Page 376 - War Conflict
Strongly condemn Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh: Union minister Rathore
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore condemned the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh in which two police personnel and a Doordarshan (DD) News cameraman were killed on Tuesday. Two policemen were also injured in the attack in Dantewada district of the poll-bound state. "Strongly condemn the Naxal attack on @DDNewsLive crew in Dantewada. Deeply saddened by the demise of our cameraman Achyuta Nanda Sahu and two jawans of @crpfindia. These insurgents will NOT weaken our resolve. We WILL prevail," the minister said on Twitter. Those killed were identified as Sub-Inspector Rudra Pratap, Assistant Constable Mangalu and DD News cameraman Achyutanand Sahu from Delhi, Deputy Inspector General (anti-Naxal operations) Sundarraj P said.
Taliban: 5 freed from US military prison now in Qatar office
A Taliban spokesperson says five members of the Afghan Taliban who were freed from the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for captured American army Sgt Bowe Bergdahl have joined the insurgent group's political office in Qatar. That means they will now be among Taliban representatives negotiating for peace in Afghanistan, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tells The Associated Press. After drawn-out negotiations, the five Taliban were released in 2015. Bergdahl, who had been held in Taliban custody since 2009 when he wandered off a U.S. army base, was given a dishonourable discharge last year and fined USD 1,000 on charges of desertion and misbehavior. The stature of the five, which includes an ex-army chief, would make a peace deal palatable to the rank and file, says former Taliban Hakim Mujahed.
Security beefed up, cellular, internet services shut down for Chehlum in Pakistan
Security was beefed up and cellular and internet services suspended in major cities of Pakistan on Tuesday to maintain law and order during the observance of Chehlum. Processions will be held in different parts of the country by Shiite Muslims and the government has deployed thousands of troops along the routes and around the venues where the marches will terminate by the evening, officials said. Chehlum is observed to commemorate the 40th day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet, in 680 in Karbala in modern Iraq. Officials said the security was tightened to avert any tragedy on the occasion of the Chehlum. Extremist Sunni groups in the past have attacked such rallies with suicide bombings. Earlier, interior ministry received applications from home departments of all the four provinces to suspend the mobile phone and internet services, the officials said. Local TV reports showed major cities like Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Muzaffarabad, ...
England cricketers warned over Sri Lanka upheaval
England's cricket stars have been told to stay away from political demonstrations while touring Sri Lanka, which is in the grip of a constitutional power struggle. One man has been killed in upheaval after President Maithripala Sirisena sacked the country's prime minister and replaced him with former strongman leader Mahinda Rajapakse. "We are exercising vigilance and avoiding all demonstrations or large political gatherings," England spokesman Danny Reuben told AFP. "We are aware of a political demonstration today, but for us it is all about preparations for the first Test." Reuben said a four-day practice match in Colombo would go ahead as planned, despite the troubles in the capital. England take on Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle, in the south of the country, on November 6. England are due to stay in Sri Lanka until November 27 when the third Test ends. The dispute between sacked prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Rajapakse has already hit Sri Lanka's cricket ...
Kabul: 2 dead, 7 injured in suicide bombing outside IEC office
At least two people lost their lives, while seven others got wounded on Monday in a suicide bombing incident outside the offices of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) here.The bomber was targeting a vehicle transporting IEC officials, security personnel confirmed, TOLO News reported.One police official and an IEC staffer were among the dead, with four IEC staffers, two police officials and a civilian sustaining injuries, security officials stated.The suicide bombing, for which terror outfit ISIS claimed responsibility, occurred in PD9 of Afghanistan's capital city. Police confirmed that the bomber had set off the explosives close to the gates of the IEC offices.The bombing comes in the wake of the recently conducted parliamentary elections in the country. Taliban and other terror outfits had announced their intent to obstruct the elections, despite which, millions of Afghan nationals congregated at polling stations to cast their vote.In his reaction, John Bass, the US ...
Tunisia: 9 injured in suicide bombing
At least nine people were injured in a suicide bombing incident in the Tunisian capital of Tunis on Monday.Tunisia's interior ministry confirmed in a statement that a 30-year-old woman set off the bomb close to a police patrol, resulting in eight security officials and one civilian sustaining injuries, CNN reported.The woman, who was previously unknown to the authorities, was the only one to be killed in the incident. The bombing took place near the Habib Bourguiba Avenue, at the heart of the Tunisian capital around 1:55 PM (local time).A state of emergency has been in effect in Tunisia since a succession of terror attacks rocked the North-African nation in 2015. The emergency was extended earlier in October by the President Beji Caid Essebsi.
Over a dozen booked for threatening toll booth staffer with guns
Around 15 to 20 persons were Monday booked for brandishing firearms and threatening a toll plaza employee here, police said. The incident occurred at around 2.45 pm when the main accused, travelling alone in a car, reached the National Highway Authority of India's (NHAI) Luharali toll plaza, between Dadri and Sikandrabad, they said. "When asked to pay the toll of around Rs 100, the unidentified man expressed reluctance and tried to cross the barricading. When the toll plaza official insisted, the accused made a few phone calls," Circle Officer, Dadri, Satish Kumar said. "Soon, around 15-20 men arrived at the toll plaza and a ruckus ensued. The main accused pointed a gun at the employee as his aides hurled abuses at him. The whole episode was captured on a CCTV camera," Kumar said. Station House Officer, Dadri, Ram Sen Singh said the aides appeared to be private security guards as they were in similar uniforms. They too brandished their weapons. "It appears from the footage that the ...
Woman bomber wounds 9 in first Tunisia suicide attack since 2015
A woman suicide bomber blew herself up near police vehicles on a busy street in the centre of the Tunisian capital on Monday after a three-year break in such attacks, injuring at least nine people, the interior ministry said. Ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP that all but one of the casualties were police, after a strong explosion rocked the upmarket Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis. Ambulances arrived swiftly at the scene, which was cordoned off by security forces. Shops lowered their shutters and cafes emptied as panic gripped passersby. An AFP photographer saw the bomber's body, apparently mostly intact, lying on the ground under one of the neatly-trimmed box trees that line the avenue. The interior ministry, in a statement, identified the assailant as a 30-year-old woman with no known extremist affiliations, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. Shortly before the blast, a small group of demonstrators had held a protest in the avenue against the killing near ...
Army looking into reports of snipers entering Kashmir: General Rawat
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday said that the Army was looking into reports that snipers had entered the Kashmir Valley to cause violence against security forces.
Group clash, firing in Patna; one injured
Two groups of people have clashed and fired bullets injuring at least one person in the city over a local issue, police said on Monday. One person was arrested and six persons were detained by the police in this connection. The clash on late Sunday evening was the fallout of an altercation between owners of an e-rickshaw and a four-wheeler in the Rajendra Nagar area some hours back. Though the matter was initially sorted out with the intervention of the police, but later one group of people from over bridge locality attacked some houses on road number 10, beat up people besides teasing girls, police said. The people of the locality retaliated and pelted stones after which 8-10 rounds were fired in which a 16-year-old boy was injured, police said. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj visited the area. "Two groups clashed yesterday evening in which firing also took place. We received complaints that intoxicating materials like ganja, toddy laced with chemicals
Robbers open fire, injure 3, loot Rs 32 lakh from ATM cash van
Three unidentified persons Monday looted Rs 32 lakh from a cash van in Adipur in Kutch district after opening fire and injuring three persons, police said. The incident took place late Monday afternoon when cash was being transferred from a van to an Axis Bank ATM near Vinay Talkies, an official said. "When three persons were carrying a bag and a box with cash from the van towards the ATM, they were attacked by three unidentified persons who had come in a car. The robbers opened fire and looted Rs 32 lakh," said Kutch (East) Superintendent of Police Parikshita Rathod. Two of the persons were shot on the legs while one man suffered a bullet wound on the waist, police said, adding that the condition of all three was stable. Local Crime Branch Inspector J P Jadeja said that the incident had been captured by CCTV cameras installed in the area. He said that the robbers had covered their face and had also likely fired six rounds in the air. An official said that major roads in .
Five dead in suspected IS attack in central Libya
At least five people were killed Monday and 10 others kidnapped in an attack by suspected Islamic State group jihadists on a town in central Libya, local and military sources said. Three civilians were among the dead, while a soldier was wounded and 10 people "missing, probably kidnapped", said General Ahmed al-Mesmari, spokesman for the Libyan National Army. The raid targeted the desert town of Al-Fuqaha in Jufra district, which has for over a year been held by forces allied to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, who leads the self-styled LNA. LNA forces responded to the attack but the IS fighters fled south, killing a five victim and injuring another at a security checkpoint, Mesmari said. Earlier, municipal council member Abdellatif Jalala told AFP that three civilians and a policeman had been killed in the dawn attack, more than 800 kilometres (490 miles) south of the capital Tripoli. He said the assailants kidnapped at least eight others before fleeing into the Haruj mountains ...
Former Sri Lankan Minister Arjuna Ranatunga arrested over violent clash
Former Sri Lankan Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga - and the country's former cricket captain - was arrested by the police on Monday over a violent clash at the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) a day earlier which left one dead and two injured.
Army looking into reports of snipers entering Valley: General Rawat
Army chief General Bipin Rawat Monday said the Army was looking into reports of snipers entering the Kashmir Valley to target defence personnel. Three defence personnel have been killed in sniper attacks by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists since mid-September, prompting the law enforcement agencies to re-calibrate their strategy to thwart such strikes by the Pakistan-based group. Responding to the pattern of attacks, the Army chief said the security force was studying whether the attacks were carried out by snipers. "Whether these attacks have been done by snipers or not, this is something we are still studying," he said. "But to say that snipers have infiltrated (into the Valley) and that they have sniper weapons (is premature)...because we have not yet recovered any sniper weapon," Rawat told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. Based on intelligence inputs, security agencies believe that at least two separate 'buddy' groups of the proscribed JeM comprising two terrorists each ..
Colombo shooting: Police nab Arjuna Ranatunga
Sri Lanka's petroleum minister Arjuna Ranatunga has been arrested on account of his alleged role in a shooting incident that took place on Sunday at the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) in Colombo's Dematagoda suburb.The cricketer-turned-politician was nabbed by the Colombo Crime Division, Daily Mirror reported.One person was killed while two others were grievously injured after shots were fired when a group of protesters blocked Ranatunga's way when he arrived at the CPC for a meeting on Sunday.The security personnel who had fired five bullets at the crowd was also arrested.Investigation in the matter is underway.
Woman suicide bomber wounds 9 in Tunis: ministry
A woman suicide bomber blew herself up Monday near police vehicles in the centre of the Tunisian capital, injuring nine people, the interior ministry said. Ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP that all but one of the casualties were police, after a strong explosion Monday rattled the main Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis. Ambulances arrived swiftly at the scene, which was cordoned off by security forces. Since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, jihadist attacks in Tunisia have killed dozens of members of the security forces and foreign tourists. In June 2015, 38 people were killed in a shooting rampage at the coastal resort of Sousse which targeted tourists, while an attack the same year on the National Bardo Museum in Tunis left 22 people dead. The terror attacks decimated Tunisia's crucial tourism sector, which made up seven per cent of gross domestic product. The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, when an IS-claimed ...
Petrol pump employee robbed of nearly Rs 14 lakh
A petrol pump accountant was allegedly looted of around Rs 14 lakh by two unidentified men in Rajasthan's Nagaur district on Monday, police said. The accountant was on his way to deposit the cash in the bank when the motorcycle-borne men stopped and hurled chilli powder on him and looted Rs 13.90 lakh, Deganga police station SHO Ram Avatar said. A search is on to nab the accused, the officer added.
Three BSF troopers wounded in militant firing
Three Border Security Force (BSF) troopers were injured on Monday when militants fired at their vehicle on the outskirts of Srinagar, police said.
5 BSF jawans injured in militant attack in Srinagar
Five Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured Monday in a suspected militant attack on their vehicle in the Pantha chowk area on the outskirts of Srinagar city, police said. Gunmen opened fire on the BSF patrol vehicle at the Pantha chowk around 6:15 PM, resulting in injuries to five jawans, a BSF official said. He said the injured personnel, belonging to the 163rd battalion, have been hospitalised and the one jawan is stated to be in serious condition. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to track down the assailants, he added.
Three BSF jawans injured in militant attack in Srinagar
Three BSF personnel were injured Monday in a suspected militant attack on their vehicle in Pantha chowk area on the outskirts of Srinagar city, police said. Gunmen opened fire on a security force vehicle at the Pantha chowk , resulting in injuries to three jawans, a police official said. He said the injured personnel, belonging to the 163 battalion, have been hospitalised and the one jawan is stated to be in serious condition. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to track down the assailants, he added.