Page 427 - War Conflict

No proposal before me on troops cut in Indian Army: Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday said the government was not considering any proposal to downsize the Indian Army. She, however, said a government-appointed committee had recommended steps to make the Army a lean and powerful machine and Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has been holding deliberations with his top commanders on it. "There is no such proposal before me to cut troop-level in the Army," she said in reply to a question during an interactive session at the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC). Gen. Bipin Rawat last week held detailed deliberations with top commanders of the force on ways to make the Army "leaner and meaner" which included carrying out an extensive organisational restructuring and downsizing of the force. There have been indications that the Army may cut over 1,00,000 troops over the next five years as part of restructuring process. The current strength of the force is around 1.3 million personnel. Following reports of troops cut, the Congress had come down

Afghan intelligence detains 26 IS members

Afghanistan's intelligence agency on Tuesday announced the arrest of 26 alleged members of the Islamic State terror group who were planning attacks in the capital during the upcoming festival of Muharram.

Bomb attacks in Iraq kill 6 policemen

At least six police officers were killed on Tuesday and eight were wounded in two bomb attacks in Iraq's Saladin province, a day after government forces launched an operation against militants in the area, officials said.

UNSC fails to cripple Taliban's drug trade: India

India has slammed the UN Security Council for failing to cripple the Taliban's roaring drug trade, saying the terror outfit gets significant support from criminal networks operating drug cartels and stealing Afghanistan's natural resources. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said at a Security Council debate on Afghanistan Monday that the Secretary General's current report also fails to address this very key issue in an adequate matter. He expressed concern that while a Security Council resolution adopted earlier this year to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) does focus on linkages between extremism, terrorism, drug production and illegal exploitation of natural resources of Afghanistan, it falls short of expectations in striving to cripple the Taliban's drug trade. India called for crippling the illicit drug trade which provides financial sustenance to terror outfits like the Taliban and the ...

Army pays tributes to Lance Naik Malik

The Army Tuesday paid tributes to Lance Naik Mukhtar Ahmad Malik, who was killed by militants inside his house in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. Malik was on leave at his native village in Kulgam district to perform the last rites of his son, who was killed in an accident a few days ago, when a group of terrorists barged into his house on Monday. "In a solemn ceremony at Badamibagh Cantonment, Corps Commander Lt Gen A K Bhatt and all ranks paid homage to the martyr Mukhtar Ahmad Malik on behalf of a proud nation. Representatives from other security agencies also joined in paying their last respects to the martyr," an Army official said. "Late Lance Naik Mukhtar Ahmad Malik bravely resisted the attack by the terrorists but was overpowered and killed by them," the official said. The 43-year-old Malik had joined the Army in 2004. He is survived by his wife and two children. "The mortal remains of the martyr were flown for last rites to his native place, where he was laid to rest ..

Yemen rebels accuse Saudi, allies of targeting food warehouses

Yemen's Huthi rebels accused the government and its Saudi-led allies on Tuesday of deliberately targeting food warehouses in Hodeida as they resumed an offensive on the rebel-held port city after an 11-week pause. "International food supply warehouses were targeted in Hodeida (late on Monday), a clear sign that there is a plan by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and their allies to make warehouses and densely populated neighbourhoods legitimate targets of their terrorist operations," the head of the rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Council, Mohammed Ali al-Huthi, said. There was no immediate confirmation that any aid warehouses had been hit from the World Food Programme or other UN agencies battling the threat of famine hanging over millions of Yemenis. WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel declined to comment on the Huthi statement. The Red Sea port of Hodeida is a vital lifeline for aid shipments to Yemen and the WFP has previously warned that any major fighting could halt food ...

UN report details continued abuses against Rohingyas

A UN fact-finding mission published on Tuesday the most extensive report till date on the continued persecution of the Muslim minority Rohingyas in Myanmar since 2011 in the states of Kachin, Shan and Rakhine.

Maoists shot dead SSB personnel in Bihar

Maoists shot dead a Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel in his residence at Pandethika in Jamui district, the police said Tuesday. Sikandar Yadav (30), who came to his native village to celebrate his daughter's birthday, was dragged out of his house by the rebels before killing him on Monday. About 20-25 Maoists came to the village to kill Yadav and fled into a nearby jungle after executing their plan, the police said. Deputy Superintendent of Police Ram Pukar Singh along with additional forces reached the village after getting the information.

Maoist escapes from police custody, 7 cops suspended in Odisha

A Maoist, who was arrested in May this year, escaped from the premises of a court in Odisha's Nuapada district, police said Tuesday. As a result, seven police personnel were suspended for negligence, the police said. The incident happened on Monday when Manoj Madkami, the Maoist, was being taken back to jail after he was produced before a court, Nuapada Superintendent of Police (SP) Smit P Parmar told PTI over phone. He pushed the police personnel escorting him and escaped after scaling the boundary wall of the court Monday afternoon, the SP said. After preliminary inquiry, the seven police personnel, including two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs), have been placed under suspension for dereliction of duty in connection with the incident, the SP said. An intensive search operation has been launched and special teams have been formed to track the Maoist and nab him, the SP said. He said an inquiry has also been initiated to ascertain the circumstances that led to Madkami's .

Afghan official: 9 local policemen die in 'insider' attack

An Afghan official says at least nine members of the local police force were killed when another policeman opened fire and shot them at a checkpoint in northern Balkh province, the latest in so-called "insider" attacks in Afghanistan. Mohammadudin Khanjer, a police official in the district of Char Boldak, says one policeman was wounded and three others were missing after the late Monday shooting. Khanjer says the attacker was a policeman from another checkpoint in the same district who fled the scene, apparently to join the Taliban. He says the shooter also seized all weapons from the checkpoint. The Taliban haven't comment on the attack in Char Boldak but insurgents are active in the district and often attack Afghan security forces.

Explosives recovered in Jharkhand

A huge cache of explosives was recovered from a Maoist hideout in Jharkhand's Lohardagga district, police said on Tuesday.

Safe havens in Afghan neighbourhood harbour terror: Akbaruddin

In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India's Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Syed Akbaruddin on Monday said that terror offences in Afghanistan are perpetrated by those harboured in safe havens in the country's 'neigbourhood'.In a statement made at the UN Security Council Open Debate on 'The Situation in Afghanistan' Akbaruddin said, "Taliban, aided by their supporters, continue to pursue military operations, perpetrating violence over several parts of Afghanistan. These offences are planned and launched by those harboured in safe havens in the neigbourhood of Afghanistan."Continuing the covert attack on Pakistan, he further added that these sanctuaries have been aiding terror outfits for years. "These sanctuaries have, for years, provided safety for dark agendas of ideologically and operationally fused terror networks like Taliban, Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its proscribed affiliates Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed," he said.Commenting on the .

Two Palestinians killed in Israel strike on Gaza border: ministry

Two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Gaza border, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry said early Tuesday, with Israel saying they had planted a suspicious object next to the border fence. A ministry spokesman said the bodies of two men had been taken to a hospital in southern Gaza after the 11 pm (2000 GMT) Monday strike. He did not identify them. The Israeli army said in a statement late Monday the men were targeted after planting a device. "Terrorists suspiciously approached the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip and placed an object adjacent to the fence. In response, an (Israeli) aircraft fired towards them," the statement said. Separately on Monday evening, at least 26 Palestinians were shot during renewed protests in northern Gaza, the ministry said. Since months of often violent protests began on March 30, at least 181 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. The majority have been shot during protests but others have been hit by air ..

India slams UN inaction on drug trade that puts $1 bn in Taliban coffers

India has criticised the world body for not doing enough to cut off the drug trade that is financing the Taliban with over a billion dollars as it continues its military operations with the support of Afghanistan's neighbour.

Safe havens in Afghanistan's neighbourhood provided safety to dark agendas of terror outfits: India

In a veiled reference to Pakistan, India has said safe havens in Afghanistan's neighbourhood have for years provided safety for the "dark agendas" of various terror outfits like the Taliban and the LeT. India also called for crippling the illicit drug trade which provides financial sustenance to these terror outfits. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said at a Security Council debate on Afghanistan Monday that the Taliban, aided by their supporters, continue to pursue military operations perpetrating violence and destruction, like the recent attack in Ghazni, over several parts of Afghanistan. "These offensives are planned and launched by those who are harboured in safe havens in the neighbourhood of Afghanistan. These sanctuaries have, for years, provided safety for the dark agendas of ideologically and operationally-fused terror networks like the Taliban, Haqqani network, Daesh, Al-Qaeda and its proscribed affiliates such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba ..

Trooper injured in J&K militant attack

A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was injured on Tuesday when militants attacked the paramilitary forces camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

CRPF jawan injured in militant attack in J&K

A CRPF jawan was injured in a militant attack Tuesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, a police official said. Militants opened fire on personnel at the Central Reserve Police Force camp at Newa in Pulwama, the official said. The injured has been identified as CRPF jawan Moyeen Khan, he said. The area has been cordoned off as other security agencies, including the Army, have joined the operation to track down the militants, the official said.

Grenade hurled at CRPF camp, 1 injured

One Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel sustained bullet injury in an exchange of fire following a grenade attack at the CRPF camp in Newa area of Pulwama district on Tuesday.Earlier in the day, terrorists hurled a grenade at the camp of 183 battalion of CRPF in Newa. However, the grenade did not explode.The injured CRPF personnel has been admitted to the hospital for treatment.The valley has been witnessing a surge in encounter incidents since the past few months. On September 15, five terrorists were killed in an encounter that broke out in Chowgam area of Kulgam.

India endorses 24-point programme for revitalising UN peacekeeping

India has endorsed a 24-point programme for revitalising the UN peacekeeping operations that is to become the basis of a high-level meeting next week, according to UN sources.

Nepalese peacekeeper injured by government soldier in South Sudan

A Nepalese peacekeeper was injured in an attack by a government soldier in South Sudan, according to UN officials.