Page 543 - War Conflict
Explosives recovered after encounter with naxals in Jharkhand
Security forces have recovered a huge cache of explosives following an encounter between security personnel and naxals in East Singbhum district of Jharkhand, police said. The encounter took place yesterday night when a joint team launched a massive anti-naxal operation at Yuktidih, Bhadua, Pungoda and Chekam villages of Ghatsila sub-division. The team was led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Operations), Pranav Anand Jha and Assistant Commandant of the 207 battalion of CoBRA, Ankush Chauhan. When the security personnel reached a spot between Pungoda and Bhadua villages, the naxals opened fire at them, forcing the security personnel to retaliate, Jha said. The encounter lasted for around two hours. The naxals, however, managed to escape under the cover of forest, he said. The security personnel launched search operation in the area during which they recovered under barrel grenade launcher (UBGL), detonators, fuse wire, pistol, six rounds of live ammunition of 9 mm .
Two LeT militants killed, one surrenders in Kashmir
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed while a third one surrendered to security forces on Sunday in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district.
LeT commander among 2 killed in Kashmir, one surrenders
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including the terror outfit's self-styled divisional commander Shakoor Dar, were killed in an encounter with security forces, while another surrendered, in Kulgam district of south Kashmir today, police said. The police said that a tip-off had been received about the presence of some militants at Cheddar village in Qaimoh of Kulgam district this afternoon, after which a crack team of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the Army and the CRPF, cordoned off the suspect house. Appeals were made to the terrorists to surrender but they opened fire at the security forces, triggering a gunfight, the police said. Shakoor Dar, a self-styled divisional commander of the LeT, was killed in the encounter along with another militant. The identity of the second militant killed in the encounter was yet to be ascertained. He is believed to be a Pakistani national, according to the police. The third militant surrendered before the forces, along with arms and ...
J&K cops to intensify 'outreach programme' to bring new militant recruits back to mainstream
Concerned over an unusual rise in the number of people joining the ranks of militants, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has decided to intensify its "outreach programme" to persuade them through their families to lay down weapons and join the mainstream. The police are reaching out to the families of the newly recruited militants and asking them to appeal to their wards to return home after shunning guns, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police S P Vaid told PTI. The outreach programme will continue to bring the misguided youths back home and "mainstream them", he said, adding that "it has resulted in some success and several militants have shun militancy and returned to their homes". A police officer said that over 80 people, some of them with postgraduate degrees, have joined the ranks of militants in Kashmir Valley this year. There is a trend now of highly-educated men joining militancy in Kashmir. The youths joining militancy has picked up after the killing of 21-year-old Hizbul .
Sri Lanka arrests villagers for killing leopard
Police in Sri Lanka today arrested two men accused of beating a leopard to death in a "sickening" attack that was captured on film and sparked revulsion. The pair were accused of killing the big cat on Thursday after it attacked nearly a dozen people in a village 330 kilometres (210 miles) north of Colombo. Gruesome images of the leopard, a protected species in Sri Lanka, being savagely beaten were shared on social media, generating widespread disgust. "It is sickening to see these images," wildlife deputy minister Palitha Thewarapperuma told parliament as he promised swift action to arrest the perpetrators. Police said the two men were remanded in custody by a court as investigations continued to track down the others responsible. "We have the two main suspects in custody, but we are looking for 10 others who have aided the killing," a police spokesman said. Sri Lanka's leopards are on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of endangered animals. Harming ..
Two LeT militants killed in Kashmir
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed on Sunday in a gun battle with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, authorities said.
Soldier found dead near home in Kashmir
A soldier was found dead on Sunday under mysterious circumstances near his home in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, police said.
2 LeT militants killed in encounter in south Kashmir
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam district of south Kashmir today, police said. The encounter began this afternoon at a village in Kulgam as Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the CRPF and the Army, were carrying out operations to clear a national highway ahead of the Amarnath Yatra, beginning June 28, a senior police official said. The encounter was still going on, the official said. Further details were awaited.
NSCN(IM) cadre arrested in Arunachal Pradesh
Security forces in Arunachal Pradesh has apprehended an over-ground worker of NSCN (IM) during an operation at Longding district on Saturday. Based on specific intelligence inputs, the Longding Battalion of Assam Rifles yesterday launched an operation and apprehended the cadre of the outlawed outfit, Kohima-based Defence Spokesman Colonel Shiranjeet Konwer said. During interrogation, the cadre admitted that he terrorised people in the district to extort money for the outfit, he said. The Longding battalion, under the aegis of Dao Division of the Indian Army, has been carrying out relentless operations in south Arunachal Pradesh to maintain peace in the area, Konwer said, adding that yesterday's arrest would go a long way in creating fear among the "anti-national" elements in the district.
1985 Air India bombing 'single worst terrorist attack' in Canada's history: Trudeau
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has described the 1985 Air India bombing as the "single worst terrorist attack" in the country's history as he paid tributes to the 329 victims of the Kanishka Flight 182 which was blown off mid-air. "On this day in 1985, Canadians awoke to news that defied belief, and left our country in a state of shock and suffering," Trudeau said yesterday, marking the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in Canada. Air India Flight 182, bound for London after picking up passengers in Toronto and Montreal, disappeared from radar off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985. A bomb planted on the plane in Canada in an act of terror exploded on board, killing all 329 people on board, including 280 Canadians. "The Air India bombing remains the single worst terrorist attack in Canada's history. This horrific act of malice and destruction left families and friends grieving the loss of loved ones, and brought pain that will never completely go away,"
NSG introduces pyschology test to select future commandos
The NSG has included a new and comprehensive psychology test for entry-level soldiers aspiring to be inducted and honed as 'black cat' commandos who undertake special counter-terror and counter-hijack operations in the country. The federal contingency force till now used to put Army and paramilitary troops under rigorous physical and mental strength tests once they join the commando conversion course (CCC) to get inducted into the premier force. Soldiers desirous of joining the National Security Guard (NSG), modelled on the lines of special counter-terror forces of the UK and Germany, will now have to undergo a special capsule of psychology tests and questions during the 3-month CCC, a senior official in the Union home ministry said. He said a threshold mark has to be obtained by a soldier in the psychology test like qualifying the other physical and mental parameters in order to join the force. The force had a "pressing" need for a full-time pyschologist in its commando selection ...
Modi urges people to follow path of peace
Calling the Jallianwala Bagh massacre an "embarrassment to humanity", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to follow the path of "peace and non-violence, renunciation and sacrifice" as "violence and cruelty can never solve any problem".
Mozambique's gas-fuelled future threatened by jihadists
An unprecedented wave of jihadist attacks in northern Mozambique has raised fears the country will fail to fully cash in on a gas bonanza. After 180 trillion cubic feet of natural gas were discovered off the country's northeastern shore, Mozambique entertained dreams of following Qatar down the path towards wealth. The government even predicted that by 2035, the country's GDP per head could increase sevenfold. But the southeast African country's golden vision has been thrown into doubt by an explosion of bloodthirsty assaults by a shadowy jihadist group in the region where the industry plans to base its hub. Since October, more than 30 people have been killed in brazen assaults on unarmed villagers. Security forces have rushed reinforcements to the area yet seem powerless to stem the attacks. Terrorised, many civilians have fled their homes and a cloud hangs over the great expansion plans. US oil and gas giant Anadarko, the largest exploration company in the region, has invested USD 4
Canadian PM calls Air India bombing an act of 'malice'
Canada remembered the 329 victims of Air India Kanishka Flight 182 which was blown off mid-air on June 23, 1985.
First Russia air strikes hit south Syria as assault looms
Russia bombed rebel-held parts of southern Syria for the first time since brokering a ceasefire there nearly a year ago, a monitor group has said, as allied regime troops prepare a ground assault. Southern Syria is a strategic prize for local and global players involved in the country's convoluted seven-year war. After securing the capital Damascus, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appears keen to recapture the southern provinces of Daraa and Sweida, still mostly held by rebels. He has sent military reinforcements there for weeks, dropped flyers demanding rebels surrender, and escalated bombardment in recent days. Late last night, his Russian allies bombed rebel-held towns in Daraa for the first time since the summer of 2017, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Intense Russian air strikes are hitting towns in Daraa's eastern countryside for the first time since the ceasefire was agreed in southern Syria last year," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. The Observatory ..
MP tea seller's daughter makes it to IAF
Aanchal Gangwal, a 24-year-old girl from Neemuch district in Madhya Pradesh and the daughter of a tea seller, has been selected in the flying branch of the Indian Air Force (IAF).Aanchal says she was inspired by the rescue operation carried out by the Indian armed forces during the 2013 floods in Uttarakhand."When I was in class 12, there were floods in Uttarakhand and I was impressed with the way the armed forces rescued the flood affected and decided to join the forces, but the family condition was not conducive at that time." Aanchal said.She says clearing the Air Force Common Admission Test was not an easy task for her.Over the years she faced the interview board five times and was only successful the sixth time, whose results were declared on June 7.She was among the 22 selected from all over the country and the only one from Madhya Pradesh. Over 6 lakh students appeared for the exam.Her father, Suresh Gangwal, who runs a tea stall at the Neemuch bus stand, said: "Now everyone in
Helmand peace team to protest outside embassies
The Helmand peace team from Sunday onwards will commence a sit-in protest, outside embassies and diplomatic missions in Kabul.At a press conference, on Saturday, Bismillah Watandost, the convoy's spokesman, stated that the members of the peace convoy will hold protests outside a number of embassies and diplomatic missions for three days.Watandost said, the first protest will be launched on Sunday outside the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA), Tolo News reported.Earlier this week, the activists gave the Taliban three days to revert to their demands including, a month-long ceasefire. However, the insurgent group didn't respond to the convoy's plea."We will spend three days in front of each embassy. During these three days, we will try to launch demonstrations in those countries that we are protesting against. By holding our demonstration's(in the country), we want to create a relationship between our people and the citizens of those countries; and we hope the ...
Afghan-Taliban peace hopes rises after Saudi King's statement
Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz's recent statement on Afghanistan-Taliban ceasefire has added to the growing optimism in Afghanistan that peace talks with the Taliban could resume.King Abdulaziz on June 20 said, that he has followed with great interest the truce reached over Eid-ul-Fitr between the two sides.The High Peace Council welcomed the king's and the Imam of Kaaba's statement and said it would help the cause. The Kaaba Imam also prayed for peace and stability in Afghanistan."No doubt, Saudi Arabia has influence over the Taliban and their foreign supporters, especially Pakistan. We hope that Saudi Arabia, as the center of Muslim countries, will put the necessary pressure on the Taliban so that Afghans will witness a peaceful future," Tolo News quoted Sayed Ehsan Taheri, the spokesman for the High Peace Council as saying.Since Saudi Arabia shares cordial relations with Taliban, it can help establish peace in both the regions.Taliban still has not officially showed any ..
Taliban continues to fight Afghan forces despite govt's ceasefire
Despite Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's decision of extending the ceasefire by ten days, the Taliban continues to fight the Afghan government forces.Afghan Defence Ministry said dozens of security force members have been martyred in Taliban attacks in the past four days in at least 10 provinces.They did not, however, provided the exact number of casualties."We have had casualties during the (past) week, but in the past 24 hours, we imposed casualties on those who acted against the ceasefire," Tolo News quoted Mohammad Radmanish, the Defence Ministry spokesman as saying.In the attack of June 15, Taliban stormed a police outpost on the outskirts of Gardez City, the capital of Paktia province, in the northeast of Afghanistan.Eyewitnesses said at least five policemen were killed in the attack."Changes have happened in Taliban attacks. Anti-government armed militants have increased their attacks," Tolo News quoted Sardar Wali Tabasum, spokesman for Paktia Police Chief as ...
Canada observes 'The National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism'
Canada, on June 23, observed the 'National Day of Remembrance' for Victims of Terrorism that marks the anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight in 1985.On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 was en route from Canada to India when a bomb exploded mid-flight killing every passenger on board.To honour the victims of the bombing and other acts of terrorism that killed Canadians, flags across Canada are flown at half-mast on this day."Every year in Canada June 23 is the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, that marks the anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight in 1985. Today we pay our respects to victims of terrorism all over the world," Canada in Armenia tweeted.A total of 329 people were killed, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens.