Page 436 - War Conflict
Suspected Jaish terrorists fire at security forces near Jammu, flee into forest
Three suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, believed to be part of a suicide squad, infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday and fired at security personnel on the state's main highway before escaping into a forest near this city, police said. The terrorists attacked security personnel from a truck that was intercepted as it was speeding past a checkpost in Jhajar Kotli on the arterial highway that connects Jammu to Kashmir Valley, officials said. Panic gripped Jammu and its neighbouring areas after the three men escaped into a forest between Jhajar Kotli and Nagrota on the outskirts of the city. Additional checkpoints were erected at Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine visited by thousands of devotees. Drones were deployed over the forest areas to locate the missing terrorists. A search operation was launched by police, paramilitary forces as well as the Army and security around important installations was strengthened. A forest guard was injured when they .
2 injured in J&K highway firing
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper and a forest guard were injured on Wednesday when militants attacked a checkpost on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district, police said.
'Leopard urine helped troops stay under enemy's radar during surgical strikes'
The Indian soldiers who carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) in September, 2016 used an unusual weapon apart from firepower: leopard urine and feces. Apparently, it kept away the village dogs that could otherwise have given away the soldiers' movement in the darkness. The detail was recounted by Lt Gen. (retd) Rajendra Nimbhorkar, who was the head of the 15 Corps that looked after the security of the LoC in the Jammu region, and who played a key role in the planning of the attack. Speaking at a function organised by the Thorle Bajirao Peshwe Pratishthan (trust) here, where he was felicitated on Tuesday, Nimbhorkar said the planners had to bear in mind that the dogs in the villages along the LoC could alert the enemy troops. "When I was the brigade commander in the Noushera sector (earlier in his career), I had observed that there were often leopard attacks on the dogs there and the dogs stayed away from the area at night fearing leopards," Nimbhorkar ...
Taliban say they're ready for second round of talks with US
The Taliban are ready for a second round of talks with the U.S., possibly this month, which is likely to focus on prisoner exchange, confidence building measures, and ways to move from back-door meetings to formal negotiations, said Taliban officials in separate interviews in recent days. Speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media, Taliban officials recounted details of a meeting held in July with Alice Wells, Washington's top envoy to the region. One of the officials said the meeting ended with a plan to meet again in September. The U.S. has refused to confirm or deny that meeting. Both the U.S. and Afghan government have insisted that talks on Afghanistan's future would be Afghan-led, while direct talks between Washington and the Taliban which the insurgents have long demanded are said to be a stepping stone toward Afghan-to-Afghan talks. The Taliban have sought direct talks to settle U.S. concerns about the Taliban's participation in .
UN teams given first access to Myanmar's Rakhine
The UN began work Wednesday inside Myanmar's violence-torn northern Rakhine state, the first time its agencies have been granted permission to operate there since more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled the area last year. The UN has been waiting for access to the epicentre of the military's "clearance operations" against the Rohingya minority since June when its refugee and development agencies signed a deal with the government. Its work is highly sensitive inside Rakhine, a state cut deep with ethnic and religious hatred and where Buddhist locals stand accused of helping the army chase out their Muslim neighbours. Many Rakhine accuse international aid groups, including the UN, of a pro-Rohingya bias and foreign aid groups have been granted very limited access to the state. The task is complicated further as the UN's rights arm is expected to heavily censure Myanmar again in the coming days when it publishes in full the findings of its investigation into atrocities against the ...
Salisbury attack: Suspects identified as civilians
Russian authorities have identified the two suspects in the Salisbury chemical attack as its civilians.Russian President Vladimir Putin, while addressing the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok, talked about the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury and divulged that the two suspects have been found, reported Sputnik."We know who they are, we have found them. I hope that they will show up and tell everything themselves. There is nothing particularly criminal there, I assure you," Putin said.Last week, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, while addressing a Parliament session, held Russia accountable for the Salisbury attack and said that only Russia had the motive to carry out the attack as well as the technical means and operational experience.She further accused Russia of orchestrating the attack and claimed that the suspects were related to the Russian intelligence. However, Russia refuted these ...
4 militants arrested in Manipur
Four militants of the banned People's Liberation Army (PLA) were arrested by the Manipur police from two different parts of Imphal east district, according to a press release issued by the police department on Wednesday.
Religious leaders, filmstars, sportsmen to attend Bhagwat's lectures
Religious leaders, filmstars, sportspersons, business tycoons, retired judges, former chiefs of the armed forces, ambassadors of over 60 countries, besides the leaders of all the major political parties are expected to attend a three-day lecture series of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, scheduled to be held here next week. Senior functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said a list of about 500 dignitaries was prepared for the event -- "Future of Bharat: An RSS perspective" -- a three-day series of lectures of Bhagwat from September 17-19. An interactive session will also be held on the third day of the event. It will be a first-of-its-kind event to explain the Sangh's perspective on various issues and clear misconceptions about its working and ideology. Therefore, it was felt that people from all walks of life should be invited to it, a Sangh functionary said. "The list includes the names of religious leaders from all religions, filmstars, sportspersons, media personalities, ..
Afghanistan: Death toll mounts to 68 in suicide bombing
The death toll in a suicide attack near a gathering of protesters in eastern Afghanistan has soared to 68. The attack which took place on Tuesday afternoon left 128 wounded.Nangarhar public health department confirmed the death toll on Wednesday.According to TOLO News, the protestors were demanding the dismissal of a local police commander.The attack came hours after bombs targeted at least three schools in the city of Jalalabad, killing a boy and wounding four people.However, there has been no immediate claim of responsibility and the Taliban has also denied any role in the attacks.In a statement, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the suicide attack against the demonstrators and the bomb blasts near the schools, saying that "attacks on civilian facilities, mosques, women, children are all crimes against humanity."The United Nations' Assistance Mission in Afganistan also condemned the attacks and expressed its "mounting concern at the pattern of attacks targeting ..
Death toll in Afghanistan suicide attack rises to 68
Afghan authorities on Wednesday raised the death toll in a suicide bomb attack on protesters in Nangarhar province to 68 and the number of wounded to 165.
China, Sri Lanka join hands in Maritime Silk Road archaeological research
The Shanghai Museum has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sri Lanka Central Cultural Fund on a five-year archaeological cooperation programme.
J-K: Terrorists open fire, forest guard injured
A forest guard got injured after terrorists opened fire at Jhajjar Kotli along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Wednesday.The terrorists, who were travelling in a truck, opened fire at the victim after the police intercepted the truck on the national highway. They fled the spot moments after the attack.The police seized one AK 47 rifle and three magazines from the intercepted truck and the driver and conductor have been taken into custody. The cordon and search operations are underway ahead of Suketar near Katra.Further details are awaited.
INDO-US joint military exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 to be held in Uttarakhand
The joint exercise Yudh Abhyas 2018 will simulate a scenario where both nations will work together in counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment in mountainous terrain under United Nation charter. The two week exercise will witness participation of about 350 personnel of the US Army and similar strength of the Indian Army. The exercise curriculum is progressively planned where the participants are initially made to get familiar with each other's organizational structure, weapons, equipment, confidence training and tactical drills.
Russia's Lavrov condemns US 'sanctions-first' diplomacy
Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov condemned US foreign policy on Wednesday, stoking tensions between the two powers by accusing Washington of imposing sanctions before it enters negotiations. Moscow has faced increasingly harsh punitive measures since angering the West and Kiev by annexing Crimea in 2014 and backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. In recent months the US has imposed fresh sanctions over alleged Russian interference in the presidential elections and the poisoning of a former spy in Britain. "In most cases, the United States is not very willing to negotiate," Lavrov told young diplomats on the sidelines of an economic forum in the far-eastern Russian city of Vladivostok. "First, they announce sanctions, then more sanctions, and only after that they open talks," he said, warning that such policies were unlikely to lead to "long-term success". The foreign minister said he was not only referring to ties between the US and Russia, which are currently "the most ...
Death toll in Tuesday suicide attack soars to 68: Afghan officials
The death toll from a suicide attack on Afghan protesters has soared to 68, officials said Wednesday, as violence flares across the country ahead of elections and a key Islamic holy day. Another 165 were wounded in the blast -- one of the deadliest attacks this year -- on Tuesday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, provincial governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said. There has been no claim of responsibility for the massacre, but the Islamic State group, which has carried out most of the recent suicide bombings in Afghanistan, is active in the province. The Nangarhar health department confirmed the toll. Scores of demonstrators had blocked the highway between the provincial capital of Jalalabad and a major Pakistan border crossing in protest over the appointment of a local police chief when the suicide bomber blew himself up. The dead and wounded were rushed to several hospitals in the back of pickup trucks and ambulances, overwhelming doctors and nurses as they struggled to cope ..
Putin says Russia identified two Skripal suspects, 'they are civilians'
President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia had identified two men Britain suspects of poisoning former spy Sergei Skripal with a military-grade nerve agent, saying they were civilians. "We know who they are, we have found them," Putin told an economic forum in the presence of Japan's Shinzo Abe and China's Xi Jinping in the far eastern city of Vladivostok. "They are civilians, of course," he said, apparently responding to a claim by the British authorities that the two suspects are members of Russia's military intelligence agency.
J&K:High alert in Jammu after suspected militants fire on security forces
A high alert was sounded Wednesday in the Jammu region after suspected militants fired on security personnel on a highway here, police officials said. Security in and around important and strategic establishments has also been increased, they said. The high alert was issued for areas along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and the Jammu region after the incident, the officials said. Security was increased at Katra, the base camp of the Mata Vaishno Devi cave shrine, and on all roads leading to the town, they said. The officials said all checkpoints on the highway have been put on alert and vehicles are being checked. The suspected militants opened fire on the security personnel after they intercepted a truck that sped past a check point on the highway, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Vivek Gupta, told PTI. They fired on the personnel from the vehicle before fleeing, he said. However, the driver and the conductor of the truck were taken into custody, the SSP said. Gupta
58 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan
At least 58 Taliban militants were killed and several others wounded following separate air and ground operations in Uruzgan and Kandahar provinces, officials said on Wednesday.
Chinese troops crossed over LAC thrice in Aug: Sources
China's People Liberation Army (PLA) transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at least three times last month in the Uttarakhand state, as per sources.Sources further said that the Chinese troops crossed over as far as four kilometres into the Indian Territory in Barahoti village in the Chamoli district of the state.Similar incidents occurred in July last year when Chinese troops ventured up to a kilometre into Indian Territory in Barahoti. This area also witnessed aerial transgressions and infiltration by foot patrols in 2013 and 2014.Speaking on transgressions along the LAC by the PLA, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC) Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh earlier this year said, it "took place in areas where we have different perception of the Line of Actual Control," adding that India and China have well-established mechanisms, especially at the highest level, where special representatives from both the countries discuss issues related to the resolution of the ...
Suspected militants open fire on police personnel on J&K highway
Suspected militants opened fire on police personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway here on Wednesday, an official said. No casualties have been reported in the incident that took place on the outskirts of Jammu city. Police personnel, posted at a check post on the highway, signalled a truck to stop, but it sped away, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Vivek Gupta, told PTI. The truck was intercepted by a police team after a chase and the suspected militants fired on them from the vehicle before fleeing, he said. However, the driver and the conductor of the truck were taken into custody, the SSP said. Gupta said an AK assault rifle and three magazines were seized from the truck during a search. "2-3 suspected militants who ran away from the truck are being chased. Police, army and CRPF activated. Cordon and search operation is on ahead of Suketar near Katra crossing national highway," the Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Twitter.