Page 505 - War Conflict
PTI candidate killed in Pakistan suicide attack
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Sardar Ikramullah Gandapur has been killed after a suicide bomber targetted his vehicle in DI Khan's Kulachi Tehsil, officials said.
Pakistan, Afghanistan agree to combat terrorism
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to work together to counter terrorism in the region, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said.The first Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) meeting took place in Kabul on Sunday, wherein a 28-member delegation was led by Pakistan Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, Geo TV reported.The delegation also included representatives of foreign and interior ministries, railways, communications, Federal Board of Revenue, intelligence agencies and Pakistan Armed Forces.From the Afghan side, deputy foreign ministry Hekmat Khalil led the delegation.During the meeting, it was agreed that Islamabad and Kabul would jointly work on countering terrorism in the region, while an action plan was made to hold a dialogue on an institutional level, according to MOFA.Last month, Pakistan Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa stated that the APAPPS was expected to bolster mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan.The .
20 injured in grenade attack on BAP's election office in Pak
At least 20 people were injured today in a grenade attack targeting an election office of the Baluchistan Awami Party in Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province. Unidentified men riding on motorcycles hurled hand grenades at the BAP election office, injuring 20 people. This is the second terror attack on the BAP in the province after the party suffered massive casualties on July 13 when a suicide bomber killed around 150 people and injured some 200 at a election meeting in Mastung district. The suicide bomber also killed BAP candidate Nawab Siraj Raisani. Earlier in the day, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, Ikramullah Gandapur was killed in a suicide bomb attack on his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan. Gandapur was targeted near his residence as he was going to a election corner meeting.
Kabul blast: Death toll mounts to 16
Afghanistan's Interior Ministry confirmed that at least 16 people were killed and 60 others wounded in Sunday's suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.According to TOLO News, the explosion happened outside the airport's entrance at around 5 PM, after First Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum had left in an armoured convoy.Dostom was on his way to the first vice president's office, where he was welcomed by officials and supporters.At least 10 ambulances arrived in the area after the blast and helped shift the casualties to a nearby hospital.
Pak election commission limits powers of military personnel at poll stations
Facing criticism, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today restricted the magisterial powers of military personnel set to be deployed at the polling stations during the July 25 general elections. The ECP had issued a notification on July 10, giving extended powers to the armed forces personnel to be deployed at polling stations across the country from July 23 to July 27. At least 371,000 armed forces personnel will be deployed at polling stations to provide security and the ECP had conferred on them wider powers to check malpractice. Granting magisterial powers to the armed forces personnel was criticised by several senators. The ECP took strong exception to the comments and criticism of the senators and termed it based on disinformation. However, the ECP through a notification limited the army's magisterial powers to offences of personification and capturing of a polling station or polling booth by anyone. In all other cases, the armed forces would first inform the presiding ..
J&K cops foil weapon-snatching bid
The Jammu and Kashmir Police foiled a weapon-snatching bid in the state's Pulwama district tonight, an official said. Militants attacked a guard post at a protected person's residence in Pulwama in south Kashmir in order to snatch weapons of the cops on duty, a police official said. The attack was, however, successfully repulsed by the alert policemen. Further details of the incident are awaited, the official added.
Kabul: 11 killed, 14 wounded in suicide blast
Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs has confirmed that at least 11 people have been killed and 14 others wounded in the suicide blast that occurred outside Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on Sunday.According to TOLO News, the explosion happened outside the airport's entrance at around 5 PM after First Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum had left in an armoured convoy.Dostom was on his way to the first vice president's office, where he was welcomed by officials and supporters.At least 10 ambulances arrived in the area after the blast and helped transfer the casualties to a nearby hospital.
Suicide attack at Kabul airport leaves 11 dead, 14 wounded: officials
A suicide bomber killed at least 11 people and wounded 14 at the entrance to Kabul international airport today, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile. Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened. Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj. Kabul Police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said 11 people had been killed and 14 wounded. He did not give a breakdown. The suicide bomber was on foot, interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said, adding that civilians, including a child, and security force members were among the casualties. Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived ...
Suicide attack near Kabul airport leaves 10 dead or wounded: officials
A suicide bomber killed or wounded at least 10 people at the entrance to Kabul international airport today, officials said, as scores gathered to welcome home Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile. Senior government officials, political leaders and supporters were leaving the airport after greeting the powerful ethnic Uzbek leader and former warlord when the explosion happened. Dostum, clad in a Western suit and sunglasses and travelling in an armoured vehicle, was unharmed, said his spokesman Bashir Ahmad Tayanj. "We can confirm 10 people have been killed or wounded in the explosion caused by a suicide attacker on foot," said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, without giving a breakdown. He said civilians including a child and security force members were among the casualties. Dostum, who is linked to a catalogue of human rights abuses in Afghanistan, was mobbed like a celebrity as he left the chartered plane from Turkey where he has lived since May 2017. His ...
Rights group calls on Iraq to declare detention centers
- Human Rights Watch has called on Iraq's government to declare the number of detention facilities it maintains and not to hold suspects without informing their families. In a report issued on Sunday, the New York-based group says Iraq's National Security Services runs a detention facility in Mosul. It said when granted access to the center on July 4, it was holding 427 men suspected of links to the Islamic State group. An NNS officer said those prisoners were previously held in a house before a new prison block was built following "pressure from Baghdad." It added that the NSS first denied running detention centers, but later acknowledged it. HRW says the cells at the Mosul facility are clean and air-conditioned, but extremely overcrowded.
Mastung suicide bomber was seminary student: official
The suicide bomber who recently killed nearly 150 people at an election meeting in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province had studied at a religious seminary in Karachi before tarvelling to Afghanistan for militant training, police confirmed today. Hafeez Abbasi struck at an election meeting of the Baluchistan Awami party in Mastung on July 13, killing nearly 150 people and injuring some 200 others in one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan's history. Nawab Siraj Raisani, a candidate from PB-35 (Mastung), was among those killed in the attack, claimed by the Islamic State terror group. "We uncovered the identity of the bomber and his details by matching finger prints of an unclaimed body in the Mastung bomb blast," an official in the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police said. "We matched it with the record available with the National Database and Registration Authority. It was confirmed that the alleged suicide bomber was a resident of Gharibabad Mohalla in Dhabeji, ...
Miscreants loot Rs 25 lakh from ATMs
Miscreants looted at least Rs 25 lakh cash from four ATMs of different banks in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, police said today. The burglars looted the currency notes stacked in the ATMs at Baripada town last night by using gas cutters, said Abhimanyu Nayak, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Baripada. While two ATMs of Axis Bank located at Station Bazar and Gosala Chhak were targeted, those of United Bank of India and Bank of India were looted at Palbani and Podastia respectively, the SDPO said. A case has been registered in connection with the incident in Baripada Town Police Station and investigation is in progress, Nayak added.
Pak candidate killed in suicide blast
A former provincial minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was today killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near his car in the troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, police said. Ikramullah Gandapur, a candidate for the provincial assembly seat from PK-99 constituency, was on his way to an election meeting when the bomber targeted his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan district. His driver was also killed in the attack while three bodyguards were badly injured, Dera Ismail Khan DPO Manzoor Afridi said. Gandapur had sustained critical wounds in the suicide blast this morning and was rushed to a Peshawar hospital by helicopter, however he succumbed to his injuries during treatment after fighting for his life for over four hours. Gandapur had served as the provincial agricultural minister in the PTI-led Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. He was elected through a by-election on the Dera Ismail Khan PK-67 seat, after it was vacated following the death of his brother and law .
Fadnavis cancels visit to Pandharpur temple over proposed Maratha community stir
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said he has cancelled his visit to a temple in Pandharpur town for a key religious event tomorrow in view of the proposed protest seeking reservation for Maratha community in government jobs. Explaining the reason for calling off his visit, Fadnavis said he feared for the lives of nearly 10 lakh people expected to be at the temple town in Solapur district tomorrow on the occasion of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'. He said if throwing stones at him can get the reservation for Maratha community, he was ready for it and that he took the decision of not to offer prayers at the temple to avoid any law and order problem. As part of a long-standing tradition, the chief minister every year offers prayers at the temple dedicated to Lord Vitthal and Rukmini in Pandharpur, located around 400 km from here, on the occasion of 'Ashadhi Ekadashi'. The auspicious day of performing puja is decided as per the lunar calendar and this year it falls on July ...
Return car festival held in Puri amid tight security
Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad witnessed Lord Jagannath's 'Bahuda Yatra' - the return car festival - which was held in this seaside pilgrim town amid tight security today. The three deities - Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra end their annual nine-day sojourn to Sri Gundicha Temple, their birth place, and return to Sreemandir or Shri Jagannath temple on three majestic wooden chariots during 'Bahuda Yatra'. Special rituals were performed before the deities were taken out of the Sri Gundicha temple and placed on the three colourfully decorated chariots for the return journey, amid chants of 'Jai Jagannath' and 'Hari Bol'. The deities were taken to their chariots in an elaborate ritual called 'Pahandi' to the beating of gongs, cymbals and blowing of conch shells. Lord Jagannath was ensconced in the largest of the three chariots - the 45-feet high 'Nandighosh', Balabhadra in 44-feet high 'Taladhwaja' and ...
South Africa taxi shooting kills 11
South African police said on Sunday that they are investigating a deadly shooting at a taxi which led to 11 deaths.
Mega recruitment drive: Govt to hire over 54,000 jawans in CAPFs
In one of the biggest recruitment drives in central security forces, the government has decided to recruit over 54,000 jawans in armed police forces like the CRPF, BSF and ITBP among others this year. Out of the total 54,953 vacancies advertised by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the maximum are for the country's largest paramilitary force-- the CRPF at 21,566 posts. A total of 47,307 vacancies are for men and 7,646 are for women in the constable (general duty) cadre in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Assam Rifles (posts to be called Rifleman), National Investigation Agency and the Secretariat Security Force. "The central forces, called the central armed police forces (CAPFs) and central police organisations (CPOs), are set for further expansion by raising of new battalions and hence these new vacancies have been advertised by the ...
Pakistan: PTI candidate critically injured in suicide blast
Three days before the general election in Pakistan, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) candidate Ikramullah Gandapur was critically injured in a suicide blast in Dera Ismail Khan city on Sunday.The attack took place in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan city, DI Khan DPO Manzoor Afridi told Dawn.Gandapur is representing PTI on a provincial assembly seat from the PK-99 constituency.Quoting sources, Dawn reported that Gandapur's guard as well as the driver were also killed in the attack. Gandapur is undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital.The police said that the PTI candidate was targeted near his residence when he was going to a political convention.Reacting to the incident, PTI chief Imran Khan tweeted: "Strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack against Ikram Khan Gandapur and his convoy today. May Allah grant Ikram and the other injured a speedy recovery".This comes following a suicide attack during an election rally in Mastung last week in which 149 people ...
Terrorist killed in Kulgam belonged to LeT
The Jammu and Kashmir police confirmed on Sunday that one of the terrorists who was gunned down earlier in the day belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).Speaking to the media, Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid informed that two AK-47 rifles were also recovered from the terrorists."These terrorists were involved in abduction and killing of one of the police constables, Mohammad Saleem on Saturday. Bodies of the terrorists and two AK-47 rifles have been recovered from their possession. One terrorist was associated with LeT, other two were locals," he said.Three terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Wani Mohalla area of Kulgam's Khudwani locality.
Gunmen in South Africa ambush taxi drivers; 11 killed
South African police say gunmen have opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers' association, killing 11 people and critically wounding four others. Police Brig. Jay Naicker says the victims of yesterday's night attack had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning home when the ambush occurred. He says the attack happened between the towns of Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal province and the victims were from Gauteng province. Police are investigating possible motives. Tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes sometimes spill into deadly violence in South Africa. South African media reported the deaths of 10 people in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town over one weekend in May.