Page 796 - War Conflict
721 people including 363 militants killed in 2016, 2017: Govt
The Jammu and Kashmir government today said that 721 people, including 196 civilians and 363 militants, were killed in law and order, militancy-related and cross-border shelling incidents during the last two years in the state. In a written reply to a question of NC MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti informed the state Assembly that 162 police and security personnel and 196 civilians were killed in such incidents. Mufti said that 172 civilians were killed in law and order and militancy-related incidents and 24 civilians were killed in border shelling. The chief minister said that 213 militants were killed last year and 150 in 2016. Besides, 176 suspected terrorists were arrested during the period, she said, adding that 79 suspected terrorists were arrested in 2016, as many as 97 were arrested in 2017. The chief minister said that 104 civilians were killed in law and order and militancy-related incidents in 2016 as compared to 68 in 2017. Thirteen ...
US urges Pakistan to act against Taliban
The US has urged Pakistan to immediately take action against the Taliban, after the militant group claimed last week's attack on a landmark hotel in Kabul that claimed 22 lives.
US calls on Pak to arrest or expel Taliban from its soil
The United States has called on Pakistan to arrest or expel the Taliban insurgents from its soil.This US reaction comes after a deadly attack at central Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel claimed 18 lives.However, a survivor of the hotel attack said the number of casualties was much higher than revealed by government sources.According to The Express Tribune, White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders on Monday said, "We call on Pakistan to immediately arrest or expel the Taliban's leaders and prevent the group from using Pakistani territory to support its operations.""In Afghanistan, where terrorists attacked the hotel in Kabul, such attacks on civilians only strengthen our resolve to support our Afghan partners," she added.Earlier on Sunday, Afghanistan Ministry of Interior (MoI) confirmed that all the three terrorists, who attacked the Intercontinental Hotel here, have been eliminated after a 13-hour stand-off.Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal took to ...
UN putting peacekeepers at risk; use of force for protection urged: Report
The UN has been accused of putting peacekeepers at risk through "lack of will, determination, and accountability" - in a scathing report that urged them to "not fear to use force when necessary".
17% decrease in DDOS attacks in Q3 2017: Verisign
There has been a 17 per cent decrease in the Distribution Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in the third quarter of 2017 as compared to the second quarter, a new report said on Tuesday.
UN blames leadership and inaction for peacekeeper killings
A UN report on the increase in peacekeepers killed in violent attacks blames many of the fatalities on inaction in the field and "a deficit of leadership" from UN headquarters to remote locations. It urges greater initiative, determination, action and use of force when necessary. "Nobody attacks a stronger opponent," the authors say. The report released yesterday was authorised by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and funded by China. It was led by retired Brazilian Lt Gen Carlos Alberto dos Santo Cruz, a former commander of UN peacekeepers in Haiti and Congo, and retired US Army Col William Phillips, a former chief of staff in the peacekeeping mission in Mali. "Casualties have spiked" since 2013, the report said, with 135 soldiers, police and civilians in the U.N.'s 15 far- flung peacekeeping missions killed by acts of violence "more than during any other five-year period in history." There were at least 56 fatalities in 2017 "the highest number since 1994," it ...
UN chief urges 'restraint' in DR Congo after deadly protest
The UN's Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for "credible investigations" after at least six people were killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo during a crackdown on a protest against President Joseph Kabila. Guterres said the government should "hold those responsible accountable" in a statement issued by his spokesman in New York after live rounds and tear gas were fired to disperse demonstrators in Kinshasa. The country's powerful Catholic Church, one of the few institutions to enjoy broad credibility nationally, had called for the rallies despite a government ban on all demonstrations. Guterres "urges the Congolese security forces to exercise restraint", his spokesman said in the statement, and "called upon all concerned to ensure full respect for places of worship". The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO said six people were killed in Kinshasa and scores injured nationwide in the rallies. Congolese authorities said two of the deaths were caused by ...
US tightens rules on Middle East air cargo after Aus bomb plot
The US has ordered more stringent inspections of air cargo from five Middle East countries, citing a June 2017 attempt in Australia to bring down a plane as evidence that extremist groups continue to target civilian aviation. The Transportation Security Administration said today it had ordered seven airports in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to provide advance data on US-bound air cargo to US Customs and Border Protection for vetting before the cargo is loaded. The agency did not cite any new specific threat for the move. "The persistent threat to aviation calls for the world to raise the baseline on global aviation security across the spectrum," it said. "These countries were chosen because of a demonstrated intent by terrorist groups to attack aviation from them." TSA also pointed to Australian security officials' foiling of an advanced plot by three men with ties to the Islamic State group last June to bring down an aircraft with an ..
Belgium reduces terror threat to level unseen since 2015
Belgium is reducing its terror threat level from the second-highest mark for the first time in over two years. The country has lived under a threat level of at least three on a four-step scale since November 2015, when Islamic State extremists carried out multiple attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. A level three means a domestic terror attack is "possible and likely." The Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis lowered the security rating today to level two, indicating there was "little likelihood" of an attack. The threat level briefly hit four in March 2016, when 32 people were killed at Brussels' international airport and in the subway system. Level three called for a beefed-up police presence, reinforced by armed soldiers, in major cities and around potential targets such as tourist attractions.
Kerala fisherman dies of food poisoning
A fisherman from Kerala died due to suspected food poisoning while three others were hospitalised in civil hospital here, police said. According to police, the fishermen were headed towards Kochi from Gujarat when they suffered from vomiting and loose motions near the Jaigad port in the district. The fishermen anchored their boat 'E Faim' at the port and sought help of port authorities. Local police rushed to the aid of the the fishermen and shifted them to Ratnagiri civil hospital, located around 55 kms away from Jaigad town. The deceased was identified as F. Rajumon (38). Three other fishermen are undergoing treatment and are said to be out of danger, a police official said.
Gold worth Rs 6 cr robbed from loan company office in Kota
In a daring daylight robbery, four armed men today looted 25 kg of gold, estimated at Rs six crore, from the office a gold loan company here, the police said. The unidentified robbers barged into the office of Manappuram Finance Limited in Nayapura area around 1 pm and stole the jewellery at gunpoint, Inspector-General, Kota range, Vishal Bansal told reporters. The four men then bolted the main gates off the office and fled on motorcycles, Bansal said. Police are scanning the footage of the CCTVs installed in the office and surrounding areas to trace the accused, the IG said. He added that the record of criminals in city is also being looked into.
President's salute on R-Day message to forces to be prepared: Pranab
When the President of India takes the salute as the Supreme Commander at the Republic Day parade, he sends out a message to the forces to be prepared for any eventuality, and the celebration is a show of strength, former President Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday.
India should help us like it did for B'desh: Baloch activist
A Baloch activist today appealed to India for help in getting Independence to Balochistan, the way, he said, it did for Bangladesh. Abdul Qadeer Baloch, the vice-chairman of 'International Voice for Baloch Missing Persons', said China will not be allowed to "lay a single brick" in the Pakistan's restive province. China is building the Gwadar port, which falls in the province. "We request the Indian government to extend its sympathies with Balochistan and help us the way it did for Bangladesh," he said. He was speaking at an event organised by the Delhi Study Group. Balochistan is the largest province, and a resource-rich one, of Pakistan, which has been witnessing insurgency since its accession to the country.
Terrorists lobe grenade in Baramulla, injures cop
A policeman was injured on Monday after terrorists lobbed a grenade near Baramullah Police station in Jammu and Kashmir.Earlier in the day, in another case, terrorists hurled a grenade on an Army vehicle that exploded near Khrew Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.No casualties and injuries were reported, said official sources.On Saturday, suspected terrorists hurled a grenade towards a police station in Shopian district.The grenade exploded outside the station, police said.On January 12, Shopian district witnessed a similar attack, wherein terrorists sprayed bullets on a police post.Further details are awaited.
Two injured in J&K grenade attacks
A civilian and a policeman were injured on Monday in two separate grenade attacks by militants in the Kashmir Valley, police said.
Syria regime accused of chemical attack in rebel enclave
At least 21 people, including children, suffered breathing difficulties today, a monitor said, in a suspected Syrian regime chemical attack on a besieged rebel enclave near Damascus. United Nations inspectors have accused President Bashar al-Assad's regime of being behind multiple deadly poison gas attacks during the country's devastating seven year war. Today's attack targeted the city of Douma in the rebel- held region of Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "After regime forces fired rockets into the western part of the city of Douma, white smoke spread, causing 21 cases of suffocation," it said. An AFP correspondent at a hospital in the city saw people carrying babies wrapped in blankets, breathing through oxygen masks, some of them screaming. Young girls and men sat on hospital beds, tears in their eyes, unable to stop coughing. A doctor at the hospital who gave his first name as Bassil said patients were suffering "respiratory irritation, ..
3 criminals held for gunrunning in NCR
Three criminals have been arrested on the charge of supplying illegal arms to various gangs operating in the National Capital Region, including Delhi, police said on Monday. Five pistols have been seized from them.
Two grenade attacks, firing by militants ahead of R Day
In a series of attacks ahead of Republic Day, militants today hurled a grenade at a police station in Baramulla and another at a CRPF team in Pulwama, where they also opened fire on a police patrol, leaving two persons injured in these incidents. The ultras lobbed a grenade towards CRPF personnel at Pampore in Pulwama district, 14 kms from here, a police official said. He said the grenade landed on the roadside, resulting in injuries to a passerby. In the second attack,militants opened fire on a police patrol party at Lassipora area of the Pulwama District,the official said. He said the police retaliated, forcing the militants to flee from the spot. No one was injured in the firing incident. Later in the evening,militants lobbed a grenade at police station Baramulla,resulting in injuries to a guard,the official said. He said a few shots were also heard after the grenade blast. The three attacks came four days ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. Security forces have ..
Blast kills 3 in Thailand
Three people were killed and over a dozen injured in an explosion at a market in southern Thailand on Monday.According to the Al Jazeera, the incident occurred when a motorcycle bomb exploded in the southern province of Yala.No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.Police said the attackers parked the motorcycle near a food stall and when the owner asked to remove it, the attackers ran away.Later, when the woman tried to move the vehicle herself, it exploded.The Internal Security Operations Command's southern branch spokesman Col Pramote Phrom-in said they have identified a group of insurgents responsible for the bombing..
UN staff member killed, another kidnapped in Kabul
An Afghan staff member of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) was killed and a female Afghan UN employee was kidnapped after they were ambushed while travelling in a car here on Monday, the police said.