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United Nations peacekeepers warned Tuesday that the Israeli military has committed severe violations of a cease-fire deal with Syria as its military continues a major construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria. The comments from the UN Disengagement Observer Force, which has patrolled the area since 1974, come after an Associated Press report Monday that published satellite imagery showing the extent of the works along the frontier. The work, which UNDOF said began in July, follows the completion by the Israeli military of new roadways and what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip's frontier with Israel. The Israel military also has begun demolishing villages in Lebanon, where other UN peacekeepers have come under fire. While such violence hasn't broken out along the Alpha Line, UNDOF warned Tuesday the work risked further inflaming tensions in the region. Such severe violations of the (demilitarized
A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was injured when Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing on Indian posts in violation of a ceasefire agreement along the border here on Wednesday, officials said. The BSF troops also retaliated but the casualties on the Pakistani side were not known immediately, they said. At about 2.35 am, an incident of unprovoked firing in the Akhnoor area from across the border happened and which was befittingly responded by the BSF. One BSF personnel sustained injuries in Pakistani firing, a spokesperson of the border guarding force said. He said the troops are on high alert and keeping a strict vigil all along the International Border and Line of Control. The ceasefire violation between the two countries has been very rare ever since India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021. Last year, a BSF jawan was killed in Pakistan Rangers firing in the Ramgarh sector, the first loss of life on the Indian side in more than thre
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will use his ninth diplomatic mission to the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war to press for the quick conclusion of an elusive cease-fire agreement. Blinken arrived in Israel on Sunday before what mediators have billed as a last push to reach a deal that will take place in Cairo later this week. He will meet with top Israeli officials on Monday before travelling to Egypt on Tuesday. Late last week, the three countries mediating the proposed cease-fire reported progress on a deal under which Israel would halt most military operations in Gaza and release a number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas. A senior official travelling with Blinken said his arrival in the region comes at a critical time in the cease-fire talks and the secretary would press all parties on the importance of concluding it quickly to end civilian suffering in Gaza and prevent the conflict from engulfing the region. T
Provisions of ceasefire agreements do not grant immunity to any Naga group to carry out any form of "taxation" or threaten the general public, Lt. General Amarjeet Singh Bedi, chairman of the Ceasefire Monitoring Cell, said on Saturday. The Centre has signed ceasefire agreements with five Naga groups over a period of time -- NSCN (IM) in 1997, NSCN (Unification) in 2012, NSCN (Reformation) in 2015, NSCN-K (Khango) in 2019 and NSCN-K (Nikki) 2021. Only these five of the total 24 Naga underground groups have entered into a truce with the Centre. "Ceasefire agreements have been signed to usher in peace so that political discussions to resolve the Naga issue can move ahead in an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect and peaceful conditions," Bedi, also the chairman of Ceasefire Supervisory Board, said while addressing a press conference here. All the Naga groups that are signatories to the ceasefire agreements with the Centre have committed to adhere to the ceasefire ground rules, he ...
Britain has circulated a draft UN resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in conflict-wracked Sudan ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins soon. The draft, obtained late Wednesday by The Associated Press, expresses grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur. With Ramadan expected to begin around Sunday, depending on the sighting of the new moon, the council is expected to vote quickly on the resolution, likely on Friday. Sudan plunged into chaos last April, when long-simmering tensions between its military led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces commanded by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo broke out into street battles in the capital, Khartoum. Fighting spread to other parts of the country, especially urban areas, but in Sudan's western Darfur region it took on a different form, with bru