Terrorism

US drops $10 million bounty on Syrian rebel leader who ousted Assad

The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a USD 10 million reward it had offered for the capture of a Syrian rebel leader whose forces led the ouster of President Bashar Assad earlier this month. The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus between the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, and the top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, who led the first US diplomatic delegation into Syria since Assad's ouster. HTS remains designated a foreign terrorist organisation, and Leaf would not say if sanctions stemming from that designation would be eased. But, she told reporters that al-Sharaa had committed to renouncing terrorism and as a result the US would no longer offer the reward. We discussed the critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside Syria or externally, including to the US and our partners in the region, she said. Based on our discussion, I told him that we .

Good ties with Pakistan possible, but terror must stop first: S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Lok Sabha that India seeks good ties with Pakistan but stressed they must be free of terrorism, adding the ball is in Pakistan's court

India wants to have good ties with Pakistan, free of terror: Jaishankar

India wants to have good relations with Pakistan that are free of terror but if it does not show it is changing its past behaviour, then there will be implications on bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The minister also said that trade relations had been disrupted due to certain decisions taken by Pakistan in 2019. "I would like to inform the honourable member that in terms of improving ties with Pakistan, like any other neighbour, we would like to have good relations with Pakistan. But, like any other neighbour, we would also like to have relations free of terrorists," he said during Question Hour. This has been the position of the government of India, Jaishankar said. "We have made it very clear that it is for the Pakistani side to show that they are changing their behaviour of the past and if they don't, of course, there are implications on relations. So the ball is very much in Pakistan's court in this regard," he said. Trad

President Murmu, PM Modi pay tributes to victims of 2001 Parliament attack

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the terrorist attack will always inspire the people

Naxalites kill BJP worker in Chhattisgarh; 5th civilian murder in one week

Naxalites have killed a 35-year-old BJP worker in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district while claiming he was acting as a police informer, an official said on Wednesday. This is the fifth murder of a civilian by Naxalites in the district in the last seven days. The latest incident took place on Tuesday night when the deceased, identified as Kudiam Mado, was at his house in Somanpalli village under Farsegarh police station limits, the official said. A group of Naxalites stormed into Mado's house, dragged him outside and strangled him to death, the police official said. In a pamphlet found at the spot, a national park area committee of Maoists took responsibility for the murder and claimed Mado was acting as a police informer, he said. After being alerted on Wednesday morning, a police team rushed to the spot and the body was sent for post-mortem, the official said. A search operation has been launched in the area to trace the assailants, he added. On December 4, two former sarpanchs, o

Australian synagogue fire deemed terrorism, boosting investigation efforts

Australian law enforcement authorities on Monday declared an arson attack on a synagogue last week a terrorist act in a decision that increases resources available to the investigation. Arson squad detectives have been investigating the blaze that extensively damaged the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on Friday. But the investigation was taken over on Monday by the Joint Counter-Terrorism Team which involves Victoria state Police and Australian Federal Police as well as the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation's main domestic spy agency. The decision ... to transition the Adass Israel Synagogue fire attack to the Victorian Joint Counter-Terrorism Team is a crucial turning point in this investigation, Australian Federal Police Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett told reporters. I want to thank Victoria Police investigators for the significant information they have gathered so far, which has helped lead us to believe that this is likely to be a politically ...

2 terror associates held for subversive activities in J&K's Doda, Udhampur

Police on Thursday arrested two terror associates allegedly conspiring to execute subversive activities in Doda and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. A police team arrested a hardcore terror associate named Firdous Ahmed Wani from the Dandi area in Doda district's Bhaderwah belt based on credible intelligence, they said. The accused was reportedly in contact with terrorist handlers across the border through various social media platforms. He was actively working to revive militancy in Doda by establishing a foothold for anti-national elements in the area, officials said. A thorough search of the suspect and his residence led to the recovery of incriminating materials and documents, which have been seized for further investigation, they added. The accused was allegedly conspiring to execute subversive activities in and around Doda in collaboration with active terrorists and handlers operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (POK), police said. In

Massive crackdown on terror networks in J-K's Kathua, several arrested

The operation was conducted in the areas of Malhar, Bani, and the upper reaches of Billawar to uncover networks providing logistic and financial aid to terrorist groups

50 killed, 20 injured as militants attack vehicles in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Twelve security personnel and six terrorists were killed as a suicide bomber rammed an explosive laden vehicle into a joint check post in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the army said on Wednesday. The terrorists attempted to attack a joint check post in general area MaliKhel in Bannu district late on Tuesday night but their attempt to enter the post was effectively thwarted by troops, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Army's media wing, said. The suicide blast led to collapse of portion of perimeter wall and damaged the adjoining infrastructure, resulting in the death of 12 brave sons of soil including 10 soldiers of the security forces and two soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary, the ISPR said. In the ensuing fire exchange, six of them were killed too, it added. The injured persons have been shifted to a local hospital. Sanitisation operation was being conducted and a curfew was imposed in the area. Security forces and law enforcement agencies s

Pak PM says terrorism 'biggest challenge', vows to crush terrorist elements

Describing terrorism as the biggest challenge, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday vowed to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country, which is struggling to deal with the increasing terror attacks. Addressing a meeting of the Apex Committee of the National Action Plan (NAP) at the Prime Minister House attended by all chief ministers, army chief and other services chiefs, heads of military and civilian intelligence agencies, ministers and high officials, Sharif voiced concerns over the uptick in terror attacks in bordering states. "Terrorism is the biggest challenge, he said, emphasising the scourge staring in the eyes of the civilian and military leadership. "We have no other choice but to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country," he said, adding that national reconciliation, progress and economic development were not possible without crushing evil. Speaking at the meeting, Army Chief General Asim Munir said that anyon

70% decline in terror incidents in J&K: MHA tells Parliamentary panel

Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed an over 70 per cent decline in terror-related incidents under the Narendra Modi government since 2019, according to a Union Home Ministry presentation to a parliamentary panel. Official sources said that while making the presentation, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that despite a decline in terror-related cases in the past five years, threats from militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad continued to loom large. Mohan's presentation bears significance as the Centre abrogated Article 370, which granted special powers to Jammu and Kashmir, and reorganised the erstwhile state into two Union territories on August 5, 2019. Law and order in the two Union territories is now the direct responsibility of the central government. Civilian safety has been the prime concern for the Modi government and security agencies are putting maximum emphasis on that, Mohan and his team of ...

India reiterates stand on terrorism, highlights peacekeeping efforts at UN

Counsellor Eldos Mathew Punnoos from India delivered the statement at the General Debate in the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly

L-G Sinha, CM condemn killings of 2 VDGs by terrorists in J&K's Kishtwar

Two Village Defence Guards were on Thursday executed by terrorists after their abduction in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said. A massive joint search operation has been launched by police and the Army in a dense forest area following the gruesome killings, which were condemned by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and leaders of the National Conference, People's Democratic Party, Congress and the BJP. The officials said Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar, both residents of Ohli-Kuntwara, had gone to graze their cattle in the Munzla Dhar forest of the Adhwari area in the morning but did not return. They said police parties fanned out to find them amid reports that they had been abducted and killed by terrorists. "We have received information that my brother and Ahmad were abducted and killed by terrorists. They were Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and had gone to graze cattle, as usual," Kumar's brother Prithvi told PTI.

Abdullah knows terror comes from Pak, what's there to investigate, asks BJP

Earlier today, the National Conference President Farooq Abdullah demanded inquiry amid continuous terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir

NIA investigating 6 cases against designated terrorist Gurpatwant Pannu

In its investigation against Pannu, the agency has so far attached three properties owned by Pannu in Chandigarh. Additionally, several land parcels in Amritsar linked to him have also been seized

2 Army porters killed, 3 soldiers among 4 injured in Gulmarg terror attack

A porter was killed and five others, including three soldiers, were injured on Thursday when terrorists attacked an Army vehicle in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg area, officials said. They said the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle at Botapathri near Nagin post. The officials said a porter was killed in the attack, while four soldiers sustained injuries. The injured soldiers were rushed to a hospital, they added.

Dialogue and diplomacy only way forward, not war: PM Modi tells Brics

New centres of power & economic growth to create multipolar global order, Kazan Declaration says

SCO Summit Day 2: S Jaishankar to attend talks on trade, terrorism in Pak

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif exchanged pleasantries during an informal dinner hosted by the latter on Tuesday

France tightens steps to prevent Osama bin Laden's son from returning

France's interior minister said Tuesday he has taken additional steps against any effort by one of the sons of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden to return to France. Omar bin Laden had been living in France's Normandy region but left the country in October 2023 after French authorities withdrew his residency papers and ordered him out, the Interior Ministry said. At the time, authorities also barred him from returning to France for two years, the ministry added. In a post Tuesday on the social media platform X, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said he imposed an additional ban to ensure that Omar bin Laden will not be able to return to France for any reason whatsoever. French daily Le Parisien reported that Omar bin Laden now lives in Qatar. It said he had previously been living since 2016 in the Orne region of Normandy with his British wife and had been working as an artist. The newspaper said that last week he lost a legal battle to overturn the ban on him returning to ...

Fully capable of checking infiltration, drone attacks, smuggling: BSF chief

The Border Security Force is fully capable of checking infiltration, drone attacks and smuggling, and is getting encouraging results in the fight against Naxalism, said BSF Director General Daljit Singh Chawdhary on Saturday. He was addressing an event after attending the passing out parade of Assistant Commandants at the BSF Academy in the Tekanpur area of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior. BSF is deployed along the borders of the country. We are ready and in action to ensure that there is no infiltration, drone attack or smuggling in any area. We are fully capable of checking infiltration, drone attack and smuggling, he told reporters here. The force is also getting continuous success in anti-Naxal operations across the country, he said. BSF is accomplishing its task in coordination with local police in a disciplined way, Chawdhary said. The Tekanpur academy is the best institute to train officers and the history of BSF has been one of sacrifice and glory, he said. On Saturday, 77 ...