Page 270 - War Conflict
Kosovo provocations break international law, destabilise Balkans: Putin
Provocations coming from authorities in Serbia's unilaterally-seceded province of Kosovo and Metohija might destabilise the whole Balkans, visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin has said here, urging Pristina to respect the international law.
NATO head to attend EU defence ministers' meeting in Bucharest
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed his attendance at the informal meeting of defence ministers of the European Union (EU) member states, to be held here at the end of January, Romanian Defence Minister Gabriel Les said.
8 killed in Bogota car explosion
At least eight people died and 41 others injured after a car bomb detonated outside the General Santander National Police Academy in the Colombian capital of Bogota on Thursday.A high-ranking police official said that the car bomb could be a suspected suicide attack. Police said that the driver rammed the vehicle into the compound of the police academy at full speed and refused to stop despite being ordered to, CNN reported.The suspect is believed to have died in the explosion.Condemning the incident, Colombian President Ivan Duque termed it as a terrorist attack and promised to bring perpetrators to justice.He later visited the police academy and directed law enforcement authorities to launch a manhunt in identifying the people behind the attack.Meanwhile, Attorney General Nestor Humberto Martinez identified "the material author of the attack, a man named Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez, who was driving the car that entered the academy," as per the report.He added that the suspect was ..
8 killed in Bogota car explosion
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack
Ten killed in car bomb attack on Colombian police academy
A car bomb attack on a police cadet training academy killed 10 people and wounded 65 on Thursday in Bogota, making it the worst such incident in the Colombian capital in 16 years. The defense ministry said the "terrorist act" was carried out using a vehicle packed with 80 kilograms (around 175 pounds) of explosives. "All Colombians reject terrorism and we're united in fighting it," President Ivan Duque tweeted. Vowing to bring those responsible to justice, Duque added: "COLOMBIA is sad but will not bow to violence." The bomber -- believed to have been killed in the attack -- struck at the General Francisco de Paula Santander Officer's School in the south of Bogota during a promotion ceremony for cadets. No group has claimed responsibility, but public prosecutor Nestor Humberto Martinez named suspect Jose Aldemar Rojas Rodriguez as the "material author of this abominable crime." Martinez said Rojas Rodriguez entered the school compound at 9:30 am (1430 GMT) driving a grey 1993 Nissan ..
Doctor and child killed in Sudan protests as police break up march
A doctor and a child were killed Thursday during protests in Sudan's capital, organisers of the anti-government demonstrations said, as police dispersed a crowd of hundreds marching towards the presidential palace. At least 26 people have died in protests that have rocked Sudan since they first erupted on December 19 after a government decision to raise the price of bread. The rallies have since escalated into broader demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir's three decades of iron-fisted rule and triggered deadly clashes with the security forces. Human rights groups have given a higher death toll, with Amnesty International saying that more than 40 people had been killed and over 1,000 arrested. "One doctor and a child (have been) killed in today's demonstrations," the doctors' committee, part of a protest movement spearheaded by the Sudanese Professionals Association, said in a statement late on Thursday. The committee said the two were killed with "live ammunition" but did ..
Two days of clashes near Libya capital leave 10 dead
Two days of clashes between rival militias near Libya's capital Tripoli have left 10 people dead and 41 wounded, the health ministry said Thursday. Fighting between armed groups erupted Wednesday despite a truce deal four months ago that had halted deadly battles in the city. A medical source told AFP that fierce clashes hit an area some 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Tripoli on Thursday, after fighting around an airport 25 kilometres from the capital the previous day. The violence has pitted the Tripoli Protection Force, an alliance of militias from the city, against the Seventh Brigade group from the town of Tarhuna. The health ministry said that there were women and children among the wounded. Tripoli was plagued by militia clashes that killed at least 117 people and wounded more than 400 between late August and late September. The United Nations mission in Libya on Wednesday condemned a "military mobilisation" in southern Tripoli and warned groups not to break a ceasefire ...
Putin calls for stable Balkans during Serbia visit
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for stability in the Balkans during a pageantry-filled visit to Serbia, a key Moscow ally. After arriving to a rousing red-carpet welcome in Belgrade, Putin said he would back efforts to maintain calm in the region, a day after accusing the West of destabilising the Balkans through efforts to boost NATO membership. "Russia, like Serbia, is interested in the situation in the Balkans remaining stable and not dangerous," Putin told reporters at a joint news conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Although Serbia and all of its neighbours aspire to join the European Union, Belgrade has maintained close ties with Russia, its historical "Orthodox big brother" whose people also share Slavic origins. The affection for Moscow is fanned by its unyielding support on the emotive issue of Kosovo, a former Serbian province that broke away in a 1998-99 guerilla war. Serbia has never accepted the split and Russia similarly rejects it, ...
US 'jihadist' sought to attack White House: FBI
Authorities in the US state of Georgia have arrested a 21-year-old man who sought to buy explosives and an anti-tank rocket for a "jihad" suicide attack on the White House planned for Thursday. Byung Pak, the US attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, announced the arrest of Hasher Taheb of Cumming, Georgia late Wednesday after a monthslong FBI investigation sparked by a tip from the local community "that Taheb had become radicalized." According to the indictment, Taheb tried to recruit an informant and an undercover FBI agent into a plan to attack the White House and other targets in Washington, including the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and an unnamed synagogue. Wanting to fulfil his "duty" to conduct jihad and expecting to become a "martyr," Taheb originally hoped to travel to Islamic State-held territory in the Middle East, he told the FBI source, the indictment said. But because he had lost his passport, Taheb told the informant it would be better to launch ...
Kenyan security find an explosive after deadly hotel attack
Kenyan bomb disposal experts on Thursday found and safely detonated an explosive left over from the deadly extremist attack on a Nairobi luxury hotel complex, and the Kenya Red Cross said no one appeared to be missing after it had checked nearly 100 reported cases. The Kenyan government said its quick reaction to Tuesday's assault on the dusitD2 complex reflected improvements in its ability to respond to such brazen assaults on civilian targets. It was "much better handled" in comparison to the 2013 attack on the nearby Westgate Mall, said Joseph Mucheru, the information minister. Police took hours to respond to that attack and official information was scarce or conflicting, leading to reforms. "The speed, the response and the conclusion of this matter was swift," the minister told journalists. Al-Shabab, the al-Qaida-linked extremist group that carried out the 2013 attack that killed 67 people, also claimed responsibility for the hotel assault this week that took the lives of 20 ...
8 killed in car explosion in Bogota
Eight people were killed on Thursday after a car bomb exploded outside a police academy in Columbia's capital city Bogota.The incident occurred outside the General Santander police academy, with the blast shattering windows and damaging buildings, Russia Today reported.The country's Ministry of Defence confirmed that at least eight were killed and 10 others sustained injuries.Following the incident, Colombian President Ivan Duque cut short his trip to Western Colombia, returning to Bogota to supervise police activity. He also termed the attack as a "miserable terrorist act," while also vowing to "determine the perpetrators of the attack and bring them to justice".No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Bogota has often been the hotbed of conflict between leftist rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and drug cartel.After peace talks with Duque were stalled in September, last year, the left-wing National Liberation Army has often targeted police officers in the capital ..
Northern Army commander visits forward posts along LoC
In the backdrop of heavy firing and shelling by Pakistan troops this month, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh Thursday visited forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district and reviewed the prevailing security situation, a senior Army officer said. Lt Gen Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command, accompanied by White Knight Corps Commander Lt Gen Paramjit Singh visited forward posts of Poonch Sector to review the operational preparedness and the prevailing security situation, he said. During the visit to the sector, the Army Commander was briefed by the commanders on ground about the current operational situation, prevailing security dynamics and the preparedness of the formations in dealing with the same, the officer said. There was heavy firing and shelling by the Pakistan troops going on for 12 days this month, besides IED blasts triggered by militants from across the border in which a Major, assistant commandant, among four were ...
Vehicles seized by police gutted in fire
A fire destroyed more than 35 vehicles kept at a police chowkie in Virar town of the district Thursday afternoon. Two-wheelers and four-wheelers seized for violation of various trffic rules were kept on a plot of land behind Kaner police chowkie. A nearby electricity transformer caught fire and it spread to the vehicles, a police official said. Nobody was injured in the incident.
9 dead in car bombing at police academy in Colombia capital
At least nine people were killed and another 10 injured in a car bombing at a Colombian police academy in Bogota on Thursday, recalling the high-profile attacks associated with bloodiest chapters of the country's guerrilla and drug conflicts. The scene outside the General Santander police academy in southern Bogota was chaotic in the immediate aftermath of the mid-morning explosion, with ambulances and helicopters rushing to the normally tightly controlled facility. Witnesses said they heard a loud blast that destroyed windows in adjacent apartment buildings several blocks away. Pictures on social media showed a charred vehicle surrounded by debris on the academy's leafy campus. The police said at least nine people were killed and 22 injured. Among the dead were a Panamanian and an Ecuadorian national. Rafael Trujillo said he was delivering a care package to his son Gerson, who entered the school just two days ago, when he was stopped in his tracks by the blast a block away from the ..
In Duronto rerun, armed men robs train passengers returning from Kumbh at gunpoint near Delhi
Passengers returning from the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad on board the Tata Jat Express were robbed Thursday by armed men near Delhi. This is the second such incident to have taken place on board a train today while nearing the national capital. Earlier, passengers of the Jammu-Delhi Duronto were robbed. The second incident happened before 2 am between Badli and Holambi Kalan, railways said. "The train was attended by RPF and GRP at Sonipat station at 01:55 hrs, where passenger of S-8, Ramnath Maurya, reported loot of Rs 1,000 and small injury in left hand. He has been provided preliminary treatment at Panipat. "He told that he will lodge FIR at destination station. The train was not escorted by the RPF. The matter is being thoroughly investigated," the railways said. Passengers alleged that mobile phones, jewellery and cash were looted from them at gunpoint. In the earlier incident, a passenger wrote descriptive details on the railways' complaints portal, alleging how they were robbed at
Robbers loot money from bank in broad daylight
Armed robbers struck at private bank in the Bihar capital in broad daylight on Thursday and decamped with more than Rs seven lakh in cash after holding employees and customers hostage at gunpoint, police said. The incident took place in Rajiv Nagar police station area where the miscreants looted the money from Bandhan Bank, Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Garima Malik told reporters. "The robbers who entered the bank and took employees and customers at gunpoint were said to be four in number. An equal number was said to be outside the building while those inside collected the cash," she said. "We have set up a special committee to crack this case headed by an Additional Superintendent of Police. The guilty would be behind the bars soon," she claimed. The incident came less than 48 hours after as many as four ATMs in the city were cut through by unidentified persons who also stole a total sum of about Rs 35 lakh stored inside the automatic transaction machines.
Mayor says 5 killed in car bombing in Colombian capital
Bogota's mayor says at least five people have been killed and another 10 injured in a car bombing at a police academy in Colombia's capital. The scene outside the General Santander police academy is chaotic, with ambulances and helicopters rushing to the normally tightly controlled facility. Witnesses say they heard a loud explosion that destroyed windows in adjacent buildings Thursday. Pictures on social media showed a charred vehicle surrounded by debris on the academy's campus. Mayor Enrique Penalosa says at least 5 people were killed and 10 injured. Leftist rebels from the National Liberation Army have been stepping up attacks on police targets in Colombia amid a standoff with conservative President Ivan Duque over how to re-start stalled peace talks.
Himachal to get its 1st CoBRA training centre: Thakur
BJP MP Anurag Thakur met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday and requested him to start work as soon as possible on a training centre of the CRPF's CoBRA unit in Himachal Pradesh. The Commando Battalions for Resolute Action (CoBRA) is a specialised unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Centre has started its initiative to set up the CRPF's CoBRA training centre in 226 acres of land in Dehra assambly segment, Thakur said in a statement. It will be the first such training centre of the state, he said. Thakur requested the home minister to start the work on the project as soon as possible, the statement said. The training centre will also be available to other paramilitary forces. The state police personnel will not have to move to other states for various training. Dehra's selection is very good in geographical point of view because the area has the connectivity of both the national highways and the airport, Thakur added.
9 arrested in Kenya hotel attack
Nine people have been arrested in Kenya following an attack on a luxury hotel compound in the capital Nairobi that left at least 21 dead.
IAF lands An-32 aircraft at Pakyong airport in Sikkim
The Indian Air Force (IAF) landed its Antonov-32 transport aircraft at the Sikkim airport boosting the land-locked state's connectivity with rest of the country.The landing took place four months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong airfield.The first IAF aircraft to have landed at the airport was a Dornier last year.While inaugurating the Pakyong airfield in September last year, the Prime Minister has stated that the emphasis was on enhancing infrastructural and emotional connectivity in the north eastern region."The historic landing of An-32 of at Pakyong airfield at Sikkim for the first time. This effort will boost the transportation of troops and material in this region," Defence PRO in Shillong tweeted.This is the second such effort by the IAF in the last two days as the IAF has landed it C-130J and Antonov-32 planes for the first time at the Tezu airfield couple of days ago."This effort will boost the mobility of troops and materials in this region," the ...