Page 56 - War Conflict
French police hunt suspect after Lyon bomb attack
French police were on Saturday pulling out all the stops to locate a suspect following a blast in the heart of Lyon that wounded 13 people. "All means have been activated to identify and detain the person who committed this act," Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz told media in Lyon, the third-biggest French city. The blast occurred just two days ahead of hotly contested European Parliament elections and with France on watch for any repeat of recent deadly terrorist attacks which have rocked the country. Heitz has taken charge of the investigation into "attempted murder in relation with a terrorist enterprise and association with terrorist criminals." French Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said late Friday however that it was too soon to say whether the blast could be termed a "terrorist act". President Emmanuel Macron initially called the Friday evening explosion an "attack" but later took a more cautious tone with a tweet that condemned "the violence that has struck" the city's ...
Defence Finance Secy visits Army locations in Ladakh sector
Gargi Kaul, Secretary Defence Finance, recently visited various locations of Fire and Fury Corps in the Ladakh Sector to gain first-hand knowledge of the difficult conditions in which troops are deployed while defending the nation's borders.This comes as part of the outreach initiative of the Ministry of Defence, read an official release issued on the visit.Kaul interacted with Lt Gen YK Joshi, General Officer Commanding, Fire and Fury Corps and understood the myriad terrain, weather and health challenges faced by troops of the Fire and Fury Corps. She also visited various forward locations in the sector including Siachen.During her interactions with the troops, Kaul conveyed the appreciation of the nation for their commitment and perseverance and also assured them of all support from the Ministry of Defence in the execution of their duties.
Two Assam Rifles personnel killed in encounter along Indo-Myanmar border
Two Assam Rifles personnel were killed and four others injured during a gunfight with a group of militants in Mon area along the Indo-Myanmar border in Nagaland on Saturday, military sources said. A column of Assam Rifles jawans on two vehicles encountered an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast in the area around 1:30 pm, they said. The blast was followed by exchange of fire between the Assam Rifles personnel and militants in which two soldiers were killed. They said four other Assam Rifles personnel were injured in the gunfight and they were given immediate medical treatment, sources said, adding they are stable now. The two Assam Rifles personnel killed included one junior commissioned officer (JCO). The incident took place near border pillars 147 and 148 along the Indo-Myanmar border, sources said.
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh planning to set up permanent bases in eastern states: MHA
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sounded an alert about plans of terrorist outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) making permanent bases within 10 kilometres of the India-Bangladesh border in the eastern states of Tripura, Assam and West Bengal. A gazette notification, issued by the MHA Joint Secretary Piyush Goyal on Thursday, said the terror outfit has also plans of "spreading its network in south India with an overarching motive to establish Caliphate in the Indian subcontinent." The notification said the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Indian or Jamaat-ul- Mujahideen Hindustan are in the list of 41 terror organisations, already banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The JMB and its sister formations such as the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan have committed acts of terrorism, promoted acts of terrorism and have been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youths for terrorist activities in India, the notification ...
Book sequel to give exclusive account of Balakot airstrikes, surgical strikes
Exclusive account of the Balakot airstrikes and first-hand reports of other anti-terror encounters will make for some of the stories in the sequel of "India's Most Fearless 2", publisher Penguin Random House India announced. Set to release in June, 2019, the book written by journalist-author duo Rahul Singh and Shiv Aroor will share "untold narrative of the biggest recent anti-terror operations" by the Indian army. Co-author Shiv Aroor said that while opening with an account of the airstrikes in Balakot, the book narrates other such heroic tales with more details. "We were astonished by the interest and readership of India's Most Fearless -- we knew that readers wanted stories about military heroes, but we weren't prepared for that level of interest and hunger for such tales. "We're very pleased to open Part 2 with an account of the Indian Air Force's airstrikes in Balakot, though the core of our book takes things much deeper, with even more detailed, up-close accounts of military ...
Police hunt suspect after explosion in French city of Lyon
French police are hunting a suspect following an explosion that wounded 13 people in a busy pedestrian street Friday in the city of Lyon. Police issued an appeal for witnesses Saturday with a photo of a man with a bike caught on video surveillance. They describe the suspect, wearing light-coloured shorts and a long-sleeved dark top, as "dangerous." He is believed to have deposited a sack or package that exploded. Regional authorities said 13 people suffered mostly minor injuries, including 11 who were still in the hospital on Saturday morning. France's counter-terrorism office opened an investigation and the counter-terrorism prosecutor, Remy Heitz, will host a news conference Saturday at noon. Lyon mayor Gerard Collomb said he had no indication about the suspect's motives.
Death toll in Quetta mosque blast rises to 4
The death toll from an explosion inside a mosque in Pakistan's Quetta city rose to four as an injured person succumbed to his wounds.
Punjab Police jawan dies on election duty in UP's Hathras
A 45-year-old Punjab Police jawan deployed here during the counting of votes died after falling ill, police said Saturday. Gurmeet Singh from Muktsar in Punjab suddenly fell ill on duty on Friday and was taken to the district hospital, where he died in the night, police said. The reason of his death would be known after a post-mortem, they said. He was deployed at a local polytechnic college during the counting of votes, police added.
US move to deploy additional troops 'threat to world peace': Iran FM
Hours after the United States announced that it will deploy 1500 additional troops to the Middle East as a "protective measure", Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday deemed the move "extremely dangerous for world peace", state media reported.In an interview to IRNA just before his departure to Tehran at the conclusion of his two-day visit to Pakistan, Zarif said that the US was levelling baseless allegations against Iran to justify its aggressive policy towards the country.The top Iranian diplomat added that the move would only "simmer tensions" in the Persian Gulf regions.In a press briefing on Friday afternoon, Pentagon officials had informed that about 600 troops have already arrived in the Middle East with the Patriot battery, a defence system designed to track and destroy incoming missiles, while the remaining 900 troops will be deployed to mainly operate intelligence surveillance radar and drones.The move had come hours after the US Secretary of State ...
Lone Maha Cong MP questions liquor ban in Chandrapur
The only Congress MP who won in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Maharashtra Saturday questioned why only Chandrapur district has a liquor ban and not the entire state. Dhanorkar had defeated Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir from Chandrapur in the just-concluded Lok Sabha polls. Speaking to a news channel, Dhanorkar alleged that Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar imposed the liquor ban in Chandrapur to appease people in his Assembly constituency. "The decision to ban liquor was taken by Chandrapur MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar to please some 15,000 voters in his Assembly constituency. A lot of people lost employment. It has not been implemented properly and a huge illegal trade in liquor is in place and the state is losing revenue," he alleged. "You (BJP) are in power in the state and country. Why don't you ban liquor all across Maharashtra," he asked.
Soldier commits suicide in Baramulla
An Indian Army soldier shot himself on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police sources said.
Tamil Nadu outfit inspired Sri Lankan suicide bombers, claims Buddhist monk
A Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, who was controversially released from jail, has claimed that a Tamil Nadu-based Islamic organisation had inspired the local Islamist extremist group NTJ for carrying out the country's worst terror attack on Easter Sunday. Earlier this month, the Sri Lankan Army chief said that some of the suicide bombers visited Kashmir and Kerala for "some sorts of training" or to "make some more links" with other foreign outfits. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, killing nearly 260 people and injuring 500 others. Hardline Buddhist monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara, speaking to reporters on Friday, said that two Tamil Nadu Thowheeth Jamaath (TNTJ) men -- Ayub and Abdeen -- visited Sri Lanka. "They met one Abdul Razik here. The idea was to provoke Buddhists to attack Muslims. They spread stories derogatory of the Buddha," Gnanasara said. The hardline Buddhist monk was addressing .
Guterres says 'Dhanyawaad' for India's enormous contribution to UN, peacekeeping
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed gratitude for India's contribution to the United Nations and its peacekeeping missions, underlining the inspiring role Indian women have played for the world body to help maintain international peace and security. India today contributes about 6,400 peacekeepers to various missions across the world, Guterres said on Friday during a special tea reception hosted by India's Permanent Mission to the UN to commemorate the International Day of UN Peacekeepers and pay homage to those who couldn't return after their service in the missions. My message is of gratitude for the enormous contribution that India has been giving to all causes of the United Nations but in particular to peacekeeping and (I) express my enormous admiration for the courage and the spirit of sacrifice of Indian peacekeepers - women and men, a high percentage of women - in support of the ideals of UN, Guterres told PTI. The event, attended by UN ambassadors and diplomats, ...
Guterres appoints Indian Army officer as commander of UN mission in South Sudan
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed a decorated Indian Army officer as the new Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, 57, will succeed Lieutenant General Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda who completes his assignment on May 26. The announcement was made by the UN chief on Friday. The decorated Indian Army officer "has had a long and distinguished career with the Indian Armed Forces spanning over 34 years," a statement by the UN Spokesperson said. Tinaikar graduated from the Indian Military Academy in 1983 and is currently serving as the Commandant of the Infantry School since July 2018. He previously served as the Additional Director General of Military Operations at the Army Headquarters from 2017 to 2018. From 2012 to 2017, he commanded a division, a recruit training centre and a brigade. Tinaikar was awarded the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service. From 1996 to 1997, he served in the ...
Powerful IEDs seized in Chhattisgarh
A major tragedy was averted when security forces recovered five powerful IEDs, planted by Naxals, in Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district, police said Saturday. The IEDs, weighing 10 kg each and packed in cookers, were unearthed from a dirt track near a well between Uparchandeli and Khalichandeli villages under Keshkal police station when a joint team of security forces was carrying out a de-mining operation on Friday to detect explosives planted by ultras, a senior police official told PTI. Acting on specific inputs, the operation was carried out by District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police towards Uparchandeli and Khalichandeli area, located around 250 km away from here, he said. The Improvised Explosive Devices were planted near the well to target security personnel when they look for water resources during patrolling in forests, the official said, adding that the explosives were later destroyed by a ...
Indian to head UN peacekeeping in South Sudan
The commandant of the Indian Army Infantry School, Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, has been appointed the commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the second biggest peacekeeping operation.
UN lauds gender balance in Indian peacekeeping troops
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has praised India for having the highest proportion of women in its contingents to peacekeeping operations and held up its contributions as an example of contributions to UN values.
Restrictions continue in Kashmir Valley after Musa killing
Restrictions continued on Saturday for the second day in various parts of the Kashmir Valley after security forces killed al-Qaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwat-ul Hind commander, Zakir Musa, in an encounter in Pulwama district.Security forces were on high alert and all educational institutions across the Valley have been closed as a precautionary measure, officials said.Mobile internet services remained suspended for the second consecutive day to prevent inflammatory posts from being uploaded on social media platforms, they said.Musa was killed in an encounter with security forces in Tral in Pulwama district on Thursday. One AK-47 rifle and a rocket launcher were found from the encounter site. The operation was launched following inputs about Musa's presence, police said.Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir Range, SP Pani, had on Friday said that no collateral damage was caused during the operation.
At least 29 inmates killed in clashes at Venezuela jail
At least 29 prisoners were killed and 19 police wounded in clashes at a jail in western Venezuela Friday, authorities said. The incident at the police station jail in the town of Acarigua, in Portuguesa state, occurred when police special forces (FAES) tried to stop a "massive prison break" which resulted in the deaths of 29 inmates, according to Portuguesa public security secretary Oscar Valero. The prisoners received the officers with "a hail of gunfire" while detonating three grenades, which injured 19 police, Valero told reporters. The Una Ventana a la Libertad NGO, which defends prisoner rights, gave a preliminary toll of 25 dead. NGO director Carlos Nieto said the clashes broke out when the FAES attempted to rescue visitors who had been taken hostage Thursday by the "pran" -- the leader of the inmates -- at the jail. "This morning (authorities) sent the FAES and there was a clash. The detainees had weapons, they shot at the police. Apparently they also detonated two grenades," ..
Lanka freezes bank accounts of 41 terror suspects
Bank accounts of 41 terror suspects in Sri Lanka having links with the outlawed Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) that was behind the Easter Sunday bombings in the country have been frozen, according to a media report. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that the suspects are under the custody of the Terrorist Investigations Department (TID) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 258 people and injuring over 500 others. The accounts have a total amount of Rs 134 million (USD 759,335) which was in addition to Rs 14 million (USD 79,333) seized from the possession of the suspects at the time of their arrest, Gunasekara was quoted as saying by the Times Online on Friday. Meanwhile, the CID has also launched an investigation into assets worth Rs 7 billion (USD 30 million) belonging to the suspects, he ...