Indian soldier killed in battle with gunmen
NEW DELHI: An Indian soldier was killed on Thursday during heavy clashes with militants in Indian-administrated Kashmir, the army said, reporting that a "fierce gunfight" was ongoing. The soldier had "sustained grievous injuries in the exchange of fire" and had died "despite best medical efforts", the Indian army's White Knight Corps said. Kashmir has been divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the territory in full. More than 70 people were killed on both sides, the worst conflict since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10.
The army said earlier on Thursday it was carrying out operations with police to "neutralise the terrorists" and that reinforcements had been called in. The clashes in Kishtwar, around 125 kilometres southeast of the key city Srinagar, come a month after the deadly April 22 attack on Indian tourists in Kashmir, which sent relations between India and Pakistan spiralling towards a war. The violence in Indian-run Kashmir is not the first since the ceasefire, with three suspected rebels killed in a gun battle on May 13. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
18 hours ago
- Observer
Assassination threats openly defy global law
In the current tense international climate, speaking openly about the assassination of state leaders is becoming more common. This raises serious concerns about international law, ethics and peace. Recent comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump about Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have shocked many. What used to be unacceptable is now being spoken of as a possible solution. This shows how some leaders are moving away from diplomacy and leaning towards threats and violence. In an interview with ABC News, Netanyahu was asked if Israel might target Khamenei. He replied that Israel was 'doing what we need to do,' which many understood as a suggestion that such an action is being considered. He also said that Iran is working towards nuclear weapons and described the Iranian regime as similar to 'Hitler's nuclear team.' Netanyahu added, 'They chant 'Death to America.' So we're doing something that is in the service of mankind, of humanity, and it's a battle of good against evil'. Trump, known for his strong position on Iran, also made alarming remarks. In 2020, he reportedly refused an Israeli request to assassinate Khamenei, fearing it would start a war. But recently, he said the United States knows where Khamenei is and is 'holding off killing him — for now'. He also claimed that Iran had made two attempts to assassinate him using proxies. In February, Trump warned that if Iran killed him, they would be 'obliterated.' He said, 'Not because of me. If they did that, they would be obliterated. That would be the end. I've left instructions: if they do it, they get obliterated. There won't be anything left'. Iran strongly denied these claims. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called them a 'fabricated scenario' made to destroy the chance of better relations between Iran and the United States'. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, described the accusations as part of a 'repulsive' Israeli campaign to spread fear about Iran. President Masoud Pezeshkian also said Iran never tried to assassinate Trump, calling the claims part of a plan by enemy countries. These statements have caused serious reactions around the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the leaders who responded publicly. Speaking after Trump's comments, Putin said, 'This is not how responsible nations behave. Threatening the life of another country's leader crosses a red line in international conduct.' He also warned that such talk 'creates a precedent that can destabilise relations globally and permanently close the door to peaceful solutions'. A man injured in an Israeli strike, receives medical care at the Rasoul Akram hospital in Tehran as Israel's war with Iran has entered its second week. - AFP Putin's words show how dangerous this kind of language can be. Under international law, including the UN Charter, countries are not allowed to use force or interfere in each other's politics. Talking openly about killing foreign leaders breaks these rules. It also encourages other countries to do the same, creating a very dangerous world where violence becomes normal. The Middle East is already a region filled with wars, tension, and political disputes. If a state leader were to be assassinated, it could easily lead to revenge attacks and a wider war. This would likely involve more countries, and the cost to human life and regional security would be very high. These threats also damage any chance of diplomacy. When world leaders speak about killing each other, it becomes nearly impossible to talk, negotiate or build trust. Instead of solving problems, this kind of talk creates new ones. Political assassinations are not just wrong — they are extremely risky. Leaders must protect their countries, but that does not give them the right to break international law or threaten peace. Even when there are serious disagreements, countries must adhere to the law and resolve issues through diplomatic means. History has shown how killing leaders can lead to terrible consequences. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, for example, helped trigger the First World War. The world should not repeat such mistakes. If leaders truly care about peace and security, they must choose the path of law and dialogue. Netanyahu and Trump's comments should be taken as a warning. The international community must speak clearly: political killings are unacceptable.
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
War escalates as Iran, Israel launch bitter strikes
TEL AVIV/DUBAI: Israel bombed nuclear targets in Iran on Thursday and Iranian missiles hit an Israeli hospital overnight, as the week-old air war escalated with no sign yet of an off-ramp. Following the strike which damaged the Soroka hospital in Israel's southern city of Beersheba, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tehran would pay the "full price". His Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had been instructed to intensify strikes on strategic-related targets in Tehran in order to eliminate the threat to Israel and destabilise the Iranian regime. Netanyahu has said that Israel's military attacks could result in the toppling of Iran's leaders, and Israel would do whatever is necessary to remove the "existential threat" posed by Tehran. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has kept the world guessing about whether Israel's superpower ally would join it in airstrikes. Israel said on Thursday it had struck Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. A military spokesperson initially said it had also hit Bushehr, site of Iran's only functioning nuclear power plant, but a spokesperson later said this was a mistake to have said this. Earlier, Israel said it had hit another nuclear site near Arak overnight, where Iran was building a heavy-water reactor. Israeli emergency services work at the site of an Iranian missile attack, near Tel Aviv. — AFP Trump has veered from proposing a swift diplomatic end to the war to suggesting the United States might join it. On Wednesday he said nobody knows what he will do. A day earlier he mused on social media about killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, then demanded Iran's unconditional surrender. A week of Israeli air and missile strikes against its major rival has wiped out the top echelon of Iran's military command, damaged its nuclear capabilities and killed hundreds of people, while Iranian retaliatory strikes have killed at least two dozen civilians in Israel. Earlier, the Israeli military said it targeted the Khondab nuclear site near Iran's central city Arak overnight, including a partially-built heavy-water research reactor. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which, like enriched uranium, can be used to make the core of an atom bomb. The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, said it had information that the heavy-water research reactor had been hit, but did not contain radioactive material. It had no information that a separate plant there which makes heavy water had been hit. Arash, 33, a government employee in Tehran, said a building next to his home in Tehran's Shahrak-e Gharb neighbourhood had been destroyed in the strikes. "I saw at least three dead children and two women in that building. Is this how Netanyahu plans to 'liberate' Iranians? Stay away from our country," he told Reuters by telephone. Israel has issued evacuation orders for whole sections of Tehran, a city of 10 million. Thousands of residents have fled, jamming the highways out. Samira, 11, had moved in with her grandparents in the northwestern city of Urmia, her family having fled Tehran when a shopping centre near their house was struck. She said she hasn't been able to sleep at night. "I'm afraid Israel will hit our home and my mom will die. I'm too scared. I just want to go home,' she said by phone. A nurse carries medical supplies past a building with smoke billowing out, in southern Israel. — AFP Inside Israel, Iran's retaliatory missile strikes over the past week have been the first time in decades of shadow war that a significant number of Iranian projectiles have pierced defences and killed Israelis in their homes. The director general of the Israeli hospital that was damaged in Beersheba, Shlomi Kodesh, told reporters at the site that a missile strike had destroyed several wards and injured 40 people, mostly staff and patients. "We're trying to minimize the number of people at Soroka. At the moment, we don't know if buildings may collapse or if wards might collapse," he said. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they were targeting Israeli military and intelligence headquarters located near the hospital. An Israeli military official denied there were military targets nearby and said the attack on a hospital was deliberate. Missiles also hit a residential building in Ramat Gan, east of Tel Aviv. — Reuters
Observer
4 days ago
- Observer
Iran has ‘legitimate' right to self-defence, says Erdogan
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Iran had the "legitimate" right to defend itself in the face of Israel's ongoing bombing campaign, now in its sixth day. "It is a very natural, legitimate and legal right for Iran to defend itself against Israel's thuggery and state terrorism," the Turkish leader said, a day after referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "the biggest threat to the security of the region". The long-range blitz began early on Friday, when Israel launched a massive bombing campaign that prompted Iran to hit back with missiles and drones, including hypersonic missiles. "These attacks were organised while the Iranian nuclear negotiations were taking place," Erdogan said. "Israel, which possesses nuclear weapons and does not recognise any international rules... did not wait for the negotiations to end, but carried out a terrorist act without waiting for the result," he added. Iran says at least 224 people have been killed in the Israeli attacks, which have targeted nuclear and military facilities, while Iranian fire on Israel has claimed at least 24 lives and wounded hundreds more, Netanyahu's office said. "We are closely following Israel's terrorist attacks on Iran. All our institutions are on high alert regarding the possible effects of these attacks on Türkiye," Erdogan said. "We are making preparations for every kind of scenario," he said. "Nobody should dare to test us." On Monday, Erdogan said he had ordered the defence industry to increase production of medium and long-range missiles to "increase its level of deterrence" in light of the air war between Israel and Iran. — AFP
