6 militants killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan
Karachi, April 8: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants during an intelligence-based operation in the troubled Balochistan province, an official said on Wednesday. Counter Terrorism Department official Mehtab Rehmani said the militants belonging to a banned outfit were killed in the Kirdgab area of Mastung town on Tuesday. Rehmani said the operation was carried out after intelligence reports that militants were hiding in the area and preparing an attack. The security forces cordoned off the area and launched the operation, killing six militants. However, some militants managed to escape into the mountains, he said. Rehmani said a large quantity of arms and ammunition was seized from their possession. (PTI)
Principal shot in leg in Oklahoma school incident
Pauls Valley (US), April 8: A high school principal in Oklahoma was shot in the leg Tuesday after confronting a 20-year-old former student who entered Pauls Valley High School with a gun. Principal Kirk Moore is in stable condition, and no students were injured, authorities said. The suspect was taken into custody by law enforcement. According to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesman Hunter McKee, Moore and other staff members acted quickly upon noticing the armed individual, preventing further harm. McKee praised the principal and staff for their quick response, noting that Moore’s intervention helped save lives. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt commended Moore’s bravery and expressed prayers for his recovery, also thanking school staff and law enforcement for their swift action. Pauls Valley, a town of roughly 6,000 people about 60 miles south of Oklahoma City, reported that the situation was contained without any injuries to students. (AP)
At least 20 killed in attacks on 2 villages in Nigeria
ABUJA, April 8: At least 20 people were reportedly killed in attacks on two villages, Bagna and Erena, in Nigeria’s Shiroro area of Niger state, north-central Nigeria, early Tuesday. Residents said armed men on motorbikes carried out a surprise assault in the early hours, shooting and raiding homes, which forced many villagers to flee to neighbouring communities. While locals claimed over 20 fatalities and some missing, Niger state police reported three deaths, including two vigilante members and a driver from the joint security team, with several others injured. Shiroro is roughly 250 kilometres from the capital, Abuja. The region faces a persistent security crisis, including a decade-long insurgency, violent clashes between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and predominantly Christian farming communities over land and grazing, and the activities of criminal gangs involved in kidnappings and attacks. These ongoing conflicts have resulted in widespread death, displacement, and insecurity, contributing to the broader instability in Nigeria’s northern regions, according to UN reports. (AP)
