30 militiamen killed in Iraq clashes: police

BAQUBA: Militants attacked the town of Muqdadiyah northeast of Baghdad on Friday, sparking clashes that killed 30 militiamen, a police colonel and a doctor said.

The fighting began on Friday morning and eased later in the day with security forces still in control of Muqdadiyah, a key approach to Diyala provincial capital Baquba, and militants deployed in adjoining areas.

Militiamen have joined Iraqi security forces in fighting against a major offensive by militants that overran all of one province and chunks of three more in a matter of days.

Security forces performed poorly during the initial days of the assault, in some cases shedding uniforms and abandoning vehicles in their haste to flee.

While they seem to have recovered somewhat from the shock of the onslaught, retaking ground in certain areas, the militants have made gains elsewhere. (AFP)

 

30 militiamen killed in Iraq clashes: police

BAQUBA: Militants attacked the town of Muqdadiyah northeast of Baghdad on Friday, sparking clashes that killed 30 militiamen, a police colonel and a doctor said.

The fighting began on Friday morning and eased later in the day with security forces still in control of Muqdadiyah, a key approach to Diyala provincial capital Baquba, and militants deployed in adjoining areas.

Militiamen have joined Iraqi security forces in fighting against a major offensive by militants that overran all of one province and chunks of three more in a matter of days.

Security forces performed poorly during the initial days of the assault, in some cases shedding uniforms and abandoning vehicles in their haste to flee.

While they seem to have recovered somewhat from the shock of the onslaught, retaking ground in certain areas, the militants have made gains elsewhere. (AFP)

30 militants killed in Dera Bugti operation

 

QUETTA: As many as 30 separatist rebels were killed as paramilitary forces launched an operation in Dera Bugti on Thursday.
“The forces surrounded the militants early morning on Thursday and the operation culminated with the killing of 30 militants and arrest of three others,” Balochistan Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti said while giving details of the operation launched to quell the militancy in the area.

He added that a paramilitary trooper was killed and five others sustained bullet wounds during the action. The injured personnel were being shifted to a nearby hospital. “We have recovered 350 kilogrammes of explosive material and 300 landmines,” he said and added that around eight hideouts of militants were also destroyed by security forces.

Bugti said the militants were members of the Baloch Republican Army (BRA), whose two main commanders were also killed in the operation. “The forces also got freed two local Bugti men kidnapped for ransom by the militants,” he added.

The home minister said the provincial government would ensure security of the people at all costs. “The government of Balochistan has a very clear policy that the provincial government will take strict action against whosoever challenges the writ of the government, kills innocent people or attacks security forces,” he said, adding that the operation was a part of the policy.

Meanwhile, two gas pipelines of 16-inch diameter were blown up with explosives by unidentified terrorists in the Pir Koh area.According to security sources, the terrorists planted explosive devices under main pipelines supplying gas from gas wells number 13 and 30 of the main junction to the Pir Koh plant.After the explosion, the gas supply to the Pir Koh plant was suspended, causing reduction in production of gas in the plant.

Sui: 30 militants killed during search operation

SUI: At least thirty militants have been killed during a search operation carried out by security forces in Sui, Balochistan.

According to Balochistan Home Minister, Mir Sarfaraz Bugti thrity militants were killed during the operation. He added that a large amount of explosives have also been recovered while eight militant hideouts were destroyed.

The provincial home minister adds that a member of the security forces was also killed during the operation.

Ukraine says 30 pro-Russian insurgents killed

DONETSK: Ukraine’s Interior Minister said Tuesday that 30 pro-Russian insurgents were killed during operations to expunge anti-government forces in and near a city in the east, while the Kiev authorities attempted to reassert control over the southern region of Odessa by appointing a new governor there.

Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page Tuesday that four government troops also died and 20 were injured during fighting in Slovyansk.

Gunbattles took place at various positions around the city Monday in what has proven the most ambitious government effort to date to quell unrest in the mainly Russian-speaking east.

Avakov said Monday that pro-Russia forces in Slovyansk, a city of 125,000, were deploying large-caliber weapons and mortars in the region and there were injured on both sides. Government troops were facing about 800 insurgents, he said.

In Donetsk, a major city some 120 kilometers south of Slovyansk, international flights from the local airport were suspended Tuesday. The airport said on its website that the cancellations followed a government order.

Ukraine is facing its worst crisis in decades as the polarized nation of 46 million tries to decide whether to look toward Europe, as its western regions want to do, or improve ties with Russia, which is favored by the many Russian-speakers in the east.

Dozens of government offices have been seized, either by armed insurgents or anti-government crowds, over the past several weeks.

The central government attempted to re-establish control Tuesday over the predominantly Russian-speaking Black Sea region of Odessa, where 46 people died after fighting and a fire broke out between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian forces late on Friday.

In a statement published on the president´s website, the Kiev authorities announced they were firing the acting governor and replacing him with member of parliament Ihor Palytsya. (AP)

30 pro-Russian insurgents killed, says Ukraine

DONETSK: Ukraine´s Interior Minister says 30 pro-Russian insurgents have been killed during security operations to expunge anti-government forces stationed in and near a city in the east.

Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page Tuesday that four government troops also died and another 20 were injured during fighting around Slovyansk.

Ukrainian forces have for days created a security cordon around the city and moved Monday in an apparent attempt to squeeze pro-Russian forces.

Six killed, 30 hurt in Karachi blast

KARACHI: A huge bomb explosion took place on the Chaudhry Khalique-uz-Zaman Road in Gizri on Friday afternoon, leaving six people, including a woman, dead and 30 others injured.

Police said the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device and suspected the involvement of a banned outfit, the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ).

Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Iqbal Mehmood, told The News that the bomb blast took place in a rickshaw and the intended target seemed to be a bus of worshippers coming from an Imambargah.

He added that he had formed a committee whose members were Deputy Inspectors General of South Range, Crime Investigation Agency, Crime Investigation Department, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raja Umer Khattab and SSP Niaz Ahmed Khosa and ordered them to nab the terrorists at the earliest.

However, other police officers were not so sure that the bus was the actual target.Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), District South, Nasir Aftab, said the deceased were passers-by. No government or semi-government office, Masjid or Imambargah were located at the spot where the explosion took place, so it was premature to say what the actual target of the terrorists was.

He said that six people — Sajjid, Shahzad, Abdul Jabbar, Abdullah, Farah and her son Yahya — succumbed to their injuries during treatment while 30 others including Ghulam Shabbir, Dilawar, Abdul Jabar, Shakeel, Faisal, Jahanzeb, Saif Ul Hasan, Zubair, Iqbal, Nadeem, Saleem, Abdullah and Abdur Rehman were injured.

Farah, along with her son, was traveling in a rickshaw when they became a victim of the blast. The deceased had recently shifted to the Dehli Colony from Gulshan-e-Hadeed.

The SSP said the police cordoned off the crime scene and moved the injured to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC).

He said that they had collected evidence, adding the worshippers were returning from the Yasrab Masjid after offering the Friday prayers when suddenly a huge explosion took place near a car showroom.

In the explosion, about 10 vehicles, including three government vehicles, two rickshaws, five motorcycles and windowpanes of nearby buildings were damaged. Some under-construction buildings were also damaged.

The BDS in its report stated that the bomb was an IED, which was planted inside a rickshaw parked on the main road. The bomb contained about 10-13 kilogrammes of explosives with nuts and bolts. SSP Nasir said that they had initially collected 100 nuts and bolts from the scene of the crime and sent them to the forensic division of the Sindh Police.

Regarding the three government vehicles damaged in the explosion, SSP Aftab said that the vehicles were driven by drivers and they belonged to culture and other government departments and no threat to them was found. However, they were investigating it from different angles.

SP Raja Umer Khattab, talking to The News, said that Shia worshippers who worked at an insurance company had visited a Masjid to offer prayers. He added that at the time of the explosion, the bus was passing through the road. Two passengers of the bus were injured in the explosion.

He suspected that the terrorists might have had attempted to target the bus with a remote control but luckily the passengers remained unhurt. SP Khattab said that the banned LJ might be involved in the Gizri explosion.

Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan have taken a serious notice of the bomb blast that occurred on Friday in the city.

They directed the Inspector General of Police and Rangers to probe these incidents and identify the criminal group and take drastic action against them.

Online adds: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief, Altaf Hussain, has strongly condemned the blast near a mosque in Delhi Colony.

In a statement issued on Friday, he said those killing innocent people on the occasion of Jumma prayer were the enemies of Islam and humanity and wanted to destabilise Pakistan through terrorism and bloodshed.

He said that the government was holding talks with terrorists instead of taking action against them, a joke with the nation.

The MQM chief said that the nation cannot get rid of militancy and terrorism until stern action is taken against these terrorists.

30 held as blast kills 24 in Islamabad Fruit Market

ISLAMABAD: Police have arrested as many as 30 suspects during a search operation following blast at the Fruit Mandi which killed at least 24 people and injured many others on Wednesday.

According to reports, four investigations team have been sent to Multan, Kabirwala, Burewala and Arifwala while police have also arrested five suspects from Kabirwala, Pakpatan and Arif Wala.

During the search operation, which was carried out in I-11, I-10 and slum areas, Afghan nationals were also arrested.


The United Baloch Army (UBA), an obscure militant group, has claimed responsibility for the attack and termed it a revenge for the security forces’ operation against militants in parts of Balochistan. However, the interior ministry has rejected the claim of the UBA.

FC claims 30 suspected terrorists killed in Kalat

QUETTA: At least 30 suspected terrorists were killed during a Frontier Corps (FC) operation in the Kalat district of Balochistan while ten FC personnel were injured.

FC spokesperson told Geo News the operation was conducted in the Parodh area of Kalat district during which the suspected militants used rocket launchers, hand grenades and other arms against FC personnel.

The spokesperson claimed that the suspected terrorists were part of banned orgainsations and were involved in attacks on trains and other incidents.

The operation was monitored by IGFC Major General Ijaz Shahid.