Page 430 - War Conflict
Rameswaram fishermen's fish catch 'damaged' by Lankan Navy
Indian fishermen returning here on-board over 100 boats were intercepted and their fish catch and equipment were "damaged" by Sri Lankan Naval personnel near Katchatheevu Sunday, a fishermen's organisation alleged. The Lankan naval personnel, wielding guns, threatened the fishermen of arrest if they ventured into the area and asked them to leave, Rameswaram Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association leader S Emerit claimed. Talking to reporters here, he said the fishermen had put out to sea in around 250 boats Saturday morning and were returning here after fishing in the area between Katchatheevu and Dhanushkodi, near here, when they came under the attack. Fish catch and equipment worth lakhs of rupees were damaged, he alleged. Emerit said the central and Tamil Nadu governments should holds talks with Sri Lanka and ensure a permanent solution to the problems faced by fishermen from the state in mid-sea in Pali Strait and protect their traditional livelihood. Meanwhile, police said 200 .
Militants free 3 Indonesian hostages in southern Philippines
Muslim militants have freed three Indonesian men they kidnapped at sea early last year off Malaysia then brought them to their jungle hideouts in the southern Philippines, officials said Sunday. The Indonesians were freed Friday with the help of the Moro National Liberation Front, a rebel group that signed a peace deal with the Philippine government, in Indanan town in Sulu province, police said. The released hostages, Hamdam Salim, Subandi Sattuh and Sudarlan Samansung, were to be handed to the Indonesian ambassador in southern Zamboanga city later Sunday, the military said. While cruising on board a speedboat, the three were taken at gunpoint by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants off Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island in January last year. The hostages were brought aboard motorboats to the gunmen's jungle hideout in Sulu, a poor, predominantly Muslim province in the southern Philippines where the Abu Sayyaf has had a presence since the late 1980s, security officials said. An Abu ...
Zero Maoist violence in Narayanpatna block this year: SP
Narayanpatna block in Odisha's Koraput district which was once regarded as a Maoist hotbed has recorded zero violence by naxals since January this year, a senior police officer said. Putting up 'anti-government' posters, killing of civilians on charges of being police informers, attack on government buildings and establishments, roads and giving bandh call have now became a thing of the past, said Koraput Superintendent of Police, Kanwar Vishal Singh. "It can be certainly said that Maoists are on the back foot in Narayanpatna. Influence of naxals is on the wane. There has been sharp fall in their organisational strength," said Singh. Intensive combing operations by security forces and community policing programmes to address various problems of the villagers are paying dividends and the Maoist leadership is demoralised in the area, he said. "Though the Maoist leadership is disillusioned and demoralised, we cant afford to be complacent as in guerrilla warfare sometimes ..
Abbas says to address UN assembly on issues causing suffering to Palestinians
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that he will address the upcoming UN General Assembly on issues causing suffering to Palestinians.
At least nine killed in Burkina Faso twin attacks
At least nine civilians have been killed in twin attacks in eastern Burkina Faso, a poor West African country where jihadists have been gaining ground in recent months, local authorities said Saturday. "Two terror attacks were carried out in the villages of Diabiga and Kompienbiga" overnight Friday in eastern Kompienga province, the regional governor said in an earlier statement. An unnamed security source told AFP that one of the attacks had targeted the home of a Islamic religious leader and other Muslims. "Five people including the leader were killed," he said, adding that three others were injured on the attack on the house which is next to a mosque. One of the injured later succumbed to their wounds. Meanwhile, "three people belonging to the same family were killed and another two injured by suspected jihadists on mopeds," according to another security source. Since 2015, Burkina Faso has battled increased Islamist violence of the sort that plagues neighbouring Mali and Niger, ..
Hundreds flee Cameroon's anglophone areas ahead of vote
Cameroonian authorities Saturday banned the "massive exodus" from the country's restive anglophone regions, where violence has mounted ahead of next month's presidential election. A humanitarian source in Buea, the capital of the South West Region, told AFP that "hundreds of families are in the process of fleeing for 'safer' regions," adding: "There is an atmosphere of fear." South West governor of Bernard Okalia Bilai Saturday was quoted as saying by the national television and radio network that "journeys were authorised (but) relocations and a massive exodus are forbidden." The governor on Saturday visited a busy bus terminus in Buea, where people have been leaving en masse -- often with mattresses and beds -- for the southern commercial capital of Douala or cities and towns in central Cameroon. "Rumours... are circulating that the armed forces are about to launch an assault. They are not launching an assault," he told state media. "Rather it's the terrorists (anglophone ...
At least 9 killed in extremist attacks in Burkina Faso
Authorities in Burkina Faso say extremists have killed at least nine civilians in two attacks in the country's east. The governorate of the eastern region says six people including an imam were killed in one attack on a mosque in the community of Diabiga. In Friday's other attack, three members of a family were shot dead in Kompienga province. Until now, extremists in that part of the West African country have largely targeted security forces. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore recently announced that the country would put an end to "destabilization activity" in the east, where extremist attacks have been increasing. Since then more troops have been sent to the region, where extremists use the forests as hideouts.
Gold ornaments, cash worth Rs 7 cr looted from jewellery shop in Amritsar
Gold ornaments and cash worth Rs seven crore was looted Saturday at gun point from a well known jewellery shop here, police said. The incident occurred at Prem Kumar Jewellers, a famous gold trader in the Guru Bazar Market here. Police said around five masked men looted the gold ornaments and cash worth Rs seven crore at gun point. They fled the scene after firing gun shots. They also took away CCTV camera installed at the showroom, the police said. Senior police officers reached the spot to take stock of the situation. President of Amritsar Jewellers Association Kale Shah said more than hundred traders shut down their business establishments after the incident. Police said various police teams have been searching places to nab the accused.
Army to mark centenary of Haifa battle
The Indian Army will mark the centenary celebrations of the Battle of Haifa (Israel), which took place during the First World War, on September 23, said Lt Gen Cherish Mathson, Army Commander of the South Western Command, on Saturday.
American professor detained by Israel in West Bank scuffle
An American law professor was detained by Israeli police for allegedly trying to block Israeli troops in a West Bank village slated for demolition, his Israeli lawyer said Saturday. Frank Romano, 66, is being held at a lockup in Jerusalem and is to appear before an Israeli military court Monday, said attorney Gaby Lasky. She said she is trying to get a hearing sooner, before a civil court. Romano, who reportedly also has French citizenship, was detained Friday in the embattled village of Khan al-Ahmar, along with two Palestinian activists. Romano stood in front of heavy equipment being used to clear barriers that had been set up to slow demolition, witnesses said. Israeli police said three people were detained for causing disturbances. Romano was initially taken to a West Bank police station where he briefly met with activists from an Israeli-Palestinian group, Combatants for Peace. Nahoum Oltchik, a member of the group, said Romano told him he had started a hunger strike and would ..
13 policemen suspended in Balaghat district for 'negligence'
As many as thirteen police personnel were suspended in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh Saturday for alleged negligence in the security of senior officers. District Superintendent of Police A Jayadevan said the suspended men were attached to the Special Armed Force (SAF) and the district police. A letter has been written to the SAF commandant, asking him to suspend four other personnel, he said. While the SP did not give details of the alleged lapses committed by these policemen, local sources said they were found playing cards while on duty last week.
Report: Ethiopian airstrike kills 70 al-Shabab in Somalia
A new report says Ethiopia's air force has killed about 70 al-Shabab extremists in an airstrike in neighbouring Somalia. The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate says the airstrike was meant to thwart an al-Shabab attack on an Ethiopian contingent of the multinational African Union force. The report says "two vehicles packed with weapons" were destroyed. It does not say where or when the airstrike occurred. It cites Brig. Gen. Yilma Merdassa with the air force as saying "we achieved 100 percent of our plans." There is no immediate comment from Somali authorities. Kenya, another member of the AU mission, also has carried out airstrikes against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, while the US military has carried out at least 22 airstrikes against the extremist group this year.
US-backed forces storm IS-held village in east Syria
US-backed Syrian forces entered Saturday an eastern village held by the Islamic State group where intense clashes are ongoing a day after the extremists reportedly killed 20 fighters, the forces and a war monitor said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said its fighters stormed Bagouz and are close to the center of the village. The forces added that they plan to open another front in the Sousseh area along the Euphrates river to increase pressure on the extremists. SDF launched with the help of the US-led coalition a wide offensive this week to capture the last pocket held by IS in Syria. The Kurdish-led forces have been among the most effective in the fight against IS in Syria, forcing them out of much of the country's east. Despite losing most of the territory it held between Iraq and Syria since its peak in 2014, the jihadist IS remains a disruptive force in both countries. Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, urged his followers to "persevere" in an audio tape attributed to ...
Army men 'drag' terrorists' bodies as they could be booby-trapped: Army officer
South Western Command chief Lt Gen. Cherish Mathson said Saturday the Army personnel dragged bodies of terrorists instead of picking them up as they could be booby-trapped. The comment comes after a purported video of soldiers dragging a dead Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant by chains tethered to his legs in Jammu and Kashmir surfaced, triggering accusations of human rights violation. This followed an encounter in which three militants were killed and 12 security personnel injured in the state's Reasi district on Thursday. "Terrorists tie IEDs ( improvised explosive devices) and grenades around their bodies and there is a threat to army men if they pick up the body. It is a drill of the army to drag the body with ropes to save themselves from activated IEDs or other explosives," Mathson said on the sidelines of a press conference on Haifa Day celebrations. On the issue of force restructuring, Mathson said armies all over the world review themselves periodically to see whether its ...
Dabholkar murder case accused disposed of firearms in creek: CBI tells court
The CBI on Saturday told a local court that Sharad Kalaskar, one of the accused in the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, disposed of four firearms in a creek near Mumbai in July this year. The agency has claimed that Kalaskar was one of the two persons who shot Dabholkar on August 20, 2013, on the Omkareshwar Bridge in Pune. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also told the court that Vaibhav Raut, arrested by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in the arms haul case in August, was with Kalaskar when he dumped the weapons. The duo was arrested on August 10 by the ATS following a raid in Nallasopara area of Palghar district in which explosives and firearms were seized. The court of Judicial Magistrate S M A Sayyad extended Kalaskar's custody till September 17. CBI lawyer Vijaykumar Dhakane told the court that on July 23 this year, Kalaskar and Raut, dismantled four firearms and dumped them in a creek from a bridge while going from Pune to Nallasopara in Palghar, near .
Youth killed in J&K clashes
A youth was killed in clashes between protesters and the security forces at the gunfight site in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district where five militants were killed by security forces on Saturday.
2 killed in Afghanistan blast
Two security personnel lost their lives and two others sustained injuries as a blast rocked Afghanistan's Parwan province on Saturday, officials said.
5 LeT, HM militants killed in encounter in J&K; civilian killed in protests
Five Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants, including the one involved in last year's deadly attack on a cash van in which five policemen and two bank guards lost their lives, were killed in an encounter Saturday in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. A civilian was killed and 10 others injured in clashes near the encounter site when protesting youths started pelting stones at the security forces, an official said. Security forces had launched a search operation late on Friday night in Chowgam area of Qazigund in south Kashmir's Kulgam district based on inputs about the presence of militants in the area, a police spokesman said. He said during the search operation, militants fired on the search party. "First, the civilians were moved away from the site of encounter to safer locations. Security forces then engaged the terrorists," the spokesman said. He said in the ensuing gunfight, five militants were killed. "This was a group of terrorists ...
Rwandan opposition leader released from jail
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire was unexpectedly freed from jail on Saturday after President Paul Kagame permitted her early release, alongside two thousand other prisoners. "I thank the president who gave me this liberation," Ingabire said as she left Mageragere Prison in the capital Kigali. "This is the beginning of the opening of political space in Rwanda, I hope so," she added calling on Kagame "to release other political prisoners." The surprise release of 2,140 prisoners, including Ingabire and musician Kizito Mihigo, followed a cabinet meeting on Friday at which a presidential order of "mercy" was approved. Ingabire returned from exile in the Netherlands intending to run for president in 2010 as leader of the FDU-Inkingi party. However, she was arrested, charged with terrorism and treason and sentenced in 2012 to 10 years in jail after a widely criticised trial. Ingabire, an ethnic Hutu, was accused of "genocide ideology" and "divisionism" after publicly questioning
Civilian killed, 10 injured as clashes break out after Kulgam encounter
A civilian was killed and 10 others were injured Saturday in clashes between protestors and security forces following an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, in which five militants were killed, police said. Clashes broke out between groups of youths and security forces, who were engaged in the counter-militancy operation, at the Chowgam area of Qazigund in Kulgam, a police official said. He said security forces used tear smoke shells, pellets and opened firing to quell the protests. Over 10 persons were injured in the forces' action and they were taken to the district hospital in Anantnag for treatment, the official said. He added that out of those injured, six, including four with pellet injuries in the eyes, were referred to a hospital here, but one Rouf Ahmad, a resident of Chee in Anantnag, succumbed to injuries on the way near Sangam. Five Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants, including the one involved in the last year's deadly attack on a ...