Page 419 - War Conflict
J-K DGP takes stock of security situation in state
Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh Tuesday directed his men to formulate deployment plans keeping in view the sensitivity of an area and the security of those involved in the process of the upcoming local bodies elections in the state, a police spokesman said. Singh visited south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Shopian and Anantnag and Awantipora along with IG CRPF, Kashmir, Zulfikar Hassan and IGP Kashmir S P Pani. The DGP chaired joint review meetings at all the district headquarters to take stock of the security scenario in these districts. He also interacted with the officers and jawans during his visit to these districts where the district SSPs and commandants briefed him regarding the measures taken for the smooth conduct of the polls and also for tackling the militancy in their respective districts, the spokesman said. Addressing the joint review meetings, the DGP commended the collective efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and other security forces for maintaining peace in ..
1984 riots: HC reserves verdict in 22-year-old appeals of over 80 convicts
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its decision on 22-year-old appeals of over 80 people convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for rioting, burning houses and curfew violation during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Justice R K Gauba reserved the verdict in the appeals after arguments in the matter concluded on Tuesday. The convicts have challenged the August 27, 1996 judgement of a sessions court which had convicted 88 out of the 107 people arrested on November 2, 1984 for rioting, burning houses and curfew violation in Trilokpuri area of East Delhi. After the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984, the next couple of days witnessed widespread rioting and killings of Sikhs in the national capital. According to the FIR lodged in connection with the Trilokpuri incident, 95 people had died in the rioting and 100 houses were burnt, senior advocate H S Phoolka, who has been representing the riots victims in various matters, said. Of the 88 ...
UN probes 'credible' reports of nine Afghan civilians killed in air strike
The United Nations said Tuesday it was investigating "credible reports" that nine members of a family had been killed in an air strike in Afghanistan, but US Forces denied the victims were civilians. Women and children were among those reportedly killed on Saturday after an "aerial ordnance" hit the home of a teacher in Tagab district in the eastern province of Kapisa, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a statement. Six other family members were wounded in the attack on Badrab village, UNAMA added, citing "multiple, credible allegations". "All the victims from the attack were from the same family, including grandparents and children aged between two and 12," it said. Latif, whose home was one of three damaged in the strike, told AFP on Monday that 15 members of a family including three children were killed when a "bomb" hit their house on Saturday night. But local officials told AFP they had not received any reports of civilian casualties. US Forces spokesman ...
Indians knew little about Battle of Haifa before my book: Author Ravi Kumar (Lead, recasting para 6)
A hundred years ago, during the First World War, a gallant band of Indian soldiers of the 15th Cavalry Brigade fought off stiff resistance from Tutkish-German forces in the Battle of Haifa to liberate the city from over 400 years of rule by the Ottoman Turks. Very little of this was known till he published a book on it in 2016, says author Ravi Kumar, who is now planning a sequel.
J-K: 2 terrorists killed in Baramulla
The security forces on Tuesday gunned down two terrorists in Nawpora Tujar village of Baramulla district.The terrorists were killed in a joint operation carried out by the Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force. The operation is underway.On Monday, an infiltration attempt was foiled in Tangdhar sector of the Kupwara district and five terrorists were gunned down. One security personnel also lost his life in the operation.The forces have stepped up the security operation in the state following the death of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and one police constable. On September 21, bullet-ridden bodies of the three security personnel were recovered. They were abducted by terrorists from Shopian district a day before.
Indians knew little about Battle of Haifa before my book: Author Ravi Kumar
A hundred years ago, during the First World War, a gallant band of Indian soldiers of the 15th Cavalry Brigade fought off stiff resistance from Tutkish-German forces in the Battle of Haifa to liberate the city from over 400 years of rule by the Ottoman Turks. Very little of this was known till he published a book on it in 2016, says author Ravi Kumar, who is now planning a sequel.
IS trying to create stronghold in C. Asia: CIS Anti-Terrorism Centre
The Islamic State (IS) terror group is trying to create a stronghold in Central Asia and to activate Islamist sleeper cells in the region, Andrey Novikov, the head of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Anti-Terrorism Centre, said on Tuesday."(One of the problems of Central Asia is) attempts of the IS international terror group to create a new stronghold of the so-called 'caliphate,' form and activate the 'sleeping Jamaats,'" Novikov said in the Kyrgyz town of Cholpon-Ata, which is hosting the second phase of the Issyk-Kul Anti-Terror 2018 drills.
Surgical strike hero killed in anti-infiltration operation
The Indian Army on Tuesday paid tribute to Late Lance Naik Sandeep Singh who lost his life in a counter-infiltration operation in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir last week.Incidentally, he was a part of the team that carried out the surgical strike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in September 2016, days after 18 Army personnel were killed in a terrorist attack in Uri.In a solemn ceremony at BB Cantt, Lieutenant General AK Bhatt, Chinar Corps Commander and all ranks paid homage to the braveheart. Dilbag Singh, the Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir Police and representatives from various security agencies also joined in paying their last respects to the soldier.On September 22, Singh sustained bullet injuries during the fierce operation in Tangdhar sector in which five terrorists were killed. He was provided immediate first aid and evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.Singh belonged to Village Kotla Khurd of
One dead, 17 kidnapped in new militia raid in DR Congo
One person was killed and 17 were kidnapped in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo late Monday in a raid blamed on a notorious Ugandan militia accused of a massacre in a regional city two days earlier, sources said. The new attack took place in the town of Oicha, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Beni, where 21 people were killed on Saturday by men wielding machetes and firing guns. The authorities are blaming both attacks on the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militia rooted in Ugandan Islamism that has killed hundreds of people in North Kivu province since 2014. In addition to the deaths and abductions in Ocha, four houses were burned down and chickens and goats taken away, local administrator Donat Kibwana told AFP, told AFP. "The situation in Oicha is paralysed," Kibwana said, explaining that most shops and schools were closed. The provinces of North and South Kivu lie in a border region that has been prey to war and lower-level conflict since 1994.
Iran says 'jihadist separatists' behind deadly parade attack
Iran's intelligence ministry said Tuesday that investigators had found last week's deadly attack on a military parade in the mainly ethnic-Arab southwestern city of Ahvaz was mounted by "jihadist separatists". "The five members of a terrorist squad affiliated to jihadist separatist groups supported by Arab reactionary countries were identified," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website. "The terrorists' hideout was found and 22 people involved (in the attack) were arrested," it said, adding that explosives were seized along with military and communications equipment. "Foreign sponsors and supporters of this terrorist act have also been identified. More information will be provided on them in due course," the statement said. Twenty-four people were killed when gunmen attacked the Saturday parade in Khuzestan province commemorating the start of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. Iranian officials were quick to point the finger at Arab separatists, backed by Gulf Arab allies of ..
Two militants killed in Sopore
Two militants were killed on Tuesday in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore district.
Army pays tributes to jawan killed in counter-infiltration op in J-K
The Army Tuesday paid floral tributes to Lance Naik Sandeep Singh, who was killed during a counter-infiltration operation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir. Singh (30) sustained bullet injuries during the operation in Tangdhar sector in which five militants were killed, an Army spokesperson said. The injured soldier was provided immediate first-aid and evacuated to 92 Base Hospital here, where he succumbed to his injuries on Monday. "In a solemn ceremony at Badamibagh Cantonment, Corps Commander Lt Gen A K Bhatt and all ranks paid homage to the martyr on behalf of the nation. Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh and representatives from various security agencies also joined in paying their last respects to the martyr," he said. Singh had joined the Army in 2007 and belonged to Kotla Khurd village of Gurdaspur district of Punjab and is survived by his wife. "The mortal remains of the martyr were flown for last rites to his native place, ..
Families claim slain militants
Three families claimed on Tuesday the bodies of three of the five militants killed by security forces in Bandipora in Jammu and Kashmir.
HRW accuses Yemen rebels of hostage-taking, torture
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday accused Yemen's Huthi rebels of hostage-taking, torture and other serious abuses against people in their custody. The New York-based watchdog said it had documented 16 cases of illegal imprisonment by the Iran-backed Shiite insurgents, "in large part to extort money from relatives or to exchange them for people held by opposing forces". "Huthi officials have treated detainees brutally, often amounting to torture," HRW said, adding that former detainees described being beaten with iron rods, wooden sticks and assault rifles. Prisoners were shackled to walls, caned and threatened with rape, it said, noting that hostage-taking "is a serious violation of the laws of war and a war crime". "The Huthis have added profiteering to their long list of abuses and offences against the people under their control in Yemen," said HRW Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson. "Rather than treat detainees humanely, some Huthi officials are exploiting their power to turn a ..
Miscreants set panchayat ghar on fire in J-K's Bandipora, 8th such incident in valley
Miscreants set a panchayat ghar on fire in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, taking the number of such government buildings being torched since the announcement of the local bodies polls in the state to eight, police said Tuesday. "Unknown miscreants tried to set ablaze a panchayat ghar at Matrigam Tikri in the Pehthkote area of Banipora district in north Kashmir Monday," a police official said. He said the fire resulted in partial damage to the building. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot as soon as the news of the incident was received, the official said. He said this was the eighth such incident in which a panchayat ghar has been set on fire since the polls for municipal bodies and panhcayats were announced in the state. Most of these buildings were set on fire in south Kashmir, the official said, adding that the police have registered cases in all the incidents and investigations were on. Separatists and militants have asked people to stay away from the polls, which have .
World Bank report warns Gaza Strip economy is in 'free fall
The Gaza Strip's economy is in "free fall," a report from the World Bank warned Tuesday, calling for urgent action by Israel and the international community to avoid "immediate collapse." According to the report, Gaza's economy contracted by 6 percent in the first quarter of 2018. It said unemployment is now over 50 percent and over 70 per cent among Gaza's youth. The World Bank cited various factors, starting with Israel's decade-long blockade against the territory's militant Hamas rulers, for the precarious downturn. It also cited budget cuts by the rival Palestinian Authority and a reduction in international aid to the Palestinians, particularly from the United States. "A combination of war, isolation, and internal rivalries has left Gaza in a crippling economic state and exacerbated the human distress," said Marina Wes, the World Bank's director for the region. The report was released ahead of a high level meeting of the bank's Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, responsible for ...
J&K gunfight: Educational institutions closed in Sopore
Authorities on Tuesday closed educational institutions and suspended mobile internet services in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town following a firing exchange between the security forces and militants.
AU, Somali forces kill 35 Al-Shabaab militants
At least 35 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed and several others injured after an exchange of fire between Somali national army, backed by African Union forces, and the militants in Somalia's Qoryoley town.
INS Kochi 'affiliated' to J&K light infantry regiment
INS Kochi, the indigenously built destroyer, was affiliated Monday to the Jammu & Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment (JAK LI) in a ceremony held onboard the ship at the Naval Dockyard here. An 'affiliation' between units of sister services is aimed at augmenting the synergy, coordination and 'jointness' between the services to ensure better coordination at the ground level that would aid in meeting the ever changing aspects of present warfare, stated a communication issued by the Indian Navy. Affiliation between naval and army units is an ongoing process and this is the 31st affiliation of an Indian Naval unit, it said. The process of affiliation began during Phase 1, when the Charter of Affiliation was signed by the Commandant of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry Regiment and the Commanding Officer of INS Kochi at Srinagar on August 20, 2018, in the presence of the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command and Colonel of the Jammu and Kashmir Infantry
Turkish national held at Delhi airport with 64 kg 'Jihad pills'
A Turkish national was on Monday held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here with 64 kg of a banned contraband drug generally used by militant groups and known as the "Jihad pill or Islamic State drug", said the CISF.