate the arms embargo, Anadolu News Agency reported.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is to report to the UNSC within 11 months on the embargo's implement, according to a resolution adopted.Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) has remained unsuccessful so far in capturing Libya's capital Tripoli from the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) ever since fighting began in April.However, ...
12 Haqqani network commanders killed in Afghanistan
Afghan forces on Monday killed at least 12 commanders belonging to the Haqqani network terror group in an operation in Khost province in eastern Afghanistan, the country's intelligence agency said.In a statement, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) said that the operation took place in Sabari district in the province, TOLO news reported.The Haqqani commanders were involved in terror activities in Khost province. While one member was injured, three others were arrested during the operation, the NDS said.Security forces recovered a huge number of weapons and explosives, the agency added.The Haqqani Network is widely believed to have links with the Taliban and is active in Khost, Paktia and Paktika, all located in the eastern part Afghanistan.In the past several years, government forces, Taliban and other terror outfits have been involved in armed confrontations, even as peace efforts are underway to end the nearly-two decades-long civil war in Afghanistan.The Afghan National ...
Five KPLT militants held in Assam
Five hardcore Karbi Peoples' Liberation Tigers (KPLT) militants have been arrested in Assam's Karbi Anglong district on Monday, police said. Operations had been stepped up in the three hill districts of Karbi Anglong, West Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts following several incidents of kidnapping and extortions in these areas, DIG Central Range Dilip Kumar Dey said. The militants were allegedly also involved in rhino poaching, police said. Karbi Anglong SP Gaurav Upadhyaya said Rs 25 lakh in cash along with four pistols, live ammunitions, magazines and several SIM cards were recovered from their possession.
Security in place for Amarnath Yatra: top army commander
All security arrangements for the forthcoming annual Amarnath Yatra are in place and no pilgrim needs to worry about security during the pilgrimage in Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant General K.J.S. Dhillon, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 15 Corps said here on Monday.
Army man killed, 3 others injured in ceasefire violation by Pak in J-K's Poonch
An Army jawan was killed and three others were injured when Pakistan troops resorted to mortar shelling and small arms firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district Monday, officials said. The Pakistan army violated the ceasefire and targeted forward posts in the Doda battalion area, they said. In the ceasefire violation, one Army man was killed and three others have suffered injuries, the officials said. The injured have been hospitalised, they said, adding that troops guarding the border retaliated effectively.
1st woman to take command of a US Army infantry division
The California National Guard has announced the appointment of the first woman to lead a US Army infantry division. Brig Gen Laura Yeager will assume command of the 40th Infantry Division on June 29 at Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, California. Yeager currently commands Joint Task Force North, U.S. Northern Command at Fort Bliss, Texas. Yeager was commissioned in 1986 as a second lieutenant from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at California State University, Long Beach. She served as UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilot, left active duty when her son was born and continued her military career in the California Army National Guard. Yeager deployed to Iraq in 2011 as deputy commander of the Cal Guard's 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, then served as a battalion and brigade commander.
Nearly 100 killed, 19 missing in central Mali village massacre
Nearly 100 people were killed in a gruesome overnight attack on a village in central Mali, in the latest violence to strike the fragile region, officials said Monday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the massacre, targeting a village inhabited by the Dogon community, bore the hallmarks of tit-for-tat ethnic attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives. It came less than three weeks after nearly 160 members of the Fulani ethnic group were slaughtered by a group identified as Dogon. "Right now we have 95 dead civilians. The bodies are burned, we are continuing to look for others," an official in Koundou district, where the village of Sobane-Kou is located, told AFP. The government, giving a provisional toll, said 95 people had been killed, 19 were missing, numerous farm animals had been slaughtered and homes had been torched. "Armed men, suspected to be terrorists, launched a murderous attack on this peaceful village," it said in a statement. A Malian security source at
Nineteen killed in Burkina Faso's volatile north
Nineteen people died in an attack on a village in the troubled north ofC Faso, a security source said Monday. "Several dozen armed men carried out an attack on the district of Arbinda, shooting several people dead," on Sunday, a local official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. A security source said "19 bodies have been found". The official said the attack took place "between 3:00 pm (local time) when a group of assailants opened fire on locals". An emergency meeting was under way Monday to discuss the situation, the official said. The security source said on Sunday morning three vehicles had been stopped and burnt and a driver killed before the attack. Arbinda has witnessed a spate of deadly violence in recent months despite an operation to clear the area of jihadists. At the start of April, 62 people were killed in jihadist attacks and ensuing ethnic clashes in Arbinda. Burkina Faso has suffered from increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of ...
France commemorates deadly World War II massacre
France remembered Monday the 642 people killed in the small village of Oradour-sur-Glane 75 years ago, in what was the biggest massacre of civilians by Nazi troops during their occupation of the country in World War II. Genevieve Darrieussecq, a junior armed forces minister, presided over ceremonies at the site near the town of Limoges in central France. A mass, several wreath-laying ceremonies and a march through the village were organised to remember the tragedy on June 10, 1944. Though the massacre occurred four days after the Allied D-Day landings in Normandy, the killings were believed to have been ordered in retaliation for the kidnapping of a German soldier by the French Resistance. Troops from the fanatical SS "Das Reich" division were responsible for the killings, herding hundreds of civilians into barns and a church and setting the town on fire. A new village has been built but the old town's ruins have been left untouched as a testimony to Nazi horrors. Michael Roth, ...
Sri Lanka seeks India's help to counter terrorism: PM Wickremesinghe
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said Monday that he sought India's help to train the country's security forces in counter-terrorism during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi on Sunday became the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after the deadly Easter terror attacks on April 21 which killed 258 people and injured over 500. During his visit, Modi said he was confident that Sri Lanka will rise again and cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka. "India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka," he said. Prime Minister Modi also met President Maithripala Sirisena and the two leaders agreed that terrorism was a joint threat that needs collective and focussed action. Wickremesinghe in a statement said he had assured Modi that the delayed Indo-Lanka projects will be expedited. The prime minister also said a series of joint initiatives between India and Sri Lanka were being planned to ensure continued economic ...
Arunachal guv urges Shah to modernise state police force
Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) Dr B D Mishra on Monday urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to initiate measures to modernise the state police force to tackle insurgency problem in three districts of the state. The governor, who called on Shah in New Delhi, stressed on upgradation of riot control training and riot control equipment of the force, an official statement said here. During the meeting, Mishra mentioned insurgency problem in the eastern districts of Tirap, Changlang and Longding - all sharing border with Myanmar. Suspected NSCN militants had gunned down sitting MLA and NPP assembly poll candidate Tirong Aboh and 10 others, including his son and two security personnel in Tirap district on May 21. The governor requested the minister to provide fund to set up accommodation facilities for lower level police personnel and mobility.
38 Taliban inmates released from Afghan jail
At least 38 militants affiliated to the Taliban have been released from a jail in Afghanistan's Herat province, officials said on Monday.
Arunachal Governor apprises Shah of security scene
Arunachal Pradesh Governor B.D. Mishra met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his office in the North Block, here on Monday, and briefed him about the security scenario in the state.
US may pursue legal action against Sri Lankan Easter Sunday bombers: report
The US may initiate legal action against the Sri Lankan Islamist group linked to the Easter Sunday bombers since American nationals, including an official from the Department of Commerce, were among those killed in the carnage, according to a media report. The US may pursue legal action against the group pursue legal action against the group linked to the Easter Sunday bombers once the investigations are completed, The Sunday Morning reported. Quoting US government sources, the paper said that since there were US citizens among those killed in the 21 April attacks, the US may pursue indictments against those involved, in a US court. At least 45 foreigners were killed in the attacks which hit three posh Colombo hotels and three Catholic churches as well as a small lodge in Dehiwala. Among the US citizens killed was Chelsea Decaminada, an International Programme Specialist with the Department of Commerce. She was having breakfast at one of the three posh hotels in Colombo when the ...
Army Chief General Rawat interacts with Kashmiri students
Chief of the Army Staff General Bipin Rawat on Monday interacted with a group of 140 students from Jammu and Kashmir here. They were accompanied by four teachers.According to an official statement, 20 students were from Ramban, Reasi and Rajouri districts and 120 from Baramulla district. They were in the capital as a part of the Army's national integration tour programme."These students interacted with General Bipin Rawat, who shared his experiences while serving in these areas and motivated them to work hard and contribute actively in the nation-building process. He also exhorted them to join the Indian armed forces and serve the nation," said the statement.The statement further said the national integration tours are educational and motivational tours for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern states with an aim to provide an insight into the rich heritage of the country as well as various developmental and industrial initiatives that are underway.