Page 651 - War Conflict
Afghanistan returns bodies of Pak soldiers killed in clash
Pakistan today said Afghan authorities have returned the bodies of five of its paramilitary soldiers who were killed in a border clash this week. Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Mohammad Faisal said Frontier Corps (FC) troops deployed along Pak-Afghan border at Kurram area came under fire from the Afghan side last Sunday while they were on routine patrolling and fencing activity on the border. "The Afghan border security forces, assisted by Afghan tribesmen, fired on our troops resulting in 'shahadat' (martyrdom) of five soldiers," he said. Faisal said that the Afghan border forces and tribesmen also got hold of the bodies of the killed troops and detained one soldier. "As there were a large number of tribesmen on the Afghan side, our troops exercised utmost restraint to avoid civilian casualties. Our side, via diplomatic and military channels immediately engaged the Afghan authorities to hold border flag meeting to help resolve the situation," he said. According to Faisal, a
Terrorists hideout busted in J-K's Doda district
The Indian Army on Thursday busted a terrorist hideout and recovered arms and ammunition in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir state.The hideout was unearthed during a search operation in district's Manjmi Village. The arms recovered comprise of one AK 47 rifle, one AK 56 rifle, five magazines, one Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, two hand grenades, 289 AK 47 rounds, along with some utensils and other warm clothing.Earlier on April 8, the security forces busted an old terrorist hideout and recovered arms and ammunition during a search operation in Gadyog area of Khawas in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.Rajouri police and Army jointly launched an operation in some villages, including Gadyog, falling under the Khawas police post of Budhal police station.During the operation, two AK-47 rifles, two magazines and bullets were also recovered.
News about SPO joining militancy fake: J K Police
The Jammu and Kashmir Police today termed as "fake" a post on social media about a special police officer joining militant ranks. "The person whose photograph is being circulated (on social media) is an SPO (special police officer) identified as Bilal Ahmad Mir who is presently posted at district police lines Sopore. The news item along with its pictorial contents are absolutely fake and misleading," a police spokesman said. He said strict action will be taken against those who played the mischief, causing "fear and horror in the society and trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the valley". The spokesman said various social media pages have uploaded Mir's photograph claiming him to be Tanveer Ahmad Kasana (18), a resident of Baramulla town. According to the social media posts, Kasana, a student of a religious seminary, had gone missing on 14 April and claimed "his gun-wielding photograph has gone viral on internet", indicating that he has joined militants ranks. The incident .
Oil theft 'costing Libya over USD 750 mn annually'
Fuel smuggling is costing Libya more than USD 750 million each year and harming its economy and society, the head of the National Oil Company in the conflict-riddled country said. "The impact of fuel smuggling is destroying the fabric of the country," NOC president Mustafa Sanalla said according to the text of a speech delivered yesterday at a conference on oil and fuel theft in Geneva. "The fuel smugglers and thieves have permeated not only the militias which control much of Libya, but also the fuel distribution companies which are supposed to bring cheap fuel to Libyan citizens," he said. "The huge sums of money available from smuggling have corrupted large parts of Libyan society," he added. The backbone of the North African country's economy, Libya's oil sector collapsed in the wake of the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi. Before the revolt Libya, with estimated oil reserves of 48 billion barrels, used to produce 1.6 million barrels per day ..
Russia says child witness shows Douma attack 'staged'
Russia said today it would screen at the United Nations an interview with a child who it claims was made to pose as a victim of chemical weapons in Syria. Moscow said the video supports its allegation that an alleged chemical attack in the Syrian town of Douma was a hoax. Russian state television had yesterday aired the conversation with the child, whom it identified as an 11-year-old Syrian boy called Hassan Diab. Russia says the supposed atrocity was staged by the civil defence organisation the White Helmets. "We already have a subtitled version of this report," Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said on state channel Rossiya 1 today. "We are distributing it to member countries (of the UN Security Council) and journalists, and at the next meeting of the Security Council we will find a way to screen it." AFP was not able to independently verify the veracity of the claims. Western powers accuse Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's regime of using chemical weapons against ...
Muazzin killed near mosque in Bhopal
A 65-year-old Muazzin of a mosque was allegedly killed today near the prayer place under Taliya police station area in the Madhya Pradesh capital, police said. Nisar Ahmed, attached to Akhade Wali Masjid, was allegedly attacked in neck with a sharp object by unidentified person (s) when he was sitting on a bench near the mosque, said Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rajesh Singh Bhadauriya. Muazzin is a Muslim official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer from a minaret five times a day. He said Ahmed was possibly attacked with a screwdriver. "After he was attacked, Ahmed ran towards the mosque, but collapsed in its compound," said the ASP. Ahmed was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead, the officer said. "He died due to excessive bleeding. The wound was not lethal, but bleeding for a long period of time caused his death," Bhadauriya said quoting a doctor. When asked about the exact number of attackers involved in the incident, .
Bank guard's weapon snatched in J&K
A group of unidentified attackers snatched the weapon of a bank guard in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district and fled on Thursday, police said.
Bhima Koregaon violence: Milind Ekbote granted bail
Milind Ekbote prime accused in Bhima Koregaon violence on Thursday was granted bail on a bond of Rs. 25,000 by Pune Session court.Hindutva leader Ekbote was arrested by the Maharashtra Police on March 14 this year, after the Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.Ekbote was facing charges of inciting violence, attempt to murder and atrocities against Dalits in the Koregaon Bhima violence that erupted in Pune on January 1 and left one dead and several others injured including 10 policemen.Violence erupted after some people, reportedly with saffron flags, pelted stones at cars heading towards the village for the commemoration of the 200 years of Bhima-Koregaon war on New Year's Day.Dalit leaders and workers at the village had alleged that Hindutva activists Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide instigated the violence.Two FIRs were registered against Ekbote for his alleged role in the violence at a time when Dalits in huge numbers had gathered at Perne village on the Pune-Ahmednagar ...
Yemeni officials: 2 al-Qaida fighters killed in south region
Yemeni tribal leaders say security forces have killed two suspected al-Qaida operatives in the country's southern province of Abyan. They say the two men were killed in a shootout with security forces in a raid of their hideout in the district of al-Wadiah. The tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has long been seen by US officials as the most dangerous offshoot of the global network founded by Osama bin Laden. Yemen is embroiled in a war between Iran-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and the internationally recognised government, which is allied with a Saudi-led military coalition since March 2015. Al-Qaida and a local Islamic State affiliate have exploited the chaos to expand their reach in the poorest Arab country.
Poland marks 75th anniversary of uprising in Warsaw Ghetto
People in Warsaw pinned paper daffodils to their clothes as the Polish capital began a day of commemorations today on the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Sirens will wail, church bells will toll and newscasters on TV, politicians and regular citizens are wearing the daffodils in what has become a symbol of mourning for the Jews who died fighting, as well as the millions of other Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The daffodils tradition comes from Marek Edelman, who was the last surviving commander of the uprising and on every anniversary used to lay these spring flowers at the monument to the fighters. He died in 2009. President Andrzej Duda is to speak during official commemorations and will pay homage to the hundreds of Jewish fighters who took up arms in the 1943 rebellion against the German forces that occupied Poland during World War II. The revolt ended in death for most of the fighters, yet left behind an enduring symbol of resistance. At a ceremony at Warsaw's ...
Kathua case: Students clash with security forces in J&K towns
Students protesting the brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu's Kathua district in January, clashed with the security forces on Thursday in north Kashmir's Baramulla and south Kashmir's Shopian districts.
31 militants dead, 37 wounded in Afghanistan
At least 31 militants have been killed and 37 wounded during the coordinated air and ground operations in various provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, confirms the country's Ministry of Defense (MoD).The operations were conducted in Nangarhar, Kunar, Kapisa, Paktia, Paktika, Logar, Khost, Uruzgan, Faryab, Balkh, and Helmand provinces, reported Khaama Press, citing, MoD deputy spokesman Gen. Mohammad Radmanish, as saying.At least 11 of the militants were killed in Nejrab district of Kapisa, 15 were killed in Moqor, Waghez, and Andar districts of Ghazni, and 5 others were killed in Sherin Tagab district of Faryab.24 improvised explosive devices were also diffused."Gen. Radmanish also added that 15 operations are underway in 11 provinces of the country at the moment as commando forces have conducted 66 operations while Afghan Air Force has carried out one airstrike during the same period," the report said.
Pathankot: Security beefed up following suspected terrorists movement
Security has been beefed up and search operations are being carried out around the border belt of Punjab particularly in Pathankot district, following reports of terrorist movement in the vicinity.Acting on the tip off early Thursday morning, the security forces immediately spread out in large numbers and searched various locations in the region.The ITI building, where the suspects were reportedly spotted, was also thoroughly checked.Suspicious men stopped a Maruti Alto car belonging to a Maskin Ali late on Sunday night asking for a lift. However, Ali who was with his relatives, suspected that the hitchhikers could be terrorists; hence he left the car and ran away.Ali later on informed the Punjab Police about the same after which the search operation was launched on Monday morning."Some men claiming to be a part of Army asked me for a lift. I let them in but soon realised they weren't army men. As we tried to escape they attacked us, during our tussle they fled with my car. We ...
6 police, 10 suspects killed in shootouts in southern Mexico
A total of sixteen people - six police officers and ten suspects - were killed in two confrontations in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, authorities said today. State security spokesman Roberto Alvarez said the first shootout occurred late Tuesday, when a state police convoy came under attack in Coacuyul, a town near the Pacific coast resort of Zihuatanejo. He said one policeman was wounded and police returned fire, killing 10 suspected gunmen during a 30-minute battle. Assault rifles were found at the scene. In what Alvarez said may have been retaliation for the first attack, gunmen later ambushed a state police convoy further north, away from the coast, and killed six police officers. The officers had been visiting families considered at risk because of the drug gang violence that has plagued the area. The police had been assigned to perform periodic checkups with the families. Alvarez said the gangs had "kidnapped (the families) and had been trying to forcibly recruit them .
Sri Lanka slaps new tax on gold to curb imports
Sri Lanka today slapped a 15 per cent tax on gold to curb surging imports that have impacted the trade deficit and put pressure on the exchange rate, officials said. The finance ministry said the tax was reintroduced after a five-year hiatus as authorities detected a rapid spike in imports in recent months. "We believe that a lot of duty free gold (imported to Sri Lanka) is smuggled out to neighbouring countries where there are high customs duties," a finance ministry official told AFP. He said nearly 8,000 kilos (17,600 pounds) of gold had been brought into Sri Lanka in the first three months of this year -- almost equivalent to all imports of the precious metal in 2016. Last year, more than 15,000 kilos was brought in. The steep increase had not translated to a boon in jewellery manufacturing -- sparking suspicions it was being spirited to neighbouring India, the world's largest consumer of gold. Sri Lanka's central bank warned in February that the sharp spike in gold imports was ...
OPCW chief rejects Russia claim of 2nd Salisbury nerve agent
The head of the global chemical watchdog agency has rejected Russian claims that traces of a second nerve agent were discovered in the English city where former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned. Britain blames Russia for the attack, which it says was carried out by smearing a Soviet-developed nerve agent known as Novichok on a door handle at Sergei Skripal's house in Salisbury. Moscow denies involvement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday that Moscow received confidential information from the laboratory in Spiez, Switzerland, that analyzed samples from the site of the March 4 poisoning in Salisbury. He said the analysis - done at the request of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - indicated that samples contained BZ nerve agent and its precursor. He said BZ was part of chemical arsenals of the U.S., Britain and other NATO countries, while the Soviet Union and Russia never developed the agent. OPCW Director-General Ahmet .
India to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation
Reiterating their strong condemnation of terrorism and terror-related incidents, both India and the United Kingdom (UK) on Wednesday agreed to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May agreed to strengthen cooperation to take decisive actions against globally-proscribed terrorists and terror entities to protect citizens, including Lashkar-e-Tayibba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Haqqani Network, Al Qaeda, Islamic State (IS) and their affiliates.Both the leaders also affirmed that terrorism cannot be justified on any grounds whatsoever it may be and it should not be associated with any religion, creed, nationality and ethnicity.Both the leaders agreed that terrorist and extremist organisations need to be denied space to radicalise, recruit and conduct attacks on innocent people; for this all countries need to work together to disrupt terrorist networks, their financing and movement of terrorists, including ...
India, UK vow decisive action against terror groups
Asserting that terrorism cannot be associated with any religion, India and the UK today vowed to strengthen cooperation in taking decisive action against globally-proscribed terror groups such as Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The strong pledge to combat terror was made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Theresa May held "fruitful discussions" here on multiple aspects of the India-UK relations. A 10 Downing Street statement said that the Syria air strikes, counter-terrorism, radicalisation and online extremism were among the key topics covered by both the leaders during their talks. The two leaders reiterated their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms, including terrorism and terror-related incidents in both India and the UK, a joint statement issued after the talks said. Modi and May affirmed that terrorism cannot be justified on any grounds and it should not be associated with any religion, creed, nationality and ...
India says its position on chemical weapons clear and consistent
India on Wednesday said that its position on chemical weapons has and will always be clear and consistent.Commenting on the March 4, 2018 incident involving the use of toxic chemical - allegedly a nerve agent - in Salisbury, UK, during the 59th Meeting of the Executive Council of the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which was convened at the request of the United Kingdom, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the OPCW, Venu Rajamony, said, "India has taken note of the report submitted after the technical assistance visit. India's position on chemical weapons is clear and consistent. Any use of chemical weapons is in complete disregard of humanity, and is reprehensible and contrary to the provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as well as accepted international legal norms.Ambassador Rajamony further said, "All investigations of alleged use of chemical weapons should be conducted strictly in accordance with the provisions of the ...
Muthuraj takes over as Development Commissioner, Sri City
R Muthuraj, an Indian Trade Service officer has been appointed as the Development Commissioner, Sri City, with immediate effect. Sri City, situated about 125 km from here, has a multi-product special economic, free trade and warehousing, domestic tariff zone and electronics manufacturing cluster. About 150 companies from 27 countries have set up base in Sri City campus, Tada. Muthuraj replaces M K Shanmuga Sundaram, Development Commissioner, Madras Export Processing Zone, who was holding additional charge, a press release said. Prior to taking up the new role, Muthuraj worked as Joint Director, Director General of Foreign Trade in Chennai and Kochi, the release added.