Page 602 - War Conflict
Afghan officials say Taliban attacks kill 16 security forces
Afghan officials say Taliban fighters have attacked several security posts in three provinces, killing 16 security forces. Ramadan Ali Mooseni, deputy provincial police chief, said today the Taliban launched an attack the previous night in Ghazni province's remote Ajristan district, killing nine security forces and wounding seven others. The gun battle also left 25 Taliban fighters dead, he said. Elsewhere, Taliban insurgents attacked police security posts in the Maruf district of Kandahar province, killing five police and wounding six. Also, 12 Taliban were killed and 18 wounded, said Zia Durani, spokesman for the chief of police. Similar attacks last night in southern Uruzgan province left two police dead, officials said.
France freezes company assets over Syria chemical weapons
France today imposed a six-month asset freeze on companies based in Syria, Lebanon and China after they were linked to an alleged chemical weapons programme in Syria. The businesses include Sigmatec and the Al Mahrous Group, both based in Damascus; Technolab in Lebanon; and a trading company in Guangzhou in China, according to a list published in the government's official gazette. Two Syrian nationals will also face asset freezes as well as a person born in Lebanon in 1977 whose nationality was not given. The asset freezes were signed by French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire. In a statement, Le Maire and Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the individuals and businesses were working with the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre (SSRC), which they described as Syria's main laboratory producing chemical weapons and ballistic launchers. In January, France sanctioned 25 people and companies based in Syria, and also French, Lebanese and Chinese citizens, over suspicions of ..
UK mulls sending more troops to Afghanistan: report
Britain could substantially boost its troop numbers in Afghanistan following demands from US President Donald Trump that NATO members "pay their fair share", The Times reported today. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is believed to have asked Prime Minister Theresa May for 400 more soldiers to be sent to help the fight against the Taliban, adding to the 600 already training Afghan forces. Trump announced last year that the US would send an additional 3,500 troops to secure areas that had fallen under Taliban control and has frequently warned that members need to fulfil their commitments to NATO spending. "Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they're supposed to be paying for their defence," Trump said at NATO's headquarters in Brussels last year. May is due to make an announcement at a NATO summit in July, where it is anticipated Trump may turn the screw even further. Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it remained ...
Gunmen loot Rs 3.28 lakh from bank in J&K
Gunmen on Friday looted Rs 3.28 lakh from a bank in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat calls on Sri Lankan Prez
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today called on Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and discussed bilateral and defence relations during his maiden visit to the island country, officials said. Gen Rawat is in Sri Lanka for a week-long visit at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake. His visit as the Army Chief began on Monday with an aim to take forward the military cooperation between the two countries to the "next level". Gen Rawat and Sirisena discussed the importance of the well established bilateral relations between the two nations, the president's office said. He earlier met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The Indian Army has said that the focus of the visit would be to take forward the military-to-military cooperation between the two countries to the "next level". In December last, Sri Lanka had handed over the control of the southern sea port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, triggering concerns in New Delhi. Sri ..
Militants loot bank in J&K
Suspected militants allegedly looted cash at gunpoint from a bank in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district today, the police said. The gunmen entered a branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank at Qaimoh area, 60km from here, in south Kashmir and allegedly looted Rs 3.28 lakh, a police official said. The area has been cordoned off and a hunt launched to nab them, the official added.
China's first home-built aircraft carrier completes maiden sea trial
China's first indigenously-built aircraft carrier today successfully completed its maiden sea trial and returned to its home port in Dalian, a major step in the country's quest to modernise its military and bolster its naval presence in the disputed South China sea and in the Indian Ocean. China currently has two aircraft carriers. The first aircraft carrier named Liaoning, which was launched in 2012, was a refit of the former Soviet vessel bought from Ukraine. The People's Liberation Army Navy said that the aircraft carrier, built at the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, underwent a five-day sea trial starting from May 13. Its sea trial tested multiple facilities and attained the anticipated objectives, state-run China Daily reported. The completely home-grown aircraft carrier, named Type 001A for now, weighs 50,000 metric tonnes. Earlier, the Chinese Navy said the sea trial aimed to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the ship's propulsion systems. Though Liaoning became ...
Indonesian prosecutors demand death penalty for radical cleric
Indonesian public prosecutors on Friday demanded the death penalty for a radical Islamic cleric over his role in terror attacks in 2016 and 2017.
Omar hits out at J&K CM over weapons loot
National Conference working president Omar Abdullah hit out at Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today over the loot of weapons by suspected militants here, the incident coming ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state. "Looted (three rifles) from the police at Dalgate, the heart of Srinagar's uptown & at the centre of our area of tourist accommodation. At some point the CM needs to stop looking at New Delhi & Islamabad to bail her out & start acknowledging the failings of her administration," the former J&K chief minister tweeted. Suspected militants had snatched three rifles from a police post in Dalgate area of the city last night. The photograph of the three rifles was posted on a Facebook page later on, claiming that the weapons were snatched by militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen. Two such incidents have taken place in the city over the past two days, setting alarm bells ringing, as the prime minister is scheduled to visit here ...
Indonesia seeks death for cleric accused of ordering attacks
Indonesian prosecutors today demanded death for radical Islamic cleric Aman Abdurrahman who is accused of ordering attacks including a January 2016 suicide bombing and gun attack in the capital Jakarta that killed four civilians and four attackers. Abdurrahman, who police and prosecutors say is a key ideologue for Islamic State militants in the world's largest Muslim nation, sat impassively as the prosecution announced the sentencing demand before a panel of five judges. Prosecution lawyer Anita Dewayanisaid Abdurrahman's acts had resulted in deaths and injuries and there was no reason for lenience. Abdurrahman's next hearing was set for May 25 where he and his lawyer, appointed by the court after the cleric refused to be represented, will respond to the prosecution. "I'll do my own defense," Abdurrahman told the court. Prosecutors say Abdurrahman's instructions from prison, where he was serving a terrorism-related sentence, resulted in several attacks in Indonesia. They included the .
Trump reassures Kim, then warns N. Korea could be 'decimated'
US President Donald Trump has reassured Kim Jong-un that he would remain in power if he gives up his nuclear weapons programme, but warned the North Korean leader with "decimation" if he refuses to strike a deal with Washington.
Prosecutors demand death penalty for pro-IS cleric
Prosecutors have demanded death sentence for pro-Islamic State (IS) cleric Aman Abdurrahman who allegedly inspired a series of terror attacks on Indonesian soil."We demand that the panel of judges [.] find Oman Rochman, alias Aman Abdurrahman, alias Abu Sulaiman, guilty of committing an act of terrorism [.] and sentence him to death," Prosecutor Anita Dewayani was quoted as saying by Jakarta Post.The sentence demand at the South Jakarta District Court was made during the hearing on May 18.Aman is one of the influential jihadi ideologues among Islamist militants groups like the local Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD) terror group.As per Jakarta Post, the JAD has been blamed for attacks including the deadly riot at the National Police's Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Depok, West Java, and a series of bombings that killed at least 13 people in Surabaya and Sidoarjo, East Java.He had earlier been accused of inspiring three major terror attacks in 2016 and 2017 that include Jan ...
China's 'debt trap' economics will likely result in it gaining greater access to nations around India: US think-tank
An influential US think-tank expert has warned that the increasing Chinese economics of "debt trap" will likely result in Beijing gaining greater access to several key countries around India. Richard D Fisher, Senior fellow at International Assessment and Strategy Centre, told members of the House Select Intelligence Committee during a hearing on 'China's Worldwide Military Expansion' that the Chinese economic and 'debt trap' pressures will likely result in China gaining greater access to bases in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and perhaps the Maldives. "Bangladesh carries about USD 8 billion in Chinese debt but has a close military relationship, purchasing many of its latest weapons systems from China," he said in his testimony yesterday. He also said India assumes that in case of a major conflict with China, there could be a coordinated military action from Pakistan. Recently, India has decided to upgrade its military facilities on the Nicobar Islands, which could restrict Chinese .
Ariana Grande reflects on Manchester Arena attack
"The Manchester Arena attack showed the worst of humanity," said Ariana Grande as she spoke in detail for the first time about last year's bombing.In May 2017, Grande had finished her concert at the Manchester Arena in the United Kingdom when a terrorist detonated a bomb, killing 22 victims and injuring more than 500 others.Speaking in the Next Generation Leaders issue of Time magazine, the 24-year-old said, "There are so many people who have suffered such loss and pain. The processing part is going to take forever."The 'Dangerous Woman' artist further said that music is supposed to be the "safest thing in the world.""I wish there was more that I could fix. You think with time it'll become easier to talk about. Or you'll make peace with it. But every day I wait for that peace to come, and it's still very painful.
France says foiled suspected terror attack
Police in France have foiled a suspected terror attack and arrested two brothers of Egyptian origin, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said today. "There were two young people of Egyptian origin who were preparing to commit an attack, with either explosives or ricin, this very powerful poison," the minister said on BFMTV. A 29-year-old man was killed and five other injured in a deadly knife attack in Paris on Saturday.
BSF jawan, 4 civilians killed in Pak shelling in Jammu
Four civilians and a BSF jawan were killed while 12 others were injured as Pakistan Rangers heavily shelled villages and Border out Posts (BoPs) in Jammu early today, officials said. This is the third day of shelling and firing by Pakistani troops along the IB in Jammu frontier and comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. Pakistan Rangers shelled areas in R S Pura, Bishnah and Arnia sectors of Jammu by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing since 0100 hours in R S Pura, Bishnah sectors, a senior BSF officer told PTI. BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated, he said. The slain jawan was identified as 28-year-old constable Sitaram Upadhyaya of 192 Battalion. He was critically injured at Jabowal BoP around 0130 hours and died en route to GMC Hospital in Jammu. Upadhyay hailed from Giridih in Jharkhand and joined the force in 2011. He is survived by a three-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter, officials said. An Assistant Sub ...
UNGA Prez commends India's contribution to UN peacekeeping
UN General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak has lauded India's contribution and "commitment" to UN peacekeeping operations during his meeting with Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar in Slovakia. Lajcak and Akbar met yesterday on the sidelines of GLOBSEC 2018 Bratislava Forum, a gathering that brings together international government officials, academics and civil society, including the private sector in Slovakia's capital Bratislava. "Kicked off Day 1 at #GLOBSEC2018 with a discussion on migration, sustaining peace and sustainable development, as well as regional issues, with MJ Akbar, Minister of State of #India," Lajcak, President of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, tweeted. "I also commended him on India's commitment to @UNPeacekeeping," Lajcak said. Lajcak's spokesperson Brenden Varma told reporters at the daily briefing yesterday that Lajcak and Akbar discussed issues like migration, sustaining peace, sustainable development, regional ...
Son of Surabaya church bombing victim forgives attackers
The son of a Surabaya bombing victim said that the family had forgiven the ones responsible, during the funeral for his mother, Lim killed in the blast at Saint Mary Immaculate (SMTB) Catholic Church.Kurnianto said his mother was on a business trip to Surabaya with her friends and were staying in a hotel that was near Surabaya Cathedral.According to a CCTV footage that he had seen, he said when the bomb exploded, his mother was right next to the bomber's motorcycle in front of the church, as per Jakarat Post."I trust the nation's security apparatus and that they had been diligent," he added.On May 13, family including their four children carried out the suicide attacks on three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia's East Java province killing seven people.The attackers included two daughters aged 9 and 12 years old. All of the six bombers died, CNN reported.It is believed that the parents belong to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, a terrorist group that supports Islamic State of Iraq and and Syria .
BSF jawan killed, six injured as Pak shells BoPs, villages
A BSF jawan was killed while six persons, including a BSF officer, were injured as Pakistan Rangers heavily shelled villages and Border out Posts (BoPs) in Jammu early today, a senior officer said. This is third day of shelling and firing by Pakistan troops along the IB in Jammu frontier and comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow. Pakistan Rangers increased the arch of mortar shelling to R S Pura, Bishnah and Arnia sectors of Jammu by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and firing since 0100 hours in these sectors, a senior BSF officer told PTI. BSF troops guarding the borderline retaliated and exchanges are going on when reports last came in from the area, he said. The slain jawan was identified as 28-year-old constable Sitaram Upadhyaya of 192 Battalion. He was critically injured at Jabowal BoP around 0130 hours and died en route to GMC Hospital in Jammu. Upadhyay hailed from Giridih in Jharkhand and joined the force in 2011. He is survived
Army patrol attacked in J&K
An army patrol was attacked on Friday by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district. No casualties were reported.