Page 368 - War Conflict
Aid workers enter remote Syrian camp for 1st time
UN officials and volunteers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent offered children vaccinations and distributed desperately needed aid on Sunday, the first such assistance to reach thousands in a remote camp for the displaced on Syria's border with Jordan since January. Residents said that humanitarians from international organizations entered their desolate camp for the first time since it was set up over three years ago, where nearly 50,000 have been stranded in limbo. Fadwa Baroud of the United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator said it was the first time a UN aid convoy had accessed Rukban camp from inside Syria. Before January, aid only reached the camp from Jordan and aid workers were barred from accessing the camp out of security concerns. The Arab Syrian Red Crescent and the United Nations posted pictures of staff unloading trucks of life-saving assistance and administering vaccines on children in the camp. Residents posed with the aid trucks driving through the desolate ..
IS attack kills 12 US-backed fighters in east Syria: Monitor
The Islamic State group killed 12 US-backed fighters in a surprise attack Sunday from the jihadists' holdout in eastern Syria on the Iraqi border, a Britain-based monitor said. Twelve fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed and 20 wounded in a suicide car bombing and subsequent clashes in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. An SDF spokesman, however, denied any members of his Kurdish-led alliance had been killed. "There are counter-attacks every day and the clashes are ongoing, but the talk of martyrs among our ranks is not true," Mustefa Bali said. According to Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman, Sunday's attack "started with a car bomb driven by a suicide attacker against an SDF position between Hajin and Al-Bahra". The attack allowed IS to advance towards Al-Bahra from its holdout around Hajin, and push back the first lines of defence of the SDF, which is backed by the US-led coalition, the Observatory said. The ...
3 arrested in UP for making illegal firearms
Three persons were arrested in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh for manufacturing illegal firearms, police said Sunday. In a statement issued here, the UP Police said that they had received a tip-off following which Suresh, Bhoop Singh and Ramphal were arrested from Dhanari police station area on Saturday. Around 25 firearms of different bores, semi-manufactured weapons, equipment for manufacturing firearms and parts were recovered, the police said in the statement.
UN says war-torn Yemen 'living hell' for children
Conflict-ravaged Yemen has become a "living hell" for children with thousands dying every year from malnutrition and easily preventable diseases, a top UN official said Sunday. Geert Cappelaere, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at UN children's agency UNICEF, called on the warring parties to join proposed peace talks later this month and agree to a ceasefire. "Yemen is today a living hell -- not for 50 to 60 percent of the children -- it is a living hell for every boy and girl in Yemen," he told a news conference in the Jordanian capital. According to UNICEF, 1.8 million Yemeni children under the age of five suffer from acute malnutrition, and the lives of 400,000 severely affected children are under threat. Cappelaere said that 30,000 children die of malnutrition each year in Yemen, while a child dies every 10 minutes from easily preventable diseases. He said the figures were "a reminder for all of us to realise how dire the situation has become". "We call on ..
Curfew relaxed for 4 hours in J&K's Kishtwar
Curfew was relaxed for four hours Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar town where it was imposed as a precautionary measure on Thursday night following the killing of a senior BJP leader and his brother by suspected militants, officials said. District Development Commissioner, Kishtwar, Angrez Singh Rana said an area-wise relaxation was given in the curfew-bound regions of the town from 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm initially and then from 3 pm to 5 pm. "The relaxation period passed off peacefully as people came out of their houses and purchased essential commodities," he told PTI. The district authorities had on Saturday given two hour relaxation in the curfew to allow people to buy essential commodities. An indefinite curfew was imposed in parts of Kishtwar and Doda districts on Thursday following the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar, 52, and his brother, Ajeet Parihar, 55, by suspected militants. The curfew was, however, lifted from Doda district, including the main town and ...
Egypt: 19 terrorists linked to Coptic Christian attack killed
Egypt's Interior Ministry on Sunday confirmed that as many as 19 terrorists, linked to the recent attack on a bus carrying a group of Coptic Christians in Cairo, were killed by the country's security forces.The ministry further stated that the security forces had mounted an assault on the terrorist's hideout on Friday, Sputnik reported.At least seven people were killed and 16 others were wounded after gunmen attacked the bus on Friday.The incident occurred when the bus was heading towards the Saint Samuel Coptic Christian monastery close to Minya city, located about 270 km south of the Cairo when the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately at the passengers.The Islamic State (ISIS) had claimed responsibility for the attack through its propaganda website, Amaq news agency.The ISIS affiliate in Egypt has targeted the minority Egyptian Christians in church bombings and shootings repeatedly in the last few years, threatening further attacks against them.The dreaded terror group also claimed ..
Chinese weapons recovered from 2 militants in Assam
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) on Sunday said that it has seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition including China made weapons from two militants who were beaten to death by the locals in Assam's Silchar district.
Maneka slams Maharashtra government over killing of maneater tigress
Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Sunday slammed the Maharashtra government over the killing of the maneater tigress Avni.
Egypt says perpetrators of attack against Christians killed
Egypt says security forces have killed 19 militants in a shootout, including the gunmen suspected of killing seven Christians in an attack on pilgrims travelling to a remote monastery. The Interior Ministry said Sunday the militants were tracked to a desert hideout west of the central Minya province, where Friday's attack took place. The ministry published photographs purporting to show the bodies of the slain militants. It says the men opened fire when security forces surrounded them. Friday's attack was the second in as many years to target pilgrims on their way to the monastery of St Samuel the Confessor. A May 2017 attack left 29 dead. Christians make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 100 million people and have long complained of discrimination.
BSF jawan arrested for sharing info with Pak agent
A BSF jawan was arrested for allegedly sharing secret information such as photographs of border fencing and roads with a Pakistani agent, police said Sunday. The accused, Sheikh Riazuddin, was under the scanner of the Border Security Force (BSF) intelligence wing for his suspicious activities for the last few months, they said. He is a resident of Renpura village in Maharashtra's Latur district and was posted with the BSF's 29th Battalion in the Ferozepur Sector in Punjab. Two mobile-phones and seven SIM cards were seized from him, police said. Riazuddin allegedly shared photographs of fencing and border roads, contact numbers of senior BSF officials and some other secret information with Mirja Faisal, an agent of Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), they said. The accused shared the information from his mobile-phone, police said. A case under relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act and National Security Act was registered against him at the Mamdot police ...
J-K: 2 terrorists killed in Shopian
Two terrorists were killed in an encounter by security forces in Khudpora area of Shopian district on Saturday.One terrorist's body was recovered on Saturday evening while the other terrorist's body was found on the morning of Sunday. The deceased terrorists are from Shopian itself and have been identified as Mohd Irfan Bhat and Shahid Mir.As per a statement released by the state's police, "A couple of terrorists managed to escape from the site as blood trails have been seen at the site."Bhat was associated with terror outfit Hizb-ul Mujahideen since June 2017, while Mir, too, was involved in various terror activities.Arms and ammunition have been recovered from the site of encounter. Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation in the matter.Security personnel have also appealed to the locals to not venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. Locals have been urged to cooperate with police till the area is
Afghanistan: Utah mayor killed in 'insider' attack
The mayor of Utah, Brent Taylor, was killed on Saturday in Kabul in what the United States-backed coalition called an "insider attack."The attacker was a member of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces and was immediately killed by other Afghan forces, the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition said, according to CNN.A Facebook post by North Ogden City Councilman Phillip Swanson confirmed the death of Taylor, who was elected to the city council of North Ogden, about 45 miles north of Salt Lake City, in 2009 and became mayor in 2013."We are devastated by the loss of our Mayor and friend, Brent Taylor. Brent had a profound influence on this community. He was the best of men with the ability to see potential and possibility in everything around him," the post read.Another servicemember, who has not been identified, was also wounded in the attack.
US army punishes six over roles in fatal Niger ambush: Report
The US Army has punished six people for their roles in a 2017 mission in Niger that resulted in the ambush deaths of four Americans and four allied Nigerien troops, The New York Times reported Saturday. The ambush occurred on October 4, 2017 as a unit of 11 American special forces soldiers and 30 Nigerien troops, returning from a village near the Malian border, were overrun by scores of jihadists. An investigative report released by the Pentagon in May said that while US soldiers had fought bravely and four "died with honour," they had not been properly prepared for the mission. Investigators cited "individual, organizational and institutional failures." Those being disciplined, the Times said Saturday, include Captain Mike Perozeni, the leader of the Green Beret team, as well as his second in command, a master sergeant whose name has been withheld. The paper said a letter of reprimand to Perozeni cited the insufficient training and a lack of mission rehearsals. Two senior officers ...
14 civilians killed in US-led coalition strikes in east Syria: Monitor
At least 14 civilians were killed Saturday in US-led coalition air strikes on the Islamic State group's last holdout in eastern Syria, a monitor said. "Fourteen civilians, including five children under the age of 18" were killed in the coalition air raids on the villages of Hajin, Sousa and Al-Shaafa in eastern Deir Ezzor province, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.
Consignment containing Rs 1.2 cr cash, other valuables seized
The Anti-Terrorism Squad of Rajasthan Police seized unaccounted cash worth Rs 1.2 crore, 2 kg gold and 2 quintals of silver from a consignment inside a train at Jaipur junction Saturday night. The consignment was found in the Delhi-Ahmedabad Ashram Express. "Following a tip-off about the hawala money in a parcel, a team of Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in coordination with the railway authorities and Government Railway Police (GRP) searched the parcel. "They found Rs 1.2 crore cash, gold biscuits weighing 2 kg and 2 quintals of silver in raw form," ADG (ATS and SOG) Umesh Mishra told PTI. He said the income tax authorities have been informed about the matter and they were probing the source and destination of the consignment.
Militant killed in encounter with security forces in J-K's Shopian
An unidentified militant was killed in a brief gun battle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday, police said. Security personnel launched a cordon and search operation in the Khudpora area of Shopian following information about the presence of militants there, a police official said. He said the search operation turned into an encounter as militants opened fire upon the personnel who then retaliated. One militant was killed, the official said, adding that incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the scene of the encounter.
First aid since January reaches displaced Syrians near Jordan border: UN
An aid convoy on Saturday reached a camp for displaced Syrians near the Jordanian border, the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said, in the first such delivery since January. "The UN and SARC are delivering humanitarian assistance to 50,000 people in need at Rukban camp in southeast Syria," the UN said in a statement, adding the delivery was expected to take three to four days. The convoy included much-needed food, as well as health assistance, the UN and SARC said. "We are delivering food, sanitation and hygiene supplies, nutrition and health assistance in addition to other core relief items," the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Syria Ali Al-Zaatari said in a statement. "We are also conducting an emergency vaccination campaign to protect some 10,000 children against measles, polio and other deadly diseases." More than 70 trucks would ferry in more than 10,000 food parcels and bags of flour, as well as clothes for 18,000 children, the Red Crescent said. The aid would ..
Curfew relaxed for two hours in J-K's Kishtwar, lifted in Doda
Curfew was relaxed for two hours Saturday in Kishtwar township of Jammu and Kashmir where it was imposed as a precautionary measure on Thursday night following the killing of a senior BJP leader and his brother by suspected militants, officials said. However, the curfew was lifted from nearby Doda district, they added. The students appearing for the 10th class board examination wrote their papers in the curfew-bound areas after the authorities asked the students to reach their respective centres using their admit card, which would be treated as curfew pass, the officials said. District Development Commissioner, Kishtwar, Angrez Singh Rana said the area wise curfew relaxation was given in Kishtwar town from 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm initially and then from 3.45 pm to 4.45 pm. "During the period, the situation remained quite under control as people came out of their houses and purchased essential commodities," he told PTI. Rana said the students appearing for Class 10 annual board examination,
Assam continues to be tense over killing, bandh evokes mixed response
Assam continued to be tense on Saturday over the killing of five persons by unidentified gunmen at Tinsukia district even as the 12-hour Assam bandh call by some organisations over the killing evoked a mixed response across the state on Saturday.
IS kills 3 Iraq village chiefs in a week: officials
Jihadists have killed three village chiefs in less than a week in Iraq's restive north, local officials said Saturday, as the targeting of state representatives escalates. Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State group last year, but small jihadist cells still wage attacks, especially in mountainous areas like the northern province of Kirkuk. There, IS has attacked state infrastructure and government officials, especially targeting local administrative heads known as "mukhtars." The latest victim, on Friday night, was mukhtar of the village of Mahmudiya near the town of Hawija. The town has long been a bastion of radical Sunni Muslim groups and was one of the last IS holdouts retaken by government troops last year. Mahmudiya mukhtar "Abdallah al-Wasmi was executed by Daesh members who attacked his home," a local security official told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. His death followed the similar killing of the mukhtar of a nearby village, Hanutiya, late Wednesday. And on