Page 294 - War Conflict
Indian, Chinese troops celebrate New Year's Day jointly at
Indian and Chinese troops jointly celebrated the New Year's Day on Tuesday 15,000 feet above the sea level in snow clad mountains and sub zero temperatures of Bumla in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh, a defence communique said. Both sides greeted each other warmly and reaffirmed their commitment in maintaining peace and tranquillity along the line of actual control as per the various agreements between the two nations. The celebration was organised by Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) on the Chinese side of Bumla and led by Col Hu Tang Sheng, it said adding the Indian delegation was led by Col Prasenjit Karand. Bumla, situated about 32 Km from Tawang, is one of the five Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) venues for Indian and Chinese troops guarding the sensitive border. In the last 28 years, the BPM mechanism has evolved into a vital platform for resolving local issues and fostering mutual confidence with a view to enhancing peace and tranquillity in the sector, the ...
ISIS case: NIA conducts fresh searches in Delhi, Amroha
The NIA searched multiple locations in Delhi and Amroha in Uttar Pradesh in connection with its probe into a suspected ISIS-inspired terror group in which it arrested 10 suspects last week, officials said Tuesday. The raids were conducted in at least five places in Delhi and Amroha over Monday and Tuesday as sleuths are looking for additional evidence, they said. On December 26, the agency had busted the group and arrested the suspects, who, it said, were planning suicide attacks and serial blasts targeting politicians and government installations in Delhi and other parts of north India. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also recovered a locally-made rocket launcher, material for suicide vests and 112 alarm clocks to be used as timers during searches in cities in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh last week. A Delhi court had allowed 10 days of custodial interrogation to the NIA after it produced them before it on December 27. The NIA had conducted the searches last week in ...
Northern Command chief briefs J&K guv on security situation
The chief of the Army's Northern Command, Lt Gen. Ranbir Singh, called on Governor Satya Pal Malik on Tuesday and briefed him about the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesperson said. Singh briefed Malik about the prevailing security situation along the forward areas and the hinterland, operational preparedness of the Army for anti-terrorist activities and measures being taken for ensuring safety and security of people living along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), the spokesperson said. The Governor emphasised on sharp vigil along the LoC and IB and maintenance of high ethical standards during discharge of duties.
India facing complex security challenges, threat to territorial integrity, internal stability: Rawat
India is facing complex and dynamic security challenges along its borders, which are a threat to the country's territorial integrity and internal stability, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has said. In a new year message to Army personnel, he hailed the collective grit, determination and sacrifices of the troops in standing up to the challenges along the borders as well as in combating threats of terrorism. "We are facing complex and dynamic security challenges along our borders which threaten territorial integrity and internal stability of the nation," Gen. Rawat said. He, however, did not mention about the situation along India's nearly 4,000- km frontier with China or along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. "Our steadfast resolve to ensure territorial integrity has been evident from the collective grit, determination and sacrifice of our troops who have stood their ground under the most challenging, inhospitable and most hostile circumstances," Gen. Rawat said. The Indian Army .
CRPF officer died fighting Maoists
In an unusual twist to the earlier version, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said on Tuesday that an Assistant Commandant from Jammu and Kashmir died in Jharkhand during an anti-Maoist operation.
Afghan special forces fight IS; Taliban kill 15 policemen
Afghan special forces launched a new offensive against the Islamic State group in eastern Nangarhar province, killing 27 militants, officials said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Taliban attacks in northern Afghanistan killed 15 members of the country's security forces. According to provincial council member Ajmal Omar, the special forces, backed by helicopter gunships, targeted IS in Achin district of Nangarhar on Monday. The province has been an IS stronghold and the site where the militant group's regional branch first emerged a few years ago. The militants' media arm, the Aamaq news agency, claimed IS repulsed a joint Afghan-U.S. operation in the area. Omar, who could not confirm whether US troops took part in the operation, said two local IS leaders, Sediq Yar and Syed Omar, were among those killed. The remoteness of the area makes it impossible to independently investigate conflicting reports. In the north, the Taliban launched two blistering attacks on police outposts in Sar-e-Pul province
SSP (Security) Kashmir transferred after rifles go missing from Cong MLC's residence
Days after four rifles belonging to the personal security officers of a Congress MLC went missing from his official residence in Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Police shunted out the SSP (Security) Kashmir for "dereliction of duty on supervision". "Maqsood-ul-Zaman, SSP (Security) Kashmir, is hereby attached to security headquarters with immediate effect," Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said in an order. Sajad Hussain, SSP Commandant of the 3rd battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Armed Police, has been given the additional charge of SSP (Security) Kashmir till further orders, the DGP said. The weapons of Congress leader D Muzaffar Parray's personal security officers (PSOs) went missing from the guard room of his official residence in Jawahar Nagar area of the city on Sunday. Four police personnel, posted as PSOs at Parray's residence, were dismissed from service on Monday for dereliction of duty and unauthorized absence. Police on Sunday had said there was no armed ...
CRPF officer electrocuted in Jharkhand
An Assistant Commandant of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Uri area in the Kashmir Valley was electrocuted in Jharkhand.
Afghan official: Taliban attacks kill 15 Afghan policemen
An Afghan official says the Taliban launched two blistering attacks in northern Sar-e-Pul province, killing 15 members of the country's security forces. In one attack, on the outskirts of the provincial capital, heavy artillery fire by Afghan forces trying to repel the insurgents sent local residents fleeing for safety. Provincial council chief Mohammad Noor Rahmani says that along with 15 policemen killed, 21 were wounded in the two attacks, which took place late on Monday. He says fierce gunbattles raged for several hours in Sayyad district and outside Sar-e-Pul, the provincial capital. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousof Ahmadi claimed responsibility for both attacks. The Taliban have been carrying out near-daily attacks targeting Afghan forces despite stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to the country's 17-year war.
Amid security, 201st anniversary of Bima Koregaon observed at 'Vijay Stambh'
Over hundreds of people on Tuesday visited the Vijay Stambh (War Memorial) near Perne village here to mark the 201st anniversary of the Bima-Koregaon battle.Amidst heavy security, an event was organised at midnight to commemorate 201 years of the battle. Thousands of visitors paid their tribute at the memorial and a special 'puja' was also organised during the night.The visitors paid their respects at the Victory Pillar which was decked up with colorful lights and flowers.In the battle, which was fought between the British East India Company, containing Dalits in its infantry, and the Peshwas, who were upper-caste Brahmins, at Koregaon Bhima on January 1, 1818, the Marathas ultimately withdrew. Since then, members of different communities have been viewing it as a symbolic victory for themselves.On the 200th celebrations of the same, violence spilled over to adjoining parts of Maharashtra after clashes broke out between the Dalits and alleged right-wing groups on January 1, during the
Three wounded in Manchester knife attack: UK police
A man, a woman and a police officer were being treated for knife injuries, police said Monday, after a stabbing at a railway station in the British city of Manchester. A witness, Sam Clack, 38, a BBC producer, quoted the suspect as saying: "As long as you keep bombing other countries this sort of shit is going to keep happening.
Amsterdam airport departure area evacuated for bomb threat
Dutch military police evacuated passengers from a departure area at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport for a short time Monday evening due to a bomb threat, police said. The Royal Marechaussee police force said in a tweet that officers overpowered a suspect and quickly lifted the evacuation order. An update from the military force's Twitter account said the suspect was a 51-year-old Canadian man who was held for questioning. The force in the Netherlands did not identify him. It said no explosives were found at Schiphol Airport.
85 FARC members killed in Colombia since peace accord: UN
Since Colombia signed a peace deal with left-wing FARC rebels two years ago, 85 members of the former guerrilla movement have been murdered, the United Nations said on Monday. Between September 26 and December 26 this year alone, "14 ex-members of FARC were murdered," said UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres in his quarterly report on the global body's mission to Colombia. According to the state's special investigation unit, quoted by the UN, those responsible for the killings "are illegal armed groups and criminal organizations." Most of those cases have been linked to the Gulf Clan drug-trafficking group that emerged out of disarmed right-wing paramilitaries in 2006, as well as FARC dissidents, the ELN guerrilla group and remnants of the now disbanded EPL Marxist rebels. FARC is the Spanish acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia; ELN is the National Liberation Army; and EPL is the People's Liberation Army. The UN called on right-wing President Ivan Duque, a vocal .
Thousands visit 'jay stambh' on Koregaon Bhima anniversary eve
On the eve of the 201st anniversary of the Koregaon Bhima battle, thousands of visitors Monday paid tribute at the 'jay stambh' near Perne village in Maharashtra's Pune district amidst heavy security while locals accorded them a "warm" welcome and arranged for their food. Around 18,000 to 20,000 visitors who have come from various parts of Maharashtra visited the victory pillar, police said. Contrary to the scene of January 1 this year when caste clashes had broken out around Koregaon Bhima village, the villagers were Monday seen welcoming the visitors with roses and water bottles, they said. Arrangements were also made for food, water and providing other logistical support. "Majority of the visitors, mainly youths, reached here today from the Vidarbha and the Marathawada regions of the state and paid tribute at the memorial," said a police officer. The 'jay stambh' had been erected by the British as a memorial for the soldiers killed in the Koregaon Bhima battle on ...
Police should not harass women relatives of militants: J&K Governor
After much public outcry in the alleged case of harassment of a terrorist's sister by the cops in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Monday said that he will direct all police officers and staff to not harass the women relatives of militants or treat them inappropriately.He said that he would direct the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Kashmir, to look into the incident and take necessary action if required against the accused police personnel."I have been informed that there has been no tearing up of a lady's clothes or her being harassed by the police. I reiterate that all police officers and staff will be directed not to harass ladies who happen to be relatives of militants or treat them in an unbecoming manner," said Malik.He said that it has been widely reported in media that three close relatives of a militant were allegedly arrested and harassed by the J&K Police. "It has also been alleged that the clothes of a lady, who was one of those arrested, were ...
J&K police dismisses PSOs of Cong MLC after rifles go missing
A day after four rifles belonging to the personal security officers of a Congress legislator went missing from his official residence here, the Jammu and Kashmir Police Monday dismissed the personnel for dereliction of duty. The weapons of Member of Legislative Council Muzaffar Parray's personal security officers (PSOs) went missing from the guard room of his official residence in Jawahar Nagar area of the city on Sunday. "Four police personnel who were deployed as PSOs with senior Congress leader and MLC Muzzafar Parray have been dismissed from service for dereliction of duty and unauthorised absence," a police spokesman said. The police had on Sunday said there was no armed intrusion into the official quarters, but called it a negligence on part of the security personnel. Parray was not at his official residence at the time of the incident.
10 troops killed in Niger border clash with 'bandits'
Ten troops have been killed on Niger's border with Nigeria in a joint operation by the two countries against "bandits", Nigerien Defence Minister Kalla Moutari said on Monday. "Five Nigerien and five Nigerian" troops and 11 enemy fighters were killed in the operation, launched against gangs in the Maradi region at the weekend, he told AFP. "The Nigerian defence and security forces are identifying the bodies of the bandits," Moutari also said, according to a TV report from Maradi, where he went to attend the funeral of the dead Nigerien troops. Niger is one of several countries in the impoverished Sahel region to be hit by jihadist violence. Officials often call Islamist attackers "bandits" but a security source said the joint operation targeted criminal gangs that plague the Niger-Nigeria border, holing up in dense forests. The fighting "began on Saturday in the middle of the morning," the source said, adding that several troops from both countries were also wounded. The groups are ..
Nigerian army deploys for battle to reclaim key town from Boko Haram
Troops are preparing to launch an offensive in a bid retake a strategic town captured by Boko Haram jihadists in northeast Nigeria, security and civilian sources said on Monday. Fighters from IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) took control of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad on Thursday after over-running military bases. The jihadists established full control over the fishing town on Friday after sacking a naval base, forcing personnel to flee across the lake to a village on the Chadian side of the border. Dozens of military trucks and armoured vehicles from Borno state capital Maiduguri arrived late Sunday at the garrison town of Monguno, 135 kilometres (84 miles) away, in readiness for the offensive, two military officers and militia sources told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Military assets have been deployed to Monguno in preparation for an operation to recapture Baga from Boko Haram terrorists," said the first military officer. Monguno residents reported ..
AFSPA extended in Nagaland for another six months
The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) has been extended for six more months in Nagaland, with the Home Ministry declaring the entire state "disturbed area".
1 killed in 'unprovoked firing' by Indian forces: Pak
Pakistan said on Monday that "unprovoked firing" by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC) killed a woman. "Indian troops resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LOC targeting civil population in Shahkot sector," Army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said. One woman, identified as Asia Bibi, died while nine people were injured in the firing, he said. Ghafoor said Pakistani troops responded effectively to the Indian firing.