Page 43 - War Conflict
Kabul: Car blast kills 4, injures many including US servicemen
At least four people lost their lives while three were wounded after a car blast rattled Kabul's district nine area on Friday morning, according to Ministry of Interior spokesperson, Nasrat Rahimi.The explosion, which took place near the Pul-e-Charkhi road, targetted a foreign forces convoy, TOLOnews reported.The US-Forces Afghanistan confirmed that four US service members were wounded in the explosion in Kabul's Qala-e-Wazir area.Rahimi said that the blast took place in the Qala-e-Wazir area in PD9 at 8:30 am on Friday.The latest incident comes shortly after an explosion near the military academy in west Kabul that claimed the lives of six people.No group has taken responsibility for Friday's explosion yet.
Woman CoBRA commando from Bastar breaks stereotypes
A set of two striking pictures of womens groups on a recent feature on career choices catches ones eye. One picture lines up some 30 beauties vying for Miss India contest and the other shows 32 commandos recruited to protect women from Maoists who have lorded pockets of Bastar region for nearly 52 years now.
Two Israelis wounded in Jerusalem knife attack: police
Two Israelis were wounded, one critically, in a knife attack in annexed east Jerusalem on Friday, police said. Police said the attacker had been "neutralised" without specifying whether he had been killed or wounded. The Old City, where the attack took place, has been the scene of numerous stabbings of Israelis by wildcat Palestinian assailants in recent years. The first Israeli was stabbed near Damascus Gate. The second was attacked near Jaffa Gate on the other side of the walled city. Security has been stepped up across Jerusalem during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. Tens of thousands of believers were expected to gather at the Old City's politically-contentious Al-Aqsa mosque compound later for the last Friday prayers of Ramadan. The attack came just two days before Israelis hold a major march to mark Jerusalem Day, the annual commemoration of the capture of east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967. It was later annexed in a move not recognised by the international ...
Suicide car bomb hits eastern Kabul; 7 casualties
A suicide car bomb exploded early Friday morning in an eastern neighborhood of the capital Kabul, leaving seven casualties, police said. Firdous Faramaz, Kabul police chief spokesman, could not immediately say how many were dead or wounded. "It's too early to say what was the target or to say how many of the seven casualties in the bombing have died and how many are wounded," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. The attacker struck in the eastern Yakatot neighborhood, where U.S. and NATO forces maintain complexes as well as facilities operated by the Afghan National Security Forces. On Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training center, also in the same area but several kilometers (miles) away from Friday's explosion. The Interior Ministry on Thursday said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person and as he approached him, the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy. The soldier's ...
Suicide bombing hits eastern Kabul; no word on casualties
Police say a suicide bomber has struck east of the capital Kabul, the second such attack in as many days. There is no immediate word on casualties. Police official Jan Aga says it's too early to identify the target of Friday's attack that took place in Kabul's eastern Yakatot neighborhood. On Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training center, also in the east of the capital. The Interior Ministry said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person and as he approached him, the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy. No one has taken responsibility for either attack but both the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate have infiltrated the capital in the past.
Tiananmen protests were not suppressed: Chinese government
The massacre of unarmed citizens by soldiers in Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989, should not be referred to as "suppression", a Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman told reporters.
Terrorist gunned down in Shopian
A terrorist was neutralised by security forces in Dragad Sugan area of Shopian district, police said on Friday.The identity of the slain terrorist is yet to be ascertained.The encounter, which broke out in the early hours of Friday, is still underway.This comes a day after two terrorists were killed in an encounter in Dangerpora area of Sopore district of the state. Incriminating material including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter.
Gunfight erupts in J&K's Shopian district
A gunfight broke out between the security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Friday.
'Decent progress' but no breakthrough in talks at Moscow, says Taliban
The Taliban on Thursday said that "decent progress" was made by the group with Kabul government officials during peace talks held here with the aim to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan.The group, however, stated that there had been no breakthrough and that further talks would be needed, Al Jazeera reported, quoting a Taliban official who had attended the talks.The Taliban delegation, led by chief negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund, met Afghan politicians, including senior regional leaders and candidates, planning to challenge President Ashraf Ghani in this year's presidential election, as diplomatic efforts to end the Afghan war gather pace.In addition, the Taliban insisted that international forces must leave Afghanistan for peace to be agreed."The Islamic Emirate wants peace but the first step is to remove obstacles to peace and end the occupation of Afghanistan," Baradar was quoted as saying.The Taliban, overthrown by the US-backed forces weeks after the September 11, 2001 ...
Military ties with US 'stable': China
The relationship between the armed forces of China and the US is stable and the two sides have been engaging in normal exchanges and communication, China's Ministry of National Defence said.
S. Lankan President denies he was informed about Easter Sunday attacks
Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday evening denied reports that he had prior knowledge of the Easter Sunday bombings, which targeted several high-end hotels and three churches, killing over 250 people across the country on April 21.Colombo Page cited a statement, issued by the President's Media Division, as saying that the President, on April 8, had convened a monthly meeting with the Inspector General of Police and other senior police officers.However, in the over two-hour long meeting, none of the police officers informed the President that advance reports on a possible terrorist attack had been received.Neither the Defence Secretary, nor the Inspector General of Police nor any other officer had informed the President about a warning letter received from a friendly foreign country about the impending April 21 terrorist attack, the statement said.The statement came after Defence Secretary, General Shantha Kottegoda, and Chief of State Intelligence Service, Sisira ...
French parcel bomb suspect pledged allegiance to IS: source
An Algerian suspected of setting off a package bomb in southeast France last week has told investigators that he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group, a judicial source said Thursday. The 24-year-old man, identified as Mohamed Hichem M., was arrested Monday after an extensive manhunt since Friday, when 13 people were wounded by the explosion on a busy pedestrian street in Lyon. Sources close to the case said that after initially refusing to talk, the suspect admitted Wednesday to planting the bomb, packed with screws and ball bearings and a relatively small amount of acetone peroxide, or APEX. It was the same volatile compound used in the deadly Paris terror attacks of November 13, 2015 and other incidents since which have claimed the lives of more than 250 people. The Islamic State group has been behind several of the attacks, although police had said earlier that no one had claimed the Lyon blast. The suspect's brother, who was also arrested and questioned by ...
6 dead in suicide attack on Kabul military centre (2nd Lead)
As many as six people were killed and 16 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a military training centre here on Thursday, officials said.
Russia rejects US claim of violation of nuke test ban
The Russian Foreign Ministry has angrily rejected a US claim of Moscow's possible violation of a global nuclear test ban. Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, said Wednesday that Russia "probably" is not adhering to a pact banning nuclear weapons testing. Speaking at the Hudson Institute, Ashley said Russia's nuclear activities would help it improve its weapons capabilities. Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed Ashley's assertion as a "crude provocation." It emphasized that Russia ratified the ban in 2000 and has "strictly adhered to its letter and spirit." The ministry said Ashley's "absolutely unfounded" claim could reflect an attempt to divert attention from Washington's staunch refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and may herald a U.S. intention to resume nuclear weapons tests.
Two BKI militants arrested in Punjab
The Punjab Police's Intelligence wing on Thursday said it averted terror attacks in the state with the arrest of two members of an ISI-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) module.
Taliban, Afghan opposition officials claim 'progress' at talks
Taliban officials and Afghan opposition figures claimed Thursday to have made "tremendous progress" at Moscow talks, but the announcement rang hollow as discussions yet again excluded the Afghan government and no ceasefire was announced. The ultra-conservative Islamist insurgents spent more than two days at a plush hotel in central Moscow, where they met several leading Afghan politicians -- including past president Hamid Karzai and former warlord Atta Muhammad Nur. In a joint statement, the parties said they'd had "productive and constructive" discussions focusing on issues including a possible ceasefire, the "strengthening of the Islamic system" and "women's rights". "Both sides have had tremendous progress, but some issues require further discussions," the statement read. But with the Kabul administration -- viewed by the Taliban as a US-backed puppet regime -- once more sidelined from the conversation, it was difficult to see what tangible results could come from the talks. Afghan
China says laser report 'not consistent with the facts'
A report that Australian navy helicopter pilots were targeted with lasers, apparently coming from Chinese fishing boats, was "not consistent with the facts," China's defense ministry said Thursday. Spokesman Wu Qian told reporters at a monthly briefing that Australia should "reflect on itself" before pointing the blame at others. "According to my knowledge, what you have said is not consistent with the facts," Wu said. Scholar Euan Graham, who was onboard the Royal Australian Navy flagship HMAS Canberra on a voyage from Vietnam to Singapore, wrote that the Tiger attack helicopter pilots were hit by lasers while exercising in South China Sea waters claimed by China earlier in May, "temporarily grounding them for precautionary medical reasons." China maintains a robust maritime militia in the South China Sea composed of fishing vessels equipped to carry out missions just short of combat. China claims the strategic waterway virtually in its entirety and is sensitive to all foreign naval .
Pak arrests absconding Pashtun legislator over attack on military post
Pakistani authorities on Thursday arrested an absconding Pashtun lawmaker who was allegedly involved in the attack on a military post in which five soldiers were injured. Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader and parliament member Mohsin Dawar was arrested from North Waziristan, said Shaukat Yousafzai, a spokesman in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The PTM, which works for the rights of local Pushtu-speaking people, is against, what it claims, the military's excessive use of force against local tribesmen. Dawar and Ali Wazir, also a legislator, allegedly led the attack on Sunday by protestors in North Waziristan on a security checkpost that resulted in the death of three activists and injuries to 15 persons, including five soldiers. Wazir and seven other attackers were arrested on the same day of the incident, but Dawar fled from the spot.
Sudanese in suits and ties rally against Bashir's economic blunders
In unprecedented scenes in Khartoum, hundreds of workers in suits and ties alongside their neatly dressed women colleagues have gone on strike to protest what they call Sudan's "total economic collapse". The popular protests that have rocked the northeast African country for more than five months broke out over a decision to triple the price of bread before quickly turning political against the regime of Omar al-Bashir. They led to the army toppling the autocratic president on April 11 after 30 years in power. This week saw doctors, lawyers as well as civil aviation and public transport workers respond to the call for a strike from the leaders of the protest movement still pressing for the military to hand over power to civilians. For two days, these white-collar workers were on the front line of the protests, and they were among the loudest to be heard on the streets of the Sudanese capital. In Al-Mogran, the business district in the western part of the city, workers from various ...
2 terrorists killed in encounter in J-K's Baramulla
Two unidentified terrorists were killed on Thursday in an encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said. "On a credible input, a cordon and search operation was launched by the security forces in the Dangerpora area of Sopore. During the operation, the terrorists who were hiding fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated, leading to an encounter," a police spokesperson said. In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were killed and the bodies retrieved from the site, the official said. Their identities and affiliation are being ascertained, he said, adding that incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, have been recovered from the site of the encounter.