Security forces engaged in a gun battle with terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday. The encounter began after security forces established contact with the group hiding in the higher reaches of the Pathi Nalla Khanerd area. Meanwhile, opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir announced a joint protest in Kathua on August 8 to demand the restoration of statehood and the rollback of amendments empowering the lieutenant governor.
The Pentagon has revoked a plea deal reached between prosecutors and three terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks, including mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad. The deal, which would have removed the death penalty, sparked outrage from families of the victims and lawmakers, leading to its withdrawal. The Biden administration insists it had no role in the agreement.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin has urged Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to reinstate plea deals with three accused masterminds behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The deals, which were initially struck and then revoked last week, have sparked backlash from families of 9/11 victims and some lawmakers, who argue that the agreements would deny justice to the victims and their families.
Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has ordered the seizure of 100 million shekels ($26 million) of tax funds intended for the Palestinian Authority, claiming they would be used to compensate Israeli victims of terrorism. This move, the fifth of its kind, is part of a broader Israeli strategy to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state and enhance settlement in the West Bank.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby skirted questions about the Biden administration’s reversal of a plea deal for three 9/11 terrorists, emphasizing that the decision was made by the Secretary of Defense independently. Meanwhile, the administration remains committed to brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, despite concerns that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may be hesitant.
A disturbing video released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows a mob in Gaza kicking and abusing the corpse of Eitan Levi, an Israeli taxi driver who was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7. The video, shared at the request of Levi’s family, highlights the brutal treatment of the victim and has sparked outrage.
A man identified as an ISI agent was reportedly set on fire by a mob in Canada, sparking outrage and further escalating tensions between India and Canada. The incident comes amidst existing diplomatic friction over allegations of Indian agents’ involvement in the killing of a Khalistani extremist in Canada.
A suicide bombing and subsequent gun attack by Al-Shabaab militants on a popular beach in Mogadishu, Somalia, resulted in the deaths of at least 32 civilians and injured dozens more. The attack, which took place on Friday evening, marks one of the deadliest in recent months and highlights the ongoing insurgency waged by the Al-Qaeda-linked group against the Somali government.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has dismissed six government officials, including five policemen, for their alleged involvement in financing terrorism through drug sales. The officials were found to be part of a narco-terror network linked to Pakistan’s ISI and other terror groups. This dismissal brings the total number of government employees sacked on similar grounds since 2019 to 70.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and four other accused individuals. This decision reinstates their death penalty sentences, reversing a controversial agreement that had drawn criticism from several Republicans.
