Page 836 - War Conflict

40 killed in Kabul suicide attack

At least 40 people were killed and over 30 injured on Thursday in a suicide attack inside a cultural centre here, the Interior Ministry has confirmed.

Kabul blast: Death toll reaches 40

The death toll in a suicide attack on Tebyan center in Pule Sokhtia area of Kabul on Thursday morning has reached to 40.According to the Tolo News, the Afghan Ministry of Interior confirmed the death toll.Earlier, it was reported that four people were killed and 18 injured.The suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of Tebyan center in the PD6 area.The death toll may further rise as the health officials have said a number of those injured are in critical condition.Social activists had gathered at the Tabyan social and cultural activity centre for a meeting when the blast took place, said one of the survivors.No insurgent group has claimed the responsibility for the attack so far.

38 IS suspects detained in Turkey

Turkish police on Thursday detained at least 38 people over their suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) terror group in the city of Bursa.

40 dead, dozens wounded in multiple Kabul blasts

At least 40 people were killed and dozens more wounded in multiple blasts at a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul today, officials said, in the latest deadly violence to hit the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the Taliban was quick to deny involvement in the assault near the Afghan Voice Agency, a media outlet which earlier reports had suggested could have been the target. Deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP the blasts were in fact aimed at the Shiite Tabayan cultural centre. "A ceremony was being held to mark the 38th anniversary of Soviet invasion in Afghanistan when the explosion went off," he said. "We have 40 killed, 30 wounded, but this is not the final toll. It might go up." Rahimi said the main blast was followed by two smaller bomb explosions that did not cause casualties. Kabul has become one of the deadliest places in war-torn Afghanistan for civilians in recent months, as the Taliban step up their attacks .

At least 40 dead in multiple Kabul blasts: interior ministry

At least 40 people were killed and many others wounded in multiple blasts at a Shiite cultural centre in Kabul today, officials said, in the latest violence to hit the Afghan capital. "The target of the attack was the Tabayan cultural centre. A ceremony was being held to mark the 38th anniversary of Soviet-invasion in Afghanistan when the explosion went off," deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told AFP. The centre is near to the Afghan Voice Agency, a media outlet which earlier reports had suggested could be the target.

Four killed in Kabul suicide bombing

At least four people were killed and six injured on Thursday in a suicide attack inside an Islamic religious school situated in a building here which also hosts an Afghan news agency.

Suicide bomber kills 4, injures 18 in Kabul

At least four people have been killed and 18 injured in a suicide attack in Afghanistan's capital Kabul city on Thursday.According to the Tolo News, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of Tebyan center in the PD6 area.The injured were rushed to the hospital for medical assistance.However, the health officials said the death toll may rise as many of those injured have sustained serious injuries.No insurgent group has claimed the responsibility for the attack so far.

Sri Lanka seek release of 70 Indian fishermen

The Sri Lankan Government on Thursday said that it will intercede with courts for the release of 70 Indian fishermen lodged in prison as a gesture of goodwill.The appeal for release of 44 fishermen will made before the Oorkavalthurai Court, for eight fishermen before the Paruthithurai Court and for another 18 before the Mannar Court.The Sri Lankan Navy apprehended these Indian fishermen in the months of October and November.

Four dead, six wounded in Kabul blast: officials

At least four people were killed and six others wounded in a blast near a mosque and a media outlet in Kabul today, officials said, in the latest violence to hit the Afghan capital. "We do not know the target of the attack, there is a mosque and a media company (nearby)," interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said. The health ministry put the death toll at four and six wounded.

Afghan official says roadside mine kills 6 children

An Afghan official says a roadside mine has exploded, killing six children in northern Balkh province. Dawlat Abad District Gov Mohammad Karim said today the powerful mine killed six shepherd children yesterday ages 10, 9 and 8. No one immediately took responsibility for the attack but Karim blames the Taliban, saying the insurgents planted the mine to target Afghan officials and security forces. Afghanistan has the highest number of mine victims in the world, which along with other roadside bombs kill or wound an estimated 140 people every month.

Sri Lanka releases 69 TN fishermen

The Sri Lankan courts in Jaffna and Vavunia today ordered the release of 69 Tamil Nadu fishermen lodged in prisons there, an official said here. The fishermen, arrested on various occasions on charges of crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) by the Sri Lankan Navy, would be brought back here after completing necessary formalities, Manikandan, Assistant Director of Fisheries Department said. A Sri Lankan court had yesterday released 20 fishermen, arrested on January and February this year on charges of poaching into the island nation's waters, and they were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the IMBL by the Lankan authorities. A total of 89 fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have been released by Sri Lankan authorities so far this year and 71 were still in various jail in Sri Lanka, he said.

Children increasingly used as weapons of war: Unicef

Children caught in war zones are increasingly being used as weapons of war -- recruited to fight, forced to act as suicide bombers, and used as human shields, Unicef has warned.

'Syria child evacuees may be used as bargaining chips'

A senior UN official has said that children waiting to be evacuated from a besieged rebel-held area of the Syrian capital city of Damascus, were being used as bargaining chips, the media reported on Thursday.

Macron, Merkel hail prisoners' exchange in Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have welcomed Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists' prisoners' swap, calling on both parts to release the remaining captives and press for full implementation of peace deal.

Ukraine crisis: Exchange of hundreds of prisoners takes place

Ukraine and separatist rebels in the east of the country have exchanged hundreds of prisoners, in one of the biggest swaps since the conflict began in 2014.

Rohingya crisis: Myanmar Court extends detention of two journalists

A Myanmar Court extended the detention of two journalists for another 14 days, who are accused of breaching the country's Official Secrets Act, despite being condemned by the international community as an attack on press freedom.Reuters' journalists, 31-year-old U Wa Lone, and 27-year-old U Kyaw Soe Oo, were arrested while reporting on Rakhine State, which is where the Rohingya crisis is going on.The two were charged with violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act, a broad colonial-era law that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years.The duo were arrested on December 12 after they allegedly obtained photographs from residents of a village in which, the army's chief said, a mass grave was found, reported The New York times.The United States, has called these arrests "highly irregular."More than 655,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which many countries and human rights bodies have described as ethnic cleansing.The ..

Ugandan army claims 100 rebels killed in DR Congo strikes

Uganda's army has claimed that its operations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed over 100 members of a Ugandan Muslim rebel group accused of murdering UN peacekeepers. "Over 100 terrorists were killed with several others wounded and their logistic stores destroyed," said general Richard Karemire, the defence ministry spokesman, in a statement yesterday. The ministry said Ugandan forces (UPDF) had launched air and artillery strikes in a joint operation with DR Congo's army (FARDC) on December 22 against the Allied Democratic Forces, a group that the UN says killed 14 of its troops from Tanzania earlier this month. "It has been established that eight enemy camps were successfully attacked. These were ADF historical strongholds in eastern DRC," Karemire said. "Those who survived the assault are roaming in different areas of North Kivu (province) but FARDC forces are pursuing them," he added. Karemire also stressed that no Ugandan infantry troops were deployed ..

10 hurt in Saint Petersburg supermarket bombing

A homemade bomb blast at a supermarket in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg injured 10 people today, officials said. "According to preliminary information, an explosion of an unidentified object occurred in a store," Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. The blast was caused by a "homemade explosive device with the power equivalent to 200 grammes of TNT filled with lethal fragments," she said. "The investigation is looking at all possible causes of what happened," she said, adding that a probe for attempted murder had been launched. "Ten people have been hospitalised, their lives are not in danger," said the head of Saint Petersburg investigative unit Alexander Klaus, Interfax news agency reported. An AFP correspondent at the scene observed first responders and police as well as a car belonging the Federal Security Service (FSB), which investigates acts of terror. Police said the blast occurred in a supermarket northeast of the city

Defence Minister Sitharaman calls on President Kovind

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today called on President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the supreme commander of the armed forces. The details of the meeting were not known. Officials described it as a courtesy call. Meanwhile, the defence minister today approved financial assistance of Rs 14 crore to 10,207 families of ex-servicemen. from 'Raksha Mantri Ex-Servicemen Welfare Fund (RMEWF)', officials said.

Armed forces facing shortage of nearly 60,000 personnel: Govt

The total shortage of officers in the Army, Navy and the Indian Air Force is 9,259 while the number for below officer rank is 50,363