Page 485 - War Conflict
New protests hit southern Iraq, a month into unrest
Protesters flooded the streets of southern Iraq again today, nearly a month into a wave of unrest over corruption and decaying public services, AFP correspondents said. In oil-rich Basra, the southern port city where the protests broke out on July 8, tribal chiefs and Shiite religious leaders joined several hundred demonstrators in front of the provincial headquarters. Security forces were deployed en masse as demonstrators railed against chronic power cuts, water shortages and endemic unemployment, along with state incompetence and foreign interference. While there were no clashes over the weekend, fourteen people have been killed since the unrest flared, including at least one person shot dead by security forces. In Samawa, further west, protestors have been staging a sit-in for more than a week, condemning the misappropriation of billions of dollars from the state budget over recent years. Daily demonstrations have continued despite government pledges to pump billions of dollars ...
Suicide car bomb hits military base in central Somalia
A Somali police officer says a suicide car bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle killing four people near the gate of a military base in Afgoye town, 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest of Mogadishu. Col. Ahmed Ali said that two of the dead were soldiers and fatalities could increase from the 10 injured in the blast today, which was close to the former national water agency's offices. Residents report hearing a powerful explosion, followed by gunfire from the base. Addow Isse, a resident in the town, said he saw at least three bodies lying in a pool of blood.
Nigeria nabs wanted Boko Haram commander
The Nigerian Army on Sunday confirmed that one of the most wanted commanders of the Boko Haram terror group has been nabbed.
Kabul: 3 NATO soldiers killed in suicide bombing
Three members of Resolute Support service were killed in a suicide bombing during Parwan Patrol in Kabul on Sunday.According to Tolo News, Resolute Support, in a statement, said that a US soldier and two Afghan National Army troops also suffered injuries in the attack. The nationalities of the soldiers, killed in the bombing are not confirmed yet.Taliban outfit has taken responsibility for the incident and claimed that a Taliban fighter launched a suicide car bombing, causing casualties on NATO coalition forces, reported Xinhua.Meanwhile, Resolute Support and US Forces-Afghanistan commander US Army General John Nicholson offered condolences to the grieving family and said, "My thoughts and prayers, along with those of all of the 41-contributing Resolute Support nations, are with the families and friends of our fallen and wounded service members, and our injured Afghan brothers and their families," reported Tolo News.The attack comes a week after two gunmen stormed into the building of
N Korea continues to develop nukes: UN report
Despite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowing to give up developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, a confidential report by the United Nations revealed that the country is reportedly continuing to pursue its nuclear weapons programme.CNN quoted a confidential UN report stating that North Korea has flouted all the sanctions put on the country and is pursuing the selling of conventional weapons to fuel violence.The report underlined that Pyongyang continued to breach financial sanctions and arms embargo as well.Last week, a US official also stated that North Korea is reportedly constructing new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and its missile programme is doing "business as usual."On a related note, US Secretary to State Mike Pompeo who is currently attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Singapore said that he believed in pressurising Pyongyang as the country had still not made any strong efforts for the denuclearisation of the Korean
Iraq says jihadists repeatedly hit power line
Jihadists have attacked a high voltage power line serving several Iraqi provinces for the eighth time in two months, the government said today. The electricity ministry said it had to once again repair the 400 kilovolt line between Kirkuk and Diyala after "terrorist attacks of sabotage... which caused the line to cut" on Thursday. The damage was "the eighth attack on this line in two months," the ministry said in a statement, plunging Kirkuk, Salaheddin and Nineveh provinces into darkness. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared "victory" in the fight against the Islamic State group in December, after the jihadists had seized nearly a third of the country's territory in 2014. But IS pockets remain, including in the mountains around Kirkuk. The damage to the line between Kirkuk and Diyala has now been repaired and power restored to residents, a source in the electricity ministry told AFP today. Iraq is grappling with severe power cuts, due mainly to a dilapidated grid infrastructure ...
52 jihadists killed in Egypt's Sinai: army
Egypt's army said today its forces have killed over the past few days 52 jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula where the military is conducting a vast operation against militants. Egyptian forces launched operation "Sinai 2018" in February to rid the peninsula of Islamic militants who have been waging a bloody insurgency. "Over the last few days, the operations have led to... the elimination of 52 extremely dangerous takfiri individuals," the military said in a statement referring to Sunni Muslim extremists. During these operations in North Sinai and the centre of the peninsula 49 militants were also arrested in joint raids conducted by the armed forces and the police, the statement added. More than 250 jihadists and at least 30 soldiers have been killed since the military launched the operation, according to official figures. Jihadists launched an insurgency in Sinai after the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was forced out in the face of mass ...
Bangladesh PM urges teen protesters to go home amid violence
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged students today to go home as police fired tear gas during an eighth day of unprecedented protests over road safety which have paralysed parts of Dhaka. Students in their tens of thousands have brought parts of the capital to a standstill after two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus. The unrest quickly spread beyond the capital. Authorities have shut down mobile internet services across swathes of the country, officials and local media said. Today the protests took a violent turn in Dhaka's Jigatala neighbourhood, with more than 100 people injured as police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators. A car carrying US ambassador Marcia Bernicat was also attacked by "armed men" but she escaped unscathed, the embassy said. The violence continued today with police firing tear gas into a large crowd marching toward an office of the ruling Awami League party, an AFP correspondent said. Hasina warned today that a "third party" could sabotage the .
Venezuelan President survives 'drone assassination attempt', blames Colombia
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro survived what he called an "attempt against his life" involving explosive drones, blaming Colombia's outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos and far-right elements for the foiled assassination bid.
Civic poll results show Marathas trust BJP: Maha minister
A senior Maharashtra Minister has expressed the hope that the ongoing agitation by the Marathas for reservation will be withdrawn in the next few days as the BJP government is working towards resolving the issue and the community has reposed trust in it. The comments by Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar came in the wake of Maratha outfits announcing a fresh round of agitation from August 9. He said the BJP's resounding victory in the elections to the Sangli and Jalgaon municipal corporations will give the party an upper-hand in dealing with the quota issue. Speaking to select mediapersons here over the weekend, Mungantiwar said the two cities have a large population of Marathas and the BJP's victory shows the community has faith in the party-led government in the state. The BJP leader said the Devendra Fadnavis government is very clear in its intention to provide reservation to the Marathas and accused "some people" of "instigating" the community which is agitating over the quota ..
India to ask Pak to provide details on Jaish terrorist citing 32-yr-old Commonwealth pact: officials
India plans to invoke a 32-year-old Commonwealth pact to seek details from Pakistan about the 2018 Sunjawan Army camp terror attack mastermind Mufti Waqas, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant who was killed by security forces in March this year, according to officials. The move is also expected to help India in making a fresh appeal to the United Nations to get the JeM and its chief Maulana Masood Azhar banned under the Security Council resolution 1267. China has blocked previous moves by India seeking a ban on the JeM and Azhar. According to officials in the Union Home and External Affairs ministries, the relevant papers were being readied to send a request to Pakistan under the Commonwealth pact for international cooperation in criminal matters, under which commonwealth nations are bound to provide Mutual Legal Assistance on such issues, they said. The agreement was originally adopted by Commonwealth law ministers at their meeting at Harare in Zimbabwe in 1986. Citing this pact, India
Suicide attack kills three NATO soldiers in Afghanistan: official
A suicide bomber killed three foreign soldiers in an attack on a patrol in eastern Afghanistan today, NATO's mission in the country said. "Three Resolute Support service members were killed by a suicide bomber during a combined, dismounted patrol with Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan," it said in a statement. A US member of the patrol and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, it said, without giving the nationality of those killed.
Maha ATS takes leaf out of experts' books in anti-terror fight
The Maharashtra Police are preparing a set of Marathi books to help its personnel tackle radicalisation, extremism and terrorism, in a first such initiative, an official has said. The exercise involves compiling in Marathi the gist of experts' writings on terrorism in various languages, including English, to train policemen in handling such cases, a senior official of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) said. The initiative, that envisages compilation of three books in Marathi on terrorism-related subjects, has also come in praise from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, he said. A 350-page book, first in the series, was published last week, the official said, adding that it draws on as many as 30 books on contemporary terrorism in English and other languages, widely read all over the world. These books cover issues such as psychology of a terrorist, training methods of militant outfits, accounts of some major attacks, and how the youth should be deradicalised. One of these ...
8 militants killed in Afghan military operation
Eight Taliban militants were killed and three injured during a military operation in Afghanistan's Takhar province, an army spokesman said on Sunday.
Cattle trader killed, another injured in alleged Army firing in JK's Ramban
A cattle trader was killed and another injured when Army personnel allegedly opened fire on them in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir today, the police said. Mohammad Rafiq Gujjar (28) and Shakeel Ahmad (30), both residents of Gool, were allegedly fired upon by soldiers of the 58 Rashtriya Rifles when they were leaving Kohli village around 4 am, a police official said. He said while Gujjar died on the spot, Ahmad was injured in the firing and was shifted to hospital. Both of them were cattle traders and had come to the village in connection with their business, the official said quoting preliminary investigation. Senior Superintendent of Police, Ramban, Mohan Lal confirmed the death of a civilian and injuries to another in the firing and said an FIR is being registered in this connection. Investigation is on and a case is being lodged against Army personnel, he told PTI. An Army officer, when contacted, said the soldiers opened fire after observing suspicious movement of some ...
Civilian killed in J&K security firing
A civilian was killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district when security personnel opened fire after noticing suspicious movement, police said on Sunday.
Kenya, Tanzania mark bombings which introduced Al-Qaeda
Kenya and Tanzania on Tuesday mark 20 years since the devastating US embassy bombings that thrust Al-Qaeda onto the global stage and went on to shape how a generation thinks about personal security. It was mid-morning on August 7, 1998, when the first massive blast hit the US embassy in downtown Nairobi, followed minutes later by an explosion in Dar es Salaam, killing a total of 224 people and injuring around 5,000 - almost all of them Africans. With two monster bombs loaded onto the back of trucks and a trail of carnage in east Africa, the world was introduced to Osama bin Laden three years before the September 11 attacks in New York would make him a household name. "It wasn't the first time Al-Qaeda had carried out an attack, but in terms of the spectacular, catastrophic nature of the incident, they really announced their entry onto the world stage," said Martin Kimani, head of Kenya's National Counter Terrorism Centre. "When 9/11 happened it was shocking and surprising, but a ...
Venezuelan President survives drone assassination attempt
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has survived what he called an "attempt against his life" involving explosive drones, blaming far-right elements and Colombia's outgoing President Juan Manuel Santos for carrying out the foiled assassination bid.
Startups urged to develop tech for 'Made in India' defence arms
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday called upon startups to develop technologies and weapons for the Indian armed forces.
Five die as Boko Haram attacks Nigerian village
At least five people were killed and a village razed in an attack by Boko Haram jihadists in the northern Nigerian Borno state, militia fighting the Islamists said today. Arriving in 10 trucks, the Boko Haram fighters stormed the village of Gasarwa near the garrison town of Monguno late Friday, setting homes on fire. "Five people were killed in the arson, they included two elderly men and three children," Babakura Kolo, a militia leader in the Borno state capital Maiduguri, told AFP. Militia defending the village said they were outnumbered and outgunned. Militia member Ibrahim Liman said the Boko Haram attackers watched food supplies and livestock burn in the fire but made no attempt to loot. It was not clear which Boko Haram faction was behind the attacks, but jihadists loyal to IS-affiliated Abu Mus'ab Al-Barnawi are known to operate in the area. Boko Haram has intensified its armed campaign in recent weeks, especially against military targets in which dozens of troops were believed