Page 561 - War Conflict
Lanka Cabinet approves bill to set up an office to compensate civil war victims
The Sri Lankan Cabinet has given nod to a bill to set up an Office of Reparations to compensate victims of the three-decade long civil war bewteen the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE, Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said today. According to the government figures, around 20,000 people are missing due to various conflicts including the 30-year- long separatist war with Lankan Tamils in the north and east which claimed at least 100,000 lives. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which led the separatist war for a separate Tamil homeland, was finally crushed by the Lankan military in 2009 with the death its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran. "As part of implementing the resolutions by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the Cabinet endorsed a Bill to be enacted by Parliament for the payment of reparations in respect of war-affected and missing persons," Senaratne, also the Health Minister, said. Sri Lanka is under international pressure to set up transitional justice ..
Yemen forces launch assault on rebel-held port city
Yemeni forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition launched a major offensive today to retake the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, despite UN warnings of a "catastrophic humanitarian impact". Field commanders told AFP that troops pushed towards Hodeida airport after Yemeni pro-government forces received a "green light" from the coalition. The offensive is controversial because the port serves as the entry point for 70 per cent of Yemen's imports as the country teeters on the brink of famine. The coalition accuses the Huthi rebels of using the port to secure Iranian arms, notably the ballistic missiles the militants have increasingly fired into Saudi territory. Coalition sources said the alliance carried out 18 air strikes on Huthi positions on the outskirts of Hodeida today. According to medical sources in the province, 22 Huthi fighters were killed by coalition raids, while three pro-government fighters were killed in a rebel ambush south of Hodeida. The port city, home to 600,000 ...
Dalai Lama hails Trump-Kim talks
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday hailed the Singapore summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Yemen forces launch assault on Hodeida port city: field commanders
Yemen pro-government forces launched an offensive today to seize the key port city of Hodeida from Huthi rebels, field commanders said. Loyalist troops have begun pressing towards Hodeida airport, south of the strategic Red Sea city, the commanders said on condition of anonymity. The assault began at around 1:15 pm (1015 GMT) after Yemeni pro-government forces received a "green light" from the Saudi-led coalition, they said. The commanders spoke to an AFP correspondent in the town of Al Jah, approximately 30 kilometres southeast of rebel-held Hodeida. Sources in the Saudi-led coalition said the alliance had carried out 18 air strikes on Huthi positions on the outskirts of Hodeida in recent hours. According to medical sources in the province, 22 Huthi fighters have been killed over the past 24 hours by coalition raids, while three pro-government fighters were killed in a rebel ambush south of Hodeida.
3 soldiers Killed in clashes with Taliban
Three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and five others wounded in clashes with the Taliban in northern Sar-e-Pul province on Monday.According to a spokesman for 209 Shaheen Army Corps, Mohammad Hanif Rezayee, the clashes took place after the Taliban attacked security check posts in Qaflatoon village, Sar-e-Pul city and opened fire on security forces."The Taliban has also suffered casualties but there is no exact information about their casualties yet," Tolo News quoted Rezayee as saying.There is a report of the security forces having suffered heavy casualties.Also, a number of villages in the provincial center are believed to have fallen to the Taliban.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.
Saudi-led forces begin assault on Yemen port city of Hodeida
A Saudi-led coalition backing Yemen's exiled government began an assault today on Yemen's port city of Hodeida, a crucial battle in the 3-year-old conflict that aid agency warned could push the Arab world's poorest country into further chaos. Before dawn, convoys of vehicles appeared to be heading toward the rebel-held city on the Red Sea, according to videos posted on social media. The sound of heavy, sustained gunfire clearly could be heard in the background. Saudi-owned satellite news channels later announced the battle had begun, citing military sources. State media in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates did not immediately acknowledge the assault. Forces loyal to Yemen's exiled government and irregular fighters led by Emirati troops had neared Hodeida in recent days. The port is some 150 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Sanaa, Yemen's capital held by Shiite rebels known as Houthis. Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash earlier told French ...
J-K: 4 BSF personnel killed in ceasefire violation by Pak
Four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel lost their lives and three others sustained injuries in a ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Chambliyal sector of Samba in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.Among the deceased were two BSF jawans, one Assistant Commandant and one Sub-Inspector, who were killed during the shelling while they were out and retaliating.Earlier in May, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan had spoken to each other on the issue of ceasefire violations and terrorist activities and agreed to fully implement the ceasefire understanding of 2003, to ensure that ceasefire will not be violated by both sides.Both the DGMOs had reviewed the prevailing situation along the Line of Control and International Boundary in Jammu and Kashmir, according to an official statement.
Kim says denuclearisation dependent on ceasing antagonism: KCNA
Ridding the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is dependent on Washington and Pyongyang ceasing moves that antagonise each other, the North's state media said today. "Kim Jong Un said in order to achieve peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and realise its denuclearisation, the two countries should commit themselves to refraining from antagonising... each other out of mutual understanding," the state-run KCNA news agency said.
US-led airstrikes kill 12 of family in Syria
At least 12 civilians of the same family were killed by renewed US-led airstrikes on Syria's northeastern province of al-Hasakah, state news agency SANA reported.
Paris hostages freed, gunman arrested
A four-hour hostage standoff in Paris came to an end with the police arresting the armed man and freeing those held.The Paris Police Prefecture said that there was "a police intervention" underway in an advertising agency in the Rue des Petites-Écuries in the 10th arrondissement of the French capital, CNN reported.Two hostages were held after which the police launched an evacuation operation to help bring them out of the building.The police described the accused as an "unstable person" and confirmed that he did not seem to have any connection with any terrorist outfit.Further, the motive of the accused has also not been disclosed yet.
Libya strongman advances in battle to take eastern city
Forces loyal to Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar said today they are advancing rapidly on the eastern city of Derna, despite troops being hit by suicide attacks. Haftar has vowed to "liberate" Derna, an Islamist stronghold that is home to more than 120,000 people and the only eastern city outside of his control. But as his self-styled Libyan National Army continued its offensive on Tuesday, two explosions were heard as suicide bombers hit forces in the southern Shiha district. Without giving a toll for the attack, LNA spokesman Khalifa al-Abidi said civilians were among the casualties as the roof of a family home collapsed. Last night, he said, another suicide attack killed two LNA fighters and wounded three. The LNA was "advancing steadily to liberate a very small remaining pocket before liberating the whole of Derna," he added. Abidi said "terrorists" were "resorting to suicide attacks after they failed to tackle" the LNA conventionally. Derna is held by a ragtag alliance of Islamist
French police free hostages, arrest assailant
French security forces detained the man who took hostages in central Paris and rescued all of the captives safe and sound, the interior minister said.
Arrest of gunman ends hostage seige in central Paris
A gunman who took two people hostage in central Paris today has been arrested and his victims freed "safe and sound", police in the French capital said. "Two hostages. including one who had petrol poured on them," have been freed police said. The standoff began around 4 pm (1400 GMT), with BFM television reporting that the man had entered the offices of a start-up company on the Rue des Petites Ecuries, a gritty area of the bustling 10th arrondissement. At least one other man was lightly injured while fighting with the hostage-taker and escaping before police arrived on the scene. The motive for the attack was not clear but incident did not appear to be terrorism-related. "Based on our initial investigations it could be a mentally unstable person whose motivations are still unclear," another source said. France has been on high alert after a series of jihadist attacks in the past three years, most recently a Saturday night knife attack in Paris last month in which one person was ...
Kabul suicide blast: Death toll rises to 17
The death toll in the suicide bombing incident on Monday at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) in Darulaman, Kabul has risen to 17, confirmed the Kabul officials.According to a report by Tolo news, another 40 people were wounded in the blasts that happened at around 1 p.m. (local time) at the gates of the MRRD.The explosion happened while employees were leaving the building for the day.The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the latest attack in the Afghan capital.The attack was just one of numerous around Afghanistan on Monday.The bombings come in the wake of the Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani's ceasefire initiative with the Taliban, starting from the 27th day of Ramadan (June 12) to the fifth day of Eid-ul-Fitr (June 19).In response to Ghani's announcement, the Taliban had on Saturday declared a three-day ceasefire over the Eid holiday.
2 policemen killed, 11 injured in predawn attacks by militants in J-K
Militants today carried out two predawn attacks on security forces in Pulwama and Anantnag districts of Jammu and Kashmir, killing two police personnel and leaving 11 others injured. Militants struck at the police picket guarding the district court complex at Pulwama when people from across Kashmir, including the policemen posted in the guard room, were observing Lailatul Qadr, the night of power. "The terrorists opened firing on the police personnel, resulting in death of two policemen and injuries to another," a police official said. The slain policemen were identified as Ghulam Hassan and Ghulam Rasool. The injured personnel was taken to a hospital for treatment and his condition is stated to be stable, the official said. In a rare development, thousands of people participated in the funeral prayers of the slain personnel when their bodies reached their native villages in north Kashmir. The killing of Ghulam Rasool, a resident of Lolab in Kupwara district, was widely mourned as ...
Norway wants to double US troops and deploy them closer to Russia
Norway will ask the United States to double the number of US troops stationed in the country and deploy them nearer the border with Russia, the government said today. The announcement came after nine nations along NATO's eastern flank called Friday for the alliance to bolster its presence in their region. Since last year, 330 US Marines have been deployed on rotation at Vaernes in the centre of Norway, despite loud protests from Russia. Oslo said it wants to boost the troop numbers to 700 and station them further north at Setermoen, 420 km from Russia. The US deployment agreement would also be extended from the current six-month renewable periods to five years. "The defence of Norway depends on the support of our NATO allies, as is the case in most other NATO countries," said Defence Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen in a statement. "For this support to work in times of crises and war, we are are totally dependent on joint training and exercises in times of peace," he added. Bulgaria, Czech
Paris police in 'hostage taking' standoff with armed man
Dozens of police officers converged in an area of central Paris today in response to a "hostage taking" situation by an armed man, police sources said. The man is "armed and holding at least two people," a source told AFP, adding that "the situation is quite confused" but did not appear to be terrorism-related. France has been on high alert after a series of jihadist attacks in the past three years, most recently a Saturday night knife attack by a man in Paris last month in which one person was killed.
25 killed in Taliban attacks on first day of ceasefire in Afghanistan
The Taliban on Tuesday launched several attacks against Afghan security forces, officials said, killing at least 25 people as militants captured Kohistan district on the first day of a unilateral ceasefire announced by the government.
India-Nepal joint military exercise ends in Pithoragarh
The 14-day-long India-Nepal joint military exercise in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh focusing on counter-terrorism and disaster relief operations ended today. Lectures, demonstrations and drills related to counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, and disaster management were conducted as part of the SURYA KIRAN-XIII exercise to enhance the skills of troops, a defence press release said here. The training ended with a 72-hour outdoor exercise in which troops of both contingents carried out a cordon and search operation in a mock counter-insurgency drill in a village. During the final-phase of the exercise, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Uttar Bharat area, Major General Neeraj Verma, Brigadier Ajay Kumar Vig and Brigadier Ranjan Mallik were present as observer representatives of the Indian Army, the release said. Major General Rajendra Karki, Divisional Commander, Mid Western Division, along with two brigadier-rank officers were present from the Nepal Army, it said. Besides ...
UN chief says Trump-Kim summit 'important milestone'
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today welcomed the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as "an important milestone" toward the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Guterres urged all those concerned to "seize this momentous opportunity" and again offered UN help to achieve the goal of dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The summit held in Singapore was "an important milestone in the advancement of sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean peninsula," Guterres said in a statement. Trump and Kim signed a joint statement in which Pyongyang pledged to "work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula" but the term "verifiable" did not appear in the text. Agreeing to verification would entail international inspections of North Korean military sites to certify that nuclear weapons and the means to produce them have been scrapped. Ahead of the summit, Guterres stressed that a