Page 351 - War Conflict
Three arrested over alleged Melbourne terror plot
Three men who allegedly plotted "chilling" terror attacks in Melbourne were arrested early Tuesday, less than two weeks after a stabbing rampage inspired by the Islamic State group left two dead in Australia's second largest city, police said. The trio, all Australian nationals of Turkish descent, were nabbed in overnight raids as they escalated preparations to attack crowded areas of Melbourne, according to police. The men were "certainly inspired by ISIS", the Islamic State group, but had no known links to a specific organisation, Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said. "We're very confident that our actions taken early this morning have neutralised any threat to the... community from this group," he said. "We don't believe there's any extended threat outside of the group." The three, who were not named, had been under investigation since March but had become "more energised" since the IS-inspired stabbing attack in Melbourne on November 9, he said. In that attack, a Somali-born ...
Imran hits back at Trump for his tirade against Pak
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday hit back at United States President Donald Trump for his outburst against the South-Asian nation for helping Osama bin Laden, who had taken refuge there and "doing nothing for" the US.In a series of tweets, Khan clarified that Pakistan had no role in the September 2001 attack on New York's World Trade Centre and highlighted the cost his country had to pay in terms of soldier casualties and economic damage in the ensuing war in Afghanistan. He also asked the US to assess their failure in tackling terrorism instead of making Pakistan a scapegoat."Record needs to be put straight on Mr Trump's tirade against Pakistan: 1. No Pakistani was involved in 9/11 but Pak decided to participate in US War on Terror. 2. Pakistan suffered 75,000 casualties in this war & over $123 bn was lost to economy. US "aid" was a miniscule $20 bn.," Khan tweeted."3. Our tribal areas were devastated & millions of ppl uprooted from their homes. The war ...
3 soldiers killed, 4 injured in a bomb explosion in Quetta
Three security personnel were killed on Monday and four others injured in a road side bomb explosion in the Margat coalmine area outside Quetta, police said. The Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were escorting a vehicle, carrying rations for soldiers deployed near the coal mine for security, when it was hit by the roadside bomb blast, DIG Razzaq Cheema said, adding that the impact was strong that three FC personnel were killed while four others were wounded". An FC spokesperson later confirmed that the four injured soldiers were out of danger. "The incident took place on Sunday evening. Suspected militants had planted an improvised explosive device bomb on the roadside and it was detonated when the vehicles passed by," Cheema said. Meanwhile, the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In Saturday a senior police official, who had served as deputy inspector general in the province was gunned down near his residence in Quetta. Separatists and ...
Pakistan PM rejects Trump's allegations
Pakistan's Prime Minister on Monday rejected the US President's allegations that Islamabad failed to cooperate with the US and had helped the former Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden hide in the country until his death at the hands of the US military in a covert operation in 2011.
CM condoles death of soldier in J-K
Uttrakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Monday expressed grief at the death of a CRPF head constable while fighting militants in Jammu & Kashmir's Pulwama district. Chandrika Prasad hailed from Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district of the state. He was killed after the militants hurled grenades at a newly set-up camp in Pulwama on Sunday. Condoling the death of Prasad in a message, Rawat prayed for peace to the departed soul and extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family. He said the state government will provide all possible help to the family of the slain soldier.
Indian defence forces undergo joint military drills with US and Russia
Indian defence forces are undergoing joint military drills with the US and Russia in Rajasthan and UP respectively, the Defence Ministry said Monday. Special forces of India and the United States began their 12-day bilateral exercise in Rajasthan while the militaries of India and Russia commenced a joint exercise in Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The drills include training on various aspects such as hostage rescue, desert survival, combat firing, a statement by the ministry said. A contingent of one officer and 10 other ranks from the special forces group of the United States Pacific Command arrived at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan on Sunday for undertaking joint training with the Indian special forces. The American special forces will carry out 12-day rigorous joint training in semi-desert and rural terrain with an aim to enhance the inter operability of the two armed forces and further the military to military co-operation. "The contingents will train on aspects such as ...
Taliban reaches no pact on deadline with US for Afghan peace
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Majahid said on Monday that the armed group has reached no agreement with the US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on a deadline to reach a peace deal for ending the war in Afghanistan.
World powers clash over chemical arms watchdog's new role
World powers traded accusations of hypocrisy in bitter clashes on Monday over the global toxic weapons watchdog's new ability to attribute blame for attacks like those in Syria and Salisbury. The United States and Britain went head-to-head with Russia, China and Syria over the boosted powers that members agreed to give the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in June. At a tense meeting in The Hague, Moscow and Beijing were accused of trying to stall the watchdog's new role indefinitely by proposing that the changes be subjected to "open ended" scrutiny before going live. US Ambassador Kenneth Ward said Russia's claims that the OPCW's new powers were illegitimate were "pungent hypocrisy", and warned against allowing a "new era of chemical weapons use to take hold". "What have they done for the last few years but to connive with their Syrian ally to bury the truth of what has happened in Syria, along with the dead killed by the use of chemical weapons by the Assad ...
UK counter-terror officers launch 60-second security plan for Christmas
Britain's counter-terrorism police officers on Monday launched a new 60-second security plan as part of a "Protect and Prepare" campaign for retail stores on the country's high streets, which will be flooded with shoppers in the lead up to Christmas. The aim of the 60-second checklist for staff in shops would be to prevent widespread panic during reports of a marauding terror attack, when rumours of terrorists on the loose spread like wildfire on social media platforms. It involves staff ensuring they have a clear understanding about who is in charge of emergency plans, know when it is appropriate to evacuate a store and when it is best to order a lockdown and tell shoppers to stay put. They will also be asked to familiarise themselves with all the best places to hide in the shop in the event of a marauding terrorist attack. "As people are enjoying the festive season, they will see a visible security presence with police patrols and additional security in crowded places, said Chief ...
Indian, US special forces start joint exercise
The Indian and US special forces on Monday started a 12-day joint military drill at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges here.
Taliban confirms talks with US officials on Afghan conflict
The Taliban held talks with US officials in Qatar on ending the Afghan conflict last week, the militants confirmed Monday, but said no agreement was reached on "any issue". The statement comes a day after US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad expressed hopes in Kabul that a peace deal could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April 20 next year. Khalilzad was in the Afghan capital after a second round of regional meetings with top government officials to coordinate efforts on ending the 17-year war. Senior Taliban officials met with a "high-ranking" US delegation in Qatar on November 14, 15 and 16, the militant group said in a WhatsApp message, without mentioning Khalilzad. The Taliban has a political office in the capital Doha that serves as a de-facto embassy. "These were preliminary talks and no agreement was reached on any issue," spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said. "We want to reassure our Mujahideen and Muslim nation that the representatives of the Islamic Emirate
UN calls for calm after shots fired in Rohingya camp in Myanmar
The UN has called for calm after several Rohingya Muslims were shot and wounded in a Rakhine state camp, in a raid linked to the failed escape of more than 100 of the stateless minority from the grim settlements. Some 120,000 Rohingya have languished in displacement camps near Rakhine's capital, Sittwe, since riots in 2012. Their movement, access to healthcare, work and education is severely restricted in conditions decried as amounting to apartheid by Amnesty International. Rohingya refugees who fled a military crackdown to Bangladesh refuse to return to Rakhine without equal rights, citizenship and safety - fearing similiar long-term confinement if they do. Villagers told AFP that four Rohingya were shot and wounded as Myanmar police entered the Ah Nauk Ye camp in central Rakhine state's Pauktaw township Sunday morning. In an emailed statement Knut Ostby, head of the UN office in Myanmar, called for "calm, non-violence and restraint" in an area which can be accessed only with ...
Rs 3L looted at gunpoint from gas agency office in Shahibabad
Two bike-borne men barged into a gas agency office in Shahibabad and looted its staffer of Rs 3 lakh at gunpoint Monday, police said. The incident took place in the morning at a Bharatgas agency office near Bhopura. The duo held the staffer, Ravi, at gunpoint and looted Rs 3 lakh in cash and fled the spot, Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police Upender Agarwal said. He said the unmasked accused were identified through CCTV footage gathered from the area. Meanwhile, the district police administration has sought help from police officials in neighbouring cities in states of Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan to obtain details of active criminals in the 30-40 age bracket. Locals gathered at the gas company office to express anguish over the incident. The Jewellers association has asked police to crack the Rs 2 crore loot case and arrest the accused till November 20, failing which, they said, the bullion traders association of western Uttar Pradesh will down the shutters in protest. Last ...
'Battle of Longewala' hero Brig Chandpuri cremated with honours
1971 war hero Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, who held his post through the night in the now famous battle of Longewala in Rajasthan with just 120 men against a full-fledged attack of Pakistani tanks, was cremated with state honours here on Monday.
Naxal "deputy commander" killed in Chhattisgarh
A naxal "deputy commander" was Monday gunned down in an exchange of fire with security forces in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district, police said. The gun-battle took place this afternoon in the forest of Pandupara village when a team of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-naxal operation, Special Director General (anti-naxal operation) D M Awasthi told PTI. The squad of DRG, the state police's counter- insurgency force, had launched the operation towards Sirsetti and Muler villages, located around 500km from the capital Raipur, Sunday night, he said. When the patrolling team was cordoning off forest near Panudpara Monday, it came under fire from a group of naxals that led to the gunfight. After a brief exchange of fire, naxals fled into the core forest area, the senior police officer added. During a search of the spot, the troops recovered the body of a rebel who was identified as Chinga, a "deputy commander" of the Kerlapal area committee of Maoists, Awasthi ..
Indo-Russian military exercise starts
The 10th Indo-Russian joint military exercises started in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh on Monday.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to come out with 2 books next week
Two books by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar offering insights into the human condition will hit the stands next week, announced Westland Publications on Monday. The books, titled "The Bhagavad Gita" and "Upanishad: Ishavasya, Kena, Katha, Yogasara", told in a "simple" narrative are replete with humorous anecdotes for the better understanding of the contemporary audience, said the publishers. While 'The Bhagavad Gita' is a compilation of series of talks by the spiritual guru on one of the most famous scriptures on the philosophy of life, 'Upanishad', according to the publishers, has Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conversing with the readers and explaining the four upanishads -- Ishavasya, Kena, Katha, Yogasara -- with "such simplicity and wit that their esoteric truth becomes self-evident, like living reality". "Gurudev's knowledge has touched millions of lives across the globe. We are sure that through this partnership with Westland, we will be able to reach out to many more readers. He ...
Indonesia mosques spreading radicalism to government workers: official
Dozens of Indonesian mosques that cater to government workers are spreading radicalism and calling for violence against non-Muslims, the country's intelligence agency said Monday. Its findings come six months after Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya was rocked by a wave of suicide bombings at several churches during Sunday services, killing a dozen people. They were the deadliest terror attacks in about a decade and once again put religious tolerance in the world's biggest Muslim majority in the spotlight. The Indonesian State Intelligence Agency said Monday it has probed about one thousand mosques across the Southeast Asian archipelago since July and found that imams at some 41 places of worship in one Jakarta neighbourhood alone were preaching extremism to worshippers -- mostly civil servants who work at nearby government ministries. The Agency found about 17 clerics expressed support or sympathy for Islamic State and encouraged parishioners to fight for the jihadist group in .
Police probing social media accounts propagating videos of 'executions' by militants: Kashmir IGP
The Kashmir Police is investigating various social media accounts propagating videos of "executions" carried out by militants recently, Inspector General of Police (IGP) S P Pani said here Monday. Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has released two such videos in which two civilians, abducted by the outfit, were killed in front of camera. These crimes (on-camera executions carried out by militants) are terror and gruesome crimes. Their propaganda on social media is also a crime. A case already stands registered in this matter and those propagating such type of content, there are some handles which are propagating them, we are investigating them, Pani said. The IGP Kashmir was speaking to reporters at the wreath-laying ceremony of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan at Humhama. Head Constable Chandrika Prasad was killed in a militant attack on a CRPF camp in Kakapora area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district Sunday night. Pani said police is seeking cooperation of the ...
NIA visits Amritsar attack site
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team on Monday visited the spot in Amritsar in Punjab where three persons were killed in a grenade attack on Sunday.