US to stay neutral as India, Pak prepare for UN showdown

US to stay neutral as India, Pak prepare for UN showdown

“What we have said — nothing is changed about our view that we want to see India and Pakistan work this out bilaterally,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby when asked to define the US policy on Kashmir.

GKNN
Washington, Publish Date: Sep 18 2016 11:55PM | Updated Date: Sep 18 2016 11:55PM

As Pakistan prepares to highlight the current situation in India-held Kashmir at the UN General Assembly and India plans to counter it by raising the Baloch issue, the United States has made it clear that it will not back either side.

“What we have said — nothing is changed about our view that we want to see India and Pakistan work this out bilaterally,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby when asked to define the US policy on Kashmir.

The US was one of the co-sponsors of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 47 that calls for “a free and impartial plebiscite” in Jammu and Kashmir on the question of its accession to India or Pakistan. But since then, it has slightly changed its position and for the past several decades calls for bilateral talks between the two countries for resolving this dispute. Belgium, Canada, China,

Colombia and Britain were the other sponsors of the resolution that the UN Security Council adopted at its 286th meeting on April 21, 1948.

When asked how he viewed Pakistan’s efforts to raise the issue at international forums, Kirby said: “That’s for them to speak to.”

A popular uprising in the Kashmir valley this summer has once again highlighted the issue as about 100 people have already been killed and almost 10,000 injured in clashes with Indian security forces.

The killings forced UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al Hussein to declare that an international probe into Kashmir killings was imperative now.

Amnesty International also asked India to let its representatives visit the valley to assess the situation but instead of allowing it to do so, an Indian court registered a sedition case against the rights group.
In Islamabad, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters that Pakistan would ‘forcefully’ raise the Kashmir issue at the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also said that he would raise the Kashmir issue in his address, urging the international community to live up to their promise of the right to self-determination to the people of Kashmir.

Sharif, who arrives in New York on Sunday, has appointed 20 special envoys to travel across the globe for drawing attention to the situation in Kashmir.

Two senior envoys — Senator Mushahid Hussain and AJK President Masood Khan — are coming to Washington early next month to raise the issue with US leaders and at American think-tanks.

India plans to counter Pakistan’s efforts by raising the Baloch issue at the UN and other world forums, arguing that the Baloch are also seeking independence from Pakistan and deserve international support.

India is also backing efforts of some Baloch activists to hold a demonstration outside the UN headquarters during the prime minister’s speech.

Both Pakistan and India are trying to persuade the US to support their positions. The US, however, appears to have decided not to take sides.

Kirby’s stance that the Kashmir dispute should be settled bilaterally between Pakistan and India is apparently a damper for Pakistan’s efforts to persuade other nations to condemn Indian atrocities in the Kashmir valley.

But his statement on Balochistan, at an earlier briefing, was equally, if not more, disappointing for India. He declared unequivocally that “the US government respects the unity and territorial integrity of Pakistan and we do not support independence for Balochistan”.

At Friday’s briefing, the State Department spokesman also ignored efforts to make him condemn the ongoing paramilitary operations in Karachi, but did convey US concern over the situation.

 “We’re monitoring those events very closely,” said Kirby when asked what the US assessment was of the Karachi situation.

 “We’re aware that Pakistani security forces have arrested some MQM members allegedly involved in violent protests and that these operations have included the closure and demolition of offices deemed to have been illegally constructed,” he said. “But I’m going to refer you to the government of Pakistan for the latest information about these events.”

Asked if the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had shared its assessment of the situation in Karachi with the State Department, Kirby said: “I’m not aware that there had been specific concerns relayed to us by members of the MQM.”

“But have you spoken to the Pakistani officials on this?” asked the reporter. “We routinely communicate with our Pakistani counterparts about issues like this,” the US official replied.

 (The DAWN)

Kashmir: 17 Indian soldiers killed, 19 injured

17 soldiers killed, 19 injured after ‘fidayeen’ storm army headquarter in Uri

4 militants also gunned down; Army says identity of attackers being ascertained

ABID BASHIR

Uri (Baramulla), Publish Date: Sep 18 2016 11:28PM | Updated Date: Sep 19 2016 12:59AM
17 soldiers killed, 19 injured after ‘fidayeen’ storm army headquarter in Uri
Photo: Firdous Hassan/GK

In one of the deadliest militant strikes on forces in Kashmir in the recent past, four heavily-armed ‘fidayeen’ (suicide attackers) stormed an Army’s brigade headquarters in Uri town of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district in an audacious pre-dawn strike on Sunday, killing at least 17 soldiers while leaving 20 others injured, four of them critically, officials and reports said. Four militants were also killed in over three-hour-long gunfight.

Sources in the Army said four of the injured soldiers were critical and one of them was airlifted to New Delhi for specialized treatment. The rest of the injured are being treated at Army’s 92-base hospital in Srinagar.

The Uri attack comes barely eight days after four militants took shelter at a mini-secretariat near Army’s 93 Brigade headquarters in Poonch area of Jammu province and started heavy firing, killing a policeman and injuring two others. All the four militants were killed in the gunfight that had lasted for two days.

The Uri fidayeen attack has taken place at a time when Kashmir is witnessing an anti-India uprising amid complete shutdown that entered its 72nd day on Sunday. At least 86 people have been killed so far in the uprising triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8.
The Uri attack, according to a senior Army officer, took place at 5:25 am as the militants, armed with automatic rifles and grenades, stormed the Army’s battalion headquarters of 10 Dogra regiment in Uri town—over 100 kms north of summer capital Srinagar.

“The militants attacked with the first light of the day. Four Army barracks got gutted in the encounter while many makeshift barracks were also destroyed,” Army officials in Srinagar said.

According to a statement issued by the Army’s Northern Command, which is based in Udhampur district in Jammu region, a group of heavily-armed militants targeted the rear administrative base of a unit in Uri early in the morning.  “In the counter action, four militants have been eliminated and combing operations are in progress,” the statement read. “The administrative base had large strength of troops of units turning over after their tour of duty, who were stationed in tents/temporary shelters which caught fire, and resulted in heavy casualties. We salute the sacrifice of 17 soldiers killed in the operation."

Another statement from Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps headquarters said three of the four militants were killed in the first 15 minutes of the attack while the fourth one was killed later.

“At least 13 soldiers died after they were trapped in the tents due to the blaze caused by the explosives used by the militants,” the statement said.

A senior army official posted in Baramulla said the militants, who were four, seemed to have infiltrated on the very morning “with the sole motive of inflicting heavy causalities.”

“We are ascertaining the route used by the militants while they sneaked in. They were highly-trained and right away targeted the tents in which soldiers were sleeping,” he said. “By 8:30 am, we were able to kill all the four militants.”

Army sources said four barracks and many tents in which soldiers were sleeping were burnt as militants fired indiscriminately at these accommodations. “The fire later engulfed the nearby barracks, destroying at least four of them. Later, they (militants) took positions and continued throwing grenades and fired from automatic rifles,” they said. “13 soldiers died due to the fire in tents in which they were sleeping. Four others succumbed later.”

Army said four AK riffles, grenade launchers and “war-like stores” have been recovered from the slain militants.

“Some important documents, maps and GPS equipment have also been recovered from the slain militants, who seem to be foreigners. We will analyze and conduct a thorough inspection of the items recovered from their possession,” the Army officials said.

They said preliminary reports suggest that militants had sneaked in from an area near Salamabad stream in Uri. “It is believed that the four militants had cut the fence before making their way into this side,” they said.

The Army admitted that the Uri attack is first of its kind in recent years wherein they have suffered huge loss of soldiers. In January this year, seven forces personnel were killed when six militants attacked Pathankot air-base in Punjab.

Today’s attack comes two years after militants carried out a similar attack at Mohra in Uri sector. 10 security personnel were killed in the attack that took place on December 5, 2014.

‘MOPPING OPERATION ON’

Army sources said mopping operation was going on in the area to ensure it is completely sanitized. “This is a routine procedure to ensure the affected area is free and safe. Helicopters are also being pressed into service to ensure complete sensitization of the area. The Army is professionally conducting the combing operation of the entire area, including the military complex in Uri,” a source said. “Combing operation is an essential part of every operation. It may continue for a day or more. There may be some scattered unexploded shells or grenades thrown by the militants. The area has to be cleared in a very professional way.”

‘INQUIRY LIKELY INTO LAPSES’

A top Army official disclosed to Greater Kashmir that a high-level inquiry would be ordered into the Uri attack soon after bodies of all the soldiers would reach their native places for the last rites. “Yes there will be an inquiry to check the loopholes, if any, before, during or after the attack,” he said. “Every incident leaves lessons behind. We will surely go for a detailed inquiry as to how the militants managed to sneak in and what were there plans, and also whether there were any lapses from our side.”

RESIDENTS ‘FRIGHTENED’

Locals in Uri woke up to a frightening morning on Sunday. They said they heard heavy firing at 5 am. “Since firing is nothing new for us, we thought it is some ceasefire violation or routine drill going on. The firing didn’t stop for at least 45 to 50 minutes. We also heard big sounds of explosions,” said Abdul Aziz Khan, who resides in Uri town.

Abdul Jabbar, a nomad from Jabla village of Uri, said the firing reminded him of the initial days of heavy exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani army. “We thought a war has started as firing and explosions were not stopping. The entire Uri town woke up to a very frightening morning. I remember firing stopped at 8:20 am,” he said.

SLAIN SOLDIERS

Suebedar Karnail Singh; Havaldar Ravi Paul; Sepoy Rakesh Singh; Sepoy Javra Nunda; Naiman Kujur; Sepoy Upjan Rao; Havaldar (Chef) N S Rawat; Sepoy (Painter) Ganesh Shankar; N K SK Vidharti; Sepoy (Chef) Ghorai; Lance Naik G Shanker; Sepoy (chef) G Dalai; Lance Naik R K Yadav. Sources said the identity of four slain soldiers was yet to be done.

“The slain soldiers belonged to 10 Dogra and 6 Bihar regiments,” sources said.

Leaked: Source Reveals Coordination between US, ISIS in Attacking Syrian Army

Leaked: Source Reveals Coordination between US, ISIS in Attacking Syrian Army

By Alalam
Global Research, September 18, 2016
Al-Alama 18 September 2016

The ISIS launched attacks on the Syrian army positions in Deir Ezzor only 7 minutes after the US-led coalition’s airstrikes on Saturday, a military source said, adding that the air and ground assault were highly coordinated, According to FNA report.

The source said after the coalition’s pounding of the Syrian army near Deir Ezzor airbase, the ISIS could take full control of al-Tharda mountain and then Deir Ezzor military base, adding that the army and national defense forces deployed near the airbase immediately won it back from the terrorists by launching a counterattack.

Noting that Deir Ezzor is now almost in tranquility and no change has occurred in the military map of the region, the source said by attacking the Syrian army positions, the US seeks to prevent military operations to break the terrorists’ siege on the city.

Leaked Document: Source Reveals Coordination between US, ISIS in Attacking Syrian Army

The source said the simultaneous raid of the ISIL terrorists immediately after the coalition airstrikes is the best evidence of the high coordination done between the US and the terrorists.

Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that four strikes against Syrian positions had been delivered by US-led coalition aircraft, including two F-16 jet fighters and two A-10 support aircraft.

The Syrian military called the bombing a “serious and blatant aggression” against Syrian forces, and said it was “conclusive evidence” that the US and its allies support ISIL militants.

Also on Sunday, the Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman blasted Washington over the recent airstrikes near Deir Ezzor, and said such moves serves the interests of the ISIS terror group.

“If previously we had suspicions that Fatah al-Sham Front (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) is protected this way, now, after Saturday airstrikes on the Syrian army we come to a really terrifying conclusion for the entire world: The White House is defending the ISIL,” Maria Zakharova said.

“We demand a full and detailed explanation from Washington. That explanation must be given at the UN Security Council,” she added.

Russia has demanded full and detailed explanation from Washington over the incident in Deir Ezzor, in which 62 Syrian troops were killed and over 100 injured.

The original source of this article is Al-Alama
Copyright © Alalam, Al-Alama, 2016

Kilinochchi market complex gone in blazing inferno

Kilinochchi market complex gone in blazing inferno

Kilinochchi market complex

The Kilinochchi market complex with some 120 shops was razed to the ground in a massive fire which erupted on Friday night, police said. Kilinochchi region’s Deputy Inspector General W.M.R.M. Welikanna said special police teams were deployed for investigations. Ceylon Electricity Board officials were also carrying out on-the-spot investigations as initial reports seem to suggest that faulty wiring may have caused the fire, he said.

District Secretary S. Arumainayagam said damages so far were estimated at a massive Rs. 400 million. Initially, the area’s people had tried to douse the fire and later some 100 Army personnel had also joined with some three water bowsers, but were not successful. They then summoned the fire brigade from Jaffna but it took about two hours for firefighters to arrive and by that time, the whole market complex was gone in the inferno.

Shop owners, dazed by shock and horror, were pleading that the Government should give them compensation.

Source: Sunday Times

Zeid lets Sri Lanka off the hook

Zeid lets Sri Lanka off the hook in his address to the 33rd session of the UNHRC
By P.K.Balachandran Published: 14th September 2016

Prince Zeid | EPS

Colombo, September 14: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid, did not mention Sri Lanka in his opening address at the 33 rd. session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Tuesday.

 This was because the theme of his speech was the problem of countries not giving access to UN rights investigative teams and the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government in Sri Lanka, which came to power in January 2015, has been giving access to UN rights teams. The new government has also been making some progress in implementing the October 2015 UNHRC resolution on war time rights violations.  

Among the countries which have not given the UN rights investigators are: the US, India, Pakistan, Nepal, China, Israel, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Turkey, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Gambia, and Crimea.

India denied access to a UN team meant to investigate the violence in Kashmir saying that it has mechanisms to deal with the crisis democratically and that much of the trouble in Kashmir is due to terrorism exported by Pakistan to India.  Pakistan said that it can allow a UN team to visit its portion of Kashmir if India also gives similar access.    

About the United States not giving access, Zeid said: “I have repeatedly expressed my dismay at the failure of the Government to accept the Special Rapporteur on Torture's request to enter the Guantanamo Bay detention centre and conduct confidential interviews, as is the agreed practice for all the Council’s experts. Guantanamo has long been a space of reported serious violations. The evasive tactics of the US authorities with respect to requests by international human rights mandates are deeply regrettable.”

No Invasion Of Sovereignty

Denying that UN’s missions can compromise national sovereignties, Zeid said: I am told repeatedly by members of Government and Permanent Missions that human rights are being misused as a pretext for interference in the affairs of sovereign nations. It is suggested the struggle against discrimination violates cultural values. Officials have protested that human rights officers observing a public street demonstration are "interfering" in the State's internal affairs.”

“Statements by my Office regarding credible allegations of violations – including excessively broad and violent security sweeps; prosecutions that appear politically motivated; and the massive use of capital punishment for crimes not consistent with the norms laid out by the ICCPR – are deemed "biased", "irresponsible", "misleading" or based on "false" premises.”

“ Monitoring activities, and advocacy intended to help better protect the people of your countries, are refuted as somehow violating the principle of State sovereignty – or even the UN Charter.”

It may be useful to recall the many attempts made by the apartheid régime of South Africa to claim that the General Assembly’s resolutions opposing apartheid constituted a prohibited "intervention" in its domestic jurisdiction. These efforts to shield serious human rights violations from outside scrutiny were conclusively and repeatedly rejected by the General Assembly.”

“Under international law, wrongful intervention – as prohibited in Article 2(7) of the UN Charter – is by nature coercive. And it should be obvious that my Office has no coercive power. No activity that we undertake can possibly be considered constitutive of a prohibited "intervention".

“We seek to strengthen national protection systems, not violate them. We do not threaten invasion, nor do we finance or organize sedition; we request access, in order to establish a neutral clarity about the facts on the ground. And access only becomes possible when the State extends an invitation to us; it cannot be forced open by OHCHR.”

“We request access so we can better work to help bring your laws and practices in line with international agreements which you, the States drafted and ratified – and to assist you to comply with recommendations which you have publicly, and often fulsomely, accepted.

Human Rights A Transnational Issue

Human rights are not exclusively a national issue, Zeid said.

“Governments have the responsibility to uphold their human rights obligations and to respect the standards. But the human rights of all people, in all countries, also require – unquestionably ­– our collective attention. The Vienna Declaration, adopted unanimously 23 years ago, confirmed this: "the promotion and protection of all human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community."

“This language was also echoed by GA Resolution 48/141, which calls on the High Commissioner to "play an active role in removing current obstacles... to the full realization of all human rights and in preventing the continuation of human rights violations throughout the world,” the Human Rights High Commissioner said.

US and Israel sign record $38bn military aid deal

NEWSISRAEL15 SEPTEMBER 2016
US and Israel sign record $38bn military aid deal
US president says the 10-year, $38bn arms deal will help bolster Israel's security in "a dangerous neighbourhood".

The United States has signed a record $38bn deal to provide Israel with military assistance over a 10-year period - the largest such agreement ever by the US with any country.

Following 10 months of frequently tense negotiations, the two allies finalised the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a signing ceremony on Wednesday in Washington DC.

"Both Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and I are confident that the new MOU will make a significant contribution to Israel's security in what remains a dangerous neighbourhood," US President Barack Obama said in a statement, according to Reuters news agency.  

Under the terms, Israel will receive $3.8bn a year from the US - up from the $3.1bn Washington currently gives Israel annually under a 10-year deal that ends in 2018.

The agreement was described as the "single largest pledge of bilateral military assistance in US history", but it also involves major concessions by the Israeli government, which will no longer be able to seek additional annual funds from the US Congress over and above the new package.

Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Washington DC, said the annual $3.8bn figure did not mark a big change "compared with what Israel was getting in 2015 or 2016".

"It sounds like a bit of a difference, but then if you look at the money that the US Congress routinely gives Israel on top of that $3.1bn, it's really not that much more," Culhane said.

"In 2015, the US Congress gave Israel $620m for missile defence, so basically Israel is going to get the same amount as it's been getting."

The figure also is significantly lower compared with the $4.5bn - $5bn sums that Netanyahu said he was seeking when he first entered the negotiations, according to Culhane.


Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said Obama had to answer why the US signed now a record military assistance deal with Israel.

"Why is the American military aid increasing, and not decreasing?" Bishara said, citing Israel's peace agreements with neighbours such as Egypt and Jordan, as well as Iran's recent nuclear deal.

"Whenever the situation improves for Israel, American aid increases. And what happens? The Israeli policy becomes more and more radicalised. Today, and for the last 40 years, Israel has become ever more radical. The more aid it got, the more radical Israel has become.

"That's the question for President Obama to answer."

Efraim Inbar, a professor at Israel's Bar-Ilan university, told Al Jazeera from Jerusalem that Israel needed the agreement to upgrade ageing weapons systems, including aircraft and missile batteries.

"And there are many more threats looming over the horizon: Iran may become nuclear, the Islamic State is still there, there is a possibility of an escalation over the Golan Heights border," he said, referring to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). 

Under the deal, Israel's ability to spend part of the US funds on Israeli military products will be gradually phased out, eventually requiring all of the funds to be spent on American military industries, according to the Associated Press news agency.

Israel's preference for spending some of the US funds domestically had been a major sticking point in the deal.

The new US-Israel agreement also includes, for the first time, $5bn funding for missile defence programmes. Under the previous arrangement, Congress approved funds for missile defence separately and on an annual basis.

The deal was reached despite mounting frustration within the Obama administration at Israel's policy of building settler homes on occupied Palestinian territory.

Washington has warned that Netanyahu's policies are putting at risk hopes of an eventual peace deal.

US to renew military logistical pact it signed with MR govt

US to renew military logistical pact it signed with MR govt
September 16, 2016, 12:00 pm

By Shamindra Ferdinando

The US intends to extend a military logistical agreement it entered into with the previous Rajapaksa administration in March 2007.

Then Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and then US Ambassador Robert Blake signed the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) in Colombo.

Left parties at the time condemned the ACSA both in and outside parliament.

The agreement valid for 10 years is meant to facilitate transfer and exchange of logistics supplies, support and re-fuelling services.

Asked by The Island whether ACSA would be extended for another 10-year period and perhaps further, a US spokesperson said: "The U.S seeks to renew the Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement signed in 2007."

In the wake of the March 2007 agreement signing, Ambassador Blake said the ACSA would allow the U.S. and Sri Lanka to transfer and exchange logistics supplies, support, and re-fuelling services during peacekeeping missions, humanitarian operations and joint exercises.

Authoritative sources said that Sri Lanka had been reluctant to finalise ACSA though the two countries discussed the matter for many years. The UNP-led UNF government dealt with ACSA during 2002-2003 period though it couldn’t be finalised, sources said.

War veteran Rajapaksa received President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s blessings to finalise the ACSA in spite of some UPFA constituents strongly opposing enhanced defence ties with world’s solitary superpower. The agreement came into being significant US backing for war effort against the LTTE. Acting on intelligence provided by the US, the Navy hunted down four LTTE floating arsenals on the high seas in 2007. The US also thwarted an LTTE attempt to acquire surface-to-air missiles at the onset of Eelam War IV in addition to providing 30 units of Bush Master Cannon for Navy Fast Attack Craft (FACs).

Confirmation of US intention was made in the wake US Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visiting Colombo. Mabus also visited Trincomalee Naval Dockyard on Monday to observe joint training involving US and Sri Lankan personnel.

Recently, the US and India signed Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) governing the use of each other’s land, air and naval bases for repair and resupply. The agreement is meant to facilitate the provision of logistical support, supplies, and services between the U.S. and Indian militaries on a reimbursable basis, providing a framework to govern them.

U.S.-led jets kill dozens of Syrian soldiers

U.S.-led jets kill dozens of Syrian soldiers: Russia, monitor

U.S.-led coalition jets bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, killing dozens of Syrian soldiers, Russia and a war monitor said, paving the way for Islamic State to briefly overrun it.

The U.S. military, in an apparent admission that it may have hit the position, said in a statement that coalition air strikes near Deir al-Zor had been halted when Russia told coalition officials they may have hit the Syrian army.

Syria's army general command said in a statement that the air strike was "conclusive evidence" of U.S. support for Islamic State, noting that the strike was "dangerous and blatant aggression".

Islamic State said in a statement on its Amaq news channel that it had gained "complete control" over Jebel Tharda but both Syrian state television and Russian state media said the positions lost to the militant group were later recaptured.

The defense ministry in Russia, which has been aiding Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, said U.S. jets had killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers in four air strikes by two F-16s and two A-10s coming from the direction of Iraq.

"Syria is a complex situation with various military forces and militias in close proximity, but coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit," U.S. officials said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group with contacts across the country, cited a military source at Deir al-Zor airport as saying that at least 80 Syrian soldiers had been killed in the strike.

Russia's Defence Ministry said that if the coalition bombing was a mistake, it was evidence of Washington's "stubborn refusal" to coordinate its actions with Russia's government.

The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against Islamic State since September 2014 and is also supporting rebels against Assad elsewhere in Syria.

The Observatory said that Russian jets had been conducting bombing in the area at the same time, and that violent clashes took place afterwards between Islamic State and the Syrian army around the position.

Syria's army controls Deir al-Zor airport and parts of the city which are otherwise entirely surrounded by territory held by Islamic State.

The United States and Russia agreed a deal on Syria last week, involving a ceasefire which came into effect on Monday, aid deliveries to besieged areas and eventual joint targeting of militant jihadist groups if the truce works out.

Syria's war between Assad and rebels seeking to topple him has drawn in regional and global powers and allowed militant jihadist groups including Islamic State to gain territory and inspire attacks.

(Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Louise Ireland and Dominic Evans)
=========

WORLD NEWS | Sat Sep 17, 2016 | 5:53pm EDT
U.S.-led forces strike Syrian troops, Russia calls emergency U.N. meeting
By Angus McDowall and Andrew Osborn | BEIRUT/MOSCOW

U.S.-led coalition air strikes killed dozens of Syrian soldiers on Saturday, Russia and a monitoring group said, putting a U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire in jeopardy and prompting Moscow to seek an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting.

The United States military said the coalition stopped the air strike against what it had believed to be Islamic State positions in northeast Syria after Russia informed it that Syrian military personnel and vehicles may have been hit.

A U.S. military official said he was "pretty sure" targets mistakenly hit in the coalition strikes were Syrian forces.

Russia called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the air strikes, which allowed Islamic State militants to briefly overrun a Syrian army position near Deir al-Zor airport.

"We are reaching a really terrifying conclusion for the whole world: That the White House is defending Islamic State. Now there can be no doubts about that," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying.

She said the strikes threatened to undermine the ceasefire in Syria brokered by Russia, which has been aiding Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war, and the United States, which has backed some rebel groups.

The Russian Defence Ministry said U.S. jets had killed more than 60 Syrian soldiers in four air strikes by two F-16s and two A-10s coming from the direction of Iraq.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group with contacts across the country, cited a military source at Deir al-Zor airport as saying that at least 80 Syrian soldiers had been killed.

The ceasefire, which took effect on Monday, is the most significant peacemaking effort in Syria for months but has been undermined by repeated accusations of violations on both sides and by a failure to bring humanitarian aid to besieged areas.

As well as the U.S. and Russian involvement, Assad is supported by Iran and Arab Shi'ite militias, while Sunni rebels seeking to unseat him are backed by Turkey and Gulf Arab states.

All those warring parties are also sworn enemies of the Islamic State jihadist group, whose territory extends along the Euphrates valley from the Iraqi border, including around Deir al-Zor, up to land near Syria's frontier with Turkey.

In its sixth year, the conflict has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced half of Syria's pre-war population, prompted a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe and inspired a wave of jihadist attacks across the world.

Syria's army said the strikes, which took place at around 5 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) were "conclusive evidence" of U.S. support for Islamic State, calling them "dangerous and blatant aggression".

The U.S. military said in its statement that Syria was a "complex situation" but that "coalition forces would not intentionally strike a known Syrian military unit".

Islamic State said via its Amaq news channel it had taken complete control of Jebel Tharda, where the bombed position was located, which would have allowed it to overlook government-held areas of Deir al-Zor.

The city's airport and some districts have been entirely surrounded by Islamic State since last year, with the airport providing their only external access.

However, Russia and Syrian state media said the Syrian army later recaptured positions it lost. The Observatory monitoring group said at least 20 Islamic State fighters were killed in heavy Russian air strikes during that fighting.

The incident threatens to undermine not only the ceasefire agreement, but also proposed joint targeting by the United States and Russia of Islamic State and some other jihadist groups across Syria.

SHAKY TRUCE

Earlier on Saturday, Russia and Syrian rebels cast doubt over the prospects for the increasingly shaky ceasefire, with Moscow saying the situation was worsening and a senior insurgent warning that the truce "will not hold out".

While the ceasefire has reduced fighting, some violence has persisted across Syria. Meanwhile, there has been little movement on promised aid deliveries to besieged areas and both sides have accused the other of bad faith.

Russia's Defence Ministry said conditions in Syria were deteriorating, adding that it believed the ceasefire had been breached 199 times by rebels and saying the United States would be responsible if it were to collapse.

After the Deir al-Zor air strike, it said Moscow had told the United States to rein in the Syrian opposition and make sure it did not launch a new offensive, adding that it had told Washington about a concentration of rebels north of Hama.

Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal, which they believe is skewed against them, because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control, and blamed Russia for undermining the truce.

"The truce, as we have warned, and we told the (U.S.) State Department - will not hold out," a senior rebel official in Aleppo said, pointing to the continued presence of a U.N. aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission to enter.

OVERNIGHT SHELLING

Both sides have accused the other of being responsible for aid deliveries being stuck far from Aleppo, where army and rebel forces were supposed to pull back from the Castello Road which leads into besieged, insurgent-held eastern districts.

Russia on Friday said the Syrian army had initially withdrawn but returned to its positions after being fired on by rebels, who in turn say they saw no sign of government forces ever leaving their positions.

"There is no change," said Zakariya Malahifji, an official for a rebel group in Aleppo on Saturday, asked whether there had been any move by the army to withdraw from positions along the road.

Syria's government said it was doing all that was necessary for the arrival of aid to those in need it in all parts of the country, particularly to eastern Aleppo.

Two convoys of aid for Aleppo have been waiting at the Turkish border for days. The U.N. has said both sides in the war are to blame for the delay of aid to Aleppo, where neither has yet withdrawn from the Castello Road into the city.

The government said the road was being fired on by rebels, which they deny, so it could not give convoys a guarantee of safety.

Senior U.N. officials have accused the government of not providing letters to allow convoys to reach other besieged areas in Syria.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Katya Golubkova and Andrew Osborn in Moscow, Olesya Astakhova in Bishkek, Phil Stewart and Patricia Zengerle in Washington and Humeyra Pamuk in Istanbul Editing by Dominic Evans)
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WORLD NEWS | Sat Sep 17, 2016 | 4:14pm EDT
Syrian army says U.S.-led coalition jets bombed it in support of Islamic State
Syria's army general command said warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition bombed a Syrian army position at Jebel Tharda near Deir al-Zor airport on Saturday, paving the way for Islamic State fighters to overun it.

The air strike killed Syrian soldiers and was "conclusive evidence" that the U.S. and its allies support the jihadist group, the Syrian army said in a statement, noting that the strike was "dangerous and blatant aggression".

The U.S.-led coalition has been conducting air strikes against Islamic State since September 2014. In December Damascus accused the coalition of striking an army camp near Deir al-Zor, but Washington said it was done by Russian jets.

A strike list issued by the U.S. on Saturday said it had carried out a strike at Deir al-Zor against five Islamic State supply routes, as well as strikes near Raqqa and elsewhere in Syria.

Syria's army controls Deir al-Zor airport and parts of the city which are otherwise entirely surrounded by territory held by Islamic State.

The United States and Russia agreed a deal on Syria last week, involving a ceasefire which came into effect on Monday, aid deliveries to besieged areas and eventual joint targeting of militant jihadist groups if the truce works out.

Syria's five-year civil war between President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking to topple him has drawn in regional and global powers and allowed militant jihadist groups including Islamic State to gain territory and inspire attacks.

(Reporting by Angus McDowall; Editing by Louise Ireland)
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அப்பு பாலன் திடலில் கழகம் ஏற்ற சபதம்

சபத முழக்கத்தை செவிமடுக்க உருவப்படத்தில் இரட்டை அழுத்தம் செய்க.

"cow vigilante groups" raped a Muslim Women in Haryana-India

A Muslim woman who was gang raped in India has said her attackers asked her whether she ate beef in what some suspect was another crime by Hindu vigilante groups.

The 20-year-old and her 14-year-old cousin were attacked by a group of men who trespassed into their home in Mewat, Haryana, and murdered their uncle and aunt before sexually assaulting the female victims two weeks ago.

Local police originally arrested four men for trespass and sexual assault, but after protests from the local community the men were charged with murder.

Now the older victim has said the men asked the victims whether they ate beef before insisting they did and proceeding to attack them.

She told NDTV: “They asked if we eat beef. We said we don't, but they insisted we did.
"Then they said we're hurting you before so you don't and that if we tell anyone w
Senior police officers have so far reportedly said the men had no link to so-called "cow vigilante groups".

But the Muslim community has expressed fears about a rise in attacks by Hindu groups.

Many Hindus consider cows sacred and the slaughter of the animal is banned in Haryana, along with several other states.

Earlier this year two Muslim women were reportedly been beaten up at a train station in India on suspicion of carrying beef.