United News of Bangladesh

India officially notified Pakistan of its decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty with immediate effect, citing violations by Islamabad. According to a letter from India’s Secretary of Water Resources, Debashree Mukherjee, addressed to her Pakistani counterpart Syed Ali Murtaza, Pakistan’s continued support for cross-border terrorism targeting Jammu and Kashmir undermines India’s treaty rights. "The principle of honoring treaties in good faith is fundamental. However, what we are witnessing is Pakistan’s ongoing cross-border terrorism aimed at the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," Mukherjee stated in the letter. India blames Pakistan for Kashmir attack, suspends historic water treaty Meanwhile, Panun Kashmir, a group representing displaced Kashmiri Pandits, has called on the central government to issue a travel advisory for Kashmir. The organization warned that the situation in the Valley is “far from normal,” and highlighted the heightened risk faced by tourists, particularly Hindus. Source: With input from news agency

A 32-year-old man has been shot dead during exchange of fire between two rival groups in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna, said police. The deceased was identified as Ershad Sheikh, a resident of the upazila. Read:UPDF man shot dead in JSS-UPDF ‘gunfight’ in Rangamati The two sides attacked each other and exchanged fire on yesterday night (September 4, 2022) over the damage of crops by cattle in Chalna village of Bhaina union that left several people  injured, said Pabna Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Sujanagar Circle) Rabiul Islam. The injured were rushed to Pabna General Hospital where doctors declared Ershad dead, he added. Some local people vandalized and torched a  number of houses in the village following the death. Read: 15 inured in Cox’s Bazar gunfight Police were deployed at the spot and brought the situation under control at night. Legal action will be taken after an investigation, said the officer.

Islamic militants have stormed a hotel in Somalia's capital, engaging in an hours-long exchange of fire with the security forces that left at least 20 people dead, according to police and witnesses. In addition, at least 40 people were wounded in the late Friday night attack and security forces rescued many others, including children, from the scene at Mogadishu's popular Hayat Hotel, they said Saturday. The attack started with explosions outside the hotel before the gunmen entered the building. Somali forces were still trying to end the siege of the hotel almost 24 hours after the attack started. Gunfire could still be heard Saturday evening as security forces tried to contain the last gunmen thought to be holed up on the hotel’s top floor. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, which has ties with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest of its frequent attempts to strike places visited by government officials. The attack on the hotel is the first major terror incident in Mogadishu since Somalia's new leader, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, took over in May. In a Twitter post, the U.S. Embassy in Somalia said it “strongly condemns” the attack on the Hayat. Read: Gunmen kill 4 in attack targeting lawmaker in NW Pakistan “We extend condolences to the families of loved ones killed, wish a full recovery to the injured, & pledge continued support for #Somalia to hold murderers accountable & build when others destroy,” it said. There was no immediate word on the identities of the victims, but many are believed to be civilians. Mohamed Abdirahman, director of Mogadishu’s Madina Hospital, told the AP that 40 people were admitted there with wounds or injuries from the attack. While nine were sent home after getting treatment, five are in critical condition in the ICU, he said. “We were having tea near the hotel lobby when we heard the first blast, followed by gunfire. I immediately rushed toward hotel rooms on the ground floor and I locked the door,” witness Abdullahi Hussein said by phone. “The militants went straight upstairs and started shooting. I was inside the room until the security forces arrived and rescued me.” He said on his way to safety he saw “several bodies lying on the ground outside hotel reception.” Al-Shabab remains the most lethal Islamic extremist group in Africa. The group has seized even more territory in recent years, taking advantage of rifts among Somali security personnel as well as disagreements between the government seat in Mogadishu and regional states. It remains the biggest threat to political stability in the volatile Horn of Africa nation. Forced to retreat from Mogadishu in 2011, al-Shabab is slowly making a comeback from the rural areas to which it retreated, defying the presence of African Union peacekeepers as well as U.S. drone strikes targeting its fighters. The militants in early May attacked a military base for AU peacekeepers outside Mogadishu, killing many Burundian troops. The attack came just days before the presidential vote that returned Mohamud to power five years after he had been voted out.