Page 557 - War Conflict
ITBP reaches Borasu Pass to rescue trekkers
Indo-Tibetan Border Police's (ITBP) 50th battalion reached Borasu Pass near Himachal Pradesh's Chitkul village to rescue those stranded due to heavy snowfall on Friday.Around 12 trekkers, 10 porters and a guide were stuck due to heavy snowfall for the past two days, following which an SOS call was made to the ITBP on June 11.One trekker died after falling ill while the group was on their way to Chitkul from Har Ki Dun (Uttarakhand) via Ranikanda.The ITBP battalion, who had established contact with the group, reached the spot with mountaineering equipment.They have also established a rescue base camp.On a related note, the ITBP's 17th Battalion rescued a person after a car carrying three fell into Sutlej River near Himachal Pradesh's Reckong Peo on Thursday night.The personnel retrieved a dead body and sent the injured person to a local hospital for treatment.The search operation for the missing person is currently underway.
Pakistan Taliban chief killed in US drone strike
A US drone strike in Afghanistan has killed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Mullah Fazlullah, the man in charge of the outfit operations in the Swat Valley when activist Malala Yousafzai was shot in 2012, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
UAE to act against Daesh, AQAP in Yemen: Envoy
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to India Dr. Ahmed Al Banna said Friday that his country's government will take all measures necessary to help neighbouring Yemen free itself from the grip of terrorist groups like the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh.In a statement issued here, Dr. Al Banna said, "An Arab coalition has launched military and humanitarian operations in Western Yemen to facilitate uninterrupted supply of relief aid to the Yemeni people by liberating the Red Sea port city of Hodeida from terrorist control.""The coalition action is at the request of the legitimate government of Yemen. Yemeni President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi yesterday reiterated his call to the Arab coalition to liberate the port city of Hodeidah through military means after having exhausted all efforts to reach a political solution because of the intransigence of the Houthi rebels," Dr. Al Banna added."The Arab coalition is spearheaded by the Yemeni National Army, aided by local Yemeni ...
Four including two cops injured in Srinagar
Four people, including two policemen and two civilians, were injured on Friday in a militant attack here in Srinagar.
Peace for Eid as Afghanistan observes ceasefire
Afghans greeted the beginning of Eid with prayers today as the Muslim holiday dawned in peace for the first time since the 2001 US-led invasion, after the Taliban agreed to an unprecedented ceasefire. Flocking to mosques for special morning worship marking the first day of the festival, youngsters in the war-battered country expressed cautious optimism, following the suspension of fighting between Afghan security forces and the militants. "On almost every Eid we have had attacks -- this is a rare Eid without violence," Samiullah, 17, who is almost the same age as the conflict, told AFP after prayers at the Shah-e Do Shamshira mosque in central Kabul. "We are hopeful peace will come to Afghanistan." Fourteen-year-old Sohrab Ahmad, who earns money polishing shoes outside the mosque, said he could not remember an Eid without fighting. "I believe there will be peace between the Taliban and the Afghan government," he said. But not everyone was so hopeful. "I don't think there will be peace
Pranab condemns killing of Bukhari
Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday expressed deep anguish over the killing of senior journalist and Editor-in-Chief of English daily "Rising Kashmir" Shujaat Bukhari.
Militants attack security forces, five injured
Five persons, including two policemen, were injured today as militants opened fire on a security forces' party carrying out random vehicle checking in Kak Sarai area of the city, police said. Security forces had established special check points in many parts of the city, a day after senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari and his two personal security guards were killed in a militant attack. "During the checking of vehicles at Kak Sarai, militants opened fire on the cops, who also retaliated," a police official said. He said two cops and three civilians were injured in the exchange of fire. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt for the assailants.
Filipino Muslims mark Eid amid ruins of war-torn Marawi
Muslim residents of a southern Philippine city devastated by last year's bloody militant siege are celebrating the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr in gunfire-riddled mosques while many whose homes were leveled by the fighting prayed in tent shelters. A few thousand people walked past burned homes Friday to the city landmark, the pockmarked Golden Mosque, to celebrate the holiday marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. In an evacuation center elsewhere in the lakeside city, homeless residents prayed in the open for an end to their misery. The holiday is a reminder of how life has crept back to normalcy for thousands who have returned home, but also of uncertainties for many others months after troops quelled the five-month insurrection by Islamic State group-aligned fighters.
Rathore condemns killing of Army jawan in Pulwama
Union minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore dubbed the reported killing of an Army jawan by militants as "frustration of coward terrorists", adding that "for each of our fallen soldier, a thousand more will rise". The bullet-ridden body of Aurangzeb was recovered from Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday, hours after he was abducted by militants on his way home for Eid celebrations. "Beginning of the end of terrorism in kashmir.It shows the frustration of coward terrorists when they abduct, torture and murder an unarmed 'Rifleman Aurangzeb' while he was on leave to celebrate Eid with his family," Rathore said in a tweet. "For each of our fallen soldier, a thousand more will rise'," he said. The slain jawan belonged to 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and was posted at the 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Shadimarg in Shopian. PTI MP .
Bodies of three Naxals recovered in Sukma
Sukma District Police on Friday confirmed the retrieval of three uniformed bodies of Naxals following a joint security encounter carried out by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF) in the Chintagufa village area.Sukma Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Meena said the encounter took place around 10 a.m. on Friday and added that four weapons, including a 315 rifle, a pistol, a Bharmar and a Katta were also recovered.As per the security forces, the Naxals had laid ambush while they were travelling from Gattapad to Tokanpalli village, following which the encounter broke out.On June 11, three Naxals were arrested from Chhattisgarh's Sagmeta area by the police.The police also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition from their possession.
Maharana Pratap was greater than Akbar: UP CM
It was not Akbar, but Rajput king Maharana Pratap who stood up to the might of the Mughal Army, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said. Speaking at a function to mark the Maharana Pratap Jayanti yesterday, he asserted, "It was not the Mughal emperor Akbar, but Maharana Pratap who was great for he displayed exemplary courage in the face of the might of the Mughal army. "It is not important as to who won the Battle of Haldighati...what is important is who stood up to the most powerful army of those times...Maharana Pratap displayed the courage and valour which is rare in history...the battle continued for years in the hills of Aravalli, and finally after winning back all his forts, it was proved that it is was not Akbar, but Maharana Pratap who was great," he said. It is a popular view of historians that the forces of Mughal emperor Akbar had defeated Maharana Pratap in the battle of Haldighati in 1576. "He (Maharana)... guarded the self-respect and honour of the country
Rs 54 lakh looted in Jharkhand
Unidentified criminals looted Rs 54 lakh from ICICI staffers who were going to deposit the cash in an ATM in Jharkhand's Palamu district on Friday.
Robbers loot cash from petrol pump
Robbers looted Rs. 70,000 in cash at gunpoint from a petrol pump in Dudu area of the district, police said today. The incident occurred late last night at the petrol pump located near Mokhampura village on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway. The accused opened fire in the air and looted the cash from the cashier, SHO of Dudu Police Station Hari Singh said. A hunt is on for the robbers.
Afghan president touts cease-fire in Eid address
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is touting a three-day cease-fire with the Taliban in an address to the nation heralding the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. The holiday marks the end of the Ramadan holy month, when devout Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. The cease-fire took effect at Friday and lasts through the three-day holiday. Ghani is using the opportunity to appeal for a lengthier cease-fire and call for the Taliban come to the negotiating table instead of returning to the battlefield. The Taliban agreed to the cease-fire but leader Haibaitullah Akhunzada reiterated his demand for talks with the U.S. before sitting down with the Afghan government. Across Asia, the faithful are celebrating the end of the holy month in Indonesia, Pakistan, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Countdown for Taliban ceasefire begins
The countdown for the Taliban ceasefire has begun, the Afghanistan Ministry of Defence said.As long as as weapons are left at the gates, Taliban fighters can enter cities, including Kabul, to spend time with friends and family over Eid, Tolo News reported.The Taliban on June 9 announced a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday, two days after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced the ceasefire from the 27th of Ramzan (June 12) to the fifth day of Eid-ul-Fitr (June 19).It is the first time the Taliban has agreed to a ceasefire for Eid since the US invasion in 2001.Since the announcements were made, government's ceasefire has been marred by clashes between government forces and militants.On June 11, three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and five others wounded in clashes with the Taliban in northern Sar-e-Pul province.One area that has been hard hit is Faryab district's Kohistan province where more than 100 government forces are still under siege.Meanwhile, the ..
The mean, tough war machine and its complex course (Book Review)
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US drone strike kills senior Pakistan Taliban chief in Afghanistan: Report
Maulana Fazlullah, the chief of Pakistani Taliban, has been killed in a US drone strike in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, according to media reports today. The US military said yesterday it carried out a strike targeting a senior militant leader in Afghanistan. It did not identify the militant. The Express Tribune, however, citing sources said the drone strike that took place in the Nur Gul Kalay village of Dangam district killed Fazlullah and four other Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) commanders. Unconfirmed reports from locals said Fazlullah has been killed, the Voice of America reported. Pentagon officials declined to comment on whether the strike was successful. Fazlullah and his commanders were having an Iftar party at a compound when a remotely piloted US aircraft targeted them, the report quoted a source as saying. The TTP, however, did not confirm the death of its chief in the drone strike. Fazlullah had directed numerous high-profile attacks against the US and Pakistani ...
Toll in Nicaragua protests reaches 155
The death toll in Nicaragua from protests against President Daniel Ortega's rule has increased to 155 after a 15-year-old boy was shot dead, authorities said.
Two girls shot at, injured in Canada
Two girls were wounded and rushed to a Toronto hospital after a playground shooting in a housing complex in Scarborough, Canada, local media reported.
US military targets senior militant in Afghanistan: official
The US military said yesterday it carried out a strike targeting a senior militant leader in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, where Pakistani Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah is believed to be hiding. "US forces conducted a counterterrorism strike, June 13, in Kunar province, close to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which targeted a senior leader of a designated terrorist organization," Lieutenant Colonel Martin O'Donnell said in a statement. It added that US forces were continuing to "adhere to a ceasefire" which Kabul has entered into with the Afghan Taliban, the country's main insurgents, seemingly ruling out that group, amid US media reports the attack had targeted Fazlullah. The US State Department in March announced a $5 million reward for help locating the militant leader, who has been linked to bloody attacks in Pakistan and the 2010 attempted Times Square car bombing in New York. It said the group, also known by its Urdu name Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) has ...