Page 64 - War Conflict
Yemen: Houthis say they launched drone attacks targeting airport on Saudi border
The Houthi rebels launched a bomb-laden drone targeting an airport in a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia located near the border with Yemen, the Iran-backed militia said on its news channel early Tuesday.The Houthi's Al Masirah satellite news channel said they targeted the airport in Najran city with a Qasef-2K drone, and attacked an "arms depot" inside the airport.Gulf News reported that the authorities are yet to reveal the number of people wounded in the drone attack.Saudi-led Coalition spokesperson Colonel Turki Al Maliki was quoted as saying that there would be a "strong deterrent" to such attacks and described the Houthis as the "terrorist militias of Iran."Last week, the Houthis launched a coordinated drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.The New York Times last year reported that American intelligence analysts were based in Najran to assist the Saudis in their coalition-led airstrikes against the Houthis.
Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant charged with terrorism: Police
The man accused of shooting dead 51 people in Christchurch mosque attacks, has been charged with terrorism, New Zealand police said on Tuesday.Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with "engaging in a terrorist act" under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. In addition, he faces 51 charges of murder and 40 of the attempted murder, reported Xinhua.The charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch on March 15.Police said that the decision to lay the terror charge was made after consultation with the Crown Law Office and the Christchurch Crown Solicitors office.Shortly after the development, New Zealand police met with the survivors and families of the victims to inform them of the new charges filed against the gunman and update them on the ongoing investigation and the court process that would follow."New Zealand police are committed to providing all the support necessary for what will be a challenging and emotional court process to come for the victims' ...
Russia raises alarm about Islamic extremists in Afghanistan
Russia's top security chief is raising alarm about Islamic extremists massing on Afghanistan's northern border. Alexander Bortnikov, chief of the main Russian intelligence agency FSB, said on a visit to Tajikistan on Tuesday that some 5,000 fighters of an Islamic State group affiliate have gathered in areas bordering on former Soviet states in Central Asia. Bortnikov, in comments carried by Russian news agencies, called for tighter border control to prevent a spillover. The IS affiliate emerged in 2014 and refers to itself as the Khorasan Province, an ancient term for an area that includes parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. Russia has been expressing this concern for several years. Some experts say the Kremlin is exaggerating the number extremists to justify Russia's outreach to the Taliban.
Restrictions in parts of Srinagar ahead of proposed march by separatists
Restrictions were Tuesday imposed in parts of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir in view of the separatists' plan to hold a march to Eidgah martyrs graveyard for paying tributes to slain Hurriyat leaders Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and Abdul Gani Lone. The district administration imposed restrictions in Khanyar, Rainawari, Nowhatta, Maharajgunj and Safa Kadal police station areas of the old city, officials said. They said security force personnel were deployed in large numbers at vulnerable places in the city and elsewhere in the valley for maintaining law and order. The separatists had called for a shut down in Kashmir and asked people to march to Eidgah martyrs graveyard to mark the death anniversaries of the slain Mirwaiz and Lone. However, authorities placed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest. Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq was killed by militants on this day in 1990 and Abdul Gani Lone, father of former minister Sajad Lone and Hurriyat executive member Bilal Lone, fell to the ...
Azhar's designation as global terrorist hailed as significant achievement by UNSC members
The listing of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council has been termed as a "significant achievement" by the member nations in holding perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of acts of terrorism accountable. The 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the powerful Security Council blacklisted Azhar on May 1 after veto-wielding permanent member China lifted its technical hold on the proposal by the US, the UK and France to list him. It was a huge victory for India after a decade of relentless efforts to ban the mastermind of several terror attacks against India, including the deadly Pulwama attack against Indian security forces. The listing subjects Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an arms embargo. "We are pleased that this month, the 1267 Committee designated Masood Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed, and ISIL-Khorasan, a dangerous ISIS affiliate operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, for UN sanctions, Ambassador Jonathan
UN to honour late Malawian soldier with highest peacekeeping award on Friday
The United Nations on Monday announced that it will honour the "brave and selfless" action of a late UN peacekeeper from Mali, who sacrificed his life while saving his fellow comrade during an operation against a local armed group last year.In a statement, the UN said late Malawian soldier Chancy Chitete will be honoured with the UN's highest peacekeeping award by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday 24.Chitete, of Mali, was killed in November last year during an operation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to combat the ADF, an armed force that had been terrorising civilians and disrupting the UN's ongoing efforts to treat, and halt, the spread of the deadly Ebola virus.Whilst fighting alongside other Malawian and Tanzanian peacekeepers attached to the UN Mission in DRC (MONUSCO), Chitete and his colleagues came under heavy fire. He and his team fought back, allowing other troops to tactically withdraw, the statement
UNSC's terrorism committee heads warn of returning IS jihadis
Following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria and Iraq, the heads of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have warned of the dangers of foreign terrorist fighters (FTF) spreading terrorism as they return home or scatter around.
Afghans fear end of golden age of press freedom
Beneath the gaze of the TV cameras a woman begins speaking, at first softly but with growing passion as she faces the "Butcher of Kabul" across a crowded auditorium and asks if he wants to apologise for alleged war crimes. Without missing a beat, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the ruthless former warlord blamed for rocket attacks which reduced much of the Afghan capital to rubble in the 1990s, declined to do so. The dramatic moment during a recent televised news debate highlights how far media freedom has come in Afghanistan, where - for now - traumatised civilians can stand and at least try to hold powerful men to account, live on camera. "Years ago, these kind of questions could get you killed, but now people can challenge the most dangerous people in mainstream and social media," Mustafa Rahimi, a university student, said after watching the debate. But today, even as hundreds of media outlets proliferate across Afghanistan, consumers and journalists alike worry a potential peace deal between
UNSC members welcome listing Azhar as international terrorist
The listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by a UN sanctions committee after China dropped its longstanding opposition has been welcomed by several Security Council members as a significant achievement in making the linchpins of terrorism accountable for their violence.
UN chief: Somalia making progress but must tackle extremism
Somalia is making progress toward building a functioning state but must still tackle violent extremism, terrorism, armed conflict, political instability and corruption, the U.N. chief said in a new report. Antonio Guterres said in the report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Monday that these challenges "demonstrate the fragility of the gains made so far" and "threaten progress." After three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine, Somalia established a functioning transitional government in 2012 and has since been working to rebuild stability. But Guterres said that "the security situation remained volatile" between the mid-December and early May reporting period. The militant group Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, continues to be "the main perpetrator of attacks against government facilities, government officials and security forces as well as popular restaurants and hotels," he said. Guterres said March and April witnessed "a significant increase of attacks in ...
UN threatens to suspend food aid to Yemen
United Nations on Monday warned that humanitarian aid to war-torn Yemen could be suspended if Houthi rebels controlling the region do not comply with the accord signed last year and stop diversion of food supplies."Humanitarian workers in Yemen are being denied access to the hungry; aid convoys have been blocked, and local authorities have interfered with food distribution. This has to stop," the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said in a statement.The UN, which is feeding more than 10 million people across Yemen, has also alleged that the "obstructive and uncooperative" rebel leaders are hampering the independent selection of beneficiaries."If the beneficiary targeting and biometric exercise is not carried out as agreed, WFP will be left with no option but to suspend food distributions in the areas controlled by Ansarullah, the Houthis," David Beasley, the agency's executive director, wrote in a letter sent to the rebels.The accord was signed by WFP with the warring parties .
At least 510 killed in Libyan capital, 2,467 injured: UN
Tripoli, May 21 (IANS/AKI) At least 510 people have been killed and 2,467 injured in the military escalation in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, which began last month, the United Nations World Health Organization said.
UN team unearths 12 mass graves in Iraq probe of IS crimes
A UN team investigating the massacre of Iraq's Yazidi minority and other atrocities has excavated 12 mass graves and is collecting witness accounts that could be used in Iraqi and other national courts, according to a UN report seen by AFP on Monday. The Security Council agreed in 2017 to establish the UN probe to ensure the Islamic State group faces justice for war crimes in Iraq and Syria -- a cause championed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad and international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. In the report sent to the council, the head of the team, British lawyer Karim Asad Ahmad Khan, said efforts were focused on three initial investigations: the 2014 massacre of Yazidis, crimes committed in Mosul from 2014 to 2016, and the mass killing of Iraqi military recruits in the Tikrit area in June 2014. The team began work in October, with the first mass grave containing IS victims unearthed in March and April in the Murad's home village of Kojo in Sinjar in northwest Iraq. Ahmad ..
200 companies of central forces to stay in Bengal till May 27
As many as 200 companies of central armed paramilitary forces (CAPFs) will remain deployed in West Bengal till May 27 in a bid to curb any post-poll violence that might occur in the state, Central Police Observer Vivek Dubey said on Monday.
NIA raids 10 places in TN in Islamic State module case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out searches at 10 places in Tamil Nadu in connection with the investigation into an Islamic State module case, where few people conspired to raise funds and wage armed struggle against the state.
Six held for stealing copper worth Rs 1.5 cr
Six persons were arrested Monday from Uran in Navi Mumbai for allegedly looting 25 tonne copper, worth Rs 1.5 crore, from a container truck on May 14, police said. The incident occurred between Ghavan Phata and Belapur Reti bunder when the truck carrying copper was headed towards Silvassa, the capital of Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. A gang of six men sitting in a car stopped the truck, attacked its driver, and fled with 25 tonne copper, a police officer said. Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said all the six men have been remanded in police custody till May 26.
Militants hurl grenade at police station in south Kashmir; no damage
Militants hurled a grenade towards a police station in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night, but there was no damage, a police official said. The grenade exploded far outside the police station boundary, the official said. He said there was no loss of life or property in the attack.
Hacktivism declines 95 per cent since 2015: IBM
Hacktivism or the subversive use of internet-connected devices and networks to promote political or social agenda is witnessing a sharp decline since 2015.The 'IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2019' highlights that between 2015 and 2018 public hacktivist attacks have dropped nearly 95 per cent. Most notably, notorious hacktivist group anonymous and groups associated with it perpetrated fewer attacks, Security Intelligence reports.However, looking at the hacktivism incidents in 2019, it is expected that this year may see an uptick in attacks. The threat intelligence report further observes a rise in vulnerability reporting, crypto jacking attacks and attacks on critical infrastructure organizations.
DCW claims to have busted sex racket in Rohini mall's spa
The Delhi Commission for Women Monday claimed to have busted a sex racket operating from a spa in a mall in Rohini. DCW chief Swati Maliwal said they have issued a notice to police for not making any arrests in the case and also to MCD to ascertain whether they had received any complaints earlier about the spa. The women's panel said their helpline-181 received a call on May 18 about a sex racket being run out of a spa in City Centre Mall in Rohini. The call was made by a journalist who had done a covert operation and had gone to the spa pretending to be a customer and was offered girls at different rates, the DCW said. The complainant had made proper recordings of his conversation with the girls and the spa management, it added. Upon receiving the call, a team of DCW reached the spa and called the police. The DCW team, along with the police found 11 girls in the spa with "some objectionable things", the DCW said. The girls were taken to Prashant Vihar police station where the police .
Lanka needs to work with global community to defeat religious extremism: Sirisena
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said that the country needs to work with the international community to defeat the menace posed by religious extremism. Addressing the 'National War Heroes Day' to mark the 10th anniversary of the government's victory against the LTTE, Sirisena also said that the country is capable of countering international terrorism with 30 years of experience in fighting and defeating local terrorism. The President said that the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was welcomed by all and the focus later shifted to developing the country. The President said that the Sri Lankan military and Police are now focused on defeating the new threat faced by Sri Lanka following the deadly Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed over 250 people and injured nearly 500 others. He said that all those involved in the Easter Sunday attacks have either been killed or arrested. However, he said no one can control the spread of religious extremism so