Page 646 - War Conflict
Anti-Hezbollah candidate beaten in southern Lebanon
A candidate running against Hezbollah in Lebanon's parliamentary elections was in hospital today after being assaulted by a group of men in his southern hometown, he told AFP. Journalist Ali al-Amin is a vocal critic of the Tehran-backed Shiite movement Hezbollah, and is challenging the party in the upcoming May 6 legislative election. "I was hanging up the very first picture of myself at the bottom of my street in Shaqra, just 100 metres (yards) away from my house," he said. Dozens of men approached him and demanded he take down the campaign poster, but he refused. They then began beating him, Amin said. "I'm at the hospital now. My tooth is broken, I have very severe back pain and was hit in the head," he said. Amin, who is running in the polls as a Shiite Muslim, directly blamed Hezbollah: "It was an organised group of well-known guys, authorised by Hezbollah." Lebanon's May 6 legislative vote will be the first since 2009, after years of deadlock and security concerns prompted ...
Rajnath speaks to Maha CM; takes stock of Gadchiroli situation
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today called up Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and took stock of the security situation in Gadchiroli district where at least 14 Naxals were killed by police, an official said. During the telephonic conversation, the chief minister briefed the home minister on the details of the operation in which the Maoists were killed. Singh also discussed with Fadnavis about the Left-Wing Extremism situation in Gadchiroli district and other related issues, the ministry official said. Fourteen Naxals were killed in an encounter with police in Gadchiroli today, an official said, adding that a team of C-60 commandos, a specialised combat unit of the Gadchiroli police carried out the operation. "...The combing operations are still on," said Inspector General of Police Sharad Shelar. He said the combing operation, which started in the morning, was currently underway at Tadgaon forest in Bhamragad, around 750 kilometres from Mumbai.
Two suicide bombers kill four in north Nigeria mosque
Two suicide bombers killed four Muslim worshippers in a mosque in a northeast Nigerian town still being rebuilt after virtual destruction by Boko Haram in 2014, sources said today. The bombers, a man and a woman, detonated their explosives inside the mosque during morning prayers on Saturday in the town of Bama in Borno state. The pair "blew themselves up in a mosque while people were praying" Baba Shehu Gulumba, Bama local government chairman, told AFP. An earlier toll listed three deaths. "Another victim died at the hospital in Maiduguri," taking the toll to four, Shehu Gulumba later told AFP. A senior military officer in Bama earlier confirmed that three people had died, adding that nine people were also injured. "Some of the injured are in a critical condition and may hardly make it. They have been transferred to Maiduguri for better medical care," said the military officer, who asked not to be named. The attack came two weeks after residents began returning to the town which was .
Set up more ITBP battalions in Bihar: Nitish to Rajnath
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today requested Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to set up 1-2 more battalions of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in the state. As of now, Bihar has two ITBP battalions. "There are two ITBP battalions in Bihar -- one at Saran and other at Katihar. I would request the Home Minister to set up one or two more battalions of ITBP in Bihar. We will give our full support and cooperation (for setting up the battalions)," Kumar was quoted as saying in an official release. Kumar said this while speaking at a function organised on the occasion of inauguration of ITBP's 6th battalion's buildings at Kotheya village in Saran district. Rajnath Singh inaugurated the buildings. Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi and MPs Janardan Singh Sigriwal and Rajiv Pratap Rudy were also present on the occasion. "I would request the Home Minister to create a 'system' wherein central forces should be made available at the request of Director General of Police (DGP) in ...
Boy from PoK held in Poonch
A 12-year-old boy, hailing from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), was detained shortly after he ventured into this side in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir today, police said. The boy was detained by Army personnel guarding the Line of Control (LoC) from Basooni in Balakote sector, a police officer said. He said the boy was moving under suspicious circumstances when intercepted by the troops. He was immediately arrested, the officer added. After questioning, the boy was handed over to the police, the officer said adding he appeared mentally disturbed and is believed to have inadvertently crossed the LoC.
UK police, spies to get more teeth to tackle terror suspects
Britain's police and security services are to be given greater powers to tackle the threat posed by terror suspects, according to a media report. Documents leaked to The Sunday Times show that the security services will be able to step in and disrupt plots earlier in order to prevent a terrorist attack. The plan calls formore focus on "communities where the threat from terrorism and radicalisation is highest". Details of the plans are contained in a 120-page draft of the UK government's counter-terrorism strategy due to be published in the next few weeks which promises a "step change in our domestic investigative capabilities". As part of plans to be included in a new Counter-terrorism Bill, spies and police will have the authority to warn government departments, town hall chiefs and other devolved administrations about suspects on their radar before they are deemed dangerous enough to be placed under surveillance by MI5 Britain's internal security service. It will also include ...
Kabul-Baghlan blasts, attack on Afghans' democratic rights: India
Condemning Sunday morning's "cowardly" and "barbaric" explosions in Kabul and Pul-e-Khumri city, India have called them an attack on the democratic rights of Afghans.One of the two explosions, occurred at an ID distribution and voter registration center at about 10 a.m. on Sunday morning in Afghan's capital city Kabul, claimed 48 lives and wounded about 112.Kabul's acting police chief, Mohammad Daoud Amin, stated that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the door way of the offices, reported Afghan's TOLO News.This explosion happened close to a voter registration center in the provincial capital, officials confirmed.Two hours after the Kabul bombing, an explosion rocked Pul-e-Khumri city in Baghlan province, killing at least six people and wounding five others."This is not only an attack on innocent civilians but also an attack on the democratic rights of the Afghan people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members of the victims, and we wish quick and complete ...
India condemns terror attacks in Afghanistan, offers help
India on Sunday strongly condemned the terror attacks in Afghanistan's capital Kabul and in the country's Baghlan province during the ongoing voter registration process that claimed at least 37 lives.
16 Maoists killed in Maharashtra
In the biggest crackdown in four decades in Maharashtra, security forces on Sunday gunned down at least 16 Maoists including some women in Gadchiroli district, an official said.
Naxalism will be wiped out from the country: Rajnath
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today asserted that Naxalism will be "wiped out" from the country as he lauded the efforts of the Nitish Kumar government in tackling the menace in Bihar. Addressing an event organised by the state party unit on the eve of Babu Veer Kuer Singh's 160th Viyotsav Diwas in Patna, he said the number of incidents related to the rebels has come down since 2013. Also, the number of deaths due to Naxal attacks has come down to one third, he said. "Naxalite's confidence is shattered...Naxalism will be wiped out from the country," Singh said at the programme attended by a galaxy of BJP leaders and Union ministers. "These Naxalites thrive at the cost of poor people...I would like to tell the poor of the country as well as those of Bihar that the Naxal leaders want them to remain poor, whereas their own children study in prominent colleges and universities, and some of them even study abroad. The Naxalite leaders have become crorepatis," he said. The home ...
India condemns 'cowardly' terror attacks in Kabul, Baghlan in Afghanistan
India today strongly condemned the "cowardly and barbaric" terror attacks in Kabul and northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan, which killed over 50 people and left dozens injured, in the latest wave of attacks that came ahead of parliamentary and district council elections in the country. Afghan authorities said at least 48 people were killed in a bomb blast outside a voter registration centre in Afghan capital Kabul, while another blast in Baghlan province left five people dead. Referring to the Kabul attack, India said it was not only an attack on innocent civilians but also an attack on the democratic rights of the Afghan people. "What makes this attack particularly reprehensible is the fact that the terrorists and their backers chose to attack a voters' registration centre for the upcoming parliamentary and district council elections. The attack has resulted in the death of Afghans who firmly support and believe in the democratic process to empower themselves and make their ...
Six killed in another Afghanistan explosion
In a second bombing in Afghanistan on Sunday, six persons were killed and five injured as a bomb went off close to a voter registration centre in Baghlan.
Suicide attack on Kabul voter registration centre kills 48
An Islamic State suicide bomber killed at least 48 people including women and children and wounded 112 outside a voter registration centre in the Afghan capital Kabul today in the latest attack on election preparations. The assaults underscore growing concerns about security in the lead-up to legislative elections scheduled for October 20, which are seen as a test-run for next year's presidential poll. "It happened at the entrance gate of the centre. It was a suicide attack," Dawood Amin, Kabul police chief, told AFP. Both the health and interior ministries confirmed the latest toll for the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group via its propaganda arm Amaq. "They are civilians, including women and children," said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The centre in a heavily Shiite-populated neighbourhood in the west of the city was also being used by people to register for national identification certificates, which they need to sign up to vote. Sheets of paper and ..
Kabul blast: Death toll rises to 48
Death toll in Sunday's deadly suicide bombing in Kabul has risen to 48 lives and has wounded 112, according to the Afghan officials.Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health has confirmed the death toll and the number of wounded, reported TOLO News.The explosion happened at an ID distribution and voter registration center at about 10 a.m. on Sunday morning in PD6.According to the report, Kabul's acting police chief, Mohammad Daoud Amin, stated that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the doorway of the offices."I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on voters' registration center in Kabul. I stand with those affected by this coward attack. Our resolve for fair and transparent elections will continue and terrorists won't win against the will of the Afghan people," Afghanistan's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah said, in a tweet.Until now no individual or outfit has taken responsibility for the attack.
14 Naxals killed in Gadchiroli encounter, 12 bodies recovered
Fourteen Naxals were killed today in an encounter with the police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, a senior official said. He said a team of C-60 commandos, a specialised combat unit of the Gadchiroli police, carried out the operation. "Fourteen Naxals were killed in the encounter. The combing operations are still on," said Inspector General of Police Sharad Shelar. He said the combing operation, which started in the morning, was currently underway at Tadgaon forest in Bhamragad, around 750 kilometres from here. Director General of Police Satish Mathur congratulated the C-60 team which participated in the encounter. "In an operation in Kasanasur jungle area bordering Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, an exchange of fire took place between C-60 commandos and Maoists. During searches, more than 12 Naxals' dead bodies have been recovered from the spot. Further searches are going on at the site," Mathur said. The DGP said there was a possibility that Naxal leaders of "DVC ranks," ...
SSB completes border deployment along Nepal, Bhutan with over 54000 troops
In order to strengthen security along India's eastern frontier, the SSB has finally completed the deployment of over 54,000 personnel along the open and crime-prone borders with Nepal and Bhutan. The border guarding force has been sanctioned a total of 55 battalions for border operations by the government a few years ago as part of its primary task to secure the 1,751-km Indo-Nepal and 699-km Indo-Bhutan borders. Officials said a total of 34 battalions of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), at 511 operational border posts, have now been deployed along the Nepal border front that runs across the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim. Similarly, 20 full battalions of the paramilitary, at 158 operational border posts, have now been deployed along the Bhutan border that runs along the states of West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, they said. These figures have been accomplished in the recent past, officials said. One remaining battalion, that ...
Israel dismisses claims Mossad behind Malaysia assassination
Israel's defence minister today dismissed claims the country's spy agency was behind the assassination of a Palestinian scientist in Malaysia, suggesting instead that his killing was a "settling of accounts". Speaking to Israeli radio, Avigdor Lieberman described the dead Palestinian, a member of Islamist militant group Hamas, as "no saint" and said he had been involved in rocket production. Fadi Mohammad al-Batsh, 35, was killed in a Kuala Lumpur drive-by shooting on Saturday, according to Malaysian authorities, with his family accusing Israel's Mossad spy agency of the assassination. Hamas said Batsh, a research scientist specialising in energy issues, was one of its members. "There's a tradition among terror organisations of blaming Israel for every instance of settling of accounts," Lieberman told public radio, noting the reports that Batsh's work involved improving the range and accuracy of rockets. "The man was no saint and settling accounts among terror groups and different ...
Illicit arms trade in Sahelo-Sahara danger to Europe: EU
A report funded by the European Commission has said the Polisario was involved in illegal arms trade and violent acts in the Sahelo-Sahara in collusion with terrorist groups operating in the conflict-ridden northern African desert region, according to Morocco's MAP news agency.
Libyan airstrikes target 'terrorist sites' east of Misrata
The self-styled Libyan National Army says it has carried out airstrikes against "terrorist sites" near the city of Misrata, which is controlled by a rival militia. Spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said three airstrikes on Saturday destroyed dozens of weapons and vehicles in the town of Sadada, some 76 kilometers east of Misrata. The strikes targeted an al-Qaida-linked group that al-Mesmari says was behind several recent attacks. Libya was plunged into chaos following the 2011 uprising and is now split between rival governments, each backed by an array of militias. The LNA supports a government in the east, while the Misrata militia is allied with a UN-backed government in Tripoli.
14 Maoists killed in Maharashtra
In one of the biggest operations, security forces on Sunday gunned down at least 14 Maoists in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, an official said.