Page 692 - War Conflict
Russia vows to react to 'provocative' expulsions of diplomats
The Russian foreign ministry today vowed to retaliate against the expulsions of its diplomats by the United States and Canada, as well as 14 European Union countries and Ukraine over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain. "We express a decisive protest over the decision taken by a number of EU and NATO countries to expel Russian diplomats," the ministry said in a statement, calling the moves a "provocative gesture" and promising that this "unfriendly step... will not pass without trace and we will respond to it.
Yemen rebel strike claims first civilian casualty in Saudi capital
An Egyptian labourer died in his bed when shrapnel ripped into his ramshackle Riyadh room, the first known fatality in a Yemeni rebel attack on the Saudi capital. Today, a gaping hole in the roof and scattered piles of concrete debris were all that remained of the small room which Abdul-Moteleb Ahmed shared with other labourers. Witnesses said a burning shrapnel pierced through the low-slung building in Riyadh's Um Al-Hammam district, killing Ahmed, a 38-year-old father of two, just before midnight when Iran-aligned Huthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles at Riyadh. "He was the father of two young children and the sole breadwinner of his family," an Egyptian who said he was Ahmed's roommate told AFP, standing amid wrecked wrought iron furniture, an upturned television and littered clothing. "How will his family survive without him?". Three other Egyptians in the same room were wounded and hospitalised, witnesses said. Saudi authorities said one Egyptian had been killed and two others
J-K Police to get over 150 bulletproof gypsies
The Jammu and Kashmir Police is all set to include over 150 bulletproof gypsies in its fleet, a step taken after increasing terror attacks on security forces, a police official said today. In this regard, the police had floated a notice last week inviting tender for fabrication of the vehicles into bullet resistant vehicles (BRVs) to arm officers, cops and moving patrol teams against the terror attacks. The Centre government has already announced Rs 500 crores for the modernization of J&K Police under Prime Minister Development Programme. "J&K government hereby invited reputed and registered manufacturers of fabrication of bullet resistant vehicles to unarmour 154 gypsies with protection against 7.62mmX39mm (AK-47) without run flat system", Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Provisions, Mubassir Latifi, said. A lot of things are being procured to modernize the police force after recent attacks on policemen by terrorists. The Ministry of Home Affairs was kind enough to take ...
Taliban attack on electricity pylon causes outage in Kabul
Nearly 80 per cent of Kabul was without power on Monday after the Taliban blew up an electricity pylon in Afghanistan's Baghlan province, officials said.
Those obstructing people to shun militancy should be treated as terrorists: MoS PMO
Following Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief Ashraf Sehrai's refusal to request his son to shun militancy, MoS in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh said that such people who do not want to bring people back to mainstream should also be treated like terrorists.Sehrai's son Juniad Khan reportedly joined terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, a day after he went missing from Jammu and Kashmir."We have followed a hot pursuit on terrorists. But at the same time, a very keen endeavour is being done to bring people back to the mainstream. Those who refuse to be a part of this process, would be treated in the same manner as a terrorist," Singh told ANI.Yesterday, Jammu and Kashmir DGP SP Vaid requested the newly-appointed Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chief to convince his son Junaid Khan, to shun militancy and come back to the mainstream, but to no avail.Sehrai reportedly rejected Vaid's advice to call his son back and said that it was his son's choice to join militants ranks to fight 'occupational ...
Alert security personnel foil bank robbery bid by militants
The alert security personnel foiled a bank robbery bid today by militants in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said. "The militants appeared at the Bugam branch of Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Kulgam and tried to loot the money. The alert security personnel present there, however, foiled their attempt," the police spokesman said. He said the robbers fled from the spot due to the alertness of the security personnel. "A manhunt has been launched to nab the perpetrators," the spokesman added.
Afghans soon to fly missions with Black Hawks from US
The US military has been flying UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter missions in Afghanistan for years, but the storied aircraft will soon take to the country's battlefields manned by pilots and crews from the Afghan military. The first group of Afghan trainees is in the final phase of instruction by US advisers at an air base in southern Kandahar province, as part of the process of transitioning Afghanistan's military from Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters to the US-made Black Hawks. They are scheduled to begin flying missions in May. "The Mi-17 that the UH-60 is going to replace is not sustainable as a helicopter, so what we are doing, we are giving to the Afghan Air Force sustainable, very highly capable and battle-proven helicopters so that they can take the fight forward as they continue to safeguard this country," said US Air Force Major Ted Rogers, director of operations for the 441st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. He called the transition "hugely important." According to the Afghan ...
Four women Maoists killed in gun battle with security forces Bhubaneswar
Four women Maoists have been killed during an exchange of fire with security personnel in Narayanpatna area of Odisha's Koraput district, the police said today. Acting on a tip off, the District Voluntary Force (DVF) and Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel launched a joint combing operation last night in the forest areas of Narayanpatna, Director General of Police R P Sharma said. "As soon as the left-wing extremists saw security personnel approaching them, they opened fire. When the security forces retaliated, a fierce gun battle ensued between the two sides, leading to the death of four women cadres," Sharma explained. It appeared that 10 to 12 rebels of the Andhra-Odisha Special Zonal Committee of CPI (Maoist) were present at the site during the encounter, he said. "The bodies of three women cadres were recovered right after the encounter last night while another body was found in the forest this morning," Sharma said, adding that four rifles, kit bags, land mine and some ...
Egypt ministry says 6 militants killed in raid
Egypt's Interior Ministry says it has killed six militants believed to be involved in a weekend bombing in the coastal city of Alexandria that killed two policemen. The statement late last night said the militants belonged to the Hasm movement and were killed in a raid on their hideout in Beheira province. The Alexandria blast occurred when an explosive device that was placed under a car detonated as the city's security chief's convoy was driving by in Saturday. He was unharmed. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The bombing came just ahead of Egypt's presidential election that got underway today. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi faces no serious challenge in the vote. Authorities consider Hasm, which routinely targets security personnel, to be a splinter group of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. Militant attacks have surged in Egypt since the military's 2013 ouster of an elected Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi.
Five killed by Boko Haram in Niger attack
At least five civilians were killed and several others wounded in an attack by suspected Boko Haram militants in southeast Niger, near the border with Nigeria, according to local sources. "The BH (Boko Haram) came to the market place early Friday evening, they shot the crowd and took food," said a resident of Toummour, in the southwest Diffa region, which was targeted by the attack. A local official yesterday confirmed the toll of "five dead, all civilians", adding that several were also wounded in the attack. Diffa governor Mahamadou Laoualy Dan went to Toummour on Saturday to "offer his condolences" to relatives of the dead and "encourage" the army who "routed" the attackers, Niger television reported. "We ask the people to hold on... 2018 will be a decisive year in the war against Boko Haram," he said in front of Toummour residents. In January, seven Niger soldiers were killed and 17 wounded in an attack in Toummour, which is located in the east of Diffa close to the Lake Chad ...
Chinese Korean war dead set to return home
A Chinese officer saluted today as the remains of 20 former comrades were arrayed in a South Korean military facility ahead of their return home, decades after they died in the Korean War. The brown-stained bones -- including some near-complete skulls -- were laid out on tables at the temporary ossuary in Incheon before being placed in identical boxes pending their repatriation Wednesday. It will be the fifth annual return under a 2013 agreement which has so far seen 569 sets of remains sent back. Communist Chinese forces played a crucial role in support of the North during the 1950-53 Korean War, but former South Korean president Park Geun-hye offered to return the bodies of Beijing's war dead as a goodwill gesture. Mao Zedong sent millions of troops to intervene as US-led United Nations forces drove Kim Il Sung's army back towards the Chinese frontier in late 1950, saving the North from defeat in a decisive turning point in the war. South Korean and UN forces were pushed back south,
Naxals ambush CRPF team in Sukma; jawan injured
A CRPF jawan was today injured in a Naxal ambush and IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, officials said. They said Maoists had set up a strong ambushin the jungles of Kondasawli-Jagargunda area in south Bastar district and troops of the 231st battalion of the force got engaged in it when they were undertaking an operation. A heavy exchange of gunfire took place between the two sides at about 9:30 am followed by an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, they said. "The Maoist ambush was successfully thwarted and a CRPF jawan suffered splinter injuries on his hand due to the impact of the IED explosion," a senior official said. The jawan has been evacuated for medical care to the nearby Dantewada district and a search operation is on the area, they said. The Sukma district of the state is a Naxalite hotbed and nine men of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed and two others injured when Maosits trigerred a landmine blast underneath their armoured vehicle in the district
Puigdemont in Germany court after arrest triggered Catalan protests
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is to appear in court today following his arrest in Germany which triggered a wave of protests in Catalonia where thousands of separatists faced off with police. German police arrested Puigdemont yesterday, after he crossed the border from Denmark, under a European warrant issued by Spain. The arrest comes five months after Puigdemont went on the run as Spanish prosecutors sought to charge him with sedition and rebellion in the wake of a vote by the Catalan parliament to declare independence. According to his lawyer Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, he was on his way to Belgium, where he fled after Spanish authorities moved to impose direct rule over Catalonia. Puigdemont will be brought before a German judge today to confirm his identity and a court will then decide if he is to remain in custody pending extradition proceedings. Clashes erupted as protesters took to the streets in Catalonia on Sunday following his arrest. Catalan police decked out in ..
Gold rises to five-week high on trade war, geopolitical woes
(Reuters) - Gold prices rose to a five-week high on Monday as the threat of a trade war between the United States and China weighed on the dollar and equity markets, driving investors to seek refuge in safe-haven assets.
Children in Yemen face acute humanitarian needs: Unicef
Three years of war coupled with decades of chronic underdevelopment in Yemen has resulted in 11 million children plagued by malnutrition and disease and facing acute humanitarian needs, according to the Unicef.
Dantewada jail beefs up security after prison break attempt
Security in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada jail was beefed up after four prisoners attempted to escape the prison.Four prisoners reportedly tried to flee away from the jail on March 24. However, they were unsuccessful in their attempt.Director General (Jail & Home Guard) Girdhari Lal Nayak said that a thorough investigation in this matter has been initiated."We have conducted an inspection, saw how security intelligence and structural security can be improved. I have even asked Police Superintendent for investigation of the matter," he said.
Mass protests across Catelonia after ex-leader's arrest
Mass protests broke out across Spain's Catelonia region after its former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont was arrested in Germany, media reports said.
Over 3,000 rebels, families leave Eastern Ghouta
A total of 3,708 rebels and their family members evacuated Syria's Eastern Ghouta area on Sunday, as the second batch to leave areas under the control of Failaq al-Rahman militia, media reporter.
Egypt's police kill 6 terrorists on election eve
The Egyptian police killed six terrorists on Sunday during an anti-terror raid in Beheira province north of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Interior Ministry said.
Security forces kill 6 terrorists in Egypt
Six terrorists were killed in Egypt today in a shootout with security forces, the government said. The ministry of interior said in a statement that security forces discovered a terrorist spot in a residential apartment in Behira governorate in a fire exchange, earlier on Sunday. Six terrorists belong to Hasm group - which is affiliated to the Muslim Britherhood, were killed in the exchange of fire.