SYDNEY: Australia mourned yesterday the deaths of five of its soldiers in Afghanistan, three killed by an Afghan army colleague, in the nation's deadliest hours of combat since the Vietnam War.
The Australians were killed in two separate incidents just hours apart late Wednesday and early yesterday. The first incident took place at a base in Uruzgan province, when a man in an Afghan army uniform opened fire on Australian soldiers, killing three and wounding two, according to Air Marshal Mark Binskin, vice chief of the Australian Defense Force.
Hours later, two Australian soldiers died and a crew member was wounded when their helicopter rolled over while landing in Helmand province.
"In a war of so many losses, this is our single worst day in Afghanistan," Prime Minister Julia Gillard said. "Indeed, I believe this is the most losses in combat since the days of the Vietnam War and the Battle of Long Tan. This is news so truly shocking that it's going to feel for many Australians like a physical blow."
Eighteen Australian soldiers were killed in the Battle of Long Tan in 1966. Tom Vasey, a spokesman for the Australian War Memorial, said five Australian soldiers were killed in a 14-hour period in 1971 during the Battle of Nui Le, making that the last time so many died so quickly in a combat zone.
The Australians were relaxing at the base when the assailant began shooting at close range with an automatic weapon, Binskin said. Soldiers at the base returned fire, but the shooter scaled a fence and escaped. The Australians tried to revive their comrades, but the wounds proved fatal, he said. One of the wounded soldiers sustained a serious gunshot wound and was evacuated to another base for further treatment. He is in satisfactory condition. The other was treated at the scene.
The Afghan soldier accused of the shooting is named Hekmatullah, and was working as a night guard at the Afghan army base where the international troops had stopped to spend the night, Afghan officials said. Hekmatullah fired at the Australians as they entered the base in Uruzgan province's Chora district, said Abdulhameed Hameed, an Afghan army commander in the south.
Australian and Afghan soldiers were hunting for the killer Thursday, Binskin said. He would not release further details of the attack, and said the shooter's motive was unknown.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/31/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Dead while have their friends watch the DNC convention and listen to the call to prayer re-elect Obama music it should help ease their pain!
PARIS: Reporters Without Borders says it has confirmed the death in captivity of three Eritrean journalists whod been imprisoned in the African country since 2001.
The media freedom group says Dawit Habtemichael, the deputy editor of biweekly newspaper Meqaleh, died in the second half of 2010 while detained at the Eiraeiro prison camp. The group says the date of death of two other journalists Mattewos Habteab and Sahle Tsegazab couldnt be established.
Eritrea is a one-party state on the horn of Africa that international observers accuse of carrying out arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses.
The journalists arrests were part of a wider effort in 2001 to repress dissent and critical commentary. Of 11 reporters arrested at the time, only four are alive.
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08/31/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] An armed man riding a cycle of violence assassinated an officer of the Political Security on Thursday in the heart of the capital Sana'a, security sources said.
Security sources said the officers is Yahya Badi, 45 years old, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Yemen's defense ministry claimed that the attacker is a member of al-Qaeda, pointing out that he could escape.
The shooting came the same day a security official said a U.S. drone attack killed at least four suspected Islamist beturbanned goons in a car in a remote province of eastern Yemen.
Assassinations of top intelligence officers have increased since last year, with outlaws obviously taking advantage of the unrest roiling the country.
A number of Yemeni intelligence officers of the political security were killed in Sana'a, Baidha, Aden, Taiz and Hadhramout and other governorates.
Lt. Col. Mohammed al-Qudami, who was the intelligence chief for one of the sectors of Sana'a, was killed early of July.
In the mid of August, gunnies attacked the Political Security's building in Aden, killing about 20 soldiers and wounding dozens more.
After the Yemeni government announced its victory in early June, the al-Qaeda carried out a suicide kaboom various governorates and killed the commander of Yemen's southern military region, Salem Qatan.
It also launched a suicide kaboom in the capital Sana'a on July 11 that killed more than 20 police cadets.
The Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and other major cities have witnessed a state of loose security as crimes of killing and weapon carrying increased after a year of pro-democracy protests that swept the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2012 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] The authorities have incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! two Al-Qaeda suspects in Yemen's port city of Aden where several forces of Evil were incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! in the past few weeks in connections with deadly attacks and festivities with the security forces, the defense ministry reported on Thursday.
The two suspects were incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! in Al-Tuwahi city while planning to attack security targets coinciding with the arrest of a third krazed killer in Abyan ...a governorate of Yemen. The region was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army terrorist group until it dropped the name and joined al-Qaeda. Its capital is Zinjibar. In March 2011, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula declared the governate an Islamic Emirate after seizing control of the region. The New York Times fastidiously reported that those in control, while Islamic hard boyz, are not in fact al-Qaeda, but something else that looks, tastes, smells, and acts the same. Yemeni government forces launched an effort to re-establish control of the region when President-for-Life Saleh was tossed and the carnage continues... province, it said.
The third suspect was captured in Jaar city and the police found at his home explosives including belts, it added.
In the west, media reports said the police at the Hodeida airport incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! a three-member group on suspicion of having links to Al-Qaeda. One of the incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! was a Syrian and believed to be the leader of the group which came from Sanaa, the reports said, adding that the suspects were returned to the capital Sanaa for investigation.
Separately, three Al-Qaeda forces of Evil were killed late on Wednesday in an Arclight airstrike in Hadramout ...the formerly independent Qu'aiti state and sultanate, annexed by Communist South Yemen in 1968, encompassing a region along the Gulf of Aden, extending eastwards to the borders of the Dhofar region of Oman. The people are called Hadhramis and speak Hadhrami Arabic. The city Tarimis estimated to contain the highest concentration of descendants of the Prophet Muhammad (PTUI) anywhere in the world, approximately seven in every square yard... province, the defense ministry said.
The forces of Evil were wanted and were targeted while meeting their fellows in the Khashamir area in the Qatan district. The strike destroyed their car and weapons, it added.
Yemen is continuing a massive hunt for Al-Qaeda operatives after the army drove forces of Evil out of their strongholds in Abyan and Shabwa in the past few months. Tens of forces of Evil and cells have been incarcerated Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! in recent weeks after Al-Qaeda stepped up its deadly attacks in main cities including Sanaa in retaliation for its defeat in the south.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2012 00:00 ||
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Following article is copied from BordelandBeat.com, and comes from Reforma in Mexico.
Highlights:
* Americans were employees of CIA
* Their vehicle was ambushed by multiple attackers
* Mexican Federal Police showed up only after a serious attack on the SUV
I have to say that the driver of this SUV did a he** of a job getting himself and his buddies out of trouble. The driver deserves a commendation for what he did - this could have ended very badly. Hopefully this is the LAST time that US citizens travel in an SUV in Mexico - without being armed to the teeth. Official rules be da**ed - let Americnas return fire if they are ambushed!
American agents who were shot last Friday, along with a Captain of the Marina of Mexico, as they headed to the shooting range and Marines Infantry training field located Xalatlaco area, belong to the Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA, for its acronym in English), confirmed official sources close to the investigation, which added that the attack took place after the attackers were in close view of the diplomatic vehicle occupants.According to the obtained information by this newspaper, the aggression against the American agents and of the marine was direct and the fact that there were no fatal victims, it was because the Toyota SUV they were travelling in was amour grade 7 (the highest level there is).
The reports given the same day of the incident, which occurred near Tres Marias, Morelos, the U.S. embassy reported that it had been an ambush , while the Federal Police said it had been a confusion .
Interception
The information from the Attorney General''s Office (PGR) said that the CIA agents who were to conduct follow up shooting courses at the Marine Corps. As they traveled in the stretch of dirt known as El Capulin, in Xalatlaco, Mexico State, they encountered a Dodge Van with several heavily armed civilians who, at gunpoint , forced them to stop.While not aiming their weapons, two of them approached the Toyota. , Suddenly, the driver of the U.S. embassy vehicle abruptly threw the vehicle in reverse while turning it around then sped to the federal highway with the gunmen shooting at the vehicle in full pursuit.
The pursuit grows
During the pursuit a second vehicle, a Sentra, appeared attempting to block the embassy vehicle, while four gumen in the Sentra opened fire with heavy artillery.During the chase, and with two vehicles in pursuit, they passed through a village near a junction, where eight plainclothes men in two vehicles, joined the Toyota aggression and also began firing weapons.Now chased by four cars, and U.S. agents tried to signal Marines at a gas station, but after failing the pursuit continued. When reaching the junction there awaited a fifth vehicle, that joined the chase and also began shooting.Once in the federal highway, because of the impact damage, the Toyota was immobilized and yet still sustaining shots of high-caliber weapons. One of the assailants with an AK-47 (cuerno de chivo/goat horn) blasted the armored diplomatic vehicle. It was during the attack with the AK47 when U.S. agents were injured, they were in the front seats and the Marina officer in the rear.The informant added that directly after the shooting ceased three Federal Police vehicles arrived at the scene.Federal agents got out of their patrol cars with weapons drawn. One of them approached the Toyota and was when officers identified themselves as U.S. diplomats.
#1
Notice how Mex police or Feds show up ... after the cartel assassins have already done the dirty work. It's pretty much a repetitive pattern down there. Funny how that always seems to work out, isn't it?
I'm guessing the CIA is trying hard to figure out who leaked the details of this visit by their employees. Obviously someone at a high level in Mexican intel is passing info to one of the cartels. It's a dirty place to do business.
Once again ... GREAT job in evasive driving by the person behind the wheel in that SUV. If they had reacted just a few seconds slower - everybody in that vehicle would be dead.
#2
Yes, **** the RSO, he's sleeping in, you know the drill. These are the usual choke points. If **** happens....I'll hit reverse...execute a "J" turn, weave and plow through the blocking vehicle hitting it's ass end if necessary. No stopping until we get back to town. Keep the windows up, weapons on safe, stay with the vehicle. Jake, you've got the radio. Everybody got it? Worst score buys the Corona. Let's go.
#3
Besoeker ... you got it. Somebody knew their route and the choke points exactly. Whatever the CIA is really doing in Mex - apparently it's ruining the breakfast of some cartel capo.
#4
Yes Raider, that 'combat driving course' paid off. Hat tip to the driver. He saved everyone's a**es. Appears it was a bit more than a few warning shots as I had initially suspected.
#5
I was thinking some more about this incident. IF the reports are true - always doubtful for Mexico of course - then it seems like the cartel put a lot of assets onto one hit. They didn't need 4 vehicles to get the job done. I am wondering if this was an attempted kidnapping ... in which case it would have been a very painful ending for the occupants of the SUV.
#7
Was thinking the same thing Raider. The way they got out and approached the vehicle seemed to indicate they wanted the occupants alive. And I don't doubt the cartels have some heavy-weapons that could have ripped apart that SUV "bulletproof" or not. The real question then becomes: Who exactly was so important in that Vehicle to risk so much reprisal?
Posted by: Charles ||
08/31/2012 15:31 Comments ||
Top||
#8
The heaviest weapon routinely used by the cartel shooters have been 40mm launched grenades. I have read reports of munitions such as Claymore mines, C4 charges, RPG rounds and commercial grade dynamite (Tovex) found in the bad guys' possession, but those are apparently used in VBIEDs, but not very often.
The cartels using an RPG or some other explosive weapon would be an escalation in this fight neither they nor their shooters would survive.
We have had this discussion over at Borderland Beat before and my contention is that the cartels suffer from a lack of technical expertise necessary to deploy any heavier weapons than the 40mm grenade launcher.
#9
Gotta' tel you ... if I was down in Mex doing a job like that - you wouldn't find me without ...
(1) A couple of experienced partners
(2) Everyone carrying 45 pistols and a rifle chambered in 7.62 x 51 (.308) - Not to mention a lot of ammo.
The USA has _got_ to change its ROE for Mexico. We can't just keep asking people to travel around with no personal weapons and relying on armored SUV's only.
#10
Meh...Afganisthan...it's really the russkie's problem now...and the Chineses...and the Indians. A few nukes of some poppy fields would get the mudjz thinking. Building that messy can fence would cost the same as two weeks of operation in the sandbox...
And tossing out the gangbangers would be nearly free! But you need to get rid of Hussein Soetoro first!
Georgian officials say that the heavily armed terrorists militants who penetrated the border from Russia and took five local residents hostage were Muslim fighters who wore camouflage uniforms. They carried Russian passports and copies of the Koran, according to the officials.
Georgian security forces engaged in a fierce gunfight with a band of about 20 terrorists militants on Wednesday, killing 11 of them. Three Georgian soldiers were also killed.
On Thursday, Georgian officials released a video showing the bodies of several terrorists militants along with a sizable number of automatic weapons, large amounts of ammunition, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, and other equipment, as well as copies of the Koran.
Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili, said that the terrorists insurgents seemed intent on testing Georgia's military preparedness and on creating additional tension between Georgia and Russia.
Saakashvili said, "They wanted to check our military capability. I am happy with the result." About efforts to create more hostility between Russia and Georgia, he said that they had "failed in this sense, too."
Saakashvili said that the slain terrorists fighters were buried according to Muslim tradition and that their relatives would be allowed to visit the graves.
Authorities said the hostages had been freed, and that six more terrorists militants had escaped and were believed to be hiding in the woods.
Nodar Kharshiladze, a deputy interior minister, said, "The backbone of the group is destroyed."
He said, "According to the testimonies of the freed hostages and the names in the passports, we can say that the militants were representatives of one of the North Caucasian nationalities."
The incident began with the local residents taken hostage but that border guards negotiated to take the place of the civilians, who were then released. The border guards themselves were later exchanged for other officers. Shooting broke out after the terrorists militants refused to surrender.
[India Express] A JUNIOR software engineer in the Defence Research Development Organization and a journalist working for a leading local English daily are among 11 people tossed in the clink Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! by the Bangalore police in an alleged terror plot to attack a Right-wing columnist in a prominent Kannada daily, Hindu leaders and politicians.
The Bangalore police's Central Crime Branch, acting on inputs from Andhra Pradesh counter-intelligence authorities gathered after several weeks of monitoring mobile phone activity, placed in long-term storage ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... six persons from Bangalore and five from the north Karnataka town of Hubli on August 29. Most of the tossed in the calaboose Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! have family links in Hubli.
Bangalore Police Commissioner Jyothi Prakash Mirji told a presser on Thursday that the tossed in the calaboose Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! youth were in regular touch with Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... and Harkat-ul-Jehadi-al-Islami (HuJI) Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west. operatives in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face... in connection with the alleged plot.
A 7.65 mm pistol and seven bullets have been shown as recovered from the Bangalore house from where six of the 11 were tossed in the slammer Please don't kill me! on Wednesday evening.
Among them are Muthi-ur-Rehman Siddiqui, 26, a journalist who has been with Deccan Herald for the last three years, Ejaz Mohammed Mirza, 25, a junior engineer in DRDO, his brother Shoaib Ahmed Mirza, 25, a masters in computer applications, and Mohammed Yousuf Nalband, 28, an electrician.
The others tossed in the clink Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! from Bangalore are Abdullah alias Abdul Hakim Jamadar, 25 and Riyaz Ahmed Byahatti, 28.
Among the tossed in the clink Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! from Hubli are Obaidullah Imran Bahadur, 24, Mohammed Sadiq Lashkar, 28, Waheed Hussain, 26, Mahaboob Bagalkote, 26, and Dr Jaffar Iqbal Sholapur.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2012 00:00 ||
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[India Express] The United States on Thursday slapped sanctions on Pakistain-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba's ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... top eight commanders, including Mumbai terrorist attack criminal mastermindSajid Mir and its founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed's ...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain... son.
Announcing the sanctions, the US said LeT, despite being designated as a foreign terrorist organization in January 2002, continues to "operate in Pakistain" and throughout the region and engage in terrorist activities worldwide.
"LeT has conducted numerous terrorist acts against Pak, Indian, Afghan and US interests and is responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed more than 160 people, including six Americans, and the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings that killed more than 180 people," the Department of Treasury said.
Individuals targeted today are based in Pakistain and involved in LeT's propaganda campaigns, financial networks, and logistic support networks.
"Today's targets also include military commanders directly responsible for the murderous 2008 Mumbai attacks as well as attacks on coalition and Afghan forces. Today's designations are designed to undermine LeT's leadership and support networks of LeT that have planned terrorist attacks around the world," the Treasury Department said.
"Today's action against LeT is Treasury's most comprehensive to date against this group and includes individuals participating in all aspects of LeT's operations - from commanders planning attacks to those managing LeT's relationships with other terrorist groups," Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S Cohen said.
This article starring:
Abdullah Mujahid
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Abdullah Muntazir
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Ahmed Yaqub
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Amir Hamza
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Hafiz Khalid Walid
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Qari Muhammad Yaqoob Sheikh
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Sajid Mir
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Talha Saeed
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
08/31/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Sanctions followed by brunch invites to Obambis White House.
Posted by: Steven ||
08/31/2012 18:03 Comments ||
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No one has been apprehended in the December 2011 torching of a mosque, a school and several Shia Moslem homes in Karanggayam village in Madura's Sampang Regency. But in July, a Sampang court sentenced a local Shia Moslem leader, Tajul Muluk, to two years in jail for blasphemy.
Now Shia Moslems in Karanggayam have once again fled their homes after bloody sectarian unrest that left two people dead.
The incident began as Shia students were returning to school after the Idul Fitri holiday, Brigadier General Anang Iskandar, a front man for the Indonesian National Police, told Khabar Southeast Asia.
"It started when about 20 students, Shia Moslems from Karanggayam in Omben sub-district, wanted to return to school in East Java after going home for Lebaran. But they were intercepted by about 30 Sunni Moslems on cycle of violences, who forced them to go to back to their homes," he said.
"The students who had already gotten onto public transportation were told to get off, and weren't allowed to get into any kind of vehicle," he said.
"Then, a mob of about 100 Sunni Moslems told the students' parents who were trying to escort their children onto public transport, to go back to their respective houses. Tempers flared over resistance from the Shia group, so a big fight broke out that drew in even more people," he said.
A fishing bomb (bondet) then went kaboom! in a yard, injuring several Sunnis and provoking retaliation from hundreds of others in the area.
Two Shia Moslems were killed in the incident, named as Muhammad Kosim, or Hamamah, and Tohir. Dozens of people were maimed, and 37 Shia houses were burned to the ground. A police officer from Omben station, Aris Dwi, 44, was struck on the head by a rock.
The location of the incident was remote, about 25km from the city of Sampang and it was difficult for police and firemen to reach. Fire broke out in some 20 locations.
"This isn't at the side of the main road, as many people imagine. Foreign television stations make it look as if we just let it happen. But this location is really far and certainly not easily reached by a fire truck," Minister of Home Affairs Gamawan Fauzi told news hounds at the Grahadi Building in Surabaya on Monday, August 27th.
"It's a tough area, and [obtaining] water is also difficult. These conditions aren't understood by the media," he said.
"We are still afraid"
Now, 212 displaced Shia Moslems -- most of them women, children and elderly people -- are being temporarily housed in an indoor tennis building on Agus Salim Street, in Sampang, under the care of the government of Sampang Regency.
"The most important priority is to provide humanitarian care to the victims and a reasonable place to stay," East Java Governor Soekarwo told journalists in Surabaya Monday (August 27th).
Asked about plans following the evacuation, Soekarwo answered: "We don't know yet the next steps. But in principle, there will be decisive legal action regarding this event, to reinforce democracy in Indonesia."
"The establishment of democracy must be synchronised with law. Thus, the perpetrators must be dealt with based on the procedures," he said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck and Manuel's rivalry was entering a new and more dangerous phase... in order to ensure their safety, the Shia Moslems housed in the tennis building have been forbidden to leave it. The government is providing for their daily needs and has set up a public kitchen.
A total of 102 incidents of unrest struck the four southern border provinces on Friday morning. Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) deputy spokesman Pramote Prom-in said bombs and suspicious objects were planted in many areas, and terrorists insurgents were thought to be to blame.
In the coordinated operation, Thai flags were burned and Malaysian flags raised to mark the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Bersatu separatist movement and Malaysia's National Day, Aug 31.
Security officers were able to disarm most of the bombs, but six soldiers were wounded by explosions in different areas of Narathiwat this morning.
Col Pramote said, "We believe the culprits wanted the incidents to make headlines and they chose to act on Aug 31, which coincides with the national day of Malaysia and the anniversary of the Bersatu's establishment. They [the terrorists insurgents] wanted to arouse their followers in the region."
He said the terrorists insurgents were trying to generate hatred and distrust between the two neighboring countries by burning Thai flags and raising Malaysian flags. He added that Thailand and Malaysia will continue to have a good relationship.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
SYDNEY: Australia mourned yesterday the deaths of five of its soldiers in Afghanistan, three killed by an Afghan army colleague, in the nation's deadliest hours of combat since the Vietnam War.
An armed man riding a 
[Yemen Post] The authorities have 
[India Express] A JUNIOR software engineer in the Defence Research Development Organization and a journalist working for a leading local English daily are among 11 people 
