Morrison revealed that he has advised that senior officers face disciplinary action for allowing the “warrior culture” identified by the inquiry to develop in the special forces…reports Asian Lite News
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for senior defence officers to be held accountable for war crimes allegedly committed by soldiers in Afghanistan.
The government on November 19 released the findings of a landmark four-year war crimes inquiry, which found “credible evidence” that Australian soldiers murdered 39 prisoners and civilians in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016, recommending criminal proceedings against the soldiers, reports Xinhua news agency.
Morrison revealed that he has advised that senior officers face disciplinary action for allowing the “warrior culture” identified by the inquiry to develop in the special forces.
“In each case, it’s important that not only is there accountability in the defence forces for individual alleged acts, but also in the chain of command about those who had responsibilities and accountabilities in that chain of command,” he said.
“That’s what I expect to be done. That’s what I’ve made very clear through the Defence Minister, who has made that point to both the Chief of the Defence Force as well as the oversight panel,” the Prime Minister added.
Morrison’s comments came as Army Chief Rick Burr confirmed that 13 soldiers who were “accessories” or “witnesses” of alleged murders have been issued show cause notices, giving them 14 days to show why they should not be dismissed from the Australian Defence Force.
“This whole process will take time, and we will do this work methodically, deliberately, and in accordance with established process,” Burr told reporters.
In August this year, a polio outbreak was declared in Yemen after 15 cases of vaccine derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) were reported..reports Asian Lite News
Yemen’s health authorities have launched a polio vaccination campaign for more than 4 million children in the north of the war-torn country.
The three-day campaign launched on Saturday is supported by the World Health Organization, Unicef and other international aid agencies, Xinhua news agency quoted the authorities as saying.
The door-to-door immunization targets children under the age of five.
In August this year, a polio outbreak was declared in Yemen after 15 cases of vaccine derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) were reported.
The cases were detected in different districts of Sa’ada Governorate, in the north-west of the country.
Children aged from eight months to 13 years are affected.
Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour out of the capital Sanaa.
The conflict has brought the impoverished Arab country to the brink of famine and triggered repeated outbreaks of deadly epidemics such as cholera and polio.
The UN is trying to resume peace talks between the government and the Houthi rebels to end more than five years of civil war.
In the wake of an ongoing second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan has reiterated that his government will not permit the PDM opposition alliance to hold anymore public rallies.
“The coronavirus is spreading dangerously, therefore the opposition should postpone PDM public meetings,” Dawn news quoted Khan as saying while addressing his spokespersons at the Prime Minister’s House on Friday.
Quoting the premier, a participant of the meeting said: “The government will strictly enforce standard operating procedures (SOP) and not allow the opposition to hold rallies as the health guidelines did not permit large gatherings.”
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance comprising 11 of the country’s opposition parties, has so far held four anti-government power shows in Gujranwala (October 16), Karachi (October 19), Quetta (October 25) and Peshawar (November 22), while two are scheduled for November 30 and December 13 in Multan and Lahore, respectively.
Pakistan Democratic Party (PDM) rally
Meanwhile in an attempt to stop the PDM’s fifth public rally, the police and district administration of Multan have 30 containers around the venue area and more are being brought in to block roads leading to the city.
According to police sources, more than 200 workers of PDM constituent parties have been arrested and raids are being conducted to nab others, reports Dawn news.
Fascist regime continues to arrest Democratic activists in Multan. These puppets are scared of jiyalas. Try as they might they cannot stop PPP from marking our foundation day along with PDM leaders on 30th November,” Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted on Friday.
Also, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President Rana Sanaullah declared that the Multan rally will be held at all costs.
Iran’s most senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been assassinated near the capital Tehran, the country’s defence ministry has confirmed.
Fakhrizadeh died in hospital after an attack in Absard, in Damavand county, the BBC reported.
Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani accused Israel of the assassination, state TV reported.
“Once again, the evil hands of global arrogance were stained with the blood of the mercenary usurper Zionist regime,” a term for Israel, the Arab News quoted Rouhanias saying.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, has condemned the killing “as an act of state terror”.
Western intelligence agencies believe Fakhrizadeh was behind a covert Iranian nuclear weapons programme.
“If Iran ever chose to weaponise (enrichment), Fakhrizadeh would be known as the father of the Iranian bomb,” one Western diplomat told media in 2014.
Iran insists its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.
But news of the killing comes amid fresh concern about the increased amount of enriched uranium that the country is producing. Enriched uranium is a vital component for both civil nuclear power generation and military nuclear weapons.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif
A 2015 deal with six world powers had placed limits on its production, but since President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018, Iran has been deliberately reneging on its agreements.
Joe Biden has pledged to reengage with Iran when he takes over the US presidency in January, despite longstanding opposition from Israel .
Between 2010 and 2012, four Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated and Iran has accused Israel of complicity in the killings.
Fakhrizadeh’s name was specifically mentioned in Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation about Iran’s nuclear programme in May 2018.
There has been no comment from Israel on the news of the assassination. The Pentagon has also declined to comment, according to media.
In a statement on Friday, Iran’s defence ministry said: “Armed terrorists targeted a vehicle carrying Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, head of the ministry’s research and innovation organisation.
“After a clash between the terrorists and his bodyguards, Mr Fakhrizadeh was severely injured and rushed to hospital.
“Unfortunately, the medical team’s efforts to save him were unsuccessful and minutes ago he passed away.”
Iranian media reports said the attackers opened fire on the scientist in his car.
Earlier media reports had said that there was a car explosion in Absard town, with witnesses reporting that “three to four individuals, who are said to have been terrorists, were killed”.
“We encourage the swift establishment and operationalisation of the High Council of National Reconciliation as the body designated to provide guidance to the negotiations,” the EU said in a statement on Thursday…reports Asian Lite News
The European Union (EU) delegation and the EU Heads of Mission based in Kabul have urged for a “swift establishment” of the Afghan High Council of National Reconciliation,the body designated to provide “guidance” to the ongoing peace negotiations.
The statement came at a time Afghan and the Taliban delegations in Qatari capital Doha continue to struggle on finalizing the procedural rules for the intra-Afghan talks, Khaama Press reported.
“We encourage the swift establishment and operationalisation of the High Council of National Reconciliation as the body designated to provide guidance to the negotiations,” the EU said in a statement on Thursday.
“In addition to political leaders, the membership of the Council should include a diverse membership representing women’s groups, war victims, religious minorities, youth and civil society organizations,” it added.
Josep Borrell, The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
While the ongoing talks between the Afghan and Taliban negotiators in Doha push through a peace deal in war-torn country, international community – including the EU and women rights activists – raise voice for equal role in the process.
“Reaching a sustainable outcome respecting the rights and aspirations of the Afghan people will be best served by a strong political unity on the side of the Republic and the inclusion of all Afghan voices in the process,” the EU in Kabul elaborated.
Addressing the current war that has escalated in different parts of the country, the EU said that “we express deep concern about the continuing high level of violence and the security situation in Afghanistan, especially the number of civilian casualties and call for an immediate permanent and comprehensive ceasefire”.
The EU Delegation and EU Heads of Mission based in Kabul, as underscored at the Afghanistan 2020 conference, reaffirm the strong support of the bloc and its member states to a balanced Afghan Peace process, the statement concluded.
People wearing masks walk in downtown Tehran, Iran
The pandemic has so far claimed 46,689 lives in Iran, up by 482 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health…reports Asian Lite News
Iran’s Health Ministry reported 13,961 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the total nationwide infections to 908,346.
The pandemic has so far claimed 46,689 lives in Iran, up by 482 in the past 24 hours, said Sima Sadat Lari, spokeswoman for the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education during her daily briefing.
A total of 633,275 people have recovered from the disease and been discharged from hospitals, while 5,849 remain in intensive care units, Lari added.
According to the spokeswoman, 5,955,724 tests for the virus have been carried out in Iran as of Thursday, Xinhua reported.
Currently, the risk of infection is high in 27 Iranian provinces, Lari noted.
Iran announced its first cases of Covid-19 on February 19.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10 that halted six weeks of clashes in the mountain enclave, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is mainly populated by ethnic Armenians…reports Asian Lite News
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed the possibility of involving other countries in efforts to maintain a cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Arab News reports
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10 that halted six weeks of clashes in the mountain enclave, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but is mainly populated by ethnic Armenians.
Russian peacekeepers have been deployed in the enclave under the cease-fire deal, which locked in Azeri advances. Turkey has no peacekeepers there but has signed an agreement with Russia to set up a joint center to monitor the cease-fire.
“We have the opportunity to develop and expand this more. We discussed these development and expansion efforts with Mr.Putin too,” Erdogan said.
Photo taken on Sept. 29, 2020 shows a man walking by a house damaged during clashes in the Tartar district bordering the Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Photo by Tofik Babayev/Xinhua)
He said the process of maintaining the cease-fire could be taken “to a different level” if other countries in the region were involved but did not name any in his public comments. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rejected doubts over a trilateral ceasefire statement centred around the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
On Saturday, Lavrov said during a briefing that issues related to the implementation of the ceasefire statement were fully discussed at the meeting with the Armenian leadership, including ensuring the operation of the Russian peacekeeping mission and conducting humanitarian actions, reports Xinhua news agency.
These places will be reopened for the first time since the start of a full lockdown in Israel on September 18…reports Asian Lite News
Israel’s Corona Cabinet has decided to allow the reopening of major shopping malls, markets and museums, the state’s Prime Minister’s office and Ministry of Health said in a joint statement on Thursday.
These places will be reopened for the first time since the start of a full lockdown in Israel on September 18.
The curb was imposed to contain a rapid resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pilot programme, which will take effect on Friday, will include six major indoor shopping malls, along with nine more to be selected by the finance and economy ministries.
The malls will be opened under restrictions, such as preventing gatherings, especially at entrances.
In addition, four major museums will be reopened on Friday, along with three more to be selected by the culture ministry.
Visiting the museums will be possible only by reservation in advance, with a limited number of visitors at the same time.
The source did not say what those concerns are but said the visa ban is expected to last for a short period…reports Asian Lite News
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Somalia, among others.
An immigration document said that applications for new employment and visit visas have been suspended until further notice for nationals outside the UAE from countries including Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen.
The visa ban also applies to citizens of Algeria, Kenya, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Tunisia, the document said. It is not clear if there are any exceptions to the ban, Al Jazeera reported.
The report said that a source briefed on the matter said the UAE has temporarily stopped issuing new visas to Afghans, Pakistanis, and citizens of several other countries over security concerns.
The source did not say what those concerns are but said the visa ban is expected to last for a short period.
Last week, Pakistan’s foreign ministry had said that the UAE had stopped processing new visas for its citizens and those from some other countries.
Islamabad said it is seeking information from the UAE on the reason for the suspension but that it thought it is related to the coronavirus pandemic.
A file photo of 2611 Attacks on Mumbai (Photo Sandeep MahankalIANS)
“It was 8 p.m. and the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea looked calm. Heading towards my naval base, I had one final look at the area. Some pigeons fluttered past, a policeman whistled and a hawker packed his belongings for the day. The neon-lit surrounding would now illuminate some late-night lovebirds, looking for their private space in this insomniac city. Life looked picturesque and undisturbed. Who would have known that an hour from then, death would spread its dirty tentacles, choking life out of this picture? Who would have imagined that ten men from Pakistan would come sailing through the Arabian Sea in a small boat and would launch the most dastardly attack on the city? And hardly would have I imagined that few hours from now, I will be facing these efidayeen, inside the Taj, eye to eye, and my life would change forever,” MARCOS commando Praveen Kumar Teotia writes in “My Encounter With Terrorists That Night” (Rupa).
A file photo of 2611 Attacks on Mumbai. (Photo Sandeep MahankalIANS)
On the night of the 26/11 terrorist attacks on Mumbai, Marine Commandos of the Indian Navy (MARCOS) entered the Taj, one of the places held captive by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. Their brief was simple – rescue the hostages and neutralise the attackers. Decorated with the Shaurya Chakra for his role in rescuing hostages, Praveen Kumar Teotia was one of the MARCOS who was leading his team, who fought the terrorists, suffered near-fatal injuries and, in the end, saved more than 150 innocent lives. In this gripping, edge-of-the-seat thriller, Teotia narrates a minute-by-minute account of that deadly night, how his team entered the Taj, how he confronted the terrorists and how he was nearly killed. Declared unfit for life, he fought back and became a marathon runner and the coveted IRONMAN title at the Triathlon Championships 2018 in South Africa. Teotia’s is a story of courage, conviction and resurrection. Above all, this is a story of an Indian soldier.
Here is an excerpt:
“I lay there for a while, unconscious. Then all of a sudden, I woke up in extreme pain and agony. The pain was so acute that it made me conscious. Somewhere at the back of my neck, I could feel a burning sensation. Wellsensation would be an understatement. It felt as if my skin had been ripped apart and now the scorching heat was gradually eating my flesh. I managed to move my hand there to see if I could feel anything. As soon as I touched the spot where the ‘fire of hell’ had engulfed my neck, I felt something wet. It was warm, and as soon as I probed it, more of it came gushing out. I was soaked in my own blood. It was a head shot.
The bastards knew their job well. They had aimed at my head and wanted to finish me there and then. Fair enough! They were following their orders and I was at the receiving end of their gun. But they had not been completely successful and instead, the bullet had whizzed past my head, burn through the skin and tear open the flesh.
It was still dark and my hands stretched for help. It was in vain. I could not find my buddy near me. He had fallen back. In fact, the entire team had fallen back in a fraction of a second. I was now alone in the room, injured and facing possible death. The terrorists had taken a head shot and since there was complete silence from my end, they thought that I was either dead or grievously injured. In such a scenario, I know the next thing an attacker would do. He would come close to the target and to double confirm his catch, would shoot at point-blank range. I had very little time left.
The author, Praveen Kumar Teotia.
I had to quickly adapt my eyes to the darkness and look for cover. I was on the floor now and my back was towards the wall. I searched for my weapon and after a few painful and anxious minutes, I found the sling of my gun, which was around my neck. What a discovery it was! A gun is an extension of a soldier’s body, a part of his personality. Without it, a soldier is half dead. But now I was alive again. It gave me a renewed sense of confidence and at least a plan to work on. But whatever I had to do, it had to be done quickly and quietly.
Suddenly, a terrible spasm of pain started from near my left temple and overpowered my strength. I had never been in such pain. It felt like a thousand hammers were pounding my skull and molten lava had been poured inside my ear.
I tried touching my ear but couldn’t find it. There was no ear left. Just some tissues hanging and dripping blood. The pain made me want to cry my heart out as that would have eased this torture a bit, psychologically. But that would be a foolhardy thing to do. With all my strength, I clutched the carpet beneath me and with all the pressure I could muster, I clenched it. I was trying to neutralise all the pain with this forceful grip. It worked and I could at least think of planning my next move.
An injured man lying alone in an enemy’s catchment area and without any help could be a dead man soon. I knew this and had to do something quickly. My first aim was to find myself a cover. There was a sofa lying near me and there was some gap between the wall and sofa. This could be a perfect position, I told myself. Placing myself between the sofa and wall and positioning my weapon atop my thigh I was back again in the shooting position. My injury was near the head and ear-basically, above my heart. As we were taught during our training, the bleeding is always less when the injury is above the heart. If the bullet had hit me in the shoulder or stomach, it would have bled more and required immediate medical intervention. I knew that I could survive for some more time without any medical aid.
Paying tribute at the 2611 police memorial site at Mumbai Police Gymkhana in South Mumbai
I did the next best thing. I started firing. Another burst of fire greeted me from the other side. Thankfully, this time I had cover. I was now changing the position of the gun, sometimes firing from the top of the sofa, sometimes from the left and sometimes from the right side. This was only to confuse the terrorists and to manipulate them into thinking that there are two or more commandos in the room….
‘Bhagwanji, fix up my appointment. If I am alive after this, I will do a puja; if not, will meet you in person’ These were the last words that would come out from my mouth for the time being. After this, it was all blank and dark,”.
Four bullets had ripped through his body; a lung was punctured; four ribs were shattered and splinters scattered all over his chest; doctors attending to him declared that his life had been cut short, that he could never swim or run. But he proved everyone wrong.
(The excerpt is carried with permission from the publisher, Rupa – IANS)
