Page 306 - War Conflict
Modi cautions police forces against elements exploiting caste fault lines
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged police forces to be vigilant in countering the "dark forces of radicalisation" and cautioned them against divisive elements exploiting caste fault lines, saying terrorism had been limited to a small geographical area due to effort of police forces.
ICC asks BCCI to pay compensation or lose rights to host 2023 World Cup
In a major blow to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday asked the board to either pay $23 million (Rs 161 crore) by the end of this year as compensation for the tax deductions incurred in hosting the 2016 World T20 or end up losing the World Cup 2023 rights.
8 killed as twin bombings rock Somali capital
At least eight people were killed and 13 injured in a twin suicide car bomb attack in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Saturday, the police said.
5 security personnel injured in grenade attack in J&K
Five security personnel were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, police said. The incident occurred when the militants among a crowd lobbed a grenade at the security forces in Arwani area of Bijbehara, a police spokesperson said. Five security forces' personnel sustained injuries and were evacuated to a hospital, where they were discharged after first-aid treatment, the spokesperson said. A case has been registered and an investigation is on, he added.
Bihar: Body of Naxal recovered, arms seized
Security forces on Saturday recovered a body of Naxal along with one AK 47 rifle and one SLR with ammunition after an encounter broke out between the forces and Naxals.The operation was conducted by troops of 207 CoBRA along with the Bihar police in Jamui's Khaira forest area.The search operation is still underway.
Dozens hurt in violence during anti-encroachment drive in Jammu
Dozens of people, including a senior Jammu Development Authority official and policemen, were injured on Saturday during an anti-encroachment drive in Jammu city.
Rehabilitate surrendered militants otherwise they would return
The ULFA pro-talk faction chief Arabinda Rajkhowa has said that it is the responsibility of the Tripura government to rehabilitate the surrendered militants otherwise there are chances that they would return to jungle. In an oblique reference to alleged cases of pending rehabilitation of surrendered insurgents in Tripura, Rajkhowa said that the government has the responsibility to rehabilitate them. "Government has responsibility to rehabilitate them. Otherwise what they will do? They will go back again. To stop them to go back again to the jungle, it is needed to rehabilitate them," he told reporters at the Agartala Airport here Friday evening. The United Front of Asom (ULFA) pro-talk faction chairman had come to Tripura to attend the Tring festival in Khowai district on Friday night. He also said that he had come to join his "brothers and sisters" Rajkhowa said "I have got brothers and sisters here. We were together in bad days and good days alike. They are like my ..
Pakistan praises plan for US troop withdrawal in Afghanistan
Pakistan's foreign minister has welcomed President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw half the U.S.'s troops from Afghanistan. Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday told reporters in the central city of Multan that the decision is good for ongoing peace talks between the Afghan Taliban and the U.S. Qureshi says Pakistan welcomes the peace discussions that took place earlier this week in Abu Dhabi and will continue to support the Afghan peace process. The minister said Pakistan has released some Taliban to help facilitate the talks. The latest talks between the Taliban and U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad focused on the withdrawal of NATO troops, the release of prisoners and halting attacks on civilians by pro-government forces. Khalilzad has tweeted that talks held in United Arab Emirates were "productive.
'Yellow vest' protest numbers fall in run-up to Christmas
French "yellow vests" turned out in small numbers for a sixth Saturday of nationwide demonstrations, with one person killed in a road accident, the tenth death since the protests began last month. In Paris, the scene of violent clashes in previous demonstrations, traffic was normal in the morning and most shops, except for some luxury boutiques, were open for business in the busy weekend before Christmas. David Delbruyere was one of about 20 protesters near the Arc de Triomphe, the fifth time he has come to the French capital to join a demonstration. And he wasn't discouraged by the small turnout so far. "I think it's going to happen," the 48-year-old said. Some 200 people gathered for a demonstration in Paris' tourist area of Monmartre and the Sacre Coeur basilica. In all, around 800 "yellow vests" showed up for small demonstrations around the French capital, police said at mid-day. Authorities were also stationed at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris which has been closed to ..
Somalia blast kills at least 16 near presidential palace
An explosives-packed vehicle detonated at a military checkpoint near Somalia's presidential palace, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 20 others, police said. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, which often targets Mogadishu, claimed responsibility for the attack. Those killed include three staffers from the London-based Universal TV station, including prominent journalist Awil Dahir Salad, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein, who gave the toll of dead and wounded. The bomber targeted the checkpoint near the rear entrance of the heavily fortified palace, Hussein said. A lawmaker and a deputy mayor of Mogadishu were among those wounded, he said. Soldiers also were among the dead, Col. Ahmed Mohamud said. The blast and a second, smaller one nearby appeared to target those heading to work on what was a business day in the Horn of Africa nation. A plume of smoke rose over the capital as ambulances rushed to the scene. "At first I saw a vehicle driving to and fro, .
Exclusive: Anti-Vedanta protesters killed by shots to head, chest; half from behind - autopsies
THOOTHUKUDI, India (Reuters) - Twelve of the 13 protesters killed when police opened fire on a demonstration against Vedanta's copper smelter in Tamil Nadu in May were hit by bullets in the head or chest, and half of those were shot from behind, autopsy reports show.
Respite in Paris as yellow vest movement abates
The yellow vest protests, which have brought particular chaos to Paris over the past few weeks, clearly abated Saturday, as the Christmas holiday season began in earnest. The number of protesters demonstrating on Paris' Champs Elysees is down sharply on recent week as an appeal for a sixth straight Saturday of protests across France appeared to fall on deaf ears. In a stark contrast to the chaos of previous weekends, tourists strolled down the avenue near the Arc de Triomphe and perhaps the grandest of Parisian boulevards remained open for traffic. A few hundred protesters cordoned by police forces did walk across Paris toward the Madeleine Church near the Elysee Palace but were stopped by police in a small adjacent street as some shop owners closed down early. Despite the more benign backdrop, the protests are still having a knock-on effect. The palace of Versailles just outside Paris, for example, has been shut for the day after yellow vest protesters said they will hold a ...
UN ceasefire monitors arrive in Yemen: AFP
A United Nations team tasked with monitoring Yemen's fragile ceasefire in the port city of Hodeida arrived in Aden on Saturday, an AFP journalist said. The team led by Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general, made their first stop in Aden where the internationally-recognised government is based. While in the city Cammaert is due to meet with leaders, according to a Yemeni official, before travelling to the rebel-held capital Sanaa and onwards to Hodeida. The team's arrival comes a day after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution authorising the deployment of observers to Hodeida, a lifeline port city which serves as the entry point for the majority of imports to war-torn Yemen. The UN team is due to secure the functioning of the port as well as supervise the withdrawal of fighters from the city. The resolution submitted by Britain also endorses the outcome of UN-brokered peace negotiations in Sweden last week, where the warring parties agreed to the Hodeida truce .
Rajiv Gandhi not mentioned in resolution: AAP's Jarnail Singh
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Jarnail Singh on Saturday clarified that he had not mentioned former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's name in connection with the latter's alleged involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, but took his name as part of his own opinion."This (Bharat Ratna be taken back from Rajiv Gandhi) wasn't a part of the original resolution. It was my feeling and I said it. Technically, it wasn't in the notice," he told ANI.However, Singh said that the killing of thousands of people in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots should be termed as "genocide.""So far the Congress and the BJP have not termed the 1984 Sikh riots as genocide but on Friday the AAP did it in the Delhi assembly. I thank everyone present in the assembly for doing it on Friday. I appealed every that the killing of thousands of innocent people on that day should be called as genocide," said Singh, MLA from Tilak Nagar.Rajiv Gandhi was granted India's highest civilian honour Bharat Ratna after his death in 1991. ...
Somalia blasts kill seven near presidential palace
Seven people were killed Saturday in a double car bomb attack claimed by the jihadist Shabaab group near the presidential palace in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said. "We have confirmed seven people died in the two blasts and more than ten others wounded," local police spokesman Ibrahim Mohamed said. "The security forces have cordoned off the area and an investigation is ongoing." The first explosion happened at a checkpoint outside the national theatre, some 500 metres (yards) from the palace. The second blast, more powerful according to witnesses, came minutes later at a nearby crossroads. "The second blast was very big," Idil Hassan, who witnessed it, told AFP. "I saw the dead bodies of several people, including members of the security forces." Somalia's London-based Universal TV said three of its staff were among the fatalities, naming one as Somali and British dual national Awil Dahir. A Shabaab statement said the Islamist group's "martyrdom operation" had targeted "a ...
Major success for forces in Kashmir; Al-Qaeda affiliated commander, 5 other terrorists killed
In a major success, security forces on Saturday killed six terrorists in Kashmir, including the deputy of Zakir Musa, who is the chief of Al-Qaeda affiliated Ansar Ghazat-ul-Hind terror outfit.All the six, who were killed in an encounter in Awantipora area of Pulwama district, were locals and involved in a series of terror attacks on security establishments and civilians, the police said.The encounter erupted after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area following specific intelligence input about the presence of terrorists in the area, the police said.The hiding terrorists fired upon the security forces, triggering the encounter, the police said."Six terrorists were killed in the operation, there was no collateral damage," Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) S P Pani told ANI.Among those killed was Soliha Mohammad Akhoon alias Rehaan Khan, deputy chief of Musa-led Ansar Ghazat-ul-Hind, police sources said.Zakir Musa, whose actual name is Zakir ...
Macron in Chad to meet soldiers amid extremist threats
French President Emmanuel Macron is travelling to Chad for a two-day visit to meet with French soldiers deployed in the Sahel region with Operation Barkhane amid persistent extremist threats. According to the Elysee palace, Macron will use his first visit to the north-central African country to reaffirm his commitment to counterterror efforts in the vast region south of the Sahara. Macron also will hold talks with President Idriss Deby on Sunday and meet with a delegation of Chadian women. On Saturday, the French president will share a Christmas meal with French soldiers at the Barkhane headquarters in the capital, N'Djamena. The operation in West and Central Africa involves 4,500 personnel and is France's largest overseas military mission. Macron is also expected to renew France's support for the G5 Sahel regional force that works alongside Barkhane and is made up of soldiers from Chad, Niger, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso. The Elysee said that beyond the question of stability in
6 terrorists belonging to Zakir Musa-led outfit killed in Pulwama encounter
In a blow to an Al-Qaeda affiliate terror group, police Saturday neutralised six militants, including a close associate of Zakir Musa, in south Kashmir's Awantipora area, police said. "It was a smooth operation and all the six terrorists have been neutralised," said Swayam Prakash Pani, the Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range). He said all the six were wanted in militancy-related activities. Police said the slain militants belonged to the Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGuH), a terror outfit led by Zakir Musa and having allegiance to the banned Al-Qaeda. A police spokesman said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Arampora village in Awantipora area of the south Kashmir's Pulwama district, following specific intelligence about the presence of militants there. As the forces were conducting searches, militants opened fire on them, he said, adding the forces retaliated leading to a gunfight in which the militants were killed. He said there was no collateral damage ...
6 Kashmiri Zakir Musa men killed in J&K
Six Kashmiri militants of the Al Qaeda-affiliate Zakir Musa group, Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, were gunned down by security forces in an encounter on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.
Somalia blast kills at least 6 near presidential palace
Police in Somalia say a suicide car bombing near the presidential palace has killed at least six people and wounded several others. Col. Ahmed Mohamud says those killed in the Saturday morning blast include soldiers and civilians. Capt. Mohamed Hussein says the bomber targeted a military checkpoint near the rear entrance of the heavily fortified palace. Police say lawmakers and other officials had been travelling nearby on what is a business day in the Horn of Africa nation. A second blast was heard shortly afterward nearby in Mogadishu as a plume of smoke rose over the capital. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group often targets the capital.