Page 733 - War Conflict
Indonesia seizes yacht in Bali wanted by US investigators
A luxury yacht sought by US authorities was seized today off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, officials said, with the vessel reportedly linked to a corruption scandal at Malaysia's state investment fund. Authorities boarded and searched the Cayman Island-registered vessel, which is reportedly worth some USD 250 million and is owned by Jho Low, a former unofficial adviser to the Malaysian fund 1MDB. The US Justice Department alleges in civil lawsuits that USD 4.5 billion was looted from 1MDB in an audacious campaign of fraud and money-laundering. "Based on the US investigation, part of the money was used to buy a yacht which has been sailing in Indonesia," said Daniel Silitonga, a senior Indonesian police official, who declined to specify whether the US hunt for the boat was linked to the 1MDB case. "We are still investigating who the owners of the yacht are." Some Indonesian and Malaysian media reported that the boat was owned by Low. The ship's captain and 34 crew are being ...
Malian families accuse army of killing 7 civilians
Families today accused Mali's military of killing seven civilians during an operation in the centre of the country a week earlier, as the government opened an enquiry into the deaths. In a separate incident in the same region, six Malian soldiers were killed on Tuesday when their vehicle struck a mine, the army said today. Malian soldiers and international forces are battling jihadists and criminal gangs in the north and centre, where an Islamist insurgency has taken root and the state is largely absent. Nouhoun Sarr, the nephew of one of seven men killed on February 21 after their arrest by the military, said the authorities informed him on Wednesday morning of his uncle's fate. "They called us to tell us our relatives were killed during the operation, without elaborating," he told AFP. A UN report published this month found that "at least 20 percent" of recorded incidents in 2016 and in the first of half of 2017 that endangered civilian lives involved the Malian authorities -- ...
Afghanistan offers Taliban political recognition, peace talks
Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani outlined a new peace map on Wednesday during an international meeting, which is aimed at finding negotiated settlement to the country's lingering crisis.
3 Nobel laureates blame Suu Kyi for Rohingya crisis
Three Nobel Peace laureates have accused Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the nation's military of genocide for their role in violence that has forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh. The laureates, who are in Bangladesh to visit sprawling refugee camps, said at a news conference in Dhaka on Wednesday that their fellow Nobel Peace laureate Suu Kyi cannot avoid responsibility. One of the laureates, Yemen's Tawakkol Karman, urged Suu Kyi to "wake up" or "face prosecution." Her two colleagues Northern Ireland's Mairead Maguire and Iran's Shirin Ebadi promised to work to bring those responsible to justice. Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since late August, when Myanmar's military retaliated following attacks on security posts by an insurgent group.
Afghan president offers to recognise Taliban as political group
Extending olive branch, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday offered to recognise the Taliban insurgents as a legitimate political group.Speaking at the 2nd Kabul Process Conference, which is being attended by officials from around 25 countries, Ghani urged the militant group to shun violence and asked them to come forward to accept peace, in order to save the country.He said that the peace process and a ceasefire must be agreed upon and that the Taliban must be declared a "political group", TOLOnews reported.The Afghan President tried to woo the Taliban with several offers such as providing security to those who join the peace process, freeing prisoners, removing sanctions against Taliban leaders, providing passports and visas for the Taliban members and their families and opening an "office" for the militant group, including in the capital Kabul."The Afghan government must be accepting and we will also work on the list of freeing Taliban prisoners", TOLOnews quoted the ...
Manila hails US move to blacklist local IS-linked groups
The Philippines today hailed Washington's decision to blacklist two local pro-Islamic State groups, including one which occupied the southern city of Marawi last year, triggering a months-long battle. The US State Department and the Department of Treasury designated the Maute group and the Dawlatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masrik as "terrorist organisations" yesterday, blocking US-based assets belonging to them or their supporters and barring Americans from dealing with them. "The (move) is an affirmation of what Philippine authorities already know -- that the Maute Group and the Dawlah-Islamiya are terrorist groups that need to be dealt with decisively using the full force of the law," a statement by the defence ministry in Manila said. "They will be denied access to the US financial system and will face sanctions as may be deemed appropriate, making it more difficult for them to conduct their activities in the Philippines and abroad." Militants from the Maute group were routed from ...
30 people kidnapped, 6 killed in southern Afghanistan
Afghan officials say at least 30 people, including 19 police officers, have been kidnapped and six police killed by insurgents in separate incidents in southern Afghanistan. Gen Abdul Raziq, Kandahar's police chief, said today a group of insurgents attacked a police checkpoint, killing six police and wounding five others. At the same time another group of insurgents wearing army uniforms stopped a bus and kidnapped 30 people, of whom 19 are policemen, said Raziq. Both incidents took place last night at the border between Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces, he said. Dost Mohammad Nayab, Uruzgan governor's spokesman, confirmed both reports, but couldn't provide more details. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack or abduction, but Raziq blamed Taliban fighters.
9 IS terrorists killed in Afghanistan
At least nine terrorists belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group have been killed and 13 others got injured after their attack was repulsed by the security forces in the northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan.Khaama Press quoted the 209th Shaheen Corps of the Afghan National Army in the North as saying that a large group of IS terrorists attacked the security posts of the Afghan National defense and security forces in Darzad district.However, the security forces launched a counter-attack.No insurgent group has commented on the incident, so far.Earlier this month, at least 25 terrorists belonging to the IS group were killed in the airstrikes carried out by the United States forces in the province.
Taliban attack Afghan check post, kill 5 policemen
At least five policemen and four others were injured after Taliban insurgents attacked a check post on the Kandahar-Uruzgan highway in Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to local officials.A source from Kandahar police was quoted by the TOLOnews as saying that the incident took place when a group of Taliban militants wearing Afghan National Army (ANA) uniforms attacked a police check post on the highway attacked the policemen. The militants also attacked an oncoming bus and abducted the passengers as well.Kandahar Police Chief General Abdul Raziq said that efforts were being made to ensure the safe release of the hostages.He added that the hostages were mostly policemen and were overpowered after clashing with the militants. However, he did not specify on how many civilians or policemen were abducted.The Taliban is yet to comment on the incident so far.This incident comes as the 2nd Kabul Process Conference is underway in Kabul, which is being attended by officials from around 25 ...
Fresh violence mars first day of Syria enclave 'truce'
A "humanitarian pause" announced by Russia in Syria's deadly bombardment of Eastern Ghouta failed to end violence, with fresh bloodshed and no sign of aid deliveries or residents leaving the besieged enclave. Nine days after Russian-backed regime forces intensified their campaign against the rebel-held enclave, the deal offered some respite to civilians who had been hiding in their basements. But the first day of a five-hour daily "pause" that was ordered by President Vladimir Putin on Sunday and kicked off at 9:00 am was marred by violence that saw seven people killed yesterday. Moscow's plan falls short of a broader 30-day ceasefire it agreed to at the United Nations Security Council but which has yet to take effect, and has inspired little trust from among the besieged enclave's 400,000 residents. The regime deployed buses at the Al-Wafideen checkpoint to transport residents wanting to use a humanitarian corridor to flee what UN chief Antonio Guterres last called "hell on ...
Ex-Sri Lankan prez Rajapaksa offers prayers at Lord
: Former Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today offered prayers at the famous hill shrine of Lord Venkateswara at nearby Tirumala. Rajapaksa, an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara, who had visited the temple several times in the past, flew in here last evening and later reached the Tirumala hills by road. After an overnight stay at a TTD Guest House on the hills, Rajapaksa offered prayers to the presiding deity of Lord Venkateswara this morning and was in the temple for about 20 minutes, temples sources PTI. The Sri Lankan leader had last visited the temple on December 10, 2014, a day after filing his nomination papers for the then presidential elections, seeking a third term. However, Rajapaksa had lost the elections. Tight security was put in place on the hills for Rajapaksa's visit, which comes amid a political crisis in Sri Lanka following the local council elections in which his party SLPP registered a landslide victory recently.
Nigeria sets up probe into girls' school attack, abductions
Nigeria's government has said it has set up a panel to investigate the abduction of 110 girls from their school last week by suspected members of the extremist Boko Haram group. Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said a major-general will head the panel of Nigerian security agencies that will examine what security was in place at the school and in its northern town, Dapchi in Yobe State, before the attack. The military had withdrawn from Dapchi weeks before the February 19 attack, saying its troops were needed elsewhere and claiming that security was handed over to police. Police deny that, saying the military never entrusted security to it. Nigeria said the girls missing from the Government Girls Science and Technical College range from 11 to 19. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "the immediate and unconditional release of all missing girls and for their safe return to their families," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The UN chief urged Nigerian ...
11 sickened after suspicious letter opened at US military base
An envelope containing a suspicious letter was opened at a US military base near Washington, leaving 11 people including nine Marines sick. A gunnery sergeant opened the envelope received yesterday at Joint Base Fort Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. People who were exposed reported symptoms including itchy hands and faces and bloody noses, a Marine official told NBC News. The building was evacuated immediately. The official said the envelope was addressed to the Marines' headquarters battalion on the base, not to an individual. "Shortly after receiving the letter, 11 people started to feel ill and caused the evacuation of the building," Major Brian Block, a Marine spokesman said. After the evaluation of 11 people, three personnel were transported in stable condition for further medical evaluations. The building was screened and cleared. "The letter was removed, and NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) and FBI are conducting a joint investigation," he said. Fort Myer .
N.Korea helping Syrian chemical war: Report
North Korea has been sending equipment to Syria that could be used in chemical weapons manufacturing, the US media reported citing findings by UN experts.
US general sees 'positive indicators' in Pakistan
A top US general said today he has started to see "positive indicators" from the Pakistan military, weeks after President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of US military aid to Islamabad. Relations between Pakistan and the US have been tense since Trump lashed out at Islamabad last August, upbraiding it for sheltering "agents of chaos." In January, he ordered the suspension of US military aid to Pakistan, saying it was not doing enough to target the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani insurgent group. "We are now beginning to see positive indicators," General Joe Votel, who heads the US military's Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee. "Through their communications, they're reporting to us some of the actions that they are taking on the ground. ... It does not yet equal the decisive action that we would like to see them take, in terms of a strategic shift, but they are positive indicators, and it gives me hope that our approach is the right one." US officials believe .
Colombian rebels attack army caravan, killing 5
Colombia's army says that an attack by leftist rebels along the South American country's volatile eastern border with Venezuela has left at least five soldiers dead and another 10 wounded. The army said that the attack took place early Tuesday when a homemade explosive ripped apart a passing truck carrying the soldiers near the rural town of Tibu. The army attributed the attack to the National Liberation Army, the largest remaining rebel movement following a peace deal in 2016 with the much-larger Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The ELN, as the group is known, announced Monday it would unilaterally suspend all offensive operations March 9 in time for congressional elections. Long-running peace talks with the ELN have been faltering this year as the rebels step up attacks across Colombia.
US says 2 extremists killed in latest Somalia airstrike
The US military says it has killed two extremists and wounded another in an airstrike against al-Shabab fighters in Somalia. A statement from US Africa Command on Tuesday said the airstrike was carried out Monday near Jilib in Middle Juba region. The US has carried out a growing number of drone strikes in the Horn of Africa nation in coordination with Somalia's government. Most are against al-Shabab but a small number have targeted Islamic State group-affiliated fighters in the Puntland region in the north. Monday's strike is the sixth air attack against Islamic extremist fighters so far this year. The US military reported two strikes last week. The US carried out more than 30 drone strikes last year in Somalia after President Donald Trump approved expanded military efforts.
Rebels 'on offensive' in Eastern Ghouta: Russia
Rebels in Syria's Eastern Ghouta have gone on the offensive despite attempts to hold a "humanitarian pause", the Russian defence ministry said today. "During the 'humanitarian pause' fighters from armed groups continued attacking the positions of the government forces in the areas of Hazrama and Nashabia settlements and after 1 pm went on the offensive in other directions too," the ministry said in a statement. "These actions were accompanied by intensive artillery fire and small arms fire." Moscow also accused fighters of firing mortar shells at a humanitarian corridor in the area between Harasta and Douma. "Mines exploded 500 metres from a checkpoint," the statement said. Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered a daily "pause" from 9 am to 2 pm to evacuate civilians from the rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta, outside Damascus, following a UN Security Council weekend vote to approve a 30-day truce. The United Nations said earlier today that fighting has raged on in the .
15 dead in fresh violence in DR Congo's troubled Kasai
Fifteen people have been killed in a resurgence of violence in DR Congo's troubled Kasai region blamed on a suspected militia, a local leader said today. "Kamwina Nsapu militiamen arrived in the administrative centre of Lombelu (on Monday) and made a surprise attack on an army combat patrol," Andre Kapiola, Lombelu sector chief in Kasai Central, told AFP. "We have collected the bodies of 14 militiamen," Kapiola said, adding that one soldier was also killed. However several Lombelu residents told AFP that about half of those killed in the attack would have been "ordinary citizens". Violence in the vast Kasai region first erupted after a tribal chieftain known as the Kamwina Nsapu, who rebelled against the regime of President Joseph Kabila, was killed in August 2016. Kapiola said the situation was "under control" but that the population of the village, which is 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the major regional town of Kananga, had fled into the bush. "Many militiamen are scattered ...
Separatist protest after prisoners shifted out of Srinagar Central Jail
Separatist groups in Jammu and Kashmir today held demonstration near Jamia Masjid against shifting of prisoners from here to outside the Valley. As many as 40 terrorists and their sympathisers were shifted today from the central jail here to prisons outside the Valley, a step taken after the dramatic escape of LeTs Mohammed Naveed Jhatt from a hospital earlier this month. The protest was organised by Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) which comprises Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. It was joined by the families of several prisoners who have been shifted outside the valley. A JRL spokesman said the leaders expressed serious concern over the plight of the prisoners lodged in different jails.