Page 39 - War Conflict
Boko Haram attacks military bases in Nigeria, steal arms: Sources
Boko Haram jihadists have carried out multiple attacks on military bases in northeast Nigeria's Borno state, overrunning three of them and stealing weapons, security sources said Monday. Fighters believed to be from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the IS-linked faction of Boko Haram, stormed four bases from Friday through Sunday in the latest spate of attacks targeting the army, sources from the military and militia said. There were no immediate details on casualties. In the latest incident, on Sunday, the insurgents made a failed attempt to seize a base in the town of Dikwa following a predawn attack. "The terrorists attacked troops in Dikwa around 4:00 am (0300 GMT) but the attack was repelled without casualty on our side," a military officer, who did not want to be identified, told AFP. The fighters came in 13 trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, said a second officer, who gave a similar account. Dikwa which lies 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the state capital ...
Afghan officials: Bus bombing in capital kills 5
A bomb attached into a bus carrying Afghan government workers has killed at least five people and wounded 10 others in the capital, Kabul, Afghan officials said Monday. Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the public health ministry, said the numbers could still rise. Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry, said the employees belong to the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission. Ahmad Shah, an eyewitness at the scene of the attack, said: "Five to seven bodies were on the street, a few of them were martyred and others were wounded." He said some of the victims were "burning inside the bus no one was able to enter." No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but both Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in Kabul and have staged attacks there. Afghan president Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack in a statement sent by the presidential palace. A wave of attacks has rocked the Afghan capital over the last week. Four bombings
Rajnath visits Siachen, salutes soldiers for courage
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield, on Monday and praised the "tenacious resolve and unstinting commitment" of the "Siachen Warriors".
Policeman in Kashmir injured in accidental gunfire
A Jammu and Kashmir policeman working with the anti-militancy Special Operations Group (SOG) was injured on Monday when his service rifle went off accidentally in Pulwama district.
Last known survivor of Sobibor Nazi death camp dies
Semion Rosenfeld, the "last known survivor" of the Nazi death camp Sobibor, has died aged 96, the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency said Monday. The head of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog, said he was "very sad" about the death of Rosenfeld. "Semion fought the Nazis as part of the Red Army and was then sent to the Sobibor death camp as a prisoner of war, where he encountered death every day until the famous rebellion," Herzog said in a statement. Rosenfeld had been a resident of Jewish Agency-supported assisted living for the past 20 years, Herzog said. Born in Ukraine, the Jewish soldier was one of over 50 camp prisoners who survived World War II according to Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre. Some 250,000 European Jews perished in Sobibor camp, which was in Nazi-occupied Poland, between May 1942 and the summer of 1943. In the most famous revolt from a Nazi camp, nearly 300 Sobibor captives including Rosenfeld escaped through the camp's barbed war in October 1943. Nearly .
Security forces will soon end militancy in Kishtwar: Police
Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said on Monday that security forces will soon end militancy in Kishtwar district.
5 killed in Kabul blast targeting government bus
At least five people were killed and 10 injured on Monday in an explosion in Kabul that targeted an Afghan government bus, officials said.
Pak-based KLF leader Harmeet Singh plotting to disrupt peace in Punjab, says Amritsar-Rural SSP
Pakistan-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) leader Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD is plotting to carry out some big incidents on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star, said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rural, Vikram Jeet Duggal here on Monday."KLF handler Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD is instigating the youths of Punjab through social media and other mediums from his base in Pakistan. He is also the mastermind of various drugs and weapons smuggling rackets. He is plotting to carry out some big incidents on the anniversary of Operation Blue Star to disrupt the peace and harmony in the state," said Duggal at a press conference here.Operation Blue Star was the codename of an Indian military action carried out in June 1984 to remove militant religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar in the state.Duggal's statements come after the state police seized live grenades, papers and ...
Sudan military did not break up sit-in 'by force': Spokesman
Sudan's military rulers denied trying to break up a protest sit-in "by force" Monday in Khartoum, saying their forces were targeting a site nearby, after a doctors' committee said nine people had been killed. "We did not disperse the sit-in by force," said Shamseddine Kabbashi, spokesman for the ruling military council. "The tents are there, and the youth are moving freely," he told Sky News Arabia. Heavily armed security forces in pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns were deployed in large numbers all around the capital, while gunfire was heard from the protest site by an AFP journalist. Kabbashi said the military was targeting a "dangerous" area near the sit-in protest. "This morning... security forces wanted to disperse a gathering in the area near where the sit-in was taking place," he said. "This area, called Colombia, has long been a hotbed of corruption and negative practises that go against the conduct of Sudanese society," said Kabbashi. "Many escaped from the Colombia ...
At least four killed as government bus hit in Kabul blast
At least four people were killed Monday when a bomb tore through a bus in Kabul, an official said, marking the second day straight that attackers have targeted a bus. The vehicle was taking workers home from a government watchdog agency ahead of the Eid holidays marking the end of Ramadan when the bomb exploded. Farid Ahmad, a spokesman for the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission (IARCSC), told AFP the bomb had been concealed on a bicycle along the side of the road. "Unfortunately, we have lost four colleagues, nine have been wounded", Ahmad said. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi put the toll at five dead and 10 wounded -- all of them civilians. He said the explosion had been caused by a sticky bomb, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents slap explosives under vehicles. No one immediately claimed responsibility. The blast comes one day after two people were killed and dozens more wounded in Kabul as a wave of bombings hit civilian ..
Doval begins his second term as NSA
Ajit Doval began his second term as the National Security Advisor with an elevated stature equivalent to that of a Union Cabinet minister, according to an official order made public on Monday. A 1968-batch IPS officer who retired as Intelligence Bureau chief in 2005, Doval's appointment is the first key posting announced by the Narendra Modi government after assuming office for a second term on May 30. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment for a five-year period with effect from May 31, 2019 and it will be co-terminus with the term of the prime minister, the order said. "During the term of his office, he will be assigned the rank of Cabinet Minister," the order said. This makes Doval, 74, as the first NSA who has been appointed for two consecutive terms. He was appointed to the post on May 30, 2014 and he was given a stature that of a Minister of State sometime in September that year after the Chinese side insisted for ministerial-level talks. During ..
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh interacts with troops in Siachen
In his first visit as Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh on Monday visited the world's highest battlefield - the Siachen Glacier - where he interacted with Army troops and paid tributes to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty."I salute your spirit, your valour from the bottom of my heart. Jawans and officers in the Armed forces have a sense of pride, that is the strongest sentiment in the heart of any human," Singh said while addressing personnel at the Siachen Base Camp.In a series of tweets, Rajnath lauded the personnel for performing their duty with great courage despite unfavourable terrain."Visited a forward post and Siachen base camp today and interacted with the Army personnel serving in this region which is also known as the 'the highest battle field in the world'," he wrote."Our soldiers in Siachen are performing their duty with great courage and fortitude even in extreme conditions and treacherous terrain. I salute their vigour and valour," Rajnath added .
US, UK condemn 'attacks' on Sudan protesters
The US Embassy in Sudan is calling on Sudanese security forces to stop their "attacks against protesters and other civilians." The embassy said via Facebook that apparent attempts by Sudanese troops to move against a months-long protest camp in the capital are "wrong," and that it holds the country's Transitional Military Council responsible for the attacks. The British ambassador in Sudan, Ifran Siddiq, says he is "extremely concerned by the heavy gunfire" he'd heard from his official home in Khartoum, as well as "reports that Sudanese security forces are attacking the protest sit-in site, resulting in casualties." "No excuse for any such attack," he said via Twitter. Sudan's ruling military council confirms there have been clashes between troops and protesters in a sit-in area in the capital, Khartoum. Shams al-Deen al-Kabashi, spokesman for the council, said in televised remarks that the military was targeting what it considers a problematic area near the sit-in, nicknamed ...
Car bombing kills 19 in Syria's Azaz: monitor
At least 19 people were killed Sunday in a car bomb near a bustling market and mosque in a rebel-held city in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said. Four children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, in the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor. "Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened," Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP. Shoppers buying clothes and gifts ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday were among those killed, said Jihad Berro, a coroner at a local hospital. He said the medical facility was crammed with victims and their relatives. "The emergency rooms were full, we placed corpses on the floor," he said. "It is a real catastrophe before the Eid al-Fitr holiday," which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said Berro. An AFP photographer saw a large crowd ...
Arunachal govt to hand over MLA killing case to NIA
The Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to hand over the killing of Khonsa West MLA Tirong Aboh and 10 others by suspected NSCN militants to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), an official said on Monday. The state Cabinet in its first sitting on Sunday night unanimously decided that the case be handed over to the NIA as thorough investigation needs to be carried out in a time bound manner and justice be delivered expeditiously to the bereaved family members by booking and nabbing all the culprits, the official said. The cabinet headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu also condemned the killing of the MLA and 10 others by suspected NSCN militants. The cabinet approved for providing a Group C post in the government to the next of kin of the deceased and provide Rs 20 lakh as ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased. Nationalist Peoples' Party (NPP) MLA Aboh along with his son and nine others were killed when suspected NSCN militants opened fire at their ...
Sudan military rulers use force to disperse sit-in
Sudan's ruling military council on Monday used force in a bid to break up a sit-in outside the Khartoum army headquarters, one of the main protest groups and witnesses said. The military ousted president Omar al-Bashir in April after months of protests against his authoritarian rule, including a sit-in in front of army headquarters in the capital. Thousands of protesters remained camped out in front of the site calling on the generals to cede power to a transitional authority. "Now an attempt is taking place to disperse the sit-in at the headquarters of the people's armed forces by force by the military council," said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group which spearheaded nationwide protests that started in December. A witness living in the Burri neighbourhood in east Khartoum said he could "hear the sound of gunfire and I see a plume of smoke rising from the area of the sit-in." Another resident of the area, which is near the sit-in, said he had seen forces in "police ...
J-K: Two terrorists killed in retaliatory fire in Sopian
Two terrorists were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in Molu-Chitragam area of Sopian district in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night.The terrorists were killed in a retaliatory fire when security forces intercepted their vehicle at a checkpoint on Shopian-Turkawangom Road in Mool Chitragam area of the district, an official release said.The terrorists have been identified as Firdous Ahmad Bhat and driver Sajad Ahmad, the residents of Kulgam district.One terrorist, however, managed to flee the spot taking advantage of darkness.Bhat was listed as a terrorist in police records.Their bodies have been handed over to their legal heirs after completion of medico-legal formalities, the release said.Incriminating material including arms and ammunition were recovered from the spot.
Suspended police head blames President Sirisena for failing to prevent Lanka attack
Sri Lanka's suspended police chief has accused President Maithripala Sirisena of failing to prevent the Easter bombings that killed over 250 people as he filed a petition in the Supreme Court against his "unfair dismissal" over the catastrophic intelligence failure. Inspector-General Pujith Jayasundara was sent on compulsory leave by Sirisena for his alleged inaction on the intelligence shared by India, which warned of an impending attack by Islamic militants, and thereby, failing to prevent the serial blasts on April 21. In the petition submitted to the court last week, Jayasundara revealed serious lack of communication between intelligence agencies and security arms of the government, all which fall under Sirisena, and claimed he was sidelined and excluded from attending National Security Council meetings since a political rift between the president and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe emerged in October last year. In October 2018, Sirisena sacked Prime Minister Ranil ...
Haftar's forces repel attack on Tripoli airport, 15 killed
At least 15 "GNA militants" were killed when Khalifa Haftar's Libya National Army (LNA) repelled attacks on the Tripoli airport here, said LNA General Command press service director Khalifa Obeidi on Monday."LNA repelled an armed attack by (GNA armed) groups...on Tripoli airport on Sunday morning," Sputnik quoted Obeidi as saying.He added that "15 Government of National Accord (GNA) militants, including six mercenaries from Chad," died in the clash.Libya has been largely divided into two factions ever since the death of its dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The LNA-backed parliament controls the east of Libya, while the UN-backed GNA governs Libya's western region from Tripoli.Fighting broke out between the LNA and GNA after Haftar's forces launched an offensive in April to retake Tripoli. More than 90,000 people have been displaced ever since, while over 450 people have lost their lives.Most of the international community has urged for a peaceful resolution to the intense fighting which has .
2 persons killed in shootout in Shopian
Two persons were Monday killed in a brief shootout with Army in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The Army had laid a checkpoint at Moolu Chitragam in Shopian in the early hours. A private vehicle jumped the checkpoint. Militants got out of it and opened fire, they said. The security personnel retaliated, leading to the death of two persons, police said. The bodies have been taken to district police lines for identification. Army officials and defence spokesman were unavailable for comments.