Page 452 - War Conflict
Two Hizbul militants killed in Anantnag encounter
Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said. Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Muniward village in Khanabal area of the district early this morning following specific information about the presence of militants there. An encounter ensued when the militants opened fire on the forces, an official said. Police said two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in the operation.
Rohingya situation one of worst human rights crises: Guterres
Describing the Rohingya refugee situation as one of the worst humanitarian and human rights crises of the past year, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for international action to ensure Myanmar is held to account for the crimes of its security forces.
Our troops not to be posted much longer in Afghanistan: US
The Pentagon repeated on Tuesday that the presence of US troops in Afghanistan will not last much longer, but stressed the importance of their deployment in the region to avoid further attacks on the US like those on September 11, 2001.
Encounter underway between security forces and militants in Anantnag
An encounter broke out between militants and security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said. An official said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Muniward village in the Khanabal area of the district early this morning following specific information about the presence of militants there. An encounter erupted when the militants opened fire on the forces who retaliated, the official said, adding the exchange of fire is underway. Further details are awaited.
J-K: BSF arrests 3 Bangladeshi nationals
The Border Security Force (BSF) arrested three Bangladeshi youth along the international border and later handed them over to the Jammu and Kashmir police.The three Bangladeshi nationals were arrested on Monday after the BSF team noticed a suspicious movement along the international border."On Tuesday, they were handed over to the police. We are trying to investigate how they managed to reach here. A detailed investigation will be done regarding this," RS Pura Superintendent of police RC Kotwal told ANI.On Sunday, four newly recruited terrorists, along with warlike stores, were arrested from the upper reaches of Handwara's Kalaroos region, while they were attempting to exfiltrate across the Line of Control.The terrorists, who were recruited by Al Badr for a planned exfiltration, were trapped after the army and local police laid an ambush.
Kazakhstan to host conference against nuclear tests
Coinciding with the International Day against Nuclear Tests, Kazakhstan will host on Wednesday a conference focused on the role of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in the construction of world peace.
Afghanistan, Russia set to co-chair proposed future talks
Afghanistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday said that Russia and Afghanistan are set to co-chair proposed future talks in Moscow.ToLo News reported MoFA as saying, the Moscow talks should be held the leadership of the Afghan government.The Acting Deputy Foreign Minister for Management and Resources Nasir Andisha said that schedules are being drawn up by the representatives of the two countries for the future talks aimed at encouraging political support for intra-Afghan dialogue.Andisha said, "Delegations from Afghanistan, the Russian Federation, the Central Asian countries and Afghanistan's partners are working on a timeline and agenda for the meeting. We will determine the time based on a consensus."This comes following the announcement by the Afghan government on Monday regarding the postponement of the Moscow talks which were to happen on September 4.Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had announced that members of the Taliban would visit Russia next month
Israel recognises settlement on private West Bank land
An Israeli court has for the first time recognised as legal a settlement established on privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, court officials have said. The settlement of Mitzpe Carmit, close to Ramallah, was established in the late 1990s on land owned by Palestinians who had title deeds recognised by the Israeli authorities. The owners had appealed to the Israeli courts to have the settlers evicted from their land. But the Jerusalem district court found the settlement was legal as it had been created with the consent of the Israeli authorities and that the settlers had settled there "in good faith" -- without knowing the land was privately owned. Today, the settlement close to Ramallah is home to several dozen families. The ruling may still be appealed, but if that fails, it could serve as a precedent for the legal recognition of settlements established without permission from the Israeli authorities or occupying land privately owned by Palestinians. The ...
US support to coalition in Yemen not unconditional: Mattis
US support for the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen is not "unconditional", Defence Secretary Jim Mattis today said, as he defended America's ongoing role in the war. The Pentagon chief's comments came the same day as UN investigators said they had reasonable grounds to believe that warring parties in Yemen may have committed a "substantial number" of violations of humanitarian law that could amount to "war crimes". The US provides weapons, aerial refuelling to jets, intelligence and targeting information to the Saudi-led coalition that is fighting Huthi rebels in Yemen. Last week, the UN said two air raids killed at least 26 children and four women south of the flashpoint rebel-held city of Hodeida. Those deaths came after a coalition attack on a bus in the northern rebel stronghold of Saada early this month killed 40 children. "Our conduct there is to try and keep the human cost of innocents being killed accidentally to the absolute minimum," Mattis told Pentagon ...
US military says IS member killed in Libya air strike
The US military said it carried out an air strike today in Libya, killing an Islamic State member described by a source as a former local leader of the jihadist group. The US Africa Command said it "conducted a precision airstrike near Bani Walid, Libya, on August 28, killing one ISIS-Libya terrorist," referring to the Islamic State group. The strike around 170 kilometres (105 miles) southeast of the capital Tripoli was coordinated with the UN-backed Government of National Accord, the US military said. "At this time, we assess no civilians were injured or killed in this strike," the US African Command (AFRICOM) said in a statement. A source within the Bani Walid security services said an "unidentified aircraft" targeted a pickup truck around four kilometres from the town. The attack at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) killed the driver, Walid Hariba, who the source said was a former IS leader in the city of Sirte. In June 2015 IS jihadists overran the city, 600 kilometres east of Tripoli, and ...
At least 30 injured in clashes over panchayat board formation in West Bengal
Violence erupted in West Bengal again today over the formation of gram panchayat (GP) boards, with clashes between workers of the ruling TMC and opposition parties leaving at least 30 people, including five policemen, injured, police said. Clashes were reported from two places in North Dinajpur district, they said. Bombs were hurled and bullets fired in the clashes at Daspara and Itahar GP under Chopra police station limits, they added. The clash at Itahar broke out after Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers allegedly obstructed GP members from the BJP from voting to elect office bearers, the police said. Thirteen activists of the TMC and the BJP were injured in the clash. Five policemen were also injured and a police jeep was torched, they added. Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel and a large police contingent rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control, the police said. The clash in Daspara erupted when CPI(M) and Congress workers allegedly prevented elected independent ..
Blast kills 7 security personnel in Burkina Faso
Seven members of the security forces were killed early today after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso, security sources said. The fatalities were gendarmes and troops who had been sent to the town of Pama as reinforcements after a police station there came under attack, they said. One of the sources said the blast, caused by an improvised explosive device, killed eight people. The earlier attack in Pama lasted an hour and but caused no casualties, although the police station was set ablaze. There were no immediate details about on the roadside blast, but it bore the hallmark of attacks attributed to jihadists that have shaken the country's east in recent months. The Sahel state, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been battling Islamist violence since 2015, starting with cross-border incursions in the north. The recent surge of attacks in the east is the result of pressure on jihadist insurgents in neighbouring Mali and Niger, experts say. On ...
Experts: UAE, Saudis may have committed war crimes in Yemen
Three experts working for the UN's top human rights body say the governments of Yemen, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia may have been responsible for war crimes including rape, torture, disappearances and "deprivation of the right to life" during three abd a half years of escalated fighting against rebels in Yemen. In their first report for the Human Rights Council, the experts also point to possible crimes by rebel Shiite militia in Yemen, who have been fighting the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's government in a civil war since March 2015. The experts have also chronicled the damages from coalition airstrikes, the single most lethal force in the fighting, over the last year. They urged the international community to "refrain from providing arms that could be used in the conflict" an apparent reference to countries including the United States and Britain that help arm the Saudi-led coalition, as well as Iran, which the coalition has accused of arming the Houthis. The experts
Suspected militants shot at, injure civilian in J-K's Pulwama
Suspected militants today shot at and injured a civilian in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. Unidentified militants fired upon Mohammad Amin Malik near his residence in the Lurgam area of Tral in the south Kashmir district, a police official said. He said Malik received gunshot wounds and was rushed to a hospital. A case has been registered and investigation initiated, the official said.
Militants attack senior NC leader's home
Militants attacked the home of former Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister and National Conference leader Abdul Rahim Rather in Badgam district on Tuesday, police said.
Cong, BJP lodge FIRs against each other over stone-pelting at rally
The BJP's Kota district unit has filed a counter-FIR in response to one lodged by the Congress' unit after the supporters of the two parties pelted stones at each other in Kundanpur area during a rally, the police said today. The incident took place last night during a pre-poll tour, 'Vikas Gaurav Yatra', by Heeralal Nagar, BJP MLA from Sangod, they said. Congress supporters showed black flags to Heeralal Nagar. Later, BJP and Congress supporters pelted stones at each other, due to which few people sustained injuries and some vehicles were damaged, SHO Sangod Mahendra Kumar Meena said. A counter-FIR has been lodged by the BJP's Om Nagar and district head Surendra Gochar, he said, adding that the matter is being investigated. Heeralal Nagar accused the Congress of disrupting his yatra in Kundanpur and alleged that such incidents had happened in the past too in the area. "We had information that the Congress will protest against the yatra. Congress supporters pelted stones on our 'rath'
China calls for political solution to Rohingya issue;says 'unilateral accusations' won't work
China, an ally of Myanmar's junta, today called for a political solution to resolve the Rohingya issue, saying "unilateral accusations and pressure" will not work. The comments from the Chinese foreign ministry came a day after the UN investigators demanded prosecution of Myanmar's top military leaders including the army chief for genocide against the country's persecuted Rohingya Muslims. Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled the country's northern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after the army launched a crackdown last year on insurgents. There were reports of arson, murder and rape by soldiers and vigilante mobs. Myanmar, a mainly Buddhist country, has denied the allegations of ethnic cleansing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters that a political solution is needed to be found to resolve the issue when asked for her reaction to the UN investigators' recommendations. "The Rakhine state has a complex background in terms of history, religion and ethnic groups. .
UN points to possible war crimes in Yemen
UN human rights experts on Tuesday pointed to possible war crimes in Yemen by pro-government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels in areas under their control.
Russia to hold biggest military drills since Cold War
Russia will next month hold its biggest war games since at least the 1980s, with around 300,000 troops and 1,000 aircraft, the defence minister said today. The Vostok-2018 exercises will be carried out from September 11 to 15 in the country's east with the participation of China and Mongolia. "This will be something of a repeat of Zapad-81, but in some senses even bigger," Sergei Shoigu said of the 1981 war games in Eastern Europe, in comments reported by Russian news agencies. He said "more than 1,000 aircraft, almost 300,000 troops and almost all the ranges of the Central and Eastern military districts" would be involved in the exercises. "Imagine 36,000 pieces of military equipment moving together at the same time -- tanks, armoured personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles. And all of this, of course, in conditions as close to combat as possible." Moscow said last year's Zapad-2017 military drills, conducted in ally Belarus and regions of Russia, saw the participation of ...
Israel destroys West Bank home of Palestinian attacker: army
Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian who carried out a deadly knife attack in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, the army said today. Minor clashes broke out between Palestinians opposed to the raid and soldiers in the West Bank during the early hours of Tuesday morning, the military and witnesses said. The family home was destroyed, an AFP journalist at the scene said. The army said its forces "demolished the residence of the terrorist Mohammed Dar Youssef from the village of Kobar, north of Ramallah." Dar Youssef snuck into the Adam settlement south east of Ramallah in July, stabbing three Israelis, one fatally, according to the Israeli authorities. He was then shot dead by a local resident. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Twitter on Tuesday he had kept the promise made to the widow and other relatives of Yotam Ovadia, the victim of the Adam attack, to destroy the house quickly. The stabbings also led Lieberman to pledge to build more settler ..