Page 544 - War Conflict
New protest in Greece against Macedonia name deal
Some four thousand people protested in Thessaloniki, against a name deal between Greece and Macedonia, police have said. The protesters, mainly from the far right, brandished banners reading "politicians traitors", an AFP journalist said yesterday. They marched towards the offices of the governing parties of SYRIZA and ANEL,with some turning violent and hurling objects. Police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. Greece and Macedonia last week signed a historic preliminary agreement to rename the small Balkan nation the Republic of North Macedonia, ending a row that has poisoned relations between the two neighbours since 1991. As the two countries' foreign ministers signed the deal Greek protesters clashed with riot police, who beat them back with tear gas near the small Greek village of Pisoderi, 25 km away. Six policemen and six protesters were injured, police said, as around 500 demonstrators waving Greek flags tried to approach the ceremony. The accord aims to start ...
32 Fulani civilians killed in Mali attack: local group
At least 32 civilians were killed and ten are missing following an attack in central Mali, believed to have been carried out by traditional hunters, local officials said today, as the government said 16 bodies had been found. Armed Dozo hunters, linked to the Dogon ethnic group, were suspected of ambushing the isolated village of Koumaga in the Mopti region yesterday, killing dozens of Fulani herders, including children. "They surrounded the village, separated the Fulani people from the others and killed at least 32 civilians in cold blood," said Abel Aziz Diallo, president of the local Tabila Pullaku association. Another 10 people were missing, he added. "The men were dressed in Dozo clothing but we wonder if they were all Dozo hunters," said an elected official from the region, speaking on condition of anonymity. Violence has increased over the past three years in central Mali between nomadic Fulani herders and Bambara and Dogon farmers, sparked by accusations of Fulanis grazing ...
France arrests 10 ultra-right suspects over plot to attack Muslims
Ten people with links to the radical far-right have been arrested by anti-terrorist police in France over an alleged plot to attack Muslims, judical sources said today. The arrests were made Saturday in operations across France but mainly on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, the sources told AFP. The suspects had an "plan to commit a violent act targeting people of the Muslim faith," one source close to the probe said. Another source said the gang was looking to hit "targets linked to radical Islam". France has been hit by a string of jihadist attacks since early 2015, often by people who have become radicalised or claim to have acted in the name of the Islamic State group. More than 240 people have been killed in the attacks, including 130 who lost their lives in a wave of bombings and shootings in November 2015.
Mali says 16 killed in attack on ethnic Fulani village
Mali's government says 16 people have been killed as the Fulani ethnic group faces growing pressure over accusations of links to al-Qaida extremists. The leader of Mali's largest Fulani association says the death toll is higher, with 32 civilians killed Saturday when a community militia attacked Koumaga village in the central part of the country. Abdoul Aziz Diallo says the death tolls differ because many bodies had been buried by the time Malian security forces arrived. Diallo says another eight people are missing. Koumaga village has the reputation of being home to a number of al-Qaida-linked extremists. Such fighters have been attacking security forces and a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the West African nation regularly since 2015. Security is a key concern ahead of Mali's election on July 29.
Egypt extends its state of emergency for another 3 months
Egypt has extended its state of emergency for another three months. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's decision was published in the official gazette today. It should be approved by parliament within seven days and go into effect on July 14. Egypt has been under a state of emergency, after an Islamic State affiliate bombed two Coptic churches in April last year killing at least 44 people. Egypt has been battling Islamic militants for years, but the insurgency gained strength after the 2013 overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president. The militants have mainly targeted security forces and Christians. In February, Egypt launched a massive security operation against militants in Sinai, parts of Egypt's Nile Delta and the Western Desert.
Separatists call for strike tomorrow in protest against civilians' killings
Separatists today called for a strike in Kashmir tomorrow against the recent civilians' killings allegedly in the security forces firing. A 23-year-old man was allegedly killed in security forces firing today after a group of youth pelted stones on them while an encounter was on in Chedar Ban area of Qaimoh in Kulgam district of south Kashmir, police said. The JRL (Joint Resistance Leadership), comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, has called for a complete shutdown tomorrow, a JRL spokesman said in a statement. The spokesman said the separatist trio have expressed serious concern over the re-starting of operation all-out and cordon and search operation (CASO)" in Kashmir ... especially in south Kashmir which has resulted in the killing of four innocent civilians. Security forces have been carrying out operations to sanitise the Jammu-Srinagar national highway ahead of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage, beginning June 28, another senior police ...
Afghanistan: IS leader behind recent Jalalabad attacks killed
A senior leader of the Islamic State group's offshoot ISIS Khorasan (ISIS-K), who was involved in the recent attacks in Jalalabad city, has been killed during an operation of the Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS).ISIS-K leader, identified as Adam Khan was killed on Saturday night in the vicinity of Chaparhar district in Nangarhar province, Khaama Press reported, citing the statement issued by the provincial government media office on Sunday.According to the provincial government, the recent deadly attacks in Jalalabad (cricket ground, customs department, medical faculty, and education directorate) were planned and carried out under the leadership of Adam Khan, the report said.Some weapons, motorcycles, and munitions have also been confiscated during the operation.On May 27 at least two back to back explosions were reported in Jalalabad city.This came barely a few days after three back to back explosions at a cricket stadium in the city killed at least eight .
Youth injured in J&K clash on Friday succumbs
A youth, injured in clashes with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Friday, succumbed in a hospital here on Sunday, police said.
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".