Page 535 - War Conflict
Encounter underway in Kupwara
An encounter broke out today between security forces and militants in the forests of Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. A police official said security forces launched a search operation in the forest of Kupwara following information about presence of militants there. He said the exchange of firing was going on between the two sides but there were no casualties reported so far.
Jharkhand: 3 cops, abducted by 'Pathalgarhi' supporters, rescued
Three policemen, who were abducted from the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Karia Munda, have been rescued on Friday.The three policemen were posted at the BJP MP's residence.Initial investigation suggested that supporters of 'Pathalgarhi', a movement to declare certain geographical areas as self-governed by putting up stones, were responsible for the abduction on Tuesday.On receiving the information of 'Pathalgarhi' at Anigara, Khunti Superintendent of Police Ashwani Sinha reached the spot with more than 400 police to stop the movement."An ambush was laid by the Naxalites, in which 6 police of jaguar force were killed and 400 injured. Related search operations are going on by the police," said Sinha.Although the police tried to convince the villagers in a peaceful manner to return to their own villages and cancel this program, hundreds of them surrounded the police and cornered them on all four sides.This led to a lathi-charge by the police, after which several villagers
AR jawan injured in twin blasts in Nagaland
An Assam Rifles jawan was injured in twin IED blasts triggered by NSCN(K) insurgents in Phek district of Nagaland, an officer of the paramilitary force said. The blasts took place near Akhegwo village when a road opening party of the paramilitary force was providing security for the passage of an Assam Rifles convoy at 3 pm yesterday, he said. The Assam Rifles jawan suffered splinter injuries on his chest and leg in the blasts, which took place within a gap of some time, he said. He was immediately evacuated to the Army Hospital in Jorhat, where his condition is stated to be stable, he said. The Assam Rifles convoy was coming from Kiphire district. The NSCN(K), in a statement, has claimed responbility for the blasts. Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and four others suffered injuries in an ambush by insurgents of the same outfit near Aboi in Mon district on June 17.
Russian military to reach modernization goal by 2021: Putin
Modern weapons in the Russian Armed Forces will reach planned figure of 70 per cent by 2021 and some of them will surpass their foreign equivalents by decades, President Vladimir Putin has said.
French cement maker Lafarge accused of terror funding in Syria
French cement giant Lafarge has been put under formal investigation over allegations of funding terrorist groups, including Islamic State (IS), in Syria.A panel of French judges appointed by the Paris High Court also charged the company with complicity in crimes against humanity between 2011 to 2014, in a bid to continue its operations in the war-ravaged country, The New York Times reported.The French prosecutors laid additional charges on Lafarge for violating a European Union (EU) embargo on oil purchases.The judges noted that it would investigate the French cement maker for putting the lives of its employees at risk to help keep its plant in Syria running as the civil war worsened there.Eight former company executives, including two former chief executives, have been indicted recently on charges of terrorism funding and endangering the lives of Lafarge employees in Syria. All of them have resigned from the company.Lafarge had merged with Swiss cement maker Holcim in 2015 after the .
Libyan strongman Haftar announces 'liberation' of Derna
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar announced today the "liberation" of Derna, the only city in the eastern region beyond his control, from radical Islamist militias. "We proudly announce the liberation of Derna, a city dear to all Libyans," said Haftar in a televised speech. A spokesman for his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) earlier said troops stormed the last stronghold of the "al-Quaeda organisation" in the city centre. The port city had been held by a ragtag alliance of Islamist and jihadist militias, including groups close to Al-Qaeda hostile to both Haftar and the Islamic State group. The LNA launched an offensive on May 7 to seize the city, a coastal town of nearly 150,000 people, about 1,000 kilometres east of Tripoli. Accused by his opponents of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship in Libya, Haftar supports a parallel government that rules over eastern Libya and challenges the authority of the UN-backed government based in Tripoli in the west.
Several dead in newsroom shooting in US city of Annapolis: reports
Several people were reported killed today at a shooting at the offices of the Capital Gazette, a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, the capital of the US state of Maryland. The local ABC7 news reported "multiple fatalities" quoting police in the historic city located an hour east of Washington. "ATF Baltimore is responding to a shooting incident at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis," the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco said on Twitter. County Sheriff Ron Bateman told Fox News a suspect had been taken into custody.
NSCN-K rebels ambush Assam Rifles troopers in Nagaland, injure one
Myanmar-based National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K) on Thursday continued its stepped-up attacks on Indian security forces, injuring an Assam Rifles trooper in Nagaland.
Weather plays spoilsport on day 1 of Amarnath Yatra; 1,007 pilgrims pay obeisance at cave shrine
Weather played spoilsport on the first day of the Amarnath Yatra as heavy rainfall delayed the commencement of the annual pilgrimage, resulting in only 1,007 pilgrims paying obeisance to the naturally formed ice-lingam at the holy cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas. "The commencement of the Amarnath Yatra was considerably delayed this morning due to continuing rain since last night. As it could commence only in the afternoon, from both the Baltal and the Pahalgam routes, only 1,316 yatris were able to start the journey through the Baltal route and 60 through the Pahalgam route," a spokesman of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said. He added that by the evening, 1,007 pilgrims had paid obeisance at the holy cave. Intermittent rains during the day forced the authorities to suspend the yatra briefly on the Baltal route as the pilgrims were asked to stay put at the Domel camp. However, as the weather improved, the pilgrimage was resumed in the afternoon. Amid tight security, .
Man lynched in Tripura on suspicion of being child lifter
A person was lynched while two others were injured by a mob suspecting them as child lifter in Tripura's Urabari area on Thursday.The deceased, Zahir Khan, was from Uttar Pradesh and engaged in retailing of crockery and garments in remote markets for the last 20 years in Tripura.The incident took place this morning when three of them reached Urabari in a car, and a mob comprising of more than 300 people attacked the trio after they mistook them as child-traffickers.On receiving information, troopers from a nearby Tripura State Rifles camp rushed to the spot to rescue them but were overpowered by the mob.Later, an additional force was called and Police had to resort to tear gas shells, lathi-charge, and fire in the air to control the irate mob.One of the injured Swapan Mia said, "There were around 300 to 400 people who attacked us. They suspected us child lifters in reference to the Mohanpur incident. I showed them my driving license, Aadhar and identity card but they still attacked ...
UN has better mechanism to deal with cases of sexual abuse by its troops: Lacroix
The United Nations now has a better mechanism to deal with instances of sexual exploitation by its peacekeeping forces, a top UN diplomat said today, adding that such instances undermine the work done by the intergovernmental organisation. Speaking at an event here, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, also highlighted the rising fatalities among the UN peacekeeping forces. He said the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) lost 61 personnel last year, "largest in decades". On the instances of sexual exploitation by UN troops, Lacroix said, "This is really something that massively undermines peacekeeping for a number of years. That image, the perception of peacekeepers is unfortunately associated with these despicable acts". He said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has taken up these issues at the highest level and the UNPKO now has a better mechanism to deal with such cases. Many contingents have their national ...
Rs 50,000 award for info on abducted constables: J'khand govt
The Khunti district administration today announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for those giving information about the whereabouts of three policemen, who were abducted from BJP MP Karia Munda's residence at Anigada-Chandihdih in the district recently. We are continuing with the search operation, Aswini Kumar Sinha, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Khunti district, said. He said Rs 50,000 would be given to those who inform the police about the whereabouts of constables - Vinod Kerketta, Sion Surin and Subodh Kujur, adding that the details of the informers would be kept secret. The constables, who were deployed at the BJP leader and Lok Sabha member Karia Munda's house, were abducted by the supporters of 'Pathalgarhi' on June 26. Pathalgarhi is reportedly a practice in which villagers inscribe various tenets on huge stone slabs and ban outsiders in the area. The police had said that the accused took out a procession and barged into the house of Munda, and took away the policemen. They also .
Two killed, six hurt in mob attacks in Tripura
Two persons, including a vendor from Uttar Pradesh, were lynched on Thursday and six others seriously injured in mob attacks in Tripura, police said.
Cong should realise its mistake of doubting armed forces: Parrikar on surgical strikes video
Hours after television channels aired a footage of the September 2016 surgical strikes along the Line of Control in Pakistan, then defence minister Manohar Parrikar today said the Congress should realise its "mistake" of doubting armed forces and questioning the veracity of the operation. He also rejected a suggestion that the government might have leaked the footage in view of upcoming elections, saying that the polls were a year away. Earlier in the day, the Congress accused the Modi government and the BJP of "politicising" the strikes after the video of the operation was aired by news channels. Soon after the strikes, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam had questioned the authenticity of the government's claim of carrying out the strikes against terror launch pads along the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan. "I feel they (Congress) should realise their mistake. I do not know whether (an) apology is (the) right word for it. They should be very careful while commenting on the issues of .
Boris Johnson hails agreement on chemical weapons ban
The British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has hailed the international community coming together to strengthen the global ban against chemical weapons use."The special session of the Conference of States Parties in The Hague on Wednesday agreed that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will immediately start work to help identify those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria. This is very important because it fills a crucial gap left when the United Nations Security Council was prevented from renewing its own investigation in November," a statement issued by the British High Commission read.This initiative has been led by the UK, and championed by the Foreign Secretary, who spoke at the special session on Tuesday and personally lobbied Ministers from 25 countries as part of the diplomatic effort.82 countries voted in support of the proposal, tabled by the UK at the Conference of States Parties."Chemical weapons are an affront to human dignity and have no
One killed, four hurt in mob attack in Tripura
At least one mobile vendor from Uttar Pradesh was lynched on Thursday in Tripura and four others including a policeman were seriously injured when a mob attacked them suspecting them to be child lifters, police said.
Egypt says 10 militants killed in raids, 2 arrested
Ten suspected Islamic militants were killed and two arrested in police raids across Egypt as they hunted down the perpetrators of a deadly car bomb attack, the interior ministry said today. It said those targeted were members of Hasam, a jihadist group which the authorities have linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. They were allegedly involved in a March 24 car bombing on the eve of elections targeting a security chief for Alexandria in northern Egypt that killed two policemen. Six militants were killed and a weapons cache unearthed as security forces raided a hideout in Beheira province, northwest of Cairo, the ministry said. It said a suspect was arrested in a residential apartment in Alexandria where arms and explosives were also seized. A shootout in Assiut province, south of Cairo, left four other suspects dead, it said, adding that a Hasam member who had allegedly acquired the car used in the Alexandria attack was also arrested. The ministry's statement did not specify ...
Explosion kills eight Afghans as they call for peace
A bomb killed eight people at a small gathering calling for peace in the Afghan province of Logar today, officials said, underscoring the suffering of civilians amid growing calls for an end to the conflict. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast in the volatile province south of the capital Kabul, but officials said the bomb was detonated as a crowd of war-weary locals had gathered in the district of Charkh to demand peace. "Eight people, all of them civilians, were killed. Four more injured. They had gathered in support of peace," Charkh district governor Mohammad Hanif Hanafi, told AFP. Shamshad Laraway, a spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed the account, and said the authorities were investigating the nature of the blast. Calls for peace have gathered steam in the war-ravaged country after the Taliban agreed to a three-day ceasefire during the Muslim festival of Eid early this month. The ceasefire, the first in the nearly 17 years since the US ...
French firm Lafarge charged with complicity in crimes against humanity in Syria
French cement giant Lafarge was charged today with complicity in crimes against humanity and financing a terrorist organisation for paying millions to jihadist groups, including the Islamic State, to keep a factory in Syria open during the war. A legal source said the company, which paid the armed groups through middlemen, has also been charged with endangering the lives of former employees at the cement plant in Jalabiya, northern Syria. French rights group Sherpa, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said it was the first time that a company anywhere in the world had been charged with complicity in crimes against humanity. The allegations against Lafarge, which merged with Swiss firm Holcim in 2015, are the most serious against a French company in years. Lafarge was ordered to hand over 30 million euros (USD 35 million) to authorities as a security deposit ahead of the trial. Eight Lafarge executives, including former CEO Bruno Laffont, have already been charged with financing a ...
Bloodiest day yet in south Syria offensive
A barrage of Russian strikes on rebel-held towns in southern Syria killed 22 civilians today, the bloodiest day yet of the government's offensive in the strategic region. With Moscow's help, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's army has battered the south for more than a week with air strikes, rocket fire and crude barrel bombs. The bombardment has forced more than 45,000 to flee their homes in search of safety, according to the United Nations, while others huddle in their basements to wait out the raids. Today, air strikes identified as Russian killed 22 civilians, a monitoring group said, most of them in a single town. "At least 35 Russian air strikes hit the town of Al-Mseifra," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "One of them hit a basement where people were taking shelter, killing 17 civilians, including five children," the Britain-based monitor said. The hospital in Al-Mseifra had been put out of service by Russian strikes on Tuesday night, the Observatory and relief ...