Page 342 - War Conflict
IS counter-attacks kill 47 US-backed fighters in east Syria: monitor
Counter-attacks by the Islamic State group have killed at least 47 US-backed fighters over two days as the jihadists struck from their embattled holdout in eastern Syria, a war monitor has said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Kurdish-led alliance supported by a US-led coalition is battling to expel the jihadists from a pocket in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor on the Iraqi border. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said on Satrday the jihadists launched "three separate assaults" on Saturday. The monitor said the counter-attacks targeted the villages of Al-Bahra and Gharanij and an area close to the Al-Tanak oilfield, which is commercially active but is also an SDF military position. SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali confirmed "a series of attacks" led by IS in these three locations and said fighting had taken place all day, with the Kurdish-led ground forces receiving coalition air support. The fighting on Saturday alone killed 29 SDF fighters, taking its ...
18 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in Niger
A regional deputy official in Niger says that 18 girls have been kidnapped from two different villages by suspected Boko Haram militants. Lamido Harouna Moumouni said 24 attackers abducted 15 girls in the village of Blaharde early Saturday and three other girls in the village of Bague. This is not far from where suspected extremists killed at least seven people at a French drilling company's site Wednesday, and near Nigeria's border. Moumouni asked the government do "everything possible to secure this population, including through dialogue with Boko Haram," saying people will leave. Two years ago, about 39 women were kidnapped in Ngalewa in the same region. Nigeria-based Boko Haram has killed and kidnapped thousands of people in its nine-year insurgency, crossing into Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
No more waving of white flag if Pak violates ceasefire: Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the Narendra Modi government had given a free hand to the armed forces to retaliate in the event of terrorist attacks and cross-border strikes, unlike the "weak-kneed responses" of the previous regimes. "Gone are the days when the governments in the country used to raise a white flag whenever troops from Pakistan launched attacks in violation of ceasefire. Now the policy is one bullet fired from the other side would be retaliated with 100 bullets," he said. Singh, who was here to attend a function organised by an association of primary school teachers, also claimed that the country was making steady economic progress under the NDA regime and was well on course in making it to the list of the top three economies of the world within a decade. "Terrorism is an international problem. All countries are facing its brunt. But we have told our armed forces not to worry about ammunition and resources while thwarting terrorist attacks and ...
ULFA(I) claims responsibility for Assam grenade attack, three arrested
Three people, including two former ULFA militants, were arrested on Saturday in connection with the grenade attack in Assam's Sibsagar district on Thursday that killed two people, police said. Earlier in the day, the proscribed ULFA (I) had claimed responsibility for the grenade attack. Eight people were picked up for questioning on Friday in connection with the incident at Demow area of the district, and three of them were arrested on Saturday. The trio also includes an employee of a petrol pump in Demow, police said. A grenade had exploded at a hardware shop in the Demow Chariali area of the district on Thursday, killing a customer, Anup Gupta, and the shop owner, Kamal Agarwal. Security has been beefed up in Guwahati, following the attack and reports of kidnappings in different parts of the state. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Ranjan Bhuyan said 17 suspected ULFA (Independent) linkmen have been picked up for interrogation from different parts of the city and all of them ..
Syria regime shelling kills 7 civilians in Idlib: monitor
Syrian regime shelling killed seven civilians including five children Saturday 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,
Nigerian soldiers lash out in video after bloody Boko Haram attack
Nigerian troops fighting on the frontlines of the Boko Haram conflict have released a video claiming dozens had died in a recent attack and deploring the poor state of their equipment. In the five-minute video seen by AFP on Saturday, a soldier narrating in the background shows the burnt shells of several tanks and vehicles in the Metele base, which was attacked by the IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province on November 18. At least 43 soldiers were killed in the attack according to military and civilian sources, though the army disputes the death toll. The release of the video underscores growing desperation among troops, who in June protested being redeployed to a battlefront in the remote Lake Chad region after fighting Boko Haram jihadists for years without relief. "No less than 100 plus soldiers died here. Many are missing in action, they are nowhere to be found," said the soldier in the video, which was obtained by AFP from a military source who confirmed its ...
Islamic State group claims attack on Afghan army base
The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed a suicide attack inside a packed mosque on an Afghan army base that a senior government official said killed at least 27 soldiers. At least 79 military personnel were wounded in the attack on the First Brigade of the 203 Army Corps in the eastern province of Khost during Friday prayers, according to casualty figures from public and private hospitals in the provincial capital. In a statement posted on the IS news site Amaq, the group's Afghan franchise claimed 50 were killed and 110 wounded in the attack. It warned "more devastating and bitter" assaults were ahead. But a government official told AFP on Friday on the condition of anonymity that 27 soldiers had lost their lives and 44 had been wounded. Provincial governor spokesman Taliban Mangal told AFP on Saturday that 13 soldiers had been killed and "about" 40 wounded. Afghan government and military officials are often suspected of downplaying the casualty tolls in militant assaults. The ...
One killed in clashes during vote count in Doda district
One person was killed and several others injured on Saturday in a clash between two groups over vote counting in Doda district.
ISIS claims northwestern Pak attack
The Islamic State (IS) terror group on Saturday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in northwestern Pakistan that killed 32 people, including three Pakistani Sikhs, and injured 40 others. In a statement on the group's website 'Amaq', IS claimed "57 Shiites (Shias) were killed and 75 were wounded" in the attack on Friday. Most of the victims were minority Shia Muslims, who in the past have also been targeted in the area. A suicide bomber triggered the powerful blast at a busy market outside a religious seminary in the country's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. An improvised explosive device was planted in a bike at a popular Friday Market near a Shia imambargah in Orakzai tribal district's Kalaya area, bordering Afghanistan. The minority Sikh community in the area was previously displaced by the Taliban that controlled the region prior to the military operation in 2010.
EX-Army officer killed, several others injured in group clash in Doda
An Army officer was killed and several others were injured in a clash between rival groups at a polling booth during the third phase of the panchayat elections in Doda district on Saturday. Clashes erupted between the two groups in Jourapanchayat in the district, Bhaderwah ASPRajinder Singh said. Honorary captain (retd) Mohd Hafiz (60), a resident of Joura Khurd in the district, died on the spot while others were severely injured in the clash, he said. Two of the injured were shifted to a local hospital at Kahara. After receiving information about the incident, the ASP, SDPO Gandoh Krishan Kumar and SHO Sajid Mughal rushed to the spot. "A team of police and Army officials immediately reached the spot to ensure that the situation remain under control," the ASP added. He said the police will register a case under relevant sections against persons involved in the incident.
Owner of car abandoned in Pathankot by 'terrorists' traced: Punjab DGP
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora on Saturday said the owner of the car which was used by suspected 'terrorists' and found abandoned near Bamiyal in the district had been traced to Jammu. "The car owner has been traced. The person belongs to Jammu," he told media persons here.Arora said the information about the suspicious movement of four suspected 'terrorists' in Pathankot's Saidipur village on Friday night, which prompted the state police to launch a massive search operation, had been shared with security forces including BSF, Army, and Air Force, and combing operations were also held.In reply to a question, Punjab DGP said, "The car might have been used for smuggling. I have spoken to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Pathankot, in this regard. A probe is being carried out. The truths will be known in due course of time."Residents of Saidipur village claimed to have spotted suspicious movement of around four people, suspected to be 'terrorists.' Police .
Paris police fire tear gas, water cannon against 'yellow vest' protesters
Police fired tear gas and water cannon Saturday in central Paris against "yellow vest" protesters demanding French President Emmanuel Macron roll back tax hikes on motor fuel. Some 3,000 police were deployed in the capital as demonstrators who have blocked French roads over the past week wearing their now signature high-visibility jackets were set to cause another day of disruption after calls to bring Paris to a standstill. AFP reporters said several thousand had gathered by early Saturday on the famous Champs-Elysees where they clashed with police trying to prevent them moving down to the Place de la Concorde near the Louvre museum. Police said the protestors had tried to break through a cordon several times but had been prevented from doing so, with tear gas used more than once. "We have just demonstrated peacefully, and we were teargassed," said Christophe, 49, who travelled from the Isere region in eastern France with his wife to protest in the capital. "We see how we are ...
Russia poses bigger threat to UK than terror groups: army chief
Russia "indisputably" now poses a bigger threat to Britain's security than terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, the head of the British army said in an interview published Saturday. General Mark Carleton-Smith warned Moscow had shown a willingness to use its military to pursue its national interests while seeking to "exploit Western vulnerabilities". "Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al-Qaeda and (IS)," he told The Daily Telegraph. "Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare." Relations between Russia and Britain have sunk to historic lows this year. London has blamed the country's military intelligence service for orchestrating the poisoning with a nerve agent of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury ..
UN envoy steps up contacts with Yemen rebels, govt
United Nations envoy Martin Griffiths met a Yemeni rebel leader in insurgent-held Sanaa Saturday and is to follow up by holding talks with Yemen's government in Riyadh, a UN source said. The source said Griffiths will hold talks on Monday in the Saudi capital, where Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and other officials have taken up residence. On Saturday, Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, head of the Huthi rebels' Higher Revolutionary Committee, met in Sanaa with the UN envoy, an AFP photographer said. "We hope that his (Griffiths's) visit to Riyadh ends with positive results," Huthi told reporters after their talks. Griffiths arrived Wednesday in Yemen ahead of planned peace talks in Sweden in December between the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels and pro-government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition. In a possible breakthrough, the envoy said Friday that he discussed with Huthi rebel officials "how the UN could contribute to keeping the peace" in the key port city of Hodeida. "I am here to .
Four suspicious men found in Pathankot, Search operation launched
Ten days after the terror attack on Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi area on November 13 in Amritsar district of Punjab in which 3 people were killed and nearly 20 others were injured, four suspected 'terrorists' were spotted in Pathankot's Saidipur village on Friday night, prompting the state police to launch a massive search operation.Residents of Saidipur village claimed to have spotted suspicious movement of around four people, suspected to be 'terrorists.' Police have also recovered an abandoned white Alto car, which was found around 25 km away from Pathankot, near Bamiyal area. The car was also spotted by the villagers.Police said, "We have cordoned off the area. Search is on. We have appealed to the people to give us any relevant information if they have and cooperate with us. The abandoned car can't yet be linked to the suspicious men. A probe in this regard is on separately." Police have, however, confirmed that the car carries the registration number of Jammu and ...
Ten years after 26/11 Chabad House continues to stand tall
Rax Bakery, opposite the Chabad House building, was given a fresh coat of paint but the bullet marks on its wall were circled carefully in red, a symbol of the city's spirit of defiance, on the tenth anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack. "We condemn the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai," reads a message on the wall painted by Kuresh Zorabi, who runs the bakery. The five-storeyed Chabad House building continues to stand tall in a quaint lane at Colaba in south Mumbai after it was attacked by Pakistani terrorists on November 26, 2008. Israel's Counsul General in Mumbai Ya'akov Finkelstein says the attack has not dented Israel's relation with India and even today people from Israel feel safe and secure here. "The terror attack brought India and Israel even closer. Terrorists thought they could break our spirits or come between us but actually the opposite (happened). What impression we get from our local community is that they feel secure, and welcomed in Mumbai," Finkelstein told ...
US soldier killed in Afghanistan: NATO
A US soldier was killed in Afghanistan on Saturday, NATO said, taking the number of American service personnel to die in the war-torn country this year to nine. NATO's Resolute Support mission would not immediately release any details about the soldier -- the second US service member to be killed in Afghanistan this month -- or the circumstances of their death. But it follows a spate of so-called "insider attacks" that have rattled foreign troops tasked with training and assisting Afghanistan's military. Brent Taylor, the mayor of North Ogden in Utah state and a father of seven, was shot dead in an apparent insider attack in Kabul on November 3. That came after two similar attacks in October, one on NATO personnel in the western province of Herat and another on a high-level security meeting in the southern province of Kandahar that was attended by General Scott Miller, the top NATO and US commander in Afghanistan. Miller narrowly escaped unhurt but a powerful Afghan police chief was ..
Civilian injured in firing incident succumbs to injuries in J-K
A civilian, injured in a firing incident near a security forces camp in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, succumbed to injuries on Saturday, officials said. Ishfaq Ahmad Ganaie was injured in the firing near the camp of Army's 50 Rashtriya Rifles unit at Chattergam area of Budgam in central Kashmir on Friday, a police official said. He said Ganaie succumbed at the SMHS hospital here Saturday morning. Local residents had accused the Army of opening unprovoked fire that led to Ganaie getting injured. However,Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said the Army did not open fire and the civilian was injured in a "terrorist committed atrocity". "In a case of terrorist committed atrocity,Ishfaq Ahmad Ganie of Magraypora was shot at by the terrorists, 500-600 metres away from Army camp at Chhatargam," Kalia said in a statement. He said when the Army troops heard the sound of the firing, the Quick Reaction Team immediately rushed towards the direction of the fire to find ..
Four held for looting valuables from women in Kolkata: Police
Four persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in looting valuables from two women while they were returning home after watching a movie in the southern part of the citys Jadavpur area, the police said. Motorbike-borne miscreants looted valuables from the women at gunpoint when they were returning home walking along a lane beside the South City complex after watching a film at 2.15 am Friday, a senior police officer said. After the women lodged a complaint, police tracked down two bikers carrying a bag with a snake which they often used to scare people before looting them, he said. Two other gang members were later arrested. One of the women's purse containing an ATM card and Rs 300 in cash, a single-shot pistol and a cartridge were recovered from them.
30 terrorists killed in Mali under Operation Barkhane
The French Armed Forces Ministry on Saturday informed that the French troops active under Operation Barkhane in Africa's Sahel region have managed to kill around 30 terrorists in Mali.According to Sputnik, a statement by the Armed Forces Ministry read: "Overnight into November 23, 2018, the French forces part of the Operation Barkhane dealt a major blow to the Macina Liberation Front terror group in the Mopti area of Mali . At the current stage of the assessment of the operation, we can see that around 30 terrorists were neutralized."According to the statement, there are reports of Hamadoun Kouffa, leader of the Macina Liberation Front Islamist group, and his key associated being affected by the operation carried out by the French troops.Apart from Mali, Operation Barkhane that commenced on 1 August 2014 entails Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger.In 2012, Tuareg militants had seized vast territories in the northern part of Mali following which the situation destabilised in the .