Pak security forces eliminate key TTP figures in Karachi
KARACHI, July 28: Three Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, including the mastermind behind an attack on Chinese engineers last year, were killed in an encounter in the southern port city of Karachi.
The operation was carried out jointly by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and intelligence agencies. The terrorists opened fire when they spotted police teams approaching them, triggering a gunfight that lasted over an hour. All three terrorists belonged to the TTP. A suicide jacket, three grenades, a Kalashnikov rifle, two pistols, and a large cache of ammunition were recovered from the site. The terrorist, who carried a Rs 20 million bounty for plotting the 2024 Liberty Textile attack targeting Chinese nationals, was among those killed during the operation. The TTP militant, identified as Zafran, was also linked to the Karachi Police Office assault. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the TTP called off its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. (PTI)
China landslides: 4 killed, 8 missing
BEIJING, July 28: Four people were killed and eight remain missing after a landslide triggered by heavy rains struck a village in north China's Hebei province on Monday. Rescue efforts were underway after the landslide hit the village in Luanping County, Chengde City, local officials said. China's Ministry of Water Resources has activated an emergency response for flood control in Beijing following heavy rains in the past four days. The Miyun Reservoir, located in the northeastern suburbs of Beijing, recorded its largest inflow flood on Sunday since the reservoir was built over six decades ago, according to the ministry. It urged local authorities to strengthen the monitoring and forecasting of rainfall and water levels and promptly issue early warning information. The ministry also urged efforts to prevent floods in small- and medium-sized rivers and to relocate individuals from dangerous areas in advance to safeguard the lives and property of the people, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. (PTI)
Ex-Sri Lanka navy chief arrested over kidnapping
COLOMBO, July 28: Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, the former commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, was on Monday arrested in connection with an investigation into a kidnapping incident, officials said. The incident that took place in the northwestern region of Pothuhera dates back to the period when Ulugetenne served as the Director of Naval Intelligence, they added. Ulugetenne was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The abductee has complained that the illegal detention centre was operating under Uluhetenne's watch. Ulugetenne was produced before the magistrate at Polgahawela, who ordered him to be remanded until July 30. He headed the Navy from 2020 to 2022 and was later appointed Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Cuba. His predecessor, Wasantha Karannagoda, was also implicated in the abduction of a group of Tamil minority youth in the height of the government troops' final battle with the LTTE. (PTI)