Page 672 - War Conflict
6 Afghan soldiers injured in explosion
At least six Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers on Wednesday were injured in an explosion in Kabul city.The Afghan's Ministry of Defense said in a statement that two magnetic bombs planted in an electricity pylon went off as the Afghan armed forces were crossing the area, reported Khaama Press.The incident took place at in the 16th police district of the city.No individual or group has claimed the responsibility for the incident by far.
Geelani, Mirwaiz try to defy house arrest
Senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq tried to defy house arrest restrictions on Wednesday in a bid to march to Shopian town in Jammu and Kashmir but were detained by police.
Curfew relaxed in MP
Curfew was relaxed on Wednesday in Gwalior and Chambal districts of Madhya Pradesh as the situation in the areas hit by violent protests by Dalits improved, officials said.
Jharkhand: 5 Naxals neutralised in Latehar's Bhargav
Five Naxals (Left Wing Extremists) on Wednesday were neutralised during an encounter with the security forces in Jharkhand's Latehar district.Three AK-47, one INSAS and one 315 Rifle were recovered during the encounter.The 11th Battalion Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 203 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA) and the Jharkhand Police carried out special operations earlier today.Operation is underway and further details are awaited.
Kabul explosion leaves 2 injured
At least two persons on Wednesday were injured in an explosion triggered by a magnetic bomb in Kabul city.The incident took place in the vicinity of the 16th police district of the city.The explosion was the result of a magnetic bomb which was planted in a security forces vehicle which went off, reported Khaama Press.The two injured individuals are members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, the report said, citing the security officials as saying.No individual or group has claimed the responsibility for the incident by far.
Restrictions continue for third day in parts Kashmir after separatist-sponsored strikes
Restrictions continued in parts of Kashmir for the third day today as a precautionary measure following protests over killings in Sunday's encounters, even as a shutdown was observed here and in several other areas of the Valley. The restriction on movement of people was put in place in the wake of agitations and a strike call by separatists after the encounters in Jammu and Kashmir's Sophian and Anantnag districts. "Restrictions under Section 144 of the CrPC are in place for the third consecutive day in Kulgam, Pulwama and Shopian districts and parts of Anantnag as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order," a police official said. He said the restrictions were also in force in Khanyar, Maharajgunj, Nowhatta, Rainawari and Safakadal, while partially in Maisuma and Kralkhud police station areas of the summer capital. The curbs continue as a precautionary measure to prevent protests against the killing of 13 militants in three encounters on Sunday and five civilians in the ...
Bihar Dalit leader demands 'Harijanistan'
Two days after Dalits protested across the country against a Supreme Court ruling on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, former Bihar minister and Dalit leader Ramai Ram on Wednesday threatened to raise the demand of "Harijanistan" (Dalit land).
4 IS militants killed in Afghanistan
At least four militants of the Islamic State group were killed following an air strike by the US and NATO-led coalition forces' unmanned plane in Afghanistan, authorities said on Wednesday.
Opposed to "weaponisation" of outer space: India to UN
India has voiced opposition to the "weaponisation" of outer space, saying it should not become an area of conflict while calling for collective efforts to strengthen safety and security of the space-based assets. Counsellor (Disarmament) in the Permanent Mission of India to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva Rachita Bhandari told a session of the UN Disarmament Commmission (UNDC) yesterday that deliberations will begin on the new agenda of outer space - the first in the last 18 years. "India believes that outer space should be an ever expanding frontier of cooperative endeavour rather than an area of conflict," Bhandari said. She said India, as a space-faring nation with wide ranging interests in outer space activities, remained opposed to the "weaponisation of outer space and support collective efforts to strengthen the safety and security of space-based assets". The group of governmental experts on outer space, which will meet in Geneva in August later this year, has been ...
Life derailed in Kashmir Valley
Normal life was derailed in the Kashmir Valley on Wednesday as separatists announced a protest march to Shopian town in solidarity with civilians killed in fighting between militants and security forces.
Five Maoists killed in Jharkhand
Five Maoists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Serendaag jungle of Jharkhand's Latehar district today, a police officer said. The encounter between the Maoists and a joint team of the district police and the CRPF is still on, Superintendent of Police Prasant Anand said. Bodies of the five ultras have been recovered from the spot along with three AK-47 rifles, he said.
Tension continues in Kashmir Valley
Heavy deployment of security forces was made in Srinagar and other sensitive places in the Kashmir Valley to maintain peace and law and order, even though the separatists did not call for a shutdown, officials said.
Chemical watchdog to meet over spy nerve agent claims
The world's chemical watchdog is to meet behind closed doors today, after a British laboratory said it had not proved that Russia manufactured a deadly nerve agent used to poison a former Russian spy. The talks at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have been requested by Moscow which said it wanted to "address the situation around the allegations... in regards to the incident in Salisbury." "We hope to discuss the whole matter and call on Britain to provide every possible element of evidence they might have in their hands," Russia's ambassador to Ireland, Yury Filatov, told reporters. Yesterday, the British military facility analysing the nerve agent used on former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, said it was not in a position to say where the substance had originated. Skripal, who has lived in Britain since a spy swap in 2010, and his daughter have been in hospital since the March 4 poisoning that London and its major Western ...
Dalit violence a sign of weak and selfish leadership: Sena
In a caustic attack on the Centre, the Shiv Sena today said the violence during a nationwide bandh by Dalits to protest the softening of provisions of the SC/ST Act is a reflection of a "weak" and "selfish leadership". It also raked up the multi-crore Punjab National Bank scam, saying that while diamond jeweller Nirav Modi "looted" the nation, the present government was "breaking" the country. It said coming out on the streets against an order of the apex court was akin to going against the ideology of Dr B R Ambedkar - the architect of the Indian Constitution. "Incidents of violence happen when the leadership is weak and selfish," the Sena said in a hard-hitting editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. "The country had once been divided in the name of religion. If it is once again being broken apart in the name of caste, where is Prime Minister Narendra Modi and what is he doing?" it asked. At least 11 people died and several others were injured in the 'Bharat bandh' called on Monday
Israel vows tough response to Gaza protests
Israel's defence minister has said that the military will not change its tough response to Hamas-led mass protests near Gaza's border with Israel, warning that those who approach the border are putting their lives at risk. Avigdor Lieberman spoke near Gaza, where 18 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire Friday, the first day of what Hamas says will be six weeks of intermittent border protests against a stifling blockade of the territory. Yesterday, a 25-year-old Gaza man was killed by Israeli fire as he threw stones in the area of the border fence, Gaza's Health Ministry said. Lieberman's comments raised the possibility of more bloodshed this Friday, when another mass protest is expected. The Palestinians' ambassador at the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, appealed to the UN Security Council for immediate international protection for Palestinian civilians, especially in Gaza. He charged in a letter to the council that Israel has adopted "a shoot-to-kill policy" during what he called .
B'desh gears up for General Elections; experts fear rise of hardline forces
As Bangladesh gears up for the general elections to be held in December this year experts are fearing that hardline forces in the country have started gaining ground in a bid to remove the current moderate Government in Dhaka.The Khalida Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamic fundamentalist groups, are making attempts to vote out the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League.Experts believe that the Jamaat-e-Islami has committed war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War and killed three million people in the name of Islam.Around 500,000 women were reportedly violated by the Pakistan Army and their collaboratorsShahriar Kabir, a Dhaka-based journalist and human rights activist, said, "The rise of Islamic militancy, terrorism in the name of Islam that is being perpetrated by the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Hifazat-e-Islam, and backed by the BNP, one of the largest political parties of Bangladesh. Because of the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the ..
Bangladesh gears up for General Elections; experts fear rise of hardline forces
As Bangladesh gears up for the general elections to be held in December this year experts are fearing that hardline forces in the country have started gaining ground in a bid to remove the current moderate Government in Dhaka.The Khalida Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami and other Islamic fundamentalist groups, are making attempts to vote out the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League.Experts believe that the Jamaat-e-Islami has committed war crimes during the 1971 Liberation War and killed three million people in the name of Islam.Around 500,000 women were reportedly violated by the Pakistan Army and their collaboratorsShahriar Kabir, a Dhaka-based journalist and human rights activist, said, "The rise of Islamic militancy, terrorism in the name of Islam that is being perpetrated by the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Hifazat-e-Islam, and backed by the BNP, one of the largest political parties of Bangladesh. Because of the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and the ..
Syrian pound gains as confidence rises after army gains near Damascus
AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian pound recovered in the last 10 days buoyed by improved sentiment after the army's sweeping gains in securing a main rebel enclave near the capital Damascus, investment managers and dealers said on Wednesday.
Trump says he wants US troops 'out' of Syria
President Donald Trump reiterated Tuesday that he wants US troops to be pulled out of Syria, but indicated that a decision had not yet been taken. "I want to bring our troops back home. I want to start rebuilding our nation," Trump said, having indicated that US troops will leave once the Islamic State group is routed. "Our primary mission in terms of that was getting rid of ISIS. We've almost completed that task," Trump said. "We'll be making a decision very quickly." Trump added that he would consult with allies and suggested that ally Saudi Arabia might pay the bill for US troops being there. "Saudi Arabia is very interested in our decision. And I said, well, you know, you want us to stay maybe you'll have to pay.
One peacekeeper, 22 fighters killed in C Africa: UN
A peacekeeper was killed and 11 others wounded when a UN base came under heavy attack on Tuesday in the Central African Republic in fighting that also left 22 rebels dead, the UN said. Anti-balaka fighters launched the attack early Tuesday on the temporary UN base in Tagbara, near the southern city of Bambari, triggering heavy fighting, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. "Peacekeepers fired back and after several hours of exchange of fire, one peacekeeper was killed and 11 others were injured," said Dujarric. The UN mission MINUSCA said separately that 22 anti-balaka fighters were killed. UN peacekeepers "later discovered the bodies of 21 civilians, including 4 women and 4 children in Tagbara," said Dujarric. MINUSCA said the bodies were found near a church, and that the deaths resulted from a separate incident using "traditional weapons." Reinforcements have been sent to Tagbara, which lies 60 kilometers northeast of Bambari. On Monday, UN peacekeepers negotiated the release of 23