Page 521 - War Conflict
Security situation in north-east has improved "drastically": Rajnath
The security situation in North East has "improved drastically" during the four years of NDA government, with insurgency related incidents coming down by 85 per cent as compared to the 90s, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. The government is giving special attention to the internal security in the region, Singh said, addressing the 67th plenary session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) here. He stressed on the need for a forum to address inter-state and security-related issues, including boundary disputes, narcotics and arms trafficking, and common approaches for tackling terrorism and militancy in the region. "During the last four years of NDA government the security situation has drastically improved. When compared to the '90s, the insurgency related incidents have declined 85 per cent. There is 96 percent reduction in civilian and security forces casualties," he said. "Today, Tripura and Mizoram are completely free from insurgency and there is tremendous improvement in ...
Army chief visits Mamun military station
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday visited Mamun Military Station in Pathankot to review the operational preparedness and interacted with the troops.
Assam Rifles jawan killed, 3 injured in IED explosion in Manipur
One Assam Rifles jawan was killed and three others were injured in an IED explosion carried out by militants near the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur's Kamjong district today, a senior police officer said. The militants had planted a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) near Kangpat village in the district. They triggered the explosion, in which one Assam Rifles jawan was killed and three others were injured this morning, he added. Security reinforcements, including Manipur police personnel, were rushed to the area to carry out a combing operation, the officer said.
J&K: Terrorists hurl grenade at CRPF camp
Terrorists hurled a grenade at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp on Monday in Tral's Batagund village in Kashmir's Pulwana district.The grenade exploded far from the target. No casualties were reported.Earlier in the day, a similar incident took place in the Pulwana district in which terrorists hurled a grenade at a joint camp of CRPF, following which the area was cordoned off.The state has witnessed spurt in terror attacks in the last few days.
Freedom not an outcome of non-violent movement alone: Mahajan
India did not get independence from British on the strength of a non-violent movement alone as contributions and sacrifices of revolutionaries made over a long period of time were equally important, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has said. She said the country's freedom struggle spanned over nine decades starting from 1857. "Sometimes I feel pained. I don't want to criticise anybody. There are several things which are important. "Savarkar (freedom fighter V D Savarkar) has written somewhere that when you think about freedom struggle, you need to think from 1857 to 1947. You need to think of 90 years of freedom struggle," said Mahajan. Mahajan was speaking at a function for release of a postal stamp in the honour of freedom fighter Krantiveer Damodar Chapekar at Chapekar Wada in Chinchwad here yesterday. "We have achieved freedom not just because of non-violence as several revolutionaries sacrificed their lives before Mahatma Gandhi came to the fore," she said. The MP from Indore ...
Two grenade attacks on CRPF in J&K
Militants carried out two grenade attacks on the CRPF camps in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral town on Monday, police said. No casualty or damage was caused.
Gunmen loot Rs 3 lakh from micro-finance company staff
Three gunmen today looted Rs 3 lakh from an employee of a micro-finance company in Bihar's Vaishali district, police said. The incident occurred in Umesh Cinema road under town police station when the employee was going to office after collecting the money, SHO Sunil Kumar said. Police are investigating the matter, Kumar said.
Nawada clashes: Nitish Kumar slams Giriraj Singh
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar slammed Union Minister Giriraj Singh for accusing his government of being communal and provoking violence in the state during Nawada clashes.In the past also Singh has accused Bihar government of having a mindset of suppressing Hindus.Terming Singh's statement a media stunt, Kumar said the minister is making statement on a matter which is under police investigation and is pending before the court. This creates an unhealthy atmosphere for the people of the country.Nitish Kumar further claimed that his government has not done anything which has affected communal harmony in Bihar.He said that no decision in Bihar is taken without following due process of law and procedures.This statement from Kumar came just a day after Giriraj Singh visited the family of a man accused in Nawada clashes that took places earlier this year.In March, tension had gripped Bihar after communal clashes hit several parts of the state including Bhagalpur, Aurangabad and Nawada ...
Sri Lankan authorities make a massive drug haul
Sri Lankan authorities have seized 103.9 kg of heroin worth seven million US dollars in one of the country's biggest drug busts, officials said on Monday.
Confident of Army's preparedness to meet threats: Gen Bipin Rawat
Army chief General Bipin Rawat today expressed confidence about the preparedness of the force to take on any threat manifested by inimical or anti-national elements. The chief of Army staff, accompanied by General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) of Western Command Lt Gen Surinder Singh, visited Mamun Military Station to review the operational preparedness and interact with the troops, a defence release said. General Rawat and Lt Gen Singh were received by GOC of Rising Star Corps Lt Gen Y V K Mohan. Lt Gen Mohan and GOCs of the Tiger and Gurj Divisions briefed General Rawat about the operational preparedness and upgradation of the security infrastructure, the release said.
British woman exposed to Novichok nerve agent dies
A British woman has died, days after being exposed to a nerve agent close to a city where a Russian former spy and his daughter were poisoned with the same chemical four months ago, prompting police to launch a murder investigation. Dawn Sturgess, 44, died in hospital yesterday after falling ill on June 30. Her partner Charlie Rowley, 45, who also fell ill after being exposed to the nerve agent, remains in a critical condition in hospital. Scotland Yard said they have launched a murder investigation - the second major probe involving the nerve agent this year, following the case of Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March. Tests have revealed that the Amesbury couple were exposed to Novichok, a nerve agent developed by the Soviet military during the Cold War in what is the first known offensive use of such a chemical weapon on European soil since World War II. Security services believe the couple were inadvertently exposed to the same nerve agent used to attack Sergei Skripal and his .
J-K: Terrorists hurl grenade at CRPF camp
Terrorists hurled a grenade at a joint camp of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday.The attack at the camp which comprises a battalion of 180 security forces took place in Tral area of Pulwama.No casualties or damages have been reported.The area has been cordoned off.More details are awaited.
Saudi Arabia says 2 militants, 2 others killed at checkpoint
Saudi Arabia says two militants have been killed, along with a security official and a bystander, in a shootout at a police checkpoint in one of the kingdom's central provinces. The Interior Ministry said in a statement that the shooting happened on Sunday afternoon in al-Qassim. It's located some 400 kilometers, or about 250 miles, northwest of the capital of Riyadh. The ministry says the militants opened fire on the checkpoint, killing a police sergeant and a Bangladeshi national. The ministry said police returned fire, killing two militants and wounding a third, who was later hospitalized. A motive for the shooting wasn't immediately known and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Saudi Arabia has faced attacks from militants from al-Qaida and an Islamic State affiliate.
US soldier killed in Afghan 'insider attack' identified
The Pentagon has identified the soldier killed in an apparent insider attack Sin Afghanistan as Army Cpl. Joseph Maciel of California.
Four shot dead in PNG prison breakout: report
Four prisoners were shot dead and two wounded after a mass breakout at a jail in Papua New Guinea, a report said today, with nine still on the run. Inmates made a dash for freedom from Buimo jail in the Pacific nation's second largest city of Lae after a knife was allegedly smuggled in during visiting hours on Saturday. A guard was stabbed and the prisoners jumped a perimeter fence, the PNG Post Courier reported. It was the same jail where 17 prisoners were killed by police after a similar breakout in May last year. Fifty-seven escaped on that occasion. Lae Chief Superintendent Anthony Wagambie Jr said police had a tip-off about a possible jailbreak and were deploying two patrol vehicles when the emergency alarm went off. "The escaping prisoners ran into the patrol vehicles and started throwing stones, sticks and were armed with sharp objects," he told the newspaper. "Police opened fire on them, killing two instantly, a third collapsed close by from loss of blood and a fourth was shot
Militant killed in encounter with security forces in Kupwara: Police
An unidentified militant was killed early this morning in an overnight encounter with security forces in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. One militant has been killed in the encounter so far, a police official said. The encounter in a forest area of Handwara, in north Kashmir's Kupwara, broke out late last night after security forces launched a cordon and search operation there following specific information about the presence of militants. The operation is underway, the official said.
Militants slit woman's throat in J&K
Militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district have killed a woman by slitting her throat, police said on Monday.
Ireland marks national day of commemoration
A grand ceremony has been held here to mark Ireland's National Day of Commemoration, to remember those who sacrificed their lives for the nation in past wars as well as in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.
Four killed in Saudi Arabia checkpoint shootout: ministry
A drive-by shooting against a checkpoint in central Saudi Arabia and an ensuing gunfight left a security officer, a Bangladeshi civilian and two attackers dead, the kingdom's interior ministry has said. "A security checkpoint on the Buraydah-Tarfiyah road in Qassim region came under fire from three terrorists riding in a vehicle on Sunday afternoon," the ministry said in a statement yesterday. "Two of the terrorists were killed and a third was wounded and transferred to hospital," it added. Sergeant Suleiman Abdelaziz Abdel Latif was named as the Saudi fatality. The ministry said a Bangladeshi resident was also killed, but did not announce his name. The authorities said a criminal investigation has been launched into the attack. Four Saudi policemen were killed and four others wounded on April 20 in an attack targeting a checkpoint in the southwestern province of Asir. The kingdom has seen numerous attacks in recent years by jihadists, including Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, .
Renewed violence, looting in Haiti come amid calls for strike
Fresh looting broke out on the streets of Haiti's capital today as protestors called for a two-day general strike despite the government's climbdown over controversial fuel price hikes. Facing unrest that has now left at least three dead, leaders of the Caribbean country suspended the price spikes "until further notice" -- but the about-face has failed to quell the anger of residents. In the heart of Port-au-Prince, AFP journalists saw shops ransacked as protestors, some armed with knives, were met by police who fired weapons into the air and detonated tear gas. Many Haitians are now demanding the immediate departure of President Jovenel Moise and calling for a two-day general strike to begin tomorrow. "If the president stays one more day, the game will take on a new appearance: we will cut off the roads and burn everything, because we have nothing else to lose," said one masked protestor. Moise had urged demonstrators late yesterday to "go home," saying the price hike suspension had .