Page 483 - War Conflict

50 killed in Afghan fighting

Fifty people, including security personnel and civilians, were killed in fighting in Afghanistan's Logar province, authorities said on Tuesday.

Amy major, 3 soldiers killed in Kashmir border fight

An Indian Army Major and three soldiers were killed in a gun battle that also left two militants dead on Tuesday when an incursion bid from Pakistan was foiled on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, a defence official said.

CRPF officer injured in IED blast triggered by Naxals

An officer of the CRPF's elite CoBRA unit was injured today when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) laid by naxals exploded in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, police said. The incident took place near Timilguda village, around 500 km from here, when a team of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) was out on an area domination operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI. When the patrolling team was on way back to its camp, Assistant Commandant K Ijung inadvertently stepped on the pressure IED connection, triggering the blast, he said. The assistant commandant, belonging to CoBRA's 201st battalion, received splinter injuries in his abdomen, he said. Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured officer was shifted to a field hospital of the paramilitary force in Chintalnar, Meena said. Efforts were on to airlift the injured officer to Raipur, but the bad weather and continuous rainfall in the area were hampering the evacuation ...

Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 4 troops, 4 women

An Afghan official says the Taliban attacked a military checkpoint in western Farah province, killing four troops and wounding six. Mohammad Naser Mehri, the provincial governor's spokesman, says the attack started late on Monday night and lasted into Tuesday morning in Bala Buluk district. Mehri says the Afghan air force was called in and airstrikes later killed 19 Taliban fighters and wounded 30. Separately, four women were killed and four children were wounded in the crossfire during a shootout between insurgents and the army in eastern Logar province. Hasibullah Stanikzai, a provincial council member, says the shootout took place on Monday afternoon near Puli Alim, the provincial capital. There was no immediate comment on either attack from the Taliban, who have stepped up their assaults across Afghanistan in recent months.

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki: Whither nuclear disarmament? (Comment)

August 6 is etched in an apocalyptic manner on the global consciousness given the nuclear enormity that engulfed the unsuspecting residents of Japan's Hiroshima on that day in 1945. Three days later Nagasaki met the same fate, though tragically August 9 receives even lesser attention from a jaded world whose attention span often oscillates from one tweet to another.

Six injured in clash, 14 booked

Six people, including a woman, were injured in a violent clash between two groups of the same community in Muzaffarnagar district, police said today. Police said the clash broke out last evening over a minor dispute in Rehakda village. The injured have been admitted to a hospital. Fourteen people have been booked in connection with the incident.

Zimbabwe opposition fears growing post-election crackdown

Zimbabwe authorities are abducting opposition activists and launching court cases to suppress protests, the opposition MDC party said today, despite the president's boast of introducing new freedoms to criticise his government. Since the knife-edge election result was declared early Friday, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) say they have been the target of a brutal crackdown that exposes President Emmerson Mnangagwa's claims to respect rights and halt repression. Mnangagwa has blamed the MDC for fomenting post-vote unrest, but he has also vowed to usher in a more open Zimbabwe than under Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule that ended last year. Last week, six people died after troops in the capital Harare opened fire at protests against alleged election fraud, sparking an international outcry and raising grim memories of the Mugabe era. "It's getting dicier by the day, we know the security forces are looking for 4,000 individuals," opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa's spokesman ...

India, Thailand begin two-week military exercise

Armies of India and Thailand today began a two week-long military exercise with a focus on enhancing anti-terror cooperation between the two sides. A senior Army official said focus of the exercise 'Maitree' will be to increase interoperability and enhance coordination in dealing with the challenge of terrorism. "The exercise will emphasise to hone the tactical and technical skills in joint counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations in rural and urban scenario under UN mandate," he said. The official said, "Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills that may be encountered in an urban warfare scenario.

Security forces arrest two militants & arms smuggler

Security forces have arrested two militants and an arms smuggler in Manipur, police said today. A team of Manipur Police and Assam Rifles arrested one active cadre of proscribed militant outfit People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) on Saturday from Thoubal Bazaar in Thoubal district, a press release issued by PRO of Manipur Police said. An active member of the banned militant outfit Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL) was arrested from Irong Makha Leikai area in Thoubal district yesterday, the release said. A combined team of Manipur police and JK Rifles arrested one arms smuggler from Lilong Litan in Thoubal district on Saturday and seized one pistol, some 7.63 ammunition and 9 mm ammunition, the release added.

NIA conducts searches in Hyderabad

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted searches at seven locations across Hyderabad in connection with its ongoing investigation into an Islamic State module it busted in 2016, the agency said.

Tragedy averted as police find IED planted near National Highway; JeM terrorist held

A major tragedy was averted today when the police recovered a 25-kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED) near a national highway and arrested a person, owing allegiance to the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group, in south Kashmir, officials said. The accused was identified as 22-year-old Muzamil Ahmad Dar hailing from Tral area of south Kashmir, they said. The IED was recovered from a field, barely a few hundred metres from the national highway at Sangam in district Bijbehara of south Kashmir, police said. The annual Amarnath yatra passes through this area besides routine convoys of the Army and paramilitary forces. Besides the IED, police recovered mobile phones, a 12-Volt battery, safety fuse wire, cordex wire, safety fuse, black explosive, white explosive and circuit wire, which is required in fabrication of IEDs, police said. The accused person was allegedly in touch with other JeM terrorists and they were planning attacks, they said.

Police seize 51 kg heroin in Jammu

The Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday seized 51 kg of heroin from a truck in Jammu city.

Indian tourists to Lanka may be exempted from visa soon

Indian tourists visiting Sri Lanka may soon be exempted from visa requirement as the government is mulling granting visa free entry to visitors from countries like India and China, Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said today. Amaratunga said that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed a task force to study the possibility of granting visa free entry to visitors from certain tourist friendly nations to boost arrivals. India and China along with some other European and West Asian nations can benefit from it, he said. Following recommendations from the task force, this proposal may be implemented in the off season months of October to November and March to April, the minister said. Sri Lanka' tourism industry faced a difficult time until a decade back due to the civil war with the LTTE. However, in the recent years the island nation has emerged as a top tourism destination in Asia. Tourist arrivals have recorded a growth of 15.3 per cent during the first half of .

NIA arrests LeT operative deported from Saudi Arabia

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested senior Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Habibur Rahman after he landed here following his deportation from Riyadh, the agency said on Monday.

Militant nabbed with explosives in Anantnag

A Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militant was arrested with explosives in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday.

Thousands of guns, swords, bullets found buried at Tokyo school

Some 3,000 pieces of military equipment, including guns, swords and grenades believed to date back to World War II have been found buried at a Tokyo elementary school, officials said today. Construction workers found the weapons last month when they excavated the grounds of Tanashi Elementary School in the city of Nishitokyo in metropolitan Tokyo to build a new storehouse. The weapons included 1,400 firearms, 1,200 swords, eight grenades and 302 bullets. "We were totally surprised to be informed about the discovery," said Masaki Fujisawa, a city official. "The items are all rusted away and nothing can be used anymore." "I suspect they were buried during or after the war but we will investigate the case," Fujisawa told AFP. News reports said the weapons may have been discarded after Japan surrendered in 1945. Unexploded bombs and weapons are still occasionally found in Japan, more than 70 years after the conflict ended.

JeM militant held, explosives recovered: police

A Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant was arrested from the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir and explosives recovered from his possession, police said today. "Police arrested a JeM terrorist from the Anantnag district and recovered a huge cache of incriminating material including explosives intended for terror strikes," a police spokesman said. Acting on a specific input, Muzamil Ahmad Dar (22) was arrested, the spokesman said. A case under the relevant sections of law has been registered at police station Bijbehara, he added. The ammunition recovered on his disclosure includes hand grenades, IED, Chinese grenade, detonators, mobile phones, battery, safety fuse wire, cordex wire, safety fuse, black explosive, white explosive and circuit wire, the spokesman said. The accused person was in touch with the other terrorists of JeM and they were planning future attacks, he added.

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 21 illegal immigrants

The Sri Lankan Navy on Monday said it has arrested 21 illegal immigrants in a fishing trawler bound for another country.

Five police killed in strife-torn anglophone Cameroon

Five police have been killed in fresh violence in western Cameroon, where English-speaking separatists have declared an independent state, security sources and witnesses said today. Four gendarmes were killed in Esu, a village near the town of Wum in Northwest Region, when their unit came under attack yesterday, a source close to the regional security services said. "The attack happened in the morning -- they were new recruits who were caught off-guard," the source said, adding that there also were wounded. The inhabitants of Esu fled after the attack, one of them said. "Many people were so afraid that they went off into the bush -- others are trying to get to Bamenda," the capital of Northwest Region, the source said. In neighbouring Southwest Region, a police officer named Ekah Njume was killed yesterday at his home in Mutengene, near the capital Buea, by unidentified assailants, witnesses and local press reports said today. The two regions are predominantly home to ...

15 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh, two held

Fifteen Maoist guerrillas were killed and two others, including a senior cadre and an injured woman rebel, were held after a gun battle with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday, police said.