Page 773 - War Conflict

Palestinian shot dead by Israeli army during West Bank raid

A Palestinian man was shot dead in clashes with the Israeli army today during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said. The man was shot in the head after fighting broke out during an Israeli army incursion into the village of Burqin in the northern West Bank, it said. The health ministry identified the dead man as Ahmad Abu Obeid, 19. The army did not comment on the death, but said in a statement it had entered the village, near the city of Nablus, in an attempt to find suspects in the shooting dead of an Israeli rabbi in January. Raziel Shevah, a 35-year-old rabbi, was shot dead near Havat Gilad, a wildcat Jewish settlement outpost in the Nablus area, on January 9. The army has been since launched multiple violent raids to search for the suspected killer, 22-year-old Ahmed Jarrar. Jarrar is the son of Nasser Jarrar, a member of Islamist militant movement Hamas who was killed while fighting Israeli forces during the second Palestinian ...

Maldives crisis: Massive protests outside Chief Justice's house

The current political unrest in the Maldives took a new turn when agitators massively protested outside Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed's house in Male late on Saturday.Reportedly, there were scuffles between the protesters and police in riot gear outside the Chief Justice's residence.The agitators are trying to force Justice Saeed and another supreme justice, Ali Hameed to resign.Eva Abdulla, Member of Parliament, of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) describing the ordeal told ANI over the phone, "Absolute breakdown of law and order. The public is on the edge. I am very concerned as we are facing increased unrest. They (police) have just used pepper spray and tear gas on the crowd."Meanwhile, Justice Saeed said, "We need our neighbours, especially India to do all that it can to impress upon the Govt of Maldives to implement the SC ruling."Agitators in the Maldivian capital on Saturday opened the gate of Maafushi Prison, where the 12 parliamentary members have been kept in detention, ..

Three army men die in Pak suicide attack

At least three army soldiers were killed and seven were injured in a suicide attack in Pakistan's northwestern province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).According to The Dawn, the incident took place at a sports unit of an army camp in Kabal area of Swat district. The suicide bomber reportedly blew himself up in a ground where the security personnel were playing volleyball.Unconfirmed reports suggested that at least 16 people were injured in the suicide attack.Security has been tightened in the area and the police have launched an investigation.Although peace has returned to the valley after a military operation in 2009, security had been a primary concern in the region.In December last year, Pakistani forces gunned down two suspected militants during an anti-terrorism operation in the valley.

11 killed in Pakistan army camp suicide attack

At least 11 Pakistan Army officers and soldiers were killed and 13 others injured in a suicide blast inside an army unit in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, defence officials said.

Defence Minister visits forward posts along Sino-India border

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today visited forward posts along the Sino-India border in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir and interacted with the jawans deployed there, officials said today. "The Raksha Mantri arrived at Thoise today and was briefed on the operational preparedness of the forward areas," a defence spokesperson said. She then visited the highest post in the Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) sector and Chushul along the Sino-India border in Eastern Ladakh and interacted with troops, he said. This was the first ever visit of the defence minister to the DBO sector and to one of the highest posts in Eastern Ladakh. "She was flown in an Army Aviation ALH helicopter. Lt Gen D Anbu, Army Commander Northern Command and Corps Commander of the Ladakh Corps, accompanied her during the visit," the spokesperson said. Sitharaman complimented troops for their steadfastness and dedication despite the harsh climate and terrain.

Sitharaman visits forward posts in Ladakh

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday visited the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir and interacted with soldiers guarding the border with China, a defence statement said.

Pak suicide attack kills 3 officers

A suicide attack on a sports unit belonging to the Pakistan Army in the restive northwest province today killed three officials and injured seven others, the military said. The incident occurred in Swat district's Kabal Tehsil in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the military's media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Three security officials were killed while 7 were wounded in the blast, it said. The forces have cordoned off the area and started a search operation, it added. The injured persons were taken to Saidu Teaching Hospital in Mingora in Swat. The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack, 'The Express Tribune' reported. The report said that the outfit noted that it was the second attack this month with more to follow. Swat valley has witnessed many attacks and was briefly controlled by the Taliban between 2007 and 2009. At least two militants were killed during a search operation in December last year. In ...

3 soldiers killed in Pakistan suicide blast

At least three army officers were killed and seven others injured in a suicide blast inside an army unit in Pakistan's northwest Swat district on Saturday, officials said.

UN chief urges Maldives government to respect court ruling

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today called upon the Maldivian government to respect a landmark Supreme Court ruling ordering the release of nine political prisoners. Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement released overnight that the UN chief believes the Maldives' "political stalemate" can be resolved through "all-party talks, which the United Nations continues to stand ready to facilitate." "He also calls on all to exercise restraint," Dujarric added. The court ruled Thursday that the convictions of senior Maldivian opposition figures were "questionable" and "politically motivated," overturned these rulings, and ordered new trials. It also reinstated 12 legislators who were expelled for defecting from President Abdulla Yameen's party. The Supreme Court intervention represents a major setback for Yameen, and paves the way for the return of his rival Mohamed Nasheed -- whom he controversially defeated in 2013. Exiled former president Nasheed ...

Afghan, Pakistan officials meet in Kabul to talk differences

Pakistani and Afghan officials have met for a second round of talks about allegations levelled against Islamabad in the wake of recent deadly militant attacks in Kabul that have killed over 200 people. A joint statement after the day-long meeting in the Afghan capital said the two sides promised to keep talking. After the recent attacks, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government has insisted Pakistan's failure to rout Taliban militants from safe havens on its soil is spurring the insurgency inside Afghanistan. Kabul also accused Islamabad of harboring the Taliban, who are allegedly being trained in Islamic seminaries in southwestern Pakistan. Pakistan denies the charges. Islamabad says today's meeting was part of a larger dialogue while the Afghans billed it as a response to their accusations against Islamabad.

47 militants killed in Afghan anti-terror operations

At least 47 militants have been killed in the eastern and northern regions of Afghanistan over the past 24 hours as the government forces stepped up anti-terror operations in the war-battered country, officials said on Saturday.

One policeman injured in naxal attack in C'garh

One policeman was seriously injured as naxals opened fire on a police team in the forest area of Tippapuram village in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh this afternoon, police said. Police suspect that the retaliatory attack launched by them, left some naxals either dead of injured. The village where the incident took place is located near Telangana border. A composite squad of security personnel, including the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG), district police, was out on patrol when the ultras opened fire, police said. The policeman, identified as constable Arvind Salaam, sustained serious injuries in the attack. "After the naxal firing, police launched a retaliatory attack. The exchange of fire lasted for around one-and-a-half hour following which the naxals fled from the spot," police said. There is a possibility that some naxals died in the police firing, they said. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, naxals set on fire 10 vehicles near Bhattiguda

Sri Lankan navy apprehends 2 Indian fishermen

The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended at least two Indian fishermen for allegedly trying to smuggle a large amount of heroin worth Rs 1 crore near Sri Lanka's Mannar Island Lighthouse on Friday evening.Acting on a tip-off, the navy seized 425-gm heroin and 100 bundles of beedi leaves from them. The fishermen, who hailed from Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu, have been handed over to the Mannar Police for legal action.Fishermen from both the countries are apprehended on a regular basis for violating each other's territorial waters or doing suspicious activities.Last Saturday, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 12 Indian fishermen for allegedly fishing near Neduntheevu island in Palk Strait in northern Sri Lanka.

Rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria heavily bombed

A Syrian monitoring group and the media arm of al-Qaida-linked militants are reporting intense airstrikes on a rebel-held stronghold in Syria's northwest. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported more than 35 airstrikes on Saraqeb since late yesterday, adding that many of its residents are fleeing. The Ibaa News Agency of the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee, said Russian and Syrian warplanes and helicopter gunships have been pounding Saraqeb and Tel Mardeekh village in Idlib province since the early hours of today. Syrian government forces and their allies pushed into Idlib, an opposition stronghold, inching closer to a key highway that connects Syria's two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo. The UN says more than 270,000 have been displaced in Idlib because of the government onslaught since December 15.

China values India ties but firm on 'sovereign rights', interests: Wang Yi

China will firmly uphold the existing international system with the UN at the core, and protect and expand the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi

Shopian killings: Lawyers take out march in Srinagar

A group of lawyers today took out a march in protest against the recent killings of three civilians allegedly in firing by security forces in Shopian district, police said. The lawyers assembled outside the court complex here and took out the march, a police official said. A spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association expressed concern over the killings in Shopian last week and the "war-like situation" along the border. "The Bar Association, while condemning the killings, demands immediate arrest of the guilty Army officials," the spokesman said.

RJD MLA seeks security after firing at residence

A day after unidentified armed men opened fire at his residence, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Upendra Paswan on Saturday wrote a letter to Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) requesting him to increase his security.Paswan has also asked the DGP to provide him with a police escort party.Some unidentified miscreants opened fire at the house of the RJD MLA in Bihar's Begusarai on January 2.RJD MLA from Bakhri, however, escaped unhurt while Middle school's headmaster Naval Kishore Mukhiya suffered injuries.

Maratha Light Infantry to celebrate 250 years tomorrow

The Maratha Light Infantry will celebrate 250 years of its existence by organising a programme at the Manekshaw Centre here on Sunday.The chief guest of the programme will be graced by Union Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Subhash Bhamre. The Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat will be present as well.Also, the Republic Day parade contingent of the Maratha Light Infantry would be present. The families of the light infantry soldiers, who are posted in Delhi will also grace the occasion.February 4 is celebrated as "Maratha Light Infantry Day" across the regiment throughout the country.The date holds a historic significance as on this day, in 1670, Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji conquered the famous Kondana Fort, which is now known as Sinhgad today in Maharashtra.The first battalion of the regiment was raised as the 'Second Battalion Bombay Sepoys' in 1768 which was later known as 'Jangi Paltan 3'.The Maratha Light Infantry was bestowed with the rare honour of winning two ...

Year-long celebration to mark Maratha LI's 250 years

The Maratha Light Infantry, one of the oldest regiments of the Army and the recipient of 56 battle honours, has entered its 250th year and a host of events have been planned to celebrate its legacy, a senior Army official said. The celebrations will open with a function tomorrow at the Manekshaw Centre where a coffee-table book on the infantry, 'Victory and Valour', is slated to be released. "We are one of the largest and one of the oldest regiments of the Army, with a track record of 250 years. So, from February 4, 2018, to February 4, 2019, we will organise a host of events to mark the occasion," said Lt Gen PJS Pannu, Colonel of the Maratha Light Infantry (LI). He said the Maratha LI was the first infantry to be designated as a light infantry during the British Raj, for being "swift-footed". "Our regimental icon is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and our motto is 'Duty. Honour. Courage'. We draw our inspiration from the legacy of Maratha warriors, who were adept in ...

Two Pakistan-trained LeT militants arrested at Wagah-Attari crossing

Two Pakistan-trained LeT militants from Jammu and Kashmir were arrested soon after they returned to India via the Wagah-Attari border crossing in Punjab with valid passports and visas, police said on Friday.