Page 688 - War Conflict

Guterres warns of rise in UN peacekeeper deaths

The number of UN peacekeepers killed in the line of duty nearly doubled last year, increasing from 34 in 2016 to 59 in 2017, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday.

Pentagon confirms Qaeda higher-up killed in Libya strike

A high-ranking Al-Qaeda operative and another jihadist were killed in a US air strike in Libya, the Pentagon confirmed today. The March 24 strike near Ubari in southern Libya killed "two Al-Qaeda terrorists, including Musa Abu Dawud, a high ranking Al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) official," the US military's Africa Command said in a statement. Officials said the strike had been coordinated with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. "Dawud trained AQIM recruits in Libya for attack operations in the region," the statement read. "He provided critical logistics support, funding and weapons to AQIM, enabling the terrorist group to threaten and attack US and Western interests in the region." Libya has been gripped by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with rival administrations and multiple militias vying for control of the oil-rich country. Jihadists and people-traffickers

Asansol violence: Situation under control, says police

The situation in West Bengal's Paschim Burdwan district, where violence erupted recently over Ram Navami processions, has been brought under control."Through media, we appeal people to not trust rumours, the situation is under control. No deaths have taken place," said L N Meena, Commissioner of Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate.Currently, heavy security is in place.Earlier in the day, section 144 was imposed in the area as clashes and cases of violence were on the rise.The holy celebrations on March 25 had turned sour after clashes erupted in various parts of Bengal leaving three dead and several injured.Condemning the incidents of violence, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asserted that such behaviour was unacceptable in her state, and said that her government would strongly deal with each miscreant.

Right-wing bodies protest for withdrawal of case against Bhide

Supporters of Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide, one of the main accused in the Koregaon-Bhima caste violence, today held a protest here demanding withdrawal of an attempt to murder case registered against him. Members of various right-wing organisations assembled near the river bed near the historic Shaniwarwada for the protest, a day after the police denied them permission to hold a march from the Shaniwarwada to the district collectorate. "Over 5000 supporters gathered near the riverbed and staged a protest for withdrawal of a case against Bhinde," said Sanjay Jadhar,Pune district president of the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, founded by Bhide. He said the administration allowed some representatives to hand over a memorandum of their demands to district collector Saurabh Rao. The mother of Rahul Phatangade, who was killed during the clashes between Dalits and Marathas on January 1, also took part in the protest here and sought stringent action against the culprits. Bhide ..

Five Naxals surrender in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district

Five Naxals including two women surrendered before Gadchiroli police in Maharashtra today, an official statement said. The surrendered rebel leaders were carrying a reward of a total of Rs 25 lakh on their heads, police said. Sainu alias Mirgu Jhuru Weddah (35), who was the 'commander' of Company No 4 'A' platoon of Naxals and was involved in 62 police-Naxal skirmishes, had 17 cases of murder registered against him, police said. He was carrying a reward of Rs 12 lakh on his head. Rupi alias Jhuri Kande Karoye (36), a woman Naxal, was Platoon commander of Company No 4 'C' from 2008, was involved in 42 cases of encounter, seven blasts and eight cases of murder, police said. She was carrying a reward of Rs 6 lakh on her head. Others were identified as Arjun Barsay Poya (25), Chhaya alias Raje Devu Kudyeti (23) and Vinu alias Ramnath alias Bijawu Sundar Kowachi (23). This is a second incident of surrender by Naxals in the area after two Naxals laid down the arms last month. .

Communal clash erupts in Nalanda district

Members of two communities clashed today over taking out a religious procession in Bihar's Nalanda district, leaving more than 20 persons, including four security personnel, injured, police said. Nalanda is the native district of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Communal clashes have erupted in several districts in the state since Ram Navami last Sunday. "People from both sides indulged in heavy stone-pelting in Silao block of the district following a dispute over the route of a Ram Navami procession, and police had to resort to mild use of force besides firing tear gas shells to quell the mobs," Superintendent of Police, Nalanda, Sudhir Kumar Porika said. Nalanda district has a tradition of Ram Navami processions being taken out in different parts on separate dates even after the festival which was on Sunday last. The procession was scheduled for today in Silao. He said the miscreants also hurled stones at the security personnel, causing injuries to a jawan of Sashastra Seema Bal, the ..

Marginal shortage of pilots in IAF: Minister

There is a marginal shortage of pilots in the Indian Air Force, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, though it did not give the exact figures.

4 'fidayeen' killed in encounter in Rajouri

Four terrorists, who were part of a suicide squad, were today killed in a day-long encounter with security forces in the Sunderbani area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, the police said. The fidayeen, or suicide attackers, had infiltrated into the Indian territory from across the Line of Control (LoC) about four-five days ago, prompting security forces to launch a search operation in the area. Authorities had ordered the closure of educational institutions in the Sunderbani tehsil in view of the search operation. This is the second major terror incident in the Jammu region this year. "Security forces today eliminated a group of four fidayeen in the Sunderbani area in a well-coordinated day-long operation," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Rajouri, Yougal Manhas told PTI. "Four terrorists have been killed in the encounter," J&K's DirectorGeneral of Police (DGP) S P Vaid confirmed. No injury was reported to anyone in the gunfight with the terrorists, he said. The ...

128,000 civilians leave Syria's Eastern Ghouta

A total of 128,000 civilians have so far left rebel-held areas in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta through humanitarian corridors, state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday.

Poland signs nearly $5 billion deal to buy US missile system

Poland signed a $4.75 billion deal with the United States Wednesday to buy air defense Patriot missile systems as it seeks to bolster its defenses against a resurgent Russia. President Andrzej Duda described the deal for the state-of-the-art anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems as "historic" for his country and its armed forces. "It's a lot of money, but we also know from our historical experience that security has no price," Duda said. The defense deal is Poland's largest in almost 30 years. The system is compatible with technology used by NATO and U.S. troops based in Poland, Duda said. It includes 16 launchers, four radars and the latest fire control system. Parts of the system will be made in Poland, a boost for the country's armaments industry. US Ambassador Paul Jones called the deal a milestone that brings the NATO member into a family of 15 countries that rely on the Patriot system for their airspace security. "We are allies forever," Jones said in fluent Polish. Prime ...

Ram Navami clashes: Sec 144 imposed in WB city

Following continued violence and clashes over Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal's Asansol, Section 144 has been imposed in the vicinity.Security forces, including the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have also been deployed with the police keeping in view the law and order situation in the region.Earlier in the day, Central Government sought a report from the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government on incidents of arson and violence during Ram Navami processions in the last two days.Considering the present security scenario, Centre had also offered assistance of paramilitary forces.The holy celebrations, on Sunday, had turned sour after clashes erupted in various parts of Bengal leaving one dead and several injured.Condemning the incidents of violence, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asserted that such behaviour was unacceptable in her state, and said her government would strongly deal with each miscreant.

Five Maoists, bearing Rs 24 lakh reward on their head, surrender in Maharashtra

Five top Maoists, including two women, collectively carrying a Rs 24 lakh (Rs 2.4 million) reward on their heads, have surrendered before the Maharashtra security forces, officials said here on Wednesday.

'BRI provided opportunity to develop national economy: Lanka official

China's "Belt and Road Initiative" has provided a great opportunity for Sri Lanka to achieve its goal to develop national economy and extend economic dividends to the grassroots level, a senior Sri Lanka official said today. Secretary General of Sri Lanka's National Economic Council (NEC) and Chief Economist Professor Lalith Samarakoon, during his meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan also said that Colombo attaches great importance on Sri Lanka-China economic cooperation. "The NEC will accordingly coordinate all related departments to speed up the implementations of the joint projects and deepen the friendship of the two countries," Samarakoon was quoted as saying in a Chinese embassy release here. China's massive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) seeks to build rail, maritime and road links from Asia to Europe and Africa in a revival of ancient Silk Road trading routes. The issues related to BRI, earlier known as "One Belt One Road (OBOR), have been a major bone

Iraqi monument destroyed by IS recreated in London

A reconstruction, made from date syrup cans, of an ancient Iraqi statue destroyed by Islamic State jihadists was unveiled in London's Trafalgar Square today. The artwork will stand for two years on the empty fourth plinth in the British capital's central square as a monument to the destruction of Iraqi culture since the 2003 US-led invasion. Created by US conceptual artist Michael Rakowitz, who is of Iraqi Jewish descent, the replica is entitled "The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist". "I see this work as a ghost of the original and as a placeholder for those human lives that cannot be reconstructed, that are still searching for sanctuary," said Rakowitz. It recreates a Lamassu -- a winged bull and protective deity -- that stood at the gates of Nineveh, northern Iraq, from around 700 BC. It was destroyed by the Islamic State (IS) group in 2015. The new statue is part of a wider project to recreate more than 7,000 objects looted from the Iraq Museum in 2003 or destroyed at ...

400 pc jump in jawans, officers leaving CAPFs in 2017: Govt

Jawans and officers leaving paramilitary forces witnessed an over four-fold increase last year when compared to 2015, owing to various personal and domestic reasons, the government informed Parliament today. The maximum resignations or voluntary retirements have taken place in the ranks of constables and head constables in the forces tasked with maintaining internal security in the country. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, said the "number of officers and jawans of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles who left their job in 2017 is 14,587 as compared to 3,425 in the year 2015." This is an over four-fold jump in the personnel leaving the forces last year when compared to 2015. The maximum officials, at 6,415, who left their job last year were from the Border Security Force, followed by 5,123 in the Central Reserve Police Force. The minister did not provide the data for 2016. He was asked a specific question on the .

Macron hails slain policeman as symbol of 'French resistance'

President Emmanuel Macron today hailed a policeman who sacrificed his life in an Islamist attack as a symbol of the "French spirit of resistance" and urged the nation to be vigilant in the face of an "insidious" jihadist threat. "The name of his attacker will be forgotten, but the name of Arnaud Beltrame will live on," Macron told a national ceremony to honour the officer, one of four victims of Friday's shooting spree in southwestern France. The French leader vowed to ensure "he will not have died in vain". "His example will remain etched in French hearts," the president told hundreds gathered in the rain at the historic Invalides military museum and hospital in central Paris. Beltrame, a 44-year-old member of the gendarmerie military police force, died offering to take the place of a female checkout worker whom attacker Radouane Lakdim was using as a human shield at a supermarket in the town of Trebes. Lakdim, who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group, had already shot dead .

4 terrorists killed in encounter in Rajouri

Four terrorists were today killed in a gunfight with security forces in the Sunderbani area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, the police said. The militants had infiltrated into the Indian territory from across the Line of Control (LoC) about four-five days ago, prompting security forces to launch a search operation in the area. Authorities had ordered the closure of educational institutions in the Sunderbani tehsil in view of the search operation. "Four terrorists have been killed in the encounter," J&K's DirectorGeneral of Police (DGP) S P Vaid told PTI. No injury was reported to anyone in the gunfight with the terrorists, he said. The encounter broke out in the Nowshera-Sunderbani belt after the group of infiltrating terrorists was intercepted by the security forces early today, the DGP said. SSP, Rajouri, Yougal Manhas said three bags containing ammunition and explosives were recovered from outside a CRPF camp in Sunderbani. According to reports, a security guard ...

Protests over road expansion project in Kathmandu

Several protesters were detained and some were injured in Kathmandu on Wednesday as Nepali police used water cannon to disperse a demonstration against a planned road expansion project.

Four militants killed in J&K gunfight, search operation on

Four militants were killed in a gunfight with the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Wednesday, police said.

4 terrorists killed in encounter in J&K's Rajouri

Four terrorists were today killed in a gunfight with security forces in the Sunderbani area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, the police said. The militants had infiltrated into the Indian territory from across the Line of Control (LoC) about four-five days ago, prompting security forces to launch a search operation in the area. Authorities had ordered the closure of educational institutions in the Sunderbani tehsil in view of the search operation. "Four terrorists have been killed in the encounter," J&K's DirectorGeneral of Police (DGP) S P Vaid told PTI. No injury was reported to anyone in the gunfight with the terrorists, he said.