Page 805 - War Conflict

Seven ethnic Rakhine killed as Myanmar police fire on riot

Seven ethnic Rakhine Buddhists died after Myanmar police opened fire on a crowd trying to seize a government office, officials said today, in fresh violence in a febrile state already scarred by ethnic and religious hatred. The incident unfurled as around 5,000 Buddhists gathered late Tuesday for a nationalist ceremony in Mrauk U, a town that has so far remained unscathed by the military's crackdown on the region's minority Rohingya Muslim community. It was not immediately clear why the rally descended into violence. But ethnic Rakhine, many of whom are poor and marginalised, have a long-standing enmity with the Myanmar state which is dominated by ethnic Bamar. The clashes came on the same day that a repatriation agreement was signed between Myanmar and Bangladesh to start the return of some 655,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees from squalid camps over the border. Rakhine say the Rohingya are illegal "Bengali" immigrants to a Buddhist land. A police spokesman blamed the crowd

Taliban senior commander among 6 killed

Six militants including a senior Taliban commander were killed after security forces air bombed a hideout of the Taliban in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

CRPF organises Civic Action Program in Chhattisgarh

The 111 battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) of Dantewada conducted a Civic Action Program (CAP) in Chhattisgarh's Potali village on Wednesday.The security forces also organised free medical camp under the programme in which hundreds of local poor people gathered to get treatment free of cost.Free medical camp was also organised by the security personnel, where hundreds of poor people gathered to get treatment free of cost.Clothing, mosquito net, water filter, solar street light and other utility items were distributed to the villagers.This was the first time that any security force conducted a civic action program in this village.The CRPF officials claimed that the medical camp organised for local people got an overwhelming response.Deputy Inspector General Of Police (DIG) operations Dantewada D. N. Lal, Commandant 111 battalion, Sanjeev Kumar, Kumar Manish, 2 I/C 111 battalion, Kunwar Singh, 2 I/C operations, Dr Anand Bhandari were among the others who were present ..

CRPF organises Civic Action Program in Naxal-hit Dantewada

The 111 battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) of Dantewada conducted a Civic Action Program (CAP) in Chhattisgarh's Potali village on Wednesday.The security forces also organised free medical camp under the programme in which hundreds of local poor people gathered to get treatment free of cost.Free medical camp was also organised by the security personnel, where hundreds of poor people gathered to get treatment free of cost.Clothing, mosquito net, water filter, solar street light and other utility items were distributed to the villagers.This was the first time that any security force conducted a civic action program in this village.The CRPF officials claimed that the medical camp organised for local people got an overwhelming response.Deputy Inspector General Of Police (DIG) operations Dantewada D. N. Lal, Commandant 111 battalion, Sanjeev Kumar, Kumar Manish, 2 I/C 111 battalion, Kunwar Singh, 2 I/C operations, Dr Anand Bhandari were among the others who were present ..

Man injured in Mizoram blast

A 26-year-old man was injured in a blast in the jungles of southern Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, along the India-Myanmar border, on Monday, an official statement of the Assam Rifles said today. Lawngtlai district police identified the injured as Jitua Tongchangya, a Chakma community member of Bangdukbanga hamlet near Parva village along the India-Myanmar-Bangladesh border. The blast, reportedly caused by an IED, blew off the man's left ankle and 'gravely' injured his right leg, the statement said. "As soon as the information reached the Assam Rifles post at Simnasura village, the troops moved a team with a doctor to assist the injured," it said. The team provided him with basic medical aid at the spot. The troops along with other villagers then carried the injured on their shoulders to Parva, where he boarded a vehicle to reach the local hospital at Lawngtlai. Police suspect that the blast was caused by a landmine that was possibly planted in the jungle by Myanmar Army

Nigerian army releases 244 Boko Haram suspects

The Nigerian army has announced that it has released 244 Boko Haram suspects who have renounced their membership in the terrorist group.According to the Washington Post, the army said that all these people have been de-radicalised and are in a frame of mind that they can enter the society again.The people released on Monday included 118 adult males, 56 women, 19 teens and 51 children, according to operation commander Maj. Gen. Rogers Nicholas.He said they were only freed after participating in a de-radicalisation programme.Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima commended the military its ongoing efforts against Haram.Some 20,000 people have been killed in Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency. The army released the suspects as part of activities marking Armed Forces Remembrance Day.There have been mass releases of Boko Haram suspects in the past, but this is the largest following a de-radicalisation programme.Nigeria's government set up a de-radicalisation programme in 2016 for arrested ...

'7 ethnic Rakhine killed as Myanmar police open fire at riot'

Myanmar police opened fire on a crowd of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as they tried to seize a government office, in unrest that left seven dead and injured around a dozen more, police said. Several thousand Buddhist protesters had gathered yesterday for a ceremony in Mrauk U, an ancient temple complex that has so far remained unscathed by the military's crackdown on the region's minority Rohingya Muslim community. It was not immediately clear why the rally descended into violence. But the clashes came on the same day as a repatriation agreement was signed between Myanmar and Bangladesh to start the return of some 655,000 Rohingya refugees from squalid camps back over the border. A police spokesman blamed the crowd for "starting the violence" after barging into a district administrative office and hoisting the Rakhine State flag. "Security forces asked them to disperse and fired warning shots with rubber bullets... but they didn't stop, so police had to use real bullets," ...

7 ethnic Rakhine killed as Myanmar police open fire at riot:

Myanmar police opened fire on a mob of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists as they tried to seize a government office late yesterday, killing seven and injuring 13 more, police said. "Seven people were killed and 13 injured during last night's violence in Mrauk U," police spokesman Colonel Myo Soe told AFP after rioting broke out at a rally attended by some 5,000 Rakhine Buddhists in the febrile state.

Boko Haram kills nine in NE Nigeria

Boko Haram jihadists have killed nine people in two separate attacks in northeast Nigeria, militia members and local residents said today, underlining the persistent threat to civilians. The first attack happened at about 11:00 am (1000 GMT) on Monday when six people collecting firewood were shot dead in Jinene village, near the border town of Ngala, in Borno state. The second occurred in Pallam village, in the Madagali area of neighbouring Adamawa state, at about 11:30 pm, and saw the militants seize food, before burning several shops and homes. Nigeria's military and government maintain the insurgents are a spent force, after nearly nine years of violence that has killed at least 20,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million others from their homes. But hit-and-run raids and suicide bomb attacks, including in and around camps for the displaced, are a constant menace, exacerbating already precarious living conditions in the impoverished remote region. Loggers, many of .

South Asia strategy working 'far more rapidly', says Trump

US President Donald Trump has said that his South Asia strategy is "working far more rapidly than anybody would understand" and denying protection for terrorists in Afhganistan.

Guterres to convene counter-terrorism summit, calls for united action

Calling for united global action against terrorism, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has announced that he is convening a summit of heads of counter-terrorism agencies.

Peacekeeping facing unprecedented challenges: UN chief

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that UN peacekeeping "is facing unprecedented challenges".

South Asia Strategy working: Trump

US President Donald Trump today said that his South Asia strategy announced in August is "working rapidly". In a joint media appearance at the White House with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Trump said, "Our strategic partnership with Kazakhstan has advanced my South Asia strategy, which is working and working far more rapidly than anybody would understand. He thanked the Kazakh president for providing crucial support to US forces in Afghanistan and denying safe havens to terrorists. "Kazakhstan is a valued partner in our efforts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons," he said. "This cooperation has grown even stronger this month during Kazakhstan's presidency of the United Nations Security Council, he said. Kazakhastan, a non-permanent member, holds the rotating presidency on the UN Security Council. Trump thanked Nazarbayev for his full support for his South Asia strategy including his efforts in Afghanistan. "I greatly appreciate the president's ...

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 16 Indian fishermen

At least 16 Tamil Nadu fishermen were arrested on Tuesday by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing in their waters near Katchatheevu island.The apprehended fishermen have been lodged in Jaffna prison in Sri Lanka.The fishermen are natives of Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram and Mandapam districts.Earlier on January 4, the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended 12 Indian fishermen, along with two boats, near the Delft Island.The personnel, belonging to the Northern Naval Command, apprehended the fishermen, who were natives of Rameswaram district of Tamil Nadu.On December 31, at least 13 Indian fishermen were apprehended by them near Gulf of Mannar in Rameswaram.

Delhi Police chairs high-level meeting ahead of Republic Day

The Delhi Police on Tuesday held an inter-state coordination meeting to review the security arrangements in the national capital in view of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations.The high-level meeting was held at the Delhi Police Headquarters.During the meeting, the officials shared intelligence information on terrorism, terror outfits and their designs.Officers from Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh were present along with Delhi Police officials.The officials also discussed various other issues related to fake Indian currency notes, trafficking of illegal firearms, smuggling of narcotics, tenant verification, guest house checking, cyber cafe owners guest accommodation, human trafficking, missing children.Besides law and order, the security and vigilance at the borders were also discussed in the meeting.

Sri Lanka, China think tanks co-launch book on bilateral relations

Sri Lankan and Chinese think tanks on Tuesday jointly launched a book on the Sino-Lanka relations titled "The Island of the Lion and the Land of the Dragon" in order to strengthen their bilateral links.

5,000 children killed or injured in Yemen war: UN

The war in Yemen has killed or injured more than 5,000 children and left another 400,000 severely malnourished and fighting for their lives, the UN children's agency said today. In a report unveiled in Sanaa, UNICEF said nearly two million Yemeni children were out of school, a quarter of them since the conflict escalated when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in March 2015. More than three million children were born into the war, it said, adding they had been "scarred by years of violence, displacement, disease, poverty, undernutrition and a lack of access to basic services". UNICEF said the more than 5,000 children killed or injured in the violence amounted to "an average of five children every day since March 2015". "An entire generation of children in Yemen is growing up knowing nothing but violence," said Meritxell Relano, UNICEF representative in Yemen. "Children in Yemen are suffering the devastating consequences of a war that is not of their making," he said in a .

HM reviews security in Northeast; data shows insurgency down

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today reviewed the security situation in the northeastern states where insurgency-related incidents have gone down substantially, official sources said. According to official data, the security situation in the region has improved and insurgency-related incidents has gone down by 85 per cent in 2017 as compared to 2000. There were 308 insurgency-related incidents last year, the lowest since 1997, they said. In 2000, they said, 1,963 insurgency-related incidents had taken place in the Northeast. Also, the death toll of security personnel and civilians was lowest last year when 12 security forces personnel and 37 civilians were killed, they said. There was no insurgency-related incident reported from Tripura and Mizoram last year. The number of cases of kidnapping or abduction also went down by 40 per cent as 168 incidents were reported in 2016, which came down to 102 last year. The review meeting was also attended by Minister of State Kiren ...

IRB policeman, who killed 3, arrested

Police head constable of India Reserve Battalion (IRB) Group 7, who shot dead three people over a money dispute in Daund area near Pune, was arrested in Supah village on Tuesday.Reportedly, one of the deceased was the relative of the accused.The Pune rural police spokesperson had earlier confirmed that the shooter belonged to the IRB.Further probe was underway.

UN chief expresses concern over threats pose by nukes

Observing that peace remains elusive to the international community, the UN chief Antonio Guterres today said the world has gone in reverse as conflicts have deepened, new dangers have emerged and global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War. Speaking at an informal meeting of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary General said the international community needs unity and courage to meet todays most urgent needs, to ease the fears of the people and set the world on track towards a better future. Noting that last year he took office calling to make 2017 a year for peace, he said, one year later one must recognise that peace remains elusive. "In fundamental ways, the world has gone in reverse. Conflicts have deepened and new dangers have emerged. Global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War, he said. "Climate change is moving faster than we are. Inequalities are growing. We see horrific violations of human rights. ..