Page 807 - War Conflict

DAC nod to procurement of assault rifles, carbines worth Rs

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) today cleared the procurement of assault rifles and carbines worth Rs 3,547 crore on "fast track basis" to meet the immediate requirement of troops deployed on the borders, defence ministry sources said. Under the proposal, cleared at the meeting chaired by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, 72,000 assault rifles and 93,895 carbines will be procured, the sources said. The procurement is expected to address the shortage of weapons for the armed forces, they added.

Yemen rebels free journalist held since August

Yemeni rebels have freed a journalist they had been holding in the capital Sanaa since August but others remain in arbitrary detention, Amnesty International said today. Hisham Omeisy had spoken out against restrictions in rebel-held areas but had also criticised the actions of a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the rebels since 2015. "The release of Hisham al-Omeisy today is a welcome step -- however, Huthi authorities must also immediately and unconditionally free all prisoners of conscience languishing in detention," Amnesty's Samah Hadid said. Pictures circulating on social media showed Omeisy hugging his two young sons, thin but apparently unharmed. Amnesty said there had been a surge in arbitrary arrests in Yemen since 2016, with journalists, human rights defenders and members of the Baha'i religious minority most at risk. The rebels sentenced Yemeni Baha'i Hamid Haydar to death earlier this month on charges of collaborating with Israel and forging ...

Pak agencies foil terror plot; arrest 2 JuA terrorists

Pakistan's law enforcement agencies have foiled an attack on a security check point in Lahore and arrested two Jamaat-ul-Ahrar terrorists, officials said today. On a tip off provided by an intelligence agency, the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab Police raided a house in densely populated Harbanspura area and arrested Jamaat-ul- Ahrar's Lahore chapter activists - Amjad Khan and Daood Khan. According to a spokesperson of CTD, both suspects had planned to target a security check post in Lahore. Some hand grenades, small-scale arms and guns have been recovered from the suspects. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar spokespersonAsad Mansoor yesterday surrendered along with two associates in Dera Ismail Khan. The JuA, based in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, has been involved in a series of terror attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistan had banned the organisation in 2016. The group has been involved in more than 100 terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil. JuA chief Omar Khalid Khorasani was ...

BSF seizes 23 kg of ganja in West Bengal

The Border Security Force has seized 23 kilogramme of ganja from near the Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, BSF said today. The BSF troops of Amudia Border outpost (BOP) noticed some suspicious movement by miscreants yesterday night near the India Bangladesh Border Fence (IBBF). When the troops challenged the the miscreants, they fled leaving behind their head load, a BSF release said. After thorough search of the area the BSF troops recovered six bundles from the spot in which 23 kilogramme of ganja was packed, the release said. The seized ganja has been handed over to Customs Office Tentulia, it said. Last year, BSF South Bengal Frontier has seized 866.72 kilogramme of ganja and apprehended four Indian and five Bangladeshi nationals involved in ganja smuggling, the release added.

Two injured in blast at army depot in J&K

Two labourers were injured in an explosion inside an army field ammunition depot in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday, police said.

Three killed after head constable opens fire

Three persons were today killed when a head constable of the India Reserve Battalion (IRB), posted at the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) camp, allegedly opened fire on them at Daund town near here, a police official said. Following the incident, the suspect locked himself inside a flat and the police was trying to bring him out, he said. One of the deceased was a relative of the constable, the official said, adding that further details were awaited. Daund is around 80 km from Pune.

5 killed in insurgent mortar shelling in Afghanistan

Five civilians were killed and 45 others injured as insurgent used mortar to shell a local bazaar in Afghanistan's northern province on Tuesday, police said.

6 Pak security men killed in attacks in Balochistan

At least six security personnel have been killed in terror attacks in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province. This morning, a police constable was gunned down in Quetta following an attack yesterday in Turbat when militants shot dead five Frontier Corps (FC) personnel. The policeman identified as Naseer Ahmed was on his way to work when two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle fired at him and sped away. Last evening, a convoy of paramilitary FC came under attack in the mountainous region of Shapok in Kech district, 50 kilometres from Turbat town. Five FC personnel were killed while six others were injured, officials said. Since the start of the year, militants and separatists have stepped up their attacks on security personnel and installations in Balochistan. The attacks started on January 1 when militants carried out twin assaults on a security checkpost in Chaman injuring three security personnel. The next day, six FC officials were injured in a bomb blast near the .

Hand grenade found in army office in Manipur

Police in Imphal have recovered a foreign-made hand grenade on Tuesday here in M-Sector where some army offices, including the defence wing of the Press Information Bureau, are located.

Two bodies found at site of suspected gas blast in Antwerp:

Belgian rescuers found two bodies at the site of a suspected gas explosion in the port city of Antwerp that also injured around 15 people, local media quoted police as saying today. The blast, which police say is not linked to terrorism, collapsed or severely damaged several buildings in the Paardenmarkt area of central Antwerp, a Dutch-speaking city in northern Belgium.

Several dead in operation to arrest Venezuela pilot

Several people including two police officers were killed in an operation to capture a helicopter pilot who bombed Venezuela's Supreme Court during anti- government protests last year, the interior ministry has said. A ministry statement yesterday said members of a "terrorist cell" were killed in a fierce gunbattle, and five were captured, but did not say whether the pilot, Oscar Perez, was among the dead or detained. Six police were wounded, President Nicolas Maduro told lawmakers. The cell had planned to set off a car bomb outside the embassy of "a beloved and prestigious country," Maduro said. Reports said Perez and associates were holed up for hours in a house 25 kms northwest of Caracas during the raid. Perez released videos on Instagram in which he said authorities were trying to kill him and his people even though they wanted to surrender. Press reports said Perez did in fact die in the raid. At the height of street protests against Maduro last June, Perez and ...

Civilian injured in Shopian in December dies

A civilian injured in clashes with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir last month died in hospital on Tuesday.

Pak-run govt. in Balochistan failing to ensure free press

For the first time in the history of Pakistan, threats from insurgents have brought newspaper distribution across Balochistan, including in capital Quetta, to a grinding halt.According to an article published by the web site newslinemagazine .com, 22 press clubs have been shut down so far in Balochistan, most of them located in the central and southern parts of the province.A reason for this is the ongoing tussle between the Balochistan government (which many say is administered from Islamabad) and the so-called Baloch insurgents over the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), which has put an end to the publication of statements issued by the latter.This unsettled province of Pakistan has been undergoing a low-level insurgency since 2005, with several rebel groups fighting for control and acknowledgement as the rightful representatives of the people of the province, and them claiming responsibility for carrying out several attacks on security forces over the last ...

Sri Lankan Navy arrests 16 TN fishermen near Palk Strait

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday apprehended 16 Tamil Nadu fishermen and seized four boats near Palk Strait.The 16 apprehended fishermen have been taken to Kankesanthurai Naval Camp in Sri Lanka.The fishermen are natives of Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram and Mandapam district.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 the Sri Lankan Navy near Gulf of Mannar in Rameswaram.Earlier that month, 27 Indian fishermen were apprehended with five boats near Delft Island.

Islamic organ condemns suicide bombings in Baghdad

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) has condemned the twin suicide attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad that killed at least 36 people.

UN chief condemns suicide bombings in Baghdad

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned "in the strongest terms" Monday's twin terrorist attacks in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

Naxal killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh

One suspected Naxal has been killed in an encounter with security forces in Rajnandgaon district's Bakar Katta village.The police said on Monday that the encounter took place while a special operation team was conducting an operation in the area after receiving information about the presence of 40-50 Naxals in the village.The team involved personnel of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Group (DRG).Earlier on January 10, a woman Naxal was killed in an encounter between security forces in the forests of Bade Kedwal and Tumalpad in Chhattisgarh.

Tripoli airport clash: Death toll rises to 20

The death toll in Tripoli airport clash has risen to 20.According to the local media reports, the director of Tripoli hospital Abdeldayem Al-Rabti confirming the death toll said, around 37 were injured.The local media quoted an anonymous security source as saying that the airport had come under attack when the government forces had clashed with rival forces, loyal to 'salvation government' after the latter made a bid to capture the airport."The criminal militia is known as Bashir al-Baqarah and all the criminals wanted by the Deterrent Force attacked the International Airport after escaping (jail) and joining the militia," the Special Deterrent Force (SDF) in charge of securing the airport said in a statement on its official Facebook page."The attackers are being dealt with until they are defeated and expelled from the Mitiga airport and the prison, where more than 2,500 inmates are detained on various charges", added the SDF.The operations at the airport have been shut down due to ...

Sitharaman to fly in Sukhoi aircraft

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will fly in Sukhoi 30 MKI fighter aircraft on January 17, official sources haves said.She would be the first full-time woman defence minister to fly the sortie, at Air Force Station in Jodhpur.After her recent stay on board INS Vikramaditya at sea, the sortie will be a part of the defence minister's continued efforts to gauge and review the operational preparedness and combat capabilities of the armed forces.Sitharaman earlier visited INS Vikramaditya last week for witnessing the naval operations and maritime prowess of the Indian Navy.

Lebanon's PM urges political parties to stay clear of regional conflicts

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday called on Lebanese political parties to stay clear of regional conflicts.