Page 842 - War Conflict
Malaysia arrests foreign 'Islamic militants' in new raids
Malaysian police have detained 20 alleged Islamic militants, including a leading member of an Indonesian extremist group and others believed to be planning to fight in the strife-torn southern Philippines, authorities said today. They were the latest arrests of alleged extremists in Muslim-majority Malaysia, as fears grow militants who had been fighting with the Islamic State (IS) group overseas are heading back to Southeast Asia after the jihadists' losses in the Middle East. The arrests were made in nationwide raids from late November to mid-December, police said in a statement. Among those detained was an alleged senior leader of the Indonesian IS-linked militant outfit Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which has been blamed for several recent deadly attacks in its home country. The 24-year-old was picked up in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, police said, without identifying him. A 50-year-old Filipino suspected of trying to recruit people to join Philippine ...
Army chief stresses on relevance of jointmanship in forces
Army chief General Bipin Rawat today stressed on the relevance of jointmanship in the armed forces so that it percolates at the functional level and develops a bottom-up approach. Rawat, addressing a gathering at the College of Defence Management (CDM) in Secunderabad, shared "the national security perspective and vision of the future" with participants of the Higher Defence Management Course at the CDM, according to a PIB (Defence Wing) release. "He stressed on the relevance of jointmanship in the armed forces, which can suitably be nurtured at a tri-service organisation like the College of Defence Management, so that it percolates at the functional level and develops the bottom-up approach," the release said. "During the talk, the Chief of the Army Staf highlighted the importance of geopolitics and national interests in the formulation of national security strategy," it stated.
Streamline selection process for gallantry awards: Par panel
A parliamentary committee has asked the defence ministry to immediately streamline the selection process to confer gallantry awards to defence personnel, insisting that the exercise must be transparent. The recommendation by the Committee on Petitions of the Lok Sabha came after an alleged lapse by the then authorities concerned in recognising sacrifices of an armyman during the Indo-Pak war in 1965 was brought to its notice. In a representation to the panel, the son of late Major Mohan Singh had mentioned that his father died while fighting the enemy during the 1965 war but his sacrifice was not attributed to death in action by the Army, depriving him of the gallantry award. The parliamentary panel asked the defence ministry to undertake a fresh exercise on the basis of available records to determine whether there was any lapse in recognising the "martyrdom" of Singh as 'battle casualty' attributable to military service with effect from 1965. The petitioner, Brigadier ..
Four arrested for robbery in J-K
The police has arrested four people for allegedly involving in two cases of armed robbery and seized looted property worth lakhs of rupees from them in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said today. Acting on a complaint filed by two persons -- both residents of Singhpora in Baramulla -- the police team arrested the four people identified as Nissar Ahmad Rather alias Chilaikalan, Mohammad Dilawar Dar, Basharat Ahmad Sheikh and Adil Hussain Khan, they said. "The police has solved a dacoity case and arrested a gang of four persons involved in the crime, besides recovering the looted property worth lakhs of rupees," a police spokesperson said. According to the complaint, four armed masked men barged into the houses of two people on the intervening night of December 10 and 11 and allegedly held the family members at ransom. "The complaint further reads that the dacoits tied the members of the family with rope and also allegedly attempted molestation of one woman
Policeman killed in clashes with robbers in Balochistan
A police officer was killed and three others were injured after an armed gang opened fire on them in Balochistan's Osta Muhammad area on Friday.The Dawn quoted Police sources as saying that the station House Officer Rahim Bakhsh Marri was killed in the clash between the police and armed suspects.The police were conducting a raid against the gang, which was suspected of robberies in the Gandakha area of Osta Muhammad.The injured police personnel were rushed to the hospital for medical assistance.Police have launched a search operation to nab the culprits involved in the attack.Meanwhile, four terrorists were gunned down by security forces in separate search operations conducted in the Sibbi and Turbat areas of Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.In another operation in a remote area of Turbat, the security forces gunned down two terrorists who were hiding in a secret location, the ISPR statement added.Weapons and explosives were recovered from the ...
Three Naxals surrender in Chhattisgarh
Three Naxals, including a woman, reportedly surrendered before the security forces here on Friday.The names of the surrendered naxals are yet to be known.On December 16, five Naxals, including a woman, surrendered before police in Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district.Earlier, in August seven naxals surrendered before the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) and Narayanpur Police.
Gazan killed by Israeli fire in border clash: ministry
A Palestinian was killed as youths clashed with Israeli soldiers on the Gaza border today in a new protest against US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the health ministry said. "Zakaria al-Kafarneh, 24, died after being shot in the chest east of Jabalia (in northern Gaza)," a health ministry spokesman said in a statement. Six other Palestinians were shot with live ammunition and one is in a critical condition, the ministry said, as hundreds of protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers at various points along the border. Nine Palestinians have been killed in violence since US President Donald Trump's December 6 announcement he would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US embassy there. Seven of them have died in clashes, while two were killed in an Israeli air strike on Gaza. Fresh anti-Trump protests were taking place in both the West Bank and Gaza today, while minor scuffles broke out after the main weekly Muslim prayers in Jerusalem.
3 smugglers arrested with 20 firearms in Rajasthan
Three smugglers have been arrested with 20 firearms by the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan Police in Chittorgarh district, police said today. Following a tip off, a team arrested Irfan Khan, Saddam Hussain and Firoz Khan in Nimbahera and seized 19 pistols and one revolver from their possession yesterday, Additional Director General Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) and SOG Umesh Mishra said. During preliminary interrogation, they revealed that the arms were purchased from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh each for Rs 27,000 and were to be smuggled in Rajasthan each for Rs 55,000, they said. They are being interrogated to ascertain further details, the officials said.
Seven naxals arrested, three surrender in Bastar
Seven naxals were today arrested and three others, including a woman, surrendered in two separate incidents in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Bastar division. Police said that seven naxals were arrested by security forces in Sukma district while three rebels, including a woman, surrendered in Narayanpur district. The seven were arrested after a joint team of the Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and local police acted on a tip-off and rounded them up from the forests falling under Kistaram police station limits. Police said that those arrested have been identified as Madvi Deva (25), Sodhi Kuma (20), Kuram Kosa (30), Kuram Hidma (20), Muchaki Ayta (21), Kawasi Joga (22) and Beko Ganga(35). An official said that those arrested had fired on a police patrolling team in the Tetemadgu forest last month. In a separate incident, three rebels, Sudor Vatti (30), Somaru Kavde (22) anda woman naxal Balmati Korram (40), surrendered before Narayanpur ...
CISF takes over security of UIDAI centre in Bengaluru
An armed squad of 80 CISF commandos has taken over full security of the all-important and sensitive UIDAI data centre in Bengaluru, the repository of the Aadhaar data, to protect it against any possible terror strike or threat. The CISF has been guarding the facility since December 2014 as part of a temporary duty and the government has now regularised its deployment and granted it the status of a full unit under protection. The squad took over the task of guarding the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) facility, located in the Kodigehalli area of the Karnataka capital, very recently and as a regular unit, CISF spokesperson Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Hemendra Singh said. "Security of this data centre is of utmost importance as the establishment is very sensitive and confidential biometric and personal information of the residents of India are stored and maintained at this centre," he said. The Home Ministry had sometime back cleared the proposal to .
Sri Lanka win toss, elect to field against India in 2nd T20I
Sri Lanka skipper Thisara Perera won the toss and elected to field against India in the second Twenty20 International here today. Sri Lanka made two changes, bringing in Sadeera Samarawickrama and Chaturanga de Silva in place of Vishwa Fernando and Dasun Shanaka respectively. India, however, fielded an unchanged team. Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (C), Lokesh Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, MS Dhoni(WK), Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal. Sri Lanka: Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Upul Tharanga, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asela Gunaratne, Thisara Perera (C), Chaturanga de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep.
Nine foreigners among Melbourne car attack injured
A man who mowed down 18 pedestrians in Melbourne, including an Indian, said he carried out the attack to avenge "mistreatment of Muslims", Australia said today, while stressing it had still found no link to any terrorist group. Three people remained critically ill in hospital after the Australian-Afghan driver ploughed through a busy downtown intersection in his car yesterday in what authorities said was a "deliberate act". The 32-year-old, who came to Australia as a refugee, has a history of drug abuse and mental problems and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reiterated that officials had established no terrorism link "at this stage". "To be attacked like this, in the middle of one of our great cities, is a shocking event, a shocking crime," Turnbull said. "He has said, in a number of what the police are describing as utterings, that he attributed his actions to perceived mistreatment of Muslims. "But at this stage, because investigations are continuing, apart from that .
US airstrikes kill 3 Taliban militants in Afghanistan
At least three militants, belonging to the Taliban insurgent group, were killed in airstrikes carried out by the United States forces in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.The Khaama Press quoted the provincial government as saying on Friday that the airstrikes were carried out in the vicinity of Ghani Khel district.In the airstrikes, several weapons, ammunition, and explosives were also destroyed, the statement added.Taliban has not commented on the airstrikes so far.Last Friday, a senior leader of the Taliban group was arrested and four Taliban insurgents were killed during a night raid conducted by the Afghan Special Forces in eastern Nangarhar province.The operation was conducted in the vicinity of the restive Khogyani district, reported Khaama Press, citing the provincial government media office as saying in a statement.
Suicide car bombing leaves six Afghan policemen dead
At least six policemen were killed and six others were injured in a suicide car bomb attack in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Friday.Tolo News quoted Kandahar Police Chief Gen. Abdul Raziq as saying that the suicide attacker was driving a Humvee laden with explosives.The blast occurred near the entrance of the police headquarters in Maiwand.No group including Taliban has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Taliban kill at least six Afghan police in Humvee suicide
A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed Humvee into a police compound in Afghanistan today, killing at least six officers and destroying a building, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn attack on the Maiwand district police headquarters in the southern province of Kandahar, the latest deadly assault by the insurgents, who have been increasingly targeting security installations. The vehicle was carrying an estimated 3,000 km of explosives, Maiwand district police chief Sultan Mohammad told AFP. It was not possible to verify his claim. If true, that would be roughly twice the number of explosives used in a massive truck bomb in Kabul that killed around 150 people in May. "We have six police officers martyred and five wounded," Mohammad said, adding the figures could change. Kandahar police spokesman Ghorzang Afridi confirmed the death toll. "All the victims were local policemen," Afridi told AFP. Those killed were new recruits. While ...
Anuk Arudpragasam wins Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2017
After winning The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature Sri Lankan writer Anuk Arudpragasam has won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2017 for his novel "The Story of a Brief Marriage".
8 killed in Taliban suicide attack on Afghan police station
At least eight people were killed and many others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck a district police station in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Friday, the police said.
Dacoits loot gold & cash Rs 5 lakh from a house
Armed dacoits looted gold and Rs 5 lakh in cash from a house at Hisua bazaar in Bihar's Nawada district last night, police said today. Station House Officer (SHO) of Hisua police station, Rajdeo Sao said half a dozen armed dacoits barged into the house of Dharmendra Sao last night. The robbers held the family members captive at gunpoint and looted 200 grams gold worth Rs 5 lakh besides Rs 5 lakh in cash from the almirah, he said. Sao has filed a complaint at the Hisua police station about the dacoity in his house, the SHO said adding that police are conducting raids to nab the miscreants.
Support for terror outfits must be forced to stop: India at UN
Expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, India in an apparent reference to Pakistan has said the support for terror groups like Taliban, the Haqqani network and LeT must be forced to stop. Terrorists continue to attack the most vulnerable, including the sick in hospitals, children in schools, devotees in mosques and even mourners at funerals. Terror groups have gained territory, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to UN, Tanmaya Lal said during an open debate of the Security Council on Afghanistan. "The support for terrorist organisations like the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Daesh, Al Qaeda and its designated affiliates such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e- Mohammed from outside Afghanistan, must be forced to stop," Lal said. "All safe havens and sanctuaries available to such groups outside Afghan borders must end. Security Council has an important responsibility in this regard in our collective interest," Lal said. The ...
Taliban kill six Afghan police in Humvee suicide attack
A suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed Humvee into a police headquarters in Afghanistan today killing at least six officers and wounding four others, officials said. The Taliban claimed the pre-dawn attack in Maiwand district in the southern province of Kandahar in the latest deadly assault by the insurgents, who have been increasingly targeting security installations. Kandahar police spokesman Ghorzang Afridi said the assault killed six people and wounded four others. "All the victims were local policemen," Afridi told AFP. "The explosion was very loud and you could hear the sound of the blast miles away from the headquarters," a local police officer told AFP on the condition of anonymity. He put the death toll at eight with nine others wounded. "The eight policemen who were killed have been removed or pulled out from under the rubble, and there were other policemen who went missing following the attack," the officer said. The Taliban have stepped up attacks on ...