Fight breaks out between Punjab Police and Punjab National Bank during Nehru Hockey final
New Delhi, Nov 25: In a big embarrassment for Indian hockey, players of Punjab Police and Punjab National Bank on Monday got involved in an ugly fight during the final of the 56th Nehru Hockey Tournament.
It forced national federation Hockey India to seek a detailed report from the tournament organisers.
The brawl started while PNB was on the attack inside the Punjab Police circle. Both teams were locked at 3-3 at that point of time.
The players exchanged blows and fought with sticks inside the turf for a while before the tournament officials rushed to douse the fire.
The match continued following a brief interruption with eight players on each side after the on-field umpires showed red cards to three players each from both teams. Besides, the Punjab Police manager was also shown the red card for instigating his players.
PNB, eventually, lifted the title by winning the match 6-3.
The incident didn't go down well with Hockey India, which immediately sought a detailed report from its Tournament Director, Mahesh Kumar.
"We are waiting for the official report from the tournament officials and on its basis Hockey India will take necessary action," HI CEO Elena Norman said.
Repeated attempts from PTI to reach out to the tournament director went in vain.
Indian Olympic Association President Narinder Batra, who is also the chief of International Hockey Federation (FIH), also called on HI to take strict action against the players and officials involved in the ruckus.
"Such irresponsible teams and their careless and uncensored managements, such players and weak and spineless organising committees spoil the name of the game and bring bad reputation to the sport," a fuming Batra said.
"I urge Hockey India to take maximum strict action," he added.
#WATCH Delhi: Scuffle broke out between Punjab Police Hockey & Punjab National Bank Hockey teams during Nehru Cup finals. Elena Norman, Hockey India CEO says, "We're awaiting official report from Tournament officials, based on which Hockey India will take necessary action." pic.twitter.com/Yz3LAtGPl7
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2019
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Trump says Islamic State group leader was killed in joint US-Nigerian mission
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump said US and Nigerian forces killed a leader of the Islamic State group in Nigeria in a mission carried out Friday.
Trump announced the joint operation in a late-night social media post that offered few details. He said Abu Bakr al-Mainuki was second in command of the Islamic State group globally and “thought he could hide in Africa, but little did he know we had sources who kept us informed on what he was doing.”
The US viewed Al-Mainuki as the key figure in IS organising and finance, and believed he was plotting attacks against the United States and its interests, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to share sensitive information.
Born in Nigeria's Borno province in 1982, al-Mainuki took the helm of the IS branch in West Africa after the group's previous leader in the region, Mamman Nur, was killed in 2018, according to the Counter Extremism Project, which tracks militant groups.
Al-Mainuki was based in the Sahel area, the monitoring group said, adding that it is believed that he fought in Libya when IS was active in the North African nation more than a decade ago. He was sanctioned by the US in 2023.
Trump in December directed US forces to launch strikes against the Islamic State group in Nigeria, though he released little detail then about the impact.
Nigeria has been battling multiple armed groups, including at least two affiliated with IS.
The Friday night operation was the latest instance in a string of covert missions abroad that Trump has announced this year, starting with the stunning overnight raid in January to capture and remove Venezuela's then-leader Nicolás Maduro and whisk him to the US, followed nearly two months later by the launch of strikes that kicked off the war with Iran.
