Page 735 - War Conflict
Maldives declines India's invitation to participate in 'Milan' 2018
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on Tuesday said that Maldives has declined India's invitation to participate in the biennial naval exercise Milan, which starts from March 6 to 13.Lanba further noted that Maldives has not given any reason for the decision on it."Maldives was sent an invitation to attend 'Milan', a multilateral Naval exercise hosted by Indian Navy but it declined the invitation. This exercise will take place from March 6 to13: Lanba said while addressing an event in Delhi.Further talking about China's presence in the Indian Ocean, Lanba added "We are aware of the Chinese activities in Indian Ocean region. Their pattern of deployment has remained same since many years. At any time, there are 8-10 ships in the Indian Ocean".Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka Armed Forces, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne said, "Our political leadership lead by Sri Lanka President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe clearly stated government won't enter into military .
Shifting alliances as Pakistan manages relationship with US
As Pakistan navigates its troubled relationship with the United States and scrambles to avoid being blacklisted for doing too little, too late to stop terror funding, regional alliances are shifting and analysts ponder whether a cozier relationship with countries like Russia will complicate efforts to move toward peace in neighboring Afghanistan. Russia, analysts say, is motivated by fears of a growing presence of Islamic State militants in neighboring Afghanistan and has warmed up to Pakistan as well as to Taliban insurgents battling the upstart Islamic State group affiliate known as Khorasan Province, the ancient name of an area that once included parts of Afghanistan, Iran and Central Asia. In the latest move to strengthen ties, Russia last week named an honorary consul to Pakistan's Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Province, which borders Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, where IS has established its headquarters. The IS is also present in northern Afghanistan's border regions with ...
Syria 'humanitarian pause' announced by Russia takes effect
A humanitarian "pause" announced by Russia in a bid to stem the bloodshed in Syria's rebel-held enclave of Eastern Ghouta took effect today. An AFP correspondent in the main town of Douma reported only sporadic rocket fire overnight. The daily "pause" Moscow announced yesterday is due to last until 2:00 pm (1200 GMT).
Ready to negotiate with US: Afghan Taliban
The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday announced that the insurgent group was ready to negotiate with the US amid ongoing national and international efforts to initiate a political settlement in the war-torn country.
Rajnath meets J-K CM
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the prevailing situation in the state, an official said. During the 20-minute meeting, the chief minister briefed the Union home minister on the security situation in the Valley as well as along the border with Pakistan, which has been witnessing heavy cross- border firing and continuous attempts of infiltration by militants. The two leaders also discussed the ongoing peace initiatives being undertaken by the Centre's representative Dineshwar Sharma, the home ministry official said. Yesterday, the General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, Lt Gen A K Bhatt, had said a large number of terrorists were waiting at launching pads across the Line of Control (LoC) to cross over into Kashmir and ceasefire violations by Pakistan are also an attempt to push infiltrators. There were 515 infiltration incidents in Jammu and Kashmir in 2017 in which 75 militants were killed. In ...
Pummeled civilians in Syria enclave await Russia's first daily truce
The battered residents of Syria's Eastern Ghouta rebel enclave were waiting today for the start of a "humanitarian pause" announced by Russia after days of carnage wrought by artillery and air strikes. More than 550 civilians, almost a quarter of them children, have been killed in the last week after Syrian government forces launched a renewed offensive on the rebel enclave in one of the worst episodes of bloodletting in Syria's seven-year-old conflict. A UN Security Council resolution passed on Saturday calling for a 30-day truce has been a dead letter with Moscow, the Damascus regime's main backer, setting its own truce terms instead. Yesterday, after days of building international pressure, Russia said it would organise a daily five hour pause in the fighting to allow civilians to escape through "humanitarian corridors", the first of which is due to start at 9:00 am today. The public would be informed with leaflets and text messages, and buses and ambulances would be waiting at a ..
Bandipora gunfight: LeT militant killed is Pakistani national
The militant killed a day ago in the Jammu and Kashmir gunfight in Bandipora district, has been identified as a Pakistani national of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, army said on Tuesday.
Militant injured in J&K gunfight dies
A militant injured a day ago in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district has died, police said.
Bandipora search ops: Terrorist succumbed to his injuries
A terrorist, who was injured yesterday in Hajin town of Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district has succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday.The security forces had started a cordon and search operation in Bon Mohalla of Bandipora district after terrorists fired on troops at 5:15 p.m. yesterday.The CASO was launched by 45 Battalion CRPF, Special Operations Group (SOG) and 13 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) after terrorists fired on troops at around 5:15 a.m. in the morning yesterday.
Pakistani military agencies behind Pashtun genocide: Nadeem Nusrat
The Free Karachi campaign spokesperson, Nadeem Nusrat has lashed out at Pakistan over reports that its military agencies are mobilising Taliban militants in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province to counter the Pashtun uprising.In a statement issued by the Free Karachi campaign, Nusrat said, "The irresponsible policies of Pakistani military intelligence agencies have already resulted in massive physical and financial losses to ethnic Pashtuns both in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan, and this madness must come to an end."The former Convener of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) also said that the Pakistan army and ISI, for years, "have been committing mass killings of innocent Pashtuns in FATA, Swat and other areas of Pakistan in the name of military operations against the Taliban and other terrorist outfits."Hundreds of thousands of Pashtuns have been displaced from their homes during these so-called security operations, but despite the extensive loss of lives and properties,
Saudi military chiefs ordered to retire
Saudi Arabia King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered the retirement of the kingdom's Armed Forces Chief of Staff and Air Defence Forces Commander.The King dismissed the two officials and a host of other commanders in a major shake-up, Gulf News on Monday cited a series of royal decrees as showing."Termination of the services of General Abdul Rahman Bin Saleh Al Bunyan, Chief of Staff," it said, adding that Fayyad Al Ruwaili had been appointed as his replacement.The monarch also replaced the heads of the ground forces and Air Defence.No official explanation was given for the replacements, which come as the kingdom's bloody conflict with the Iran-backed Al-Houthi rebels nears the end of its third year.A Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government has been fighting the Al-Houthis since 2015.Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, the heir to the throne and the son of the monarch, is the country's Defence Minister.
Israel arrests three IS supporters for planning attack
Israel's Shin Bet security agency announced on Monday that it has arrested three Israeli Arabs over allegedly supporting Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and planning an attack in East Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound.
Last rites of slain policeman performed in J-K
A pall of gloom descended on Jammu and Kashmir's Gurah Slathian village as the tricolor wrapped coffin carrying the body of Selection Grade Constable Kultar Singh reached his village for cremation. Singh was killed yesterday when a group of militants fired upon a police post near the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani in the Chrar-e-Shareef area in Budgam district. People in hundreds thronged the house of the slain policeman and were joined by senior police and civil officers besides politicians from ruling and opposition parties.
J-K CM condemns killing of 2 policemen
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today condemned the killing of two policemen in an attack on police posts in the state. Two policemen were shot dead by militants yesterday in two separate attacks on police posts, one near the revered Chrar-e-Shareef shrine and another outside the residence of a Hurriyat leader, in the Kashmir Valley, officials said. The chief minister conveyed her heartfelt sympathies with the bereaved families of the slain constables and prayed for their eternal solace. A group of militants yesterday fired upon a police post near the shrine of Sufi saint Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani in the Chrar-e-Shareef area in Budgam district, killing a policeman, Kultar Singh. In the second incident, another policeman, Farooq Ahmed, was killed when militants attacked a police post set up to protect the residence of Hurriyat leader Fazal Haq Qureshi, in Soura area of the summer capital of the state, a police official said.
Assembly witnesses banter between oppn, treasury benches
Even as the Budget session of the Maharashtra legislature got off to a stormy off today, the assembly witnessed banter between the opposition and treasury benches. The BJP-led government appeared to be on back-foot over a goof-up in translation during Governor Vidyasagar Rao's address. During the governor's customary address to the joint sitting of the two houses on the opening day of the session, Marathi translation was not available, triggering protest by the opposition members. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavisapologised over the episode. However, the incident did not stop members from both sides from indulging in some light-hearted exchange of words. Jayant Patil (NCP) said the government had "murdered" the Marathi language. Even before Patil could complete his sentence,Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar countered him, saying the language is not so small to be "murdered" by a "small" incident. After this, Patil quietly sat down but before that he asked Mungantiwar to
2 terror hideouts busted in Poonch, IEDs, huge cache recovered
The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district today busted two hideouts of militants and recovered large cache of arms, ammunition and explosive material, including 11 Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), a defense official said. In two separate joint search operations, a team of the Indian Army and a team of the J&K Police busted a major cache of weapons, ammunition and other war like stores in Haribudha and Bhatidhar forests in Mendhar and Surankote belts of Poonch district. Acting on a specific input, a joint search operation by the Rashtriya Rifles and the JK Police was launched in two forest areas today, a defence spokesman said. During the search operation, two pistols, grenades of various types, including rocket propelled grenades and UBGL grenades, communication equipment, GPS, 11 IEDs and explosives, ammunition of AK-47 and other war like stores were recovered, he said, adding Indian currency worth Rs 50,000 was also found at the site.
Two killed during weekend protests in DR Congo
Two people were killed during weekend marches in the Democratic Republic of Congo calling for President Joseph Kabila to quit, the latest of several demonstrations forcefully put down by authorities. Bishop Donatien Nshole, whose organisation supported the rallies, told AFP one man was killed in the capital Kinshasa and another died when he was shot by a guard in the northwestern city of Mbandaka during Sunday's rallies. The head of the UN's DR Congo mission Leila Zerrougui said in a statement she "regrets that at least two people were killed... despite instructions given to security forces to show restraint." She called on "the Congolese authorities to conduct credible investigations into these incidents and to hold those responsible accountable." She also stressed the "importance of upholding the rights of the Congolese people to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly." The Congolese police said no one had died during the demonstrations but later changed tack, saying two ...
Army, J&K police bust terrorist hideouts in Poonch
In two separate joint search operations on Monday, the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir police busted terrorist hideouts and recovered major cache of weapons, ammunition and other war-like stores in Haribudha and Bhatidhar forests in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.Acting on a specific input with regards to the likely presence of arms cache, a joint search operation by the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and Jammu and Kashmir police was launched earlier in the day.During the search operation, two pistols, grenades of various types including rocket-propelled grenades and UBGL grenades, communication equipment, GPS, improvised explosive device (IEDs )/explosives, ammunition of AK 47, among other weapons were recovered, the Jammu and Kashmir Police spokesperson informed.Currency worth Rs 50,000 was also seized.This successful operation has foiled the nefarious designs of terrorists and inimical elements who are continuously intending to vitiate prevalent security environment in both Poonch ..
Ayodhya dispute: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar confident of positive outcome
Art of Living (AoL) founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Monday said that he was confident that a fruitful result would be witnessed in the Ayodhya issue.Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is on his Kanpur visit to inaugurate a youth festival in the city, said, "We have always been successful in whatever project we have taken up. I am getting positive responses, just wait and see. I believe here also we will receive something fruitful only."The Art of Living founder added that violence around the world needed to be eliminated.Earlier on February 10, Ayodhya title suit litigant Haji Mehboob said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was working to find an amicable solution to the Ayodhya issue.Haji Mehboob, in a letter to Ravi Shankar, said that he was happy to know that he was working to find an amicable solution to the issue keeping in mind long-term peace and harmony between Hindus and Muslims.The AoL chief had last year in October offered to make a fresh start in the dialogue process, saying that he was willing .
Chhattisgarh: 3 jawans injured in encounter with Naxals
Three security personnel were injured in an encounter with Naxals in Dantewada district on Monday.The encounter, which took place in Dantewada's in Barsur area, was part of a joint operation between Special Task Force (STF), locally raised District Reserve Group (DRG) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)."DRG & STF troops raided a Naxal hideout on a hillock between Dular Gufha and Mungari. There was a heavy exchange of fire. Three of our jawans sustained bullet injuries," said CRPF, DIG (Deputy Inspector General), South Bastar, Sundarraj P.The injured soldiers - Samadu Aarakshak (DRG), Sunil Nag (DRG) and Ravindra Yadav (STF) - are being taken to Karli.