Page 35 - War Conflict
Sri Lanka a 'friend', Modi says after arriving from the Maldives (2nd Lead)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday from the Maldives as a part of a visit to further strengthen New Delhi's ties with the island nation which he described as a "friend".
PM Modi visits church in Colombo; pays tribute to victims of the Easter terror strikes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited a church - one of the sites of the horrific Easter Sunday attacks - soon after his arrival here and paid tributes to the victims of the terror strikes, expressing India's affirmation of solidarity with Sri Lanka in the wake of the attacks. "Started the Sri Lanka visit by paying my respect at one of the sites of the horrific Easter Sunday Attack, St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade. My heart goes out to the families of the victims and the injured," Modi tweeted. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of Batticaloa, and three high-end hotels frequented by tourists in the country's deadliest violence since the devastating civil war ended in 2009. The Islamic State has claimed the attacks, but the government has blamed local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed ...
After the Maldives, Modi reaches Sri Lanka
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday from the Maldives as part of a visit to further strengthen New Delhi's relations with the island nation.
Happy to be back, says PM Modi on arrival in Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Sunday for a short stay on his way en route India from the Maldives.The Prime Minister was received at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo by his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe."Happy to be back in Sri Lanka, my third visit to this beautiful island in four years. Share the warmth shown by the people of SL in equal measure," the Prime Minister tweeted upon his arrival here.Modi became the first foreign leader to visit the island nation after the Easter terror bombings that killed over 250 people, including 11 Indians, on April 21.This is his third visit to the island nation. Earlier, he visited the country in 2015 and 2017."India never forgets her friends when they are in need. Deeply touched by the ceremonial welcome," he added.The Prime Minister is further scheduled to receive an official welcome at President's Secretariat here. He will also plant saplings at the President's House and meet President Maithripala ..
Hyderabad: 2 inter state illegal arm traders arrested
A Special Operations Team in Rachakonda, along with the Meerpet Police, nabbed two persons on charges of illegal firearms trade in Almasguda Kaman area on Saturday.The traders have been identified as Arun Yadav and Shankar Yadav, both from Munger district of Bihar. The officials recovered two pistols, six live rounds (7.65), one magazine and two mobile phones from their possession.The police said that both Arun and Shanker were unhappy with their earnings which led them to this illegal business.Arun procured firearms from a supplier in his village.Later, the two bought two pistols worth Rs 20,000 each along with six live rounds and one empty magazine. They were attempting to sell these weapons in Hyderabad.
PM Modi first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after Easter terror attacks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be making a brief stopover in Sri Lanka on his way back to India from the Maldives, becomes the first foreign leader to visit the island nation after the deadly Easter terror attack that killed more than 250 people on April 21.The brief stay in Sri Lanka is also a part of the Prime Minister's first overseas visit after assuming office for a second term last month.According to a release issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo.Modi would be given an official welcome ceremony at President's Secretariat here. He will then plant saplings at the President's House and meet President Maithripala Sirisena in the afternoon.Later, the Prime Minister will further meet his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe, Leader of Opposition and former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and an official delegation of the Tamil National Alliance, a political party that ...
Sri Lankan intelligence chief resigns over Easter Sunday bombings
Sri Lanka's national intelligence chief Sisira Mendis has stepped down from his post in the wake of Easter Sunday bombings that killed over 250 people in April.While testifying before the Parliament Select Committee (PSC) last week, Mendis had claimed that President Maithripala Sirisena failed to hold regular security review meetings, Colombo Gazette reported.On Friday, Sirisena had called an emergency cabinet meeting and said that police, military, intelligence officials and ministers will not testify before the PSC.The Sri Lankan President was said to have been upset over Mendis being grilled by the committee and the session being open to media.Earlier, there were reports that Mendis was sacked by Sirisena following the comments he made to the committee. However, Secretary of Defence General Shantha Kottegoda clarified that Mendis resigned.Multiple blasts ripped through Sri Lanka on April 21, when the Christian community was celebrating Easter Sunday. The explosions rattled churches
15 killed in Taliban attack in Afghanistan
At least 15 people, including civilians, were killed in an attack by a group of Taliban terrorists in Ghor province in western Afghanistan on Friday night, an official of Ghor Provincial Council said on Saturday.The incident occurred after the terrorists launched an ambush at security outposts in Poshta Noor village of Dawlatyar district in the province, TOLOnews quoted Hamidullah Motahid, member of the council, as saying.A tribal elder named Lal Bahadur Frotan and two others were injured in the attack.Ghor governor's spokesperson Abdulhaqi Khatibi confirmed the attack but said authorities did not receive adequate information on the incident.He also said Afghan government forces have been rushed to the spot.In the past several years, government forces, Taliban and other terror outfits have been involved in armed confrontations, even as peace efforts are underway to end the nearly-two decades-long civil war in Afghanistan.The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANDSF) ...
Goalkeeper turned rebel fighter dies in northwest Syria
A Syrian goalkeeper turned rebel fighter who starred in an award-winning documentary died Saturday of wounds sustained fighting regime forces in northwestern Syria, his faction said. Abdel-Basset al-Sarout, 27, was among dozens of fighters killed since Thursday in violent clashes on the edges of the Idlib region of some three million people. That region dominated by an alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate is supposed to be protected by a months-old buffer zone deal, but has come under deadly regime bombardment in recent weeks. Before Syria's eight-year civil war, Sarout was a goalkeeper for Syria's youth team from the central city of Homs. When peaceful demonstrations broke out against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2011, he joined in, soon becoming a popular singer of protest songs. Following a brutal government crackdown on the protests, he took up arms against regime forces. Sarout starred in the documentary "Return to Homs" by Syrian director Talal Derki, which
Jaish militant killed in Anantnag encounter
A Jaish-e-Mohammed militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, police said. Acting on inputs, a cordon-and-search operation was launched in the forests of Nowgam in Dooru area of the south Kashmir district, a police spokesperson said. During the search, the militants fired on the search party, which retaliated. One militant was killed and the body was retrieved from the encounter site, the spokesperson said. The militant has been identified as Iqbal Ahmad, the official said. According to the police records, Ahmad was affiliated with the JeM and was part of a group involved in the planning and execution of a series of terror attacks in the area. Many cases were registered against him, the spokesperson said. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site, the spokesperson added.
Delhi police on toes after Commissioner meets Amit Shah
After Amit Shah took over as the new Home Minister of the country, the Delhi police has finally pulled up its socks to tame a new herd of gangster emerging on the outskirts of the national capital.
Women contingent of SSB to be deployed for UN peace keeping in Congo
A 22-member women contingent of SSB will be deployed for the UN peace keeping mission in civil war-stricken Congo.
Sri Lanka president sacks intelligence chief over Easter attacks probe
Sri Lanka's president has sacked the national intelligence chief and will not cooperate with a parliamentary investigation into security lapses before the Easter suicide bombings, officials said Saturday. Maithripala Sirisena summoned an emergency cabinet meeting on Friday night to oppose a parliamentary select committee probe into the April 21 attacks that killed 258 people, including 45 foreigners, and wounded nearly 500. Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis was sacked after testifying to the inquiry last week that the attacks could have been averted. He also said the president had failed to hold regular security meetings to assess the threat from Islamic radicals who carried out the bombings on three hotels and three churchs. Sirisena's office did not give a reason for the sacking. Halfway through the testimony, the live telecast of the proceedings was stopped on the president's orders, official sources said. A ministerial source told AFP Sirisena has refused to allow any ..
Two soldiers killed, three injured in Pak blast
At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three others were injured after a roadside bomb targeting a military vehicle exploded in Pakistan's restive north Waziristan tribal district on Saturday, officials said. The incident happened when the soldiers were patrolling in the Degan area and their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. The blast happens a day after a three Pakistan Army officers and one soldier were killed in a similar blast in North Waziristan. The slain army personnel were identified as Lt Col Raashid Karim Baig, Major Moeez Maqsood Baig, Captain Arif Ullah and Lance Havaldar Zaheer. However, no group has claimed responsibility for the both the attacks. Militants have increased attacks in the area and during last one month, 10 security forces personnel have been killed while 35 got injured, the Army said in a statement.
Intel inputs about possible threat to JK BJP leaders
An intelligence input has been passed on to the Jammu and Kashmir police about a possible threat to some BJP leaders including its president Ravinder Raina, officials said Saturday. Inspector General of Police (Jammu range) M K Sinha said they have got the security inputs and are looking into it. Security alerts have been sent to the Senior Superintendents of Police (SSP) of Jammu, Kathua, Samba, Poonch and Rajouri districts and range officers for necessary action and precaution. Raina, an RSS pracharak who was appointed as the state BJP head last year, is already a state government protectee. Senior police officials said that they were aware about the threats but added that such warnings come almost on regular basis. The intelligence input is being verified by other concerned security agencies, they said.
India sends fresh women CAPF contingent for UN duties in Africa
India has sent a fresh contingent of its women Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel for UN-mandated duties in the civil war hit African country of Congo, a senior official said Saturday. The 22-member women personnel are drawn from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) that is tasked to guard open Indian borders with Nepal (1,751 km) and Bhutan (699 km). The SSB is a CAPF or paramilitary force that functions under the command of the Union Home Ministry. The contingent was flagged off for deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo Friday by SSB Director General Kumar Rajesh Chandra from the headquarters of the force here and the personnel will be deployed as a rapid deployable battalion of the Indian Army, the official said. While this is the first UN contingent of the SSB in its over 55 years of service history, it will be the second CAPF women squad from India to the UN as the CRPF has been sending its female combatants for similar duties in Liberia for many years now. "The ...
Sirisena against parliamentary probe into Easter attacks
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has protested a parliamentary investigation into security lapses leading to the Easter suicide bombings which killed over 250 people and injured hundreds, the media reported on Saturday.
Egypt says its forces kill 4 militants in Sinai
Egypt says security forces have killed 4 militants in the restive northern part of Sinai Peninsula. The Interior Ministry says the four were killed in a shootout with police south of the Mediterranean city of el-Arish on Saturday. It says the police seized automatic rifles, bombs and explosive belts. The ministry says the four were implicated in an attack earlier this week on a police checkpoint in northern Sinai that authorities say left eight policemen dead. On Thursday, authorities said security forces killed 14 suspected militants linked to the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group. The long-running insurgency in northern Sinai escalated after the military overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013, and is now led by an Islamic State affiliate.
Twelve bodies found in Bosnian war-era mass grave: report
The remains of 12 Muslims killed in Bosnia's brutal 1992-95 civil war have been found in a mass grave on a mountain near Sarajevo, Fena news agency said Saturday. The war is thought to have left more than 100,000 people dead and over 7,000 people are still missing. "According to the evidence, they were liquidated while they were trying to go to the Free Territories," or areas under the control of the Bosnian army, Emza Fazlic, the spokeswoman of the Bosnian Institute for Missing Persons, told Fena. The bodies have been transferred from the grave site at Mt. Igman, west of Sarajevo, to the capital for DNA tests and the results should be available in six to eight weeks, she said. When the conflict ended, 31,500 people remained missing. The bodies of some 25,000 have since been exhumed from mass graves, but few have been found in recent years. More than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were butchered by Bosnian Serb forces in the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre, the worst atrocity in Europe since
Taliban attack kills 14 militiamen in western Afghanistan
An Afghan official says the Taliban have killed at least 14 members of a pro-government militia in an attack on checkpoints in the western Ghor province. Abdul Hai Khateby, the spokesman for the provincial governor, says seven other militiamen were wounded in the attack late Friday, with two of them in critical condition. Khateby says reinforcements pushed the Taliban back and inflicted casualties, without giving exact figures. The Taliban, who effectively control about half of the country, carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces and government targets. The US has held several rounds of talks with the insurgents in recent months aimed at ending the nearly 18-year war.