Page 809 - War Conflict

Illegal arms manufacturing unit unearthed by police in UP

Police have unearthed an arms manufacturing unit during raids in a village here today and seized a cache of weapons, a top official said today. A large number of arms, including five pistols and a rifle, and machines used to manufacture the weapons were seized from the unit in a forest area of Sikheda village, Superintendent of Police (City) Ombir Singh said. Two people were arrested in this connection, Singh said.

SSB seizes deer antler

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel today seized deer antler weighing 2 kilogram and valued at Rs 55 lakh in the International market from Indo-Nepal border in Bihar's Araria district. The antler was seized from a paddy field near pillar number 160 on Indo-Nepal border in Sikti village under Sikti police station of the district when SSB team was on a patrolling duty this morning, SSB's 52nd battalion Deputy Commandant Ashwini Kumar said. The value of antler is estimated to be around Rs 55 lakh in the International market, he said. Deputy Commandant said that the seized antler was later handed over to D K Das, the Divisional Forest Officer, Araria.

Two drug peddlers arrested with 12 kgs of cannabis in Jammu

Police today arrested two drug peddlers and recovered from them 13 kgs of cannabis in Jammu winter capital city, officials said. A police party during patrolling in Marathi Mohalla in Trikuta Nagar stopped two pedestrians forchecking today, a police officer said. Ona search of their belongings, the police party recovered 12 Kgs of Ganja (cannabis) from their possession, he said. In this regard, a casehas been registered at Police Station Trikuta Nagar and further investigation of the case is going on, police said.

Angry residents shut down east DR Congo town after murder

People in Kamanyola in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo paralysed the town and faced off against police today, angered by poor security, local sources said. "Residents, mostly angry young people, last night destroyed Kamanyola administrative centre and burned all the files," the administrator of Walungu territory in South Kivu province, Dominique Bofondo, told AFP. The violence erupted after a money-changer was murdered at his home in the town, which lies on the main road linking provincial capital Bukavu and Uvira. Kamanyola came under attack by an armed group last year. By midday today, police fired warning shots to disperse demonstrators who were trying to set fire to a police station, according to Bofondo and witnesses in the town. "All activities are currently paralysed in Kamanyola, the Bukavu-Uvira road... is barricaded, schools and commercial businesses" have been shut down, teacher Joe Lushindi told AFP by telephone. In targeting premises seen as symbols of ..

Over 500 kgs of banned polythene seized in Anantnag

Police today siezed 500 kilograms of polythene, which is banned in Jammu and Kashmir, from the state's Anantnag district. "In its drive against use of polythene, police seized more than 500 kilograms of polythene in Anantnag and Handwara," a police spokesman said. He said the drive was launched in the jurisdiction of all the police stations of Anantnag district. "During the drive more than 500 Kilograms of polythene was seized in Anantnag town, Bijbehara, Ashmuqam, Srigufwara, Pahalgam, Dooru, Mattan, Kokernag and other areas of the district," the spokesman said. Meanwhile, police in Handwara also seized a huge quantity of polythene during the drive, he added.

Four Pakistan soldiers killed in cross-border firing

Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-administered Kashmir's Kotli sector on Monday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, adding that in the exchange of fire three Indian soldiers had also been killed.

Case dismissed against French troops accused of child rape in

French investigating magistrates have closed a probe into allegations that French soldiers raped children in the Central African Republic while on a peacekeeping mission, judicial sources said today. The magistrates said there was no evidence that members of Operation Sangaris, deployed to keep warring militias apart, had abused children at a camp for people displaced by the fighting in 2013 and 2014, the sources told AFP. The state prosecutor had last year called for the case to be closed. While admitting "it is not certain that no sexual abuse took place", the prosecutor said that "differences" in the testimonies of the children who came forward made it impossible to establish guilt among the troops. No one was ever charged over the allegations. They were first reported by the British left-of-centre daily The Guardian in April 2015, tarnishing the reputation of the French military. The Guardian reported that six children aged nine to 13 had said they were abused in a ...

'21 Sarfarosh...' cast celebrates Army Day with soldiers

The cast and crew of "21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897" celebrated Army Day on Monday with soldiers of the Sikh regiment of the Indian Army.

Indian army kills 7 Pak soldiers, 5 JeM terrorists in J-K:Army

Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed today in retaliatory firing by the Indian Army after a ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir where a infiltration bid was also foiled with the elimination of five militants of Pakistan-based JeM, army officers said. The army action came on a day when its chief Gen Bipin Rawat sent a stern messsage to Pakistan, saying it may escalate its offensive against terror groups and carry out the 'other action' if forced by the neighbouring country. In his address to army personnel in Delhi to mark the Army Day today, the Army chief said Pakistan Army is continuously trying to help terrorists sneak into India along the Line of Control (LoC) in J and K. "Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC and resorted to shelling on forward posts in Jaglote belt in Mendhar sector(in Poonch district) early today," a senior Army officer told PTI in Jammu. Indian troops guarding the LoC took positions and targetedthe Pakistani post involved in .

Major infiltration bid foiled in Uri; 5 JeM militants killed

The Army today foiled a major infiltration attempt by Jaish-e-Mohammad militants along the Line of Control in Uri sector in Kashmir, killing five members of the group's suicide squad, a senior Army officer said. The Army foiled the infiltration bid - the first such attempt this year - by the Pakistan-based outfit in an overnight operation that ended this morning, Brigadier Y S Ahlawat told reporters in Uri, 100 kilometres from Srinagar. Brigadier Ahlawat said the infiltration attempt was made along the river Jhelum, which flows into Pakistan from India. "A major infiltration bid - the first of 2018 - by a fierce fidayeen group has been foiled along the LoC in Uri sector. A major tragedy has been averted on Army Day and in the run up to the Republic Day celebrations," he said. The Army officer said alert troops picked up the movement "as the terrorists were moving along the banks of Jhelum and subsequently tracked their movement." "In the ensuing firefight, the Army ...

French prison guards block jails after attack by Qaeda convict

French prison officers blocked access to several jails around the country today to demand tighter security after three officers were injured in an attack by a German terror convict last week. The officers' unions say the blade attack by Christian Ganczarski, who is serving an 18-year sentence over the 2002 bombing of a Tunisian synagogue, illustrated the lax approach of prison authorities to violent convicts. Prison guards used washing machines and a pile of burning tyres to block access to the high-security prison in Vendin- le-Vieil on the border with Belgium where he is being held. Around 100 officers took part in the protest, an AFP journalist at the scene said. In an apparent attempt to defuse the situation the prisons service announced that the director of the facility had asked to be "relieved of his command" following calls by wardens for him to be shown the door. Officers also demonstrated outside Fresnes prison south of Paris, one of France's largest where riot .

Uri infiltration bid foiled after 'tip-off'

The Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) on Monday informed that the security forces were tipped-off about the possible attempts to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir's Uri sector, beforehand.Earlier today, six terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were killed by the security forces in an anti-infiltration operation in Uri sector on Monday."Since the past few days, we were getting inputs about possible attempts to infiltrate from Uri sector. So, ambushes were laid out in that area by Army, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)", DGP SP Vaid told ANI here.He added that he thinks six terrorists have died but only five bodies have been found so far."We have recovered five bodies from the spot. I think six have died, one body is being searched. They belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed and information was that they are suicide attackers", informed SP Vaid.In a joint operation, the Jammu and Kashmir's police, Army and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) ...

Sri Lanka police destroy record seizure of cocaine

Sri Lankan authorities today publicly destroyed more than 900 kilogrammes of cocaine that was the country's largest single seizure of the illegal drug. The public destruction of the drugs haul was the first such program in Sri Lanka as authorities seek to deter smugglers from using the Indian Ocean island nation as a transit point for drug distribution in the region. Police officers first liquefied the cocaine, which was packed in 30 sacks in front of a magistrate at a pre- processing facility of a cement firm outside the capital Colombo. It was then taken to be disposed in a cement kiln north of the capital. The 928 kilogrammes of cocaine was seized in 2016 at Sri Lanka's main sea port following a tip off. The cocaine was concealed in a container carrying timber on a ship sailing from Ecuador and bound for India. Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said the drugs were not meant for Sri Lanka and that no suspects were found. President Maithripala Sirisena and other top ...

R-Day: Security forces on heightened alert in Srinagar

Security forces have been put on a heightened alert in Kashmir following inputs of a possible militant attack in the city ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, police said today. The security forces in Kashmir, especially the city, were put on heightened alert following recovery of two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in HMT area here over the past two days, the police official said. The security forces have started carrying out area domination exercises in many parts of the city, including random vehicle checks and search operations, he said. The official said as part of these exercises, the security forces carried out cordon and search operations in some parts of the old city for the first time in nearly two decades. "There are intelligence inputs that militants might try to carry out an attack on security forces in the city ahead of the Republic Day celebrations. The security grid is geared up to thwart any such incident," he said. The militants, who suffered ...

Youth engagement in positive activities biggest challenge: J-K

The engagement of youth in positive activities in Jammu and Kashmir poses biggest challenge to the forces, said Director General of Police S P Vaid, who termed as "worrisome" the development of an AMU scholar from the valley joining militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. However, the DGP commended the forces efforts in successfully pulling back 85 youths from the path of militancy in the state and said that the situation on ground has improved for good. Speaking yesterday at a leadership conclave titled "Bridging Divides", the DGP while expressing satisfaction over the improvement in situation in the valley claimed there was a drastic decline in stone-pelting incidents. "Not even one incident of stone pelting was reported on last Friday. There used to be 20 to 25 incidents in one day," Vaid said. According to Vaid, a lot of measures were taken to win over the youths of the troubled region, and that a human face of the forces was projected conveying the message that "you are .

Man shot at by Myanmarese Army personnel

A 67-year-old man suffered bullet injuries after Myanmarese Army personnel, who reportedly mistook him for an insurgent, shot at him twice on Friday evening in southern Mizoram's Lawngtlai district, a police report has said. Monondo and his wife Banati, members of the Bru community, were collecting medicinal herb - locally known as nchiri' - along the border area when the Myanmarese Army personnel shot at them, Lawngtlai SP Lalsanglura said. "The shooting stopped after Banati screamed aloud and said they were Indian citizens, not insurgents," he said, adding that the bullets hit Monondo on both the legs, breaking the bone of his right thigh. The Myanmar troops then approached the couple and gave medicines, food and torchlight, Lalsanglura said. "The local villagers carried Monondo on a bamboo stretcher to Lawngtlai District Hospital, where he is still undergoing treatment. Doctors treating him there have said that he should be referred to an Aizawl hospital after his ...

Pak says 4 soldiers killed by India along LoC

Pakistan Army today said it lost four of its soldiers in a cross-border firing by India across the Line of Control (LoC) and claimed to have killed three Indian troops. They were fired upon and hit by heavy mortar rounds while carrying out "line communication maintenance" along the LoC in Kotli sector's Jandrot area, the army's media wing Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in the exchange of fire, it said. Three Indian soldiers also while killed, the statement claimed. In Jammu, the Indian Army said it carried out a "retaliatory action" against Pakistani troops, killing seven of their soldiers and injuring four others others along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. The action comes after an Indian solider was killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Saturday.

Pakistani Taliban claims Bhutto's assassination in new book

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has for the first time claimed responsibility for the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in a new book in written by Taliban leader Abu Mansoor Asim Mufti Noor Wali.

26 killed in Baghdad twin suicide bombings

At least 26 persons were killed and 75 others injured in twin suicide attacks in Baghdad early on Monday, police said.

16 killed in Baghdad twin bomb blasts

At least 16 people were killed and dozens others wounded on Monday in twin bomb explosions in downtown Baghdad, officials said.