Page 74 - War Conflict
Wife of Sri Lanka church bomber delivers their first baby post-Easter attacks
The wife of a Sri Lankan suicide bomber, who blew himself up at the St Anthony's Church, delivered their first baby two weeks after the deadly Easter Sunday attacks that killed more than 250 people including the attackers, the Colombo magistrate's court has been told. Alawddin Ahmed Muath, the 22-year-old law graduate, was one of the nine suicide bombers who carried out a series of coordinated attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels on the Easter Sunday. During a court hearing on Tuesday, Muath's 59-year-old father Ahmed Lebbe Alawddin informed Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne that the bomber was the fourth of his five children. He was about to be enrolled into the Colombo Law College to further his law studies. Muath got married 14 months ago and his wife delivered their first baby on May 5, he told the judge. Alawddin said that he last saw his son on April 14 when he visited his elder sister after the delivery of her first baby on April 13. On the day of the attacks, ...
China ready to enhance Sri Lanka's counter-terrorism capabilities: Prez Xi tells Srisena
Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised his Sri Lankan counterpart Maithripala Sirisena full support in combating terrorism and boost the country's counter-terrorism capabilities, nearly a month after the massive Easter Sunday bombings. Expressing China's strong condemnation of the terror attacks in Sri Lanka, Xi said China is ready to stand alongside the Sri Lankan government and people. Xi met Sirisena on Tuesday as the Sri Lankan president visited Beijing to attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations hosted by the Chinese president. During the meeting, Xi said China will support Sri Lanka in combating terrorism, and help the country enhance its counter-terrorism capacity building to safeguard national security and stability. China stands ready to work with Sri Lanka to constantly push forward their strategic cooperative partnership that features sincere mutual help and long-term friendship, Xi said. He called on the two sides to maintain regular high-level ...
6 hurt in Guwahati blast; ULFA owns up
At least six persons, including two security force personnel, were injured in a blast outside a shopping mall here on Wednesday evening, police said.
German, Dutch armies halt Iraq training amid Iran tensions
Germany and the Netherlands said Wednesday they were halting their training of soldiers in Iraq as tensions rise between neighbouring Iran and the United States. "The German army has suspended the training," defence ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said, adding that there was "generally heightened alert, awareness" for soldiers currently operating in the region. Flosdorff said training may resume in the next few days and that there was "no concrete threat" at the moment. Germany has about 160 soldiers deployed in Iraq, including 60 in Taji, just to the north of Baghdad, and 100 in Erbil, in Kurdish-controlled northern territory. Separately, the Netherlands' defence ministry said it was also suspending its training mission in Iraq due to "threats", the Dutch ANP news agency said. More than 50 Dutch soldiers are training Kurdish troops in Erbil in the context of the international coalition against the Islamic State group, ANP said. The defence ministry website says the Netherlands also
Lanka reimposes curfew as over 100 held for anti-Muslim riots
Sri Lanka's police reimposed night curfews in vulnerable areas on Wednesday and arrested over 100 people in connection with the communal riots which targeted Muslim-owned businesses in the aftermath of the deadly Easter Sunday bombings. The police announcement came hours after authorities lifted the nationwide restrictions on people's movements and assembly. The curfew will be imposed in the North Western province and the Gampaha Police division from 7 PM tonight till 4 AM Thursday, News First quoted police spokesperson SP Ruwan Gunasekara as saying. The Air Force would deploy helicopters at day and night to assist with controlling illegal assemblies and acts of violence, Sri Lanka Air Force spokesman Group Captain Gihan Seneviratne said. "We have already taken measures to obtain aerial photographic evidence of those involved in such activities and to direct such evidence for legal action against lawbreakers," he said. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said at least 78 people were ...
Situation under control, no need to bring in foreign armies: Lanka authorities
Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday said the situation is now totally "under control" after the communal violence and there is no requirement to bring in armies of other countries in the island nation. Military spokesman Sumith Atapattu said there were no incidents of violence overnight and security forces have arrested nearly 100 people for taking part in mob attacks. "The situation is now totally under control," Atapattu was quoted as saying by media reports. Anti-Muslim riots left one man dead and caused extensive damage to homes, businesses and mosques. The communal violence is a fresh backlash from the Easter attacks where nine suicide bombers, including a woman, carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 258 people and injuring over 500 others. Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said Sri Lanka has no requirement to bring in the US Army or armies of other countries in the aftermath of the terror ...
SL military says situation under control, 78 arrested
The Sri Lanka military on Wednesday said the situation in the country was now "totally under control" and 78 people were arrested after anti-Muslim clashes this week in several areas that left one person dead and dozens of shops and mosques destroyed.
Five injured in blast in fireworks unit
A blast in a fireworks factory, which was sealed by police a few months ago after seven people died in an explosion, left five people injured at Varakanur villagein this district Wednesday. Police said the cause of the blast was not known immediately. It was not known who was operating the sealed unit, police said.
CRPF jawan killed in accidental firing in C'garh
A jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was Wednesday killedin an accidental fire from his service rifle in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, an official said. The deceased was identified as head constable Arvind Kumar Pandey, who belonged to the CRPF's 150th battalion. "He died following an accidental discharge of fire from his service rifle AK 47 in the afternoon while a briefing to security personnel was in progress in Temelwada camp under Chintagufa police station area," a CRPF official said. "The bullet pierced his throat and exited through the head, in which he died on the spot," he said. Pandey hailed from Champaran district of Bihar. The mortal remains of the jawan was being taken to Raipur from Sukma, he added. A probe is being carried out into the incident, a local police official said.
SL Army investigates man in uniform watching rioters
The Sri Lankan Army has launched an investigation after a man in uniform was seen in a footage watching rioters attacking Muslim-owned shops, homes and mosques during communal clashes earlier this week in the wake of the Easter suicide bombings.
Defence Space agency to come up at Bengaluru
Soon after it successfully carried out an anti-satellite test, India is setting up its military space agency headquartered at Bengaluru with the ace fighter pilot Air Vice Marshal SP Dharkar as its likely head."As per discussions, the tri-services defence space agency under the Indian Air Force officer is going to be headquartered in Bengaluru and is expected to get operational by the next month," government sources told ANI.The tri-services Space agency is likely to command all the space assets of the three services including the A-SAT capability, which can be used to destroy enemy space-based satellites and other assets.However, the final decision has not yet been taken on the capabilities and assets to be given to this agency.AVM Dharkar is an ace fighter pilot and is presently looking after the air defence operations of an important command along the borders.Bengaluru seems to be an obvious choice as the location of the space agency as it is also the headquarters of ISRO, which ...
SL military says situation 'totally under control'
The Sri Lanka military on Wednesday said the situation in the country was now "totally under control" following anti-Muslim violence earlier this week in several areas that left one person dead and dozens of shops and mosques destroyed.
Govt to settle retirement age issue in all CAPFs by May-end
The retirement age of CAPF personnel is set to be fixed at 60 years after the Supreme Court recently dismissed a special leave petition (SLP) filed by the government against the direction of the Delhi High Court to resolve an existing anomaly, official sources said Wednesday. The sources in the security establishment said the central government has time till May-end to implement the directive of the Delhi High Court and after consultations with all the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), it is "certain" that the age of superannuation in all the forces will be made uniform, well before the deadline. "The order will be issued after final approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs. After few rounds of consultations by the ministry with all the forces, it is analysed that the age of retirement for all the personnel, from jawan to senior officers, should be settled at 60 years as compared to 57 in certain cases at present," a senior official said on the condition of anonymity. The Supreme ..
German army halts Iraq military training amid Iran tensions
Germany has halted its training of soldiers in Iraq, a defence ministry spokesman said Wednesday, as tensions rise between neighbouring Iran and the United States. "The German army has suspended the training," defence ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said, adding that there was "generally heightened alert, awareness" for soldiers currently operating in the region. Flosdorff said training may well resume in the next days and that there was "no concrete threat" at the moment. Germany has about 160 soldiers deployed in Iraq, including 60 in Taji, to the north of Baghdad, and 100 in Erbil, in Kurdish-controlled territory.
Kolkata: TMC's student wing protests against vandalisation of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's statue
TMC's student wing on Wednesday staged a protest against the vandalisation of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's statue during clashes in BJP Chief Amit Shah's roadshow in the city.This comes a day after a bust of the 19th-century social reformer, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, was vandalised by the BJP workers at Vidyasagar College during the clashes here.Clashes reportedly broke out after some miscreants started throwing sticks at the convoy in which the BJP president Amit Shah was travelling in.The incident took place on College Street here when allegedly some TMC supporters began sloganeering and the furious BJP supporters responded by pelting stones and sticks at the University gates, resulting in chaos and mayhem.Visuals from the scene also showed a fire outside the university gates. Security forces later got down to control the situation as everything happened in a fraction of second near the Calcutta University.Since the Lok Sabha polls began on April 10, BJP and TMC have been at ...
Security forces defuse 20 landmines in Afghanistan
Security forces in Afghanistan have unearthed and defused 20 landmines in Kandahar province, officials said on Wednesday.
Lanka Army investigates man in uniform watching rioters
Sri Lankan Army has launched an investigation after a man in uniform was seen in a video watching rioters attacking Muslim-owned shops, vehicles and mosques during the communal violence that broke out in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday attacks, Army Headquarters said that its attention has been drawn to a video showing a man dressed in uniform similar to that worn by the Army, watching as a group attacked property in the Thummodara area, the Colombo Gazette reported. The Army said that an investigation has been launched to identify the man and verify if he is a soldier. Army Headquarters said that if the man is confirmed to be a soldier then disciplinary action will taken against him. Sri Lankan authorities said they have arrested 60 people linked to the communal riots as a nationwide curfew was lifted on Wednesday in the island nation, which witnessed Sinhalese mob attacks on Muslim-owned shops and businesses. The government imposed the island-wide curfew on Monday after the ...
Sri Lanka doesn't need foreign armies: Minister
Sri Lanka has no requirement to bring in the US Army or armies of other countries in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said.
Lanka police lifts nationwide curfew, arrests 60 people for anti-Muslim riots
Sri Lankan authorities said they have arrested 60 people linked to the communal riots as a nationwide curfew was lifted on Wednesday in the island nation, which witnessed Sinhalese mob attacks on Muslim-owned shops and businesses in the aftermath of the deadly Easter blasts. The government imposed the island-wide curfew on Monday after the violence against the Muslim community, who account for 10 per cent of the country's population. The curfew was briefly lifted on Tuesday before being reimposed for a second straight night following reports of fresh violence in some parts of the country. "The curfew imposed in the North-western Province and Gampaha Police division was removed at 6 am Wednesday while the curfew in the other areas of the island ended at 4 am," police media spokesman's office stated. The situation in the province is returning to normalcy, authorities said. There were no incidents of violence overnight and groups of people responsible for taking part in mob attacks have .
Maoist torch vehicles used in road construction work
Maoists torched at least five vehicles and some machines used in road construction work at Panimunda village in Kalahandi district, police said on Wednesday. A group of armed ultras stormed the site camp of a contractor engaged in the construction of a road under Pradham Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) late on Tuesday night, Kalahandi, Superintendent of Police, B Gangadhar said. The red rebels, who have been opposing construction of a new rural road between Urladani and Lahadi, set ablaze five tractors and some machines used in the work, police said. Before leaving, the Maoists left some posters at the site expressing their opposition to the road construction project in the area, they said. The SP said that combing operation and patrolling in the area bordering Kandhamal district has been intensified after the incident.