Page 845 - War Conflict
North Korean soldier defects to South via DMZ: Seoul
A North Korean soldier defected to the South today across the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, Seoul's defence ministry said. The "low-ranking" soldier made his way across the central part of the land border, a ministry spokesman said. It came a month after a rare and dramatic defection by a soldier at Panmunjom, the truce village where opposing forces confront each other across a concrete dividing line. On that occasion the defector drove to the heavily- guarded border at speed and ran across under a hail of bullets from his own side. He was hit at least four times. Footage showed the badly injured man being pulled to safety by two South Korean soldiers who crawled to reach him just south of the demarcation line. He has since been recovering in hospital in the South. Today's defection was the fourth by a soldier across the DMZ this year. The soldier appeared at a guard post in thick fog today morning, the Yonhap news agency cited the South's Joint Chiefs of .
More than 100 rights and labour activists killed in Colombia
More than 100 activists for human and labour rights were killed in Colombia this year, after a landmark peace deal between the government and FARC rebels, the United Nations said. The deaths occurred in rural zones where the FARC was active, and where government authority was not present, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement. In total, up to December 20, a total 105 killings had been registered, it said. Another 11 were being verified. Colombia's government, which had a different tally of such deaths, denied there was a systematic pattern to the murders. Under the November 2016 peace deal, the FARC -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- went on to disarm and to transform itself into a political party using the same initials. President Juan Manuel Santos has vowed to protect the demobilised fighters and rights activists. His defence minister, Luis Carlos Villegas, said on Sunday that "most" of the murders were over turf disputes and ...
Pentagon says more than 120 air strikes in Yemen in 2017
The US forces have conducted multiple ground operations and more than 120 air strikes against terror groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen in 2017, under a long-running campaign, the Pentagon has said. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, is one of the terrorist groups most committed to and capable of conducting attacks in America, as assessed by the intelligence and defence communities, while intelligence estimates indicate that ISIS-Yemen has doubled in size over the past year. "The removal of key facilitators in this region will interrupt AQAP's freedom of movement and likely force the group into a reactionary posture, limiting their ability to challenge Yemeni Security Forces and partnered advances," said Lt Col Earl Brown, a spokesman of US Central Command (CENTCOM). "US forces also expanded counter terrorism operations in October to encompass both AQAP and ISIS. This parallel targeting effort is required to prevent ISIS-Y from filling the vacuum left by a .
Bid to assassinate Balochistan governor foiled by Pak police
A plot to assassinate the Balochistan Governor has been foiled by Pakistani police after they arrested two men near the Pak-Afghan border, officials said. Quetta's Deputy Inspector General, Abdul Razzaq Cheema told a media yesterday that two men have been arrested who were plotting to kill the provincial governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai during a planned visit to his village. "Hamid Bashir from Punjab and Munawar Ahmed from Quetta have confessed to the plan. They were arrested during a raid in the Gulistan area near the border with Afghanistan," he said. They were planning to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the Governor. He said a large cache of weapons and explosives, including two suicide vests and land mines, were found in a compound during the raid carried out after receiving a tip- off. Balochistan's Home Minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said that investigations revealed that the Qari Taliban group which now operates out of Afghanistan was behind the plan to carry ...
SSB to strengthen presence near Doklam plateau
The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will be strengthening its presence and establishing new border posts in Sikkim along the Bhutan frontier, near Doklam region that recently saw a standoff between Indian and Chinese troops."Doklam is on India-China border, which is not our mandate but we are more alert in the area next to it and there is going to be slightly increased strength on the border just below the tri-junction (India-Bhutan-Tibet), which is on the southern side," said SSB Director General Rajni Kant Mishra after attending 54th raising day of the force here."The battalion headquarters is coming up in Yuksom in Sikkim while more sanctioned border out posts (BoPs) will be established in the area," Mishra said.The Indian and Chinese troops had engaged in a standoff on the plateau for over two months earlier this year after the latter began constructing a road on the disputed territory.The standoff ended on August 28 after the two sides decided to disengage their troops.The SSB is also .
'Hamesha Vijayee' exercise in Rajasthan tests armed forces' capability
The Indian Army's Southern Command, conducting exercise 'Hamesha Vijayee', is out in the deserts of Rajasthan to evaluate the capability of the armed forces to strike deep into the enemy territory in an integrated air-land battle.The military exercise, which started from December 16 till December 22, is being carried in the general area of Barmer and Jaisalmer, and aimed at fine tuning surveillance and destruction mechanisms to support precision strikes and manoeuvres by network enabled forces.Besides conventional warfare, troops are also rehearsing to operate in the backdrop of chemical and nuclear contingencies."Units of the formations have been undergoing training for past two months to hone their skills and tactics. After the preparatory training, a large number of troops along with tanks and other armoured vehicles duly supported by overwhelming land and air based firepower have commenced conducting fully integrated operational manoeuvres to validate their operational plans," ...
Brainwashed ISIS children back in UK: report
Hundreds of British citizens who returned to the UK from war-torn Syria and Iraq have brought back children brainwashed by the Islamic State terror group with them, a new report warned today. The UK Parliament's influentialIntelligence and Security Committee (ISC), which published its annual report, has warned of the "complications" of "children growing up inside the so- called 'Caliphate', educated and indoctrinated by Daesh [ISIS]". "The reintegration of those who have spent their formative years in such an environment will present a serious challenge for the government and the agencies when they return to the UK," warns the committee made up of senior cross-party British MPs. "We note that the dispersal of foreign fighters from Syria and Iraq raises serious questions as to when and where they will resurface, and with what intent," chairman Dominic Grieve said. "There will also be a serious challenge to reintegrate children who have grown up in the so-called ...
India beat SL by 93 runs in 1st T20I
India defeated Sri Lanka by a massive 93 runs in the first T20 International, here today. Brief Scores: India: 180 for three in 20 overs (KL Rahul 61, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 39 not out, Manish Pandey 31 not out; Angelo Mathews 1/19). Sri Lanka: 87 all out in 16 overs (Upul Tharanga 23; Yuzvendra Chahal 4/23, Hardik Pandya 3/29).
Police nab two gangsters in UP
In a chance encounter, police nabbed two members of a gang and recovered loot worth lakhs in Govind Nagar area here, officials said today. "Two members of the gang were nabbed by the police, with help from the public, when they were trying to escape after committing a loot in Govind Nagar last evening," Superintendent of Police (Rural) Aditya Kumar Shukla said. Dharmendra, of Datiya village, and Gwala, of Mohini Nagar, were caught while their associates managed to escape under the cover of darkness, Shukla added. Two motorbikes, including one looted late last evening along with Rs 5,600 cash, were recovered from them, he said, adding that cash worth Rs 90,000 looted from a cashier near Ading village and Rs 14,000 looted from Raya town here were also found on them. Dharmendra, wanted in 22 cases, confessed his involvement in looting in Bharatpur, Aligarh, Hathras and 98kg silver in Agra, SP Shukla said.
Air raid kills 11 civilians in Yemen rebel bastion: tribal
An air strike killed 11 civilians and wounded eight others in the Huthi rebel stronghold of Saada in northern Yemen today, a tribal chief said. The tribal leader, who was speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the raid was carried out by the Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting the Iran-backed Huthis since March 2015. The pro-Huthi Al-Masirah television channel gave the same death toll and added that women and children were among those killed. It said 19 were wounded.
N. Korea rejects US media reports on biological weapons programme
North Korea on Wednesday rejected reports by some US media that Pyongyang is pushing forward her "biological weapons development programme" amid its development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capacities.
Brother of ISIS suicide bomber jailed in UK
The UK-based brother of an Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber was today sentenced to 10 years behind bars for terror offences. Mohammed Awan was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court here after being found guilty of preparing for terrorist acts and possessing material likely to be useful to a terrorist. The 24-year-old younger brother of Rizwan Awan, an IS suicide bomber who killed 30 people in an attack in Iraq last year, was a fourth-year dentistry student at the University of Sheffield. "I am completely satisfied that you had intentionally adopted an outwardly innocent and respectable persona with the clear intention that, at some future point, you would be able to perpetrate a terrorist act without being detected," Judge Paul Watson told him during the sentencing hearing today. He jailed Awan for 10 years and also ordered him to serve three years extended licence on his release, which means he will remain under surveillance at the end of his prison sentence. Awan was ...
Fresh anti-Trump protests in Palestinian territories
At least nine Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli troops today as fresh protests broke out over US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, hospital sources said. At the Qalandia checkpoint between the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas, sound grenades and live ammunition at around 1,000 protesters, many of whom were throwing stones, an AFP photographer said. Hundreds also gathered in the southern West Bank city of Hebron, triggering light clashes with the army. In Nablus in the northern West Bank, hundreds marched to an Israeli checkpoint, AFP reporters said. In Gaza, sealed off by Israel for a decade, a few hundred people gathered for a protest in Gaza City. A few dozen went to the border, with minor clashes reported. An Israeli army spokeswoman told AFP that "riots" had erupted in several locations, with around "800 rioters throwing firebombs and rocks and rolling tyres at (Israeli) ...
Islamic State claims attack on airport in Egypt's Sinai
An Islamic State affiliate today claimed responsibility for a missile attack the previous day that targeted an airport in Egypt's northern Sinai Peninsula during an unpublicised visit to the facility by the defense and interior ministers. In a brief statement circulated on jihadi websites, the group said the intended target of the "guided" missile it fired at the el-Arish airport yesterday was the two ministers, and that the projectile struck an Apache helicopter that was part of their entourage. The statement, carried by the IS-run Aamaq news agency, could not be independently verified but resembled previous claims by the group that were widely seen as credible. Earlier today, security officials said Egyptian forces clashed with Islamic militants near the el-Arish airport. Five militants and an army captain were killed in the fighting. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media. Defense Minister Sedki Sobhy and ...
64 CAPF personnel killed in action this year: Govt
A total of 64 paramilitary personnel have been killed in the line of duty this year, with the highest 47 being from the CRPF, the government informed Parliament today. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, said those killed in action include seven from the Border Security Force, two from the Sashastra Seema Bal and eight from the Assam Rifles. The highest number of Central Armed Police Forces troops killed, 47, were from the Central Reserve Police Force. The CRPF is the lead anti-Naxal operations force of the country, the BSF guards the Pakistan and Bangladesh borders and the SSB is tasked to man the Nepal and Bhutan frontiers. Rijiju said the data was updated on November 30.
Maoists raid rly station in Bihar; abduct ASM, porter
Maoist rebels abducted an Assistant Station Manager and a porter, and set ablaze a signal panel at Masudam station in Bihar's Munger district in a midnight attack, disrupting movement of trains on Kiul- Jamalpur section through the day, police said today. The abducted ASM and railway porter were released in a forest after spending several hours in captivity, SP (Railway), Jamalpur, Shankar Jha told PTI over phone. The naxalite group--CPI (Maoist)-- is observing a bandh in Bihar and Jharkhand today to protest police action against its cadre. Chief Public Relations Officer of Eastern Railways, Ravi Mohapatra, however, said the railways had no official confirmation about the release of ASM Mukesh Kumar and porter Nirendra Mandal. An armed squad of around 15 underground rebels that also had some women set ablaze the signalling panel before abducting the two. The SP said the Maoists set free Kumar and Mandal in a nearby forest after they learnt about a "huge" contingent of ..
Armed forces lost 14 pilots in 35 incidents of crash in 3 yrs
The armed forces lost 14 pilots in 35 incidents of crash between 2014-15 and 2016-17, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre told the Lok Sabha today. In a written response to a question, he said every such accident is thoroughly investigated by a Board of Inquiry to ascertain the cause of crash. Replying to another question about Tejas, the multirole light fighter aircraft being designed and produced by defence public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and Navy, Bhamre admitted its production and deployment has been delayed. The government sanctioned Rs 1381 crore to HAL in March this year for ramping up production capacity from the existing eight aircraft to 16 every year, he said. In response to another question, Bhamre said the turnover of defence canteens rose from Rs 13,709 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 15,781 crore in 2015-16. It further went up to Rs 17,156 crore in 2016-17. He said the governmet received no serious ...
Man accused of plotting to kill UK's May to face trial
A man accused of plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Theresa May faces trial next summer. Naa'imur Zakariyah Rahman is suspected of planning a bomb and knife attack on the prime minister at her 10 Downing Street residence. The 20-year-old is charged with preparing acts of terrorism. He was arrested last month with another man also charged with terrorism-related offenses. Rahman is accused of conducting reconnaissance of the target, recording a pledge of allegiance to a terrorist group, and purchasing a backpack to be fitted with an improvised explosive device. He is a Bangladeshi who was living in north London before his arrest. A judge Wednesday set the trial to begin on June 4 with a plea hearing. It is expected to last up to five weeks.
Dokalam: 'Alert' SSB to boost manpower, BoPs in Sikkim region
Border guarding force SSB today said it is "more alert", is enhancing its strength and establishing new border posts in Sikkim along the Bhutan frontier, next to Dokalam region that recently saw a standoff between Indian and Chinese forces. The paramilitary force--tasked with guarding the 699 km- long open border with Bhutan--however, said its role is only "restricted" upto the Bhutan frontier and Dokalam was along the Sino-India border which is the mandate of other security forces. "We are (deployed) just below the tri-junction (India- Bhutan-Tibet), on the southern part of it," SSB Director General (DG) Rajni Kant Mishra told reporters here on the occasion of the forces' 54th Raising Day. "On the Bhutan border, in Sikkim, we are more alert and there is going to be a slightly increased strength on that border. We are going to get some BoPs (border outposts) and a battalion headquarter is also coming up there," Mishra said. He was asked about the Sashastra Seema Bal's ...
Maoists torch mobile tower, police seize five IEDs
Maoist guerrillas on Wednesday damaged a mobile tower and set it on fire in Jharkhand's Giridih district even as security forces seized five IEDs in West Singhbhum district, police said.