Page 769 - War Conflict
Indonesia to hold 'landmark' jihadist-terror survivor meeting
A landmark reconciliation meeting between survivors of terror attacks and the perpetrators will be held in Indonesia this month, Jakarta said today. The meeting, announced by chief security minister Wiranto, is being touted as a first for Muslim-majority Indonesia, which has long struggled with Islamist militancy and attacks. "This meeting is quite unique -- it has not ever happened before," Wiranto, who like many Indonesians goes only by one name, told reporters in the capital Jakarta. People currently incarcerated for terror-related offences and ex-convicts will get the chance to apologise to survivors at the meeting, he said. The government did not release the names of the militants or the survivors, and it was not clear for how long or where the two groups would meet. It also did not say if any family members of those killed in such attacks would participate. Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population, has suffered a string of extremist attacks in the
Soldier and militant killed in Lebanon raid
Militants resisting arrest by the Lebanese army in the restive Tripoli neighbourhood of Bab al- Tabbaneh sparked clashes that killed one on each side, a statement said today. The violence broke out late on Sunday when the army entered the Sunni stronghold with the aim of arresting wanted militants. "One soldier was killed and several others wounded" when the unit was targeted by militants, the army said, adding that hand grenades were used against its men. The army said "one terrorist" was killed and his brother arrested. Weapons and ammunition were also seized. Lebanon's second city has been directly affected by the violence raging in neighbouring Syria, where the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who is from the Alawite minority, has been battling mostly Sunni groups since 2011. Recurring clashes pitting residents from Bab al-Tabbaneh against those of Jabal Mohsen, an adjacent and mostly Alawite neighbourhood, led the army to deploy in the area in 2014.
Seven injured as jeep runs into truck near Nashik
Seven persons including two women were injured when a passenger jeep going from Ghoti to Nashik collided with a truck near Jindal company on Mumbai-Agra highway today morning, Nashik Rural police said. The injured were admitted to the Nashik Civil Hospital and a private hospital, police said.
Sharad Yadav meets Lalu in jail for RS seat: JD-U
Rebel JD-U leader Sharad Yadav on Monday met RJD chief Lalu Prasad in a Ranchi jail, drawing taunts from JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar who said Yadav is "desperate for a Rajya Sabha seat" hence the prison call.
Afghan conflict can't be resolved by military solution: Pak PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Monday said that the decades-old insurgency in Afghanistan would never be addressed with a military solution and that both sides should opt for peace talks."At the end of the day the Afghans have to sit down and talk," Abbasi said in a TV interview.According to the Tolo news, Abbasi expressed concerns over the increasing number of United States troops in Afghanistan and said that Islamabad was ready to enter into talks with the Taliban.Bloomberg reported that Abbasi had slammed charges and allegations on Pakistan's lackadaisical approach in tackling terrorism and said Islamabad recently handed over 27 Taliban prisoners to Kabul."These are Afghan nationals who were arrested inside Pakistan, they were not involved in a terror attack on us otherwise we would have prosecuted them here, so we handed them back to the Afghans," Abbasi said.However, the Afghan government has reportedly rejected such claims and instead said that no prisoner ...
12 Taliban militants killed in Afghan airstrikes
Tweleve militants were killed as Afghan military warplanes pounded Taliban hideouts in the northern Badakhshan, Faryab and Sari Pul provinces on Monday, an official said.
FIR against army after youth injured in firing
An FIR was registered against the Indian Army's 10 Garhwal Unit after a 22-year-old youth was injured when the army opened fire at a group pelting stones at a patrol party in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Monday.
Black Panther, Captain America closely related: Director
Film director Ryan Coogler says the world of superheroes Captain America and Black Panther is closely related.
BSF SI injured in Pak shelling, firing in J-K's Rajouri
A BSF sub-inspector (SI) was injured in shelling and firing by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, an official said today. There was "intermittent shelling" through the night by Pakistani troops along the LoC in Rajouri district, Deputy Commissioner (DC), Rajouri, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said. He said that the BSF SI was injured late last night in the Keri forward area in Rajouri and was hospitalised. No civilian casualties have been reported. There were also no reports of civilians migrating from the forward areas, Choudhary said. Teams have been deputed for loss assessment, he said, adding that 84 schools were closed today for three days and camps have been made functional. In heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts, yesterday, a 22-year-old Indian Army officer and three jawans were killed and at least four people were injured. There was heavy firing and shelling by Pakistani forces .
Lebanese Army receives third batch of US military aid
The Lebanese Army has received the third batch of arms supplied by the US at the port of Beirut, the army's Orientation Directorate has said.
Syrians suffer breathing difficulties after regime strikes
Five civilians were treated for "suffocation" today after Syrian regime air strikes on the northwestern town of Saraqeb, a monitor said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a "foul smell after regime helicopters struck several areas of the town in Idlib province, causing five civilians to suffer from suffocation". It quoted residents and medical sources as saying "toxic gas" was used in the attack, without elaborating. Syrian regime air strikes also killed six civilians in the town of Maarat al-Numan in the southern countryside of Idlib province, the Observatory said, causing damage to the main hospital there. The facility had stopped working until repairs could be carried out, the war monitor said. The latest developments come as the United States this week accused the Syrian regime of using chemical weapons on opposition forces near the capital Damascus. The Syrian foreign ministry denied the accusations as "lies". US Defence Secretary Jim ...
B'desh forces recover arms near Tripura border
The Bangladesh elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has recovered 10 Chinese-made rockets, firearms among other arms and ammunition from a forest that lies close to the Tripura border.Three cases have been registered regarding the same.The firearms were found hidden in bunkers on Saturday, during a search conducted in a remote forest of Satchhari National Park, Bangladesh.Mufti Mahamud Khan, director of RAB's legal and media wing, told reporters that one of their teams began the search operation on Friday, following a tip-off from the force's detective wing.It is suspected that the weapons were being stocked by the banned militant group of Tripura, All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) which has its headquarters in Satchhari.In 2014, RAB had found a huge amount of arms and ammunition, including seized mortar shells, rocket launchers, machine guns and other explosives, from the same area hidden in similar bunkers.
935 terrorists neutralised in Syria, says Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said 935 terrorists have been "neutralised" since Turkey launched a military offensive against Syria's Afrin held by Kurdish militia, on January 20.
Egypt's army destroys terrorist hideouts in Sinai
Egyptian troops destroyed 16 terrorist hideouts and an ammunition storehouse in North Sinai province, the Egyptian army announced Sunday.
Trial again postponed for Palestinian teen in viral slap video
The military trial of a Palestinian teenager charged after a viral video showed her hitting two Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank has been delayed until February 13, officials said today. Ahed Tamimi, 17, had been due to stand trial on January 31 along with her mother Nariman before the case was postponed until February 6. It is now set for February 13, her lawyer and the Israeli military said. Both Ahed Tamimi and her mother have been ordered to be held in custody throughout their trial. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has criticised Israeli authorities' actions in the case, while the European Union has expressed concern over Israel's detention of minors, including Ahed Tamimi. Ahed Tamimi, who was 16 at the time of her arrest, has been hailed as a hero by Palestinians who see her as bravely standing up to Israel's occupation of the West Bank. Israelis accuse her family of using her as a pawn in staged provocations. She has been charged ..
Pak shelling forces closure of 84 schools along LoC in Rajouri
All schools situated within five kilometres of the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir have been closed by authorities for three days in view of firing and shelling by Pakistani troops, an official said today. "All 84 schools located in 0-5 km from the LoC stretch from Sunderbani to Manjakote shall remain closed for the next three days,"Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri Shahid Iqbal said. The officials said that the situation was very tense as firing and shelling by Pakistani troops continued round the clock. An Army officer and three jawans were killed and four people, including two teenagers, injured today in heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir. In January, schools along the International Border and the LoC in five districts -- Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch -- were closed for over a fortnight because of firing and shelling by Pakistani troops.
Europe must brake mounting nuclear arms race: Germany
Europe must lead the way in pushing for nuclear disarmament after Washington proposed upgrading and expanding the United States' nuclear arsenal, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said today. "As in the times of the Cold War, we in Europe are especially endangered" by "a renewed nuclear arms race", Gabriel said. "That is why precisely we in Europe must begin new initiatives for arms control and disarmament." Gabriel was responding to a so-called Nuclear Posture Review released Friday by the Pentagon that details the US military's vision of nuclear threats and its response in the coming decades. Upgrading the US arsenal and complementing massive "strategic" bombs with smaller "tactical" weapons was "aimed at making use of nuclear weapons less likely", President Donald Trump said in a statement. American nuclear planners believe potential adversaries abroad, especially Russia, assume America would never use its existing arsenal as the effects would be too devastating .
Iraq lists 60 most-wanted jihadists and Baathists
Iraqi security services today published the names of 60 people wanted on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic State group, Al-Qaeda or the Baath Party of late dictator Saddam Hussein. The list, seen by AFP, includes the name of Saddam's daughter Raghad, who lives in Jordan. It also features 28 suspected IS jihadists, 12 from Al- Qaeda and 20 Baathists, giving details of the roles they allegedly play in their organisations, crimes of which they are suspected and in most cases, photographs. All are Iraqis apart from Maan Bashour, a Lebanese man accused of recruiting fellow citizens to fight in Iraq. The name of elusive IS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is absent from the list. A senior security official contacted by AFP declined to explain why. "These are the terrorists most wanted by the judicial authorities and the security services," the official said. "This is the first time we publish these names which, until now were secret." The IS fighters the document lists are accused
Officer, three soldiers killed in Pakistan firing on LoC (Third Lead)
Four Indian soldiers, including an officer, were killed and four other persons were injured on Sunday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, defence officials said.
Army officer, 3 jawans killed in Pak shelling in J&K's Rajouri
An Army officer and three jawans were killed and four people, including two teenagers, injured today in heavy Pakistani shelling along the LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir, forcing Indian troops to retaliate, officials said. Pakistani forces opened unprovoked heavy firing and shelling along the LoC in Bhimbher Gali sector of Rajouri district this evening, senior Army officials told PTI. In the heavy shelling, three jawans were killed, they said, adding an officer, who was injured in the shelling, later succumbed to his injuries. Indian Army was giving a befitting reply as heavy exchanges were on, the officials added. Earlier in the day, two teenagers and a jawan were injured in Shahpur sector of Poonch district in the shelling from across the border which started this morning and was continuing intermittently, a police official said. He identified the injured civilians as Shahnaz Bano (15) and Yasin Arif (14), both residents of Islamabad village of