Page 600 - War Conflict
Ceasefire: Security forces keeping fingers crossed
Security agencies were keeping their fingers crossed over a fresh unilateral ceasefire announced by the Centre during Ramzan beginning today, as a similar exercise nearly two decades ago witnessed the killings of 129 people including 43 security personnel, according to officials. The security agency officials felt a need to monitor the situation closely as terror groups had used such a window as an opportunity to regroup themselves and carry out more attacks on security establishments. The Centre yesterday announced that security forces would not launch any operation in the state during the holy month of Ramzan but they reserved the right to retaliate, if attacked. The announcement came ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. "It is important to isolate the forces that bring a bad name to Islam by resorting to mindless violence and terror," a Home Ministry spokesperson had said yesterday. During his Independence Day address last year, Modi had ..
Afghan President appeals militants to refrain from violence during Ramadan
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has appealed the Taliban group and other militants to refrain from violence in the wake of the holy month of Ramadan.According to Khaama Press, the Afghan president, in a video message released on the occasion of Ramadan, said "he expects that the Taliban and other armed militants do not spread chaos and instability for the worshippers during Ramadan."Echoing Ghani's sentiments, UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan Tadamachi Yamamoto appealed to the militants as well to cease fighting and embrace peace."I sincerely hope that the observation of Ramadan will provide an opportunity for all communities in Afghanistan to come closer to each other and build bridges peacefully. In the same spirit, I would like to call parties to the conflict to respect this religious obligation and halt the fighting," the report quoted Tadamachi, as saying, in a statement.This year, Ramadan began in the evening of May 16 and will end in evening of June ..
BSF jawan among two injured in Pak shelling along IB in Samba-Kathua region
A BSF jawan was among two persons injured when Pakistan Rangers opened fire and lobbed mortars at over 15 Border Out Posts and some civilian areas along the International Border in Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said today. The firing and mortar shelling along the IB in Samba district started around 2 am, while it started at around 10 PM last night in Kathua's Hiranagar sector, a senior BSF officer told PTI. BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated and the exchange of fire was going on when reports last came in, the officer said. Schools in five km area along the IB have been closed by authorities in the wake of the shelling, officials said. Giving details, the officer said, Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire and resorted to heavy and unprovoked mortar shelling and firing along the IB on 10 to 15 BoPs in Samba and Kathua districts since last night. In the exchanges, a BSF jawan suffered injuries and has been hospitalised. While one BSF jawan ...
LeJ Balochistan chief, two suicide bombers killed in Pak military operation
Banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi's Balochistan chief Salman Badeni, a "high-value" militant involved in over 100 murders on minority Hazaras and police personnel, was killed today during a security raid in southwest Pakistan, the military said. The security forces carried an intelligence based operation in the Killi Almas village on the outskirts of Quetta, capital of the Balochistan province, after receiving information that suicide bombers and terrorists were hiding in the restive region. "During operation three terrorists including 2 suicide bombers and a high value target Salman Badeni LeJ head of Balochistan were killed," according to a statement by the ISPR, Pakistan Army's media wing. Security forces killed the LeJ chief involved in killings of over 100 innocent personnel of Hazara community and police, it said. "Two suicide bombers killed were Afghani. The group was involved in target killings of innocent Hazara community and police," it added. An army officer was killed
Explosion bid foiled in Kabul
A massive explosion bid has been foiled in Afghan capital city Kabul after the security forces discovered and defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted under a culvert on a main road in Qarabagh district.According to Khaama Press, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) explained that the IED was defused before it was detonated.No comments have been received from the anti-government armed militant groups including both the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) in connection with this report so far.The terror outfits are said to have a pattern of using explosives for the roadside bombings and car bombings to target the government staff and security personnel.However, in majority of these incidents civilians are targeted, a few casualties are incurred on the security personnel and in some cases the militants are themselves blown away, ending up either dead or wounded, the report said.
2 IS militants killed in US airstrike in Afghanistan
Two militants of the Islamic State (IS) terror group have been killed in an US and NATO-led airstrike in Afghanistan's Nangarhar, a government statement on Thursday.
Jawan injured as Pakistan targets border posts, civilian areas
Pakistan Rangersopened fire and lobbed mortars at over 15 Border Out Posts and some civilian areas along the International Border (IB) in Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir overnight, leaving a BSF jawan injured, an official said today. BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated and the exchange of fire was going on when reports last came in, a senior BSF officer told PTI. "Pakistan Rangers violated the ceasefire and resorted to heavy and unprovoked mortar shelling and firing along the IB on 10 to 15 BoPs in Samba and Kathua districts since last night", the officer said. In the exchanges, a BSF jawan suffered injuries and has been hospitalised, the officer said. On May 15, a 28-year-old BSF jawan was killed as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by opening fire on forward posts to help infiltrators cross the International Border (IB) in Samba sector. Troops also foiled four infiltration bids along the IB since Sunday. The BSF jawan's death took the number of ...
UN: Since March 30, over 1,000 children injured in Gaza
Since March 30, more than 1,000 children have been injured by Israeli forces in the besieged Gaza Strip during demonstrations, according to UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).Many of these wounds are severe and life-altering."Recent violence has exacerbated the already weak health system in the Gaza Strip, which is crumbling because of the severe power cuts and shortages of fuel, medicine and equipment," UNICEF said in a statement, as quoted by Anadolu Agency.UNICEF and its partners, on Wednesday, provided the Gaza Strip with two truck-loads of urgent medical supplies for approximately 70,000 people.On May 14, in the recent clashes between the Israel and Palestine at the Gaza Strip, at least 62 Palestinian demonstrators lost their lives and more than hundred were injured.Unidentified Palestinians were killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire at the eastern border of al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.A large number of Palestinians gathered to protest on the Gaza Strip's eastern border to
Police search scandal-tainted Malaysian ex-premier's home
Malaysian police searched the home of scandal-tainted former premier Najib Razak today as the new government probes a massive graft scandal after sweeping to power in historic elections. At least a dozen police vehicles converged on Najib's family compound in the capital Kuala Lumpur in the early hours, with a number of officers entering the home, an AFP journalist saw. Najib's lawyer said officers had searched the ex-leader's home and an apartment for over six hours as part of an investigation into money-laundering, but no arrests were made. The new government, headed by 92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad who secured a stunning election victory last week, has vowed to probe allegations Najib oversaw the looting of a sovereign wealth fund. "The police just took some handbags and some clothes," lawyer Harpal Singh Grewal told AFP, adding that Najib had cooperated with the officers. "We have no indication yet if police will make any arrest." Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor, deeply unpopular due to
Nicaraguan opposition talks with President Daniel Ortega
President Daniel Ortega's first formal talks with Nicaraguan opposition and civic groups since he returned to power in 2007 quickly became heated and confrontational today. The dialogue, mediated by the Roman Catholic Church, came after more than 60 people died amid a government crackdown on demonstrations against social security cuts. Ortega was greeted by jeers as he arrived at a seminary on the outskirts of Managua with his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and a large security detail of about 500 riot police. "Killers! Killers! Killers!" opponents chanted. That animosity quickly appeared inside as well, when student representative Lesther Aleman interrupted Ortega, shouting that he must halt the repression to show he is serious about dialogue. "Order it now, in this moment, the repression of the police, of the paramilitary forces, of your party's gangs that have been massacring and killing. ... In less than a month you've ruined the country; Somoza took years." Aleman said, ..
Aurangabad clashes: One more arrested
A man named Laxminarayan Bakhariya alias Lachhu Pehalwan has been arrested by Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Diwan Deodi in connection with the clashes that broke out between two communities in multiple areas of Aurangabad city on May 11 night.Two people died and over 40 people were injured, including police personnel, in the clashes that broke out over the removal of a water connection to a place of worship in Moti Karanja area.About 50 shops were also gutted in the clashes, as hundreds of youths took to the streets to pelt stones when the water connection issue took a communal colour.On May 14, Additional Director General (ADG) (Law and Order) of Maharashtra Bipin Bihari assured that action will be taken against those responsible for the clashes.He had informed that 52 people were detained in connection with the case and after inquiry, around eight people were allowed to go.
Pakistani forces kill militant wanted for more than 100 murders
A notorious Islamist militant wanted for more than 100 murders was killed in an intense gunfight with security forces in southwestern Pakistan today, the military said. Pakistani forces raided the Killi Almas village on the outskirts of Quetta, capital of the restive Balochistan province, based on a tip that there were suicide bombers hiding there, according to a military statement. Three militants were killed in the firefight that erupted, including Salman Badeni, the provincial commander of the sectarian militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Badeni -- described by authorities as a "high-value target" -- was wanted for his involvement in the killing of more than 100 people, including policemen and members of the minority Shiite Hazara community. The other two militants were suicide bombers, the military said. An army intelligence officer was also killed in the operation, it added, and four other soldiers were wounded -- two of them critically. LeJ, a Sunni group, is widely ...
2 communities involved in stone-pelting over playing of music: Delhi Police
Two communities indulged in stone pelting in north Delhi's Sadar Bazar following an argument over playing of music, the police said today. The incident was reported on the intervening night of May 15 and 16. During the incident, the man, who was playing DJ, also sustained minor injuries. The police were informed about the incident and controlled the situation. They dispersed the crowd and deployed force in the area. The injured person was rushed to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital and was discharged after treatment, the police said. Police have registered a case of rioting against unidentified persons and are investigating the matter. Police said they got a meeting conducted of the local peace committee and now the markets are open and situation is peaceful. Police are maintaining a vigil in the area.
Three children drown in temple tank in Goa
Three children hailing from Karnataka drowned in a temple tank in a village in a South Goa district late on Wednesday, police said.
Iraq: Armed men trap election workers in Kirkuk, block count
Iraqi officials said today that armed men have trapped election workers inside their offices in Kirkuk, disrupting the vote count in the northern city at the heart of a long-running dispute with Iraqi Kurds. Elections commissioner Riad al-Badran said the affiliation of the armed men was not known, but accused them of pressuring the election workers, who he said were "in effect, hostages." He did not say how many armed men were involved. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a political party known as the PUK, won the largest share of the Kirkuk vote, with 90 percent of the ballots counted. But al-Badran said election workers were unable to send results from 186 ballot boxes. Several parties complained of fraud after Iraq held nationwide parliamentary elections on Saturday, but protests have been limited largely to Kirkuk. The city, a major oil hub, held elections amid elevated tensions, after federal forces pushed Kurdish militias out last year, ending a decade of Kurdish ...
Four tribal students from Maha climb Everest
Four tribal students from Maharashtra have successfully scaled Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, state Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said this evening. They were among ten students of Ashramshalas (state-run residential schools for tribals) from Chandrapur district, selected for Everest expedition as part of the Tribal Development department's 'Mission Shaurya 2018', he said. Umakant Madavi (19), Parmesh Ale (19), Manisha Dhurve (18) and Kavidas Kathmode (18) scaled Everest in the wee hours today. Another two members of the team will attempt the summit in the next two days, Mungantiwar said. Kavidas and Umakant reached the summit around 3.25 AM, while Manisha and Parmesh followed an hour later. "This is a historic achievement. They have enhanced the pride of their Ashramshala as well as Chandrapur district," Mungantiwar said. The team, with members aged between 18 and 21, had left on April 11 from Mumbai for the 60-day expedition. The selection process ..
Maha ATS arrests Guj man for being in touch with terror
Maharashtra ATS today arrested a 32-year-old man from Kutch in Gujarat for allegedly being in touch with terror suspect Faisal Hassan Mirza who was picked up last week from a Mumbai suburb, police said. The man, identified as Allarakha Khan, a driver, was arrested from his residence in Gandhidham, a senior police official said. Mirza was arrested by the ATS on May 11 on suspicion of plotting terror attacks in Mumbai, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh with the help of his group members. During his interrogation, Mirza gave the ATS names of some people with whom he was in touch with, following which a search operation was launched, the officer said. Khan was arrested after interrogation, he said. Mirza and Khan were in touch with one Farooq Devadiwala in Dubai, who had recruited Mirza for launching terror activities in India and carrying out suicide bombings, he said. Khan's role in the terror conspiracy is being probed by the ATS and his background is being checked, an ATS ...
8 dead as suicide blast hits Baghdad mourners
Eight people were killed and about 30 others wounded today when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a tent filled with mourners in Baghdad, police and medical sources said. The attack hit the Taji district in the north of the Iraqi capital at around 1600 IST, a police source said. Medical sources at a local hospital had given an earlier toll of four dead. Security forces central command said the attack had "killed and wounded civilians" without providing figures. The police source said some members of the Hashed al-Shaabi militia that was influential in the fightback against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in the past three years were among those killed. IS has lost most of the territory it seized in Iraq in 2014 but still carries out regular individual attacks.
4 dead as suicide blast hits Baghdad mourners
Four people were killed and 27 others wounded today when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a tent filled with mourners in north Baghdad, Iraqi police and medical sources said. The attack hit the Taji district of the Iraqi capital at around 1030 GMT, a police source said. Medical sources at a local hospital confirmed the toll. Security forces central command said the attack had "killed and wounded civilians" without providing figures. A source from the Hashed al-Shaabi militia that was influential in the fightback against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in the past three years said members of the force were present when the suicide bomber struck. IS has lost most of the territory it seized in Iraq in 2014 but still carries out regular individual attacks.
Suspension of operations in JK no concession to militants; no lowering of guard: Officials
The suspension of operations against militants in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan is not a concession to extremists but an effort to create an environment free of terror and violence during the holy month, officials said today, while asserting there will be no lowering of guard. The central government has been trying to create an environment free of terror and violence to enable Muslims to observe Ramzan in a peaceful manner and in a conducive environment so that terrorists do not exploit their religious sentiments, a home ministry official said, explaining the reason behind the government decision. Motivated by this consideration, the government has issued instructions to the security forces and Army not to undertake offensive operations during Ramzan in Jammu and Kashmir, the official said. However, if it is essential for protecting the life of the common people, the security forces will be compelled to take appropriate action. It is expected that all Muslim brothers and sisters who