Page 638 - War Conflict
Northern Army commander reviews security situation in Kashmir valley
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen D Anbu today reviewed the security situation in the Kashmir valley. "Accompanied by Chinar Corps Commander Lt Gen A K Bhatt, he visited formation headquarters of the force and was briefed about the operational preparedness," the Army said. He appreciated the measures and standard operating procedures instituted by the units to meet the challenges posed by the inimical elements, the Army said in a statement released here. Commending the performance of the troops in the recent successful operations, Lt Gen Anbu stressed the need to maintain extra vigil to defeat the evil designs of hostile forces. Assuring full support to further strengthen the security posture, he lauded the synergy amongst all the security forces.
Former Bosnian commander among 12 arrested over war crimes
Bosnian police arrested 12 people today including a former Bosnian commander, suspected of being responsible for war crimes against hundreds of people during the country's 1990s conflict. The 12 men, including retired General Atif Dudakovic, are accused of being responsible for the deaths of several hundred victims including Serbian civilians and military prisoners, as well as against the Bosnian Muslim population, police said in a statement. They were all members of the mainly Muslim Bosnian army 5th corps, a unit operating in western Bosnia, a region completely surrounded by Serbian forces from Croatia and Bosnia. Although the conflict was fought between the country's three main ethnic communities -- Serbs, Muslims and Croats -- in this region Bosnians also clashed with each other. Commanders of Bosnian forces have rarely been tried for war crimes. Two chiefs of staff, General Rasim Delic and Sefer Halilovic, were tried by the UN tribunal in The Hague. Delic was sentenced to three ..
Israel asked to avoid lethal force as Gaza protest resumes
Palestinians converged on the Gaza border with Israel for a fifth round of weekly protests today, some throwing stones and burning tires, as a top UN official urged Israel to refrain from using excessive force against them. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Israeli troops have not heeded warnings by the United Nations and others, repeatedly using lethal force against unarmed protesters over the past month. Since the Gaza marches began, 35 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,500 wounded by Israeli soldiers firing from across the border fence, according to Gaza health officials. Among those killed were four minors, including a 14-year-old boy. "The loss of life is deplorable, and the staggering number of injuries caused by live ammunition only confirms the sense that excessive force has been used against demonstrators - not once, not twice, but repeatedly," the commissioner said. The marches, aimed in part at trying to break a decade-old ...
4 killed in Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria: authorities
At least four people were killed when Boko Haram suicide bombers attacked northeast Nigeria's biggest city, the emergency services said today, as residents returned home. Violence broke out on the outskirts of Maiduguri last night, with indications the jihadists were trying to reach the city's Giwa Barracks, where suspected militants are held. The attack -- and an announcement that 22 soldiers from a regional force have been killed in fighting this month -- again underlined the threat posed by the Islamist insurgents. Nigeria has repeatedly maintained the Islamic State group affiliate is a spent force and on the verge of defeat. In Maiduguri, Bashir Garga, from the National Emergency Management Agency, said: "There were innocent citizens, four of them, who died. "Very few people were injured and none of them seriously." Five suicide bombers also died trying to detonate their explosives, he added. The Borno state police gave a lower death toll of two, including a member of the civilian
Snatcher arrested in Jammu, mobile phones recovered
Police today arrested a youth involved in many snatching incidents, particularly from women, in Jammu city and seized several mobile phones from him. During interrogation, Paras Dubey confessed to his crimes, a police official said. "Police recovered seven mobile phones and other items from his possession. More recoveries are expected after sustained questioning," he said.
8 Naxals killed in encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
Eight Naxals, including six women, were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district today, the police said. It was a joint operation of the Chhattisgarh police, the special anti-Naxal Greyhounds unit of their Telangana counterparts and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), a senior police official said here. The security forces did not suffer any casualty in the encounter, he said. Today's operation comes in the wake of another joint operation of the Greyhounds force and the Chhattisgarh police in Bijapur district last month, in which 10 Maoists had been killed. Early this morning, gunfight broke out on a remote hillock under the Ilmidi police station limits of Bijapur district which borders on Telangana, Chhattisgarh Special Director General (Anti-Naxal Operations) D M Awasthi said. Acting on specific intelligence, teams of the Greyhounds, the CRPF and, Chhattisgarh Police's Special Task Force and District Reserve Guard (DRG) had launched ...
N Korea's Kim pledges not to repeat 'unfortunate history'
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to ensure that the agreement reached with the South's Moon Jae-in at a summit today would be implemented, unlike previous pledges. The two Koreas will closely co-ordinate to ensure they do not "repeat the unfortunate history in which past inter-Korea agreements...fizzled out after beginning," Kim said after a summit with the South's President Moon Jae-in. "There may be backlash, hardship and frustration on our way," he added, "but a victory cannot be achieved without pain". The nuclear-armed North's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction has seen it become increasingly isolated, subject to a series of UN Security Council sanctions. Panmunjom, where the summit was held in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas, was a "symbol of heart-wrenching division", Kim said. But if it became "a symbol of peace, the North and South that have one blood, one language, one history and one culture, will return to becoming one, and people of all ...
Pune couple sells jewellery to help soldiers in Siachen
An elderly couple from Pune sold their jewellery to help build an oxygen plant for the soldiers protecting us in the frigid weather of Siachen.As soldiers pant for breath at the 76-km-long glacier, Sumeedha and Yogesh Chithade managed to raise Rs 1.25 lakh for the plant.Sumeedha, a teacher by profession, has been working for army welfare since 1999 and at times, delivers lectures in colleges and schools to inspire youngsters to enlist in the armed forces.Speaking to ANI, she said that she wanted to do this after getting to know the severe conditions in which the Indian Army personnel operated."I never thought what others did or didn't do for the Amry personnel. I wanted to do it, therefore, I sold my jewellery," added Sumeedha.Yogesh, a former Air Force official, said that this was his wife's "biggest sacrifice.""She said that she doesn't require any kind of jewellery, therefore, we decided to take such a step," said Yogesh."More financial support will be required," he ...
Militants fire rifle-grenade at CRPF camp in Pulwama, none injured
Militants fired a rifle-grenade at a security force's camp in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir today, but there was no damage done in the attack, police said. The rifle-grenade was fired by militants at a CRPF camp in Tahab area of Pulwama district at around 5.30 am today, a police official said. He said the grenade missed the target and exploded outside the camp premises. No one was injured in the attack, the official said.
Guatemalan prison riot leaves 7 dead, 25 injured
Authorities in Guatemala say that a riot has left seven dead and 25 injured at an overcrowded prison in the country's south. A spokesman for the country's penitentiary system confirmed the death toll in yesterday's riot in the city of Escuintla, adding that the injured had been taken to health centers. Rudy Esquivel said the preliminary finding was that the riot was a fight among prisoners. Esquivel said that police had control of the prison, which has 3,122 inmates despite having a capacity of only 600.
Terrorists attack joint military camp, no casualties reported
Terrorists attacked a joint camp of army and Central Reserve Police Force in Tahab area of Pulwama district on Friday.The terrorists used a UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher) to fire the grenade at 0530 hrs. The grenade exploded near the fenced boundary of the camp.No casualties or injuries have been reported till now.More details are awaited.
Kim's security: 'not even an ant can pass through'
When Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un came down the steps towards the inter-Korean border today he was escorted by a phalanx of bodyguards carefully chosen for their fitness, marksmanship, martial arts skills and even looks. Men in sharp suits and matching blue and white striped ties fanned out ahead of and around Kim as he approached the Military Demarcation Line for a historic handshake with his Southern counterpart Moon Jae-in. Some of the men had bulging pockets. North Korea is one of the world's most tightly-controlled societies, but even so security for its leader is iron-clad. Foreigners attending any event where Kim will be present must go through hours of security procedures beforehand, and surrender all electronics, including phones. The Guard Command, the military unit tasked with ensuring the safety of the leadership, is an elite institution close to the centre of North Korean power -- it provides the centrepiece display of the annual kimjongilia and kimilsungia flower ...
Kim steps onto S. Korean soil, talks begin
Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader on Friday to set foot in South Korea by crossing the military line, ahead of the historical inter-Korean talks.
J-K: 3 injured after terrorists hurl grenade at police station
As many as two policemen and one civilian were injured after terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station here in Kulgam.As per police officials, the injured have been shifted to a hospital for treatment.While one out of the three injured is critical, the police said the other two are stable."The incident is of Thursday late evening when terrorists hurled a grenade at a police station in Kulgam. Three people were injured, including two policemen and one civilian. One of the policemen is critical and has been referred to a hospital in Srinagar. We are looking into the matter," said Kulgam Superintendent of Police (SP), Harmeet Singh.Earlier, a civilian was injured after terrorists fired upon a Road Opening Party of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and local police at Lazibal Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.Meanwhile, an encounter is underway between terrorists and the Indian army at Juma Gund in Kupwara district.Intermittent firing is on and the Indian troops ..
Boko Haram fighters attack NE city: militia
Heavily armed Boko Haram fighters today attempted to storm the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, civilian militia said, in a rare urban incursion by the jihadists. Ibrahim Liman and Babakura Kolo, from the Civilian Joint Task Force, said fighting broke out in the Jiddari Polo area of the city at about 6:00 pm (1700 GMT). "From all indications they're trying to reach Giwa Barracks, where many of their comrades are being held," Liman told AFP. Kolo added: "There has been gunfire and explosions and residents have all fled the area. Troops have intercepted the attackers... "They (Boko Haram) are making an attempt to infiltrate the city." There was no immediate indication of the numbers of Islamist militants involved but the attack stands at odds with repeated Nigerian claims that the group is defeated. Liman, whose group assists the military with security, said the insurgents were armed with rocket-propelled grenades and "artillery", without elaborating. Boko Haram, whose insurgency
Two J&K policemen, civilian injured in police station attack
Two policemen and a civilian were injured in a grenade attack on the Kulgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam on Thursday, police said.
India hands over helicopter, tanks to Bangladesh as 1971 memorabilia
India has handed over to Bangladesh a Mi-4 helicopter and two PT-76 tanks as part of the 1971 Liberation War memorabilia, officials said here today. "The gifts are to be showcased at the Bangladesh army and air force museums," a defence ministry spokesman said today. He said the helicopter and the tanks were part of gifts given by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her Bangladesh visit last year. The memorabilia included 25 weapons like pistol, rifles, machine guns and mortars alongside a large number of artefact, historical photographs, archival audio and video clipping, maps and battle records related to the 1971 Liberation War. "While most items of memorabilia have been handed over to the Bangladesh National Museum; the larger items ie PT-76 Tanks and Mi 4 Helicopter are now being handed over to the Bangladesh Army and Air Force," Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla said. The light amphibious PT-76 tanks were used by the Indian Army's armoured .
Afghan official says deputy governor killed by Taliban
An Afghan official says Taliban insurgents have ambushed a government convoy in eastern Logar province, killing the deputy provincial governor and his two bodyguards. Mohammad Naser Ghyrat, Logar provincial council chief, said the ambush on Kamaruddin Shekeib's convoy early today also seriously injured Shekeib's spokesman. The Taliban control large swathes of eastern Logar and despite the establishment of dozens of National Security Force outposts along the road running through the province, Taiban attacks are frequent.
Rwandans shocked by discovery of genocide-era mass graves
Mass graves that authorities say could contain more than 2,000 bodies have been discovered in Rwanda nearly a quarter-century after the country's genocide, and further graves are being sought nearby. The new discovery is being called the most significant in a long time in this East African nation that is still recovering from the 1994 killings of more than 800,000 people. Some Rwandans are shocked and dismayed that residents of the community outside the capital, Kigali, where the mass graves were found kept quiet about them for so many years. "Those who participated in the killing of our relatives don't want to tell us where they buried them. How can you reconcile with such people?" asked a tearful France Mukanagazwa. She told The Associated Press she lost her father and other relatives in the genocide and believes their bodies are in the newly found graves. The discovery of the graves in Gasabo district came just days after Rwanda marked 24 years since the mass killings of ethnic ...
Arunachal Pradesh: SSB trooper on patrol duty swept away by river along Bhutan border
A sub-officer of the border guarding force SSB is feared "drowned" after being swept away by strong currents in a river during a patrol in the forward areas of Arunachal Pradesh, a force spokesperson said today. He said Sub-Inspector Y C Thrilongkya Sangtam of the 38th battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) "drowned" in the Tawang-Chu river on Tuesday. Search operations are on to find him, he said. Sangtam, posted at the force unit in Tawang, and other personnel were on a patrolling task along the India-Bhutan border. The incident took place when they were crossing the river, the spokesperson said.