Page 415 - War Conflict
Six Palestinians killed in new border clashes: Gaza ministry
Six Palestinians, including two boys aged 12 and 14, were killed in clashes with Israeli forces along the Gaza border Friday, the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled strip said. Nasser Mosabih, 12, was shot in the head in clashes along the frontier east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told AFP, on what was one of the bloodiest days since protests began on March 30. Fourteen-year-old Mohammed al-Houm, was shot dead "by live ammunition from the (Israeli) occupation forces" east of Al-Bureij in central Gaza, Qudra said. Four adult men were also killed in widespread clashes along the border, with a further 210 people hospitalised, the spokesman added. The Israeli army said some 20,000 "rioters" had gathered at multiple sites along the border. It said the protestors hurled "grenades and explosive devices in several different locations". It said troops were firing "in accordance with standard operating procedures." The army declined to comment on the .
Patnaik asks Odisha Police to be polite as well as stern
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday asked the state police to be polite as well as stern while dealing with public issues. Stating that the state government is committed to provide all its citizens safety and security, Patnaik said any one approaching the police should find comfort in police stations. "In modern times, police is expected to be stern but polite. This does not require any investment in money or resources. This just requires an investment in attitude," he said in a message at a programme of the Odisha Police Association. Patnaik was scheduled to attend the programme but could not make it due to fever. Finance Minister S B Behera read out the chief minister's message at the function. Patnaik asked the police personnel to keep improving their professional skills by learning and training as "This will enable you to align your skills with the present day requirements". He said policing has become very complex with increasing cyber crimes, financial ...
SPO posted at PDP MLA's residence in Srinagar flees with 10 weapons
A special police officer (SPO), posted at the residence of a PDP MLA at Jawahar Nagar in the city, fled with several rifles on Friday, police said. SPO Adil Bashir went missing, along with 10 weapons, from the guard room at the residence of PDP MLA from Wachi constituency Aijaz Ahmad Mir, officials said. The SPO, who hails from the militancy-hit Shopian district of south Kashmir, has taken away 10 weapons -- five AK-47 rifles, four INSAS rifle and a pistol. An alert has been sounded across Kashmir Valley to track down the deserter, the officials said.
Dutch terror suspects 'had 100 kg of fertiliser for car bomb'
Dutch investigators said Friday they found a large quantity of bomb-making materials including fertiliser likely to be used in a car bomb following the arrest of seven terror suspects. The seven were seized Thursday in the cities of Arnhem and Weert by elite Dutch anti-terror units and are suspected of wanting to carry out a "major" attack in the country. The suspects briefly appeared for the first time in the Rotterdam District court on Friday on terror-related charges, where their case was remanded until next week. The men, who range from 21 to 34 years, were not named and will remain under maximum security conditions -- which means they are only allowed to talk to their lawyers. During Thursday's search "police confiscated a substantial amount of raw materials to make bombs at the suspects' homes," the Dutch public prosecution service said Friday. Officers also found "100 kilogrammes of fertiliser, possibly for use in a car bomb," the prosecutors added in a statement. Officers had .
Surgical strikes a message that India will not tolerate terrorists: Sitharaman
The surgical strikes across the Line of Control in 2016 was a message that India would not tolerate terrorists in the garb of intruders and the act of killing soldiers will not go unpunished, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said here on Friday.
Special events organised in Pb, Hry as part of nationwide 'Prakaram Parv'
Special events were organised by the Army and the IAF in Punjab and Haryana on Friday showcasing the valour and sacrifice of the armed forces, as part of three-day nationwide 'Prakram Parv' to mark the second anniversary of the 2016 'surgical strikes'. On September 29, 2016, the Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on seven terrorist launchpads across the Line of Control (LoC) in retaliation to an attack on its base in Uri earlier that month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday inaugurated 'Parakram Parv' exhibition at the military station in Jodhpur to mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced last week that various events will be held from September 28 to 30 to commemorate the valour of soldiers. Special events like movies on the life of soldiers at the LoC, exhibitions, equipment and weapons display and live training activities of mechanised forces, military band display, special outreach/cultural programmes were ...
Parakram Parv expo inaugurated in Kochi by Naval command chief
Commemorating the second anniversary of surgical strikes by the Army across the LoC, a Parakram Parv exhibition was inaugurated by Southern Naval Command Chief of Staff Rear Admiral R J Nadkarni here Friday. The exhibition being organised at the Lulu Mall has a static display of various ship and aircraft, mannequins of divers, as well as naval equipment with guides to explain the role and function of each to the visitors. In addition, a number of videos on military and naval operations both during peace and war are being screened during the three-day exhibition, a Defence release said here. Speaking on the occasion, Rear Admiral Nadkarni said the commemoration was to remind the public about the valour and strength of the armed forces and also to instill a sense of patriotism in the youth besides paying respects to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the honour of the country. The other highlights of the exhibition over the next two days include on spot ...
2 Hizb over-ground workers arrested in J&K's Pulwama
Two over-ground workers (OGWs) of the Hizbul Mujahideen were arrested from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district Friday, a police spokesman said. The arrested persons were identified as Danish Ahmad Lone and Raja Ilyas Makroo, he said. "Acting on a credible input, police arrested two OGWs of proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen," the spokesman said. "Incriminating material and huge amount of cash were seized from them," he said. The spokesman said Danish Lone is the brother of an active militant Adnan Lone. Police have registered a case. "Preliminary investigation suggests that the duo were planning to carry out terror attacks in the area," he said. In another incident, police on a tip-off arrested Irshad Ahmad Malla and seized incriminating material linked to terror outfits, he said. Police have registered a case against him.
Cycle rally to commemorate Infantry Day flagged off
A over 2,700-km cycle rally to New Delhi aimed at promoting the spirit of adventure and awareness was flagged off at the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) in Wellington in nearby Nilgiris district Friday. The rally, held to commemorate Infantry Day on October 27, comprises 10 cyclists led by Captain Shubham Singh and would also undertake an awareness campaign on joining the Indian Army, Swachh Bharat and women empowerment, it said. Inaugurated by Brigadier SK Sangwan, Commandant MRC, the rally, under the aegis of Infantry Directorate, Army headquarters, would cover a distance of 2,741 km from Wellington to New Delhi over a period of 30 days, a press release said. The team would traverse through seven states and visit important places en route such as Mysuru, Bengaluru, Belgaum, Kolhapur, Satara, Pune, Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara, Udaipur, Ajmer and Jaipur, the release said. Such rallies are regularly undertaken by the Army in order to increase awareness in the areas and to ...
Two-day Parakram parva to mark second anniversary of surgical
The two-day Parakram Parv to celebrate the second anniversary of surgical strikes carried by the Indian army across the Line of Control (LOC) started here on Friday. Brigadier Ajay Mishra, Black Cat Division, inugurated the exhibition organised by the Army here at West Point school to celebrate the second anniversary of the surgical strikes that was carried out on September 29, 2016 by the Indian Army on terror pads across LOC. Equipments like 105 mm field guns of artillery, small arms equipments of infantry, engineering items, mountaineering gadgets, medical equipment for treatments of sick and injured during operation etc. have been put on show for the visitors. Screening of movie on surgical strikes, motivational lecture and career counseling, information kiosks and band display are other attractions of the exhibition. Speaking at the inaugural function, Brigadier Ajay Mishra said that it was a great moment to celebrate the anniversary of surgical strikes, as Parakram
Iran says it killed four militants near Pakistan border
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Friday they had killed four militants who had slipped across the border from Pakistan to try to carry out an attack. The Guards said two militants were also wounded in the clash in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, with the "rest of the terrorists fleeing to the soil of the neighbouring country". Sistan-Baluchistan has a large, mainly Sunni Muslim ethnic Baluchi community, which straddles the border into the Baluchistan province of neighbouring Pakistan. Sunni extremist group Jundallah (Soldiers of God) launched a bloody insurgency in the province in 2000 targeting the security forces and officials of Iran's Shiite-dominated government. The campaign peaked with a spate of deadly attacks from 2007 -- including twin suicide bombings against a Shiite mosque that killed 28 people -- but abated after the group's leader was killed in mid-2010. In 2012, Jundullah members formed a successor organisation called Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice), ...
SC's remark has "shaken" morale of armed forces, cops: Centre to SC
The Centre Friday questioned the Supreme Court for its reported remark terming as "murderers" some Manipur Police personnel, chargesheeted in alleged fake encounter cases, saying it has "completely shaken" the morale of armed forces and securitymen operating in insurgency-hit areas. The government told a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta that they supported the applications filed by some Manipur Police personnel seeking recusal of the bench from hearing the Manipur fake encounters cases in which the CBI's special investigation team (SIT) is carrying out a probe. The petitioners, however, challenged the government's contention, saying this was an attempt to "overawe" the court, which should not recuse from hearing the matter. The court, which is hearing a PIL seeking a probe into as many as 1,528 cases of alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur, had on July 14 last year constituted an SIT of the CBI and ordered lodging of FIRs and investigating them. Besides the ...
LTTE planned to attack Colombo targets with plane from Chennai: Lanka prez
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the LTTE militant group had planned to attack Colombo with an aircraft flying from Chennai in 2009. "No one knew it better than me," said Sirisena, who was the acting defence minister during the last two weeks of the civil war with the LTTE in May, 2009 when the rebels were eventually defeated. He was addressing the Sri Lankan community in New York where he spoke at the UN General Assembly. "The former president was away, the former prime minister was away. There was no defence ministry secretary and army commander in the country at the time," he said. Sirisena said it was a well-guarded secret that all senior leaders were out of the country fearing an LTTE air raid. "The Tamil Tigers were going to operate an aircraft from Chennai or some other jungle area to bomb and destroy targets in Colombo," the president said, adding "I was the acting defence minister. All the others had fled because they feared air attacks". "Even I did ...
Pak Army chief confirms death sentences to 11 'hardcore terrorists'
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday confirmed death sentences to 11 "hardcore terrorists", nearly three weeks after he approved the execution of 13 others. General Bajwa approved the capital punishment handed down to the terrorists by a military court for committing "heinous offences" related to terrorism, including killing of 20 security personnel. The military courts were set up in Pakistan after the deadly Taliban attack on an army school in Peshawar in 2014 which killed more than 150 people, mostly students. "Chief of Army Staff confirmed death sentences awarded to 11 hardcore terrorists, who were involved in heinous offences related to terrorism," the Army said in a statement. It said the terrorists were found guilty of attacking armed forces, law enforcement agencies, destruction of an educational institution and killing of innocent civilians. "On the whole, they were involved in killing of 69 persons including 49 civilians, 20 Armed Forces/Police Officials ..
Iranian force warns Saudi Arabia, UAE over its 'red lines'
Iran's hard-line Revolutionary Guard has warned Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates not to interfere in the country's internal affairs or cross its "red lines" in the wake of the terror attack on a military parade that killed 24 people. The Guard's acting commander, Gen Hossein Salami, claimed in remarks broadcast Friday that the Saudis and the UAE "are trying to bring chaos into Iran." Salami says: "Do not cross our red lines." Meanwhile, the official IRNA news agency says the Guard killed four militants and wounded two in a clash near the Pakistani border in the southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan province. The report didn't offer more details on the clash. Iranian forces occasionally clash with Baluch militants in the country's east and Kurdish separatists in the west.
Iran FM rejects Israeli atomic warehouse claims as 'show'
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday dismissed Israeli claims that Tehran was harbouring a secret atomic warehouse. "No arts & craft show will ever obfuscate that Israel is only regime in our region with a *secret* and *undeclared* nuclear weapons program," Zarif said in a tweet. He called on Israel saying it was "time to fess up and open its illegal nuclear weapons" programme to international inspectors. The Iranian minister was responding to allegations made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in a speech to the UN General Assembly, embellished by ample use of the colourful props that have become his trademark. Netanyahu held up a map and a photograph of an outwardly "innocent looking compound" which he said was a secret atomic warehouse in Tehran and urged the UN atomic agency to inspect. "Today, I'm disclosing for the first time that Iran has another secret facility in Tehran, a secret atomic warehouse for storing massive amounts of ...
EAM Swaraj calls for dismantling terrorist organisations support infrastructure
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj has underscored that dismantling terrorist organisations support infrastructure would be the first step in counter-terrorism strategy while calling for a joint effort to make United Nations' counter-terrorism mechanism efficient in listing terrorists and their outfits.Swaraj's statement came at the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Foreign Ministerial meeting held on Thursday on the sidelines of the 73rd session of United Nations General Assembly."BRICS Leaders have given us a robust mandate on counter terrorism at the successive BRICS Summit, including at Johannesburg Summit. We have given a call for a BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy for joint-action with a focus on money laundering, terrorist-finance, cyberspace and de-radicalization as our priorities. Dismantling terrorist organisations support infrastructure would be the first step. Terror groups such as Lashkar e-Taiba, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Jaish e-Muhammad, Taliban, ..
Canada strips Aung San Suu Kyi of honorary citizenship
Canada's parliament voted unanimously to effectively strip Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of her honorary Canadian citizenship over the Rohingya crisis. Ottawa had given the long-detained democracy advocate and Nobel laureate the rare honour in 2007. But her international reputation has become tarnished by her refusal to call out the atrocities by her nation's military against the Rohingya Muslims minority, which Ottawa last week declared a genocide. "In 2007, the House of Commons granted Aung San Suu Kyi the status of honorary Canadian citizen. Today, the House unanimously passed a motion to remove this status," said Adam Austen, spokesman for Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Thursday. A brutal military campaign that started last year drove more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar into neighboring Bangladesh, where they now live in cramped refugee camps -- fearful of returning to mainly Buddhist Myanmar despite a repatriation deal. Many have given accounts of extrajudicial
Twenty-seven killed in clashes within tribe in Mali
Twenty-seven people were killed in clashes between members of the same Tuareg tribe in Mali's troubled northeast earlier this week, the West African state's security ministry said. Previous reports said 12 people had died in the violence on Tuesday, which took place in a region near the Niger border affected by chronic unrest between local tribes and jihadist militants. "Clashes occurred in the area of Inekar, 45 kilometres (28 miles) west of the town of Menaka, between members of the Idourfane community," a Tuareg tribe, the ministry said in a statement Thursday. "This unfortunate event has unfortunately cost the lives of 27 people, and injured one." Army troops supported by police have been deployed to the region to stabilise the situation and "find out the motive for such a violent outburst within a single community". A local official earlier said that "armed men on motorcycles killed at least 12 civilians," citing a resident of the town who claimed to have seen the bodies. The ...
Britain's Hunt holds 'tough' talks with Russia's Lavrov
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday he told Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov during "tough" discussions that Moscow would no longer get away with using chemical weapons. Hunt told Sky News he and the Russian foreign minister had a "frank exchange of views" on the margins of a United Nations summit in New York this week. The interview aired one day after the British-based investigative group Bellingcat reported that one of the suspects in the poisoning in England of former double agent Sergei Skripal was a highly decorated colonel in Russian military intelligence (GRU). "It was pretty tough because it is not acceptable for Russia to instruct two GRU agents to use chemical weapons on British soil," Hunt said. The discussions marked the first British ministerial contacts with Lavrov since the March incident. Hunt said the 2006 killing with a radioactive isotope of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko that Britain also blames on Russia, made Moscow think it could get ..