Page 79 - War Conflict
SL blocks social media, reimposes curfew after violence
Sri Lanka on Monday temporarily blocked social media websites and messaging apps, including Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp and reimposed curfew in certain areas after a post sparked anti-Muslim riots in several towns of the country.
Lanka police reimposes curfew on 4 towns in north western region following communal violence
The Sri Lankan authorities on Monday reimposed a curfew, few hours after it was lifted, on four towns in the north western region following a communal violence in the area. "Curfew was lifted at 6 a.m. this morning from Kuliyapitiya, Hettipola, Bingiriya and Dummalasuriya towns," a police official said. "However, following a communal clash in the afternoon at Hettipola, the curfew was re-imposed with immediate effect till 4 a.m. tomorrow on the area and its neighbouring towns of Kuliyapitiya, Bingiriya and Dummalasuriya," the official added. Earlier in the the morning, the Lankan government also reimposed a ban on social media following violent incidents between the minority Muslim and majority Sinhalese communities in the country. The blockade of Facebook and WhatsApp comes a day after Sri Lankan police imposed curfew in the country's western coastal town of Chilaw where a mob attacked a mosque and some shops owned by Muslims in a dispute that started on a Facebook post by a Muslim .
No major step has been taken on the peace process so far: Afghan Chief Executive
Afghan government on Monday expressed dismay over Taliban's refusal to call for a ceasefire during the Muslim holy month of Ramadhan despite repeated requests."Unfortunately, the fighting is still ongoing during Ramadhan. We wanted a ceasefire during this month, but so far it's not agreed," Tolo News quoted Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, as saying."No major step has been taken on the peace process so far," he added.His remarks came after the Taliban rejected the ceasefire suggestion by Jirga grand council.In the last one-month, Taliban has attacked various regions in the country, mainly targeting the government and the armed forces.Just hours after announcing its annual spring offensive, the Taliban attempted an attack near the district governor's office. But they were "pushed back and defeated" by security forces.In the attack, two Afghan soldiers were reportedly killed, along with 27 Taliban militants.Taliban militants have been using IED to target security forces. As per ...
Pakistan's Hazaras fear for their lives in besieged 'ghettos'
Crowded into "ghettos" surrounded by armed checkpoints, Pakistan's Shiite Hazara minority say they are being slaughtered by sectarian militants in the southwestern city of Quetta, with authorities seemingly unable to halt the killings. For years, hundreds of thousands of the Shiite community's members have been hemmed into two separate enclaves cordoned off by numerous checkpoints and hundreds of armed guards designed to protect the minority from violent militants. "It's like a prison here," said Bostan Ali, a Hazara activist, about conditions inside the enclaves. "The Hazaras are experiencing mental torture," he added, complaining the community has been effectively "cut off from the rest of the city" and "confined" to such areas. The Shiite community's presence is particularly strong in Quetta -- the uneasy capital of impoverished Balochistan province where sectarian violence, suicide bombings, and banditry are common. Hazaras are technically free to roam around Quetta at their will,
Lahore suicide bombing toll reaches 13
The death toll from the suicide blast outside Pakistan's oldest Sufi shrine in Lahore has risen to 13 after another civilian succumbed to his injuries, the media reported on Monday.
Social media blocked again in Sri Lanka as worst unrest erupts since Easter bombings
Sri Lanka reimposed a ban on social media on Monday as religious tension flared up after an intimidating Facebook post triggered attacks on mosques and Muslim-owned businesses in the worst unrest since Easter Sunday bombings which killed nearly 260 people. The blockade comes a day after Sri Lankan police imposed curfew in the country's western coastal town of Chilaw where a mob attacked a mosque and some shops owned by Muslims in a dispute that started on a Facebook post by a Muslim shop owner. The author of the Facebook post, identified as 38-year-old Abdul Hameed Mohamed Hasmar, wrote: "Don't laugh more, 1 day u will cry". The Muslim shopkeeper's comment was taken by local Christians as a warning of an impending attack. The blockade of Facebook and WhatsApp has been imposed form midnight following violent incidents between the minority Muslim and majority Sinhalese communities, officials said. Late in the evening on Sunday, the unrest spread to Kuliyapitiya where a mosque and a few .
Taliban target security forces, killing 7: Afghan officials
Afghan officials say the Taliban have targeted security checkpoints in northern Sari Pul province, killing at least seven members of the country's security forces. Mohammad Noor Rahmani, head of the provincial council, says the insurgents also abducted two members of the force and left five wounded in the Sunday night attacks near the provincial capital. The troops were in charge of providing security for fuel wells in the area. Zabi Amani, the provincial governor's spokesman, says four Taliban fighters were killed in what he said was a gunbattle that lasted several hours. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but provincial officials blamed Taliban insurgents who are active in the province and have repeatedly targeted Afghan security forces.
Former Naxals, locals part of Dantewada Police's all-women team against red terror
In a first, Chhattisgarh Police will be deploying a special group of women commandos in the Naxal -infested Bastar region of Dantewada district.The special group of 30 women commandos also includes five former Naxals who previously dreaded in the region. They have been named 'Danteshwari Fighters' and are undergoing strenuous training at present. The contingent is a part of District Reserve Guards (DRGs), the front line fighters in Bastar, against red terror.Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dineshwari Nand, is overseeing the training of the first women-only DRG team which will soon be taking on Naxals along with a similar group of the Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF)."District police does not have any women fighters so far. They will be inducted as the sixth DRG team to fight against Naxalism. Surrendered Naxals, local recruits and assistant constables of Dantewada police have been included in this team," Nand gave details of the team to ANI.The group comprises of locals and former
Social media blocked in Sri Lanka after unrest
The Sri Lankan government Monday blocked social media following rising tensions between the minority Muslims and majority Sinhalese in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings which killed nearly 260 people. The blockade comes a day after Sri Lankan police imposed curfew in the country's western coastal town of Chilaw where a mob attacked a mosque and some shops owned by Muslims in a dispute that started on a Facebook post by a Muslim shop owner. The blockade of Facebook and WhatsApp has been imposed form midnight following violent incidents between the minority Muslim and majority Sinhalese communities, officials said. Late in the evening on Sunday, the unrest spread to Kuliyapitiya where a mosque and a few Muslim owned shops came under attack, prompting the authorities to impose curfew in the northwest town. "The curfew imposed in Kuliyapitya and Chilaw has been lifted," police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. The majority nationalist groups have been active on Facebook, reviving ...
Sri Lanka: Social media platforms banned after attack on mosque
The Sri Lankan government on Monday blocked various social media platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube to prevent the circulation of rumours in the aftermath of violence in Chilaw and Kuliyapitiya.Police also imposed a curfew on Sunday in the town and nearby areas after clashes erupted between Christian and Muslims communities, reported Daily Mirror.Mobs threw stones at mosques and Muslim-owned stores in Chillaw on Sunday. The residents of the town- a majority of them being Christians - also thrashed a man, stating that he caused a dispute by posting volatile posts on Facebook.Police had fired shots in the air to stop the violence.Tensions are brewing in the island nation since April 21, when eight coordinated bombings left at least 250 people dead and scores of others injured.This is the third time authorities in Sri Lanka have imposed restrictions on social media after the Easter Sunday attack.Social media was last banned on May 6 after violence erupted between ...
Burkina Faso: 6 killed in church shooting
At least six people, including a priest, were killed after gunmen opened fire at congregants outside a Catholic church in Burkina Faso on Sunday.According to The Hill, people were exiting the church around 9 am (local time) in the town of Dablo, when around 20 men circled them and opened fire."These terrorist groups are now attacking religion with the macabre aim of dividing us," said a statement issued by the government.However, no individual/group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.The latest shooting comes just two days after five teachers were shot dead by unknown assailants.In a similar incident, motorbike-borne attackers opened fire in a Protestant church on April 30, leaving six people dead, including a pastor.Recently, French armed forces rescued four hostages- an American, two French citizens and a South Korean national. However, two French soldiers died in an overnight raid.The West African nation is currently prone to Islamist attacks, government officials ...
Death toll rises to 13 in Lahore Sufi shrine suicide attack
The death toll in the suicide attack targeting one of Pakistan's oldest and most revered Sufi shrines in Lahore has risen to 13 as another civilian succumbed to his injuries, a media report said Monday. Tahir Aslam, 18, was working at a shop near the shrine. He was among the critically injured and was brought to the Mayo Hospital where he has succumbed to his injuries. He was rushed to the hospital after the blast which has claimed the lives of six policemen and seven civilians, the Dawn newspaper reported. A senior police official told the daily on condition of anonymity that security forces had yet to make any substantial progress in the investigations into the attack. He said that although they had arrested a few suspects from Lahore, they were no big leads. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Data Darbar shrine, the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia on Wednesday, the second day of the the fasting month of Ramzan. A CCTV footage showed a teenage boy wearing black shalwar ..
Odisha: Two jawans injured in Naxal attack
Two CRPF jawans were injured in two separate attacks carried out by naxals here on Sunday.The two blasts took place near CRPF camps in Trilochanpur and Bijepur under Lanjigarh police stations limits.On May 1, 16 jawans were killed in Maharashtra's Garhchiroli in an IED blast by the Naxals.More details are awaited.
UN: Houthi withdrawal "in accordance with established plans"
The United Nations (UN) on Sunday said that first full day of the Houthi withdrawal from three ports of Yemen went "in accordance with established plans"Earlier this week the Houthis had unilaterally decided to withdraw its forces from three key ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras-Issa.The long-delayed pull out of forces by the Houthis began on Saturday from the key port of Hodeidah, as well as the two smaller ports of Saleef and Ras Isa, reported Al Jazeera. This comes as a part of a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden in December.Former Danish General Michael Lollesgaard, head of the UN's Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), in a statement on Sunday, said: "All three ports were monitored simultaneously by UN teams as the military forces left the ports and the coastguard took over responsibility for security."The move is seen as an important step towards ending the civil war, which started in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, SanaaAccording to the statement, activities in ..
Curfew extended till 7 am of May 14 in Assam's Hailakandi
The indefinite curfew in Assam's Hailakandi has been further extended to 7 am of May 14 in view of the law and order situation in the district, officials said Sunday. The curfew was to be in force till 7 am on Monday, as per earlier orders of the state government. District Magistrate Keerthi Jalli had ordered relaxation in curfew in the entire district from 12 noon to 3 pm, as no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the last 24 hours. "The overall law and order situation will be reviewed and a decision will be taken whether to lift the curfew after 7 am tomorrow (Monday)," another senior official said. During the three-hour relaxation of the curfew, most shops and business establishments remained closed and only private vehicles were seen on the roads. Internet services, too, remained suspended in Hailakandi, Karimganj and Cachar districts of the Barak Valley since Friday night. "The services will resume only after assessing the situation on Monday," said an ...
Those attacking central forces should be shot on chest: Bengal BJP chief
West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh on Sunday said that the central forces had "every right" to open fire in adverse situations, adding that the miscreants attacking the security personnel should be "shot on the chest".
Clash between supporters of rival political parties
Supporters of two rival political parties clashed at Jugsalai here on Sunday in which a jawan of the Rapid Action Force was injured, police said. Four persons were arrested in this connection, the police said. The polling agents of the two political parties clashed, leading to lathi-charge and bursting of tear-gas by the police as the two groups hurled stones at each other, the sources said. East Singhbhum Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop Birtharay along with adequate security forces rushed to the booth no 170 where the polling agents of the two political parties indulged in a dispute during the polling, said the Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner of the district, Amit Kumar. Addressing a post-polling press conference here, Kumar said the two groups made an abortive attempt to give it a communal colour but the police took preventive measures and arrested four persons. The polling was held uninterrupted as the police drove the anti-social elements involved in
Six killed in attack on church in Burkina Faso
Militants killed six people and razed a church during mass at Dablo, a northern town, in Burkina Faso, on Sunday, officials said.
Curfew plan mock drill conducted in J-K's Rajouri
A curfew plan mock drill was conducted on Sunday in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police officer said. The mock drill was conducted with an objective to carry out internal security audit, to put in place a well devised security plan to deal with any untoward incident and to tighten the security grid to thwart any nefarious designs of unlawful elements, he said. Police, along with the Army, central paramilitary forces and the civil administration, conducted the drill jointly in and around Rajouri town, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Yougal Manhas said. During the mock drill, columns of police, Army and central paramilitary forces were deployed in and around the border town, especially at 22 vulnerable points which have been identified during a week-long secret exercise conducted by the authorities, he said. Manhas said magistrates from the civil administration under the supervision of District Magistrate, Rajouri, Mohammad Aijaz Asad were also deployed ...
J-K: Two bovine smugglers held, 55 animals rescued
Two suspected bovine smugglers were arrested and 55 animals rescued Sunday in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. Two Kashmir-bound trucks, loaded with bovine animals without permission, were intercepted at Chenani on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a police official said. During search of the vehicles, 55 bovine animals were rescued and two smugglers, Parvez Ahmed and Nayaz Ahmed, were arrested, he said. Both the accused were booked under relevant sections of the law and further investigation is on, the official said.