Page 466 - War Conflict
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.
Afghan President visits violence-hit Ghazni city
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited Ghazni city on Friday to assess the security situation following a Taliban offensive to capture the city last week.
One killed in grenade attack by terrorists in J-K
One person was killed and three were injured today in a grenade attack by terrorists on a police installation in Awantipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. They lobbed a grenade towards the main gate of the district police office which missed the intended target and exploded by the road, a police official said. Four civilians were injured in the grenade blast, the official said, adding that one of the injured later succumbed to injuries at a hospital. The deceased was identified as Abdul Ahad Panchoo (60).
Civilian injured in grenade blast in J&K's Pulwama succumbs
A civilian injured in a grenade explosion in Pulwama district on Friday succumbed to his injuries, police said.
Chinese military conducts live fire drill in Tibet
A digital combat unit of China's military has conducted live fire drills in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which Chinese experts say displayed the country's determination to build a strong army capable of winning a war in all weathers and territories, official media reported. The drills, carried out by the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) digital combat unit in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, mainly tested the complete digital combat system in the extreme environment, Beijing-based military expert and TV commentator Song Zhongping told Global Times yesterday. Such a practice is not targeted against any particular nation near the area, but forms the part of China's bigger plan to build a strong army capable of winning a war in all weathers and territories, he said. Song said that almost all units will regularly practice in the area. Hundreds of military vehicles carrying advanced weaponry including drones, early warning radar, howitzers and air defence missiles participated in the PLA ...
Anti-king banner unveiled in Barcelona ahead of attacks ceremony
Catalan separatists unveiled a giant banner against Spain's King Felipe VI on a building in the Barcelona square where he is due to attend a ceremony today in honour of the victims of last year's deadly jihadist attacks in the city. "The Spanish King is not welcome in the Catalan countries," the banner read in English. It was accompanied by an upside-down portrait of the monarch. The king and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez are due to join families of the victims for the commemoration at the Plaza Catalunya, near Las Ramblas, Barcelona's main avenue where a jihadist ploughed through crowds in a white van, killing 14 people on August 17, 2017. During his escape, the 22-year-old Moroccan attacker also stabbed to death a young man before stealing his car. Catalonia's main separatist civil society group, the Catalan National Assembly, on Twitter expressed "all its support to the activists who deployed this banner and spent the entire night defending freedom of expression". Family members of .
Three injured in grenade explosion in J&K
Three civilians were injured in a grenade explosion on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.
Dozens killed in 'shoot first' Asian Games crackdown: Amnesty
A police crackdown on petty crime in the run-up to the Asian Games in Indonesia has claimed dozens of lives, Amnesty International said today, criticising what it said was an "unnecessary and excessive" campaign. The rights group said at least 31 suspects were killed under a "shoot first and ask questions later" operation in host city Jakarta and South Sumatra in the lead-up to the world's second-biggest multi-sport event, which kicks off tomorrow. "These shocking figures reveal a clear pattern of unnecessary and excessive use of force," said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty's Indonesia office. "The hosting of an international sporting event must not come at the price of abandoning human rights." Nationwide, Amnesty said police shot and killed some 77 suspects since January, up 64 per cent from the same time last year, but they were not all directly linked to the Games. Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, authorities said they had shot ...
Four civilians injured in grenade attack by terrorists in J-K
Four civilians were injured today in a grenade attack by terrorists on a police installation in Awantipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said. They lobbed the grenade towards the main gate of the district police office which missed the intended target and exploded by the road, a police official said. Four civilians were injured in the blast, the official said, adding that the condition of one of the injured was stated to be critical.
Vajpayee played vital role in ensuring Sri Lanka's stability: Lankan leaders
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have condoled the death of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said the former Indian prime minister played a vital role in ensuring stability of the island nation. Vajpayee, one of India's most charismatic leaders and inspirational orators, died yesterday at the age of 93 in New Delhi. Sirisena took to Twitter to condole the death of Vajpayee and said: "Today, we have lost a great humanist and a true friend of Sri Lanka. Former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee was a visionary leader and an ardent defender of democracy. My condolences to his family and millions of his admirers around the world." Wickremesinghe said that he enjoyed good relations with Vajpayee between 2002-2004 during his previous tenure as Sri Lankan prime minister. "I am deeply saddened by the death of Shri Vajpayee who was a true friend of Sri Lanka. He played a vital role in ensuring stability of Sri Lanka. I will continue to ...
19 Chinese, Sri Lankan couples marry in mass wedding
Nineteen couples from China and Sri Lanka were married at a mass wedding ceremony in the island nation, strengthening the country's position as an ideal wedding destination.
South Sudan's child soldiers hope for life after war
By the time Baba John escaped the tribal militia he had joined as an 11-year-old, he had long stopped counting the number of people he had killed. "I shot people. We all did," said Baba John. "I received a gun and was told how to shoot and point the gun. I don't remember how many I shot but there were many." A murderous time for Baba John began with a life-or-death decision when a South Sudanese armed group, known as the Cobra Faction, attacked his village close to the eastern town of Pibor, nearly 400 kilometres (240 miles) north of the capital Juba. Baba John survived that attack but, fearing he would not be so lucky the next time he decided, like many others have done, to join the militia. "I was forced to shoot and loot," recalls Baba John of the year spent with them. Now aged 15, Baba John found salvation in a programme run by the UN children's agency, UNICEF, to give child soldiers a chance of a new life even as recruitment, press-ganging and outright abductions ...
Soldier killed, militants escape in J&K
An army soldier was killed on Friday in a brief gunfight between the security forces and militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said.
Encounter underway in J-K's Kupwara and Bandipora
An encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in Karalgund area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday.Troops of 92 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 32 Rashtriya Rifles and Special Operations Group (SOG) cordoned off the area and search operation is currently underway.No report of casualties or injuries has been reported as of now.Meanwhile, another encounter broke out between the security forces and terrorists in Hajin area of the state's Bandipora district. More details are awaited.The valley has witnessed a sudden surge in encounter incidents since the past few months.
N Korea urges S Korea to not succumb to sanctions pressure
North Korea on Thursday urged South Korea not to "blindly" follow the sanctions imposed by other countries and international organisations.The Rodong Sinmun, the North Korean government's official newspaper, said that the sanction pressure and the warming of inter-Korean ties were not compatible. The paper said that the relations between the two Korean countries would not move forward if Seoul continued to bow down to the pressure of sanctions imposed by "foreign forces", Yonhap News Agency reported."If the (South) joins and blindly follows sanctions pressure by foreign forces manoeuvring to deter inter-Korean exchanges, the North-South relations cannot be advanced in the interests of the Korean people and the implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration cannot be pushed," the Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary.Calling to resolve all problems affecting inter-Korean ties in the interests of the Korean people, the newspaper added, "Cooperation within our nation, or national ...
Pak troops violate ceasefire along LoC in Poonch sector in JK
The Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire tonight by firing on the forward posts along the Line of Control (LOC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing retaliation from the Indian Army. The Pakistani troops resorted to moderate firing on the forward posts along the LoC in the Poonch sector, defence sources said. The Indian troops guarding the border retaliated and the exchanges were on, they added. Commander of the Army's Northern Command Lt Gen. Ranbir Singh visited the forward areas along the LoC, met the field commander and reviewed the security situation and operational preparedness of the Indian troops. The Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire in the Tangdhar sector in Kupwara district last night, officials said. The ceasefire violation had taken place in the Saedapora area, along the LoC, as the Pakistani troops opened fire at the Indian posts, they added. The Indian Army retaliated in adequate measure, triggering an intermittent exchange of fire between the two .
Mumbai terror suspect received training in Pakistan: ATS
A 32-year-old man, arrested in May for allegedly planning to carry out terror attacks in several cities, had received training in "explosive making" and "suicide bombing" in Pakistan, the Maharashtra Police said in its charge sheet filed in a court today. Faisal Mirza underwent terror training in the neighbouring country for 12 days, the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said in the 1,155-page charge sheet filed in the special court of Sessions Judge MB Dattye here. Mirza, an electrician from suburban Jogeshwari, went to meet his cousin, Farooq Devadiwala, in Dubai on March 1. His cousin, with the help of an ISI agent and a Pakistan-based terror outfit, sent Mirza to a terrorist training camp near Rawalpindi in Pakistan, the ATS said. "There he was trained in using weapons, making explosives and suicide bombings for the purpose of carrying out terror activities in Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh," the agency said. After 12 days of training, he was sent back to India via Dubai by ...
Three militants killed in attack on Afghan intelligence agency's training centre
Three assailants were killed in an attack on a National Directorate of Security (NDS) training centre here on Thursday, officials said.