Deadly suicide attack targets Kabul police station - Aljazeera.com

At least 14 people have been killed and more than 140 wounded after a Taliban suicide attack outside a police station in the Afghanistan capital of Kabul.

The blast occurred about 9am (04:30 GMT) in western Kabul on Wednesday, interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said before adding that the bomb went off when a vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint outside the station.

"Fourteen were martyred, 145 injured in today's explosion," deputy interior minister General Khoshal Sadat told reporters, hours after a huge blast shook the Afghan capital.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The explosion sent a massive plume of smoke over the Afghanistan capital.

"I heard a big bang and all the windows broke with glass flying everywhere," shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh told the AFP news agency.

"My head is spinning and I still don't know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometre from the blast site are broken," he added. 

Afghan health workers transport a wounded man to a hospital after bomb explosion and gun fight [Jawad Jalali/EPA]

According to videos on social media and witnesses, small arms fire could be heard following the blast. 

The attack came a day after the Taliban called for the boycott of a presidential election scheduled to take place on September 28 and threatened to attack election rallies.

The Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks across the country, usually target Afghan forces and government officials or those seen as loyal to the government.

On Tuesday, a bomb targeting a van carrying employees of the Interior Ministry's counter-narcotics division killed five people and wounded seven in Kabul.

US officials and the Taliban met in Qatar's capital Doha this week for the eighth round of talks aimed at striking a peace deal that would slash the American military presence in Afghanistan.

Despite negotiations, the fighting has not subsided, as the civilian casualty rates across Afghanistan jumped back to record levels last month. 

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest monthly casualties so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-07 11:17:00Z
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Dozens wounded in suicide attack outside Kabul police station - Aljazeera.com

At least 95 people have been wounded in a large explosion outside a police station in Kabul, officials said.

The blast occurred about 9am (04:30 GMT) in western Kabul, interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said before adding that the bomb went off when a vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint outside the station.

Health ministry spokesperson Wahidullah Mayar said at least 95 people, mostly civilians and including women and children, were taken to hospital. There was no immediate confirmation of any deaths in the attack.

The explosion sent a massive plume of smoke over the Afghanistan capital.

"I heard a big bang and all the windows broke with glass flying everywhere," shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh told the AFP news agency.

"My head is spinning and I still don't know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometre from the blast site are broken," he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to videos on social media and witnesses, small arms fire could be heard following the blast. 

The attack came a day after the Taliban called for the boycott of a presidential election scheduled to take place on September 28 and threatened to attack election rallies.

The Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks across the country, usually target Afghan forces and government officials or those seen as loyal to the government.

On Tuesday, a bomb targeting a van carrying employees of the Interior Ministry's counter-narcotics division killed five people and wounded seven in Kabul.

Separately, security forces stormed two Islamic State hideouts in Kabul overnight on Tuesday, killing two of the group's fighters and seizing a large quantity of explosives, according to the National Directorate of Security. 

Three members of the security forces were also killed, an agency spokesman was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. 

The US and the Taliban met in Doha this week for an eighth round of talks aimed at striking a peace deal that would slash the American military presence in Afghanistan.

Despite negotiations, the fighting has not subsided, as the civilian casualty rates across Afghanistan jumped back to record levels last month, according to the United Nations. 

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest monthly casualties so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-07 07:53:00Z
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Pakistan will 'go to any extent' to fight India's plan for Kashmir - CNN

The Indian territory remains in lockdown amid a communications blackout, with landline connections, internet and mobile coverage all suspended. Tens of thousands of additional Indian troops have also been deployed into the already heavily militarized region to head off unrest, following Tuesday's parliamentary vote in Delhi to change the status of Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a union territory, thereby removing its autonomy and placing it under the direct control of Delhi.

The controversial vote was met with outcry from Pakistan, which also claims Kashmir and described the move as illegal.

"Pakistan never recognized the sham Indian efforts to legalize its occupation of Jammu and Kashmir through Article 370 or 35-A decades ago, efforts which have now been revoked by India itself," said Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday, referring to the Indian constitutional provision that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

The scrapping of Article 370 will also allow non-residents to purchase property in the valley, and apply for jobs or scholarships that had previously been reserved for the state's residents -- a move experts fear could lead to a demographic change in Hindu-dominated India's only Muslim-majority state.

The remote mountainous region of Ladakh, currently part of Jammu and Kashmir, will also be separated and turned into a standalone union territory, the government said.

"Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfill our obligations in this regard," Bajwa said.

Relations between the nuclear powers of India and Pakistan have been strained since February, when Pakistan reportedly shot down two Indian fighter jets over Kashmir and captured one of the pilots. India said it had retaliated by shooting down a Pakistani jet, which fell on the Pakistan side of the border.

Pakistan released the captive pilot in March and the situation calmed -- but India's Kashmir vote has inflamed tensions again.

On Tuesday Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned India's decision, accusing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party of believing "that Muslims should be ethnically cleansed in India."

"If the world does not act now, if the so-called developed world does not uphold its own laws, then things will go to a place that will damage the whole world," said Khan, who added he would lobby the United Nations Security Council about the issue.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Secretary had summoned India's High Commissioner to convey "a strong demarche" on the Kashmir vote, it said in a statement.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs "strongly" condemned India revoking Article 370 and would "exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps," a ministry statement said.

China, which controls about 20% of the Kashmir region, has also protested India's decision, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry accusing India of encroaching on Chinese territorial sovereignty.

Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Tuesday that scrapping Article 370 "is unacceptable and will have no effect," and urged India to "strictly abide by the relevant agreements reached by both sides."

China has close economic, diplomatic and military ties with Pakistan, making it one of the nation's closest allies in region.

India's foreign ministry responded that the bill was "an internal matter concerning the territory of India. India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise."

Kashmir on lockdown

Kashmir is one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints, and has been the epicenter for more than 70 years of an often violent territorial conflict between the Pakistan and India.

The mountainous Kashmir region was free to accede to either India or Pakistan after the two countries separated in 1947. When the Hindu king of Jammu and Kashmir chose to join India in exchange for military protection, it became the country's only Muslim-majority state.

The India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir state covers around 45% of Kashmir, in the south and east of the region, while Pakistan controls Azad Kashmir, Gilgit and Baltistan, which cover around 35% of the total territory in the north and west.

Skirmishes along the de-facto border between Indian-controlled Kashmir and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, known as the Line of Control, continue to break out periodically. Earlier this year, two Pakistani soldiers were killed in cross-border fire with Indian forces, according to the country's military.

But with Jammu and Kashmir now on lockdown, and further change imminent, many Kashmiris are reeling with shock.

"Unprecedented horror in Kashmir," tweeted Shah Faesal, a prominent politician from Kashmir who arrived in New Delhi yesterday. "From citizens to subjects ... A people whose land, identity, history, was stolen, in broad day light."

In addition to the communication blackout, a number of prominent politicians have also been placed under house arrest, including at least two former chief ministers of the state, according to CNN affiliate CNN-News18.

Faesal was unable to reach or message the two former chief ministers, he said in a separate Facebook post.

Until last week, Indian authorities had said the deployment of extra troops were in response to a potential security threat in the region. But residents were tense even before the announcement on Monday, rushing to secure essential supplies.

Now, with news of the bill confirmed, "people are in shock," Faesal wrote.

"Everyone is mourning what we lost ... It's the loss of statehood that has hurt people deeply. This is being seen as the biggest betrayal by the Indian state in last 70 years."

Nikhil Kumar, Swati Gupta, Manveena Suri, Mukhtar Ahmad and Helen Regan contributed reporting.

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2019-08-07 07:18:00Z
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Dozens wounded in suicide attack outside Kabul police station - Aljazeera.com

At least 95 people have been wounded in a large explosion outside a police station in Kabul, officials said.

The blast occurred about 9am (04:30 GMT) in western Kabul, interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi said before adding that the bomb went off when a vehicle was stopped at a checkpoint outside the station.

Health ministry spokesperson Wahidullah Mayar said at least 95 people, mostly civilians and including women and children, were taken to hospital.

The explosion sent a massive plume of smoke over the Afghanistan capital.

"I heard a big bang and all the windows broke with glass flying everywhere," shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh told the AFP news agency.

"My head is spinning and I still don't know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometre from the blast site are broken," he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to videos on social media and witnesses, small arms fire could be heard following the blast. 

Violence is surging across Afghanistan and in Kabul as the United States and the Taliban negotiate a peace deal ahead of elections planned for September 28.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, the highest monthly casualties so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-08-07 07:14:00Z
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Hong Kong faces worst crisis in 20 years, senior Chinese official says - Fox News

A senior Chinese official said Wednesday that Hong Kong is facing its worst crisis in more than 20 years after months of violent protests that started over a now-suspended controversial extradition law.

“Hong Kong’s crisis ... has continued for 60 days, and is getting worse and worse,” Zhang Xiaoming, the head of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office, said, according to Reuters.

CHINA WARNS HONG KONG PROTESTERS NOT TO 'PLAY WITH FIRE' AS DEMONSTRATORS 'PREPARED TO DIE FOR THE MOVEMENT'

Zhang said the violence is intensifying in an upheaval unlike anything seen since Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Reuters reported.

An umbrella is abandoned as protesters pull back from tear gas on Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

The protests started in April when millions took to the streets to protest the extradition law, which would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be tried in Communist mainland China. The protesters have since called for Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam to resign.

China said Tuesday the “unscrupulous and violent criminal” protesters would be punished.

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The protesters have also said they "strongly condemn the lawlessness and the inhuman actions done by police."\

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2019-08-07 05:09:30Z
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Pakistan's Khan calls for international intervention over Kashmir - Aljazeera.com

Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says his government will challenge an Indian move to change the constitutional status of India-administered Kashmir at the United Nations Security Council, urging the international community to intervene in the crisis or risk regional destabilisation.

"We will raise this at every level, at the United Nations Security Council," said Khan, addressing a joint session of Pakistan's parliament in the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday.

"We are thinking of how we can go to the [International Court of Justice] through the UN Security Council ... we will raise this issue at every forum."

The session was called to discuss the announcement by India's Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah on Monday that a decree abolishing Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which gave special autonomy to the India-administered portion of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region, had been signed.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged all parties to exercise restraint, according to spokesman Stephane Dujarric, while the United States called for "peace and stability" along the de facto border that separates India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

Rising tensions

Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory of Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of.

Tensions have remained high this year after the two neighbours conducted air raids on each other's soil and engaged in an aerial dogfight following a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir that India blamed Pakistan for. Pakistan denied the charge.

On Tuesday, Khan warned that India's move the previous day could lead to more violence in Kashmir and fuel tensions between the two countries.

Kashmir special status explained: What are Articles 370 and 35A?

"I am not using nuclear blackmail, I am using my common sense," he said. "We appeal to the world if the world does not do anything now, it will have serious consequences."

Earlier on Tuesday, Pakistan's army chief summoned a meeting of his top commanders to discuss the rising tensions.

"Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations in this regard," said General Qamar Javed Bajwa, according to the military spokesperson.

Also on Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi addressed a special meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, on the situation in Kashmir.

"I reiterated Pakistan's stance on the peaceful resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute and that India's hostility doesn't give me much hope for a covenant for peace," Qureshi said.

OIC recognizes that this aggression puts more than 1.5 billion people of South Asia at risk. I reiterated Pakistan's stance on the peaceful resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute and that India's hostility doesn't give me much hope for a covenant for peace. 3/3

— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) August 6, 2019

India has sent thousands of additional troops to the region in the leadup to its announcement, imposing a curfew on parts of the territory, shutting down telecommunications and arresting political leaders.

On Sunday, Khan termed the Indian crackdown "irresponsible, unilateral and irrational behaviour".

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New Delhi said the scrapping of Kashmir's special status was meant to aid in the territory's integration into India and its governance structures.

"Because of Article 370, democracy never took root in J&K [Jammu and Kashmir], corruption flourished, widespread poverty took root and no socio-economic infrastructure could come up," Shah said on Monday. "It is the root cause of terrorism."

Following India's announcement, protesters in Pakistan-administered Kashmir held demonstrations condemning the move.

Hundreds of people in the Pakistani city of Lahore also gathered to protest against the decision, with demonstrations also taking place in Islamabad and other major cities.

Earlier on Monday, Pakistan's Foreign Office hit back at the Indian decision, saying Islamabad will "exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps".

"Pakistan strongly condemns and rejects the announcements made today by the Indian Government regarding the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir," said a Pakistan Foreign Office statement.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera's digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim

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2019-08-06 14:31:00Z
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Plane carrying Pink's management crew crash lands in Denmark after bursting into flames - AOL

According to Danish media, a small aircraft carrying singer Pink's management team crash landed near the runway at Aahus Airport in Denmark after bursting into flames. Emergency services were immediately rushed to the scene.

The private jet had just landed in Denmark from Oslo, making its next stop on Pink's "Beautiful Trauma" world tour.

The "What About Us" singer was not aboard the plane at the time and no one was injured.

GETTY IMAGES

According to the East Jutland police, there were 10 people on the plane including four American citizens, two Australian citizens, and one British national.

Kristin Svendsen, Pink's Norwegian promoter, reportedly told Norway-based newspapper VG "Pink was not personally on board, but her manager and several other members [on] the tour were, but it all turned out OK."

More to come...

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Pink performs the national anthem at the Super Bowl

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink sings the national anthem prior to Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Recording artist Pink sings the US National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink sings the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Recording artist Pink sings the US National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

Recording artist Pink sings the US National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / AFP PHOTO / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images)

Recording artist Pink sings the US National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink performs the national anthem prior to kickoff of Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink sings the national anthem prior to Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Recording artist Pink sings the US National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / AFP PHOTO / ANGELA WEISS (Photo credit should read ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink sings the national anthem prior to Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink sings the national anthem prior to Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Recording artist Pink sings the US National Anthem before the start of Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots at US Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. / AFP PHOTO / TIMOTHY A. CLARY (Photo credit should read TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Pink sings the national anthem prior to Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

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2019-08-06 13:51:44Z
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