Page 439 - War Conflict
Unidentified militants kill man in JK's Kupwara
Unidentified militants Monday night shot dead a man here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. They fired upon Abdul Ahad Ganie (42) at the Babademb area of the city here, a police official said. He said Ganie, a resident of Sheikh Pora Lolab area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, died on the spot. His body was shifted to a police control room hospital here, the official said. He said a hunt has been launched to nab the assailants.
Green Revolution denuded Dalits: Thinker
Land reforms brought about by successive Congress governments after independence were aimed at creating a new class of rich farmers whereas the Green Revolution was a capitalist strategy that denuded the Dalits, thinker and ideologue Anand Teltumbde said on Monday.
31 Troops, 81 insurgents killed in fresh offensives in Afghanistan
At least 31 members of the security forces and 81 Taliban rebels were killed, while dozens of others were wounded in three offensives by the insurgents earlier in the day in the northern and central Afghanistan, an official told the media on Monday.
Reform in Army: Gen. Rawat to hold discussion with top commanders
Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat and top commanders are likely to deliberate Tuesday on carrying out major reforms in the force including organisational restructuring and its possible downsizing by around 1,00,000 troops, official sources said. The sources said the top brass of the Army will discuss a host of issues including the long-pending cadre review and steps to make the world's second largest standing Army "leaner and meaner". 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. The defence ministry has already announced a series of reform measures for the Army which included redeployment of nearly 57,000 officers and other ranks as well as ensuring better utilisation of resources. "The Army Chief and top commanders will discuss various reform initiatives which are aimed at making the Army leaner and meaner," the sources said. Under the ...
Rajiv Gandhi assassination: Ex-Sri Lankan President refuses to comment
Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday refused to comment on the recommendation made by the Tamil Nadu cabinet to release all the seven convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.On his arrival to India, Rajapaksa said, "It is up to the Indian government to decide. I do not want to comment on that, it is a legal matter."On Sunday, Tamil Nadu cabinet recommended the release of all seven life convicts in the case to Governor Banwarilal Purohit under Article 161 of the Constitution.All the seven convicts - Nalini, Perarivalan, Murugan, Santhan, Robert Pious, Jayakumar and Ravichandran have been in jail for the last 27 years. Murugan, Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Pious are Sri Lankan nationals.In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suicide bomber, during an election rally in Sriperumbudur. LTTE was a Tamil militant organisation, based in northeastern Sri Lanka.
For India, Sri Lanka is important part of its Neighbourhood First' policy: Prez
Sri Lanka is a special and important part of India's Neighbourhood First' policy, President Ram Nath Kovind said Monday. Welcoming a parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka, the President said India's growth and the prosperity of the South Asian region are interlinked. The delegation led by Karu Jayasuriya, the Speaker of Sri Lankan Parliament, called on President Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Kovind said that India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. "It holds tremendous potential for development and progress for Sri Lanka as well. Sri Lanka can benefit from the huge market that India offers," according to a statement issued by the President's office. "For India, Sri Lanka is a special and important part of its Neighbourhood First' policy," he said. Kovind said that India is honoured to have a strong developmental partnership with Sri Lanka. "This spans across all sectors, including education, culture, skill development, livelihood assistance and sanitation," .
Gandhi family corrupt, looting nation: BJP
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday came down heavily on Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former party chief Sonia Gandhi, alleging that they belong to a family that indulged in corruption and looted the country.Addressing the media, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the rejection of pleas of Sonia and Rahul in National Herald case is "a great victory against corruption." Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court rejected the petitions of Rahul and Sonia against the IT notice seeking tax reassessment related to the National Herald and Young India transactions for the financial year 2011-2012."Gandhi family today is known as a family who does tax evasion, a family of corrupts and a family who conspires against law of the land. They are looting this nation. The income tax reassessment will be done. This is a great victory against corruption," he added.Patra further said that the Congress party had called the Bharat Bandh as they knew that their pleas would be ...
MP: 1 dead, 300 injured in stone pelting in 'Gotmar' festival
One person was killed and nearly 300 people were injured, 15 of them seriously, during the annual "Gotmar" (stone-pelting) festival at Pandhurna in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district Monday. During the annual Gotmar festival, people of Sawargaon and Pandhurna gather on either side of Jaam River and, while throwing stones, race to snatch a flag hoisted on top of a dead tree situated in the middle of the river. The tradition is said to have started around 300 years ago when a boy from Pandhurna abducted a girl from Sawargaon. The couple, facing a volley of stones while crossing the river, reached Pandhurna safely due to help from the villagers, according to folklore in the region. Collector Ved Prakash Sharma and Superintendent of Police Atul Singh told reporters Monday that one person, identified as Shankar Bhalavi (28), died on the spot after being hit in the stomach by stones. He was a resident of Belgaon village here, the officials added. Over 300 persons were ...
Taliban kill dozens in attacks across north Afghanistan: Officials
Taliban fighters killed nearly 60 members of Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces in a spate of attacks across the country's north, officials said Monday, as diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war intensify. Heavy fighting overnight in four provinces followed a wave of violence across the war-torn country in recent weeks that has left hundreds of civilians, police and soldiers dead. After seizing a military base in Sar-e-Pul, Taliban fighters were threatening the provincial capital in a situation that could result in "disaster" if reinforcements were not sent, the area's police chief Abdul Qayom Baqizoy warned. Baqizoy compared the threat to the Taliban's extraordinary raid last month on the provincial capital of Ghazni -- fighters held large parts of the city located just two hours from Kabul for days. At least 17 security forces have been killed near Sar-e-Pul city after militants seized a checkpoint in Sayyad district and burned it to the ground, provincial governor Zahir ..
US-backed force launches assault on IS in east Syria
US-backed fighters launched a fierce assault Monday against a dwindling pocket of territory held by the Islamic State group in east Syria, a commander and a war monitor told AFP. The Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, have been closing in for months on the town of Hajin in eastern Deir Ezzor province. On Monday, they began an offensive for the IS-held town itself. An SDF commander said the assault, relying heavily on artillery and US-led coalition air strikes, had killed at least 15 IS fighters. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the IS death toll was at least 17. "Our forces today began attacking the last bastions of Daesh in Hajin, with intense artillery and air support," said the SDF commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity and used the Arabic acronym for IS. "The clashes will be fierce in Hajin because Daesh has reinforced their positions, but we will take control of it," the commander told AFP. The Britain-based Observatory
Pak Army chief ratifies death sentence of 13 'hardcore terrorists'
Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa confirmed death sentences awarded to 13 "hardcore terrorists" by the special military courts for their involvement in the killing of 202 people, including 51 security personnel, the army said Monday. "Chief of Army Staff confirmed death sentences awarded to 13 hardcore terrorists," the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) - the media wing of the army - said in a statement. The convicted terrorists were "involved in heinous offences related to terrorism, attacking armed forces/ Law Enforcement Agencies, destruction of educational institutions and killing of innocent civilians," it said. "They were involved in killing of 202 persons including 151 civilians, 51 armed forces/frontier constabulary/police officials and injuring 249 others," it said. These convicts were tried by the special military courts which also awarded imprisonment of varying terms to seven other militants. The special military courts were set up in January 2015 after a ..
Gunmen attack Libyan oil corporation headquarters
The headquarters of Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) in the capital was attacked by gunmen on Monday, causing casualties, officials said.
Gunmen attack headquarters of Libya national oil firm, two dead
Armed men on Monday stormed the headquarters of Libya's National Oil Company in Tripoli killing at least two people, officials said, as witnesses spoke of hearing a blast and gunfire. The attack targeted the country's vital oil sector, repeatedly disrupted by violence since a 2011 uprising against toppled late dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Witnesses said the building near the city centre had caught fire and was rapidly surrounded by security services, who evacuated its staff, including the NOC chairman Mustafa Sanallah. Two people were killed and 10 wounded, the health ministry said. Sanallah confirmed to the Libya 218 news channel that staff members had been killed and others wounded, some of whom were in a "serious condition". "The security services are looking for gunmen in the building, but our priority is to evacuate the civilians stuck inside," said Ahmed Ben Salem, a spokesman for the Deterrence Force, a militia that operates as Tripoli's police force. "The situation is under ...
Egypt security forces kill 11 suspected jihadists in Sinai
Egyptian security forces have killed 11 suspected jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula as they press a campaign against Islamist militants in the area, a security source said Monday. The military launched a sweeping operation in February focused on the Sinai in eastern Egypt aimed at wiping out jihadists, including from the Islamic State group, who have been waging a bloody insurgency. "Eleven terrorist elements were killed in an exchange of fire" with security forces in El-Arish, the capital of North Sinai province, the security source said. The jihadists were in an abandoned petrol station "preparing terrorist acts" against security forces, the source added. Jihadists launched an insurgency in Egypt after the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, forced out by the military in the face of mass protests against his rule. Hundreds of police and soldiers have since been killed in jihadist attacks. The military says around 300 suspected jihadists and at least 35 soldiers have ...
Hizb over ground worker arrested in J&K's Kishtwar district
A Hizb-ul-Mujahideen over ground worker (OGW), tasked to revive militancy in Jammu and Kashmir's Chinab valley, was arrested from Kishtwar district in the state, police said Monday. The OGW was identified as Aiyaz Ahmad Wani. His brothers Riyaz Ahmad Wani and Niyaz Ahmad Wani, both of whom were militants, were killed in encounters with security forces in 1993 and 2003 respectively. On specific information that a Hizb OGW was camping in Kishtwar town, police teams raided various places in the district and arrested Aiyaz on Sunday, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kishtwar, Rajinder Gupta, told PTI. He was immediately taken to an unknown place for sustained interrogation, the officer said. Gupta said Aiyaz is being sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) for further questioning about the terror group's plans to revive militancy in Doda-Kishtwar districts. Police said Aiyaz, the son of Abdul Ahmad Wani and a resident of Beli village in Doda district, was at present putting up .
Car bomb kills 6 outside Somali government office
Six people were killed and another 16 injured when a car bomb exploded outside a local government office in Mogadishu on Monday, Somali police and rescue workers said. "Our ambulance teams have collected the dead bodies of six people," said Abdiqadir Abdirahman, director of the city's Aamin Ambulance service. He said 16 others were wounded in the blast. Police officer Ibrahim Mohamed said a vehicle had rammed a security checkpoint outside the Hodan district headquarters then exploded. "The blast was huge," he said. The explosion levelled buildings and left a thick plume of smoke which could be seen across the city. "It caused a huge blast and there was dust everywhere," said Osman Ali, who was in the area at the time. Images from the scene showed collapsed buildings -- including a mosque -- with rescue workers and civilians picking through the debris. Nur Adan, a bystander, told AFP he saw "several dead bodies being recovered from under wreckage" and that the blast had destroyed two ..
6 killed in Mogadishu car bomb attack
At least six people were killed and 16 were injured in a suicide car bombing targeting a local government office in the Somali capital on Monday, officials said.
Headquarters of Libya national oil firm under attack
Armed men on Monday stormed the headquarters of Libya's National Oil Company in Tripoli where a blast and gunfire were heard, witnesses and a security source said. They said the building near the city centre had caught fire and was surrounded by security services. There was no official confirmation of any casualties. "The security services are looking for gunmen in the building, but our priority is to evacuate the civilians stuck inside," said Ahmed Ben Salem, a spokesman for al-Redaa, a militia that operates as Tripoli's police force. "The situation is under control," he said. He was not able to provide details on the identity of the attackers. An oil company official, who asked not to be named, said masked gunmen had exchanged fire with guards and attacked the firm's headquarters. "I jumped out of the window with other colleagues, and then we heard an explosion," the official said. No group has so far claimed the attack. It comes four months after suicide bombers struck the ...
Rebels say Colombia govt peace talk terms are 'unacceptable'
Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrillas said Monday that conditions set by Ivan Duque, the country's new president, to restart peace talks in Cuba aimed at ending their insurgency are "unacceptable." Right-winger Duque gave the Marxist ELN a one-month deadline after his inauguration on August 7 to convince him it is serious about laying down arms and reentering civilian life. That cut-off point expired on Friday. By refusing to recognize agreements reached under Duque's predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, "and unilaterally placing unacceptable conditions, this government is... ending the process of dialogue" aimed at reaching a peace agreement, ELN negotiators in Havana said in a statement. The statement called for restarting talks "with no further delays." Duque on Saturday demanded the release of all ELN hostages -- believed to be 16 -- as a condition to restart peace talks. With an estimated 1,500 fighters, the ELN is the last recognized armed rebel group operating in ...
UN rights chief urges new panel for Myanmar prosecutions
The UN rights chief called Monday for the creation of a new "mechanism" tasked with preparing criminal indictments over atrocities committed in Myanmar, amid allegations of genocide against the Rohingya minority. In her first speech as head of the UN rights office, Michelle Bachelet called on the UN Human Rights Council to create "an independent international mechanism for Myanmar, to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes, in order to expedite fair and independent trials in national and international courts." "I urge the Council to pass a resolution, and refer the matter to the General Assembly for its endorsement, so that such a mechanism can be established," she said. Such a panel has already been created for the Syrian conflict. A UN Fact-finding Mission last month issued a damning report concluding there was enough evidence to prosecute Myanmar's army chief and five other top military commanders for crimes against humanity and