Page 341 - War Conflict
Senior journalist still haunted by 26/11 sounds and images
The staccato bursts of gun fire, smoke plumes billowing out of the iconic Taj Mahal hotel, bullet-riddled bodies at local hospitals and cries of the victims' kin still flash through Vijay Vaidyas mind. Ten years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which claimed 166 lives and left over 300 injured, the 78-year-old senior journalist recalls the stories of valour by security personnel and the resilience shown by Mumbaikars. Ten terrorists, armed with automatic weapons and grenades, went about firing indiscriminately, carrying out bomb explosions and holding innocents hostage as a fight back by security forces continued for the next 60 hours. Vaidya, who lives in north Mumbai suburb Borivali, said he was at his home when he learnt about the terror attack. He rang up then Opposition leader in State Assembly and present Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam and together they headed t south Mumbai from Kadams Kandivli residence. Vaidya said they saw a taxi damaged in a blast in ..
Chlorine used in Aleppo attack, confirms Russian MoD
Russian Ministry of Defence on Sunday confirmed that the poisonous agent-Chlorine-filled shells were used by the militants in the recent attack on government-held city Aleppo."According to preliminary confirmed data, in particular, by the symptoms of poisoned victims, the shells that were fired at residential areas of Aleppo had been filled with chlorine," Sputnik quoted Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov as saying.The Russian government, in order to detect a possible chemical attack, has sent a team of chemists to Aleppo."Groups from the observation posts of the radiation, chemical, and biological protection units with special equipment stationed in Syria arrived at the area of shelling urgently. They work with the injured taken to medical institutions, monitor the situation in the area where the militants used poisonous substances," said Konashenkov.Russia also indicated that White Helmet organisation might be linked to the attack.In order to detect
Cops were afraid, let Kasab flee from station: Photojournalist
The photojournalist who captured the chilling image of 26/11 Mumbai attack terrorist Ajmal Kasab at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, says police let Kasab and his accomplice flee from the railway station. On November 26, 2008, Sebastian D'Souza ran out from his office next to the train station armed with nothing more than his Nikon camera and lenses, after hearing the gunfire. The photo and testimony of 'Saby', as he is known in media circles, was to play a crucial role in the 26/11 trial, which led to Kasab's hanging in 2012. "Had policemen posted near the railway station killed Kasab and the other terrorist inside the station, so many lives could have been saved," Saby told PTI. In one of the most horrific terrorist attacks on the soil of India, 166 people were killed and over 300 were injured when ten heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan ran a rampage in Mumbai 10 years ago. "There were two police battalions present near the station, but did nothing," said ..
In South Sudan, a new approach to end use of child soldiers
After coming face to face with "unpredictable" gun-waving children almost 25 years ago, the former commander of the failed UN peacekeeping mission during the Rwandan genocide dedicated his life to eliminating the use of children as weapons of war. In an interview with The Associated Press in civil war-torn South Sudan, Romeo Dallaire, who is widely known for warning the UN about Rwanda's massacre in 1994, said the current approach to combatting child soldier recruitment is not "sufficient." Local security forces must be part of the solution, he said. His visit marked the launch of a three-year-program by the Canada-based Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. With 19,000 children associated with armed groups, South Sudan has one of the world's highest rates of child soldiers, according to the UN.
Around 100 Syrians struggle to breathe after 'toxic' attack
Around 100 Syrians have been hospitalised with breathing difficulties in Aleppo, state media and a monitor said Sunday, after allegations rebels fired "toxic gas" into the regime-held city the previous day. State news agency SANA reported "107 cases of breathing difficulties" in an updated toll on Sunday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said a total of 94 people were hospitalised, but most had been discharged and the 31 cases that remained were not critical.
How the secret operation to shift Kasab for hanging unfolded
For the select policemen involved in the covert operation to shift 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab from Mumbai to Pune, the phrase "Parcel reached Fox" signalled that the van carrying him had reached the jail where he was to be hanged the next day. A senior police official involved in carrying out the operation said this was one of the seven code words/phrases used during the exercise, of which only the then home minister R R Patil and a few top police officials were aware of. The code "Parcel reached Fox" was the last code exchanged between two senior officials involved in the operation to transport Kasab, he told PTI. The hand-picked team was tasked with shifting Kasab from the high security 'Anda Cell' of Arthur Road prison in Central Mumbai to Yerwada Central Prison in Pune, he said. The lone terrorist captured alive during the 26/11 attacks was covered in a 'burqa' while being taken out of his cell on the night of November 20, 2012 and put in a police vehicle, the ...
Eight killed in encounter in South Kashmir, clashes erupt between security forces, youth
A soldier and six militants were Sunday killed during an encounter between ultras and security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said here. A civilian was also killed while four other locals were injured in the cross firing near the encounter site, sparking massive clashes between groups of youth and security forces in the area, a police official said. Giving details of the operation, the official said security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Hipura Batagund village around midnight following specific information about presence of militants there. As the searches were going on, the search party was fired upon by militants. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight, he said. "Initially, one jawan of 34 RR sustained injuries in the exchange of fire. He was evacuated to hospital and is stated to be stable now. However, one Jawan identified as Nazir Ahmad of 34 RR who got grievously injured in the final phase of the encounter has succumbed, the ...
12 dead in suspected Mozambique Islamist attack
Twelve people have been killed in a suspected Islamist attack in northern Mozambique, with thousands of villagers fleeing the area into neighbouring Tanzania, police sources said Sunday. Early Friday, "there was an attack in Nangane district, where there are no security patrols. The attackers killed 12 people, mostly women and children," a police source in Cabo Delgado province, who asked not to be named, told AFP. The attack took place in the village of Chicuaia Velha, just a few kilometres (miles) from Tanzania, forcing several thousand people to cross the border to seek safety, police said. A local journalist said the villagers were killed by machete or died when their houses were set on fire by the attackers. It was the third such incident in the last month in Cabo Delgado, leaving 20 dead in all. The authorities have responded with a crackdown, rounding up some 200 suspects. Over the past year, hardline Islamists have been active in the region, stoking unrest just as the ...
Soldier, 6 militants, civilian killed in J&K
An Indian Army soldier and six Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed in an encounter in a Jammu and Kashmir village in Shopian district leading to clashes with protesters that left one civilian dead.
'India's coastal security has vastly improved, regulatory framework needed for stakeholders' (November 26 is the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack)
India has considerably improved its maritime and coastal security since the Mumbai terror attack 10 years ago, but a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for stakeholders is needed to improve coordination and help make best use of institutional capabilities, experts have said.
Maoist killed in MP
Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled on Wednesday, the police here in Balaghat district was able to avoid a Maoist attack by killing one from a group of seven.
J-K: Six terrorists killed in Shopian encounter
Two more terrorists were neutralised by the security personnel in Kapran Batagund area during a gun battle in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian on Sunday.Earlier in the day, the forces gunned down four terrorists in the encounter."Butagund Kapran #Shopian encounter update. Four bodies of militants recovered. Their identity is ascertained," tweeted the Jammu and Kashmir Police.The operation is not yet over.Ahead of snowfall and winters firmly setting in, incidents of terror strikes have been on the rise in the state.On November 20, an Army personnel was killed and four terrorists were neutralised in an encounter in Nadigam village of Shopian district.
UN condemns deadly terror attacks in Pakistan
The UN has condemned the two terrorist attacks in Pakistan and expressed hope that those behind the acts will be swiftly brought to justice. Three heavily-armed suicide bombers on Friday stormed the Chinese consulate in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, killing four people including two policemen before being shot dead by security forces. The attack was soon claimed by the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). In a separate attack the same day, at least 32 people were killed and over 40 injured when a suicide bomber triggered a powerful bomb blast at a crowded marketplace outside a religious seminary in Orakzai district in the country's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. In a statement by his spokesperson, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended his deep condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. "He hopes those responsible for the attacks will be swiftly brought to justice," the statement said. The UN Security Council also ...
Soldier, 6 militants killed in J&K
An Indian Army soldier and six Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba militants have been killed so far in an encounter underway in a Jammu and Kashmir village in Shopian district on Sunday, defence spokesman said.
Hizbul, LeT militants killed in J&K
Four militants belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Taiba were killed in an overnight operation in a Jammu and Kashmir village in Shopian district, police said.
9 killed, dozens injured in Aleppo Chlorine attack
As many as nine people were killed and dozens injured in chlorine-filled shell attacks by militants in Aleppo on Saturday.Al Arabiya reported that the shells were loaded with chlorine gas which further caused breathing problems to the people exposed to the attack.Sputnik quoted a Syrian military source as saying, "The Syrian army responded to the shelling of militants, attacking the positions from which the shelling was carried out, militants suffered significant losses."Aleppo was liberated by Syrian government troops from militant and terror groups in 2016 but militants continued to shell the city from positions in Aleppo's suburbs.The Russian Center for Syrian reconciliation warned earlier in November that militants were planning new attacks with the use of chemical agents in Syria. In particular, the Russian Defense Ministry said that militants have transported 20 containers with toxic chlorine into Syria.In October, Daesh terrorists attacked Nusra Front militants in the Syrian ...
Libyan army kills 12 IS militants
The Libyan Army has killed 12 Islamic State militants near Tazerbu, destroyed their vehicles and confiscated weapons and ammunition during a joint operation, a military said.
4 terrorists killed in ongoing Shopian encounter
Four terrorists were gunned down by the security forces on Sunday in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.The security forces have also recovered weapons from the site of the incident.The encounter that broke out in the Kapran Batagund area of the district earlier in the morning is still underway.On November 20, an Army jawan was killed and four terrorists were neutralised in an encounter in Nadigam village of Shopian district.
J-K: Encounter underway in Shopian district
An encounter has broke out between the security forces and terrorists in the Kapran Batagund area of the district.The gun fight between the two sides began on early Sunday morning.Two to three terrorists are believed to be holed up in the area.The operation is currently underway. More details awaited.On November 20, one Indian Army jawan was killed and four terrorists were gunned down in an encounter in Nadigam village of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district.
Syria regime shelling kills 9 civilians in Idlib: monitor
Syrian regime shelling has killed nine civilians including seven children in a planned buffer zone around the country's last major rebel bastion, a monitor said. A teacher and four schoolchildren were among the victims after the shelling hit near a school in the northwestern province of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey in September agreed to set up a demilitarised cordon around the region of Idlib to stave off a massive regime offensive. But the deal's implementation has stalled after jihadists refused to withdraw from the expected buffer zone by a mid-October deadline, and sporadic shelling and clashes have since rocked the area. The teacher and four children were leaving the school in the town of Jarjanaz in the southeast of Idlib province when the artillery fire hit, said Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman. Saturday's killings are the latest in a string of similar incidents, according to the Britain-based monitor, ...