Page 797 - War Conflict
Taliban militants 'searched for foreigners' in Kabul hotel
Taliban militants who killed at least 22 people at a luxury Kabul hotel went from room to room searching for foreigners, survivors said today as more details of the victims emerged. Insurgents armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide vests attacked the landmark Intercontinental Hotel overlooking the Afghan capital late Saturday in an assault that lasted more than 12 hours and prompted questions over how the attackers breached security. Guests hid behind pillars and in rooms as gunmen sprayed bullets and set fire to parts of the six-storey building. Some people climbed over balconies, using bed sheets in a desperate attempt to escape. "They were saying kill the foreigners," a 20-year-old hotel employee who gave his name as Hasibullah told AFP from his hospital bed. He described hiding in a fifth-floor room and listening as the gunmen went from room to room, forcing doors open "with daggers" and killing those inside. One other witness claimed he had seen the militants ...
One injured in J&K grenade attack
A civilian was injured when militants hurled a grenade at an army vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday, police said.
J-K: Terrorists hurl grenade on Army vehicle
Terrorists on Monday hurled a grenade on an Army vehicle that exploded near Khrew Chowk in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama.No casualties and injuries have been reported yet, said official sources.Further details are awaited.Earlier 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.
Assam Rifles troopers escape attack in Manipur
A patrol of Assam Rifles troopers escaped an attack in Manipur's Imphal East district on Sunday night when a bomb hidden in the area failed to explode, police said at Monday.
Iraqi parliament sets May 12 as date for national elections
Iraq's parliament has approved May 12 as the date for holding national elections despite calls from the country's Sunni community to delay the vote until the return of nearly 3 million people displaced by the fight against the Islamic State group. Shiite lawmaker, Abbas al-Bayati, says the legislative body "unanimously" approved the date, which was proposed by the government, at today's session. The deeply-divided parliament failed many times to set the date, prompting the country's Supreme Court to issue a ruling yesterday against any further delay. The over three-year-old fight against IS has left most of the Sunni areas in northern and western Iraq in ruins, and poor public services have exacerbated the situation. The elections will be the fourth since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Grenade lobbed at CRPF personnel, passerby injured
A civilian was injured in a grenade attack by militants who were targeting the security forces in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir today, police said. The ultras lobbed a grenade towards the CRPF personnel at Pampore town, 14 km from here, a police official said. He said the grenade exploded on the roadside, resulting in injuries to one civilian. Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched an operation to track down the militants, the official said adding no arrests have been made so far.
Turkish troops face fierce battles in Syrian Kurdish enclave
Intense clashes erupted today as Turkish troops and their allies advanced on a Kurdish enclave in Syria, the third day of the Ankara offensive aimed at ousting the Kurds from the area, a Kurdish militia and a war monitoring group said. The Turkish offensive on Afrin, codenamed Operation Olive Branch, started on Saturday, heightening tensions in the already complicated Syrian conflict and threatening to further strain ties between NATO allies Turkey and the United States. The UN Security Council is convening today to discuss the situation in Syria. In a statement today, NATO said it has been in touch with Turkey over the developing offensive. NATO said Turkey has suffered from terrorism and has the right to self-defense but urged Ankara to do so in a "proportionate and measured way." NATO also said it has no presence in Syria but that as members of the coalition against Islamic State militants, "our focus is on the defeat" of the extremist group. The US-backed Kurdish ...
India condemns terror attack on Kabul hotel
India has strongly condemned a terror attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul that claimed at least 18 lives.
RPF constable killed in train hit
A Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable was killed when a train hit him in Howrah district today, police said. RPF constable B N Mishra (57) was returning home after work when the Puri-Shalimar Express hit him at Mahisrekha bridge in the district, the police added.
3 killed in Thailand market bombing
At least three people were killed and another 18 wounded in a bomb explosion at a market in Thailand on Monday, an official said.
Bombing at market in southern Thailand kills 3, injures 18
A motorcycle bomb exploded at a market today in southern Thailand, killing three people and injuring 18, police said. The attacker parked the bike rigged with explosives nearby and bought goods at the market to blend in with the crowd, police Lt. Eakapong Rattanachai said. The bomb exploded when the attacker left the market area, causing the casualties, Eakapong said. The explosion happened in Yala province, one of Thailand's three southernmost provinces where Muslim militants have waged a yearslong insurgency. The three provinces are the only ones with Muslim majorities in the predominantly Buddhist country. More than 6,500 people have been killed in the violence since 2004.
S.Koreans burn Kim Jong-un's photo over North's participation at Olympics
Demonstrators on Monday burned a photo of the North Korean leader during a rally in Seoul against North Korea's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang in South Korea.
Myanmarese refugees refusing to return to Myanmar: SP
Over 1,400 Myanmarese nationals who took refuge in Mizoram's Lawngtlai district following clash between Arakan militants and the Army there in November last year have refused to return to their country, a senior police officer said today. The refugees who fled Myanmar since November 25 last year following a crackdown on Arakan rebels by the Myanmar Army in the border areas refused to go back claiming that they were "afraid" of the Myanmar Army personnel, Superintendent of Police of Lawngtlai, Lalsanglura said. "Though the fighting between the Myanmar Army and the Arakan insurgents had apparently stopped and no gunfires heard for almost a month, the people who took shelter in four villages along the Mizoram-Myanmar border - Laitlang, Dumzautlang, Zochachhuah and Hmawngbuchhuah, still refused to return to their respective villages," the SP said. The refugees were mainly from the border villages of Varang, Paletwa, Pakangwa and Mulaw in Myanmar's Chin state. Lalsanglura ...
Pak shells areas along LoC, IB in Jammu
Pakistani troops opened fire and lobbed mortars at Indian positions along the International border and LoC in three sectors of Jammu and Rajouri districts overnight, a BSF officer said today. Yesterday, a civilian was killed and two persons were injured in the Pakistani shelling along the IB in Kanachak belt of Jammu district, raising the death toll in the ceasefire violations since Thursday last to 12 and injuries to over 60. Schools continue to remain closed along the LoC and IB in Jammu region. "There was night-long firing along the IB in Pargwal, Math, R S Pura, Arnia and Ramgarh sectors (of Jammu and Samba districts). It stopped at 0545 hours today,"the officer said. Pakistan Rangers resumed shelling along the IB in Kanachak sector of Jammu last night," he said. Pakistan troops also resumed heavy shelling along the LoC in Bhawani, Karali, Said, Numb and Sher Makri areas of Rajouri district last evening,officials said. Seven civilians, three Armymen and two BSF ...
Three civilians killed in southern Thailand market bomb:police
A motorcycle bomb killed three civilians and wounded 22 others today at a market in Thailand's insurgency-hit south, officials said, the first such attack on a 'soft target' in the Muslim-majority region for months. A rebellion against Thai rule in the culturally distinct Thai "Deep South" bordering Malaysia has left nearly 7,000 dead -- the majority civilians -- since 2004. The death toll in 2017 from the insurgency was the lowest in 13 years of conflict as peace talks edged forwards and the Thai junta boosted its security lockdown on the region. But today's bomb at a packed market in Yala town popular with Buddhists and Muslims suggests a return to attacks on civilian targets. Chunks of torn corrugated roofing and parts of destroyed motorbikes and stalls littered a narrow alleyway in the market, as police picked through a scene of devastation shortly after the bomb. "The suspects parked the motorcycle in front of a stall selling pork in downtown Yala... it detonated 10
3 civilians killed in southern Thailand market bomb: police
A motorcycle bomb killed three civilians and wounded 19 others today morning at a market in Yala town in Thailand's insurgency-hit south, a policeman said, the first such attack in the Muslim-majority region for months. "Suspects parked the motorcycle in front of a stall selling pork in downtown Yala... it detonated killing three civilians and wounding 19 others," the policeman said, requesting anonymity.
UN condemns terror attack on Kabul hotel
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Tadamichi Yamamoto have strongly condemned a terrorist attack on a hotel in Afghan capital, Kabul.
Kabul hotel attack toll rises to 18
The toll from the deadly attack on the Intercontinental Hotel here has risen to 18, an official said.
US, UN condemn terror attack in Kabul
The US and the UN have strongly condemned the terror attack at a five-star hotel in Kabul that killed at least 18 people, including 14 foreigners. "Strongly condemning the attack at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul," US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said as he offered deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. "The US applauds the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces for their bravery in responding to the attack. We are in contact with Afghan authorities regarding their investigation of the incident," he said. "We have seen the Taliban's claim of responsibility and condemn terrorist groups for their violent campaign against Afghan and foreign personnel working to improve Afghanistan," Tillerson said. Stating that the US stands with the government and people of Afghanistan, he said the US remain firmly committed to supporting Afghan efforts to achieve peace, security, and ..
US to deploy 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan
The United States Army is making plans that may take the total force in Afghanistan a notch higher by as many as additional 1,000 US troops this spring, senior military officials said.According to the Washington Post, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has not signed off on the proposals for the new forces, which are part of a broader strategy to bolster Afghan forces.Military officials expect the total force this spring to be about 15,000 troops.There are 14,000 US troops already present in the war-torn country.Army's senior leadership supports the likely increase. The new strategy that President Trump approved in August would push US advisory teams to the battalion level, far closer to the front lines, the report said.President Trump announced in August that 3,000 to 4,000 more troops would be sent to Afghanistan in an attempt to finally score a decisive victory in a war that has dragged on for more than fifteen years.General John Nicholson, the head of US forces in Afghanistan, told ...