Kurdish YPG forces in Syria have not fully withdrawn from the border territory as agreed in a Russia-brokered accord, and Turkey will soon discuss next steps with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

Cavusoglu said a Russian military delegation was coming to Turkey to discuss joint patrols set to begin on Tuesday. He repeated that if the YPG did not withdraw some 30 kms (18 miles) from Turkey`s border, Turkish forces would clear them out.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its "aggression" in northeast Syria.

Turkey launched its cross-border offensive on October 9 targeting Kurdish YPG forces in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump pulled US troops out of the area.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin then agreed on October 22 that Syrian border guards and Russian military police would clear the border area up to 30 km into Syria of YPG fighters over a six-day period that ends Tuesday.

The YPG is the main component of the SDF and is viewed by Ankara as terrorists due to their links to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. But the SDF has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against Islamic State militants.

&nbsp;

Kurdish YPG forces in Syria have not fully withdrawn from the border territory as agreed in a Russia-brokered accord, and Turkey will soon discuss next steps with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

Kurdish YPG forces in Syria have not fully withdrawn from the border territory as agreed in a Russia-brokered accord, and Turkey will soon discuss next steps with Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday. Cavusoglu said a Russian military delegation was coming to Turkey to discuss joint patrols set to begin on Tuesday. He repeated that if the YPG did not withdraw some 30 kms (18 miles) from Turkey`s border, Turkish forces would clear them out. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday it had agreed to withdraw more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Turkish border, an announcement welcomed by Damascus which said Turkey should now end its "aggression" in northeast Syria. Turkey launched its cross-border offensive on October 9 targeting Kurdish YPG forces in northeast Syria after President Donald Trump pulled US troops out of the area. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin then agreed on October 22 that Syrian border guards and Russian military police would clear the border area up to 30 km into Syria of YPG fighters over a six-day period that ends Tuesday. The YPG is the main component of the SDF and is viewed by Ankara as terrorists due to their links to Kurdish insurgents in southeast Turkey. But the SDF has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Turkey says Kurdish YPG has not fully withdrawn from Syria border region

Pentagon sending 3,750 extra US forces to border with Mexico

The unabated smuggling of fake Indian currency notes and attacks on BSF personnel by cross-border criminals are some of the issues that will be discussed at a high-level meeting of the chiefs of India and Bangladesh's frontier forces in Dhaka next week.&nbsp

A 10-member Border Security Force (BSF) delegation, led by Director General K K Sharma, will travel to the Bangladesh capital for the meeting at the headquarters of their counterpart, Border Guard Bangladesh, from April 23 to 27. 
The BGB team will be led by its DG Maj. Gen. Abul Hossain.

Officials said the BSF will take up the issue of the continuous inflow of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) from across the border and the attacks on its personnel by criminals based in Bangladesh.

They said that FICN with a face value of about Rs 13.66 lakh have been seized along the border up to March this year.&nbsp

FICN with face value of more than Rs 68.96 lakh were confiscated last year.&nbsp

Also, two BSF men were killed and 122 injured in criminal attacks on this frontier last year. 109 personnel were injured in 2016, the officials said.&nbsp

"These issues are a big concern for India and for the overall security situation on the India-Bangladesh international border. The talks will aim at finding better solutions to reduce and stop these instances," a senior officer said.

The Indian side, which will have officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Home Ministry and the anti-narcotics department, will also raise issues related to cattle smuggling, illegal migration and human trafficking, upkeep of border pillars and others along this IB, they said.

The BGB is expected to raise the matter of their nationals being killed or injured in BSF firing at the border and the illegal transport of drugs into their territory from the Indian side.&nbsp

The two forces will also discuss the progress of a "crime free zone" created recently along the border in West Bengal, with the efforts of the BSF and the BGB.&nbsp

This upcoming bi-annual DG-level talks will be the 46th such dialogue between the two sides. The last time the two forces met was in October 2017 in Delhi.

India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh.

Officials said the BSF will take up the issue of the continuous inflow of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) from across the border

The unabated smuggling of fake Indian currency notes and attacks on BSF personnel by cross-border criminals are some of the issues that will be discussed at a high-level meeting of the chiefs of India and Bangladesh's frontier forces in Dhaka next week. A 10-member Border Security Force (BSF) delegation, led by Director General K K Sharma, will travel to the Bangladesh capital for the meeting at the headquarters of their counterpart, Border Guard Bangladesh, from April 23 to 27. The BGB team will be led by its DG Maj. Gen. Abul Hossain. Officials said the BSF will take up the issue of the continuous inflow of fake Indian currency notes (FICN) from across the border and the attacks on its personnel by criminals based in Bangladesh. They said that FICN with a face value of about Rs 13.66 lakh have been seized along the border up to March this year. FICN with face value of more than Rs 68.96 lakh were confiscated last year. Also, two BSF men were killed and 122 injured in criminal attacks on this frontier last year. 109 personnel were injured in 2016, the officials said. "These issues are a big concern for India and for the overall security situation on the India-Bangladesh international border. The talks will aim at finding better solutions to reduce and stop these instances," a senior officer said. The Indian side, which will have officials from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Home Ministry and the anti-narcotics department, will also raise issues related to cattle smuggling, illegal migration and human trafficking, upkeep of border pillars and others along this IB, they said. The BGB is expected to raise the matter of their nationals being killed or injured in BSF firing at the border and the illegal transport of drugs into their territory from the Indian side. The two forces will also discuss the progress of a "crime free zone" created recently along the border in West Bengal, with the efforts of the BSF and the BGB. This upcoming bi-annual DG-level talks will be the 46th such dialogue between the two sides. The last time the two forces met was in October 2017 in Delhi. India shares a 4,096-km-long border with Bangladesh.

India, Bangladesh border forces to meet in Dhaka next week

India and Bangladesh have agreed to install a single row fencing across the borders between the two countries to reduce cattle smuggling and cut down border killings, a meeting this week between directors general of security forces of the two countries concluded.

Killings of unarmed Bangladeshi civilians remain unresolved despite efforts to improve bilateral issues between India and Bangladesh. According to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), at least 23 civilians have been killed between May and October.

&quot;The numbers represent only 15 to 20 percent of those killed,&quot; says Kirity Roy, secretary of Indian human rights organisation Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM). Eighty to 85 per cent people are Indian citizens killed by India&#39;s Border Security Force, he tells WION.

Almost all the killings are associated with cattle smuggling that operate out of a nexus between people of Bangladesh and India in connivance with the BSF, says Roy. But the killings take place when there is a fallout with the security force.

Bangladesh and India in the past couple of years have settled adverse possession of lands where nearly 37,000 people have been residing in 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and another 14,000 people have been living in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India.

In August last year, the two countries agreed to resolve the adverse possessions by swapping the enclaves. In a development, the Bangladeshi authorities last month enlisted 10,500 members of the enclaves into its voting database and said smart ID cards will be issued to them soon, local news agency bdnews24.com reports.

Despite the resolutions related to the border issues being carried out, recurrent killing of unarmed Bangladeshi civilians hinder the bilateral relation between the countries. The two countries share a bilateral trade of US $6 billion, more than 90 per cent of which is Indian exports to Bangladesh.

Ninety-five per cent of the killings are related to cattle smuggling, said Major General Aziz Ahmed, director general of Border Guard Bangladesh at a press briefing on Friday.

The killing of 15-year-old Felani Khatun in 2015 in BSF firing stirred protests across Bangladesh and prompted the trial of a BSF trooper in Indian court. Felani was returning to her home in Bangladesh with her father from India. BSF trooper Amiya Ghosh, who was charged with her killing in 2011, was acquitted last year after facing trial in two phases for inconclusive and insufficient evidence against him.&nbsp;

&quot;Bangladesh government and BGB have confirmed us to cover all international boundaries through single row fencing,&quot; KK Sharma, director general of Border Security Force told reporters after the conclusion of directors general-level meeting on October 4.

&ldquo;We should have joint efforts to curb issues like trans-border crimes, cattle smuggling, arms smuggling [and] human trafficking and also drugs that goes into Bangladesh,&rdquo; said Major General Aziz Ahmed, director general of Border Guard Bangladesh.

&ldquo;Now that border demarcation has taken place, there is a desire to avoid any further border killings,&rdquo; Farooq Sobhan, former Bangladesh high commissioner to India told WION.

In 2010, the BSF and BGB signed agreements to introduce non-lethal weapons like pump action guns and rubber bullets to contain border intrusion. At a press briefing on Friday, General Ahmed told reporters that most of the civilians who are killed at the borders are targetted at eyes, head and chest leading up to their deaths.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Border killings associated with cattle smuggling remain a thorny issue between the two neighbours

India and Bangladesh have agreed to install a single row fencing across the borders between the two countries to reduce cattle smuggling and cut down border killings, a meeting this week between directors general of security forces of the two countries concluded. Killings of unarmed Bangladeshi civilians remain unresolved despite efforts to improve bilateral issues between India and Bangladesh. According to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), at least 23 civilians have been killed between May and October. "The numbers represent only 15 to 20 percent of those killed," says Kirity Roy, secretary of Indian human rights organisation Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM). Eighty to 85 per cent people are Indian citizens killed by India's Border Security Force, he tells WION. Almost all the killings are associated with cattle smuggling that operate out of a nexus between people of Bangladesh and India in connivance with the BSF, says Roy. But the killings take place when there is a fallout with the security force. Bangladesh and India in the past couple of years have settled adverse possession of lands where nearly 37,000 people have been residing in 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh and another 14,000 people have been living in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves inside India. In August last year, the two countries agreed to resolve the adverse possessions by swapping the enclaves. In a development, the Bangladeshi authorities last month enlisted 10,500 members of the enclaves into its voting database and said smart ID cards will be issued to them soon, local news agency bdnews24.com reports. Despite the resolutions related to the border issues being carried out, recurrent killing of unarmed Bangladeshi civilians hinder the bilateral relation between the countries. The two countries share a bilateral trade of US $6 billion, more than 90 per cent of which is Indian exports to Bangladesh. Ninety-five per cent of the killings are related to cattle smuggling, said Major General Aziz Ahmed, director general of Border Guard Bangladesh at a press briefing on Friday. The killing of 15-year-old Felani Khatun in 2015 in BSF firing stirred protests across Bangladesh and prompted the trial of a BSF trooper in Indian court. Felani was returning to her home in Bangladesh with her father from India. BSF trooper Amiya Ghosh, who was charged with her killing in 2011, was acquitted last year after facing trial in two phases for inconclusive and insufficient evidence against him. "Bangladesh government and BGB have confirmed us to cover all international boundaries through single row fencing," KK Sharma, director general of Border Security Force told reporters after the conclusion of directors general-level meeting on October 4. “We should have joint efforts to curb issues like trans-border crimes, cattle smuggling, arms smuggling [and] human trafficking and also drugs that goes into Bangladesh,” said Major General Aziz Ahmed, director general of Border Guard Bangladesh. “Now that border demarcation has taken place, there is a desire to avoid any further border killings,” Farooq Sobhan, former Bangladesh high commissioner to India told WION. In 2010, the BSF and BGB signed agreements to introduce non-lethal weapons like pump action guns and rubber bullets to contain border intrusion. At a press briefing on Friday, General Ahmed told reporters that most of the civilians who are killed at the borders are targetted at eyes, head and chest leading up to their deaths. (WION)

Indo-Bangla relations: Security forces pledge to curb cross-border crimes, agree to new fencing

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