Page 532 - War Conflict
US says Taliban inertia on peace talks 'unacceptable'
The US today said the Taliban's failure to engage in talks to end Afghanistan's nearly 17-year conflict was "unacceptable" and called on Pakistan to exert more pressure on the militants. US envoy Alice Wells made the remarks during a visit to Kabul on Saturday, two weeks after an unprecedented ceasefire triggered spontaneous street celebrations involving Taliban fighters and security forces. "I think it (the ceasefire reaction) creates this impulse for everyone to renew their efforts to find a negotiated political solution," Wells, the principal deputy assistant secretary for the State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, told reporters. "Increasingly I think it's becoming simply unacceptable for the Taliban not to negotiate." The Taliban have so far ignored President Ashraf Ghani's offer of peace negotiations. Instead, they have insisted on direct talks with the US which Washington has repeatedly refused. One of the Taliban's key demands for engaging in talks is ...
First time: CRPF inducts 500 women personnel to counter protestors in Kashmir
Breaking yet another glass ceiling, a special contingent of about 500 women CRPF personnel has been brought to Kashmir valley for regular security duties and tackle the unruly crowds and stone-pelters, a senior officer of the paramilitary force said. The women personnel, largely in constable ranks, are based at Central Reserve Police Force recruit training centre in Humhama in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and are being trained in counter-riot and anti-militancy operations. "This is the newest theatre of operations where women personnel have been brought in. This is the maiden team of women personnel in the Kashmir valley. A few years back, the CRPF women troops were inducted into the anti-naxal operations grid in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand," the officer told PTI. He said the women, after their 45-day induction training and combat-stress inoculation, will be deployed in the valley to tackle stone-pelters and protestors, including women. It was believed that the special ...
CRPF to launch women unit to deal with stone-pelters in J&K
The CRPF is all set to launch a special unit of over 800 women commandos to deal with stone-pelters, among which women are increasingly figuring, in Jammu and Kashmir from the middle of this month, say officials of the central paramilitary force.
Printing of ballot papers for the general elections begins in Pak
The printing of ballot papers for the July 25 general elections in Pakistan began today under the supervision of the Army, which has deployed hundreds of soldiers to provide security to the printing presses where ballot-papers are being prepared. The ballot papers are being printed at three printing presses across the country Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. "The printing of ballot papers began today," Geo TV reported. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had imported papers for the printing of ballot papers to ensure transparency. Citing sources, the channel said that 210 million ballot papers will be printed with more than Rs 2 billion being spent on the exercise, making it the most expensive venture in the history of the country's elections. The cost of a single ballot paper comes to around Rs 10, sources said. The ballot papers are said to carry a watermark, something which none of the previous papers had. The papers will also be printed in "round figures", meaning if a ...
Maoist leader killed in Chhattisgarh
A Maoist commander has been killed in Chhattisgarh in a shootout with the police, officials said on Sunday.
Suicide bombing wounds 19 at Iraq ballot warehouse
A suicide bombing today targeting a warehouse in Kirkuk where ballot boxes from Iraq's May elections were stored wounded 19 people, days before a vote recount, a security source said. "Nine policemen, six members of a counter-terrorist unit and four civilians were wounded when a car bomb driven by a suicide bomber exploded at the main gate of the warehouse," the source said. The building was damaged by the blast but the ballot boxes were unaffected, said Rakan al-Juburi, the governor of Kirkuk north of Baghdad. Iraq's supreme court has ordered a manual vote recount in polling stations where results from the May legislative elections were contested following allegations of fraud. The ballot was won by populist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's electoral alliance with Communists, as long-time political figures were pushed out by voters seeking change in a country mired in conflict and corruption. The vote recount is expected to begin on Tuesday in the Kurdish provinces of Arbil, Sulaymaniyah
Hardcore Naxal killed in encounter with police in Chhattisgarh
A Naxal commander, carrying a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head, was gunned down in an encounter with the police in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, an official said today. The Maoist was a key accused in the killing of a village sarpanch in Sukma, he said. The skirmish took place late last evening at a forest in Muler village when a team of the District Reserve Guard was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Sukma Superintendent of Police Abhishek Meena told PTI. When the security personnel were cordoning off the Gandharpara forest in Muler, located about 450 km from here, a group of ultras started firing on them leading to a gun- battle between the two sides, he said. After a brief exchange of fire, ultras fled into the core forest. During a search of the spot, the body of a rebel clad in 'uniform' was found, Meena said. A 315 bore pistol, a muzzle-loading gun, a claymore mine, some explosive material and Naxal-related items were also recovered from the spot, he said. The killed
6,877 Amarnath pilgrims leave for Kashmir Valley
A batch of 6,877 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu on Sunday for the cave shrine in Kashmir Valley as the weather started improving in the state.
Boko Haram kills four in Nigeria displaced civilians camp
Boko Haram jihadists killed four people during a raid on a camp for civilians displaced by the Islamist group's violent insurgency in Nigeria's troubled northeast, security sources said. The gunmen entered the camp in the town of Banki near the border with Cameroon on bicycles and on foot Friday night and opened fire. "Boko Haram terrorists entered Banki IDP (internally displaced people) camp last night and killed four people, injured four others and took supplies away with them," a military officer in the town told AFP yesterday. The shots drew the attention of soldiers and policemen outside the camp, who then engaged the militants in an hour-long gun battle, said the officer, who asked not to be named. "Two terrorists were killed in the fight and the rest fled," he added. A member of a militia force assisting the military said the jihadists used ladders to scale a ditch dug around the camp to stop such an incursion. "This was why security personnel keeping sentry at the entrance of .
25 Afghan militants killed in 24 hours
A total of 25 militants have been killed and 23 others injured elsewhere in the war-battered Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, Afghan Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
Army doctors deliberate on artificial intelligence in medicine
Doctors serving the armed forces of the country tried to demystify some of the aspects of artificial intelligence as they met top engineering minds in the filed at a symposium here. The symposium on artificial intelligence in medicine was organised by the Head Quarters Integrated Defence Staff (Medical) under the aegis of Directorate General of the Armed Forces Medical Services today, an army official said. Lt Gen CS Narayanan highlighted the importance of medical professionals to keep pace with the rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence and related technologies to stay relevant at the dawn of a new era. Lt Gen Bipin Puri, Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) elaborated on the various measures taken to ensure that the Armed Forces Medical Services leverage these emerging technologies to streamline delivery of optimal care to a dependant population of close to 10 million persons. The top management and innovation heads of Accenture and SAP in India were invited ..
New Mumbai top cop assures effective response to terror threat
The high standards of performace set by his predecessor in tackling terrorism would be carried forward and Mumbaikars could be assured of an effective response to any threat to the city, new Mumbai Police Commissioner Subodh Kumar Jaiswal said today. Jaiswal (55), a 1985-batch IPS officer, was deputed to the Centre as additional secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, and was serving in the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) before taking over as Mumbai police commissioner today. Speaking to the media today evening after taking charge, Jaiswal said that he would tackle terror in the same way that his predecessor did. He assured people of the city that he and his team would respond to any terror threat that the city would face. Challenges before the police remain, fundamentally, the same at all points of time, and basic policing, to deal with these challenges, also remained the same, he asserted. Priorities never change, he said, adding that as and when certain circumstances ...
Sri Lanka to move naval unit to Chinese-run Hambantota port
Sri Lanka will move its southern naval headquarters to the Hambantota port which is now leased to China, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said today. In his talks with Chinese leaders, Wickremesinghe made it clear that the port will not be allowed to be used for any military purposes, the prime minister's office said. In December last year, Sri Lanka handed over the control of the southern sea port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease for USD 1.12 billion, amid concern over Beijing's efforts to expand influence in the region. Opposition leaders have dubbed the deal as a sell out to China. Today's announcement came amid India's concerns that Hambantota could be used by China for military purposes. "The Sri Lanka navy is moving its Southern Command to Hambantota. There is no need to be frightened as security of the port will be under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy," the office quoted Wickremesinghe as saying. The state-run China Merchant Port Holdings last week paid the final
Ghani announces end of ceasefire with Taliban
Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday ended his government's ceasefire with the Taliban and ordered security forces to resume operations against the group."The ceasefire is over. The Afghan security and defense forces are allowed to restart their military operations," Afghan's TOLO News quoted Ghani, as saying while addressing media in Kabul on Saturday."No one has the right to monopolize the peace process. Taliban's time to decide how they are going to deal with the situation. People want peace from the Taliban and the government, and it's time for the Taliban to answer this question positively," he added.Ghani on June 17 announced a 10-day extension on government's ceasefire and also urged the Taliban to extend their three-day ceasefire. The Taliban, however, has not yet responded and instead continues to carry out attacks across the country.This came in the backdrop of an initial truce which was observed by both sides over the Eid festival period.The Taliban on June 9 ...
Sri Lanka moves navy unit to Chinese-run port
Sri Lanka will move its southern naval command to a port leased to a state-run Chinese firm but China will not use it for military purposes, the prime minister's office said today. Colombo's announcement will likely raise fresh concerns in New Delhi over China's military potentially getting a foothold in the Indian Ocean through the deep-sea port of Hambantota, which straddles a major east-west shipping route. "The Sri Lanka navy is moving its Southern Command to Hambantota," Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said. But it added: "There is no need to be frightened as security of the port will be under the control of the Sri Lanka Navy. "Sri Lanka has also informed the Chinese that Hambantota cannot be used (by China) for military purposes," it said. Sri Lanka owes China billions of dollars that former president Mahinda Rajapakse's government borrowed for major infrastructure projects, including the Hambantota port located on the island's southern tip. But unable to pay back the debts, Sri .
At UN, India says it faced scourge of terrorism originating outside its borders
India has told the UN that it has faced the scourge of terrorism from across the borders for decades, while its counter-terror efforts get thwarted due to lack of global support in exchange of information and extradition of the accused "hiding" outside. Speaking at the United Nations High-Level Conference on Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies yesterday, Special Secretary, Internal Security, Home Ministry, Rina Mitra warned that no country can be considered safe from terrorist acts. She said terrorist entities today have links and operate across borders building networks, raising funds in various ways including internationally, propagating ideologies of hate, recruiting from foreign lands, sourcing arms and weapons from distant providers and smugglers and exploiting modern communication technologies that dissolve distances. "They are able to select targets of their choosing in countries of their choosing, cross borders often with help from state agencies and inflict terror on innocent
Main accused in petrol pump loot and double murder case arrested
Punjab police today claimed to have arrested the main accused allegedly involved in the petrol pump loot and double murder incident that took place in Patiala. The accused, identified as Lakhandeep Singh alias Waris Randhawa, was arrested by the Counter Intelligence Wing Jalandhar following an alert issued by the Patiala police, which had earlier nabbed two other accused -- Harpreet Singh alias Makhan and Sikander Singh, an official said. Two people were killed near Chamar Heri village in Patiala when the three accused opened fire during a robbery bid at a petrol pump on the night of June 17. According to AIG Counter Intelligence HPS Khakh, a tip-off was received from a reliable source that the main accused would be passing via Jalandhar while travelling from Patiala to his village in Dera Baba Nanak, district Gurdaspur. The information was immediately shared with the city police, and joint teams of Counter Intelligence and Division number six laid a trap near bus stand Jalandhar, ...
LIC-IDBI Bank deal tantamount to loot of public savings: CPI(M)
The CPI(M) today strongly condemned the government's decision to allow insurance behemoth LIC to bailout the "worst defaulter" IDBI Bank, stating that the move was tantamount to "loot of public savings". It asked the Centre to rescind the decision. In a statement, the Left party said the Life insurance Corporation (LIC) was a repository of public savings in the form of insurance policies, and using this capital to bailout the "worst defaulter bank was tantamount to loot of people's savings.
Afghan government ends ceasefire with Taliban, resumes offensive
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced an end to his government's unilateral ceasefire with the Taliban on Saturday and ordered the security forces to resume their anti-militancy operations.
Terror groups operating in Kashmir, Naxalites recruiting children: UN
Terrorist groups operating in Kashmir and Naxalites are recruiting children, according to a report by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who urged the Indian government to act against those recruiting children.