Page 299 - War Conflict
Trump brags US troops on military pay raise
US President Donald Trump, who was on his maiden visit to Iraq, met military troops stationed in Baghdad and claimed that he gave them a 10 per cent pay raise and called it the first hike in more than a decade. However, the soldiers will actually receive a 2.6 per cent raise in 2019, and not 10 per cent as claimed by Trump."You protect us. We are always going to protect you. And you just saw that, because you just got one of the biggest pay raises you've ever received. You haven't gotten one in more than 10 years. More than 10 years. And we got you a big one. I got you a big one. I got you a big one," Trump was quoted by CNN as saying.The Pentagon has hiked the pay at around 1 per cent every year for the past decade, The Hill reported citing figures from the US Defense Department.However, according to CNN, the military pay has been hiked every year for more than three decades. It was first raised 2.4 per cent in 2018 and then 2.6 per cent in the 2019 National Defense Authorisation ...
Bangladesh intensifies nationwide security ahead of Dec 30 polls
Campaigning ended on Friday for Bangladesh's December 30 general election as army troops patrolled the streets along with paramilitary forces and police with intensified nationwide security 48 hours before voting. "I expect the law enforcement agencies to ensure security so the people cast vote freely to their desired candidates and return home safely," Chief Election Commissioner Nurul Huda said as the military and paramilitary forces set up makeshift camps across the country after being called out on election duty. Huda asked security agencies to keep an extra vigil on religious minority communities during the voting on Sunday as media reports said at least three Hindu households were set on fire by miscreants between December 16 and 26. "The elections particularly in 2001 and 2014 appeared as a nightmare as far as minority communities were concerned, the situation is good this time barring the three arson attacks in Feni and Thakurgaon," Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity ...
J&K police to get non-lethal riot control equipment
To avoid civilian casualties during riot control operations, the Jammu and Kashmir Police are getting a host of non-lethal riot control equipment, police said on Friday.
Militant killed in encounter in J-K's Pulwama district
A militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Awantipora area in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Banderpora-Rinzipora area of Awantipora on Friday morning following information about the presence of militants there, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired on the search party of the forces, who retaliated. In the ensuing gunfight, one militant was killed, the official said. He sad the slain militant has been identified as Ishfaq Yousuf Wani, a resident of Qoil area of Pulwama in south Kashmir. Further details are awaited, the official said.
Militant killed in J&K
A militant was killed on Friday in a shootout with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, officials said.
Ten Burkina Faso police officers killed in ambush
Ten police officers were killed and three wounded in an ambush in northwestern Burkina Faso on Thursday, the west African country's security ministry said. "The toll is 10 officers who have lost their lives and three wounded," the ministry said in a statement, adding that a police convoy from the Toeni region and reinforcements from the Dedougou area had been ambushed. The officers were attacked while heading to the village of Loroni, near the border with Mali, after a school there had been attacked and textbooks torched by armed assailants, a security source told AFP. The wounded, including two in serious condition, were taken to a hospital in Dedougou, the source added. Burkina Faso has been increasingly hit by deadly attacks over the last three years. They began in the north of the country but have since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin. On Wednesday, a police officer died during an attack on his station in the northern town of Solan. Most attacks are ...
Congo: Protests held over delay in presidential elections
A massive agitation took place between the anti-riot police and protesters in the three cities of Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday where presidential elections, scheduled on the year-end, were postponed further.According to CNN, the security forces used tear gas shells and burned tires against the protesters in Beni, one of the three cities other than Butembo and Yumbi, located in the eastern region of Congo, where the voting, slotted on December 30, was postponed due to rising terrorism and Ebola cases.The decision by the Independent National Election Commission (CENI) to reschedule the voting by March next year instigated the protests who took to streets in cities, including Goma and Butembo, surrounding Beni and used stones to block roads and traffic in the city.The protesters also included supporters of opposition candidate Martin Fayulu, who further treaded to CENI headquarters in the capital city of Kinshasa on Thursday.Earlier, Fayulu had criticised CENI's decision to .
Trump tweets video of secretive SEAL team in Iraq
President Donald Trump may have inadvertently unmasked a Navy SEAL team during his short visit to a US base in Iraq this week. Ordinarily, the whereabouts of special operations forces are a closely held secret. In the rare instances when they are filmed while in a combat zone, their faces and other identifying features are usually blurred out. But after his lightning trip to Al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq on Wednesday, Trump tweeted a video of him posing for photos with US troops, shaking their hands and signing mementos. In one scene, he is giving a thumbs up alongside a group of what appear to be special operations forces. According to the pool report of the event, held in a dining hall at the base, a man called Kyu Lee told Trump he was the chaplain for SEAL Team Five. Lee recalled Trump telling him: "Hey, in that case, let's take a picture." While the president has broad authority to declassify information, so his tweet likely didn't run afoul of any rules, some observers called
Security forces recover powerful can bomb in Godda district
A powerful can bomb was recovered by the security forces during a search operation in naxal-affected Godda district on Thursday, a police officer said. The security personnel launched a search operation in Bhutkipara village after receiving a tip-off. During the search operation they detected a powerful can-bomb planted underneath a kucha road in the jungle, said Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Godda), Ravi Kant. The bomb weighed 20 kg, he said. Later, a bomb disposal squad defused the bomb, the SDPO said.
Assam Rifles to increase presence along Indo-Myanmar border
Assam Rifles, which guards vast stretches of the Indo-Myanmar border in the north east, is in the process of occupying a number of additional locations along the frontier, officials said on Thursday. The paramilitary force has taken a number of steps to increase its presence in the remote border areas of the north east, the officials said. "Assam Rifles is now in the process of occupying number of additional locations all along the Indo-Myanmar Border," a Defence release said. The move is aimed at keeping a strict curb on illegal trans-border activities like smuggling of drugs, weapons and contraband items, and also to check unauthorised crossing of civilians in the border areas, it said. The large stretch of the border along the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram is manned by the Assam Rifles, known as the sentinels of the north east. The Army, through its Eastern Command, is responsible for the operations in the north east and coordinates the ...
Iraqi lawmakers demand US withdrawal after Trump visit
Iraqi lawmakers Thursday demanded US forces leave the country in the wake of a surprise visit by President Donald Trump that politicians denounced as arrogant and a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Politicians from both blocs of Iraq's divided Parliament called for a vote to expel US troops and promised to schedule an extraordinary session to debate the matter. "Parliament must clearly and urgently express its view about the ongoing American violations of Iraqi sovereignty," said Salam al-Shimiri, a lawmaker loyal to the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a troubled region Wednesday, said he has no plans to withdraw the 5,200 US forces in the country. Containing foreign influence has become a hot-button issue in a year that saw al-Sadr supporters win the largest share of votes in May elections. Al-Sadr has called for curbing US and Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs. US troops are stationed in Iraq as part of the coalition against
Govt bans Khalistan Liberation Force
The government has banned Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) for its involvement in several killings, bombings and other terror activities during its violent campaign for "secession of Punjab". The decision to ban the outfit under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) comes in the backdrop of agencies unearthing several KLF modules in recent months which has led to apprehensions that it is attempting to revive militancy in the state. The Khalistan Liberation Force and all its manifestations have been declared outlawed under the under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), a Home Ministry order said on Wednesday, adding it will be the 40th organisation to be proscribed under this law. According to officials, during the height of militancy in Punjab in 1980s and 1990s, the group was involved in a series of unlawful activities. The ban on KLF has been imposed as it is involved in "killing of innocent people and police officers, several bombings on civilian targets in ..
US drone strike kills Islamic State spokesperson in Afghanistan
The spokesperson for the Islamic State militant group in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region has been killed in an airstrike by the US forces, the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
BSF seizes over 5 kg heroin along Indo-Pak border
The Border Security Force (BSF) seized 13 packets of heroin weighing over 5 kilograms in Amritsar sector along the Indo-Pak border, an official said Thursday. BSF troops, who were on patrol duty at Border Out Post in Bharopal village during the night hours on Wednesday, noticed suspicious movement of Pakistani smugglers, he said. The jawans challenged the smugglers, but they managed to escape towards Pakistani side taking advantage of dense fog and undulating ground, the BSF official said, adding the area was cordoned off immediately by the troops. Early in the morning, extensive search and combing operation was launched in the area and 13 packets of heroin weighing 5.610 kg, which were hidden in a plastic bag and tied to a brick, were recovered, the official said. He said the Pakistani smugglers wanted to push the consignment of the contraband items into the Indian territory.
Attack on Sunday Mass: K'taka police's help sought
The Maharashtra police has sought assistance from its Karnataka counterparts to nab the people behind the attack during a Sunday mass in Kolhapur district two days ahead of Christmas. The police had identified five members of a radical group that attacked the gathering at New Life Church in Kowad village -- around 475 km from Mumbai -- and said they hailed from Belagavi district of Karnataka, which is on the border between the two states. "The superintendent of police and additional SP of Kolhapur district had visited us yesterday (Wednesday) and sought assistance in connection with the church-attack. We have assured them of all support to bring the attackers to book," Belagavi City Commissioner D C Rajappa told PTI. Around 15-20 masked men, armed with swords, iron rods and glass bottles, had barged in and attacked a group of approximate 40 people. Twelve people were injured when the group pelted stones at those attending the prayer meet.
Govt declares KLF banned organisation
The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), which aims to establish an independent country with the secession of Punjab "through violent means", was Thursday declared a banned organisation, according to a Home Ministry order. The decision was taken under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for the outfit's alleged involvement in killing of innocent people and police officers and several bombings on civilian targets in India, the order stated. The Khalistan Liberation Force and all its manifestations have been declared outlawed under the UAPA, the order said.
20 kg landmine recovered in Jharkhand
Security personnel recovered a 20 kg landmine in Jharkhand's Godda district on Thursday, police said.
Centre bans Khalistan Liberation Force
Following apprehension of the revival of the Khalistan movement in Punjab, the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) has been banned under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
German Army mulls recruiting EU citizens
German Defence Chief Eberhard Zorn on Thursday said that authorities are contemplating allowing the country's military to employ EU citizens in several posts, including doctors and information technology specialists, several years after Germany scrapped conscription.
Flight services likely between Hindon and Kannur
Union minister Jayant Sinha Thursday said that flight services could begin to Kannur in Kerala from Hindon in the national capital region. A new civil enclave is being developed at Hindon for commercial flights under the regional connectivity scheme. Sinha told the Lok Sabha that as soon as Hindon is ready, there would be flight services to Kannur. Under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik), there have been many bids for Kannur airport to operate services from there to many airports around the country including Hindon, which is near Delhi, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation said. His response came to a query on whether Air India would start flights from the national capital to Kannur. UDAN or the regional connectivity scheme seeks to connect unserved and underserved airports as well as provide air tickets at affordable rates. Kannur airport, the fourth international aerodrome in Kerala, was inaugurated earlier this month. The inaugural flight was operated by Air India Express to Abu ...