
Terrorists Kill Two Indians, Abduct One In Dosso Region Of Niger
The Indian Embassy in Niger said in a statement on X on Friday that the attack occurred on Tuesday, and that it was in touch with local authorities to repatriate the bodies of the victims and ensure the safe release of the kidnapped individual.
The Embassy also advised all Indians in Niger to remain vigilant.
In a heinous terror attack on 15 July in Niger's Dosso region, two Indian nationals tragically lost their lives and one was abducted.
Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
Mission in Niamey is in touch with local authorities to repatriate mortal remains and ensure…
— India in Niger (@IndiainNiger) July 18, 2025
The post on X said, "In a heinous terror attack on 15 July in Niger's Dosso region, two Indian nationals tragically lost their lives and one was abducted. Our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. Mission in Niamey is in touch with local authorities to repatriate mortal remains and ensure safe release of the abducted Indian. All Indians in Niger are advised to remain vigilant."
Foreigners are increasingly becoming targets of armed groups in Niger and this is the latest such violence targeting foreigners in Niger's conflict-ridden territories.
Apart from this incident, several others have been kidnapped this year, including an Austrian woman who has lived there as an aid worker for more than 20 years, a Swiss woman seized from her home in April and five Indian workers, also in April.
The security crisis in Niger has worsened since the military toppled the government in July 2023. In the past, Niger has battled a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, June was one of the country's deadliest months on record as IS-backed fighters launched a major offensive across the Tillaberi and Dosso regions, killing more than 100 civilians in what marked a return to mass atrocities in rural areas.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
42 minutes ago
- First Post
Pahalgam attack: Agencies identify terrorists' handler in Pakistan, trace their route from Baisaran to Dachigam
Following the 'Operation Mahadev' last week, Indian security agencies have identified the handler of three terrorists as Pakistan-based Sajid Saifullah Jatt of Lashkar-e-Taiba. The agencies have assessed that those killed in the encounter were part of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April. read more Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard as police and army soldiers launch an operation in Awantipora area, south of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. (Photo: Dar Yasin/AP) Following the 'Operation Mahadev' last week, Indian security agencies have identified the handler of terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack and traced the route that those terrorists took, according to a report. On July 28, the Indian Army said it killed three terrorists in the Dachigam area of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar. Those were later said to be involved in attack in J&K's Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow in which they killed 26 people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The CNN-News 18 has reported that Indian agencies have now identified Sajid Saifullah Jatt, the south Kashmir operations chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as the key handler based in Lahore, Pakistan. The report said that the agencies have also confirmed the terrorists' link to Pakistan and LeT through funeral prayers of those killed in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK), which were coordinated by Rizwan Anees of LeT. The agencies believe that the evidence leaves no doubt that the three persons killed in Dachigam, who they have identified as Suleman Shah (alias Faizal Jatt), Abu Hamza (alias 'Afghan"), and Yasir (alias 'Jibran") were Pakistani nationals and part of the LeT. How agencies confirmed link to Pakistan The evidence found from three terrorists in Dachigam contains voter ID cards and a NADRA card, which are the Pakistani equivalent of Aadhaar card, according to CNN-News 18. The agencies have found that these cards have been tied to electoral rolls in Lahore and Gujranwala, confirming the Pakistani identities of those killed in Dachigam, according to the report. The agencies have flagged the presence of Pakistan-made chocolate as further proof of Pakistani roots of terrorists. As for the route they took, the agencies have assessed that they crossed into India near Gurez and were later sheltered in a seasonal hut near Pahalgam by two Kashmiri men —Parvaiz and Bashir Ahmad Jothar— who later confessed to aiding them, the report said. GPS data from a Garmin device recovered from one of them and call logs from a Huawei satellite phone established their movements and linkages to operational control in Pakistan, the report said.


India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
How Young Is Too Young? India Debates Legal Age For Sexual Consent
New Delhi: Senior Advocate Indira Jaising stood before the Supreme Court of India in the last week on July and made a request that reignited an old and uncomfortable question: should consensual sex between teenagers still be considered a crime? At the center of this storm is one number: 18. That is the age set by Indian law for legally consenting to sex. Jaising argued this threshold may be punishing teenagers instead of protecting them. In her written submission, she urged the court to reconsider how the law treats consensual relationships between adolescents aged 16 to 18. Such relationships, she said, do not fit the definitions of exploitation or abuse. The government disagreed. It fears that lowering the bar could leave minors, those legally not adult, below 18, vulnerable to coercion, manipulation or worse. It argued making room for exceptions could lead to loopholes that might be exploited by traffickers or abusers. But the law, especially the 2012 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, draws no lines between love and violation when it comes to minors. It sees all sexual activity under the age of 18 as criminal, even when both parties consent. This hard line has come under scrutiny from activists, judges and rights groups who believe the law is outdated or at least too rigid. In some cases, they say, parents have used the law to intervene in relationships they disapprove of, especially when caste, religion or class are involved. Many experts say the law has become a tool of control more than protection. The Global Picture and India's Long Trail Consent laws around the world are not the same. In countries like the United Kingdom and Canada, the age is 16. In the United States, it varies state to state. But in India, it is fixed, one rule for all. Back in 1860, when India first codified its criminal laws, the age was 10. In 1940, it was raised to 16. Then came POCSO, which made 18 the new standard. That was over a decade ago. Since then, the conversation has shifted, slowly, painfully but noticeably. The Courts Speak, Then Pause In 2022, the Karnataka High Court stepped in. It suggested that the Law Commission revisit the consent age under POCSO. The court pointed to several cases where teenage couples, a girl just over 16 and a boy barely out of adolescence, had been pulled into criminal trials under the law, even when there was no allegation of force. The Law Commission reviewed the matter but did not recommend lowering the age. Instead, it proposed something else: allowing courts to use 'judicial discretion' in cases involving teenagers. This means judges could consider the nature of the relationship, the age gap and whether coercion was involved before passing judgment. Even without formal legislation, some courts across India have started doing that. They have granted bail, overturned convictions or dismissed charges in cases where evidence showed mutual consent and emotional connection between teenagers. But not every bench agrees. In April, the Madras High Court overturned an acquittal in a case where a 17-year-old girl left home to be with a 23-year-old man. Her family had arranged her marriage elsewhere. The court sentenced the man to 10 years in prison under POCSO. Process as Punishment For Advocate Jaising, this is part of the problem. She said simply giving judges the discretion is not enough. Trials can be long, traumatic and carry the weight of stigma. 'For many people, the process itself becomes the punishment,' she stated. A report from the India Child Protection Fund shows just how overloaded the system is. As of January 2023, nearly 250,000 POCSO cases were pending in special courts created to handle them. Jaising argued for consistency and for a system that does not criminalise teenagers for being teenagers. 'Leaving everything to judicial discretion can result in unequal outcomes,' she warned. A Society in Conflict With Itself This is where India finds itself today caught between the need to protect and the need to understand, the fear of abuse and the reality of young love and between a law that seeks clarity and a society that lives in shades of grey. Lawyer and child rights advocate Bhuvan Ribhu said exceptions cannot be unconditional. He worries about misuse in cases of trafficking or child marriage. He supports discretion, but also faster trials, better rehabilitation of survivors and greater awareness. Not everyone is cautious. Ananashi Ganguly, co-founder of HAQ: Centre for Child Rights, stands with Jaising. 'We cannot avoid reform only because we are afraid of misuse,' she said. According to her, society is changing. The law needs to change with it. As this debate continues, India faces another question: what does protection mean when it becomes punishment? Where does responsibility lie in a law written for children or in a society still learning to talk to them about sex, safety and consent?


New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Maharashtra's Akola district emerges as new link in the fake passport racket case; MP ATS grills Afghan kingpin
BHOPAL: Eastern Maharashtra's third largest city -- the communally and politically sensitive Akola – has emerged as the fourth major link of the recently busted inter-state fake passport racket allegedly run by an Afghan man from Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh. Sohbat Khan, the alleged mastermind of the racket, is revealing key details during questioning by the Madhya Pradesh Police's anti-terrorism squad (ATS). As per sources privy to the probe, Sohbat's questioning has revealed that a place of worship in Akola district of Maharashtra was a common meeting place of Afghans living in India. It was in Akola, where Sohbat possibly came in contact with Akbar and Iqbal, two other Afghans, who have been illegally living in West Bengal and have managed to get fake Indian passports with the help of the alleged racket operated by Sohbat and local contacts in MP's Jabalpur district. 'When the first three arrests were made in the case, there were just three cities/states on our radar, including Jabalpur (MP), West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. But Sohbat's grilling and the disclosure of Akola in Maharashtra playing an important part in his linkages with Afghan men living illegally in India, has made eastern Maharashtra's communally sensitive city too a part of our investigations,' a senior cop associated with the probe told TNIE on Monday. Sources added that before coming to Jabalpur in around 2010, Sohbat had lived in parts of Maharashtra also, including Nagpur and Akola. So far six arrests have been made in the case by the MP ATS. While four of the arrests, including Sohbat Khan, his two key aides Dinesh Garg (a forest guard working at the district collectorate's election cell), Chandan Thakur (who claims to be an advocate) and Mahendra Kumar Sukhdan have been arrested from Jabalpur, two others Akbar and Iqbal (both Afghans living illegally in India) have been arrested by the ATS from West Bengal, including Howrah.