Page 36 - War Conflict

Pentagon ends reviews of Niger ambush that killed 4 soldiers

The Pentagon announced Wednesday that it had officially concluded its reviews of a 2017 ambush that left four U.S. soldiers dead in the African nation of Niger, and said it has found the discipline it meted out to be adequate. Last week, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan accepted that conclusion, which was the result of a monthlong review conducted by four-star Army Gen. Robert Brown that did not go beyond the scope of the initial investigation conducted by Special Operations Africa Command. Brown found the administration actions, primarily against junior officers, adequate. Based on an examination of the review, "I am satisfied that all findings, awards, and accountability actions were thorough and appropriate," Shanahan said in a statement issued Wednesday. The release of the 176-page unclassified report Wednesday ends more than a year of reviews after the Pentagon wrapped an internal investigation into the 2017 ambush. It detailed a series of "individual, ...

Afghanistan: 83 civilians rescued from Taliban prison

At least 83 people were freed from a Taliban prison in Qaisar district in Faryab province on Wednesday night, said Afghan force.The operation was conducted by Afghan special force, said the Shaheen Corps spokesperson Mohammad Hanif Rezaee.Taliban has not commented on it yet.Taliban militants guarding the facility fled before the troops arrived. The civilians were shifted to an army camp for the identification process before being provided accommodation. They would be joining their families soon.Taliban insurgents frequently detain civilians from across villages and highways on charges of spying for the government security forces.

Operation Blue Star anniversary: Security tightened outside Golden Temple

The security has been beefed up outside Golden Temple in Amritsar in the wake of the 35th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on Thursday.Rapid Action Force companies and several companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed across the city to maintain law and order.The Indian Army carried out the Operation Blue Star between June 1 and June 8 in 1984. Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, ordered the military operation to flush out Sikh militants including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who were accumulating weapons in Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple).

Eastern Army Commander visits Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh

Lieutenant General MM Naravane, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command visited Army and Assam Rifles formations in Nagaland and South Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday as part of his two-day visit to Spear Corps and Inspector General Assam Rifles (North).During the visit, Lieutenant General Naravane reviewed the security situation and ongoing Counter Insurgency operations in the state and was briefed by Commanders on the prevailing security situation, according to a statement issued on Wednesday.The Army Commander also visited forward company operating bases and interacted with the soldiers on the ground involved in operations to trace out the perpetrators of Khonsa and Tobu incidents.Over the years, the state has witnessed improvement in the situation on the ground largely due to the concerted efforts of the Army and Assam Rifles. During his interaction with troops, Lieutenant General Naravane appreciated their hard work and dedication.

Iraq: 6 IS militants killed in airstrike

Six Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in an airstrike carried out by the US-led coalition in Western Iraq's Anbar province on Wednesday, the country's military said.The airstrike was conducted in the northern al-Baghdadi area, some 180 kilometres west of the provincial capital Ramadi, the media office of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.Two vehicles belonging to the IS militants were also destroyed in the air raid, reports Xinhua news agency.Although the Iraqi government had declared victory over the Islamic State in December 2017, the IS militants are still active in the vast Anbar desert area, which stretches along the border with neighbouring countries of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Syria regime bombardment kills 10 during Eid: Monitor

Air strikes and shelling by regime forces killed 10 civilians in Syria's northwest on Wednesday, as residents marked the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, a war monitor said. Two children were among six people killed in regime strikes on the town of Kafr Aweid in the jihadist-held province of Idlib, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The victims' relatives gathered at the town's graveyard on Wednesday afternoon as an excavator dug a large pit in the ground. The scattered remains of one of the children were placed in a cardboard box before being buried, an AFP photographer said. The corpse of another was covered in an embroidered blue sheet. Another civilian died in regime shelling on the northern Hama countryside, also held by insurgents, said the Britain-based monitor. Regime air strikes also hit a motorcycle in the Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan, killing a woman and her two children, said the Observatory. Wednesday's attacks come amid an escalation in violence in parts of the ...

Juvenile held for opening fire to create his 'terror'

A juvenile who fired at the residence of his enemy here and then shared the video of the incident on social media to show his "terror and dominance" has been apprehended, a police officer said on Wednesday.

101 dead in crackdown on Sudan protesters: New toll

At least 101 people were killed in a crackdown on Sudanese protesters carried out by security forces that started when security forces broke up a sit-in outside army headquarters, a doctors committee close to demonstrators said. "To this moment, the total number of deaths that have been accounted by doctors is 101," the Central Committee for Sudanese Doctors said after reporting that 40 bodies were recovered from the Nile. It gave no further details.

Islamic State claims first presence in Mozambique, denied by police

The Islamic State group has claimed it was involved in an insurgent clash in Mozambique for the first time, but analysts expressed doubt and police dismissed the claim outright. A jihadist insurgency has been growing in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado since 2017, with more than 200 people killed and many villages torched. According to SITE Intelligence, a company that monitors extremist activity, Islamic State issued a statement late Tuesday claiming involvement in an apparent gunfight with the Mozambique military in Cabo Delgado. "The soldiers of the Caliphate were able to repulse an attack by the Crusader Mozambican army in Metubi village, in the Mocimboa area," said the statement, according to a SITE translation. "They clashed with them with a variety of weapons, killing and wounding a number of them. "The mujahideen captured weapons, ammunition, and rockets as spoils." Insurgents regularly attack villages, kill local people -- sometimes beheading them -- and burn

IS claims deadly attack in Egypt's Sinai: Propaganda arm

The Islamic State group claimed an attack that killed eight Egyptian policemen in the restive Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, as the country marked the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. "Islamic State fighters this morning launched two simultaneous attacks on two police checkpoints in the city of El-Arish," said a statement released by the jihadist group's propaganda wing, Amaq. It claimed that 10 policemen were killed in the two attacks; one on a checkpoint south of El-Arish and another on a second checkpoint in a "nearby area". It said the twin operation was designed to "divide" the attention of security forces and give militants enough time to pull back before reinforcements arrived. The country's interior ministry said 8 Egyptian policeman were killed in an attack on the northeastern region, a hotbed of a years-long insurgency by militants, some linked to IS. Egyptian state television said there were fears the death toll could rise, amid reports of attacks on multiple ...

J-K: 3 people dead, 5 others injured in bus accident

Three people died and five others were injured after a speeding mini-bus toppled on Dhar Road in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Wednesday, police said.After receiving information about the incident, the police reached the spot and took the injured ones to the district hospital.Doctors at the district hospital later referred one, who got seriously injured, to Military Hospital, Udhampur.Police have registered a case and further investigating the matter.

Those behind Lankan blasts should be called devils not

Expressing solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka, the Imam of a mosque here Wednesday said those behind the recent serial bomb blasts in the island nation should be called "devils and not martyrs." Sri Lanka witnessed a deadly terror attack on April 21 when eight blasts rocked the island nation,claiming over 250 lives. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the incident. Those who were behind the Lankan bomb blasts should be called devils and not martyrs, Imam of the Palayam mosque, V P Suhaib Maulavi, said while delivering his Eid-ul-Fitr message. "We are with the people of Sri Lanka. Small children and women were among those who were brutally killed in the recent attack. Those who had done this should be called devils and not martyrs," he said. He also spoke about the importance of peace in society. Muslims across Kerala Wednesday celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the end of the 30-day fasting during the holy month of Ramzan. Special prayers were held in open .

Personnel of BSF, Pakistan Rangers exchange sweets on the occasion of Eid

Personnel of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistan Rangers on Wednesday exchanged sweets at the Attari-Wagah border in Punjab on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.They shook hands and greeted each other as soon as the border gates opened.This is the first time when both the troops exchanged sweets after Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for a second consecutive term.Personnel of the border guarding forces have been traditionally exchanging sweets on religious and national festivals of the two countries, barring a few occasions when the diplomatic relations were at a low ebb.

Islamic State make first claim of Mozambique presence

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the first time for an insurgent clash in northern Mozambique, according to SITE Intelligence which monitors jihadist activities worldwide. An Islamist insurgency has been growing in the Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado since 2017, with more than 200 people killed and many villages torched. Islamic State issued a statement late Tuesday claiming involvement in an apparent gunfight with the Mozambique military in Cabo Delgado province, although an insurgency expert expressed caution over the claim. "The soldiers of the Caliphate were able to repulse an attack by the Crusader Mozambican army in Metubi village, in the Mocimboa area," said the statement, according to a SITE translation. "They clashed with them with a variety of weapons, killing and wounding a number of them. "The mujahideen captured weapons, ammunition, and rockets as spoils." The Mozambican government and military decline to confirm any rebel activity. Insurgents ...

Egyptian officials: Militant attack kills 10 police personnel in Sinai

Islamic militants attacked a checkpoint in Egypt's restive northern part of the Sinai Peninsula on Wednesday, killing at least 10 policemen, security officials said. The attack took place as Muslims in the city of el-Arish were holding prayers marking the holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which follows the holy month of Ramadan, early in the morning. Two officers and eight conscripts were among those killed, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The officials said the militants attacked the checkpoint, south of el-Arish, seized an armoured vehicle to make their getaway but a warplane chased them in the desert, killing at least five. The Interior Ministry later released a statement, saying eight policemen were killed in the attack. The discrepancy between the casualty figures could not immediately be resolved. Egypt has battled Islamic militants for years ..

Shelling kills 7 in Myanmar's Rakhine state

At least seven people have been killed in an artillery attack in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the media reported on Wednesday.

Car hits men emerging from mosque, no injuries: Police

A motorist rammed his car into devotees emerging from a mosque in Delhi's Khureji area on Wednesday but police said no one was injured, denying their own earlier claim that many suffered injuries.

MHA ready with fresh list of top 10 militants active in J&K

With eradication of terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir being the focus of new Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Centre has issued a list of top 10 terrorists operating in the state who need to be eliminated.

Clashes between protesters, security forces after Eid prayers in some parts of Kashmir

Clashes between protestors and security forces were reported after Eid prayers in some parts of Kashmir on Wednesday, officials said. There were no reports of anyone getting hurt in these clashes, they said. The festival of Eid was celebrated with much fanfare across the state with people thronging mosques, shrines and Eidgahs to offer prayers on the culmination of the holy moth of Ramzan. Clashes broke out in some parts of the old city between protestors and security forces after Eid prayers. Similar clashes were reported in Sopore in north Kashmir and Anantnag in south Kashmir, the officials said. In Nowhatta area of the city, masked protestors reportedly held banners in support of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and slain militant commander Zakir Musa. However, police officials said they are verifying the veracity of these reports. Security forces exercised maximum restraint while dealing with the law and order situation, they said. The situation elsewhere in the valley .

J-K: Stone-pelters mar Eid festivities, wave Pak flags in Srinagar

The celebrations of Eid-Ul-Fitr were marred by violence in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar city on Wednesday as stone-pelters came out on the streets and waved flags of Pakistan and dreaded terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).In a bid to disrupt peace, the demonstrators chanted slogans and clashed with police personnel on duty in Srinagar's near Jama Masjid, soon after Eid prayers.Security personnel, however, practiced maximum restraint.The miscreants, mostly youngsters, had their faces covered and pelted stones on security personnel, who were trying to disperse them.Attempting to legitimise terrorists Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Zakir Musa, they held posters with their photos and placards saying "Kashmir Banega Pakistan" and "Musa Army".Hafiz Saeed is the chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba, who masterminded the 2008 Mumbai attacks which claimed around 164 lives.Masood Azhar is the head of Jaish-e-Mohammed, terror outfit that carried out Pulwama attack killing over 40 security