Page 407 - War Conflict
Afghan official: 4 civilians killed by 'friendly fire'
An Afghan official says at least four civilians a child and three women were killed by "friendly fire" when the Afghan air force staged an airstrike in southern Kandahar province. Aziz Ahmad Azizi, provincial governor's spokesman, says eight others, including a child and seven women, were wounded in Thursday night's strike, which had targeted Taliban insurgents. Azizi says Taliban fighters attacked villages in Mahrof district but faced strong resistance by police. He said one police was killed and three others wounded. Ten Taliban were killed and eight were wounded in the battle, Azizi said. After that, the insurgents hid in people's houses, leading to civilian casualties in the airstrike. The Taliban have not commented, but the insurgents are active in the district and often target Afghan forces.
J&K Police foil bovine smuggling bid in Kathua
The Jammu and Kashmir Police foiled a bid to smuggle bovines in Kathua district Friday, police said. A police team intercepted an SUV and recovered five bovines being smuggled to the Kashmir Valley from Punjab, they said. The vehicle has been seized and a case registered, they said. The smugglers escaped from spot leaving the vehicle behind.
Brave healer of DR Congo's most horrific wounds
In Democratic Republic of Congo, they call him "Doctor Miracle" for his surgical skill and dedication in helping women overcome the injuries and trauma of sexual abuse and rape. Denis Mukwege is a crusading gynaecologist who has spent more than two decades treating appalling injuries inflicted on women in DRC, whose work was the subject of an acclaimed 2015 film titled: "The Man Who Mends Women." A father to five children, the tireless 63-year-old is an outspoken critic of the abuse of women in war who has repeatedly accused the world of failing to act. The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize co-winner had been repeatedly nominated for his work with gang rape victims from the conflicts that have ravaged his homeland. Mukwege has called on the world to take a tougher line on rape as a weapon of war. "We have been able to draw a red line against chemical weapons, biological weapons and nuclear arms," he told AFP in 2016. "Today we must also draw a red line against rape as a weapon of war," he said, .
Nobel Peace Prize goes to Congolese doctor, former IS hostage
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded the Peace Prize to Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege and former Islamic State (IS) hostage and human rights activist Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
Militants kill 2 NC workers in Srinagar
Two National Conference (NC) party workers were killed while another was critically injured on Friday as militants opened fire here, police said. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack.
Two NC workers shot dead in Srinagar
Militants Friday shot dead two National Conference workers and injured an office bearer by firing at them from close range in Karfali Mohalla area of the city, three days ahead of polling for first phase of elections for urban local bodies in Kashmir, police said. The gunmen fired at the trio at Karfali Mohalla, resulting in injuries to all three, a police official said. The injured persons were rushed to nearby SMHS Hospital but two of them succumbed, the official said. The deceased have been identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Wani and Nazir Ahmad Bhat. While both were affiliated to the National Conference, Bhat was working as public relations officer of MLA Habbakadal. The injured persons has been identified as Shakeel Ahmad Ganaie, a Halqa president for National Conference. Security forces have launched an operation to track down militants, the official said. The killings come just three days ahead of polling for first phase of elections to urban local bodies in the state. National ...
Two shot dead in Kashmir
Militants Friday shot dead two persons and injured another by firing at them from a close range in Karfali Mohalla area of the city, two days ahead of polling for first phase of elections for urban local bodies in Kashmir, police said. The gunmen fired at three persons at Karfali Mohalla, resulting in the death of two of them and injuries to another, a police official said. Further details are awaited.
US, allies target Russian cyber spies with indictments
The US and major Western allies have condemned Russia's hacking and disinformation operations, announcing indictments and describing in striking detail Moscow's targeting of top Olympic athletes, anti-doping organisations, and chemical weapons monitors.
HP CM urges Modi to construct defence airport in Mandi
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get a defense airport constructed in Mandi to combat any terror threat and boost tourism in the hill-state, officials said. Thakur called on the prime minister in the national capital and informed him that the airport authority had found 3479 bighas of land at Naagchala in Mandi fit for construction of an international airport and landing large aircrafts. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking for a safe airstrip in adjoining areas of Pathankot following the terrorist attack at Uri airbase, Thakur said. The proposed airport in Mandi will be beneficial for defence forces as the district is well-connected to the entire state of Himachal Pradesh and therefore could prove crucial to combat any threat, he added. The chief minister further said the airport will be a good alternative to the airstrips at Shimla, Kangra and Kullu as they were not meant for bigger aircrafts. The airport would be ...
Police station in-charge arrested for drinking liquor
An in-charge of a police station in Bihar's Kaimur district was arrested Thursday in an inebriated condition, a senior police officer said. Sale and consumption of liquor had been banned in Bihar by the Nitish Kumar government in April 2016. Mohania Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ragunath Singh said that acting on a tip off, a police team arrested Nagendra Paswan, an in-charge SHO of Kudra police station, in an inebriated condition from his rented accommodation located few meters away from police station. Medical examination of Paswan has confirmed that he had consumed liquor, Singh said. Superintendent of Police Natasha Gudia said that an FIR has been lodged against Paswan.
SPO weapons' loot: PDP MLA says cop abused him, levelled serious' allegations against family
PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir, who is being questioned by the police in connection with the looting of weapons from his residence, on Thursday accused a cop of abusing him and levelling "serious" allegations against his family. Last week, a special police officer (SPO) posted at Mir's residence, Adil Bashir, decamped with seven AK rifles. "Is this policing? How can a munshi (policeman) of Rajbagh police station abuse a legislator in front of dozens of other policemen? And then (he) went on levelling serious allegations, accusations against his (my) family as well," Mir said in a tweet. "Is this how police probes things here by humiliating even legislators and start levelling baseless allegations?" he asked in another tweet. Days after Bashir fled with the weapons, he joined Hizbul Mujahideen and his photos with top commanders of the terror outfit went viral on social media. Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh had said the SPO was in touch with the terrorists before he fled and he stole
Six soldiers killed in Burkina Faso blast: security sources
Six soldiers were killed Thursday and several others seriously injured when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in eastern Burkina Faso in the latest attack in the jihadist-hit country, security sources said. "On Thursday morning, a military vehicle hit a homemade explosive device between Gayeri and Foutouri. Six soldiers were killed and several others were seriously injured," a source said. Another source said three people were in a "critical condition" and were being evacuated to Ouagadougou, the Burkina capital. "A cleaning up operation is under way," the source said. The attack came a day after a gendarme was killed and another injured in the country's north, where three people, including an Indian and a South African national, had been kidnapped at the end of last month. In 2015, Burkina Faso, one of the world's poorest countries, joined a string of countries in the Sahel region to come under pressure from jihadists. Rebels began staging cross-border raids in ..
Canada says it was targeted by Russian cyber attacks
Canada said Thursday it too was targeted by Russian cyber attacks, citing breaches at its center for ethics in sports and at the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency, after allies blamed Moscow for some of the biggest hacking plots of recent years. "The government of Canada assesses with high confidence that the Russian military's intelligence arm, the GRU, was responsible" for these cyber attacks, the foreign ministry said in a statement. Ottawa said these formed "part of a broader pattern of activities by the Russian government that lie well outside the bounds of appropriate behavior, demonstrate a disregard for international law and undermine the rules-based international order." And it called on "all those who value this order to come together in its defence." Allies accused Russia military intelligence of being behind an April attempt to gain access to official networks of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Netherlands expelled four alleged ...
Russian intel agency GRU accused of 'brazen' cybercrimes
Western nations accused Russia's secretive military intelligence unit of new cybercrimes on Thursday, with Dutch and British officials labeling the GRU "brazen" for allegedly targeting the international chemical weapons watchdog and the investigation into the 2014 downing of a Malaysian Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine. The GRU's alleged hacking attempts on the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons took place in April and were disrupted by authorities, Dutch Defense Minister Ank Bijleveld said. Four Russian intelligence officers were immediately expelled from the Netherlands, she said. Speaking about Russia's hacking attempts into the MH17 crash investigation, she said: "We have been aware of the interest of Russian intelligence services in this investigation and have taken appropriate measures." The cascade of condemnation from the Australian, British and Dutch governments does more than just point the finger at Moscow. It also ties together a series of ...
US indicts seven Russian military intel agents in global hacking conspiracy
The US Justice Department Thursday indicted seven agents of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency as part of a joint crackdown with Britain and the Netherlands on a series of major hacking plots attributed to Russia. John Demers, US Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said the hacking targets included the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), global sports bodies as well as the US nuclear energy company Westinghouse. "Nations like Russia and others that engage in malicious and norm-shattering cyber and influence activities should understand the continuing and steadfast resolve of the United States and its allies to prevent, disrupt and deter such unaccountable conduct," Demers told a news conference.
UK accuses Russia of trying to hack its Foreign Office
The UK on Thursday accused Russian cyber intelligence officers of trying to hack into its Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) network, as the European Union revealed that Dutch military intelligence had foiled a Kremlin cyber attack on the global chemical weapons watchdog. As part of the joint set of revelations in the Netherlands, Peter Wilson, the UK ambassador at The Hague, said intelligence officers from Russia's GRU tried to compromise Foreign Office systems with an attack in March. He revealed that the online phishing attack took place soon after the deadly Novichok nerve agent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English town of Salisbury. "In March, straight after the Salisbury attack, the GRU attempted to compromise UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office computer systems via a spear phishing attack, Wilson said in a statement. The GRU can only succeed in the shadows. We are all agreed that where we see their malign activities, we must ...
Russia claims US running biological weapons lab in Georgia
Russia's Defence Ministry says the United States appears to be running a clandestine biological weapons lab in the country of Georgia, allegedly flouting international rules and posing a direct security threat to Russia. The exceptional accusations made Thursday came the same day British and Dutch officials accused Russian military intelligence of new cyberattacks. The Defence Ministry alleged in a statement that the lab in Georgia is part of a network of US labs near the borders of Russia and China. The statement was based largely on materials from former Georgian State Security Minister Igor Giorgadze. He says the Georgian lab is run out of the US-funded Lugar Center for Public Health Research. US and Georgian officials rejected Giorgadze's claims last month. The US Embassy in Georgia did not immediately comment Thursday.
US to make cyber capabilities available to NATO: Mattis
The United States will make its cyber warfare capabilities available to NATO, Defence Secretary James Mattis said Thursday, as allies denounced an alleged Russian bid to hack the international chemical weapons watchdog. Mattis said the attempted attack on the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) showed how cyber attacks were becoming "more frequent, more complex and... more destructive". "This is why the United States, like the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Estonia will provide national cyber contributions to help NATO fight in this important domain," Mattis told reporters at a meeting of NATO defence ministers. The Netherlands revealed extraordinary details of the plot by Russia's GRU military intelligence agency against the OPCW in The Hague, including photos of the alleged agents and their equipment. Mattis refused to be drawn on what kind of response the OPCW plot should be met with, saying "tit for tat on cyber" was not necessarily appropriate, but .
54,000 Afghan soldiers to ensure poll security
At least 54,000 Afghan security force members will be deployed to ensure security of upcoming parliamentary and district councils elections scheduled to be held later this month, officials said on Thursday.
7 Turkish soldiers killed in blast blamed on Kurdish rebels
Kurdish rebels detonated an explosive device on a road in southeast Turkey, killing at least seven soldiers on Thursday, officials said. Two other soldiers were wounded in the attack. The explosion occurred on a road near the town of Gercus in the majority-Kurdish province of Batman. The soldiers, who were inside an armoured military vehicle, were on their way to protect a construction site in the region, said Numan Kurtulmus, a deputy chairman of Turkey's ruling party. Earlier, the state-run Anadolu agency said they were travelling to carry out operations against the rebel group. Four of the soldiers were killed at the site while three others died of their wounds while hospitalised. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack and said Turkey wouldn't be deterred from its fight against the rebels. "The blood of our martyrs and our veterans will be avenged," Erdogan said. "We want them to know that this incident intensifies our anger and our hatred." Anadolu said the military ..