Page 515 - War Conflict
Two BSF jawans killed in Chhattisgarh
Two Border Security Force (BSF) jawans lost their lives and one got injured after Naxals opened fire on a BSF platoon here around 3.45 am today.The jawans who were killed have been identified as constable Lokender Singh (Rajasthan) and constable Mukdhiyar Singh (Punjab).The condition of the injured jawan Sandeep Dey (West Bengal) is said to be stable.The mortal remains of the jawans have been brought to 114 Bn BSF Batallion Head Quarters in Pakhanjor.On a related note, two BSF constables lost their lives in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Monday.Last month, two jawans of 231 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured in an IED blast by the Naxals in Dantewada.Earlier on May 20, six jawans were killed and one was injured in an IED blast in Dantewada's Cholnar village.
N.Korea, US to discuss return of soldiers' remains
US and North Korean officials will meet on Sunday at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom for talks about repatriating the remains of American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
2,922 pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra
A batch of 2,922 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu on Sunday for the cave shrine in the Kashmir Valley, police said.
Sri Lankan medicines to be protected under international intellectual property system
Sri Lanka has announced that it is moving its centuries-old folk medicine system for protection under the international intellectual property system.
Two killed in southern Iraq as protests spread
Two more demonstrators were killed in southern Iraq, officials said, as protests against unemployment spread from the port city of Basra to other parts of the country including Baghdad. Authorities scrambled yesterday to rein in days of unrest by declaring a curfew in Basra province, while Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced fresh funds and promises of investment for the southern region. The deaths overnight in Maysan province on the border with Iran brought to three the number of demonstrators killed since the protests erupted Sunday in neighbouring Basra. A spokesman for the Maysan health authorities, Ahmad al-Kanani, yesterday said the pair died from gunshot wounds in the provincial capital Amarah. It was not clear who killed them but Kanani said there had been "indiscriminate gunfire" in the city. Dozens more have been wounded in the past week, including security forces, according to medical sources. The unrest comes as Iraq struggles to rebuild after a devastating three-year
Rath Yatra passes off peacefully in Ahmedabad
Lakhs of people lined the streets of Ahmedabad to witness the 141st Rath Yatra which passed through sensitive areas along the 18 km-route and ended peacefully after the chariots of the three deities reached the Jagannath Temple in the Jamalpur area this evening. The procession, which was led by the chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra, returned to the 400-year-old temple after traversing through the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas such as Kalupur, Shahpur and Dariyapur. At Dariyapur, a Muslim-dominated area, community leaders gave a warm welcome to the temple's chief priest, Dilipdasji Maharaj, and presented him a shawl and a bouquet. Sharing the warmth, Dilipdasji donated Rs 5,100 to the Banna Mosque in the area. The procession also included 101 truck-mounted tableaux depicting various themes such as the plastic ban, the heritage tag to Ahmedabad city, besides one being dedicated to the armed forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ...
3 Lankan refugees held for bid to flee to island nation
Three Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were arrested when they attempted to escape to Sri Lanka, police said today. Two men and a woman, who were staying in the refugees camp in nearby Mandapam, were trying to flee to the island nation when they were held, police added. The refugees had come to Tamil Nadu years ago when the ethnic conflict was on in the island nation.
Security forces deploy in Iraq's Najaf after day of protests
Iraqi security forces deployed on the streets of the Shiite holy city of Najaf today after a day of angry demonstrations over failing public services and high unemployment. Protesters chanting against politicians yesterday attacked the ruling Dawa party's office downtown and stormed the airport outside Najaf, forcing it to shut down. Calm returned to the city today, but security apparatuses remained on high alert after demonstrations spread across the country's predominantly-Shiite south. Rumours circulated on social media today that the government had shut down the internet in Baghdad, Najaf, and Basra, Iraq's premier oil city and the site of the first protests against joblessness and neglect. Communications links appeared severely limited in the three cities. Basra, despite producing most of Iraq's oil, is plagued by crumbling infrastructure and widespread poverty. The city suffers from rolling blackouts and water cuts that are felt acutely in the summer months, where temperatures ..
7 killed as blasts strike Somali capital
At least seven people were killed and several others injured on Saturday in two explosions near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, police officials said.
Army chief visits Akhnoor sector in Jammu
Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat today visited the Akhnoor sector here and commended the field commanders for ably confronting the challenges posed by "inimical elements" and exhorted all ranks to continue working with dedication. Accompanied by Northern Army commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, the army chief visited the Akhnoor sector and was briefed by General Officer Commanding (GOC), White Knight Corps, Lt Gen Saranjeet Singh, GOC Crossed Swords Division Maj Gen M K Mago and other formation commanders, Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said in a statement. He said the officers briefed the Chief of Army Staff on the operational preparedness, prevailing security situation and actions being undertaken to ensure a robust and effective counter infiltration grid. Gen Rawat also reviewed the measures and standard operating procedures instituted and being followed by the units and formations, Lt Col Anand said.
Army chief visits J&K's Akhnoor to review security
Army chief, Gen Bipin Rawat on Saturday visited Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir to review the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness of the troops.
6 dead after attackers target Somalia's presidential palace
Somali security forces shot dead three extremists and foiled an attempted al-Shabab attack on the presidential palace in the capital, a police officer said today. Six people were dead in all including a suicide car bomber, Capt. Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press, saying the situation had calmed and security in the area was being tightened. The midday attack began when a car bomb detonated near a checkpoint close to the presidential palace after security forces engaged with gunmen. A second car bomb exploded in the same area shortly afterward, Hussein said. The attack came a week after a similar one on the interior ministry compound in Mogadishu killed at least nine people. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group, an arm of al-Qaida, often targets high-profile places in the capital. It claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack, saying its fighters were conducting a "major operation" around the palace and nearby SYL Hotel. Al-Shabab was blamed for the October truck ...
Afghan official says insurgents kill 11 soldiers in west
At least 11 soldiers were killed when their checkpoint came under an attack by Insurgents in western Afghanistan, a provincial official said today. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the Farah provincial governor, said four other soldiers were wounded in the gun battle in Bala Buluk district. Mehri said nine insurgents were killed and 13 others wounded. Mehri said a "large number" of insurgents launched an attack late last night and the battle continued into early this morning. The Taliban have not claimed responsibility for the attack but Mehri blamed the group, which has recently stepped up assaults against Afghan security forces in the province. In southern Helmand province, meanwhile, a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives at a joint army and police checkpoint, killing policeman, said Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor. Zwak said 11 other soldiers and police were wounded in the attack, which took place outskirt of Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital. No one ..
2 blasts, gunfire heard near Somalia's presidential palace
Two large explosions followed by gunfire have been heard near the presidential palace in Somalia's capital. The blasts come a week after a similar attack on the interior ministry compound in Mogadishu killed at least nine people. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group, an arm of al-Qaida, often targets high-profile places in the capital and claimed responsibility for the attack a week ago. The threat from what has become the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa has hurt efforts to strengthen Somalia's fragile government and stabilise the long-chaotic Horn of Africa nation.
Afghan official says insurgents kill 11 soldiers in Farah province
An Afghan official says at least 11 soldiers were killed when their checkpoint came under an attack by Insurgents in western Farah province. Mohammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, says four other soldiers were wounded in the gun battle in Bala Buluk district. Mehri said nine insurgents were killed and 13 others wounded. Mehri said a "large number" of insurgents launched an attack late last night and the battle continued into early today. The Taliban have not claimed responsibility for the attack but but Mehri blamed the group, which has recently stepped up assaults against Afghan security forces in the province.
Croatia in World Cup: The story of its origin (Comment)
Croatia's prominence in the football World Cup freshened memories of its origin in the war which expanded after German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher recognised Croatian and Slovenian independence, ahead of other European Union countries which were palpitating because German reunification in 1989 had already added to their anxieties.
Sharif supporters clash with police in Lahore, 50 injured
Supporters of Nawaz Sharif have clashed with police in Pakistan's Punjab province as they tried to reach the airport where the former prime minister and his daughter Maryam were arrested on their return to the country in a corruption case, prompting police to lob tear gas shells and use batons that left at least 50 people injured. The country's anti-graft body - National Accountability Bureau - arrested Sharif, 68, and Maryam, 48 in the Evenfield properties case upon their arrival here yesterday. They were later taken to Islamabad and sent to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Both Sharif, the supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, and Maryam have been sentenced by an accountability court to 10 and seven years in jail respectively, in the corruption case related to the Sharif family's ownership of four luxury flats in London. The former was found guilty of owning assets beyond known income, while his daughter was convicted for aiding and abetting her father in covering up a ...
Scores killed after days of clashes in northeast Nigeria
Scores of people were killed in an outbreak of sectarian violence that lasted for days in northeast Nigeria, police and community leaders have said. The bloodshed between the Fulani herders and Yandang farmers broke out in Lau district, Taraba state, on July 5 and went on for days, with police putting the death toll at 17. "A total of 17 people were confirmed killed in the four days the violence lasted and several villages were burnt," Taraba state police spokesman David Misal told AFP. "Police detachments were sent in and by July 8 the situation was completely brought under control," Misal said. But Fulani and Yandang community leaders yesterday said that 70 people died in the violence and thousands had fled from their homes in search of safety. "We lost 23 people in the attacks and more than 3,000 of our people have been displaced," said Sahabi Mahmoud, head of the herders union in Taraba, to reporters in the state capital Jalingo. According to Aaron Artimas, a Yandang community ...
Palestinian teen killed by Israeli fire on Gaza border: ministry
A Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli soldiers during clashes near the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, the territory's health ministry said. Fifteen-year-old Othman Rami Halles was killed east of Gaza City, while 220 other Palestinians were wounded as protests along the frontier spilt over into clashes yesterday, ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said. The Israeli military said in a statement that "thousands of Palestinians have been violently rioting" and that people "hurled grenades, explosive devices, and firebombs". It said troops were "responding with riot dispersal means and live fire in accordance with the rules of engagement" and had stopped an attempt to break through the border fence. No soldiers were reported wounded. Palestinians in Gaza have for months been demonstrating against Israel's decade-long blockade of the territory and in support of their right to return to lands they fled or were driven from during the war surrounding the creation of Israel in ...
133 killed, over 125 injured in twin election-related blasts in Pak
At least 133 people, including a top nationalist leader, were killed and more than 125 others injured today in a powerful suicide blast and a targeted attack on separate election rallies in Pakistan, the deadliest in a series of assaults on candidates ahead of the July 25 polls. Militants targeted a gathering of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Siraj Raisani in Mastung area in the troubled Balochistan province. "Raisani succumbed to wounds while he was being shifted to Quetta," District Police Officer Mohammad Ayub Achakzai said. Raisani is the brother of former Chief Minister of Balochistan Nawab Aslam Raisani. The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack that left 128 people dead, police officials said. The outfit announced the claim through its Aamaq news agency without providing further details. At least 128 people, including Raisani, were killed and more than 125 injured in a deadly blast, police officials said. Local media confirmed the death ...