Page 478 - War Conflict

Indian peacekeepers in S Sudan help impart vocational skills to youth

Indian peacekeepers in the South Sudanese city of Malakal are helping over 100 people learn a range of vocational skills that is promoting entrepreneurship in the community, the UN mission in the country has said. The training programme is funded by UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and implemented by the National Relief and Development Corps (NRDC), with help from subject matter specialists belonging to the UNMISS Indian battalion. "The UNMISS Indian Battalion in Malakal and the National Relief and Development Corps educated youth with a number of vocational skills, promoting entrepreneurship and peaceful coexistence," UNMISS tweeted. An article on the UNMISS website said youth from Malakal town and their peers staying at the protection site for displaced persons are in the process of acquiring a range of vocational skills with help from the peacekeeping mission's Relief, Reintegration and Protection section. More than a 100 young people have been learning the necessary know-how in

Army recovers large cache of arms in J&K

Security forces on Friday recovered arms and ammunition during a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

Taliban launch attack on Afghan city, casualties: officials

Taliban militants have launched an attack on an Afghan provincial capital and heavy fighting is under way as security forces try to beat them back, officials and witnesses said today. At least one Afghan soldier has been killed and seven others wounded in the fighting in the southeastern city of Ghazni, provincial governor spokesman Arif Noori told AFP. Civilian houses and army checkpoints have come under mortar attack and the bodies of dozens of Taliban fighters are in the streets, he added. The Taliban began the attack late Thursday from several positions around the city, provincial police chief Farid Ahmad Mashal told AFP. Yasan, who lives in Ghazni, said the Taliban were using loudspeakers at the mosque to warn residents to leave their homes. "Heavy explosions and gunfire can be heard. We are terrified," Yasan said in a Facebook post. Police special forces have been deployed to help block the Taliban advance on the city, an Afghan security official said. The Taliban issued a ...

269 pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra

A small batch of 269 Amarnath pilgrims on Friday left Jammu for the cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley, police said.

Unicef chief 'horrified' at airstrike hitting school bus

The chief of the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) has strongly condemned the airstrike against a school bus in Yemen in which killed more than two dozen children.

2 die while cleaning tank at petrol pump in Delhi

Two men died while cleaning a tank at a petrol pump in northwest Delhi's Model Town today, police said. Rajeev (37) and Bittu (27) had entered the 2,00,000-litre tank to clean it. They were taken out with the help of fire department personnel and rushed to a hospital, where they were declared brought dead. Further investigation is underway.

7 firearms, 14 hand-grenades, 401 rounds discovered in JK's Poonch

The Army discovered a large quantity of arms and explosive materials, including 7 firearms, 14 grenades and 401 rounds, during a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district today. Army troops discovered the weapons during a search operation in the Chapriyan-KP Nala area of Mandi tehsil, a defence spokesperson said. The recoveries include four 9mm pistols with seven magazines and 31 rounds, four carrying bags, one AK-56 rifle (with sling) along with three loaded magazines, one 7.62mm rifle of foreign origin, one revolver, 14 hand grenades and one AK-47 Bayonet, he added.

Rafiabad encounter: 5 terrorists killed

Sopore's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Javed Iqbal, on Thursday confirmed that five terrorists, engaged in an encounter with security forces in Baramulla district's Rafiabad area, were killed earlier today."This encounter was underway from last three to four days in Rafiabad. Five terrorists were spotted by security forces yesterday morning. They were engaged in firing with the security forces and all five were killed this morning. 4 AK-47s, a pistol and other items including ammunition and rations were recovered from them," Iqbal said.He also said that as of now, they seemed to be Foreign Terrorists (FTs) and only further investigations would reveal more information about them and what group they were from.On a related note, an encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in Killora village of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on August 3.The body of one terrorist, identified as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Umar Malik, was recovered, along with an ...

Boko Haram militants kill 17 Nigerian soldiers

At least 17 Nigerian soldiers were killed in a fresh Boko Haram attack on a military base in the country's northeast, military sources told AFP Thursday, the third assault on three different bases in less than a month. On Wednesday evening, heavily armed jihadists riding in trucks stormed and looted weapons and vehicles from a military base in Garunda village in Borno State, the epicentre of the Islamist insurgency that has been raging for nine years. The attack is the latest of a series of bloody Boko Haram assaults on military bases in Nigeria, underscoring the continued threat the Islamists pose to the region and putting the spotlight on the Nigerian government's claim that Boko Haram is "decimated". "Our troops came under attack from Boko Haram terrorists in Garunda last night," a military officer told AFP. "Unfortunately we lost 17 troops, 14 others were injured while an unspecified number is still unaccounted for," said the military source, who asked not to be identified because

Police prevent Cong procession on Quit India anniversary in Manipur

Police did not let the Congress take out a rally here to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the 76th anniversary of Quit India movement today in view of prohibitory orders in place in Imphal West district. Senior police officials also maintained that no prior permission for the procession was sought even though Congress workers were aware of the prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC being imposed in the district since July 25 in view of the unrest in Manipur University. Members of the Congress party, following a meeting in the afternoon, had decided to take out a rally to pay floral tributes to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, located some 500 metres from their headquarters, on the occasion of the 76th Anniversary of the Quit India Movement, as observed across the nation. The law enforcers in riot gears, however, prevented the Congress workers, led by former chief minister O Ibobi Singh, from exiting the main gate of the party office. Later, as a commotion broke out, security ...

Myanmar says request for ICC probe in Rohingya crisis 'meritless'

Myanmar said today that a request at the International Criminal Court to probe the mass deportation of Rohingya Muslims from the country was "meritless" and should be rejected. Some 700,000 Rohingya were violently expelled from their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine state in a military crackdown that started almost a year ago after insurgents attacked border guard posts. The stateless minority fled to Bangladesh where they recounted widespread rape, murder and the burning of villages at the hands of security forces in operations the US and UN have called ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has vigorously denied that it orchestrated the campaign and said it was defending itself, but international pressure for accountability has mounted. In April the chief prosecutor at the ICC Fatou Bensouda took the unprecedented step of asking judges to consider whether the court could extend its jurisdiction to Myanmar, which is not a member state. A pre-trial chamber asked Myanmar to submit a formal response to ...

At least 29 children killed in strike on Yemen bus

A strike on a bus in rebel-held northern Yemen killed at least 29 children today, the Red Cross said, as the Saudi-led coalition faced a growing outcry over the attack. The coalition said it had carried out what it called "legitimate military action" in the area targeting Huthi rebels responsible for a deadly missile attack on the Saudi city of Jizan yesterday. But the International Committee of the Red Cross said the strike hit a bus filled with children in the Huthi stronghold of Saada, causing dozens of casualties. "A hospital supported by our team in Yemen received the bodies of 29 children under the age of 15 and 48 wounded, including 30 children," the ICRC said on Twitter. A spokesman for the Red Cross in Sanaa told AFP the toll was not final as casualties from the attack were taken to several hospitals. The Huthis' Al-Masirah TV, quoting the rebel health ministry, reported that 50 people were killed and 77 wounded, "mostly children", though it was not possible to verify that ..

4 firearms, 14 hand-grenades recovered in J-K's Poonch

The Army has recovered a large quantity of arms and explosive material including four firearms and 14 grenades during a search operation in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today, an official said. Army troops launched a search operation at 9 am which ended at 12 pm in the KP Nala area of Mandi tehsil and recovered a large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosive material, PRO Defence Jammu said. The recoveries include one 9mm Pistol, three magazines of pistol, four rounds of 9mm pistol, four carrying bags, one AK-56 rifle (with sling), three magazines of AK-56 rifle with ammunition, one unidentified weapon, one revolver, 14 hand grenades and one AK-47 bayonet, he said.

Tamil activist Thirumurugan Gandhi held in Bengaluru

Pro-Tamil activist Thirumurugan Gandhi was today arrested at the international airport in Bengaluru based on a Look Out Circular issued against him by the Tamil Nadu police. He was arrested upon his arrival from Geneva, where he attended a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting recently and raised the issue of Anti-Sterlite protests in Tuticorin district and subsequent police firing that left 13 dead, a release from May 17 movement said. "Gandhi landed in Bengaluru this morning from Germany and was detained by the airport Immigration officials based on a Look Out notice they had received from Tamil Nadu police. Later, he was handed over to us," Kempegowda International Airport police told PTI. However the city police remained tight-lipped when contacted by PTI for details. Meanwhile, MDMK Chief Vaiko condemned the arrest and demanded his immediate release.

Indiginise more for defence self-reliance, official exhorts Indian firms

Indian aerospace and defence manufacturers should indigenise more to help achieve self-reliance in arms production for the three armed forces, an official said on Thursday.

GoC-in-C Northern Command begins security review in Valley

General Officer Commanding In chief (GoC-in-C), Northern Command, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh on Thursday arrived in Srinagar for a two-day visit to review the overall security.

Northern Army Commander takes stock of security situation in Kashmir

The Chief of Army's Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, arrived here on a two-day visit to review the security situation in Kashmir in the wake of recent anti-militancy operations in the valley. He, accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen A K Bhatt, visited the hinterland formations in south Kashmir and was briefed by the commanders on ground about the current situation, defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said. "The Army commander arrived in Srinagar on a two-day visit today.The (purpose of the) visit is to review the prevailing security situation in the wake of recent counter infiltration and counter terrorist operations which led to elimination of many terrorists," he said. Lt Gen Singh was appreciative of the measures and Standard Operating Procedures instituted by the units and formations to minimise civilian causalities, he added. The need to be prepared for effectively meeting emerging security challenges was also reinforced. Lauding the excellent synergy amongst all

42-ft Martyrs' Pillar to be set up in Bhubaneswar

Odisha government will set up a 42-feet tall Martyrs' Pillar at the Freedom Fighters' Ground here, officials said. On the occasion of the 76th Quit India Movement Day today, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today put 38 pots of soil collected from the birth places of martyrs of the Freedom struggle at the base of the proposed pillar. A special prayer service was held at the spot. "Our non-violent freedom fight is a great inspiration for the people across the globe. People from different walks of life had participated in it and made sacrifices for the liberation of our motherland," Patnaik said. "I pay my highest respect to our martyrs and hope it will be a pillar of inspirations for the next generations," he said. Tribute to the indomitable spirit of our freedom fighters and their march for freedom in the face of greatest of adversities & oppression. #QuitIndiaMovement #JaiHind, Patnaik tweeted. State Freedom Fighter Samiti president Padmasri Bhabani Charan Patnaik ...

43 killed in Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen

At least 43 people, mostly children believed to be under the age of 10, were killed and several injured when Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit buses in northern Yemen on Thursday, officials said.

At least 29 children killed in Yemen bus attack: Red Cross

At least 29 children were killed in an attack on a bus in rebel-held northern Yemen today, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. "A hospital supported by our team in Yemen received the bodies of 29 children under the age of 15 and 48 wounded, including 30 children," the ICRC said in an Arabic-language tweet. A Saudi-led coalition fighting alongside the government against rebels in Yemen said it carried out a "legitimate military action" in the area.