Page 450 - War Conflict
Britain, Nigeria sign defence pact to counter Boko Haram
Britain and Nigeria signed a security and defence agreement during a one-day visit by Prime Minister Theresa May today as Africa's most populous country struggles to defeat Boko Haram extremists and others linked to the Islamic State organisation. The British prime minister is on a three-country Africa visit with a large business delegation as Britain seeks to boost economic ties ahead of a bumpy exit from the European Union in March. May also visited South Africa, another of the continent's top economies, and her next stop is Kenya. After meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, May said the countries will work together on "shared security threats like Boko Haram and human trafficking." The defense aid includes more training and equipment for Nigeria's military, which has been criticized by human rights groups over alleged abuses that it denies. Last week, Buhari attracted headlines when he told troops in northwestern Zamfara state that "as your commander-in-chief, I want you to be ..
Surrendered Naxal killed
Naxals killed one of their former colleagues who had surrendered before police three days ago in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Dantewada district, an official said. Podia alias Gandhi Wadde (55), who had surrendered on August 26, was stabbed to death by the Naxals at his village Cholnar, 400 km from Raipur, last night, said district Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Gorakhnath Baghel. After his surrender, Wadde had been advised by police to stay with his son who works with National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) in Kirandul, he said. But Wadde decided to visit his village thinking that his old associates would not harm him, the ASP said. However, the Naxals killed him brutally in front of villagers, the officer said. A search operation was launched in the region to trace the assailants, he added. Wadde was allegedly involvedin blowing up of a police vehicle in Cholnar area on May 20 this year in which seven police personnel were killed, the ASP said.
Pak behind deadly Ghazni attack: Afghanistan
Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Wednesday said that Pakistan's military provided the sufficient aid to the Taliban militants and plotted the deadly attack in Ghazni earlier this month, which claimed over 100 lives."Pakistan and Pakistan's military were involved in the plan to attack Ghazni. Pakistan provided all sufficient aid to them and it's very clear," TOLOnews quoted MoI spokesperson Najib Danish as saying.Meanwhile, Afghan Defense Ministry deputy spokesman, Mohammad Radmanish said, "There has been an intelligence weakness in Ghazni."Earlier, Pakistan's Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa rubbished claims from Kabul that Islamabad supported the Taliban in carrying out the Ghazni attack.In a statement, Bajwa had said, "COAS reiterates that there is no support to any terrorist activity inside Afghanistan from Pakistan side. The alleged return of injured/dead terrorists from Ghazni is incorrect."Bajwa's denial came after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani questioned the ...
UN: Ortega's Nicaraguan govt behind widespread repression
A United Nations report released today on four months of unrest in Nicaragua describes a comprehensive effort of repression by the government that extends from the streets to the courts. The report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights calls on the government of President Daniel Ortega to immediately halt the persecution of protesters and disarm the masked civilians who have been responsible for many of the killings and arbitrary detentions. More than 300 people have been killed in violence since mid-April in this Central American nation. Neighbouring Costa Rica has been flooded with thousands of requests for asylum by people fleeing Nicaragua. The report describes illegal arrests, torture and closed trials. Doctors, professors and judges who have spoken out or protested have been dismissed from their jobs to discourage people from participating in or supporting the protests. "The level of persecution is such that many of those who have participated in the ...
Militants kill 4 policemen in J&K after forces gun down two top Hizb terrorists
On a day of mixed fortunes, terrorists shot four policemen dead in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir barely hours after two dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including the Valley's oldest surviving terrorist, were gunned down by security forces in neighbouring Anantnag. "Terrorists fired indiscriminately upon a police party at Arhama in district Shopian," a police spokesman said. The four ill-fated policemen were caught unaware as they were repairing their vehicle, he added. Pools of blood were seen at several spots at the site where militants carried out the attack. "The martyred policemen were identified as Constable Ishfaq Ahmad Mir, Constable Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Constable Mohammad Iqbal Mir and SPO Adil Manzoor Bhat," the police spokesman said. Special Police Officer Bhat had turned 18 this March itself. The terrorists mercilessly pumped bullets into the four policemen, leaving two dead on the spot. The other two were declared 'brought dead' by hospital authorities, an ...
New fighting in Libya capital after truce collapses
Fresh fighting erupted in the Libyan capital today after the collapse of a truce, a witness and military source said, after the UN called for calm. A military officer with forces loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord said there had been intermittent fighting in Tripoli's southern suburbs. "A combined force from the ministry of defence and (ministry of) interior of the GNA led an offensive against positions of the 7th Brigade," he said. The militia had been trying to advance along the road to Tripoli's international airport which has largely been closed since fighting in 2014. The 7th Brigade supposedly operates under the GNA's defence ministry. But on Monday Interior Minister Abdessalam Ashour said security forces were fighting the militia, which hails from the town of Tarhuna southeast of Tripoli. Those clashes left at least five people dead and 33 wounded, according to a health ministry toll, before a truce was reached in the evening. Fighting resumed today in the ...
Security forces bust 3 terror modules in J K's Pulwama, nab 9
Security forces today busted three separate militant modules and apprehended nine people in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. Acting on specific inputs, police, along with security forces, busted the terror modules operating in the Awantipora area and made nine arrests in this regard, a police spokesman said. "The joint team arrested five members of one of the modules. They were identified as Rizwan Ahmad Pandit, the kingpin of the module, Shahid Manzoor, Zahid Ahmad, Mohammad Hussain and Manzoor Ahmad Dar," he said. The spokesman said investigation so far revealed that Pandit was the main motivator to lure the youth into militancy. He had played a key role in joining of Ufaid Farooq Lone to a terrorist outfit, he added. "They (accused) were also involved in carrying UBGL attacks on the national highway. Moreover, they also provide vital information about movement of security forces to terrorists," the spokesman said. He said in the second operation, the joint team arrested two ...
20 militants killed in anti-terror raids in Egypt
The Egyptian Army on Wednesday said that 20 militants have been killed over the past few days in anti-terror raids in Sinai province and the Western Desert region.
Fresh clashes erupt in Libya's Tripoli
Fresh clashes erupted on Wednesday in Libya's capital city of Tripoli between UN-backed government forces and armed militias.
3 killed, 15 injured in Bengal violence
Three persons were killed and at least 15 injured in West Bengal as violent political clashes over the formation of the state Panchayat boards continued, police said on Wednesday.
Top Hizb terrorist gunned down in J&K; militants hit back killing 4 policemen
On a day of mixed fortunes, the Jammu and Kashmir Police gunned down two dreaded militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen, including one of the Valley's oldest surviving terrorists, in Anantnag district today but also lost four men in neighbouring Shopian. The day began with an encounter breaking out in Khanabal area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district when police and para-military forces cordoned off a house in Muniward village. There was specific intelligence about the presence of Altaf Ahmad Dar, also known as 'Altaf Kachroo' alias Moin, considered to be the 'chief architect' of attacks on policemen in the Kashmir Valley. "During the searches, terrorists fired on the police party, which retaliated leading to an encounter in which two terrorists were eliminated. They were identified as Altaf Ahmad Dar alias Ataf Kachroo alias Moin of Hawoora Mishipora and Omar Rashid Wani of Khudwani Kulgam," a police spokesman said. It was a specific operation carried out swiftly by the security forces,
Court orders arrest of Sri Lanka's top military officer
A court today ordered the arrest of Sri Lanka's top military officer in connection with the abduction and murder of 11 people during the island's civil war. Colombo Fort magistrate Lanka Jayaratne directed police to detain Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, Chief of the Defence Staff, for allegedly helping the main person accused in the killings escape prosecution. Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi, a navy intelligence officer, was accused of leading a hit squad that kidnapped 11 young men between 2008 and 2009 during the final stages of the war. They are believed to have been murdered while being illegally held by the navy. Their bodies were never found. Hettiarachchi was arrested earlier this month in Colombo after a months-long manhunt that saw an alert issued worldwide. "There is evidence against Admiral Wijegunaratne's role in allowing the accused to evade arrest," Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department told the magistrate. D K P Dissanayake, at the time a spokesman for the ...
Terrorists kill 4 policemen in J-K's Shopian
Four policemen lost their lives in a terrorist attack on Wednesday in South Kashmir's Shopian district.According to the police, a police party came under indiscriminate firing by a group of terrorists in the afternoon hours in Shopian's Arhama.Four policemen sustained severe gunshot wounds and were evacuated to a nearby hospital for immediate medical attention. However, all the four succumbed to their injuries.The slain policemen were identified as Constable Ishfaq Ahmad Mir, Constable Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Constable Mohammad Iqbal Mir and Special Police Officer (SPO) Adil Manzoor Bhat.The attack on the police party came hours after two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were gunned down by security forces in South Kashmir's Anantnag district.
AFSPA extended for 6 months in Assam
The Assam government today extended application of the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) in the state for six more months with immediate effect. The Act gives special rights and immunity to security forces in carrying out various operations in "disturbed" areas. "As per powers conferred under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the Governor of Assam has declared the entire State of Assam as 'Disturbed Area' upto 6 (six) months beyond 28th August 2018, unless withdrawn earlier," an official release said. Many civil society groups and activists have been demanding withdrawal of the Act from Assam claiming violation of human rights by the armed forces.
Militants kill 4 cops in Shopian hours after top Hizbul terrorist is gunned down in valley: police
Four policemen were killed in an attack by terrorists in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir today just hours after security forces gunned down two militants, including a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander, in an encounter in Anantnag district. "Terrorists in the afternoon fired indiscriminately upon a police party at Arhama in district Shopian. Four policemen sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to a nearby hospital for medical attention," a police spokesman said. All the four injured succumbed to injuries, he added. "The martyred policemen were identified as Constable Ishfaq Ahmad Mir, Constable Javaid Ahmad Bhat, Constable Mohammad Iqbal Mir and SPO Adil Manzoor Bhat," he said adding case was registered and investigations initiated in the matter. The deceased were part of the security detail of an officer and had gone to get a police vehicle repaired when the attack took place, an official said. The incident came hours after security forces killed two militants of Hizbul ...
Four policemen killed in J&K militant attack
Four policemen were killed in a militant attack on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, officials said.
Surrendered Maoist killed in Chhattisgarh
A Maoist, who surrendered four days ago, was stabbed to death by a member of his former group here early on Wednesday.
Philippines hunts bombers in deadly festival blast
Philippine authorities were hunting on today two men believed to have planted the explosives that killed two people, including a young girl, at a festival in the nation's south. The blast yesterday in the town of Isulan, which wounded 35 others, is the second deadly bombing in less than in a month in the region where Islamist militants have waged a decades-long insurgency. A man left the improvised bomb in a bag near a grocery store as crowds gathered to celebrate the town's founding anniversary but he and an accomplice escaped, the military said. "One (man) did the emplacement while the other one (drove) the getaway motorcycle," Brigadier General Cirilito Sobejana told AFP, adding a manhunt was underway. The attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, is the latest violence in the south of the mainly Catholic archipelago where a long-running Islamist insurgency has left more than 100,000 people dead by government count. Sobejana said it was "highly likely" that the pro-IS Bangsamoro
Britain to open embassies in Chad, Niger
Britain said today it would open new embassies in Chad and Niger to boost its diplomatic presence in Africa's troubled Sahel region. The announcement came as Prime Minister Theresa May wrapped up a trip to South Africa and headed to Nigeria and Kenya on her first trip to the continent as premier. "In one of Africa's most fragile regions, we are increasing our support for African countries' efforts to tackle the underlying drivers of instability and conflict," the Foreign Office in London said in a statement. "The expansion will see the UK step up diplomatic, defence and development engagement in the region, creating new partnerships and opportunities and reducing potential threats to UK and European security." The Boko Haram jihadist group's Islamist insurgency has devastated the region since 2009, leaving at least 20,000 people dead, displacing more than two million others and triggering a humanitarian crisis. Britain has offices in Chad and Niger but no embassies. Chad is covered by
China not setting up military base in Afghanistan close to Xinjiang: Official
China today dismissed reports that it is setting up a military base in Afghanistan in a narrow corridor connecting the two countries near Xinjiang to prevent infiltration of Uygur militants into the volatile province. According to a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, China has started building a training camp for Afghan troops in Wakhan corridor a project Beijing is fully funding. Once the camp is completed, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is likely to send hundreds of military personnel at least one battalion strong to Afghanistan's isolated Wakhan, the Post report said. When asked about the report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "After checking with relevant departments, it has been found that this report is not true." Asked whether China is funding Afghanistan to setup the base, Hua said "if setting up military base is not true what comes next is also not true". The Chinese military had denied a similar report in January this ...