Pakistani intruder shot dead by BSF along Punjab border
Jalandhar (Punjab) (PTI): A suspected Pakistani intruder trying to infiltrate into India from the Punjab border was shot dead by the BSF amid an ongoing "high alert" ahead of Independence Day.
A Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said the man was spotted "surreptitiously" crossing the international boundary in the Dal village of Tarn Taran district around 8:30 pm on Monday and approaching the border fence.
The BSF personnel on duty challenged the intruder but he did not stop and continued to advance towards the border security fence, the spokesperson said.
"Sensing imminent danger and keeping in view the high alert situation on the border in the wake of the forthcoming Independence Day, the troops on duty fired upon the advancing intruder, neutralising him on the spot," he said.
"Vigilant BSF troops once again successfully foiled the nefarious intentions of cross-border terror syndicate to carry out this infiltration bid into the Indian territory from across the border," said the spokesperson.
The BSF, which guards the 553-kilometre-long India-Pakistan frontier in Punjab, has declared a high alert on the frontline from August 10 in the wake of Independence Day events on August 15.
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Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
