Page 84 - War Conflict
Key Yemen grain silos come under fire: UN
Grain silos outside the port of Hodeida that are vital to UN plans to feed millions of needy Yemenis were hit by gunfire just days after aid staff gained access, the UN said Friday. The World Food Programme is still assessing the damage from the Thursday attack, which caused no casualties, the UN agency's senior spokesperson, Herve Verhoosel, said in a statement. WFP team finally gained access to the Red Sea Mills silos on Sunday after postponing its inspection visit for a month for security reasons. The silos themselves are controlled by troops of a Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting in support of the Yemeni government. But they are close to front line with Huthi rebels who control the port and much of the city of Hodeida.. Verhoosel said the silos contained some 51,000 tonnes of grains -- enough to feed 3.7 million people for a month. "It appears that two silos were hit, one of which contains wheat," he said. "There was no fire." Verhoosel told said the WFP was unaware who ..
Armed dacoits loot Rs 7 lakh cash from Vajreshwari temple
A gang of about half a dozen dacoits armed with swords allegedly looted Rs 7 lakh cash from the famous Vajreshwari temple in Bhiwandi taluka of the district early on Friday, police said. The incident took place around 3 am, police said. "The gang of dacoits wearing masks and armed with swords came to the temple and tied the hands and legs of the only security guard posted there. After entering the temple premises, they broke open the five cash boxes and decamped with the booty," Deputy Superintendent of Police of Ganeshpuri division, D M Godbole, said. While five of the dacoits looted the cash, the sixth one stood guard outside the temple, he said. The cash was donated by the devotees, mostly during the recently-concluded Navratri fair, he added. After the dacoits left the place in their vehicles, the temple guard went to the temple trustees residing nearby and told them about the incident, Godbole said. After being alerted, Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay ...
Colombia film-maker killed making documentary on violence
A Colombian film-maker was shot dead Thursday while making a documentary on the victims of violence in the northeast of the country, local authorities said. Mauricio Lezama was collecting testimonies from people who suffered violence during the civil war when he was shot and killed by four armed men in the town of Arauquita, in Arauca department, governor Ricardo Arevalo told reporters. Arevalo blamed the killing on a splinter group of FARC which rejected the peace agreement signed by the rebels and the Colombian government in November 2016. The documentary, titled "Mayo", was dedicated to a nurse murdered in the area. Arauca department, bordering Venezuela, is an important center of drug trafficking and smuggling. There are also an estimated 1,700 FARC dissidents in the area as well as National Liberation Army (ELN) fighters, the last guerrilla group still active in Colombia.
US says 13 suspected IS members killed in Somalia airstrike
US forces in Africa launched an airstrike against the Islamic State group in Somalia, killing 13 suspected militants, a military statement said Thursday. The strike was carried out in the Golis Mountains in northern Somalia, where three IS militants were killed in April. "At this time, it is assessed the airstrike on May 8 killed thirteen terrorists. Currently, we assess no civilians were injured or killed as a result of this airstrike," said a statement from the US Africa Command, or Africom. The Islamic State has a relatively small presence in Somalia compared to the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab. But IS has been particularly active in the northern Puntland region, establishing training camps and depots for weapons coming mainly from nearby Yemen. The Shebab, by far the largest radical Islamist group in Somalia, officially integrated into Al-Qaeda in 2012. But a small number of its members -- around 200 -- defected to the IS. That group, based in semi-autonomous Puntland, is led by ...
Death toll mounts to 12 in Lahore blast
The death toll in Wednesday's suicide blast near the Data Darbar shrine here rose to 12 after a 19-year-old succumbed to his injuries on Friday.25 other people are still being treated for their injuries in the aftermath of the blast, according to Geo News.Authorities believe that the elite forces were a target of the attack.Furthermore, Shabaz Gill, the spokesperson for Punjab's Chief Minister, said that the suicide bomber was a 15-year-old boy who blew up near the forces' van stationed outside the shrine.Amongst the deceased, at least five were police officials. Pakistan's President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack which took place on Wednesday morning. It rattled the Muslim community as it comes during the holy month of Ramzan.The 11th-century shrine was previously targeted in 2010, during which 40 people lost their lives.
Unnithan's book on 26/11 attacks to be made into series
Author Sandeep Unnithan's "Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11" will be turned into a web series. American screenwriter Joshua Caldwell has come on board to work on the adaptation.
At least 7 dead in Baghdad suicide bombing: security official
At least seven people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide bombing at a market in eastern Baghdad on Thursday, a security official said. "A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up close to stalls at the crowded Jamila market," said the senior police officer, who asked not to be named. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Valedictory ceremony of 31st Naval Higher Command Course held in Goa
Valedictory function of the 31st Naval Higher Command Course (NHCC) was held at the Naval War College, INS Mandovi on Thursday.The event was graced by the presence of Goa Governor Mridula Sinha, as the chief guest, who presented awards to the officers who had excelled in the course.Attended by captain rank officers of the Indian Navy and other armed forces, NHCC is the flagship course of the college.Conducted over 37 weeks, the course covers a wide canvas of subjects with the primary focus on subjects that are of strategic and operational importance to the armed forces.The 4th edition of the China Compendium, a collection of research papers on China, was also released by the Governor during the event.The Naval War College is a premier training institution of the Indian Navy and one of the three War Colleges of the Indian Armed Forces.
Taliban attack on US-based aid group raises concern in Kabul
A brazen Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital raised concerns Thursday among other relief organisations they could be targeted even as the insurgents hold peace talks with a US envoy. Authorities say Wednesday's assault on the Kabul office of Counterpart International, a group that promotes gender equity, killed at least nine people. The Taliban set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours before they were repelled. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards. On its website, Counterpart International said it was "devastated to have lost" members of its family in the "senseless attack." Abdul Halim Halim, head of Afghan Relief, an aid agency that provides education and assistance to returning refugees, expressed his concerns for more than 200 of the group's employees across the country. "The attack has us all worried for the future," he said. Afghan Relief has partnered on projects ..
US-Taliban talks wrap up in Doha with 'some progress': Taliban
The latest round of US-Taliban talks ended in Qatar on Thursday, an insurgent spokesman said, after "positive and constructive" negotiations that continued even as the Taliban bombed a US-funded aid group in Kabul. Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's political spokesman in Doha, tweeted that "some progress" had been made at the sixth round of peace talks and that the foes would meet again for another round of discussions. "In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience," Shaheen wrote on Twitter. The US embassy in Kabul did not immediately comment, nor did US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born former US ambassador to Afghanistan who is leading negotiations for the Americans. Shaheen told AFP Sunday that peace negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart Afghanistan. Before the US agrees to any withdrawal as part of an eventual deal, it is demanding the Taliban put in ..
More than 1,000 guns seized in Los Angeles raid
More than 1,000 handguns and rifles have been seized in a raid on a mansion in an upscale neighbourhood in the US city of Los Angeles, law enforcement authorities said. The weapons seizure came from an anonymous tip that firearms were being sold illegally out of the home, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) said. The house, which is mostly hidden from the street by high hedges, is located in the exclusive Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles, near the famed Playboy Mansion and the home of Jay-Z and Beyonce. Video footage taken by local television stations showed Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers and ATF agents inspecting enormous piles of handguns and rifles on grey tarpaulins outside the home. "Pursuant to an anonymous tip, ATF and LAPD became aware of an individual conducting illegal firearms (transactions) outside the scope of the federal firearm license that the individual possesses," the ATF said in a statement. "A large amount of firearms manufacturing ...
Sri Lanka may resume mass from Sunday
Church mass might resume in Sri Lanka from next Sunday depending on the country's security situation, Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said on Thursday.
Delhi Police beefs up security, 60K personnel to be deployed for May 12 polls
The Delhi Police has beefed up security in parts of the national capital ahead of the May 12 polling and will deploy over 60,000 personnel, including the Home Guards and paramilitary forces, in total to ensure a smooth conduct of the election here. Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik told PTI the force has chalked out a detailed plan according to the instructions of the Election Commission of India. The deployment of force will be at polling booths and there will be patrolling by special reserve parties in vulnerable areas, the top cop said. "The model code of conduct will be strictly enforced. There will be special watch on border areas to foil any attempt to infiltrate by anti-social elements to cause disruption. There will be strict vigil to ensure malpractices like liquor peddling and movement of anti-social elements with a purpose to influence voters do not happen," Patnaik said. The emphasis will be on giving a prompt response to any complaint received, the Delhi police ...
Kabul aid groups reel after nine killed in Taliban attack
Humanitarian groups were reeling Thursday from yet another attack targeting aid workers in Afghanistan, as authorities confirmed nine people had been killed in a Taliban assault in Kabul a day earlier. The targeting of Counterpart International, a US-funded non-profit group working with marginalised people, highlights the continued vulnerability of aid groups across Afghanistan, where some organisations have been forced to suspend operations or pare their presence. Wednesday's attack came during the holy month of Ramadan, and as US and Taliban officials were meeting in Qatar for peace talks -- throwing into question the progress of ongoing negotiations. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said the death toll from a car bomb and follow-up attack in central Kabul had risen from five to nine. Among the victims were three workers -- a driver, a watchman and a technical advisor -- from anti-poverty group CARE, whose offices are next to Counterpart. "This attack reflects the ...
Prison riot in northern Myanmar leaves four dead
Four prisoners were killed during a riot at a northern Myanmar jail, officials said Thursday, coming on the heels of an amnesty which saw more than 6,000 inmates released -- including high-profile Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo. The unrest at Sagaing region's Shwe Bo prison began on Wednesday evening, said chief minister Myint Naing. "They were demanding for equal rights. They became anarchic," he said, adding that everything was now "under control". Myint did not say how the prisoners died. Military spokesman Zaw Min Tun said border affairs officials were called in to "control" the situation. "We heard there was some shooting," he said, adding that there were also reports of unrest in jails in Karen and Kachin states. The violence in Shwe Bo comes days after more than 6,000 people were freed in the latest round of presidential pardons -- part of an annual prisoner amnesty granted by Myanmar President Win Myint. According to local newspaper Eleven Media, prison department ..
Overconfidence will sink BJP's ship: Cong leader Kumari Selja
Terming the BJP overconfident, Congress leader Kumari Selja says the ruling party's chest thumping and event management will result in its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections. In 2014, there was a sense of fatigue about the UPA which had been in power for a long time and people believed Narendra Modi's promises but things have changed now, said the Rajya Sabha MP and Congress' Ambala candidate. "The BJP is all about chest thumping and event management. Less work more publicity. They are overconfident and failed to see the ground reality. They are living in a different world. All these will become reasons behind their defeat," she told PTI. Selja, a three-time Lok Sabha MP from Haryana, also accused the BJP of taking refuge behind the armed forces and said her party had never done that. Modi went for feasts uninvited to Pakistan and got Pathankot in return. Now, when the Pulwama terror attack has happened, the BJP is taking refuge behind the armed forces. The Congress has never done ...
Four males held over killing of N.Ireland journalist: police
Four males were arrested under terrorism laws on Thursday in connection with the killing of journalist Lyra McKee in Londonderry last month, Northern Ireland's police force said. McKee, 29, was shot in the head during a riot in the second largest city in the British province on 18 April. The act of violence has since been claimed by dissident republican group the New IRA. "Detectives carried out searches at four houses in the city and arrested four people in connection with the violence which was orchestrated on the streets of Creggan on the evening of Lyra McKee's murder," said Police Service of Northern Ireland senior detective Jason Murphy. The four arrested, aged 15, 18, 38 and 51, are being held and questioned in Belfast, police added. The New IRA has apologised over the killing, saying McKee was unintentionally shot as its forces targeted a night-time police raid. A splinter dissident faction, the New IRA seeks the integration of British-ruled Northern Ireland with Ireland -- ...
14 dead in Taliban attack on aid group in Kabul
The death toll of a Taliban attack targeting an international aid group in the Afghan capital jumped to 14 on Thursday, with the militant group warning it would conduct more such strikes to avenge the civilian casualties of counter-insurgency military operations by Afghan and foreign forces.
'US forces should stay in Afghanistan until no insurgency left'
A top US military official, during a congressional hearing here on Wednesday (local time) suggested that the United States should not withdraw their troops from Afghanistan until insurgency is uprooted from the country."I think we will need to maintain a counterterrorism presence as long as an insurgency continues in Afghanistan," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said, according to TOLOnews.This comes as Washington is currently in talks with the Taliban to bring about peace in Afghanistan, which has seen strife since the last 18 years.The US has been holding talks with Taliban from past 9 months in regard with withdrawing US troops from the region.The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad sat down with representatives from Taliban in Doha this past week in a bid to bring peace to the country. A final deal on the issue, however, has not been reached between the two sides.
Death toll mounts to 9 in Kabul attack
The Afghan authorities on Thursday confirmed that at least nine people lost their lives and 20 others are wounded after an attack on a US organisation's building here on May 8.Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted Counterpart International's office in Kabul's Shahr-e-Naw area, according to TOLOnews.Afghan forces immediately responded to the attack, during which a huge explosion and gunfire could be heard by witnesses.Law enforcement evacuated nearly 170 people from the building during the clearance operation. The siege lasted for almost 6 hours on Wednesday.A number of nearby buildings were damaged in the attack in downtown Kabul.Amongst the deceased, three are civilians, according to Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior.The assault was condemned by the Afghan government, the United Nations and the US Embassy in Afghanistan.As per officials, two attackers were killed by security forces, after which the siege ended at around 5:30 pm (local time).