Pak security forces kill 50 militants in four days
ISLAMABAD, Aug 13: Pakistani security forces killed 50 terrorists in a four-day operation in the Balochistan province’s border region. The operation targeted terrorists from August 7 to 11 in the Sambaza area of Zhob district, near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The army claimed that 47 khwarij were killed during the engagements. A sanitization operation was conducted in the surrounding areas, and three more terrorists were successfully neutralized. The security forces were commended by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Meanwhile, nine security personnel were killed and six injured in an ambush in Balochistan’s Washuk district, bordering Iran. In Washuk, militants attempted to attack a police station, but security personnel managed to thwart the attack. (PTI)
Mortar shelling in Pak kills woman, two kids
PESHAWAR, Aug 13: A woman and two children were killed in a mortar shell attack during a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. The operation, launched by security forces, targeted militants under curfew in the Bajaur district, a former stronghold of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The operation has left around 55,000 people displaced since August 9, with over 20,000 families taking shelter at designated places. The provincial government has declared a special relief package for those affected, and the district administration is providing meals to the displaced people three times a day. Authorities eased curfew restrictions on Wednesday, reopening markets and key roads. No official statement has been made about the casualties of either the militant or security forces. (PTI)
20 dead after migrant boat capsizes off Italy
ROME, Aug 13: A migrant boat carrying nearly 100 people capsized in international waters off Italy’s Lampedusa island on Wednesday, killing at least 20 and leaving up to 17 missing, according to the UNHCR. Sixty survivors were rescued and brought to Lampedusa. The vessel had departed from Libya, but it’s unclear how long it had been at sea. The incident adds to the 675 migrant deaths in the central Mediterranean so far in 2025. The crossing remains one of the world’s deadliest migration routes, with nearly 24,500 deaths in a decade. Most fatalities involve small boats leaving Tunisia and Libya. (AP)
Elderly Sikh man assaulted in LA, attacker detained
NEW YORK, Aug 13: An elderly Sikh man, Harpal Singh, was assaulted by “unhoused” man Bo Richard Vitagliano in Los Angeles. Singh suffered a skull fracture and potential brain trauma. Vitagliano, who has a criminal record for narcotics and assault with a deadly weapon, was arrested on Monday. The Sikh Coalition has called for a public interview to clarify how the LAPD determined hate was not a factor in the assault. The LAPD is not investigating the case as a hate crime. (PTI)