Page 727 - War Conflict
US Embassy in Turkey shut for unspecified 'security threat'
The US Embassy in Turkey will be closed today due to an unspecified security threat. A statement posted on the embassy's web page on Sunday urged US citizens to avoid the embassy in Ankara as well as large crowds and to "keep a low profile." The statement said the embassy will be closed "due to a security threat. The Embassy will announce its reopening, once it resumes services." It did not give details on the threat. In 2013, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive in front of the US Embassy in Ankara, the Turkish capital. He killed himself and a Turkish guard. Turkish officials blamed the attack on domestic leftists.
Jammu youth shuns violence, returns home
This case joins the growing list of young men, who decided to give up militancy and reunite with their families.
IS claims drive-by shooting in Yemen's Aden
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a drive-by shooting that killed two security personnel in Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Sunday.
34 civilians killed in regime strike on E. Ghouta: monitor
Syrian regime air strikes on the besieged rebel stronghold of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus killed more than 30 civilians including children, a monitoring group said. "Thirty-four civilians were killed in regime strikes and rockets on Eastern Ghouta," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, adding that 11 of the victims were children. Rahman also said 26 of the people killed were in Ghouta's main town of Douma and its eastern suburb. The regime's air strikes, artillery fire and rocket attacks on Ghouta over the past 15 days have left more than 690 civilians dead, according to SOHR. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said yesterday his forces must push on with their campaign to retake Eastern Ghouta from rebels, despite mounting international calls to end the bloodshed. Assad's forces have seized over a quarter of the enclave on Damascus's eastern edges after two weeks of devastating bombardment, according to SOHR. As the United States, Britain and France .
Uganda president fires police chief, security minister
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has fired controversial police chief Kale Kayihura as well as the country's security minister, a statement said. Kayihura, a serving general, was once regarded as the most powerful military officer in the country but has recently fallen out of favour with Museveni who has ruled Uganda since he took power at the head of a rebel army in 1986. Kayihura was appointed inspector general of police in 2005, the same year that a successful referendum was held on restoring multi-party democracy to the East African nation after a near 20-year ban on political parties. His tenure as police chief was characterised by the proliferation of military-style units in the force and an increase in the perceived politicalisation of the police. Since the March 2017 assassination of Felix Kaweesi -- a senior policeman who had been viewed as his potential successor -- Kayihura has come under pressure for failing to curb growing insecurity. At least 23 women have been killed .
LeT militant, 3 others killed in firing incident in J-K's Shopian
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant and three civilians, termed overground workers for the militant group by the Army, were killed in South Kashmir's Shopian district, officials said here. According to the Army, two vehicles were asked to stop by a mobile checking squad of the force in this militancy-affected area near Pohan. However, the squad was fired upon from inside a car. Troops retaliated effectively, resulting in the death of the vehicle's occupants, they said. Police rushed to the spot and identified one of the deceased as Amir Ahmed Malik, who had joined the LeT militant group in July last year. The bodies of the others were handed over to their legal heirs, a police spokesman said. "Weapons have been seized and legal proceedings initiated," he said. However, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col. Rajesh Kalia said the three were overground workers and accomplices of the slain militant. The three were residents of Trenz, Pinjoora and Imamsahib areas of Shopian. In a related ...
Two IS militants held for plotting Kabul mosque attack
Two senior members of the Islamic State (IS) group have been arrested by the Afghan intelligence operatives on Sunday, in connection with the last year's Kabul mosque attack, which claimed 50 lives.The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said the detained individuals have been identified as Ehsanullah son of Karimullah and Omaar son of Abdul Hadi.The National Directorate of Security (NDS) detained two individuals - Ehsanullah, who is a senior member of the military commission of the IS group and Omar, a member of the recruitment committee of the dreaded group, the Khaama Press reported.According to a statement by the NDS, the militants confessed that they had planned and carried out the deadly attack on Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul in October last year.The NDS added that the militants were also involved in other terror-related incidents as well.The dreaded IS group had claimed responsibility for the Kabul mosque attack.
One militant among four killed in Kashmir
Four persons including one militant and three civilians -- who the army said were overground workers (OGWs) of militants -- were killed on Sunday in a gunfight in Kashmir's Shopian district.
1 militant, 3 others killed in firing incident in J-K's Shopian
Four people, including a militant, were killed tonight in south Kashmirs Shopian district after ultras fired on a security forces mobile vehicle check post, a police official said. The official said a joint mobile vehicle check post (MVCP) near Pohan in Shopian signalled a car to stop, but it did not. The Army men were fired upon and they retaliated, in which a militant was killed, the official said. He said a weapon and a pouch was found near the militants body. The official said that when police were called, they found a car some distance away in which three youths were found dead. He said it was being ascertained whether the three youths were associates of the militant or not. However, Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said the three were over-ground workers and accomplices of the slain militant. All the three were locals and residents of Trenz, Pinjoora and Imamsahib areas of Shopian. The militant killed in the exchange of fire has been identified as Shahid Ahmad ..
'Tripura poll results will have no impact in poll bound Karna'
The Tripura poll results would have no impact in Karnataka, where assembly elections are expected to be held in April/May, as there was no 'Modi wave' in the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said here today. "Post #Tripura results there is excitement in media about the results' implications for Karnataka. Since 2014 Lok Sabha results #BJP has lost Assembly segments in over 50 Lok Sabha Seats & has won only about 2 LS seats. So let us not lose perspective: there is no Modi wave here," he tweeted. While BJP wrested the Left bastion of Tripura and received an invitation to be a part of the government in Nagaland, Meghalaya elected a hung Assembly. Congress emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya with 21 seats. Siddaramiah also said the state BJP should worry about how B S Yeddyurappa, who was imprisoned in an illegal land denotification case and 'presided over mining loot,' would convince voters to give stable corruption-free governance. "The BJP Karnataka has
Syria regime retakes quarter of rebel enclave as civilians flee
Syria's regime has seized control of over a quarter of rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on the edge of Damascus after two weeks of devastating bombardment, sending hundreds of civilians into flight, a monitor said today. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime forces had advanced to three kilometres (two miles) from Douma, the main town, after retaking "more than 25 per cent" of Eastern Ghouta, in operations mostly through farmlands. The government's advance into the last major opposition enclave near the capital, on the back of 15 days of air strikes, artillery fire and rocket attacks that are reported to have left more than 640 civilians dead, sent hundreds of residents into flight to western parts of the enclave. Under growing international pressure to end the bloodshed, regime backer Russia last week announced daily five-hour "humanitarian pauses" in the enclave. But while the air campaign has eased, fighting has intensified on the ground. Backed by Russian air power, the ...
Three suspected drug peddlers held in J&K
Three suspected drug peddlers were today arrested and 27 kilograms of poppy straw seized from two vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district, police said. A gas tanker was intercepted at Majalta on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 15 kg of poppy straw, a police spokesman said. He said the driver of the vehicle was arrested and booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Another police party intercepted a truck near Roundomail and 12 kg of poppy straw was seized from it, the spokesman said. Both the occupants of the vehicle, including the driver, were arrested and a case under the NDPS Act registered against them, he added.
11 held for looting bank, Rs 4.5 lakh seized
11 out of 13 people accused of looting a bank on February 18 were arrested on Sunday in Kanpur.Police authorities recovered the looted amount of Rs 4.5 lakh and jewellery."This is a very specialized gang with international contacts. Many people from respectable professions are also a part of it and have been providing them (with) funds and vehicles. That is also one of the reasons behind the smooth functioning of such gangs.", said Alok Singh, Inspector General of Police, Kanpur Zone.Earlier in February this year, motorcycle-borne goons looted a petrol pump owner in Patna. His daughter sustained injuries in the incident.
Militant killed in Kashmir gunfight
One militant was killed on Sunday in a brief gunfight with the security forces in Kashmir's Shopian district.
13 IS terrorists killed in Afghanistan
At least 13 militants belonging to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group have been killed in the airstrikes carried out in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan.Khaama Press quoted the 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan Military in the North as saying that at least two foreign insurgents hailing from Tajikistan were also among those killed.The airstrikes conducted by the Afghan Air Force targetted IS hideouts in Darzbab district.IS has not commented on the airstrikes, so far.Earlier this week, at least seven militants, including the ones affiliated with the IS, were killed in drone strikes in Nangarhar and Kapisa provinces.
US aircraft carrier to arrive in Vietnam for historic visit
A US Navy aircraft carrier will set anchor in Vietnam on Monday, for the first time since the end of the Vietnam War more than four decades ago, the media reported.
15 killed in violence in Nigeria
At least 15 people have been confirmed killed and several others injured following a skirmish in Nigeria's northeastern town of Mambilla, local residents and the police said.
Investigators probe deadly twin attacks in Burkina Faso
Authorities in Burkina Faso were today hunting for clues about the masterminds behind the deadly twin attacks on the French embassy and the country's military HQ. The coordinated attacks in Ouagadougou, which coincided with a meeting of regional anti-jihadist forces, underlined the struggle the fragile West African nation faces in containing a bloody and growing jihadist insurgency. Eight armed forces personnel were killed, the government said, while a French security source said 12 more were seriously injured. Earlier security sources had reported a higher toll. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and while a jihadist plot is the most likely, the government was not ruling out the involvement of plotters behind a failed coup in 2015. "This is a terrorist attack, linked to a current or another terrorist movement in the Sahel... or to others who want to are destabilise or block our democratic progress," said communication minister Remis Fulgance Dandjinou this morning. Two ..
Bahrain arrests 116 alleged members of 'Iran-linked cell'
Bahrain said today that it had arrested 116 people accused of belonging to a "terror" cell allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards. An official statement on state news agency BNA said that security services had in the process thwarted a number of attacks and seized large quantities of arms and explosives. Authorities in the tiny Gulf state have cracked down hard on dissent since mass street protests in 2011 which demanded an elected prime minister and constitutional monarchy in the Sunni-ruled, Shiite majority kingdom. Bahrain frequently accuses opposition figures of links to Shiite Iran, which denies supporting any bid to overthrow the government. The statement charged that the cell planned to target leading security figures and carry out attacks on oil and other vital installations. It accused those detained of being members of a cell formed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and said that as many as 48 of those detained had received military training in Iran, Iraq and ...
Top secular writer stabbed in Bangladesh
A Bangladeshi professor and secular writer was stabbed in his head and neck by an unidentified assailant during an event at a university here, police said. Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, an outspoken opponent of militancy and communalism, has suffered head injuries in the attack which took place at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, bdnews24 reported. The attacker was nabbed and handed over to the police, Shahjalal University Public Administration Department Assistant Professor Md Mahmud Hasan said. The motive behind the attack was not immediately known, police said. Iqbal, a professor of the university, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was able to speak despite bleeding profusely, the report said. The attack took place during a festival organised by the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department where he was the chief guest. The attacker struck from behind and stabbed him in the head, the report said. "Things are heated. The students are causing vandalism.