Page 465 - War Conflict

India, Thailand conclude 'Maitree' military exercise

The Indian and Thai armed forces on Sunday concluded a two-week long platoon level military exercise called 'Exercise Maitree 2018' in Jammu & Kashmir's Srinagar. The exercise was an annual event designed to strengthen the partnership between armies of the two countries.The exercise began on August 6 and comprised of cross-training period, which included familiarization between the two armies to evolve drills and procedures that help in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in varied terrains under the United Nations (UN) mandate. The first phase of the training also focused on familiarising both armies with each other's modus operandi, basic maneuvers, and evolving joint drills in the first phase.The second phase consisted of training related to various drills and tactical scenarios in a counter-insurgency environment, execution of tactical operations like search and destroy operation, house intervention, and survival techniques.The exercise concluded with a 72-hour

Afghanistan marks 99th anniversary of independence

Afghanistan on Sunday marked the 99th anniversary of its independence from British occupation amid deteriorating security situation.

India-Thai joint military exercise ends

A joint "Maitree Exercise" between the Indian Army and the Royal Thai Army, designed to strengthen the partnership between the two forces, ended on Sunday in Thailand, the Defence Ministry said.

148 pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra

A small batch of 148 pilgrims on Sunday left Jammu for the cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley, police said.

Meeting with foreign leaders 'not a bad thing': Trump

United States President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his recent meetings with foreign dignitaries such as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it was "not a bad thing."In a video posted on Twitter, Trump said, "Many people ask why I meet foreign leaders and waste my time. It is very important that if you are the president, you should be with the foreign leaders. There is nothing to lose and there is a lot to gain."He recalled his summit with Kim at Singapore in June, saying that North Korea had returned the remains of the US war troops killed in the Korean War."Nobody is shooting out missiles and there are no nuclear testings and other things going on that were terrible earlier," Trump stressed in reference to North Korea.Trump and Kim had met in Singapore and signed a joint agreement, wherein the latter agreed to work for a "complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula" in exchange for security guarantees by the US. Although Kim had ..

Soldier killed in explosion near LoC in J&K

A soldier was killed in a landmine explosion on Saturday near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Three militants killed as Army foils infiltration bid in J&K

Three militants were killed on Saturday on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir as the Army foiled an infiltration bid, police said.

Ghazni unsafe for aid workers: UN

The United Nations (UN) has announced that the city of Ghazni is highly unsafe for aid workers since Improvised Explosion Devices (IED) and mines are scattered on the way following the Taliban attack earlier this week."There is no safe way for civilians or humanitarian workers to enter Ghazni because of IED and mines on the way," Tolo News reported on Saturday quoting spokesperson for UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Jens Laerke."We do have capacity to actually spot and map where these mines are, but we do not have the capacity to remove them. That is the responsibility and within the capacity of the national government to do so," Laerke added.He also pointed out that there were as many as 200-250 civilian casualties in the region as per unverified numbers.More than 100 people have been killed and 133 injured since August 10 after Taliban militants launched an attack in Ghazni.Last week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited the war zone to take stock of the ...

China rejects 'irresponsible' Pentagon report on bombers

China today rejected what it called an "irresponsible" Pentagon report claiming Beijing's bombers are likely training for strikes against US and allied targets in the Pacific. The Thursday report said China was leveraging its growing military, economic and diplomatic clout to rapidly establish regional dominance, while its bombers were developing capabilities to hit targets as far from the Chinese mainland as possible. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the report was "presumptuous and irresponsible", stating it was "in total disregard of facts" in today's statement. Beijing's military development was defensive in nature and intended to safeguard its territorial integrity, he added. "We urge the US side to abandon the outdated cold-war and zero-sum mentality... (and) stop issuing such irresponsible reports year after year," he said. China is engaged in a decades-long build-up and modernisation of its once-backward armed forces, and military leaders have set a goal of ...

Cop steals mobile phone, held

A constable has been arrested on the charge of stealing an 'expensive' mobile phone seized from a group of North Indians taken into custody in connection with betting on a local cricket match here recently, police said today. Gopalakrishnan, belonging to the Armed Reserve Police Battalion, allegedly stole the mobile that was kept along with eight other handsets at a local police station. When the theft was discovered, investigations began and Gopalakrishnan was caught with the device in his residential quarters, they said. A search there also yielded some other articles belonging to the Armed Reserve personnel that were stolen by him, police added.

Taliban repeats call for direct talks with US

The Taliban has repeated its call for direct talks with the US, a statement said on Saturday.

Taliban say no peace with 'occupation,' want US talks

The leader of the Taliban said today there will be no peace in Afghanistan as long as the foreign "occupation" continues, reiterating the group's position that the 17-year war can only be brought to an end through direct talks with the United States. In a message released in honour of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah said the group remains committed to "Islamic goals," the sovereignty of Afghanistan and ending the war. The Taliban have had a major resurgence in recent years, seizing districts across the country and regularly carrying out large-scale attacks. Earlier this month, the Taliban launched a major assault on the city of Ghazni, just 120 kilometers from the capital, Kabul. Afghan security forces battled the militants inside the city for five days, as the US carried out airstrikes and send advisers to help ground forces. The battle for Ghazni killed at least 100 members of the Afghan security forces and 35 civilians, according to Afghan officials. A year ..

Militants attack J&K leader's house

Militants attacked the residence of a National Conference (NC) leader in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday, police said.

Amarnath Yatra resumes after day's suspension

The Amarnath Yatra resumed on Saturday after a day's suspension with 306 pilgrims leaving Jammu for the cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley.

Asian Games: Indonesian police kills dozens of criminals in crackdown

Indonesian police has killed dozens of petty criminals in a massive crackdown against them, ahead of the 18th edition of the Asian Games that begins today.According to a report by the Amnesty International, 31 people died in police raids between January and August this year in Jakarta and Palembang, the two host cities of the Asian Games. The report also revealed that 77 people were killed by the Indonesian police across the country during the same period, CNN reported.The total number of those killed and accused of petty crimes in 2018 represented an increase of 64 per cent over the same period in 2017. Amnesty said that the crackdown by the police was "unnecessary and excessive" and accounted for almost "zero accountability for the deaths.""In the months leading up to the Asian Games, the authorities promised to improve security for all. Instead, we have seen the police shooting and killing dozens of people across the country with almost zero accountability for the deaths," said ...

Israeli gunfire kills 2 Gaza border protesters: Palestinians

Israel troops shot dead two Palestinians taking part in protests along the Gaza border, the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave said. The ministry named the dead men as Karim Abu Fatayer, 30, shot near the central Gaza Strip town of Bureij and Sadi Moamer, 26, killed near Rafah, in the south. It said that both men were shot in the head. At least 270 other Palestinians were wounded, 70 of them by gunfire, the ministry said. The Israeli military did not know of any deaths but said that troops had opened fire in border incidents. At least 171 Gazans have been killed by Israeli fire since late March, mostly during border clashes and protests. One Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper in July. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, including its Hamas rulers, have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions since late March have led to fears of yet another full-blown conflict. There have been three intense flare-ups since July, the latest on Thursday, when Israel .

Jerusalem police shoot knife-wielding Israeli Arab

Police in the Old City of Jerusalem today shot a knife-wielding Israeli Arab man who tried to stab an officer near the Damascus Gate, a spokesman said. He was unable to say if the alleged assailant, described in a police statement as a "terrorist", was alive or dead but said that no police officers were hurt in the incident. "We are saying at this time that he was shot and neutralised," he said, adding that the man was aged around 30 and from the northern Israeli town of Umm el-Fahm. Israeli media said that he was shot dead. A police statement said that the incident occurred shortly after the man had left the nearby Al-Aqsa mosque compound. "After a few metres (yards) he came to a police team stationed there and attempted to stab one of them with a knife which he had in his hand," the Hebrew-language statement said. "After a struggle between the police and the suspect he was shot by them and neutralised," it said. After the incident police blocked access to the Al-Aqsa compound, a ...

Naxals torch bus in Chhattisgarh after asking pax to alight

A group of Naxals today torched a bus in Chhattisgarhs insurgency-hit Sukma district after asking passengers to alight, a police official said. The private bus, proceeding towards Dantewada, was set ablaze in the evening after Maoist rebels stopped it near Bhusaras Valley at Gadiras, some 450 kilometres from the state capital, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI. There were no reports of any casualty in the incident, Meena informed. He said that security forces had reached the spot and combing operations to nab the ultras were underway. Maoist rebels had, earlier, torched two buses on August 8 in Dantewada district. While occupants were asked to alight on that occasion as well, the charred skeleton of a person was later found inside one of the burnt down buses.

Mattis says further Taliban assaults likely in weeks ahead

Western-backed Afghan defences will not break under the weight of Taliban violence in advance of scheduled parliamentary elections in October, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said. In his most detailed comments on the Taliban's assault on the eastern city of Ghazni since it began Aug 10, Mattis said the Taliban had six objectives in and around the city and failed to seize any of them. He would not specify the six sites. In Ghazni, provincial police chief Farid Mashal said yesterday that roads were being cleared of mines planted by Taliban who temporarily held entire neighbourhoods of the city that they had besieged. The fighting continued for five days with more than 100 members of the Afghan National Security forces killed and 20 civilians. Scores of Taliban were also killed, according to Afghan officials. Mattis said yesterday some Taliban fighters were still holed up in houses in the city "trying to get resupplied." He said businesses are reopening, and overall, "it's much more ...

Saturday's Change of Guard ceremony cancelled due to state mourning

In the wake of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's demise, the Change of Guard ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan has been cancelled on Saturday, a statement from President Ram Nath Kovind's office said on Friday.