Page 749 - War Conflict
Landmines defused in Mizoram-Mynarmar border area
The Assam Rifles have defused landmines allegedly planted by Arakan militants in Mizoram-Mynarmar border, an official said today. Personnel of the specialised explosive detection unit and the bomb disposal squad of the force defused the landmines in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram, Deputy Commissioner Arun T told PTI over phone. Assam Rifles personnel were conducting patrol along the border, the deputy commissioner said. One woman was killed by a concealed landmine and a man was maimed by another landmine blast in mid-January near the border with Myanmar, following which the Assam Rifles started searching for landmines in the area. The force on January 23 also issued an advisory asking the local people not to venture in the border areas as there was strong possibility of the presence of more hidden landmines. The Myanmar Army launched a massive operation to flush out the Arakan insurgents hiding in Chin state from November and the militants allegedly planted the landmines.
This is how CRPF constable foiled militant attack
"I fired at militants and they fled", said Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) constable Raghunath Ghait on Thursday.He made this comment while sharing details with media how he foiled terror attack on CRPF camp at Karan Nagar in Srinagar on Monday.He said while he was on duty at around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, he saw two militants coming towards camp with pistol, grenades, and ammunition."At that time, snow was falling and I could not see a lot. Then I confirmed that they are militants so I challenged them and started firing towards them. They took advantage of darkness and escaped to the nearby building," Ghait said.He said that after that the CRPF team came and the operation started.While militants' attempt to sneak into the camp was foiled, a CRPF constable was killed in the gunfight that followed.Ghait added that had militants reached camp, there would have been more casualty, and a lot more harm.CRPF Director General (DG) RR Bhatnagar has said, "We have taken a decision to grant ...
Civilian casualties fall in Afghanistan: UN report
The number of civilian victims in Afghanistan in 2017 was 10,453 -- comprising of 3,438 dead and 7,015 wounded -- nine per cent lower than in 2016, representing the first decline since 2012, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Thursday.
Record number of Afghan civilian casualties in attacks in 2017: UN
Nearly 2,300 civilians were killed or wounded in suicide bombings and attacks in Afghanistan in 2017, more than any previous year of the conflict on record, a UN report said today. The figures come as militants ramp up their assaults on urban areas, after US President Donald Trump said last August the American presence in Afghanistan would remain open-ended and Washington stepped up airstrikes on rural militant strongholds. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that civilian deaths across the country dipped by nine percent in 2017, with 10,453 total civilian casualties including 3,438 deaths and 7,015 wounded. But as the Taliban and the Islamic State group have come under more pressure they have increasingly carried out indiscriminate assaults in cities. As a result, casualties from suicide bombings and attacks jumped by 17 percent. "2017 recorded the highest number of civilian casualties from suicide and complex attacks in a single year in ...
35 insurgents killed in Kandahar airstrike: MoD
Afghanistan's Minister of Defence (MoD) has claimed that at least 35 insurgents were killed in an airstrike conducted in southern Kandahar province.Kabul [Afghanistan], Feb 15 (ANI): Afghanistan's Minister of Defence (MoD) has claimed that at least 35 insurgents were killed in an airstrike conducted in southern Kandahar province.According to Tolo News, the airstrike was launched by the Afghan forces in Nesh district of the province as part of a clearance operation."Thirty-five insurgents were killed, seven vehicles and some weapons and ammunition were destroyed in ANA airstrikes in Nesh district of Kandahar," the MoD said in a statement.Earlier this week, over 40 Taliban militants were killed in a series of airstrikes launched in response to the coordinated attack of the group in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.The Taliban militants had launched a coordinated attack from four different angles in Nesh district, sparking a heavy gun battle with the security forces.
Two injured in blast in Ara town
Two suspected dacoits were injured when a bomb in their possession went off inside a rest house here today, the police said. The two belonged to a five-member gang who came here at the 'Harkhen Kumar Jaini Dharmashala' in Bhojpur district from West Bengal in early hours, they said. "Investigations so far have revealed that the five persons were criminals and they had come here from the neighbouring state to loot a bank. The bomb was kept inside a bag which went off while they were unpacking their luggage", Superintendent of Police, Bhojpur, Avakash Kumar said. Two of the suspects were injured in the blast while the remaining three fled. Among the injured, one was referred to the PMCH hospital in Patna as his condition was critical while the other was undergoing treatment at the Ara Sadar Hospital, the SP said. He said that the room where the five suspects were lodged was sealed and their belongings would be examined by forensic experts. The Aadhaar card of one of the ...
Taliban appeals to Americans to rethink war
Taliban insurgents issued an astounding 17,000-word appeal to the "American people", asking them to pressure the U.S. officials to end the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan.The letter emailed to the media in English and four other languages contained official statistics about the human and economic costs of war.Referring to the U.S. officials as "war-mongers" and usurpers, it also asserted that the protracted American "occupation" had brought only death, corruption and drugs to their impoverished country."Prolonging the war in Afghanistan and maintaining American troop presence is neither beneficial for America nor for anyone else," The Washington Post quoted the letter."Stubbornly seeking the protraction of this war will have dreadful consequences for the region and the stability of America herself," the document added.The letter, sent under the banner of "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," was issued just weeks after a blitz of deadly insurgent attacks in the Afghan capital.At ..
Tyra Banks doesn't want son to model
Supermodel and host Tyra Banks says she doesn't want her son to follow her footsteps into the modelling industry.
Taliban letter addresses American people, urges talks
In a rambling nearly 3,000-word letter issued today, the Taliban urged the "American people" to press their government to withdraw from Afghanistan, reminding them that the Afghan war is the longest conflict in which they have been embroiled, and at a cost of "trillions of dollars." The letter was addressed to "the American people, officials of independent non-governmental organizations and the peace loving Congressmen." It repeated the Taliban's longstanding offer of direct talks with Washington, which the United States has repeatedly refused, saying peace negotiations should be between the Taliban and the Afghan government. The letter promised a more inclusive regime, education and rights for all, including women. However, it seemed to rule out power-sharing, saying they had the right to form a government. "Our preference is to solve the Afghan issue through peaceful dialogue," the letter said. "America must end her occupation and must accept all our legitimate rights, including the
Naxal camp busted in Sukma
Security Forces on Wednesday busted a Naxal camp in Sukma district and siezed a huge cache of explosives.South Bastar Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Sundarraj P said,"The Naxal camp was busted in a joint operation by District Reserve Guard & District Force in the forest area of Jongaras under Kukanar Police Station limits."The Maoists fled the camp before the security forces reached the camp. The operation was conducted on intelligence inputs.Security forces have recovered huge cache of explosives, eight bullet-proof jackets looted by naxals from CRPF jawans, codex wires, Naxal uniforms and day to day use material from the busted Maoist camp.
Admiral says North Korea aiming to reunify Korean Peninsula
The senior US Navy officer overseeing military operations in the Pacific says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's long-term goal is to reunify the divided Korean Peninsula under his totalitarian regime. Adm Harry Harris Jr tells the House Armed Services Committee there's a prevailing view that Kim needs a nuclear arsenal to safeguard his regime. But Harris says Kim is after much more. He says Kim's "long view" is reunification under "a single Communist system." Harris says any future talks with North Korea must be focused on ridding the peninsula of nuclear weapons. Harris has been in uniform for nearly four decades. Hes led US Pacific Command since May 2015 and last week Trump announced he was nominating Harris to be US ambassador to Australia. The post requires Senate confirmation.
Naxal camp busted in Sukma district
Security forces busted a naxal camp and recovered a huge cache of explosive materials in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, police said today. The camp was located in the hills of Jongeras under Kukanar police station limits. A joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and district force of police carried out the operation last evening, Deputy Inspector General of Police (south Bastar) Sundarraj P told PTI. Kukanar is 450 km from the state capital. Naxals fled the camp when the security forces reached the area, the DIG said. During search, eight bullet-proof jackets looted by naxals from CRPF jawans after ambushes, a huge quantity of detonators and gelatin rods, cordex wire, batteries, five steel tiffins of various sizes used to make explosive devices and Maoist uniforms were seized from the camp, he said.
Tea warehouse collapse kills seven in Sri Lanka capital
The roof of a tea storage facility collapsed today in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, killing seven workers and wounding two others, police said. Military personnel were rushed to the private company in the commercial quarter of Grandpass to search for those crushed inside. Police said the cause of the accident was still unclear but investigations were underway into whether unauthorised extensions had been made to the single-storey building. The government has earmarked for demolition around 10,000 illegally constructed homes and commercial buildings in Colombo after a seven-storey wedding hall collapsed in May, killing one and wounding 23. High property prices and the scarcity of buildable land has seen haphazard and illegal construction spike in the city of 750,000 people. Building collapses are rare in Sri Lanka but concerns are growing about building standards following a construction boom in the aftermath of the islands 37-year-long civil war that ended in 2009.
Over 740 loot cases with women recorded in Jaipur
Jaipur accounted for the maximum number of loot cases with women among Rajasthan's police districts during 2014 to January 2018, home department said today. In a written reply to a question raised by ruling party MLA Gyandeo Ahuja, the department informed the House that a total of 1,931 cases related to loot of cash, mobile and jewellery with women were registered from January 1, 2014 to January 31, 2018 in 42 police districts of Rajasthan. In Jaipur, maximum of 233 such cases were registered in east Jaipur , followed by 220 in west Jaipur, 197 in south Jaipur, 49 in Jaipur rural and 43 in north Jaipur, the department said. Other police districts where such incidents were reported are Kota city with 121, Ajmer with 112 and Udaipur with 100 cases. Out of the 1931 total cases, recovery was made in 832 cases and 1,835 accused were arrested during the corresponding period.
Misuse of social media a 'time bomb' in J&K: Army commander
Terming the misuse of social media a "time bomb" and a challenge for security agencies, a senior Army commander said today that local Kashmiri youths were being engaged via the medium from across the border on a minute-to-minute basis. General-Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen D Anbu said that this in addition to the coming together of Hizbul Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist groups is a matter of concern. He said social media was playing a big role in the increase of violence in the state. "The reach of the social media is so large and as such it is a time bomb for everybody," the Army commander said. He, however, expressed hope that the Army would be able to reverse the trend, but said everybody - including the civil society - has a role to play in curbing the violence. "Hizbul Mujahideen, LeT and JeM are hand in glove with each other after coming together in the later part of last year," Lt Gen Anbu told reporters here. "(But) It will be
13 vehicles burnt in Ranchi over objectionable religious post
Over a dozen vehicles were torched on Wednesdy by an angry mob over an objectionable religious post on the social media, police said.
Taliban reaches out to US with offer of talks
The Taliban on Wednesday said it will welcome talks with the US and urged people to pressurize Washington to bring an end to the invasion of Afghanistan.
Indian Army does not communalise: Northern Command chief
The Indian Army does not communalise, was Northern Command chief Lt Gen D Anbu's response today to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's pointing out that Kashmiri Muslims had laid down their lives in the Sunjuwan attack. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Northern Command's comment came a day after the AIMIM chief slammed those questioning the patriotism of Muslims and Kashmiri Muslims. Four Kashmiri soldiers were among the six Army personnel killed in the attack on the 36 Brigade of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry camp in Sunjuwan on Saturday. "We take on the religion of our troops and we do not communalise any of them. There is 'sarva dharma sthal' in every formation. Go to Badamibagh (a cantonment in Srinagar) or Udhampur (the Northern Command headquarters) or even my residence," the officer said. "It is only for people who do not know the inside functioning of the armed forces. They are the one who are actually making such statements," he said, adding "they need to ...
Sonowal urges police to develop friendly relations with public
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today urged police to develop better friendly relations with the public to win their confidence. "Police has the duty to provide security and safety to the people so that they can live peacefully. They must perform their duty with utmost responsibility to win people's confidence", the Chief Minister said while inaugurating the new police reserve campus in Sivasagar district. Police personnel must lead from the front to develop a secured environment and along with maintaining peace and harmony in the society, they also must fight against corruption and terrorism, Sonowal said. ''The police is for the cause of the nation and for the people and they must prove it by their diligence and sincerity'', he added. He lauded the state police for its remarkable performance in upholding peace, harmony and secure environment in the state. ''The government is striving hard to make the Assam police as one of the best and smartest police in the ...
Police say 7 dead in Sri Lankan building collapse
A building collapsed in a busy part of Sri Lanka's capital today, killing at least seven people, police said. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said firefighters and police were searching for people who might be trapped under the rubble. Police were unable to say how many people might still be trapped. Gunasekara said the building, which collapsed in Colombo's Grandpass district, had been used as a storehouse for spices. The cause of the collapse is being investigated.