Page 57 - War Conflict
New evidence links Colombia army chief to civilian slayings
New evidence has emerged linking the embattled head of Colombia's army to the alleged cover-up of civilian killings more than a decade ago. The documents, provided to The Associated Press by a person familiar with an ongoing investigation into the extrajudicial killings, come as Gen. Nicacio Martnez Espinel faces mounting pressure to resign over orders he gave troops this year to step up attacks in what some fear could pave the way for a return of serious human rights violations. Colombia's military has been blamed for as many as 5,000 extrajudicial killings at the height of the country's armed conflict in the mid-2000s as troops under pressure by top commanders inflated body counts, in some cases dressing up civilians as guerrillas in exchange for extra pay and other perks. What became known as the "false positives" scandal has cast a dark shadow over the U.S.-backed military's record of battleground victories. Fifteen years later not a single top commander has been held accountable .
Zakir Musa killing: Situation peaceful in Valley
Barring a few incidents of clashes between youths and security forces at some places, the situation in Kashmir remained peaceful on Saturday in the aftermath of the killing of Zakir Musa, officials said. Musa, the so-called chief of an Al-Qaeda affiliate in the Valley, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district on Friday. "The situation remained peaceful and totally under control today (Saturday)," the officials said. They said a few incidents of mild clashes took place at a few places like Batamaloo in Srinagar and in Pulwama district. These incidents were controlled by the security forces and the situation returned to normal in these areas after some time, the officials said. Following the improvement in the overall situation, they said, mobile internet services were restored in some parts of the valley in the evening.
Afghan forces mistakenly kill 6 civilians in Afghanistan
An Afghan security forces raid against Taliban fighters in eastern Nangarhar province mistakenly killed at least six civilians, including a woman and two children, provincial officials said Saturday. Attahullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, said 10 insurgents were also killed in the Friday night attack in Sherzad district. The civilians' vehicle was exiting the area right after the raid and security forces thought that Taliban fighters were trying to escape, so they opened fire and mistakenly killed the civilians, Khogyani said. Ajmal Omer, a provincial councilman, said villagers carrying the victims' bodies in a procession in the provincial capital of Jalalabad demanded justice for the victims' families. Both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said Saturday it was concerned about the heavy toll on civilians in the conflict during the holy month of ...
Sri Lanka troops hunt Islamists linked to suicide attacks
Sri Lanka's military launched a major hunt Saturday for remnants of an Islamist group which carried out the Easter suicide bombings that killed 258 people, officials said. Several Colombo suburbs were targeted by troops using emergency powers on arrests and detentions adopted after the April 21 attacks. "Special cordon-and-search operations are under way in three areas just outside Colombo," a military official told reporters. Similar operations were also carried out in North Western Province, near Colombo, where anti-Muslim riots this month left one man dead and hundreds of Muslim-owned shops, homes and mosques destroyed. Security forces have arrested scores of suspects in connection with the bombings of three hotels and three churches and over what appeared to be organised violence against the island's Muslim minority. While authorities say the immediate jihadist threat has been blunted, President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday extended for one month the 30-day state of emergency
Two Assam Rifle troopers killed in Nagaland ambush
Two Assam Rifles troopers were killed and four others were injured on Saturday after suspected militants ambushed their convoy near the Nagaland-Assam border, a defence spokesman said.
Increased US presence in M-E dangerous, says Iran
The US decision to deploy additional troops to the Middle East region was "dangerous", said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday.
Afghan forces kill 6 civilians in eastern Afghanistan
Afghan officials say at least six civilians, including a woman and two children, have been mistakenly killed in an Afghan security forces raid against Taliban fighters in eastern Nangarhar province. Attahullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, says 10 insurgents were also killed in the Friday night attack in Sherzad district. The civilians' vehicle came out of the area right after the raid and the security forces thought that Taliban fighters were trying to escape, so they opened fire and mistakenly killed the civilians. Ajmal Omer, a provincial councilman in Nangarhar, said villagers carrying out the bodies in a procession in the provincial capital Jalalabad demanded justice for the victims' families. Both Taliban and Islamic State group fighters are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarha.
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, ...