Page 541 - War Conflict
Jammu: First batch of Amarnath Yatra flagged off
Amid tight security, the first batch of the Amarnath Yatra was flagged off from Jammu's base camp in Bhagwant Nagar on Tuesday morning.The Yatra was flagged off by BVR Subramanyam, Chief Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir and BB Vyas and Vijay Kumar, advisors to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Narinder Nath Vohra."Amarnath Yatra is a very significant annual event. With cooperation of public, all security agencies and development agencies, we have put a scheme in place and are trying our best to address concerns of the pilgrims. We will ensure smooth flow of traffic," Vijay Kumar said.The pilgrims from different parts of the country have for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in Kashmir, guarded by the security forces in a fleet of vehicles.From there onwards, the pilgrims will start their journey to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine by foot on Thursday.The central government along with the armed forces has beefed up the security for the Amarnath Yatra.Abhay Vir Chauhan, Inspector General .
Helmand peace activists reject Taliban's allegations
The Helmand peace activists on Tuesday rebuffed Taliban's allegations that their campaign is fabricated by the United States, asking the Taliban to provide sufficient evidence for such claims.Head of the peace convoy, Iqbal Khyber, said they are ready to appear in the Taliban court if the insurgent group can gather sufficient evidence if the activists had the support of other countries.Khyber vowed to give an appropriate response to Taliban's claims within next five days."This movement is completely people-oriented and there are no foreign hands behind the initiative. Sixty percent of our journey lied in areas either under the control or influence of the Taliban and we met them (Taliban) during the march. If this movement was fabricated by the US, why you (Taliban) did not realize it before?" Tolo News quoted Khyber as saying.The Taliban said it sees the Helmand peace march as a conspiracy which has been fabricated by the United States and implemented by the High Peace Council ...
Iraqi PM calls for disarmament of PKK
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has called for the disarmament of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist group, including other armed groups."My government wanted to see the complete disarmament of all armed groups operating in Iraq, especially the PKK," Anadolu Agency quoted al-Abadi as saying.At a press conference on Tuesday, he said that his cabinet had also discussed the security issue along Iraq's borders with Turkey and Iran.Earlier this month, the Turkish Armed Forces launched counter-terrorism operations in Qandil Mountain region (a known PKK stronghold) in northern Iraq.Turkey, the US and the European Union (EU) had earlier listed the PKK as a terrorist organization.The insurgent group's terror campaign against Turkey is on for three decades now, which resulted in the killing of more than 40,000 people.
Amarnath Yatra to kickstart today amid tight security
The first batch of pilgrims for the annual Amarnath Yatra will leave from Jammu's base camp in Bhagwant Nagar today amid tightened security.The pilgrims from different parts of the country will leave for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in Kashmir, guarded by the security forces in a fleet of vehicles on early Wednesday morning.From there onwards, the pilgrims will start their journey to the 3,880 metre high cave shrine by foot on Thursday.Inspector General of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu Sector Abhay Vir Chauhan chaired a meeting of senior officials deployed in the region here to review the efficacy of security arrangement for the Amarnath Yatra.During the meeting, various aspects of the security were discussed upon among which security of Base Camp Bhagwati Nagar and security of Yatra route were emphasised.Chauhan also talked about the necessity of optimum utilisation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) on Yatra vehicles.He also reviewed the composition .
UN mission says 12 civilians died in Mali soldiers' revenge
The United Nations mission in Mali says soldiers who are part of a regional counterterrorism force "summarily and/or arbitrarily" executed 12 civilians in retaliation for the death of a fellow soldier. The UN mission said today that unknown attackers shot a Malian soldier on May 19 at the weekly Boulkessy cattle market. It said fellow soldiers from the Malian battalion of the G5 Sahel Joint Force retaliated, and civilians were killed. The mission says it has given its investigative report to Mali's government. The government has not yet responded. The mission says it remains concerned about human rights violations in the central region where Islamic extremist groups operate, urging G5 Sahel and Malian forces to conduct military operations in accordance with international human rights law and to protect civilians.
Russia, Syria clash with West on boosting chemical watchdog OPCW
In a bitter diplomatic battle, Russia, backed by Iran and Syria, today sought to head off a Western push to endow the world's global chemical watchdog with new powers to identify those behind toxic arms attacks. Delegates from 143 countries gathered in The Hague for a special meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) called by Britain and other allies, including France and the United States. It comes as the body is expected to unveil soon its report into an alleged sarin and chlorine gas attack in April in the Syrian town of Douma. Medics and rescuers say 40 people were killed, blaming the attack on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was expected to address the rare special session of the OPCW's top policy-making body later, as London seeks to overcome the lack of an effective way of holding perpetrators to account. "We want to strengthen the Organisation entrusted with overseeing the ban on chemical ...
Burglars loot Rs 54.70 lakh from three ATMs in Nagpur
Cash worth Rs 54.70 lakh was stolen from three ATMs of a nationalised bank in two separate incidents in Jaripatka area of Nagpur on the intervening night of June 25 and 26, police said today. The burglars used gas cutters to break open two unguarded ATMs at Power Grid square and Patankar Square under jurisdiction of Jaripatka police station. In the first incident, the burglars broke open an ATM machine at Power Grid square and fled with Rs 11.35 lakh cash. Similarly, two ATM cabinets were found broken at Patankar square wherein cash worth Rs 27.24 lakh and Rs 16.10 lakh, respectively, was found to be looted, Nagpur Police stated in a release. In another crime, one person was shot at and injured by unidentified person in Pension Nagar area of the city. A Gittikhadan police station officer said that the victim was identified as Kuldeep Pandey who has criminal record. The incident occurred when Pandey was smoking a cigarette at a pan shop when two assailants riding a ...
6 Jharkhand Jaguar Force jawans killed in landmine blast
Six jawans of the Jharkhand Jaguar Force were killed today in a landmine blast carried out by Maoists in the state's Garhwa district, a senior police officer said. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Vipul Shukla said the police got information that some Maoists were present in the Chinjo area of Garhwa district. He said when the security personnel went to the area this evening, the Maoists carried out a landmine blast and opened fire, killing six jawans of the Jharkhand Jaguar Force. Some personnel of the force were also injured in the incident, the officer said. The Jharkhand Jaguar Force is a special unit of the state police. He said that an encounter was going on and additional security personnel were being rushed to the area.
British Taliban recruit convicted of London terrorism plot
A Saudi-born British man who claimed he had been kidnapped by the Taliban in Pakistan and forced to make bombs for them was today found guilty on terrorism charges by a UK court. Khaled Ali was arrested by Scotland Yard officers in April last year on Parliament Street in London and found carrying three knives. The 28-year-old had recently returned from Afghanistan, where he made and detonated bombs, the Old Bailey court was told. A jury convicted Ali of preparing an act of terrorism in the UK, and two counts of possessing an explosive substance with intent. The plumber from north London will be sentenced at a later date and faces life imprisonment. It emerged during his trial that Ali, a qualified gas-fitter, had been under surveillance by MI5 after returning from Afghanistan in late 2016. He had spent more than five years helping construct hundreds of bombs for the Taliban. "We were trying to understand what he was up to here and trying to get the evidence from international partners
JK: Khan is ADGP law and order
Senior IPS officer Muneer Ahmad Khan was today assigned charge as Additional Director General of Police for law and order in Jammu and Kashmir. According to an order issued by the home department, Khan, who is presently posted as ADGP Home Guards, was assigned the additional charge of law and order. The Inspector Generals of Police in Kashmir and Jammu zones have been asked to report to Khan on matters of law and order under the overall supervision of DGP S P Vaid.
Amarnath pilgrims guests of militants, not targets: Hizbul commander
The Amarnath pilgrims are guests of militants and not their targets, a senior Hizbul Mujahideen commander said on Tuesday.
Benazir murder: Key Taliban terrorist resurfaces, denies involvement
Ikramullah, one of Pakistan's most wanted terrorists affiliated to the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and allegedly part of a cell that assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has denied his involvement in the killing in a video released by the group, the media reported on Tuesday.
British Taliban bomb-maker found guilty of plot to attack MPs
A 28-year-old Saudi-born British man was today found guilty of plotting a daring terror attack on lawmakers and making bombs for the Taliban in Afghanistan. Khalid Ali, a plumber-turned-terrorist, was arrested in April 2017 in Parliament Street, where he was caught carrying three knives. Ali had recently returned from Afghanistan, where he made and detonated bombs, the Old Bailey heard. A jury convicted Ali of preparing an act of terrorism in the UK, and two counts of possessing an explosive substance with intent, the BBC reported. Ali, a plumber from Edmonton in north London, did not react as the verdicts were read out. He will be sentenced on July 20, it said. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon described him as an "incredibly dangerous individual". He said his conviction demonstrates "how close the UK counter-terrorism network works with partners and allies to bring to justice those seeking to harm others across the world". Prosecutor Brian Altman had told the jury that Ali .
Miscreants loot over Rs 16 lakh from ATMs
Unidentified persons looted over Rs 16 lakh by breaking at least five ATMs in Odisha's Ganjam district in the early hours of today, police said. The ATMs belonging to the State bank of India (SBI) were located at Ankuli, Khodasingi, Badriraj Nagara (Gishaninuagaon), Lanjipalli and Haladiapadara area. The miscreants used gas cutters to break the ATM machines before stealing the cash, said SP (Berhampur) Pinak Mishra. In some places the miscreants decamped with cash trays from the ATMs, while in other places currencies were found burnt due to the use of gas cutters to break the machines, said Prafulla Kumar Nayak, chief manager of the bank after visiting the looted ATMs. Scientific teams were rushed to the spots and inquiry started into the incidents, the SP said. The robbers tried to break the ATM at Gopalpur Chhaka but fled on seeing police, a police officer said. "We have received a call from Mumbai about the loot attempt of ATM at Gopalpur Chhaka at about 2.30 am. We ..
IEDs found, two Naxals arrested in Bijapur district
Security forces today recovered three powerful improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and arrested two rebels in separate incidents in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-affected Bijapur district, police said. The CRPF's 168th battalion and local police found the IEDs, weighing 5 kg each, buried under a dirt track between Basaguda and Dharmapur villages, a local police official said. The devices had been made using steel tiffins, he said, adding that the bomb disposal squad immediately defused them. Two alleged Naxals, identified as Punem Somlu (34) and Hapka Jila (47), were arrested by a joint team of the CRPF's 85th battalion and local police from their native village Kakekorma, the official said. The two were allegedly involved in torching of vehicles engaged in road construction near Pamalwaya Kalighati on Bijapur-Gangalor road last month, the police offcial said.
Ammunition seizure; Police, explosives experts scour area
A day after a huge cache of explosives and ammunition was unearthed in the district, a top police official today said it could have been buried 35 years ago, even as explosives experts scoured the area. More than 50 boxes of abandoned ammunition, 41 light machine guns, 22 machine guns and five land mines were recovered near Thangachimadam area in the district yesterday. The explosives were recovered after occupants of the house alerted police to what they had discovered while a septic tank was being dug following which police were despatched to the spot. Police said the items seized included eight rolls of wires for connecting the explosives, 20 mines, 11 packets of explosive chemicals, 15 hand grenades, 400 automatic rifle bullets, 5500 small arms ammunition ,4928 SLR ammunition, 199 sniper class bullets and 20 M5-302 bullets. Police and explosives experts were checking the area to find if more explosives and ammunition have been buried, officials said. "We have to ...
Deradicalisation on for youths with leanings towards ISIS: CM
Deradicalisation is underway for 29 youths found to be having leanings towards ISIS, Chief Minister K Palaniswami said today. "The activities of Islamic fundamentalists who owe allegiance to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a terror outfit) are being closely monitored. Deradicalisation is underway for 29 Muslim youths, who were found having leanings towards ISIS," Palaniswami said. A special team in the intelligence wing was keeping tabs on the social media for pro-ISIS elements, the Chief Minsiter said tabling the policy note for 2018-19 for the police department. On the Special Task Force, vested with the responsibility of preventing extremists from taking refuge in the forests of Tamil Nadu, he said their focus of late has been on the tri-junction region of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka (in the Nilgiris district). "Due to continuous sightings and activities of Maoists in the forests of Kerala,especially in Malappuram, Wayanad and Palakkad districts bordering
UN probe accuses DR Congo troops, militia of 'crimes against humanity'
UN investigators today accused the security forces and militia fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of committing crimes against humanity in the country's restive Kasai region. The probe was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council last year to investigate abuses in Kasai, which was plunged into violence in September 2016 after government troops killed a local chieftain, Kamwina Nsapu. The chieftain was opposed to the Kinshasa government and now rebels fighting in his name are battling government forces and a pro-government militia called the Bana Mura. "Some of the abuses committed by the defense and security forces, the Bana Mura militia and the Kamwina Nsapu militia constitute crimes against humanity (and) war crimes," the investigators said. The report will be presented to the rights council next month. It accused both government troops and militia members of targeting civilians in a "systematic or widespread manner," highlighting atrocities that ...
Boko Haram homeless face housing crisis as rains hit
Thousands of men, women and children made homeless by the Boko Haram insurgency risk disease because of lack of shelter in northeast Nigeria, aid workers said today. The Norwegian Refugee Council said more than 4,000 people were having to sleep in the open in the town of Dikwa, where they have fled military operations against the jihadists. Nigeria, which maintains the Islamist militants are virtually defeated, is encouraging internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their homes, as troops wind up operations. But humanitarian organisations say towns outside the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, do not yet have the minimum standards of basic services to cope with an influx of so many people. The Nigeria director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Cheick Ba, said they were "extremely concerned" by the situation in Dikwa, which is 92 kilometres (57 miles) east of Maiduguri. "Children are sleeping outside with nothing over their heads. With the rains now hitting the area, they risk ...
Nearly 60 foreign terrorists among 243 militants operating in Kashmir
Nearly sixty foreign terrorists are among 243 militants operating in Kashmir valley where "Operation All Out"is in full swing to wipe them out to tackle terrorism in the valley. In less than six months, 75 young men including some highly educated have joined militancy in Kashmir valley, thereby raising concerns due to an unusual surge in such persons taking up guns. Police and security forces are to intensify their "outreach programme" to persuade local militants through their families to lay down weapons and join the mainstream. "As many as 243 terrorists are operating in Kashmir valley and of these, 59 militants are foreigners", a senior Police officer told PTI quoting official statistics. Besides, 15 terrorists are operating in Jammu region, it said, adding a total of 188 locals and 70 foreign terrorists are operating in the entire Jammu and Kashmir. Operations against militants in J&K would be intensified in the days to come as extremist activities increased during ...