Page 631 - War Conflict
Mehbooba, separatists condemn civilian killings in Baramulla
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and separatist leaders on Tuesday condemned the killing of three civilians in Baramulla.
Afghan media defiant after deadly day for journalists
Afghan journalists were shaken but defiant today, vowing to continue reporting on the bloody conflict after the deadliest attack on the country's media since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Ten journalists were killed yesterday, including Agence France-Presse chief photographer Shah Marai, in attacks that sparked outrage around the world and underscored the dangers faced by Afghan media. The deadly assaults have rocked Afghanistan's tight-knit journalist community. Many of them are close friends as well as colleagues who look out for one another as they work in an increasingly hostile environment. Hours after the double suicide blast in Kabul that killed nine journalists and 16 others, dozens of Afghan news editors and executives gathered at the site in a public display of defiance to militants. The message was "if they destroy a line of journalists, there's going to be a longer line back at the scene within a few hours," Tolo News director Lotfullah Najafizada told AFP. Tolo News ...
S Korea, Japan, China to hold summit next week
South Korea, China and Japan will hold a trilateral summit in Tokyo next week, Seoul announced today, the latest move in a diplomatic whirlwind centred around North Korea. The gathering on May 9 will bring together the South's President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, in the neighbours' first such meeting for more than two years. It follows a historic and headline-grabbing summit between Moon and the North's leader Kim Jong Un last Friday. They vowed to pursue denuclearisation and a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, setting the mood for Kim's much-anticipated face-to-face encounter with US President Donald Trump. But analysts have urged caution, warning that similar previous pledges have come to nothing, and that the North has yet to make clear what concessions it is willing to make with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. All three of the neighbours are deeply involved with North Korea -- the South as its ...
Dalai Lama greets Korean leaders over peace talks
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has written separately to North and South Korean leaders to congratulate them on their pledge to make the Korean peninsula nuclear weapons free.
3 killed in clash between two groups at temple fest
Three persons, including two brothers, were hacked to death and three others injured in a clash between two groups during a temple festival in a village in the district, police said today. The groups, which have been at loggerheads over a cremation site, quarrelled yesterday over priority in receiving temple honours at the local shrine, they said. They attacked each other with clubs and sickles. Pradeep (32) and Rajesh Kanna (30), both brothers, were hacked to death while a 17-year-old boy also was killed, they said. The brothers' father Shanmugasundaram and three others were injured and admitted to hospital, police said. Police are on the lookout for those who created the trouble.
Separatists demand UN probe into Baramulla attack
Separatists today condemned the killing of three youths by armed gunmen in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir and demanded a probe by the United Nations into the incident. "The JRL (Joint Resistance Leadership) strongly condemns the killing of three youths in Baramulla. Any killing on grounds of political or party affiliations is inhuman, unIslamic and unacceptable to people and leadership of Kashmir," separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a tweet. He demanded that the United Nations (UN) take note of the incident and probe the killings. "The state authorities conveniently blame armed youths and vice versa. In the process, the culprits never get identified. It is a matter of serious concern and needs to be investigated. (We) appeal the #UN to take note of this and set up an impartial inquiry into these killings," the separatist leader said. Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) militants had yesterday struck at the Old Baramulla town in Jammu and Kashmir and gunned down three men, in ...
Vijay Prahar exercise underway in Rajasthan
More than 20,000 troops of strike formations of the Army's South Western Command were engaged in Vijay Prahar exercise to fine-tune jointmanship with the Indian Air Force near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. Strike formations of the command are going through the exercise in Mahajan area close to Suratgarh in Rajasthan in which over 20,000 troops are participating with fighting equipment for a couple of weeks, Brigadier Anil Gautam, Brigadier General Staff (Information Warfare), South Western Command said. The exercise has been set on situation based on a swift offensive action. The aim of the exercise is to fine-tune jointmanship with the Indian Air Force, he said. The IAF carried out exercise Gagan Shakti and demonstrated their capabilities and strength to handle adversaries, the brigadier said. In the immediate wake of Gagan Shakti, this exercise was being held for testing and refining jointmanship and maximising the impact of the joint operations, he said. The brigadier noted that some of
CPI(M) condemns killing of civilians
Jammu and Kashmir unit of CPI(M) today condemned the killing of four youth in separate incidents in Pulwama and Baramulla districts of the state. Last night, Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) militants struck at the Old Baramulla town in Jammu and Kashmir and gunned down three men, in their early 20s. A police spokesperson said all the three persons were shot at from a very close range in Iqbal market of Old Baramulla town, killing them on the spot. While in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including Sameer Ahmed Bhat alias 'Sameer Tiger', were gunned down and a civilian killed in an encounter. The civilian was killed when security forces were trying to chase away a stone pelting mob, the officials said. "We strongly condemn the killing of a youth in security forces firing in Pulwama district and killing of three other youth at the hands of 'unidentified gunmen' in Baramulla district," State Secretary CPI(M) Ghulam Nabi Malik said in a statement. Malik asked how .
Afghan attacks on media shows jihadists are weak: Pentagon chief
Fighters are targeting journalists in Afghanistan because they are weakened and want more news coverage in order to undermine the country's electoral process ahead of an expected vote in October, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has said. "This is the normal stuff by people who cannot win at the ballot box, so they turn to bombs," Mattis said when asked about a day of bloodshed in Afghanistan that left dozens dead, including many children and journalists. "They need the international media to basically broadcast this going on, so they can undercut through those kind of attacks, what is what has obviously set them on their back foot diplomatically and militarily. "We anticipated that they would do their best to try to bring bombs right into Kabul." A double suicide blast in Kabul killed 25 people, including AFP photographer Shah Marai and at least eight other journalists. Reporters Without Borders called it the most lethal single attack on the media since the fall of the Taliban. Later ...
Syrians held by rebels freed as part of deal with government
Syrian state-run media say 42 people who were held for years by al-Qaida-linked insurgents in the country's northwest have been released as part of a deal to hand over areas around Damascus back to the government. Al-Ikhbariya TV broadcast images today of the released, including women and children, arriving by bus at a government-controlled checkpoint, kissing and hugging Syrian soldiers. The 42 are the first batch of more than 80 who are to be released. According to the deal, al-Qaida-linked fighters are to evacuate from a Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus while some 5,000 people in two northwestern villages besieged by insurgents will be allowed to move to government-held areas. This is the latest in evacuation deals which are effectively capitulation amid intense military offensives.
Pompeo condemns 'barbaric' Kabul twin suicide blasts
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday condemned the "barbaric and senseless" suicide attacks in Afghanistan's Kabul, which claimed 29 lives.In a statement, Pompeo said, "The United States strongly condemns today's (April 30) senseless and barbaric attack in Kabul that killed 29 people and wounded dozens more, including several brave journalists and media professionals. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who were injured and killed, and we mourn all those who lost their lives.""The United States, along with our Afghan and international partners, is committed to defeating ISIS (Daesh) in Afghanistan, which has claimed responsibility for this attack. We stand with the people, the independent media, and government of Afghanistan and remain committed to supporting the Afghan people's efforts to achieve peace, security, and democracy for their country," the statement read, citing TOLOnews.Condemning the deaths of the journalists in .
US has never been closer to getting rid of N Korea's nukes: Trump
The US has never been closer to getting rid of North Korea's nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump has said, exuding confidence that his planned summit with the reclusive country's leader Kim Jong Un will be a "success". Trump has accepted an invitation for a meeting with Kim. The meeting is scheduled to take place soon, possibly in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) straddling the border between the two Koreas. He also confirmed yesterday that Singapore was also on the list of possible sites. Trump praised Kim for living up to his promise of not launching ballistic missiles and carrying out any nuclear tests before the planned meeting. "The US has never been closer to potentially having something happen with respect to the Korean peninsula that can get rid of the nuclear weapons, can create so many good things, so many positive things, and peace and safety for the world," Trump said yesterday. "So, we'll see what happens. You know, I often say, Who knows? Who knows? Maybe a lot of things
Restrictions imposed in JK as separatists protest civilian's death in encounter
Restrictions were imposed in parts of Srinagar, Pulwama and Kulgam of Jammu and Kashmir today in view of a strike call by separatists to protest the killing of a civilian near the site of an encounter with security forces. A police official said the curbs have been imposed in police station areas of Nowhatta, Khanyar, Rainawari, Safakadal, Maisuma, Kralkhud andMaharajgunj. The restrictions have been imposed as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order, he said. Two militants, including top Hizbul Mujahideen ultra Sameer Ahmad alias Tiger, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Drabgam area of Pulwama District yesterday. Meanwhile, a civilian was killed in the security forces' action against protestors near the scene of gun battle. Separatists, under the banner of Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), had called for a strike to protest the killings. The strike affected normal life in the Valley as most of the shops and other business establishments were shut, while ..
Afghan security force shrinks sharply: US watchdog
The Taliban and other insurgent groups are gaining control over increasing numbers of the Afghan population and the strength of local security forces has declined sharply, a US government watchdog warned today. The latest report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) paints a grim picture of the security situation in the war-torn country, and comes even as the Pentagon asserts that Afghan troops and US-led NATO forces are making steady progress in the grueling, 16.5-year-old conflict. It also comes on the heels of another deadly day in the capital, when twin blasts killed at least 25 people, including Agence France-Presse chief photographer for Afghanistan Shah Marai and eight other journalists. According to SIGAR, the strength of the Afghan security forces dropped by about 10 per cent over the course of a year - falling to a total size of 296,409 personnel in the army and police forces as of January 31. Militants including the Taliban and the ...
Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs to visit Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh this month
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, will visit border areas in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the last week of May, according to sources.The Committee will review the situation in the aftermath of the crisis in Doklam, wherein a military stand-off had risen between Indian and Chinese troops last year over the Chinese's construction of a road in the area.The situation was later resolved, following diplomatic discussions between the two nations.The face-off, which lasted for 78 days, was called off after both sides arrived at an understanding for the disengagement.
Kashmir shuts today against Pulwama civilian killing
All the shops and business establishments on Tuesday have been closed in Kashmir Valley, on a call by the separatists to protest against the killing of a civilian in Pulwama district.The complete shutdown was called by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL).Meanwhile, restrictions have been imposed in parts of Srinagar and in south Kashmir, while train services have been suspended there.More security forces have been deployed in south Kashmir and the downtown area of Srinagar to foil any attempts of a protest and maintain law and order.On Monday, two terrorists were gunned down during an encounter with the security forces at Jammu and Kashmir's Drabgam in Pulwama district. A civilian was also killed in the encounter.The two terrorists were identified as Sameer Tiger and Aaqib Khan.The encounter broke out at 10 am after a cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched by troops of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 182 Battalion and 183 Battalion, along with 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) .
Terrorist involved in civilian killings, attacks on security forces killed
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir range SP Pani on Monday said that the terrorist who was involved in civilian killings and attacks on security forces has been neutralised."It was on a specific input that forces launched a cordon. Two terrorists have been killed. Most important is that Sameer Ahmed Butt was killed, he was active since 2016 and was involved in civilian killings and attacks on security forces," Pani said.Earlier, two terrorists were gunned down during an encounter with the security forces at Jammu and Kashmir's Drabgam in Pulwama district.The two terrorists were identified as Sameer Tiger and Aaqib Khan.The encounter broke out at 10:00 a.m. yesterday after a cordon and search operation (CASO) was launched by troops of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 182 Battalion and 183 Battalion, along with 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Special Operations Group (SOG) Pulwama.
UN chief 'outraged' by terror attacks in Afghanistan
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed outrage over the series of terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, with a top UN official in the country saying the attacks on journalists ahead of World Press Freedom Day is a "direct assault on the freedom of expression". Twin suicide blasts, claimed by the ISIS, in the Afghan capital Kabul yesterday killed 25 people, including 10 journalists, in what Reporters Without Borders said was the most lethal single attack on the media since the fall of the Taliban. In a third attack 11 children were killed and 16 people wounded, including foreign and Afghan security force members, when a suicide attacker exploded his bomb-laden car near a convoy in the southern province of Kandahar. Top UN officials underscored the need to bring those behind the attacks to justice. The attacks in Kabul and Kandahar caused numerous casualties among civilians, emergency responders, and school children, Guterres said in a statement attributable to his ...
UN Security Council members meet Suu Kyi
The members of the UN Security Council have met Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to discuss the issue of more than one million Rohingya refugees who have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh, the chief UN spokesman said.
7 killed in 'terror' shooting in Goma in eastern DR Congo
Seven people were killed when gunmen went on a shooting spree in Goma, a major city in the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the mayor said today. "Some unidentified men spread terror" late yesterday in Goma, mayor Thimotee Muissa Kense told AFP. "They were shooting in all directions," he said, immediately killing three people and wounding 22 others. "Four people later died of their wounds. Eighteen others are still in hospital," the mayor said. A 33-year-old butcher who witnessed the shooting told AFP that on Sunday evening two people arrived on a motorcycle in the neighbourhood of Mugunga on the outskirts of Goma. "They opened fire on people. Three people died, and there was panic. We hid ourselves in a kiosk," the witness said. A security source speculated that it could have been a settling of scores by a armed group from the neighbouring Masisi territory against a man, his wife and their child. Located on Lake Kivu at the border with Rwanda, Goma is the capital