Page 286 - War Conflict
Sri Lanka marks decade since journalist murder amid justice calls
Sri Lankan journalists Tuesday paid tribute to anti-establishment editor Lasantha Wickrematunge 10 years after his murder by a suspected government death squad that came to symbolise a deadly decade-long crackdown on the country's media. Just days before he was due to give evidence against the brother of the country's then strongman leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, two assailants on motorcycles blocked the car of the 50-year-old editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper before smashing the windows and stabbing him in the head. The assassination is one of many unresolved killings of journalists carried out during Rajapaksa's decade in power, which also saw a 37-year conflict with Tamil separatists brought to a brutal conclusion. Friends, family and colleagues of Wickrematunge placed flowers and candles on his grave at the Colombo General Cemetery. White cards with Wickrematunge's name and those of 18 other journalists were also put among the golden trumpet flowers and white frangipani blooms. A ..
Eight civilians killed in incursion in east DR Congo
At least eight civilians including relatives of soldiers were killed in an overnight incursion by armed men in the volatile eastern DR Congo, the army said Tuesday. "Eight people (were) killed including four family members of soldiers" in the commune of Mavivi in the north of the Beni region, regional army spokesman Mak Hazukay told AFP. Police put the death toll at 10, after initially reporting eight. The Beni region has been the target of attacks since October 2014 by the Ugandan Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a shadowy Islamist-rooted group that arose in western Uganda in 1995 under the leadership of Jamil Mukulu, a Christian turned Muslim. Forced out of Uganda, it operates in the border area in the DRC's North Kivu province, an area where other armed groups are also active. It has been blamed for recruiting and using child soldiers, killing hundreds of civilians since 2014, as well as 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers who died in an attack in December 2017. Elections in the Democratic ...
316 paramilitary personnel killed between 2014-18: Govt
A total of 316 personnel from paramilitary forces were killed during operations in various parts of the country since 2014, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. During the Question Hour, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said 61 paramilitary personnel were killed in 2018, 70 in 2017, 71 in 2016, 43 in 2015 and 71 in 2014. The paramilitary personnel killed between 2014 and 2018 belonged to the Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Assam Rifles, the minister said.
Afghan official: Bomb blast kills 2 in eastern province
An Afghan official says at least 2 civilians were killed when a bomb went off in eastern Khost province. Habib Shah Ansari, the provincial health director, also says that 23 people, mostly civilians, were wounded in the attack, which took place in the provincial capital, the city of Khost, on Tuesday. Ansari says the explosives were placed inside a motorbike that was detonated by remote control. The Taliban did not make any immediate statements on the bombing but the insurgents have been carrying out near-daily attacks targeting Afghan forces, including in Khost. The violence comes despite stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to the country's 17-year war.
Pak army fires on border posts in J-K, violates ceasefire for fifth time in a week
The Pakistani army fired on forward posts along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Tuesday, the fifth ceasefire violation in a week, officials said. Pakistani troops resorted to small arms firing on the forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector's Gulpur and Khadi Karmara areas, they said. Indian troops have retaliated strongly, the officials said. On Saturday, Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling and firing along the LoC in the Mankote, Khadi Karmara and Gulpur areas. Ceasefire violations were also reported on Thursday, Wednesday and Tuesday from the Poonch sector. Last year saw the highest number of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the last 15 years. In total, 2,936 incidents were reported.
BSF resorts to firing after suspicious movement along IB in Jammu
The BSF resorted to brief firing following suspicious movement along the International Border (IB) in Jammu district, officials said Tuesday. Suspicious movement of some persons was observed by the Border Security Force (BSF) troops in Arnia forward area on Monday night and a few rounds were fired, they said. The personnel have been alerted at the borderline, the officials said, adding searches were conducted in the area on Tuesday morning.
IS counterattack in east Syria leaves 32 dead: monitor
Jihadists defending their last bastion in eastern Syria used the cover of bad weather to launch a deadly counterattack against a Kurdish-led force, a war monitor said Tuesday. The Islamic State group was unable to hold on to the positions they attacked but the assault killed 23 members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and also left nine jihadists dead. IS fighters took advantage of poor visibility to unleash suicide attackers on SDF forces along the front line in the Euphrates valley late on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Twenty-three SDF fighters were killed and nine IS jihadists were also killed in fighting that lasted all night and into Monday morning," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. The jihadists often launch attacks under the cover of bad weather that cancels out their opponents' advantage of US-led coalition air power. The SDF launched what is meant to be the final offensive on the jihadist organisation four months ago with air ..
Tear gas, rubber bullets as Bangladesh garment workers strike
Bangladeshi police Tuesday fired rubber bullets and tear gas as thousands of striking workers in the South Asian country's huge garment industry staged protests for a third day demanding wage hikes. Bangladesh's 4,500 textile and clothing factories exported more than USD 30 billion worth of apparel last year, making clothing for retailers such as H&M, Walmart, Tesco, Carrefour and Aldi. Police said more than 5,000 workers blocked a national highway at Hemayetpur outside the capital Dhaka and clashed with them for hours after they walked out of their factories. "At least 12 policemen were injured after they threw rocks at our officers. We fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Twelve factories were shut down," police official Sana Shaminur Rahman told AFP. The online edition of the Manabjamin newspaper said at least 50 protesters were injured in waves of clashes, which also spread to garment factory hubs in Dhaka, Ashulia and Uttara involving thousands more ..
Stray incidents mar NE shutdown in Assam
Assam witnessed a total shutdown on Tuesday in response to a shutdown called by the North East Students Organisation (NESO) in protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill even as strike supporters ransacked a BJP office in Dibrugarh town.
Women representation in CRPF, CISF to be made 15 pc
Women representation in the CRPF and CISF will be made 15 per cent while it will be five per cent in BSF, ITBP and SSB, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said Tuesday. Rijiju said in Lok Sabha that the central government has been working for enhancement of women representation in the constabulary of paramilitary forces. "Our target is to increase the women representation to 15 per cent in the CRPF and CISF and 5 per cent in BSF, ITBP and SSB," he said during the Question Hour. The minister said in compliance of recommendations given by Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women in its sixth report, directions were issued to all paramilitary forces to bring percentage of women in the forces to 5 per cent. On January 5, 2016, it was decided to reserve 33 per cent posts at constable level for women in the CRPF and CISF to begin with and 14-15 per cent posts at constable level in border guarding forces like BSF, SSB and ITBP in a phased manner, he said.
Militant killed in encounter with security forces in J&K's Pulwama
An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said. The encounter broke out in the Zahidpora area of Pulwama after militants opened fire on the security forces, the officials added. They said one unidentified militant was killed in the gunbattle, while some arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot.
J-K: 2 arms, ammunition suppliers of Hizbul Mujahideen held in Kathua
The police seized a truck and arrested two arms and ammunition suppliers of terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen from here on Monday.A cash amount of Rs 71,000 was also seized from the arrested individuals. The accused have been identified as Nissar Ahmed and Aaqib.Superintendent of Police Kathua, Sridhar Patil said, "On receiving the information, a checkpoint was laid down by Police party of Police Station Lakhanpur. The truck was coming from Punjab. Both the accused are from Pulwama's Awantipora district."A case under relevant sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been registered and further investigation is underway.On Thursday, three terrorists were gunned down in a joint operation launched by the police and security forces in Awantipora's Tral.
Northern Army Commander reviews security along LoC
Northern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh on Monday visited forward positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Rajouri districts to review preparedness of deployed soldiers.
SDF captures 5 foreign ISIS terrorists including 2 Americans in Syria
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has captured five ISIS terrorists in a prolonged operation called 'Jazeera Storm'. The arrested militants are said to be from US, Pakistan, and Ireland.SDF press has identified these terrorists as Warren Christopher Clark, 34, Zaid Abed al-Hamid, 35, both from the US, Fadel al-Rahman Cad, 48, Abed al-Azem Rajhoud, 19, both from Pakistan and Alexandr Ruzmatovich Bekmirzaev, who hails from Ireland.The militia's official news outlet also released pictures of the five terrorists.Operation 'Jazeera Strom' is being undertaken by the militia to 'liberate' the last regions which are under the occupation of ISIS.It is worth mentioning that the US has decided to pull its troops out from Syria with President Donald Trump claiming the defeat of ISIS in the region.
Kin of martyred policeman unhappy over Mehbooba's visit to militant family
The family members of martyred policeman Muhammad Yaqoob have expressed their disappointment over former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's visit to kin of a terrorist.Yaqoob's brother said that if she could visit the family of militants, then why not them. He further stated that Mufti is doing all this for votes.Speaking to ANI, Yaqoob's brother said, "If she can visit militants' families, why not us? She should see our living condition. This is only for votes."Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday visited Rubina, sister of a terrorist, who was allegedly thrashed by policemen in Jammu.Mufti had said that this incident of thrashing was an unfortunate incident and should not occur again.
Women constitute 13 % of IAF workforce, just 3.8 % of Army staff
Women comprise 13 per cent of the Indian Air Force's workforce, the highest among the three armed services, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. In a written response to a question in the Upper House, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said women constitute 3.80 per cent of the Army's workforce, while they are six per cent of the Navy's personnel. Women comprise 13 per cent of the Air Force's workforce, he said, adding they make up 21.63 per cent and 20.75 per cent of the staff in medical and dental services respectively of the armed forces. All nursing officers in the armed forces are women. The induction of women into the Army is based on the organisational requirement, fighting efficiency, combat effectiveness and functionality of the force, the minister said. Presently, women along with men candidates are recruited in the Army as officers through Short Service Commission (SSC) on all-India merit basis, he said. Women Officers are inducted into the Service ..
Pro-Bashir rally as Sudan says 800 protesters arrested
More than 800 protesters have been arrested in anti-government demonstrations held across Sudan since last month, a minister said Monday, as hundreds gathered at a rally backing President Omar al-Bashir. Deadly protests have rocked Sudan since December 19, when unrest first broke out over a government decision to raise the price of bread. Authorities say at least 19 people including two security personnel have been killed in clashes during the demonstrations, but rights group Amnesty International has put the death toll at 37. Interior Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman on Monday gave details to parliament of arrests made during the protests and violence that marked several rallies. "The total number of protesters arrested until now is 816," Osman said. The figure was the first given by officials for those detained since the rallies erupted initially in towns and villages and later spread to the capital Khartoum. Osman told lawmakers there had been a total of 381 protests reported since ...
IS suicide bomber kills 5 in Syria's Raqa: Monitor
An Islamic State group suicide bomber attacked a centre for Kurdish forces in the northern Syrian city of Raqa on Monday, killing four civilians and an anti-jihadist fighter, a monitor said. The attacker blew himself up after entering the centre run by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "A suicide attacker wearing an explosives belt blew himself up inside a YPG centre after opening fire on a security checkpoint at its entrance," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said. At least four civilians and a YPG fighter were killed in the attack, he added. The YPG forms the backbone an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) battling to expel IS from its last redoubt in eastern Syria. IS claimed responsibility for the attack they said targeted a "recruitment centre" for Kurdish forces. "The attacker aimed at them with a machine gun then blew up his explosives vest in the middle of ...
Perimeter security of def establishments won't cost more than Rs 1,500 crore: Govt
Perimeter security of defence establishments would cost less than Rs 1,500 crore and funds for this have already been allocated, the government has told a parliamentary panel. In a report, the Standing Committee on Defence said a representative of the Army, while deposing before it on the issue of security of defence installations, stated that the overall situation is "very disturbing" and the defence forces should get their due and more attention should be paid to them. While the Ministry of Defence has delegated powers to the Vice Chief of the Army Staff to spend a little over Rs 14,000 crore towards security related issues, there is no separate allocation made in this regard, the panel said. The panel also advocated creating a separate head of account for installation and hiring of security related equipment. In its reply, the Ministry of Defence said it does not subscribe to the view that the overall situation is "very disturbing". "The armed forces are accorded the highest ...
All CAPF contingents except one out of Republic Day parade this time
Marching contingents of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) but the CRPF have been kept out of the forthcoming Republic Day parade in the national capital on January 26, officials said on Monday. The most glaring omission is the squad of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is celebrating its golden jubilee this year. The about 1.70-lakh personnel strong force, designated as the lead airports and vital installations guarding security unity, was kept out of the iconic parade on national capital's Rajpath last year too. "None of the paramilitary forces, except the CRPF, have been inducted into the Republic Day marching contingents this time. Therefore, the marching teams of CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB have not been asked to join the ongoing practice drills on Rajpath," a top security official privy to the development said. A government order accessed by PTI said only five contingents of forces under the Union Home Ministry have been included for the Republic Day-2019 that