Page 275 - War Conflict
Taliban threaten to end talks with US on ending Afghan war
The Taliban issued a statement Tuesday threatening to end contact with the US even as Washington's peace envoy makes another round of the region in pursuit of a negotiated end to Afghanistan's protracted conflict before a frustrated President Donald Trump makes good on his 2016 campaign promise to end America's involvement. Earlier in the day, the US Embassy in Kabul said Zalmay Khalilzad had arrived in Kabul following visits to India, the United Arab Emirates and China. Khalilzad was to meet President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other political leaders to discuss the next steps in US efforts to get an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process started. The Taliban have refused repeatedly to meet directly with representatives of the Kabul government. According to the insurgent statement, the US agreed in meetings in November on a two-point agenda: Withdrawal of foreign troops and guarantees that Afghanistan would not again be used as it was by al-Qaida to plot ..
Extremists attack hotel in Nairobi; al-Shabab claims role
Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the complex. A witness said he saw five bodies at the hotel entrance alone. Al-Shabab - the Somalia-based Islamic extremist group that carried out the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi that left 67 people dead - claimed responsibility. "It is terrible. What I have seen is terrible," said a man who ran from the scene, Charles Njenga. As night fell, gunfire continued more than two hours after the first shots were heard at the complex, which includes the DusitD2 hotel, along with bars, restaurants, banks and offices and is in a well-to-do neighborhood with large numbers of American, European and Indian expatriates. It was not clear how many attackers took part. "We are aware that armed criminals are holing up in the hotel, and special forces are now currently flushing them out," said Kenya's national police chief, ...
'Coordinated' attack included suicide bombing in hotel: police
An attack Tuesday on an upmarket suburb of Nairobi was a "co-ordinated" operation that included a suicide bombing in the foyer of a luxury hotel, Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinnet said. "We can now confirm that this criminal activity commenced at about three o'clock [1200 GMT] in a coordinated fashion and began at I&M Bank with an explosion that targeted three vehicles in the parking lot, and a suicide explosion in the foyer of Dusit hotel," he said in a statement on television.
5 Sri Lankan Tamils arrive off coast with 17 kg gold, escape
: Five Sri Lankan Tamils carrying 17 kg of gold they had smuggled from the island nation, landed off the coast here in a fibreglass boat and escaped, police said. They left behind one gold weighing machine in the vessel, Two others, who planned to go back toSri lanka from Madurai in the same boat were nabbed by Coast Guard personnel off Dhanushkodi coast The Coast Guard personnel seized from the duo GPS, power Bank equipment, nine mobile phones, each worth Rs 80,000, three gold chains, and a U.S. 100 Dollar note, police said. The two, during questioning, claimed that they belong to Madurai district in Tamil Nadu and that they had come from Lanka earlier, officials said. They said investigations were on to ascertain whether the duo had dropped any person in Lanka or taken any refugee from here to the island nation and returned.
Somalia-based al-Shabab terror group claims responsibility of Nairobi hotel attack
Somalia's al-Shabab terror group claimed responsibility of the series of gunfire followed by massive blasts that took place at a luxurious hotel complex in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday."We are currently conducting an operation in Nairobi," Al Jazeera quoted the terror group's military operations spokesman, Abdiaziz Abu Mus'ab, as saying.According to reports by Washington Post, smoke was rising from the area of the blast, outside the DusitD2 hotel and office park on Riverside Drive in Nairobi's Westlands neighbourhood, while the people scattered here and there called for relief measures as soon as possible.Soon after the terror attack, heavily armed local police surrounded the area and said that some of the militants might still be hiding out inside the building.However, the local police have not reported any deaths or injuries so far.Investigation into the matter is underway.Further details are awaited.
Spain arrests 17 arrested in ongoing anti-terror operation
Authorities in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia said 17 people, including five alleged members of an extremist Islamist cell, were arrested Tuesday as part of an ongoing anti-terror operation. As well as having terror links, the suspects also allegedly committed theft, drug trafficking and other crimes, according to the Mossos d'Esquadra regional police. More than 100 agents were taking part in the operation, which was still taking place mid-afternoon, a spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman, who declined to be identified by name in line with the police force's standard practices, said six venues had been searched in and near Barcelona. Catalan regional minister of security, Miquel Buch, told reporters that most of the arrests had taken place in a central neighborhood of the Catalan capital, but some had been in the nearby town of Igualada. The five suspected of being part of an extremist cell were originally from Algeria, Buch told reporters. "They were determined about ...
Gunfire and explosions rock Nairobi hotel
Explosions and heavy gunfire rocked an upscale hotel complex in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday in a terrorist attack that sent people fleeing into the streets and left body parts on the ground, the media reported.
Citizenship Bill: 4 injured in Manipur Police crackdown
Four persons, including two women, were injured here on Tuesday during a police crackdown on protestors demanding scrapping of the Citizens (Amendment) Bill.
Explosion, gunfire at Nairobi hotel and office complex
A gunfight was underway following a blast at a hotel and office complex in a leafy Nairobi neighbourhood Tuesday, a reporter and a witness said. A blast at the DusitD2 compound, which includes a hotel and several office buildings housing international companies, was heard from AFP's offices some five kilometres (three miles) away. Simon Crump, who works at one of the offices, said workers had barricaded themselves inside their offices after "several" explosions. "We have no idea what is happening. Gunshots are coming from multiple directions," he told AFP, adding that the people were terrified. Police sirens echoed through the city and a helicopter buzzed overhead. A reporter sent to the scene said the gunmen and security forces were exchanging gunfire. "There was a bomb, there is a lot of gunfire," whispered another man working at the compound, asking not to be named. It was not immediately clear whether the incident was a robbery or an attack. "All police teams have been dispatched .
2 men in boat arrive near Dhanushkodi from Lanka; held
Two persons in a fibre glass boat, who arrived near Dhanushkodi from Sri Lanka, were arrested Tuesday, Coast Guard officials said. The two claimed they belong to Madurai district in Tamil Nadu and that they had come from Lanka, the officials said. Interrogations were on to find out whether they had dropped any person in Lanka or taken any refugee from here to the island nation and returned, they said. A case has been registered, they added.
Mehbooba calls local militants 'sons of soil'; asks Centre to engage J&K militant leadership
Terming local militants as "sons of soil", PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti Tuesday said efforts should be made to save them, adding the Centre should initiate dialogue with the militant leadership in Jammu and Kashmir to end the "gun culture". "Right now, talks should be held with Pakistan and separatists. Similarly, the militant leadership should also be talked to as it is they who have the guns and only they can end the gun culture," she told reporters in Anantnag after a party function. "I believe at some stage, talks will have to be held with Hurriyat Conference and militants as well," she said. The former chief minister, however, said it was "too early (for talks with militants)". Mehbooba said local militants should be prevented from walking on the path of violence. "Right from the time I came into politics in 1996, I have been saying that local militants are sons of the soil and our maximum efforts should be to save them because they are assets. "If an encounter breaks out, the two ...
Germany arrests German-Afghan army adviser for 'spying for Iran'
Germany on Tuesday detained a German-Afghan man on suspicion he was spying for Iran while working for the German army as a linguistic and cultural adviser. The 50-year-old identified as Abdul Hamid S. was arrested in western Germany, federal prosecutors said in a statement. "The accused was a language evaluator and cultural issues adviser of the German armed forces. In this capacity, he is believed to have passed on information to an Iranian intelligence service," they added. According to Spiegel Online, he is suspected of working for Iranian secret services for several years. While working for the German army, he had access to highly sensitive information including on troop deployment in Afghanistan, the report added. Previous cases of infiltration by a foreign agency have sparked outrage and shock in Germany. In 2016, Markus Reichel, himself a former intelligence agent for Germany, was convicted for spying for both the CIA and the Russian secret service. He admitted handing over ...
BSF constable rewarded for quick response to militant attack in JK
A Border Security Force (BSF) constable was rewarded Tuesday by the Jammu and Kashmir Police director general for his "alertness and quick reaction" in foiling a militant attack last week. Constable Irshad Ahmad of BSF's 168th Battalion showed alertness while on duty and averted a major tragedy by his quick reaction to militants' attack in the Kashmir Valley on January 7, a police spokesman said. The DGP granted him a cash reward and a commendation certificate in recognition to his brave act, the spokesman said.
Military deploys in Zimbabwe fuel hike protests; 5 killed
A Zimbabwean military helicopter on Tuesday fired tear gas at demonstrators blocking a road and burning tires in the capital on a second day of deadly protests after the government more than doubled the price of fuel in the economically shattered country. Soldiers moved in to disperse crowds at the busy intersection and transport hub in Harare amid Zimbabwe's biggest unrest since deadly post-election violence in August. Witnesses also reported violence in the eastern city of Mutare, where people attacked passenger buses and destroyed some shops. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp were disabled. Businesses and schools were shut down and public transport vehicles grounded in most of the country despite government assurances that security would be provided. The government over the weekend announced a price of $3.11 per liter (0.26 gallons) for diesel, and $3.33 per liter for gasoline. That means gasoline in Zimbabwe is now the most expensive in the world, based on data ..
B-Town salutes Indian soldiers on 71st Army Day
On the occasion of the 71st Army Day on Tuesday, members of the film fraternity paid tribute to the Indian soldiers for their bravery.
Perpetrators of Kabul attack to be brought to justice: India
India on Tuesday said that the perpetrators of the heinous Kabul attack on Monday, should be immediately brought to justice.The terror attack in Kabul, which took place in the Green Village compound in Kabul's Police Division 9 on Monday, killed an Indian national and along with many others.A press statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said, "We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this cowardly attack and wish early recovery to the injured."The Indian Embassy in Kabul has also taken further steps to repatriate the mortal remains of the Indian national.According to Washington Post, the vehicle bomb explosion on Monday night in Kabul took lives of four people and injured 113 people, as confirmed by local officials.
Russia, Japan hold 1st round of consultations on Peace Treaty
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono on Monday held talks here to discuss the issue of concluding a peace treaty between the two countries, which have been de facto in a state of war for decades.The talks, however, have not been a breakthrough, proving that the issue of the disputed Kuril Islands cannot be overlooked as the parties began their path toward concluding a peace treaty.The fact that Japan and Russia have never signed a permanent peace treaty after the end of World War II has long been a stumbling block in Russia-Japan relations. The main issue standing in the way of a treaty is an agreement concerning a group of four islands that both countries claim - Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai, collectively referred to as the Southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan.The two counterparts noted at the meeting the huge potential of relations between Moscow and Tokyo."In recent months, the agreement on avoidance of ..
Afghanistan: 7 militants killed during operations launched by Afghan and coalition forces
Seven Taliban militants were killed in multiple operations launched by Afghan and coalition forces in three southern provinces of the country.According to the Khamma Press News, in the past few days, the security forces in Afghanistan have been targeting Taliban hideouts in Shah Joy district of Zabul, Uruzgan province and Nahr-e Saraj and Garm Ser districts of Helmand through ground operations and airstrikes.Along with militants, the Afghan Special Operation Forces and Coalition forces were also successful in destroying weapon cache.However, the Taliban is yet to comment on the report.On December 29, 15 Taliban fighters were killed during an operation by Afghan forces in Zarkoh district.
India condemns Kabul terror attack
India on Tuesday strongly condemned the terror attack in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday in which four people, including an Indian national, were killed and scores injured.
Indian killed in Afghan bomb attack: MEA
An Indian national was among those killed in the terror attack in Afghanistan's capital on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said and called for the perpetrators of the assault as well as those who provide them shelter to be brought to justice expeditiously. A bomb exploded near a heavily-fortified foreign compound in Kabul, killing at least four people and wounding over 100. The Taliban on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack in Kabul that ripped through surrounding neighbourhoods. "India strongly condemns the horrific terror attack in Kabul yesterday in which an Indian national and many others lost their lives," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement Tuesday. The Indian Embassy in Kabul is taking steps for repatriation of the mortal remains of the Indian national, the MEA said. "We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims of this cowardly attack and wish early recovery to the injured," it said. India calls for the ...