Page 510 - War Conflict
Growing extremism threatens Mali's July 29 elections
As deadly attacks by extremists become more brazen in Mali, officials and citizens fear this month's presidential election will be at risk from growing insecurity. A branch of al-Qaida even set off a car bomb at the headquarters of a new West African counterterror force late last month, further destabilising central Mali as extremist groups expand from remote northern regions where they have had strongholds for years. A more assertive response by Mali's security forces has led to accusations of extrajudicial killings, while neighbours turn on each other amid suspicions of joining extremist groups. At least 289 civilians including young children have been killed in communal violence since the beginning of the year, with some burned alive in their homes or killed while hiding in mosques, the United Nations said this month. As the July 29 elections approach, insecurity is a major issue for candidates including President Ibrahim Boubacar Keta, who seeks a second term. Experts warn of a ...
Par panel expresses concern over large number of kidnappings in Assam; surge in insurgency in Arunachal
A parliamentary standing committee has expressed deep concern over a large number of kidnappings in Assam, mostly of women, and surge in insurgency in Arunachal Pradesh, which it termed as "alarming". The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, headed by P Chidambaram, in its report said that it was deeply worried that a large number of victims who were kidnapped or abducted in Assam before and during 2016 were yet to be recovered. "Even more worrisome is the fact that a large majority, at more than 81 per cent, of victims are women. The committee is of the view that this may also point towards a connection between such abductions and human trafficking," the panel said in it report submitted to Rajya Sabha. The committee, therefore, recommended that an inter-state investigation may be carried out to find out the reasons for this extremely high rate of kidnappings of women. "The committee also recommends that sustained operations must be launched to trace and recover the ...
Encounter underway between security forces, terrorists in J&K
An encounter broke out today between security forces and terrorists in Handwara area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, police said. An encounter was underway in Batpora area of Handwara in the north Kashmir district, a police official said. He said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area following specific inputs about the presence of militants there. The operation turned into a gunbattle after the terrorists fired upon a search party of the forces who retaliated. The gunbattle was going on when last reports came in, the official said, adding that further details were awaited.
'Apartheid early example of state terrorism that Mandela fought against'
Citing apartheid as "an early example of state terrorism against the majority population", it took an "extraordinary man" like Nelson Mandela "who dedicated his life to the emancipation of his people from the jackboot of the oppressor" to bring South Africa to where it is today, a former Indian envoy to the country, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee has said.
SOG will boost state's preparedness in countering terror: Pb CM
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today hailed the newly-trained Special Operations Group (SOG) commandos as a critical engine to boost the state's preparedness in countering terror and promised his government's full support to further strengthen the new unit. Interacting with the trainee (SOG) commandos at the Commando Training Centre here, he said the use of non-conventional means of warfare by terrorists had necessitated the transformation of the state's counter-terror apparatus. Amarinder was interacting with the commandos after witnessing various drills performed by them to showcase their capabilities and preparedness. A total of 186 commandos (158 trainees and 17 instructors) participated in the drills, which included physical fitness, firing skills, field tactics, rappelling and slithering techniques, jumaring, storming and building intervention, according to an official release. The instructors included elite trainers from the Indian Army, Para Special Forces, CPOs and ...
Militants ambush troopers in Manipur, 1 injured
An Assam Rifles trooper was seriously wounded when suspected Naga militants from the NSCN(K) ambushed them on Thursday morning at Joupi in Manipur's Chandel district, police said.
DIG Anti-Naxal Operation bats for 'Naxal-free' Chhattisgarh
Hours after the security forces hit Naxal camp in wee hours of Thursday in Chhattisgarh, killing eight Naxals, P Sundar Raj, DIG (Anti-Naxal Operation) said that they will continue such operations to make the region Naxal-free."We will continue such operations to make this region Naxal-free," he said.Eight Naxals, including four female, were killed in the forest bordering Dantewada and Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, in an operation carried out by the Bastar Police on the basis of the inputs provided by the intelligence agencies.The joint operation was carried by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) near Timinar and Pusanar village.Naxals initiated the firing on the security forces after they came to know about their presence in the area. An exchange of firing took place between the security forces and the Naxals for one-and-a-half hour.Two Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) rifle, two .303 rifle, a one 12 bore rifle and few other muzzle loading weapons were ..
Rights group details lead-up to Myanmar attacks on Rohingya
The Myanmar military has systematically prepared for attacks on Rohingya Muslims, confiscating knives and other sharp-edged tools, arming and training non-Muslim civilians and forcing Rohingya families to remove protective fencing from around their homes, the independent group Fortify Rights said today. The report by the Southeast Asian human rights group documented evidence that authorities prepared for a crackdown on the minority group living mostly in the country's western Rakhine state before a radical Rohingya group attacked Myanmar security force posts in late August 2017. That attack was followed by what the United Nations and US officials say is an ethnic cleansing campaign by the Myanmar government that has led about 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh under harrowing and violent conditions. The report, based on extensive interviews, say the Myanmar army began confiscating knives and other items that could be used as weapons or for self-defense after a group of Rohingya ...
Thousands evacuate pro-regime Syria towns
Several thousand residents evacuated two pro-regime towns in northern Syria today, putting an end to one of the longest sieges of the country's seven-year civil war. Fuaa and Kafraya in Idlib province were the last remaining areas under blockade in Syria and a rare example of pro-government towns surrounded by rebel forces. The Shiite-majority towns were besieged for three years by rebels and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Surrounded and bombed by hostile factions, the towns had become a rallying cry for the government and its ally Iran. A deal was reached Tuesday between regime-backer Russia and rebel-ally Turkey to see the residents taken to government-held territory in exchange for the release of prisoners from regime jails. Yesterday morning, barricades on the road leading into the towns were removed to let dozens of buses in, AFP's correspondent there said. Just after midnight, the buses drove out of Fuaa and Kafraya and .
Afghan forces kill 17 Taliban militants
At least 17 insurgents were killed and over a dozen others injured after Afghan security forces repulsed Taliban attacks on security checkpoints in Kunduz province on Thursday, police said.
Ambedkar statue damaged in UP
A statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar was damaged in Rampur Asli village in Ballia today, a police official said, the second such incident in about a month in the district. Anti-social elements damaged the statue this morning, Superintendent of Police S P Ganguly said. The face and a finger of the statue were reportedly damaged. The statue is being restored, Ganguly said. A team of villagers, led by the gram pradhan, has been set up to ensure the security of the statue, the SP said. On June 14, a statue of the Dalit icon was damaged in Kothiya village of the district.
Militants fire upon police team in J-K
Militants fired upon a police team in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district today, police said. No causality was reported in the incident, they said. The ultras fired at the police deployment from a distance on Sopore bypass in the north Kashmir district, the police said. The area has been cordoned off and a hunt launched to nab the attackers, they said.
Jawan injured in IED blast in Imphal
A jawan of the Assam Rifles was injured in an IED blast in Manipur's Chandel district today, police said. The incident occurred around 6 am under Molcham police station area, about three kilometer inside Manipur territory of the Indo-Myanmar border. According to Superintendent of Police Angam Kamei, one rifleman of the 29 Assam Rifles suffered splinter injuries when a powerful improvised explosive device (IED), suspected to have been planted by militants, exploded while a foot patrol party was moving in the thick forest area. The jawans retaliated with firing, but the militants managed to escape. The injured jawan, Appu Barma, was air-lifted from the spot in a military chopper, the police said, adding a combing operation was launched in the area to nab the militants.
Infiltration bid foiled at India-Pakistan border
The Border Security Force (BSF) 73 Battalion gunned down a Pakistani infiltrator, who was trying to cross over into the Indian side of the border in Punjab.The incident took place last night in Amritsar's Ajnala.The security forces are further investigating the matter.In March, another Pakistani national was shot dead by the BSF near the India-Pakistan border in Gurdaspur sector of Punjab.The man had crossed the border fence to enter into the Indian territory.
7 naxals killed in encounter in with security forces in Chhattigsarh
At least seven naxals, including three women, were today gunned down in a fierce encounter with security forces in Chhattigsarh's insurgency-hit Bijapur district, police said. The skirmish took place at around 6 am in the forest near Timinar and Pusnar villages along the border of Bijapur and Dantewada districts when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) was out on an anti-Maoist operation, state's Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (anti-naxal operations) Sundarraj P told PTI. Acting on a tip-off, security forces had launched the operation from Dantewada district in the forest along the border of the two districts, he said. While they were cordoning off jungles of Timinar and Pusnar villages, located around 450 km away from the state capital Raipur, in Bijapur, the exchange of fire broke out between the two sides, he said. "After guns fell silent, bodies of seven naxals, including three women, were recovered from the spot," the DIG ...
Evacuations begin from besieged pro-regime Syria towns
Buses began evacuating fighters and civilians from two besieged pro-regime towns in Syria early this morning under a deal that will allow thousands to leave after three years of encirclement. Fuaa and Kafraya are the last remaining areas under siege in Syria, where government forces have also repeatedly used crippling blockades during the last seven years of war. The Shiite-majority towns have been besieged for years by rebels and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate. Surrounded and bombed by hostile factions, the towns became a rallying cry for the government and its ally Iran, as well as a playing card in callous rebel hands. A deal reached on Tuesday between regime-backer Russia and rebel-ally Turkey would see all the residents taken to government-held territory in exchange for prisoner releases from regime jails. Starting on Wednesday morning, a series of barricades on the road leading into the towns were removed to let dozens of
Punjab CM urges greater security for Sikhs in Afghanistan
Singh further urged Swaraj to advise officials in her ministry and the Indian High Commission in connection with the same.He also asked Swaraj to pursue measures to ensure that Sikh families were offered security, relief and rehabilitation.In his letter, the Punjab Chief Minister voiced his dismay on the growing number of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan.The letter came over two weeks after 19 people were killed in a suicide attack that targeted a convoy of Hindus and Sikhs who were on their way to Jalalabad to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Weapons used in Aurangabad violence were bought through Flipkart: Maha CM
Two months after the Aurangabad clashes, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed that the weapons used in the violence were brought through e-retailer Flipkart.He further said that case has been registered against the concerned compnaies."The weapons used in the violence were bought through Flipkart. Cases have been registered against the companies from where these weapons were bought," Fadnavis said.Two people died and over 40 people were injured, including police personnel, when the clashes broke out in multiple areas of the city, two months ago following the removal of a water connection to a place of worship in Moti Karanja area.About 50 shops were gutted in the clashes, and hundreds of youths took to the streets to pelt stones when the issue took a communal colour.
Extremist guilty of plotting attack on British PM
A British man who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group was found guilty today of plotting to behead Prime Minister Theresa May in a suicide attack. Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, planned to bomb the gates of Downing Street, kill guards and then attack May. Rahman thought he was being helped by an IS group handler when in fact he was speaking to undercover officers. He had collected what he thought was an explosives-packed rucksack when he was arrested last November. "Before his arrest prevented it, he was, he believed, just days away from his objective, which was no less than a suicide attack, by blade and explosion, on Downing Street and, if he could, upon the Prime Minister Theresa May herself," said prosecutor Mark Heywood. In a chat with an undercover security service agent on the Telegram messaging app, Rahman said: "I want to do a suicide bomb on parliament. I want to attempt to kill Theresa May." Rahman continued: "My objective is to take out my target. Nothing less ...
Eight arrested over Boko Haram Chibok abduction: police
Eight men have been arrested in connection with Boko Haram's abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from the remote town of Chibok in northeast Nigeria, police said today. The eight were among 22 suspected members of the Islamist militant group detained in the remote region after an investigation over the last year. The 14 others were alleged to have been involved in logistics and planning suicide bomb attacks. All the suspects were paraded at a news conference in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. Borno state police commissioner Damian Chukwu said the men -- aged 20 to 48 and all from the Bama area of Borno state -- were arrested in Borno and neighbouring Yobe earlier this month. All eight had confessed to their involvement, he added. "The suspects are helping... with useful information to arrest other fleeing Boko Haram commanders," he said in a statement. The mass abduction of 276 students from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on April 14, 2014 caused widespread ...