Page 821 - War Conflict
Islamic State footprint on rise in Pakistan: Report
The footprint of the militant Islamic State (IS) group is continuously on the rise in Pakistan as over the past year responsibility for as many as six deadliest attacks, in which 153 people were killed, was claimed by the outfit, according to a think-tank report.
Soldier, five rebels dead in southern Philippine clash: army
Five Muslim rebels and a soldier were killed during a weekend ground and air assault by Philippines security forces on militants supportive of the Islamic State group in a restive southern region, the military said today. The Philippine army pounded some 50 militants with artillery in a five-hour attack on the island of Mindanao Saturday, according to regional military spokesman Captain Arvin Encinas. One soldier and at least five members of the rebel Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) were killed in the clash, he said, adding that while small and fragmented the militant group was a threat in the region. "They have enough people to conduct atrocities, and they are actively recruiting," he said. The Muslim minority of the mainly Catholic Philippines considers Mindanao as its homeland. Decades of armed rebellion in the region has claimed more than 100,000 lives by official estimates. Last year another group pledging allegiance to IS occupied the Mindanao city of ...
Tuting incident resolved: Gen. Rawat
The "Tuting incident" in Arunachal Pradesh has been resolved, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat said here today, days after Indian troops foiled attempts by Chinese road building teams to build a track on the Indian side of the border. Rawat suggested that a Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) between the two sides in Arunachal two days ago had resolved the issue. "The Tuting incident has been resolved," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event. He added that the BPM had taken place two days ago. According to the Army chief, there was a major reduction of Chinese troops in the Dokalam area in the Sikkim sector. Chinese road building teams had entered about one kilometre inside Indian territory in Tuting, government sources said, adding that they had come for track alignment activities. The teams returned when confronted by Indian troops and left behind various road building equipment, including excavators, they said. The incident came nearly four months after the end of the ..
ISIS increased its presence in Pakistan in 2017: Report
There was an increase in the presence of Islamic State (IS) in Pakistan in 2017, an Islamabad-based think-tank report said.Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) has said in its Pakistan Security Report 2017 that over 150 people were killed in around six terrorist attacks claimed by the IS in the last year, Geo news reported.According to the report, some new challenges such as emergence of self-radicalised individuals and small terrorist cells have raised their heads in the country.Also, incidence of religious extremism including on educational campuses, and increasing footprints of the IS in parts of the country have also become a problem for Pakistan.The report, which has been compiled after taking data from multiple sources, coupled with interviews and articles by subject experts, revealed that Daesh and its local affiliates and supporters claimed six major terrorist attacks in Pakistan, killing 153 people.Among the major attacks claimed by the IS was deadliest suicide bombing
Army chief pitches for 'Arthashastra', 'Chanakya Niti'
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday called for modernisation of the armed forces, adding the time has come to look take cues from the 'Arthashastra' and 'Chanakya Niti'.General Rawat also said that every arm and service was looking for upgrades as the future wars would be fought in more difficult circumstances.Addressing a gathering at the Army Technology Seminar in Delhi, General Rawat said, "There is a huge requirement of modernisation of our armed forces, in every field. The future wars will be fought in difficult terrains and circumstances and we have to be prepared for them."He further noted there would be proper utilisation of technology if the government assisted the armed forces."A good headway has been made in light weight bullet-proof material and fuel cell technology. The journey has begun and this must continue. We are confident that if we get support from industry, we will walk the extra mile to ensure that we utilise the technology they give us," he added.General ...
SSB personnel open fire, one killed
A man was killed after being shot at by SSB personnel in Nautanwa along the Indo-Nepal border here, police said today. The incident took place yesterday evening when SSB personnel saw one Kamlesh coming from Nepal side and stopped him leading to arguments with him and locals, who came out in his support. Soon after a jawan opened fire injuring him, Deputy Commandant, SSB, Dileep Kumar Jha said, adding he was rushed to a hospital, where he died during treatment. The nationality of Kamlesh was not immediately clear. Three SSB personnel were also injured in the clash with villagers, Jha said. A heavy police force has been deployed in the area.
Man arrested from Mathura not terrorist: UP Police
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday said a person detained in Mathura on suspicion of being a terrorist has turned out to be a bonafide resident of Jammu and Kashmir.
Nigerian army says gang leader known as Don Wani killed
The Nigerian army says it has killed a gang leader who was accused of planning a New Year's Day massacre that left 17 people dead. Army spokesman Col Aminu Iliyasu says that Prince Igwedibia, popularly known as Don Wani or Don Waney, was killed yesterday evening, along with two of his lieutenants. The suspects were killed during a heavy gunbattle with security officers in Enugu state in eastern Nigeria. Igwedibia had being accused of killing dozens of people including police officers, ambushing security patrol teams and kidnapping scores of others for ransom. The Rivers state governor had granted Igwedibia and his group amnesty about a year ago in exchange for his weapons. But the group later backed out of the deal and again took up arms.
Delhi: Suspected militant identified as Kashmiri youth
The anti-terrorism squad has identified the suspected militant, who was detained by the Government Railway Police (GRP) for traveling without a ticket in Shatabdi Express, as Bilal Ahmad Wani of South Kashmir.Based on intelligence inputs, the squad is raiding the hotels near Jama Masjid in the national capital in search of two more terrorists.Wani (32), a resident of Dialgam, Anantnag tehsil of South Kashmir, was handed over to the squad by GRP yesterday.He was taken into custody after the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE), who observed him doing some suspicious activities, informed the GRP.Even after interrogating Wani for eight hours, the police could not get much information out of him.However, police recovered many Aadhaar cards and several documents from his possession.Further investigation into the matter is underway.
Car bomb kills 18 in Idlib
Local media quoting the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said: "A car bomb was detonated on Sunday evening in Idlib, the capital of a province with the same name."Several buildings and vehicles were damaged in the blast.Fire brigades and ambulances rushed immediately to the spot.So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.Idlib province, which is under the control of several rebel factions and insurgents, is situated on the border with Turkey.The most powerful insurgency group dominating the region is linked with al-Qaida."The Syrian army lost Idlib to insurgents when the provincial capital fell in 2015. It became the only province fully under opposition control," reported the media.
Explosion at Syria jihadist base kills 23: monitor
An explosion at a base for Asian jihadists in northwestern Syria's Idlib city today killed 23 people including seven civilians, a monitor said. Extremist groups fighting in Syria count thousands of Asians among their ranks, including many from central Asian states and members of the Muslim Uighur ethnic minority of China's Xinjiang province. "A large explosion this evening hit the base of the Ajnad al-Qawqaz faction in Idlib," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman, adding that most of the non- civilian casualties were fighters from the group. He did not specify the cause of the blast, but activists on social media said a car bomb was responsible. Dozens of people were wounded, particularly fighters, according to Abdel Rahman who said the base was "almost completely destroyed" and that nearby buildings were damaged. The Ajnad al-Qawqaz group includes hundreds of Caucasian fighters and is battling alongside the Fateh al-Sham Front, a former ...
18 killed in blast targeting rebels' position in Syria
At least 18 people were killed on Sunday by a blast that targeted a rebels' position in Idlib, Syria, a monitor group said.
Senegal vows to hunt down gunmen after 13 massacred
The Senegalese government vowed today to be "relentless" in tracking down and bringing to justice those responsible for the execution of 13 people in the southern region of Casamance. Gunmen ordered a group of men and youths, out looking for wood, to lie on the ground deep in the forest before opening fire, a survivor said following the first upsurge in violence in the isolated Senegalese region in years. President Macky Sall, condemning an "armed attack of rare barbarity", summoned his national security council and ordered a ministerial delegation to the scene. "A hard and relentless hunt will be conducted to find the perpetrators of this despicable act," interior minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye told Senegalese press agency APS during a visit to survivors at the hospital in Ziguinchor, the region's capital. The attack happened yesterday in Borofaye forest in the commune of Boutoupa-Camaracounda. According to the government, ten of the 13 killed were shot dead, two were ...
Saudi warplane crashes in Yemen: coalition
A Saudi warplane from the coalition battling rebels in Yemen crashed on Sunday because of "technical failure", the coalition and state media said, adding that both crew were rescued. The plane "had a technical failure at 15:40 (1840 GMT) and crashed... in an area of operations" in Yemen, Turki al- Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition, told AFP. He said the two crew members were rescued unharmed and returned to Saudi Arabia. Maliki gave no further details. A coalition statement released later by the official Saudi Press Agency said the warplane that crashed was Saudi and that the operation to rescue the crew involved ground forces. Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who are locked in a war with Yemen's Saudi-backed government, said they shot down the plane over Saada, their northern Yemeni stronghold, according to their Al-Masirah television channel. The Saudi-led coalition joined the Yemeni government in its fight against the Huthis in March 2015, after the rebels ...
NKorea needs to take series of steps to mend ties with US:
A day after US President Donald Trump said he is open to talks with the North Korean leader, his top Indian-American diplomat to the US said that Pyongyang needs to take a series of steps to make that happen. Prominent among them being stop testing missiles and nuclear weapons and be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was quoted as saying by ABC News in an interview on Sunday. "There is no turnaround," Haley said when asked if Trump's statement at Camp David on Saturday meant any reversal of the stated US policy with regard to talks with North Korea. "What he (Trump) has basically said is yes, there could be a time where we talk to North Korea but a lot of things have to happen before that actually takes place," Haley said. They have to stop testing. They have to be willing to talk about banning their nuclear weapons. Those things have to happen. "What we're trying to do is make sure we don't repeat what's happened the
Two injured in Manipur grenade blast
Two persons were injured when a grenade was lobbed inside a grocery shop in Manipur's Ukhrul district on Saturday night, police said on Sunday.
Saudi-led coalition's jet crashes in Yemen, pilots rescued
A plane of the Saudi-led coalition crashed in the northern province of Saada in Yemen, but its pilots were later rescued, local media reported.
Palestinian injured in clashes with Israeli forces
A Palestinian man was injured after being shot with a rubber-coated bullet during the ongoing clashes with the Israeli forces near the Birzeit University in northern Ramallah on Sunday.The Wafa news agency quoted the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) as saying that the young man was moderately injured by a rubber-coated bullet hit him in his waist by the Israeli forces when clashes erupted in al-Mazra'a ash-Sharqiya near the university.The forces used teargas to disperse the agitators, but there were no reports of suffocation cases.Protests in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip erupted after United States President Donald Trump announced the decision of recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem on December 6 last year.Since then, the Israeli forces have killed 12 Palestinians. At least 2,900 others have been injured and more than 400 arrested.On December 24 last year, Israel also sealed off the entrance to the ...
12-year-old rescued from militants in Afghanistan
The Afghan police forces have rescued a 12-year-old boy, who was abducted from the outskirts of Kabul by the militants for suicide bombing.The boy, who got kidnapped a few days ago, was rescued during an operation from the vicinity of Jalrez district, reported Khaama Press, citing the local security officials in Afghan's Wardak province as saying.No comments have been received from the anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents on the report by far.This was the third abduction case that had been solved by Wardak's police in the past one month, TOLO news quoted the local officials as saying.
Jordan agrees to send aid to stranded Syrians
Jordan today said it had agreed to a UN request to deliver humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of Syrians stranded near a border crossing between the two countries. Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Kayed said, however, it will be a "one-off" operation to send "humanitarian aid across the Rukban border crossing" towards a desert area where the Syrians are struck. He said it was in response to a request by the United Nations and that the aid would be lifted across the border using special equipment. Kayed did not elaborate on the kind of humanitarian aid that would be sent to the Syrians or when they were expected to receive it, nor did he say how many Syrians are stranded in the desert. According to UN estimates based on satellite images, between 45,000 and 50,000 Syrians have been stuck for months on the Syrian side of the frontier near the Rukban border crossing. Conditions are worsening for them as winter grips the region -- which Jordan declared a "closed ...