Page 781 - War Conflict
Pak wants 'credible' peace initiative with Afghanistan
Pakistan on Monday has called for a "credible and inclusive" peace initiative with Afghanistan to end the political instability and suicide attacks on the other side of the border that separates both the countries.According to the Express Tribune, Islamabad is pinning hopes on Kabul to announce a comprehensive peace initiative during a regional conference that is scheduled to take place in Kabul next month.The meeting will be attended by Afghanistan's neighbours and also other international countries to arrive at a consensus on how to end the chaos in the country.It also seeks Afghanistan to be on the driving seat for any peace talks with the Afghan Taliban and other insurgent groups.A senior Foreign Ministry official confirmed Pakistan's participation in the meeting and said, "Islamabad hopes that the Kabul process would lead to tangible outcome.""The Afghanistan leadership needs to come up with a plan that offers incentive to all the insurgents to come to the negotiating table," the
Dortmund's Bartra appears before court as witness in bus attack trial
Borussia Dortmund defender Marc Bartra on Monday testified as a witness before a court in Germany regarding a bomb attack on the Bundesliga team's bus last year, which injured two players.
Army's version of Shopian incident to be taken into account:
Jammu and Kashmir Police chief S P Vaid today said registration of FIR in the Shopian incident is just the beginning of the investigation and the Army's version would be taken into account as well. Two civilians were killed when Army personnel fired at a stone-pelting mob in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, prompting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to order an inquiry into the incident. Yesterday, the police registered an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Ranbir Penal Code against the personnel of 10, Garhwal unit, of the Army. A Major, who led the Army personnel at the time of the incident, was also mentioned in the FIR. At a press conference at the police headquarters today, the DGP said it was a matter of investigation as to what circumstances led to the incident. Asked whether the Army's version will be a part of the probe, the state police chief said, "The Army's version, eye- witness accounts and the statement of ...
2,200-yr-old govt office ruins unearthed in China
Archaeologists in China have unearthed the ruins of a government office building in northwest Shaanxi Province which was believed to be a musical department of the Qin Dynasty (221-207 B.C.) The ruins, 110 meters long and 19.5 meters wide, were composed of four rooms of equal area, with clay walls of around 3 meters thick, said Zhang Yanglizheng, assistant researcher with the provincial research institute of archaeology. In addition to architecture materials, such as tiles and bricks, pieces of stone chimes, a percussion instrument in ancient China, were found in the ruins excavated in Xixian New Area. Xu Weihong, excavation team leader of the institute, said 23 pieces of the chime debris were found with inscriptions saying "beigongyuefu", meaning musical department of the north palace. "The inscriptions have proved the building used to be the government office of the musical department in ancient city of Xianyang in the Qin Dynasty," she was quoted by state-run Xinhua
Pak condemns IS attack on Kabul military academy
Pakistan today strongly condemned the Islamic State attack at a military academy in Kabul and called for concerted efforts and cooperation among all countries to eradicate the scourge of terrorism in Afghanistan. The Foreign Office said Pakistan conveyed solidarity and support to the Government and people of Afghanistan on the Islamic State militants attack that killed at least 11 troops and wounded 16. "We convey our sincere condolences at the loss of precious human lives in the attack, it said. "We convey our deepest sympathies with the families of those who have lost their loved ones and pray for the early recovery of the injured. Pakistanis feel the intense pain and agony of our Afghan brothers and sisters, the statement said. Pakistan also reiterated its strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, especially the series of recent heinous attacks in Afghanistan. "We emphasise the need for concerted efforts and effective cooperation among all .
11 Afghan troops die in IS attack on Kabul military academy
Islamic State militants attacked Afghan soldiers guarding a military academy in the capital of Kabul today, killing at least 11 troops and wounding 16. The attack was the latest in a wave of relentless violence in Kabul this month unleashed by the Taliban and the rival Islamic State group that has killed scores and left hundreds wounded. Today's attack started around 4 a.m., witnesses said, and fighting continued long after daybreak. A suicide bomber first struck the military unit responsible for providing security for the academy, followed by a gunbattle with the troops, said Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry. At least five insurgents were involved in the morning assault, according to Waziri. Two of the attackers were killed in the gunbattle, two detonated their suicide vests and one was arrested by the troops, he said. All roads leading to the military academy were blocked by police, which only allowed ambulances access to the site to transfer ...
SLC to build international cricket stadium in Jaffna
Sri Lanka Cricket is set to build an international cricket stadium in former LTTE hub, Jaffna and has already carried out a preliminary inspection of a site, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said. Sumathipala visited the Mandaithivu area in the Kayts islet of Jaffna district to inspect a 50 acre plot for the purpose. All international venues in Sri Lanka are either in the Western, Southern or Central regions. Jaffna, the northern capital and the cultural capital of the Tamil minority, has a long history of cricket but with over three decades old separatist violence since the mid 70s, the area had not seen any cricket infrastructure development. Only a handful of Tamils have represented the island. The most prominent of them being the world's highest Test wicket taker Muttiah Muralitharan, who is of Indian origin and cricketer-turned-commentator Russell Arnold.
Insurgency likely to increase after Doklam: fmr Army Lt Gen
Insurgency is likely to increase in the north east after the Doklam stand-off with China and there are already signs of it in the region, former GOC-in-C Eastern Command Lt Gen J R Mukherjee said here today. Whenever India has annoyed China or there has been a border related issue between the two countries, it (China) has aided insurgents in the north east, Mukherjee told newspersons here commenting on the possible fall-out of the 74-day stand-off with the Chinese at Doklam in the Sikkim sector. "Consequent to Doklam, insurgency will increase in the north east and signs of these are already evident," the retired Lt General, who is the vice-president (operations) of strategic thinktank CENERS-K, said. Mukherjee said that Doklam is neither the first time nor the last that China has made such an attempt. Its army will keep coming and camp at places of that country's strategic interest. "In Doklam, they (China) will eventually try to twist the Bhutanese state to get what ...
Centre seeks to withdraw 4 companies of CPMF from Darjeeling
The Centre today told the Supreme Court that it wants to withdraw the last four companies of Central Para-military Forces from two districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal for deployment in three poll-bound North Eastern States. The government said it has received a recommendation from Election Commission of India (ECI) for deployment of central paramilitary forces (CPMF) in three Northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, in which assembly elections will be held in February. A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud sought the response from West Bengal government in three days and posted the matter for further hearing on February 5. Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for Centre, told the bench that the ECI has sought deployment of 300 companies of paramilitary forces in Tripura where polling will be held on February 18. "The ECI has also sought deployment of 270 companies in Nagaland and 100 ...
Lanka fails to repeal 'abusive' anti-terrorism law: HRW
Sri Lanka has failed to fulfil its pledge to abolish its draconian anti-terrorism law that gives police sweeping powers to arrest suspects without trial, Human Rights Watch said today, demanding repeal of the law that was widely used during the civil war against the LTTE. "The Sri Lankan government has been all talk and no action on repealing the reviled Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)," said HRW Asia director Brad Adams. The HRW report 'Locked Up Without Evidence: Abuses under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act' documents previous and ongoing abuses allegedly committed under the PTA, including torture and sexual abuse, forced confessions and systematic denials of due process. The government of President Maithripala Sirisena promised to abolish the act after it was elected in 2015, but has so far failed to do so. Drawing on interviews with former detainees, family members and lawyers working on PTA cases, the US-based rights group alleged that the PTA is a ...
Assam: Two Achik National Liberation Army members arrested
Two members of Achik National Liberation Army were arrested on Monday in a joint operation by the Army and police in Assam's Dibrugarh.A pistol and a magazine were seized during the operation.An investigation is underway.
Amarnath Yatra attack: J-K police files chargesheet against LeT, 8 accused
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday filed charge-sheet against Lashkar-e-Taiba- (LeT) and eight other accused in Amaranth Yatra bus attack that took place in July last year."Police files charge sheet of about 1500 pages against LeT, 8 accused in Amarnath Yatra bus attack. Further investigation going on," the Jammu and Kashmir police tweeted.On July 10, at least nine Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 people were injured in the attack on the bus in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.In December, the police claimed to have killed all the three LeT militants involved in the attack.According to police, the attackers were led by LeT's 'divisional commander' Abu Ismail.Ismail and an associate were killed at Aaribagh Nowgam, on the city's outskirts, on September 14.
Man assaulted, confined in house on suspicions of being a
A 21-year old man was assaulted and confined in a house by inhabitants of a village in Odisha's Ganjam district on suspicions that he was a thief and was rescued a few hours later by the police. Police said the incident took place yesterday at A Barida village, which witnessed a series of loots on January 23 and its inhabitants were on the guard. The villagers suspecting that the man went to the A Barida village early with a plan to steal, caught him and tied him to a pole and assaulted him before locking him in a house, the police said. "Acting on a tip-off, we rushed to the village and rescued the man," Pramod Behera, officer-in-charge of Balichhai police outpost said adding he was identified and his records were being examined. The man was injured in the assault, the police said adding his mother came to the village to fetch him home. Miscreants had looted Rs 50,000 and gold ornaments from two houses and a wine shop. Attempt was also made to break into another house .
Toll in Kabul attack rises to 15
The death toll in the suicide attack carried out on an Afghan army unit here on Monday has risen to 15, an official said.
IS claims responsibility for Kabul attack
The Islamic State (IS) terror group on Monday claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on an army base that left nine persons dead and 10 injured in the Afghan capital here.
Republic Day: ITBP wins best marching contingent trophy
The contingent of the Sino-India border guarding force ITBP was adjudged the best among all paramilitary and auxiliary forces that marched down the majestic Rajpath on Republic Day. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) marchers made a return to the national event after two years and the 148-member squad was led by Assistant Commandant Akshay Deshmukh. "The contingent represented all formations of the force comprising members from almost all units," ITBP spokesperson second-in-command Vivek K Pandey said. Pandey said the contingent engaged in 12-14 hours of rigorous practice in the run-up to the parade on January 26. "Special yoga, meditation and physical training were also included in the two-month long preparation capsule for the marchers," he said. The winners' trophy is expected to be handed over to the force by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman soon. The about 90,000-personnel force has won the title 6 times in the past. The foot contingent of the force was followed by .
Sri Lanka still using draconian anti-terror laws: HRW
Sri Lanka's government is still using draconian anti-terror laws that give police sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects despite promising to abolish them, Human Rights Watch said today. The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) allows the detention of suspects for long periods without trial and was widely used during the decades-long civil war that ended in 2009. The government of President Maithripala Sirisena promised to abolish the act after it was elected in 2015, but has so far failed to do so. "The Sri Lankan government has been all talk and no action on repealing the reviled PTA," said HRW's Asia director Brad Adams as the rights group released a new report detailing alleged abuses under the act. "Replacing this draconian counterterrorism law with one that meets international standards should be an urgent priority if the government is serious about protecting human rights." Sri Lanka says more than 80 detainees are still being held under the act, although ...
Kabul on edge as IS gunmen launch fresh attack on military
Gunmen and suicide bombers launched a pre-dawn attack claimed by the Islamic State group on a military compound in Kabul today, killing 11 soldiers in the third major assault in the Afghan capital in recent days. The series of assaults, including one of the deadliest bombs in Kabul in recent years, have left already war-weary citizens grief-stricken and angry as the Taliban and IS escalate their offensive. Today's attack on an Afghan army battalion killed at least 11 soldiers and wounded 16, a defence ministry spokesman said. "Two bombers detonated themselves and two were killed by our forces and one was detained alive," the spokesman, Dawlat Waziri, told AFP, adding that the attack was over. Officials said the men, armed with a rocket, two Kalashnikovs and at least one suicide vest, had attempted to breach an army battalion near the Marshal Fahim military academy, where high-ranking officers are trained. An officer at the academy told AFP he could hear an explosion and .
Kasganj incident shameful, a blot on UP: Guv Ram Naik
Uttar Pradesh Govenor Ram Naik today termed the Kasganj communal clash as a "blot" on the state and asked the government to initiate measures to ensure such incidents did not recur. The governor noted that such an incident had occurred in the state for the first time in the last 9-10 months and described it as "shameful". In Kasganj, where the situation is tense but under control, clashes between two communities had claimed one life. At least three shops, two buses and a car were torched after a youth was killed in clashes following stone-pelting by a mob on a motorcycle rally taken out to celebrate Republic Day. "Whatever happened in Kasganj was not good. The incident there is a 'kalank' (blot) for UP. The government is probing the incident. It should initiate effective measures to ensure that such incidents are not repeated," he told reporters here. The Yogi Adityanath government, which stormed to power in Uttar Pradesh riding a saffron wave nearly a year ago, was ...
Shopian firing: NC says arrest soldiers, BJP wants FIR withdrawn
The National Conference (NC) on Monday demanded the arrest of soldiers named in an FIR in the killing of two civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, while the ruling BJP demanded withdrawal of the FIR.