Page 4 - War Conflict
Militant killed in encounter in J-K, identity being ascertained
Security forces on Wednesday killed an unidentified militant in an encounter in a forest in Tral in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Branpatri forest area of Tral on Wednesday morning following information about the presence of militants in the area, a police spokesperson said. The hiding militants opened firing on security forces, who retaliated, triggering a gun battle, he said. "One militant was killed in the gun battle while there were no casualties among the security forces," he added. The identity and group affiliation of the slain militant is being ascertained.
US military says 2 service personnel killed in Afghanistan
The US military says two service members have been killed in Afghanistan. It did not offer any details surrounding the circumstances of their deaths. The statement says the killings occurred Wednesday, a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a quick visit to the Afghan capital of Kabul where he said Washington was hopeful of a peace deal before September 1. It's not clear if the deaths were the result of the war, which at nearly 18 years is America's longest running. The United States is holding direct talks with the Taliban to secure a deal that will bring the warring sides together in peace. The US statement says the identities of the soldiers would not be released until their families had been notified.
Andhra Pradesh: One Maoist surrenders, four arrested in Visakhapatnam
A squad member of Community Party of India (Maoist) party surrendered and four militia members were arrested by the police in Visakhapatnam rural area, Andhra Pradesh, police said.CPI Maoist party squad member surrendered before Officer on Special Duty (OSD) V Krishna Rao on Tuesday."The arrested Naxals were involved in criminal cases. The surrendered squad member will be given compensation" Rao said.The arrested militias have been sent to remand.
J-K: Exchange of fire underway in Pulwama
An encounter broke out on Tuesday between terrorists and security forces in forests of Tral area of Pulwama district. The firing is still underway.Troops of 42 Rashtriya Rifles with Special Operations Group, Tral were carrying out a cordon and search operation during which the encounter broke out.On receipt of information, troops of 180 Batallion CRPF rushed to the spot for reinforcement.Further details are awaited.
Modi visit is proof that island nation is safe: Sri Lanka tourism minister
New Delhi [India], Jun 26 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Sri Lanka is proof that the country is safe, said Sri Lankan Tourism Minister John Amaratunga."Prime Minister Modi came to Sri Lanka and it is the proof that Sri Lanka is safe. He visited churches there. He was cordial and comfortable and what is a better proof of safety than that," Amaratunga told ANI.Modi paid a stopover visit to the island nation earlier this month on his way back to India from the Maldives.Amaratunga's statement came after over two months of deadly Easter Sunday attack which targeted eight locations, including three churches, killing more than 250 people.Talking about the impact of the terror attack which took place on April 21 in Sri Lanka, he said, "Sri Lanka is the same as was before the blast. However, our intelligence was quick enough within 10 days to apprehend who supported ISIS criminals who destroyed churches and hotel in Sri Lanka."Negating the impact of ongoing emergency in Sri ...
Amarnath Yatra: DIG North Kashmir, SSP Bandipora take stock of arrangements
Deputy Inspector General of Police North Kashmir, Suleman Chaudhary and SSP Bandipora Rahul Malik on Tuesday visited Sumbal-Bandipora transit camp and took stock of arrangements put in place for Amarnath Yatra.Chaudhary and Malik ensured hassle-free movement of pilgrims during the Yatra.This year, over 1.10 lakh pilgrims have registered themselves for the annual Amarnath Yatra which began on July 1, said MHA sources said.On June 4, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik had chaired the unified headquarters meeting in Srinagar to review the overall security situation in the State.The meeting was attended by the top brass of the army, police, paramilitary, state and central intelligence agencies.Governor had expressed satisfaction over security management in the past year, despite continuing challenges on many fronts.He had stressed the need for close and effective coordination among all the security forces and intelligence agencies to maintain peace and order in the state.The ...
Sri Lanka police overturn local council ban on Muslims
Sri Lanka's police Tuesday stepped in to prevent a local council from banning Muslim traders from a weekly fair in another backlash from the devastating Easter attacks blamed on Islamic extremists. The local government body had ordered minority Muslims not to participate in the farmer's market in the town of Dankotuwa, 47 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital. "We got a court order against the Wennappuwa Pradeshiya Saba (council) because we can't allow this Islamophobia," local police Superintendent K. A. B. Kumarapeli told AFP by telephone. He said the local council chairman representing a political party affiliated to former president Mahinda Rajapakse ordered Muslims to stay away, saying their presence could trigger violence in the region. The region has a high concentration of Christians who suffered the most in the April 21 suicide bombings that targeted three churches and three hotels. At least 258 people were killed and nearly 500 wounded in the attacks. However, police ...
Pompeo hopes for Afghan peace deal 'before September 1'
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday he hopes for a peace deal with the Taliban "before September 1", speaking as he made his first visit to Kabul since Washington launched talks with the insurgents last year. Pompeo met with President Ashraf Ghani as well as General Scott Miller, who leads NATO's Afghanistan mission and the US war effort in the country, as well as other high-level Afghan officials during the unannounced one-day visit to the Afghan capital. He said peace was Washington's "highest priority". Last September the US began a fresh push to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to end America's longest war. "I hope we have a peace deal before September 1, that's certainly our mission set," Pompeo said during the visit. US officials have previously said they are hoping for a deal before the upcoming Afghan presidential elections, which have already been delayed twice and are now set for September. The next round of talks between the Taliban and the US are set .
Assam police arrests man from Kashmir for obscene remark on Fb on slain CRPF man's wife
Assam Police has arrested a person from Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir for allegedly posting an obscene comment on Facebook on the widow of a CRPF commando who was killed in a blast triggered by Maoists in Jharkhand last month, an official statement said Tuesday. The slain CRPF commando, Sunil Kalita, hailed from Kamrup district of Assam. The accused, Syed Abbass, was produced at Damhal Hanji Pora court in Kulgam district of Kashmir on June 22 and he was sent to eight days transit remand. He was being brought to Assam, the statemnet said. He had made the alleged obscene comment on Kalita's wife on the Facebook page of a TV news channel of Assam that posted a photograph of the woman saluting her slain husband on June 15. Following this, one Ramen Barua lodged a complaint and a case was registered. A three-member police team went to Jammu and Kashmir and arrested the accused with the help of the police of that state, and intelligence agencies, the statement said. Kalita was wounded in an ..
Maha budget: Mungantiwar's reply unsatisfactory, says Cong
The Congress Tuesday attacked Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on his reply on the Budget discussion, claiming it was unsatisfactory and accused him of not giving answers on actual concerns facing the state. Speaking to reporters outside the state legislature here, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said Mungantiwar did not give answers on the "decline" in agricultural and industrial growth rates. "The finance minister's reply on budget discussion was not satisfactory. The government announced lakhs of jobs through various programmes, but questions raised in this regard got no answers. There was no answer on investment made in Maharashtra," he added. He further said 12,000 farmers had committed suicide during the BJP-led government's tenure, and that it had fallen short in combating drought. Chavan said the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation was busy poaching leaders from opposition parties and was paying no attention to the state's development. "We condemn the ...
Debt as GSDP percentage has come down: Mungantiwar
The Maharashtra government has pared its debt burden from 28.2 per cent of GSDP to 15 per cent despite the implementation of 7th pay commission and farm loan waiver, Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said Tuesday. He was replying to a debate on the state budget in the Legislative Assembly. While presenting the budget on June 18, Mungantiwar had said that as of March-end, the total debt of the state was Rs 4,14,411 crore. "We have managed to bring down debt burden from 28.2 per cent to 15 per cent (of gross state domestic product) despite the pay out due to the 7th pay commission and farm loan waiver," he said Tuesday. The government's stated objective of taking the state's economy to USD onetrillion was difficult but achievable, he said. Defending the Jalyukt Shivar water conservation scheme, he said despite deficient rainfall, food grain production increased by 24 lakh metric tonnes. In 2014, food grain production was 91 lakh metric tonnes, while in 2019, it was ...
Clash breaks out in front of Kejriwal Hospital in Muzaffarpur
A clash broke out here at Kejriwal hospital between hospital staff and kin of a child who died at the facility on Tuesday.The incident took place after the affected family protested following the bereavement."The child from Sumera was admitted to the hospital due to low haemoglobin level. He died around 9 am today. His family took away the body but then returned to protest outside the hospital," Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mukul Kumar Ranjan said."A few people, including some journalists, were injured in the clash that broke out between the protesters and security officers posted outside the hospital," Ranjan added citing the CCTV footage of the incident.The Police are currently questioning the hospital authorities. "We will file an FIR and take necessary actions," he said.Kejriwal hospital is one of the facilities battling with the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) crisis in Muzaffarpur. As many as 131 children have died of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in the district,
Sri Lanka safe for tourists, travel advisories issued after blasts to be withdrawn soon: Tourism Min
Sri Lanka Tourism Minister H Amartunga Tuesday said its government is regularly in touch with intelligence agencies to ensure that the island nation is safe, adding travel advisories issued in the wake of the recent blasts will be withdrawn soon. "Sri Lanka is not in danger and I take full responsibility to say that. We have been in touch with intelligence agencies and it is completely safe. Business in Sri Lanka is as usual, schools are being reopened, children are attending schools, movement in the city is normal as it happened before the blasts," the minister said at an event here. "It is vital for tourism as people want to be safe. I can give you assurance...we as members of Parliament think twice before going to a place where there are questions over safety so we have to ensure the same for tourists. Some of the travel advisories issued in the wake of the blasts have already been lifted and the remaining will be withdrawn soon," he said. The Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and ...
Over 20 terrorist groups, including Pak-based LeT, active in Afghanistan: UN report
Over 20 regional and international terrorist groups, including Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are currently fighting against government forces in Afghanistan, mainly in the border areas, according to a recent UN report.The tenth report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, submitted to the 1988 Sanctions Committee of the United Nations, shows concern over the Taliban and other associated individuals constituting a threat to the peace, stability and security of Afghanistan."Al-Qaida is eager to expand its presence in Barmal District in Paktika Province. It has been intensifying its concentration in the Afghan-Pakistan border area in close cooperation with Lashkar-e Taiba and the Haqqani Network. Al-Qaida members act as instructors and religious teachers for Taliban personnel and their family members," said the report.It quoted Afghan officials as saying that some 500 Lashkar-e-Taiba fighters are active in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces of the country."Kunar ...
UN aid official: Yemeni rebels blocking food for thousands
Yemen's rebels last month turned back a World Food Program shipment meant to feed some 100,000 families in the war-torn nation that's been pushed to the brink of starvation, a spokesperson for the aid agency said Tuesday. The rejection of the shipment came as the WFP was in tense talks with the rebels, known as Houthis, who had blocked the agency's attempt to register millions of Yemenis in need of aid by using biometrics as a means of preventing food aid theft. The WFP has mainly blamed the rebels for stealing the food aid. The rejected shipment will also deprive thousands of families of badly needed aid. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by the Iranian-backed Houthis who drove out the internationally recognized government. Months later, in March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the country's south. In the relentless campaign, Saudi-led airstrikes have hit schools, hospitals and ...
Important to send across message that Sri Lanka is completely safe: Jacqueline
Jacqueline Fernandez, the Bollywood actor, who made her foray into Hindi movies post her crowning as Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2005, says it is safe for the tourists to visit the country now. Sri Lanka had witnessed a series of bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels on April 21, which claimed 258 lives, including that of 44 foreigners. Jacqueline said for the longest time Sri Lanka has been the number one tourist destination, with Indian travellers coming in great numbers, but things have changed post the bombings. "It's disheartening and saddening to see that because of the terrorist attacks which had taken place, our numbers have dropped. It's really important for us to send across the message right now that Sri Lanka is completely safe," the actor told reporters. Jacqueline said the country is making sure to keep their security tight. "We want to encourage our friends and neighbours again that Sri Lanka is the number one tourist destination to go to, as was before. We may have ...
155 Islamic State members, sympathisers arrested so far: Home Ministry
A total of 155 members and sympathisers of banned terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) have been arrested in the country so far, the Home Ministry said Tuesday. Some instances of individuals from different states joining the IS have also come to the notice of central and state security agencies, it said. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state police forces have registered cases against IS members and sympathisers, and have arrested 155 accused from across the country so far, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The Islamic State (IS), the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Daesh has been notified as a terrorist organisation and included in the first schedule of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, by the central government. "The IS is using various internet-based social media platforms to propagate its ideology.Cyberspace is being closely watched in
UN fears Myanmar human rights abuses in internet shutdown
An internet blackout in parts of Myanmar could be cover for "gross human rights violations" in an area where a brutal army crackdown has already forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee, a UN rights investigator said. The military is locked in battle with the Arakan Army (AA), insurgents fighting for more autonomy for the region's ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. On Friday the government took the unprecedented step of ordering mobile phone operators to shut down all internet data across at least eight townships in Rakhine and one in neighbouring Chin states. "I fear for all civilians there," said UN Special Rapporteur to Myanmar Yanghee Lee, calling for the immediate lifting of restrictions. The military's "clearance operations" can be a "cover for committing gross human rights violations against the civilian population," she said, referencing alleged mass atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims in 2017. The decree was made under the Telecommunications Law, hitting all mobile .
176 children lost their parents in Easter Sunday attacks: Cardinal Ranjith
A total of 176 children have lost either one or both of their parents during the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people, a media report quoted the head of Sri Lanka's Catholic Church as saying. A total of 7 suicide bombers carried out a series blasts that targeted three churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka on April 21. The attacks injured 500 people. One hundred and seventy six children have lost either both or one of their parents in the bombings that took place on April 21. The church is focusing on these groups to help them recover and return to normalcy," Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror on Monday. He made these comments on his visit to Rome last week. He said the church will not concentrate on the renovation of churches damaged in the blasts as the government has undertaken that task. The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of ..
Suspicious packages found in 28 places across Nepal
Suspicious packages were found in at least 28 places across Nepal since Tuesday morning, police said.Not all the suspicious packages were bombs and some were planted to create a sense of fear among the people."Suspicious packages found in 28 places across the nation since morning. All of them are not bombs. Some were planted to create fear. At least two suspected packages were found in Kirtipur and Jawalakhel in Kathmandu Valley but it proved to be a hoax," Nepal Police Spokesperson Bishowraj Pokharel said.The incident comes nearly a month after three consecutive blasts had rocked Kathmandu, claiming the lives of four people and injuring nine others.Police believe that a splinter group, Communist Party of Nepal, is suspected to be behind the May 26 explosions, which are the deadliest since the Nepalese government imposed a ban on the group for its extortion and violent activities in March.
