Page 65 - War Conflict
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
NIA raids at 10 locations in Tamil Nadu in terror funding case
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out raids at different locations in connection with a case where some people were allegedly raising funds to wage armed struggle against the State."The agency conducted searches at properties belonging to Muthupet, Keelakarai, Devipattinam, Lalpet, and Salem. The case relates to a group of ten persons from different parts of Tamil Nadu who had formed a WhatsApp group named 'Shahdat Is Our Goal'," NIA said in a release on Monday."In 2018, they conspired together to procure arms for their terrorist gang, to raise funds to wage armed struggle, to facilitate the escape of terrorists from jail and to propagate their ideology, to act against the State," said the agency.During the raid, the agency has seized a number of digital devices including three laptops, three hard discs, 16 mobile phones, eight SIM cards, two pen drives, five memory cards, and one card reader, besides two knives and a number of incriminating documents.According
Hoax bomb threat to TN CEO office
: Police went into a tizzy here following an anonymous bomb threat to the office of Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer, but a search revealed no suspicious item. The officials scanned the office of CEO Satyabrata Sahoo for any suspicious substance after an anonymous letter received there warned that a bomb would go off, police said. "It (the letter) contained a brief sentence in Tamil saying 'bomb will go off', the police said. Following the threat, Fort police personnel inspected the premises and held investigations, they said. Even as the police were carrying out the search, Sahoo was in a meeting with district electoral officers (DEOs) and returning officers (ROs) ahead of the May 23 counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha elections and assembly bypolls in the state.
Nineteen killed in ethnic violence in eastern Chad
At least 19 people have been killed in a new bout of ethnic violence in eastern Chad, bringing the death toll since Thursday to more than 31, local officials said. Fighting erupted on Sunday in two villages in Sila province and continued on Monday, public prosecutor Hassan Djamouss Hachimi said. Twelve people were killed on Thursday in the neighbouring province of Ouaddai when a village was attacked by armed men. Eastern Chad is grappling with tit-for-tat violence between native Ouaddian farmers and Arab herders.
Iraqi Shiite figures warn US-Iran war could 'burn' Iraq
Leading Iraqi Shiite figures warned Monday against attempts to pull their country into a war between the U.S. and Iran, saying it would turn Iraq into a battlefield yet again, just as it is on the path to recovery. The warning came hours after a rocket slammed into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy. No injuries were reported and no group immediately claimed the Sunday night attack. Shortly after, President Donald Trump tweeted a warning to Iran not to threaten the United States or it will face its "official end." Last week, the U.S. ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran and rising tensions across the region. The White House has also sent warships and bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter the alleged Iranian threats. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul tweeted Monday that the army command in Baghdad is working "day and night" to guarantee the ...
Mobilisation of security personnel in 7-phase LS polls was bigger than Army's 'Op Brasstacks'
As many as 20 lakh security personnel were deployed in the seven-phase Lok Sabha polls, rendering the exercise bigger than India's well known 'Operation Brasstacks' in the 1980s, which was larger than any NATO exercise since World War-II, officials said Monday. The 'Operation Brasstacks' was a major military exercise of the Indian Army in Rajasthan. It took place in 1986 until its execution in 1987. The scale of the 2019 general election itself is massive and growing over time as between 1989 and 2019, the number of parties in the fray have increased over 20 times, the size of the electorate has increased by over 80 per cent, the number of polling stations has nearly doubled and the number of contesting candidates has increased by nearly 35 per cent. "Effectively, nearly 20 lakh personnel of the police and central paramilitary personnel were involved during the elections. The mobilisation of such a large scale is rare anywhere in the world. In fact, India's best known Army exercise ...
NIA carries out searches in TN
The National Investigation Agency on Monday carried out searches at 10 locations in Tamil Nadu in connection with an alleged conspiracy to form a terror group by some youths, officials said. The searches were carried out at the residences of the 10 accused in Muthupet, Keelakarai, Devipattinam, Lalpet and Salem in connection with the case, which was earlier probed by the Keelakarai police station, the officials said. During the searches, the agency has seized three laptops, an equal number of hard discs, 16 mobile phones, eight SIM cards, two pen drives, five memory cards and a card reader, besides two knives, the officials said. The NIA has alleged that 10 people from Tamil Nadu had started a group on WhatsApp. "In 2018, they conspired together to procure arms for their terrorist gang, to raise funds to wage armed struggle, to facilitate the escape of terrorists from jail and to propagate their ideology, to act against the State," the agency in a statement. It said nine accused were .
Sri Lankan parliament official among six arrested over NTJ links: Police
A Sri Lankan parliament official was among six people arrested for their alleged links to the banned Islamist extremist group, National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ), which carried out the deadly suicide attacks on Easter Sunday, a senior police official said on Monday. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing more than 250 people. The ISIS claimed the attacks, but the government blamed NTJ for the bombings. Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara told the media that initially three suspects had been apprehended after a NTJ training facility was discovered at a coconut estate upon a tip-off received by the Kurunegala Police. Gunasekara said the suspects, which included the land owner, were arrested on May 9 and have been remanded until May 24 after being produced before a court. Details pertaining to two more individuals including that of a Kurunegala hospital staffer had emerged following
6 arrested over links to training facility of banned extremist group in Lanka
Sri Lankan authorities have arrested six suspects, including an employee at the Parliament, over their alleged links to a training facility of the banned Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jammath (NTJ) in Kurunegala, police said on Monday. Nine suicide bombers carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday, killing more than 250 people. The ISIS claimed the attacks, but the government blamed NTJ for the bombings. Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara told the media that initially three suspects had been apprehended after the training facility was discovered at a coconut estate upon a tip-off received by the Kurunegala Police. He said the suspects, which included the land owner, were arrested on May 9 and have been remanded until May 24 after being produced before a court, he was quoted as saying by the Times Online. Details pertaining to two more individuals including that of a Kurunegala hospital staffer ..
Pellet victims protest, demand ban on use of pellet guns
A group of pellet victims, who were injured during law and order situations in the Kashmir Valley over the past few years, Monday held a protest here demanding complete ban on the use of pellet guns by security forces. The protestors, under the banner of Pellet Victims Welfare Trust, held the protest at Press Enclave here against continuous use of pellet guns in the valley by police and paramilitary forces. The protesters demanded ban on pellet guns, saying their continued use could render more people blind. Among the protestors was the youngest pellet victim of Kashmir -- Hiba Nisar who was injured after getting hit by pellets inside her house in the Kapran area of Shopian district of south Kashmir in November last year. The two-year-old Hiba was accompanied by her mother. The trust appealed to the people of Kashmir to come in support of the pellet victims and contribute towards their medical needs. Pellet guns are often used for crowd control during stone pelting incidents in the ..
Lanka for global intelligence sharing to end terror
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has called on countries to join hands in sharing intelligence to deal with international terror threats, media reported on Monday.
Thirty-two dead in Tajikistan prison riot
At least 32 people were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan, including 24 members of the Islamic State jihadist group and three guards, authorities said Monday. Five inmates and the three guards were initially killed by prisoners in the riot that erupted on Sunday evening, and the others died in clashes with security forces trying to restore order, the justice ministry said in a statement. The prison in Vakhdat, 17 kilometres (11 miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, holds 1,500 inmates. The ministry said the rioters first stabbed to death three guards, and then five other inmates "in order to intimidate" the others. They then took other prisoners hostage before opening fire in the jail's medical facilities. "Following a reprisal operation, 24 members of this group were killed and 35 others arrested. The hostages were freed" and calm restored, the statement said. Two of the prisoners murdered by the rioters were well-known activists of the banned opposition group Islamic Renaissance .
3 lakh paramilitary, 20 lakh state police personnel deployed in 7-phase LS polls
As many as three lakh paramilitary personnel along with over 20 lakh state police officials and home guards were deployed for the seven-phase Lok Sabha election in the country, officials said Monday. The Home Ministry officials said deployment of such a large number of security personnel in the 2019 general election was the highest ever in India. For the current parliamentary election, the Home Ministry has mobilised 3,000 companies of paramilitary forces comprising more than 3,00,000 personnel across 36 states and Union Territories. This is in addition to the components of the state armed police, India Reserve (IR) battalions and home guards, which together could be around 20 lakh, an official, directly involved in the mobilisation of the troops, said. The total sanctioned strength of India's state police forces is around 21 lakh and paramilitary is around 10 lakh. As the phases were getting over, paramilitary troops were being moved from one state to the other, the official ...
UGC asks varsities to observe May 21 as Anti-Terrorism day
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed varsities and higher educational institutions to observe May 21 as Anti-Terrorism day to wean away the youth from terrorism. The activities suggested for the day include debates, discussions, symposium, pledge taking ceremony and screening of films. "Every year May 21 is observed as Anti-Terrorism day in India to wean away the youth from terrorism and showing as to how it is prejudicial to the national interest," the commission said in a letter to vice chancellors. "You are requested to kindly observe the 'Anti-terrorism day' in your university and in your affiliated colleges on May 21, 2019. You should accordingly organise appropriate programmes suggested by the Ministry of Home Affairs," the letter stated.
2 SAP personnel injured in encounter with Maoists
Two Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) personnel of Jharkhand were injured during an encounter with Maoists in Seraikela-Kharswan district on Monday, a senior police officer said. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kolhan range) Kuldeep Dwivedi told PTI that the injured SAP personnel were airlifted to Ranchi. Their condition was stated to be out of danger, he said. The Maoists opened fire on the security personnel when they were patrolling the naxal-affected areas under Kharswan Police station, Dwivedi said. In the retaliatory action that followed, the Maoists retreated into a jungle. Security personnel led by Superintendent of Police (Seraikela-Kharwan district) Chandan Kumar Sinha cordoned off the jungle near Hiragada village and launched a massive search operation to trace the Maoists. Claiming that some rebels were also injured in the encounter, Dwivedi said, We have spotted blood stains on the path taken by the Maoists.
2 members of Bawaria gang shot at by cops for chain-snatching
Two members of the notorious Bawaria gang were shot at and injured by the police after they allegedly snatching the necklaces of women here Monday. Two women were walking down a road when the two bike-borne men, in their 20s, came from behind and allegedly snatched the necklace from one of them and sped away. The victims raised an alarm and a police patrol nearby chased the gangsters and intercepted them. On being cornered, the gangsters attacked the policemen following which forced them to open fire, injuring the robbers in the leg,police said. Interrogation of the youth revealed they were members of the infamous gang and they were identified as Karan and Surendar. The dreaded Bawaria gang is an organised group of dacoits wanted in several cases of looting, multiple murders, among others.
PDP worker attacked in Kulgam dies
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worker attacked by militants in Kulgam district, succumbed to injuries early on Monday in a Srinagar hospital, police said.
12 suspected jihadists killed in Egypt raids: ministry
Twelve suspected jihadists were killed Monday in police raids near Cairo, Egypt's interior ministry said, a day after a bomb blast injured 17 people including tourists near the Giza pyramids. Security forces "carried out a raid against an apartment in the 6th of October district used for making explosive devices... These forces were shot at and responded, which left seven dead among the group," which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the ministry said in a statement. In another such raid in Cairo's Al-Shorouk neighbourhood against the militant Hasm group, an armed affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, the ministry said five suspected jihadists were killed in an exchange of fire. Weapons and ammunition were seized in the two apartments, the interior ministry said. "As part of the ministry's efforts to tackle the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organisation, information reached national security services" of attacks being prepared by Hasm, the ministry said. The statement did not directly
Afghan official: Gunmen hit Kabul checkpoint, kill 3 police
An Afghan official says gunmen stormed a checkpoint in Kabul, killing at least three police officers. Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid says three other policemen were wounded in Sunday night's attack on the outskirt of the city. He added that the attackers first threw hand grenades then opened fire on the police in the city's Doghabad area. Separately, a provincial official in southern Helmand province says at least seven civilians were killed in an airstrike as Afghan forces battled the Taliban late Sunday. Provincial council chief Attahullah Afghan says three civilians were also wounded in the attack in Greshk district. Afghan says a gunbattle was underway with the Taliban at that time and that the incident is under investigation. It's unclear who carried out the strike, US or Afghan forces.
Russia air strikes kill 10 civilians in northwest Syria: monitor
Air strikes by Syrian regime ally Russia have killed 10 civilians including five children in a northwestern jihadist bastion, a monitor said Monday, hours after Moscow announced a ceasefire there. Clashes between regime forces and jihadists raged Monday on the edge of the region held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, following the deadly air raids overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Idlib region controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is supposed to be protected from a government offensive by a September buffer zone deal, but regime and Russian bombardment has increased there since late April. The Observatory said Russian air strikes overnight killed five children, four women, and one man in the town of Kafranbel in Idlib province. The air strikes hit near a hospital in the town, knocking it out of service, the Britain-based monitor said. An AFP correspondent saw five homes on the edges on the town that were destroyed or damaged after the strikes. Survivors ...