Suicide bomber, gunmen attack security post in northwest Pakistan, killing 15 security personnel

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By Associated Press | Posted by TOE A  suicide bomber backed by gunmen attacked  a security checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, killing 15 members of the security forces, the military said Friday. In a statement, the military said troops repelled the overnight assault in Tank, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and killed 12 militants. The military blamed the attack on the  Pakistani Taliban , known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies. There was no immediate comment from the group. According to the military, the attackers attempted to storm the checkpoint but were pushed back by security forces before ramming an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall, triggering a powerful blast that severely damaged the checkpoint. The military said those ...
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Colombia says 57 soldiers kidnapped by civilians

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 Colombia’s army said on Sunday that 57 soldiers were kidnapped by civilians acting under pressure from FARC dissidents in a mountainous area of the country’s southwest.

The region, near El Plateado in the Cauca department, is a key zone for cocaine production and remains one of the most tense in the country’s ongoing conflict.

It says 31 soldiers were seized on Saturday while the rest were abducted on Sunday by a group of more than 200 people.

The military says the civilians are acting under pressure from dissidents of the Farc rebel group which agreed a peace deal with the government in 2016.

The mountainous region is a key zone for cocaine production and remains one of the most tense in the country’s ongoing conflict with rebel groups.

In a video statement on social media, Brig Gen Federico Alberto Mejia said four non-commissioned officers and 53 soldiers had been seized over the weekend.

“This is called kidnapping,” he said.

Reports in local media suggest that the EMC rebel group – the largest offshoot of the Farc – may have ordered the kidnappings.

The EMC has not commented on the issue.

The Micay Canyon is used for transporting cocaine to Pacific ports, and drugs are then illegally shipped to other countries.

SOURCE: BBC AGENCIES



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/xlYAmdQ

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