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Showing posts from September 1, 2013

Pak Army not involved in Balochistan operation: General Kayani

Islamabad, Sept. 7 ( ANI ): Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has denied reports of the military  being behind aggressive operations in Balochistan. General Kayani said the Baloch troop s were in their barracks and not a single soldier was engaged in army operation in the province, the Daily Times reports. General Kayani issued the statement during a passing-out parade of cadets at the Military College Sui  (MCS) in Balochistan on the occasion of the National Defence Day of Pakistan. Many prominent leaders attended the ceremony, including Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch. General Kayani said that Pakistan's  defence  lies in the strong and prosperous Balochistan, which would guarantee the prosperity of the country. He laid stress on the fact that Balochistan's natural resources could be utilized for people's welfare and further reaffirmed that  Pakistan  Army was committed to extend all possible assistance to the prov

Cyber-thieves blamed for leap in Tor dark net use

Cyber-thieves are behind a big leap in the number of computers connecting to the Tor anonymous web browsing system, a security company has said. The number of connections to Tor almost doubled in late August. Some thought the rise was caused by people in repressive regimes using Tor to escape official scrutiny. But Dutch security company Fox-IT said it had evidence it had been caused by cybercriminals using Tor to control legions of hijacked home PCs. Hidden network The sharp leap in Tor numbers began on 19 August. Before that date about 500,000 connections a day were being made to the network. Within a week, the number of connections had hit 1.5 million and has continued to grow. The latest update from Tor  suggests about three million connections are now being made on a daily basis. Tor (The Onion Router) attempts to hide who is using the web by routing their data through a series of computers each one of which encrypts the data passing through it. It is widely u

US drone 'kills Haqqani commander Sangeen Zadran'

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A senior commander of the powerful Haqqani militant network has been killed in a US drone strike in north-west Pakistan, officials say. Sangeen Zadran, named on US and UN blacklists, was among five killed when missiles were fired at a house in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border. The Haqqani group are known for carrying out attacks in Afghanistan. The Taliban told the AP news agency he was still alive. But other reports said his funeral had taken place. Officials told the BBC that the militant's funeral had been held in the regional capital of Miranshah and was attended by many. He also held the position of "shadow governor " of the Afghan province of Paktika, and reports say the Taliban nominated his brother, Bilal Zadran, to replace him in that post. Continue reading the main story Profile: Sangeen Zadran Sangeen Zadran came from the same sub-clan as the Haqqani network's leader Jalaluddin Haqqani. With the trust of the Haqqanis and very hig

Grenade attack in Pulwama: 12 policemen, civilian wounded

Srinagar: Twelve policemen and a civilian were injured when suspected militants carried out a grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Saturday.   Some unidentified ultras hurled a grenade on a police patrol at Muran Chowk in Pulwama town, 32-km from here, at around 4 pm, a police spokesman said. He said policemen and a civilian were injured in the strike and were admitted to hospital. The attack, which sparked panic in the area, came when security forces were put on high alert in the valley in view of Zubin Mehta's concert at Shalimar Gardens on the banks of Dal Lake. The entire area was immediately cordoned off and a hunt launched to nab the militants responsible for the attack. No militant outfit has claimed responsbility for the attack so far. First Published: Saturday, September 07, 2013, 20:32 Source  http://zeenews.india.com/news/jammu-and-kashmir/grenade-attack-in-pulwama-12-policemen-civilian-wounded_874944.html

Nigeria Boko Haram gunmen 'tracked and killed'

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About 50 Islamist militants have been killed in north-eastern Nigeria after the military raided Boko Haram camps, army spokesman Sagir Musa has said. Troops tracked gunmen who attacked two towns on Wednesday and Thursday, reportedly killing 20 people. Boko Haram, which wants to create an Islamic state across Nigeria, has waged a deadly insurgency since 2009. In May, Nigeria declared an emergency in three north-eastern states in order to battle the militants. 'Invaded from nowhere' "Troops pursued the terrorists to their camps and destroyed them with air support," Lt-Col Musa said on Friday in Maiduguri - the state capital of Borno state where Boko Haram was founded. Continue reading the main story Boko Haram at a glance Founded in 2002 Official Arabic name, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad" Initially focused on opposing Western education

Colombia Santos: Farc 'to keep weapons until referendum'

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Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said the Farc rebels would be allowed to keep their weapons until a peace agreement was ratified. Mr Santos said no-one could expect the rebels to give up their weapons before a peace accord had been given final approval in a referendum. He added that a ceasefire would be implemented once a deal was reached in talks under way in Cuba. Critics say a referendum should not be held until the rebels disarm. Mr Santos last month surprised the rebels when he proposed legislation demanding that any accord would have to be approved by the Colombian people in a referendum. 'Enemies of peace' "If we have an agreement, then we enter a third phase of implementation," President Santos said on Friday. "And I have promised that the Colombian people would have the opportunity to have their say." If peace negotiators engaged in talks since November last year reach a deal, it is likely that a referendum will be held o

Two held for shooting of Brooklyn baby in pushchair

Two men have been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a baby in a pushchair a week ago. Daquan Breland, 23, and Daquan Wright, 19, were detained on Friday morning in the US state of Pennsylvania for the killing of Antiq Hennis. Antiq, one, was shot in the face on 1 September as gunfire rang out in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, New York. Police said the shooting was gang-related and that the target was the boy's father, Anthony Hennis, 21. Mr Hennis, who had just picked up Antiq from the home of the boy's mother, is not co-operating with the investigation, say police. Witnesses saw Mr Wright hand the gun to Mr Breland, who fired multiple shots, according to police. The weapon has not been recovered. The suspects waived extradition at a hearing on Friday and were being taken back to New York, according to local media reports. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the killing was "a tragedy for [Antiq's] family, for this community,

IRA Hyde Park bomb: John Downey appears in court

A man has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with the murder of four British soldiers in an IRA bomb attack in London's Hyde Park in July 1982. John Downey, 61, of County Donegal, Ireland, is accused of killing Roy Bright, Dennis Daly, Simon Tipper and Geoffrey Young. The Household Cavalry members were killed as they rode from their barracks in Knightsbridge to Buckingham Palace. Mr Downey is on conditional bail and his trial is due to begin in January. Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and dark tie, he spoke only to confirm his name as the case was adjourned by the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney. Mr Downey, who was arrested at Gatwick Airport in May, faces a further charge of intending to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. The bomb that Mr Downey is charged with planting was the first of two that caused carnage in London on 20 July 1982. In the first incident, a nail bomb in a blue Austin car was detonated as the Household Cavalry members made their way throu

Afghan Taliban denies killing Indian writer Sushmita Banerjee

Islamabad, Sept. 7 ( ANI ): The Afghan Taliban has reportedly denied any involvement in the killing of Indian writer  Sushmita Banerjee . Banerjee, 49, was allegedly dragged out of her house in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province and killed by masked gunmen and Afghan officials have blamed the Taliban for her murder. According to the Express Tribune, police suggest that Banerjee's personal account of her escape from the militia group two decades ago in her book that was later turned into a hit film might have been the reason she was murdered. Provincial police chief, Dawlat Khan Zadran said that investigation indicated the militants had grievances against Banerjee for something she had written or said in the past. However,  Taliban  spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid has denied any involvement in the killing and said that it is a propaganda by government officials to defame the mujahideen. The report said that Banerjee was married to local businessperson Jaanbaz Khan an

Mogadishu blasts at Village restaurant and hotel

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Explosions at a popular restaurant and hotel near the parliament building in Somalia's capital Mogadishu have killed 15 people, police say. The blasts hit the Village restaurant and Muna hotel. Both are popular with government workers and have been targeted before. It was not clear who carried out the attacks, which appeared to tear much of the roof off the restaurant. Somalia is battling an Islamist-led insurgency and high levels of crime. The Village, about 1km (0.6 miles) from the presidential palace, is not within the city's security zone but is popular with journalists and those in political circles. Run by Somali businessman Ahmed Jama, who returned to the country from the UK in 2008,  it was targeted by two suicide bombers last September  in attacks that killed 14 people. One of many expatriates to go home to help rebuild their war-ravaged country,  Mr Jama vowed he would not give up after the attack . "My decision was to do something and as long

Hafiz Saeed threatens India with 'Mumbai-like' attack at Islamabad rally

Islamabad, Sept. 7 ( ANI ): Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder  Hafiz Saeed  has said he will continue his jihad against India until the disputed Kashmir area is completely in Pakistan's grasp. Warning that India is at risk of facing a repeat of the November 2008 terror strike on Mumbai, Saeed told his supporters at a rally in  Islamabad  on Friday to mark Pakistan's Defence Day by denouncing India as a terrorist state. The Daily Times said that over 10,000 people gathered to support Saeed and called for a 'holy  war ' against arch rival India. Saeed's supporters were left further agitated when told that the United States and India are angry with Pakistan, which he interpreted to mean that God is happy with them. He further said that they will make every sacrifice for the liberation of  Kashmir . He also criticized New Delhi for giving state honours to Indian prisoner  Sarabjit Singh , who died in a Pakistani jail earlier this year. Sarabjit, he said, was a terr

Pakistan 'frees seven Taliban prisoners'

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Pakistan has announced the release of seven Taliban prisoners in a bid to help the Afghan peace process. At least one former senior militant was among the men freed "in order to further facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process", said a foreign ministry statement. Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Islamabad recently to promote peace. Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif said at the time he wanted to help regional efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. The foreign ministry statement named those freed on Saturday as Mansoor Dadullah, Said Wali, Abdul Manan, Karim Agha, Sher Afzal, Gul Muhammad and Muhammad Zai. Mansoor Dadullah served as the Taliban's military commander in four of the most violent provinces of southern Afghanistan until he was captured in February 2008 after a shootout with security forces in Pakistan's Balochistan province. He had succeeded his brother, Mullah Dadullah, who was killed in a joint Afghan-Nato operation in May, 2007, but was sacked

Haddi was a suicide bomber in making: Bhatkal

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Had he not been nabbed with Indian Mujahideen’s leader Yasin Bhatkal, Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi — trained by the ISI — could have carried out the terror outfit’s first suicide bombing in India, say counter-terror sources. Yasin Bhatkal (L), the Indian Mujahideen mastermind and a key suspect in several terror blasts since 2008, and his aide Asadullah Akhtar alias Haddi. (PTI Photo) Akhtar alias Haddi was being prepared for a spectacular fidayeen, or suicide, strike in the coming months, counter-terror officials quoted Bhatkal as saying. Akhtar, too, confessed that he was trained by Pakistani spy agency the ISI in 2010. One of India’s most-wanted terrorists Bhatkal and Akhtar were picked up by Indian and Nepalese sleuths from Pokhra on August 29 and formally arrested in Raxual, Bihar, along the Indo-Nepal border. Bhatkal’s arrest is being seen as one of the biggest successes in India’s war against terror. He is believed to have masterminded at least six big terror str