Page 446 - War Conflict
UN brokers ceasefire between armed groups in Tripoli
Tripoli, Sep 4 (IANS/AKI) Militias fighting for control of the Libyan capital Tripoli agreed on a ceasefire on Tuesday following talks mediated by the United Nations special envoy Ghassan Salame, the UN's mission to Libya said.
Encounter between security forces and naxals in Jharkhand
An encounter took place between the security forces and naxals in Dumka district Tuesday but there was no report of any casualty, a senior police officer said. The encounter took when the security forces rushed to Mahishapathar village on the basis of a tip-off that CPI (Maoists) leader Tala da was holding a meeting with his group members, Superintendent of Police, Kaushal Kishore said. The ultras opened fire on seeing the security personnel approaching them, forcing them to retaliate, the SP said adding that the security personnel fired 15 rounds during the encounter. Kishore said there was no report any casualty in the encounter and the naxals managed to escape in the dense jungle. The security personnel have launched a massive search operation to track down the ultras, the SP added.
3 Algerian soldiers, 2 extremists killed in clash
Officials say three soldiers have been killed and three others wounded in a clash with Islamist militants in western Algeria. They say two militants, including the chieftain of the group, were also killed. The prefecture in Sidi Bel Abbes, some 600 kilometers west of the capital Algiers, said Tuesday that the extremists fired on the soldiers during a patrol in the village of Talagh a day earlier. Local authorities said the group was responsible for the May 22 murder of two imams, aged 64 and 67, at the mosque in Oued Sebaa, another town in the region. Algeria continues to hunt down extremists years after the so-called "black decade" of the 1990s and early 2000s when violence left an estimated 200,000 people dead.
Army trekking team covers 140-km adventurous expedition in J-K
An Army trekking team Tuesday successfully completed 140-km adventurous expedition from Kishtwar to Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said. The team, comprising an officer and 14 other ranks, had set off from Inshan in the Waran valley of Kishtwar district of Jammu region to Tesuru in the Suru valley of Kargil district in Ladakh last month, he said. "After covering a distance of about 140 kms, the team was flagged-in at Dharmund by General Officer Commanding, counter insurgency force (Delta), in a grand ceremony on successful completion of the adventurous expedition," the spokesman said. He said such expeditions are regularly organised by the Army as part of adventure activities to foster tenacity and love for the outdoors. "It also tests endurance and physical fitness of soldiers, with the overall aim of imbibing team spirit, comradeship and esprit de corps," the spokesman said. He said the initiative of the Army to conduct this unique adventure patrol was also aimed ..
Sitharaman holds talks with Uzbek counterpart
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held talks with her Uzbek counterpart Major General Abdusalom Azizov on Tuesday on ways to deepen defence and security cooperation between the two countries. Officials said that a number of proposals to expand cooperation between armed forces of the two countries were discussed in the meeting. Details of the decisions taken at the meeting were not immediately available. The overall ties between India and Uzbekistan are on an upswing. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited the central Asian country last month during which both sides decided to enhance cooperation in areas of trade and economy and defence and security.
Fighting in Tripoli displaces thousands: UN-backed govt
Fighting in and around the Libyan capital has displaced thousands of people, the government said Tuesday as the UN prepared to host talks seeking to halt the violence. Clashes since August 27 between rival militias in and around Tripoli have killed at least 50 people and wounded 138 others, most of them civilians, the health ministry said in an updated toll. The fighting has raged mostly in the southern suburbs of the capital, forcing 1,825 families to flee to nearby towns or seek shelter in other districts of Tripoli, the ministry for displaced people's affairs said. But many more remain trapped inside their homes and some are refusing to leave, fearing their property could be looted, the ministry said. These families have an urgent need for food and water, the ministry said, adding that rescuers who have tried to assist them have come under attack from unidentified assailants who also stole ambulances. After a lull overnight, fighting resumed Tuesday morning in Tripoli's southern ...
Shelling hits US embassy headquarters in Tripoli
Indiscriminate shelling on Tuesday hit the headquarters of the US embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli, as clashes continue between government forces and militias, a security source said.
India, Kazakhstan militaries to train together
Indian and Kazakhstan armies are set to train together in a two-week military drill near a Otar military base in the southeast of the Central Asian country from next week.
BSF seizes drugs worth Rs 39 lakh in Assam
The Border Security Force (BSF) Tuesday seized a huge consignment of drugs worth Rs 39 lakh from near the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam's Karimganj district, an official said. Based on specific input provided by BSF intelligence wing, the troops launched an operation near border village Chandsrikona and observed suspicious movement of two men moving towards the international border, said Ftr HQ BSF M&C Public Relations officer. The area was thoroughly searched and the BSF troops seized two bags from the site which contained huge quantity of party drugs (Yaba tablets) and Zarda worth Rs 39,14,400 in the international market, the PRO said. The BSF has seized more than four crore yaba tablets within a week, as part of anti-smuggling operation in the border area, he added.
Afghan Taliban announces death of Jalaluddin Haqqani
Jalaluddin Haqqani, whose death was announced by the Afghan Taliban on Tuesday, was the founder of the dreaded Haqqani Network which is believed to be behind a campaign of violence throughout Afghanistan including the 2008 bombing of the Indian Embassy in Kabul that killed 58 people. The Afghan Taliban did not share the exact date of death or burial of the militant commander, who had transferred the operational leadership of the group to his son Sirajuddin Haqqani after the 9/11 attack. "...Well known Mujahid, famous Islamic scholar, renowned fighter, leader of Muhajideen, minister of frontiers in (Taliban) Islamic Emirates and member of Leadership (Taliban) Council, al-Hajj Mullah Jalaluddin Haqqani has died after long illness," the Afghan Taliban said in statement. He was believed to be in eighties and several times in the past the news of his death was circulated but it was not confirmed by the militant group. Jalaluddin studied at the Darul Uloom Haqqania Nowshera in Pakistan's ...
Libya says death toll from Tripoli clashes climbs to 50
The death toll from fighting between rival armed groups in Libya's capital Tripoli has climbed to at least 50 people including civilians, authorities said Tuesday, as the UN mission stepped up efforts to broker a cease-fire. Fighting erupted last week when the Seventh Brigade, militias which hail from Tarhouna, a town about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of Tripoli, attacked southern neighbourhoods of the capital. The Tripoli Revolutionaries' Brigades and the Nawasi Brigade militias which support the Tripoli-based UN-backed government have come to the city's defence. At least 138 people, including civilians, have since been wounded, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising that overthrew ruler Moammar Gadhafi and led to his death. The country is currently governed by rival authorities in Tripoli and the country's east, each of which are backed by an array of militias. Other armed groups have carved out fiefdoms across the country, with ..
Russia's Aeroflot to re-launch flights to Sri Lanka
Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot will re-launch regular non-stop flights to Sri Lanka's capital Colombo from October 28, Sri Lankan government's information department said on Tuesday.
Central forces, spl police units to get 36,000 modern AK assault rifles
A stockpile of over 36,000 modern AK-series assault rifles have been recently provided to central paramilitary forces and select state police units, a senior official said Tuesday. The official, who is part of the security establishment under the Union home ministry, said the weapons have been procured from Bulgaria after a global tender was completed successfully sometime back. "These AK-47 rifles are now being sent to multiple Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and state police units who were part of the joint tender. A good bulk of these weapons will go to the CRPF and BSF who have to deal with internal security challenges, guard the border and tackle Left-wing extremism and militants and terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir," the official, who requested anonymity, said. This series of assault rifles are increasingly being preferred by the security forces due to their utility in all-weather conditions, good rate of fire and ease of adaptability in multifarious combat zones, the ...
North Korean missile developer dies at 89
Ju Kyu-chang, a central figure in the development of the North Korean ballistic missile programme at the beginning of this decade, died at the age of 89, state news agency KCNA reported on Tuesday.
US soldier killed in Afghanistan
One US service member of US-led NATO coalition forces was killed and another wounded following an apparent insider attack in Afghanistan on Monday, the coalition forces said on Tuesday.
Must leverage social media to our advantage: Army Chief
Recognising the significance of social media and role it plays in modern-day warfare, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday said that it should be leveraged to the country's advantage.In the wake of psychological warfare and deception by adversaries, General Rawat emphasised on imposing discipline on the usage of social media. "We have received advice that we should advise our soldiers to stay away from social media. Can you deny a soldier from the possession of a smart-phone?" the Army Chief questioned adding, "So, if you can't prevent usage of smartphone, best to allow it, but important to have means of imposing discipline," he added.General Rawat was addressing a conference on 'Social media & the Armed Forces 2018'. Speaking at the event, he also said, "Social media is here to stay, soldiers will use social media. Our adversary will use social media for psychological warfare and deception, we must leverage it to our advantage."General Rawat also highlighted
Russian air strikes batter Syria's Idlib: Monitor
Russian warplanes battered Syria's rebel-controlled Idlib on Tuesday for the first time in three weeks, a war monitor said, as expectations mount of a government offensive in the northwestern province. Regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara have held several rounds of talks aimed at averting an assault, but government troops have been massing near the rebel zone. "Russian warplanes resumed bombing Idlib province after a 22-day pause," said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The air raids "came a day after rebel units in Idlib hit regime positions in neighbouring Latakia province, which killed three pro-regime fighters," Abdel Rahman told AFP. Tuesday's bombardment hit several areas held by the jihadist-led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, among them the large town of Jisr al-Shughur, but also areas held by rival Turkish-backed rebels, including the town of Ariha. Abdel Rahman could not immediately provide a death toll for the strikes. Seized from ..
19 killed in fresh violence in central Nigeria
Nineteen people have been killed and scores of homes burnt in fresh violence in central Nigeria, police said, after weeks of relative calm in a long-running resource conflict between farmers and herders. Eleven people were shot dead in the Lopandet Dwei Du area of Plateau state on Monday. Eight others were killed last Tuesday in the state's Barakin Ladi district. Twelve people were wounded in the first attack. Three were injured in the second, which also saw 95 houses burnt down and 310 cattle stolen, said police spokesman Typev Terna. Plateau has for years suffered tit-for-tat violence between nomadic herders and farmers over land and water that has taken on a wider ethnic, political and religious dimension. In June, herders were blamed for attacks on 11 villages in Barakin Ladi which killed more than 200 people from farming communities. But Terna said only that "unknown gunmen" were blamed for both attacks and more security personnel had been deployed to the affected areas. State ...
Afghanistan: 21 Taliban militants killed in clash
At least 21 Taliban militants were killed in a clash with Afghan security forces in Afghanistan's Paktia province.TOLOnews quoted officials as saying that the clash broke out around Monday midnight in Janikhel district when the militants launched an attack on the security check posts. The attack reportedly ended on Tuesday.The officials added that dozens of militants were injured, while four security forces were killed in the ambush. Six others were injured.In a statement on Tuesday, the Taliban said that their fighters had taken control of the district and killed a number of security troops. However, the office of Paktia governor dismissed the group's claims and clarified that the militants suffered heavy casualties during the clash.The attack came before the group announced the death of Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani on Tuesday.
Maharashtra: 856 detonators, 46 gelatine sticks recovered
The local police recovered 856 detonators and 46 pieces of gelatin sticks in Raigad district on Tuesday. Two people have been arrested in the matter.The initial investigation revealed that the two people arrested used the explosive for illegal mining and illegal fishing in the region.The search operation was initiated after security personnel received a tip-off. More details in the matter are awaited.The menace of illegal mining is rapidly increasing across India. On July 17, in a joint operation by the Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the police, scores of detonators and other paraphernalia were recovered from Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.On May 14, the CRPF and the Jharkhand Police recovered 482 gelatine sticks, 882 detonators, 250 meters of cortex wire, two coils of safety fuse and some other miscellaneous items were recovered during the search in East Singhbhum's Digri.