One security force personnel killed, 9 injured in encounter with terrorists in Jammu
Jammu, Apr 22 (PTI) A paramilitary force personnel was killed and nine others were injured after terrorists targeted a CISF bus leading to a gunfight near an Army camp on the outskirts of Jammu early Friday, officials said.
The encounter in Sunjwan took place amid heightened security arrangements in Jammu and Kashmir, two days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Samba district.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) officials said a bus carrying 15 personnel for their morning shift came under attack at 4.25 am near the Chaddha camp area. A senior official of the paramilitary force said the terrorists fired at the bus and lobbed grenades, killing Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) S P Patil and injuring two other occupants of the bus.
The force retaliated effectively, the officer said.
In the counter-terror operation, a terrorist was also killed, the CISF officer said.
However, according to the police, the gunfight began when terrorists opened fire on a search party.
Additional Director General of Police of Jammu Mukesh Singh said the encounter started when the police's Special Operations Group and the CRPF launched a joint search operation in the area.
"We had inputs about terrorists planning something (on the eve of the prime minister's visit). A cordon was laid based on an input and the search party came under fire, resulting in the death of a security jawan and injuries to four others, Singh, who rushed to the scene of the encounter, told reporters.
He said the encounter is still on and further details are awaited.
"It seems they are hiding in a house. The details will be shared later after a thorough search with the first light, the ADGP said.
A total of nine security forces personnel, including two policemen, were injured and taken to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital, the officials said.
Mobile internet services were suspended and schools closed for the day in the vicinity as a precautionary measure.
The officials said at least two heavily-armed terrorists, likely belonging to the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit, are believed to be trapped in a vicinity adjacent to the sprawling Sunjwan military station, the officials said, adding they had apparently come to carry out a major strike in the city.
On February 10 in 2018, three JeM terrorists stormed the Sunjwan Army camp and in the subsequent gunfight, seven persons, including six soldiers, were killed. All the three terrorists were also gunned down.
On National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24, the prime minister is scheduled to visit Pali village, 17 km from here, to address a gathering.
This will be Modi's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir other than borders since the abrogation of the special status of erstwhile state and its bifurcation in August 2019.
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UAE denies Netanyahu secretly visited the country during Iran war
Jerusalem (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-US war with Iran, further strengthening ties with a Gulf nation that normalised relations with Israel in 2020, his office said Wednesday. The UAE denied any secret visit had occurred.
Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates", according to the Israeli statement.
THE UAE's official WAM news agency posted an article denying the report about a Netanyahu visit.
According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel “are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”.
The report also denied any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.
Israel's announcement came a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defence weapons and personnel to operate them to the UAE.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors that it remains open for business and safe.
Last week, WAM reported that Netanyahu was among the leaders who called the Emirati president to condemn Iranian attacks and express their solidarity with the Gulf federation.
It was rare public acknowledgment of direct talks between the countries that normalized relations in the 2020 Abraham Accords and have strengthened their ties during the Iran war.
Iran has criticised that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalising relations.
Iran demands Kuwait release detainees
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Iran's foreign minister accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians that the Gulf Arab country accuses of being Revolutionary Guard operatives.
In a post Wednesday on X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi demanded the Iranians' immediate release and said Iran reserved the right to respond.
“This illegal act took place near an island used by the US to attack Iran,” Araghchi wrote.
A day earlier, Kuwait said four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf on May 1.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Iranian human rights lawyer released
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Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been released from prison more than a month after being detained, a rights group and her daughter said Wednesday.
Sotoudeh, who is known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves, was detained by Iranian intelligence agents at her house in Tehran in April.
Her release comes as US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a long-anticipated visit that is expected to touch on the war in Iran.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which closely tracks developments in Iran, said that Sotoudeh was released on bail from Tehran's Evin Prison.
Her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, posted on social media that Sotoudeh was released on temporary custody. Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency also reported Sotoudeh release.
Sotoudeh has been imprisoned multiple times. Her activist husband, Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned in the same prison as his wife.
Nobel Peace laureate needs long-term care
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Doctors who examined Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi more than a week after she collapsed at a prison in Iran said she needs months of treatment, according to her foundation.
Mohammadi, 53, was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran on May 1 after she fell unconscious. She was released on bail nearly 10 days later and transferred to a hospital in Tehran where her specialists examined her.
The doctors said her vascular disease has worsened since she was last checked in 2024 and recommended eight months of treatment.
She was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her latest imprisonment began in December when she was arrested in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
