Page 662 - War Conflict
12 killed in Afghan Taliban attack
At least 12 people, including a district governor, were killed on Thursday in a Taliban attack in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, a police official said.
Police: Taliban attack Afghan district compound, killing 15
Taliban fighters attacked a government compound in central Afghanistan overnight, killing three district officials and 15 security forces, authorities said today. The attackers stormed the secure compound in Khuja Omari district last night, setting off hours of fighting with security forces, Ramazan Ali Moseni, a deputy chief police in Ghazni province, said. He said 25 Taliban were killed. The district is close to the provincial capital, Ghazni city. Afghan Parliament member Mohammad Arif Rahmani said the district governor, intelligence service director and a deputy police official were killed in the attack, as well as 15 security forces. Rahmani said the attackers planted mines to stop reinforcements from coming to help the government forces fend off the attack. Moseni said the government reinforcements later joined the fighting. He said eight government security forces were wounded.
High stakes for Macron as France weighs Syria strike
In laying his integrity on the line over Syria's suspected use of chemical weapons, French President Emmanuel Macron might be playing for even higher stakes -- maintaining the landmark Iran nuclear accord, analysts say. The 40-year-old leader, weighing the first foreign military operation on his own initiative, has made clear he considers Damascus behind a suspected chemical attack in the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma last weekend that killed at least 40 people. Macron's response is expected to be high on the agenda during a TV interview this afternoon, only his third since the centrist swept to power last year. For many experts, he has no choice but to enforce his "red line" on the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime, which would prompt French military strikes. "Unlike previous incidents, alleged or real, in recent months, what happened Saturday in Douma is a huge and evident violation of Western red lines," said Bruno Tertrais, a political scientist at the Foundation for .
Gold off 11-week highs after Fed signals more U.S. rate hikes
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Gold eased off multi-week highs on Thursday as minutes from the Federal Reserve's last policy meeting raised expectations of a faster pace of U.S. rate hikes, but concerns about possible U.S. military action against Syria limited losses.
Mobile phone looting gang busted
A mobile phone looting gang was busted with the arrest of four gangsters here, the police said. The gang used to advertise for appointment in big companies and took candidates to some places assuring them to upload a companys app on their mobile phones before they loot them, Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop Birtheray said yesterday. They also looted phones of drivers of hired cars, he said. The police recovered 17 mobile phones from the arrested persons. The accused persons had so far looted mobile phones from 23 people in and around the steel city, he said adding that efforts were on to recover other looted phones.
4 killed in attack in volatile central Nigeria
At least four people have been killed in more attacks blamed on herdsmen in central Nigeria's Benue state, an area wracked by deadly sectarian violence between herders and farmers, officials said today According to the Benue state police commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, police were investigating an "incident" yesterday evening in the village of Gbeji. "There is said to be an attack by suspected herdsmen in the area but we can confirm that as at this morning, four dead bodies were recovered there. We have stepped up security in the area and we are investigating," he told media. Nevertheless, according to a local chief, Joseph Anawah, 10 people had been killed over a period of 24 hours in attacks aimed at a number of villages, including Gbeji. "On Tuesday evening between 6 pm and 9 pm ... fully armed herdsmen came down heavily on the affected communities," he said. "They burnt down houses and killed about eight people in the community and injured many." The attackers continued and "killed ..
Putin calls for common sense in international relations
Russia hopes common sense will prevail regardless of the increasingly disordered international affairs, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.
Yemen's Houthis announce missile attack on Riyadh
Yemen's Shia Houthi rebels fired a barrage of ballistic missiles on the Saudi Defense Ministry in Riyadh and oil giant Aramco in Saudi border region of Najran, the Houthis said in a statement on Wednesday.
8 Colombian police officers killed in attack by drug gang
Colombian officials say eight police officers were killed when a homemade bomb exploded as they escorted a caravan of government workers belonging to a land restitution unit. Authorities attribute the attack today to the ruthless Gulf Clan that dominates drug routes near the volatile Uraba region of northern Colombia. President Juan Manuel Santos expressed his solidarity with the victims. Colombia is implementing a peace deal with the nation's largest rebel movement, and the government has been redirecting its security forces to combat criminal gangs that have aggressively stepped in to fill the void left by retreating guerrillas. Thousands of soldiers and police have been trailing the Gulf Clan's top leaders for over two years.
Three Russian journalists injured in Syria: Moscow
Three Russian journalists were injured in Syria when their vehicle was shot at Wednesday after an assignment in the former rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta, the Russian defence ministry said. The incident happened in the early evening after the journalists had investigated the situation in Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, which Syrian regime and allied forces have recently retaken. "They were targeted by unknown assailants firing light arms," the Russian army said in a statement. The journalists received medical attention and "their lives are not in danger," according to the statement, run by Russian news agencies, which added that three men had received leg injuries. The journalists were working for the NTV channel, owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom, as well as the Rossiya-1 state television channel and Russian army channel Zvezda. Russia is the Syrian regime's biggest international ally. Last July a journalist with the Arab service of Russian state-owned channel RT was killed in ..
Can't force its forces to buy weapons 'Made in India': Sitharaman
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the government cannot walk a "thin line" to compel Indian armed forces to buy indigenous weapons, after she opened a major defence trade fair that projects India - world's biggest global arms importer - as one of the major military equipment manufacturing hubs.
Army jawan killed in encounter in J-K; 4 civilians die in crossfire
An Army jawan was killed in an encounter between militants and security forces, while four civilians also lost their lives in the crossfire in south Kashmir's Kulgam district after which the operation was suspended and three ultras who were holed up escaped, officials said today. The joint team of the Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) called off the operation, which started last night, in the afternoon as people continued to gather at the encounter site. Two videos, purportedly showing the crowd helping in the escape of the militants and later cheering them as they were seen fleeing on motorcycles, surfaced on various social networking sites. The three militants managed to escape after civilian casualties increased. Senior police officers, while briefing reporters, said there was specific intelligence about the presence of three local militants owing allegiance to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group at a house in the Khudwani area, following which a ...
Army Chief exhorts engineers, academia to develop modern weapons
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday stressed on the significance of indigenous weapons for future wars and gave a call to the engineers, warriors and academia to come forward to fill the gap that exists in the Indian Defence today.While speaking at a seminar on the sidelines of the Defence Expo 2018 Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that the engineers, scientists and the technical experts would have to fill these lacunae."Our soldiers are the bravest and are always ready to lay their life for the country, but this does not mean that they be left to sacrifice their lives," said General Rawat."What we need to do is to provide them with the best arms and ammunition for precise attack and surveillance equipment so that our soldiers find the enemy even before he is able to act and then clear him off," he added.The Army Chief further said that the forces would benefit from the weapons, as systems would be designed as per the need of the forces since they would be aware of the ...
Syria's Eastern Ghouta 'totally stabilised': Russian army
The Russian army today said the situation in the former Syrian opposition bastion of Eastern Ghouta had been "totally stabilised". "The situation in Eastern Ghouta has been totally stabilised. Refugees are continuously returning to where they lived. As of today some 60,000 people have returned to their homes," Lieutenant-General Viktor Poznikhir said at a briefing in Moscow. Rebels were in the process of leaving their last outpost of Douma, Poznikhir said, adding that "there has not been a single shot or confrontation in Eastern Ghouta for the last five days". Military police would be sent to Douma from Thursday to keep the peace, he said. Poznikhir also accused the White Helmets civil defence organisation of staging a chemical weapons attack in Douma on Saturday that has led to US President Donald Trump promising strikes. According to the rescuers, some 40 people were killed in a chemical attack that the West has blamed on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, prompting strong ...
Corpses displayed in protest in Central African Republic
The corpses of 17 people were laid out in front of the United Nations peacekeeping offices in Central African Republic's capital today in a furious protest against a new operation against armed groups that has targeted a largely Muslim neighborhood. The protest came as UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix was visiting the deeply impoverished nation, which has faced deadly interreligious and intercommunal fighting since 2013. The Red Cross quickly removed the bodies. The UN said a Rwandan peacekeeper was killed and eight others were wounded Tuesday during "an exchange of fire with armed elements" for several hours in the capital, Bangui. The UN said the attack occurred two days after its peacekeepers and local security forces launched a joint operation in the largely Muslim neighborhood of PK5 to arrest and disarm armed criminal groups. But a statement by Central African Republic's defense minister said the country's armed forces had not been involved. The minister urged residents
Security for Rabri Devi not pulled, says Bihar ADG
Additional Director General of Police (headquarters) SK Singhal on Wednesday said that the security was not withdrawn from former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi's house.Singhal told ANI, "The CRPF personnel deployed for the security of Lalu Prasad have been removed as he is in jail. However, the security provided to his family members has been retained"."Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav have the same security which was allotted to them earlier. Not a single person from the security has been removed," Singhal told ANI, adding, "No one should complain."On Tuesday night, following the announcement made by the Bihar government to withdraw 32 Bihar Military Police jawans deputed at Rabri's Patna residence, the jawans were seen packing their things and leaving the premises.Following this, Rabri Devi penned a letter to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, where she claimed that the security of her family and the house was compromised.Rabri also underlined that when her husband .
3 cornered militants escape; four civilians killed in cross fire: JK police
Three militants cornered by the security forces managed to escape after a prolonged fire-fight in south Kashmir's Kulgam district even as a jawan was killed in action while four civilians onlookers lost their lives in the crossfire, officials said. Briefing reporters, senior police officers said there was specific intelligence about the presence of three local militants owing allegiance to Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba terror group at a house in the Khudwani area following which a cordon was thrown at 10 pm last night. The security forces suffered a setback at the beginning itself when a jawan identified as Sapper Sada Gunakara Rao (24), was injured and rushed to the Army base hospital here. Rao, who hailed from Andhra Pradesh, succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, the gun-fight outside the house where the militants were holed up continued with bullets flying in every direction, they said. The house was on the bank of Jhelum and locals started gathering on the other side of the ...
Four civilians, soldier die in Kashmir, militants escape (Roundup)
Four civilians and a soldier were killed on Wednesday as a fierce gunfight between militants and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district sparked off violent street protests and a call for a two-day shutdown in the Valley.
Pak again violates ceasefire in JK's Rajouri and Poonch
Pakistani troops today again violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, two days after two jawans were killed in heavy mortar shelling and firing along the LoC in Rajouri district, a defence spokesman said. The Indian Army is giving a befitting reply, the official said. Paksitani troops initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars along the LoC from 1400 hours in Nowshera sector of Rajouri and from 1645 hours in Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch district, the spokesman said. The Indian army is retaliating strongly and effectively and the exchange of fire between the two sides in both the sectors was going on when last reports were received. However, there was no immediate report of any casualty from this side, he said. The latest ceasefire violation by Pakistan came after two soldiers, rifleman Vinod Singh and rifleman Jaki Sharma, were killed in cross-border firing by Paksitan in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri on Monday.
Mehbooba expresses grief over civilians death near encounter site
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today expressed grief at the loss of lives near an encounter site in Kulgam district. Four civilians were killed and 20 injured as protesters clashed with security personnel in Kulgam district of the state while an encounter was on with militants that left one soldier dead and two others wounded. "There is an urgent need to get together to get Jammu and Kashmir out of this vicious cycle of violence and killings," Mehbooba Mufti said. She has also paid tributes to the Army jawan who lost his life during the encounter. Mehbooba has conveyed her sympathies with the families of those killed, an official spokesman said.