PESHAWAR / RAWALPINDI: Chief of General Staff of the UK Army General Sir Nicholas Patrick Carter visited Khyber Agency on Saturday for a briefing on army’s anti-terror operations.

“During his visit to a forward post at Khyber Agency, he was briefed on the achievements and culmination of Operation Khyber IV and Pak-Afghan border fencing,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

Later, the ISPR added, General Nicholas, who arrived in the country on Friday, also visited historical Khyber Pass and witnessed the traditional legacy of tribal culture.

The UK army chief also called on Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt at the Corps Headquarters Peshawar.

He was given a detailed briefing on Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad, border management, temporarily displaced people’s return and the mega development and rehabilitation projects undertaken by Pakistan Army for the uplift of tribal people in different parts of Federally Administered Tribal Areas, the ISPR statement added.

UK army chief arrives on official visit to Pakistan, meets COAS

On arrival at Corps Headquarters, General Nicholas laid a floral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada to pay tribute to the martyred of the Pakistan Army.

On Friday, General Nicholas met army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Both the army chiefs had discussed matters of mutual interest, including strengthening of bilateral security and defence cooperation between the two armies.

Chief guest

Meanwhile, the UK army chief was the chief guest at the passing out parade of 136th PMA Long Course, Graduate Course 36th, Technical Graduate Course 29th and Integrated Course 55, which was held at the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. He reviewed the parade, distributed awards to distinguished cadets and later addressed the parade.

The cadets from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Turkmenistan and Libya were also among those who successfully completed the courses.

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NAIROBI: A student suspected of joining in an armed raid that killed six at a school in Kenya’s far north Saturday was stoned to death by angry locals and his body burned, officials said.

The suspect — a suspended student at the school in Lokichogio — was arrested before irate locals forced their way into the police station and dragged him from his cell.

He was being held over the school attack that left five students and a security guard at the boarding school dead.

“Six people were killed in the attack, including students, and we have others injured,” said Seif Matata, Turkana county’s commissioner.

Matata said the incident occurred at around 3am while students at Lokichogio Mixed Secondary School were asleep in their dormitories.

Turkana governor Josphat Nanok said 18 people suffered bullet wounds in the attack.

Members of the Toposa tribal militia from South Sudan, 200 kilometres (124 miles) to the north, are believed to be responsible for the violence.

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Matata alleged that a suspended student, identified by officials as 20-year-old Abraham Lochor from South Sudan, led the raid.

“The suspect was held at Kakuma police station for interrogation over the morning killings, we are trying to establish how they managed to get him. It’s unfortunate,” said Turkana police chief Ronald Opili.

The Kenya Red Cross said it had evacuated those injured in the school attack by plane for emergency treatment.

Turkana, an arid region bordering South Sudan, is awash with small arms and violent clashes between competing communities over resources and territory are common, as is armed raiding of cattle and livestock.

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ISLAMABAD: Police registered a case on Saturday against the lawyers who allegedly confronted and manhandled police officials at the entrance of the Islamabad accountability court a day earlier.

The confrontation between the lawyers and the law-enforcers had deferred the scheduled indictment of Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retd) Safdar until October 19.

Lawyers claim that they were barred from entering the court premises by the police despite the court allowing them to do so.

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The case was registered at the Ramna Police Station on the complaint of Inspector Shalik Ahmed.

“When I approached them to verify their identity and let them through, they started pushing me,” the inspector said.

“Afterwards one of them slapped me and they forced themselves in,” he added.

The Ramna police have registered an assault and obstruction case against the unidentified lawyers and have launched investigation into the matter.

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DAMASCUS: Syria on Saturday demanded the “immediate and unconditional withdrawal” of Turkish troops that have deployed in the country’s northwestern province of Idlib, state media said citing a foreign ministry source.

Turkish troops entered Idlib on Thursday night as part of efforts to enforce a so-called “de-escalation zone” agreed by rebel backer Ankara and regime allies Russia and Iran at talks in Astana earlier this year.

But the Syrian foreign ministry source slammed the “Turkish aggression”, saying it had “nothing whatsoever to do with the understandings reached by the guarantor countries in the Astana process.”

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The source added that the deployment was “a violation of these understandings and a departure from them.”

“The Turkish regime must abide by what was agreed in Astana.” Turkey’s military said Friday it had begun “activities to establish observation posts on October 12”, days after Turkish troops launched a reconnaissance mission in Idlib.

On Friday, Turkey’s Hurriyet daily reported over 100 soldiers including special forces, and 30 armoured vehicles, had entered Idlib. And a new convoy entered on Saturday, according to the Britain based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.

The province is largely controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group led by Al-Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate, which has ousted more moderate rebels in recent months.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish troops had entered Syria with the Free Syrian Army, the name Ankara uses for rebels seeking Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.

Turkey says it is backing Syrian rebels in a bid to oust HTS members in the area and allow Iranian, Russian and Turkish forces to implement the zone.

The “de-escalation” zone in Idlib is the one of four agreed in Astana and the last to be implemented, after.

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Idlib is one of the last major areas of Syria beyond the control of the government, which has recaptured vast swathes of territory from opposition fighters since its ally Russia intervened on its behalf in September 2015.

Turkey has intervened in Syria before, last year launching its operation Euphrates Shield targeting the Islamic State group and Kurdish fighters.

More than 330,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

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KARACHI  : Taking notice of media reports on the massive increase in the salaries of Sindh’s lawmakers, Pakistan Peoples Party’s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has restrained the chief minister from implementing the order.

Senior party leader Farhatullah Babar said the former president directed Shah not to implement the order due to the “country’s present economic situation”.

Earlier in the day, Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah approved a summary to increase his own salary, as well as of provincial minsters and advisers.

The chief minister used to draw Rs35000, which under the new summary was increased to Rs150,000. The new house rent and maintenance allowances stood at Rs140,000, official sources told The Express Tribune.

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According to official documents available with The Express Tribune, the salary of the speaker was increased from Rs80,000 to Rs150,000. The deputy speaker will get Rs140,000 instead of Rs70,000, according to the new order.

The salaries of ministers and advisers were also increased from Rs30,000 to Rs75,000, excluding the allowances.

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