SAYDEBAD, Afghanistan Not far from here, just off the highway that was once the showpiece of the United States reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, three American soldiers and their Afghan interpreter were ambushed and killed seven weeks ago.
The soldiers two of them members of the National Guard from New York died as their vehicles were hit by mines and rocket-propelled grenades. At least one was dragged off and chopped to pieces, according to Afghan and Western officials. The body was so badly mutilated that at first the military announced that it had found the remains of two men, not one, in a nearby field.
The attack, on June 26, was notable not only for its brutality, but also because it came amid a series of spectacular insurgent attacks along the road that have highlighted the precariousness of the international effort to secure Afghanistan six years after the United States intervened to drive off the Taliban government.
Security in the provinces ringing the capital, Kabul, has deteriorated rapidly in recent months. Today it is as bad as at any time since the beginning of the war, as militants have surged into new areas and taken advantage of an increasingly paralyzed local government and police force and the thinly stretched international military presence here.
This district is just 50 miles or so south of Kabul. Farther south, beyond the town of Salar, the road also known as Highway 1 is even more dangerous, and to drive beyond that point is to risk ambush, explosions and possible slaughter.
When it was refurbished several years ago, the Kabul-Kandahar highway was a demonstration of Americas commitment to building a new, democratic Afghanistan. A critical artery, the highway quite literally holds this country together.
A Precarious Thread
For the shaky Afghan state, it binds the countrys center to the insurgent-ridden south, and provides a tenuous thread to unite Afghanistans increasingly divided ethnic halves: the insurgent-ridden, Pashtun dominated south with the more stable, mainly Tajik, Hazara and Turkic populated north.
For the United States and the NATO-led force in Afghanistan, it is an important supply route for the war effort, linking the two largest foreign military bases in the country, at Bagram and Kandahar, and a number of smaller bases along the way.
But today the highway is a dangerous gantlet of mines and attacks from insurgents and criminals, pocked with bomb craters and blown-up bridges. The governor of Ghazni Province came under fire driving through Salar on Tuesday and two of his guards were wounded, officials said.
The insurgents have made the route a main target, with the apparent aim of undercutting Afghanistans economy and infrastructure, said Gen. Zaher Azimi, the Afghan military spokesman.
The road has become the site of extreme carnage in the last six weeks, disrupting supply lines for American and NATO forces and tying down Afghan Army forces. One of the worst attacks occurred in Salar on June 24 when some 50 fuel tankers and food trucks carrying supplies for the United States military were ambushed.
The convoy was set on fire. Seven of its drivers were dragged out and beheaded, said Abdul Ghayur, the commander of the private security force that supplied the drivers. Those ones who were driving the refrigerated trucks, which presumably looked more foreign, were singled out, he said.
That attack was followed two days later by the ambush that killed the three Americans and their Afghan interpreter, farther north, near a village called Tangi.
Calling In the Army
The ferocity of their killing, coming amid a sudden spiral of insurgent violence along the road and in the surrounding provinces, forced the Afghan government to send several battalions of the Afghan National Army in July here to Wardak Province, which lies just south of Kabul, to try to secure the road.
Soldiers of Afghanistans 201st Corps are now posted in old hilltop positions that the Soviet army used in the 1980s, surveying the road and the green side valleys that provide easy cover for the insurgents.
Since their arrival three weeks ago, the Afghan soldiers say they have been engaged in repeated firefights with insurgents and have surprised several groups trying to lay roadside bombs.
Soldiers from one Afghan unit, which had recently set up camp in a school building in Salar, said they were called out Aug. 1 to reinforce the local police, who were besieged in their own station less than three miles down the road.
The Afghan soldiers ran into an ambush almost immediately and had to battle for three hours before they could relieve the police station, said the commander, Capt. Gul Jan, 42.
#1
My guess is that a light footprint counterinsurgency in Afghanistan is about to end. I suspect we are looking at over 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan in the year ahead. Those penny-packet deployments have got to end.
#2
I doubt we can support 100,000 troops there logistically; the only realistic supply lines are long and vulnerable, through Pakistan. Never mind the Taliban - will Pakistan even tolerate that level of activity? Do we even care enough about A'stan to make the huge investment it would take to have a chance to getting it straight? I suppose we could work out an alternate supply route through Kashmir, if we helped India subjugate and ethnically cleanse it. Nah, not going to happen.
Sudan's army has begun a massive operation to wipe out rebel bases in Darfur's far north, two Darfur rebel factions said yesterday.
The army attacked with more than 200 vehicles in Wadi Atron, near the Libyan border on Tuesday and took control of areas which had for years been under the control of rebels who want more autonomy for the region.
"They came with more than 200 vehicles and killed seven people," commander Suleiman Marajan told Reuters from Darfur. He is from the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) faction led by founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur.
"They attacked our areas in Wadi Atron with a massive force," said Al-Sayyid Sherif from the rival Sudan Liberation Army (Unity) faction. "We consider this a new declaration of war." The army spokesman declined to immediately comment. One army source confirmed there were operations under way but could not give details.
Marajan said the government had moved in Chinese workers who were looking for oil in the remote area.
North Darfur is part of Sudan's oil Block 12A operated by a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian company Al-Qahtani. Chinese companies dominate Sudan's budding oil sector, which produces more than 500,000 barrels per day of crude.
Sudan's Oil Ministry could not immediately confirm whether any exploration has begun in Block 12A. The North Darfur operation follows a rare visit to Darfur by the minister of defense and the head of the intelligence services last week.
Unity is one of the largest Darfur rebel groups and was one of the few factions to say they were ready to go to peace talks.
A joint UN-African Union mediator has been appointed and was expected to take up his new position on Aug. 1, based in Darfur.
Djbril Bassole from Burkina Faso, a Francophile, is having intensive English lessons before he moves to Darfur and his new post. He also speaks no Arabic.
Both rebels and the government have attacked each other trying to gain territory ahead of previous Darfur peace talks.
International experts estimate some 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing central government of neglect.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I gotta say, the UN is doing a bang-up job on this. I seem to recall that all this flared up right after we invaded Iraq, and the rest of the world pretty much told us to stay out of it, that the UN would handle it. That's how I remember it anyway.
#2
And who is shouting moral umbrage against the Arab aggressors? Who is accusing the Saud terror base for financing the operations against "abds" (in Arabic slave and Black African are equivalents)? Does silence mean: it is okay to murder minorities, as long as they are black? Maybe Russia should invade Sudan, to test the depth of Alice in Wonderland logic.
An internet message purporting to be from the North African wing of al-Qaeda has urged Mauritanians to take up arms against their coup leaders. Last week, General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz and other military officers toppled the country's first democratically-elected president. Gen Abdelaziz said defeating extremism was one of his main priorities.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is largely based in Algeria but has been blamed for attacks in Mauritania. The government said it killed four French tourists last December, an incident that prompted the cancellation of the Paris-Dakar car rally. It also blamed the group for attacking the Israeli embassy in the capital, Nouakchott, in February.
The internet message alleges that despite wide condemnation of the coup by Western governments, it would not have been possible without the approval of France, the United States and Israel. The statement is apparently signed by the leader of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Abdelmalik Droukdal. The BBC's James Copnall in Nouakchott says Mauritania is extremely poor, and its young people are increasingly radicalised. In addition the country is almost entirely an empty desert, and the vast open spaces make it easy for illegal groups to avoid detection.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Tribesmen released a French engineer of Algerian origin yesterday after holding him hostage for one day in southeastern Yemen, provincial officials said.
They said the release of the hostage, who was kidnapped to press for the freedom of jailed fellow clansmen, was secured after mediation by tribal figures and local officials in Shabwa, 580 km southeast of Sanaa.
The engineer, identified as Yassin Yaboz, 46, works for a giant gas exporting project in the Arabian Sea port of Balhaf. He was taken at gunpoint from the Habban area, about 40 km from Ataq, the provincial capital of Shabwa.
Also freed by the kidnappers, who belong to the powerful Laqmoush tribe, were four bodyguards taken hostage with Yoboz.
A provincial official told Arab News the hostages' release was secured after local officials pledged to set free three Laqmoush clansmen being detained in the neighboring Hadhramout province over a land dispute.
Authorities sent army and police forces to the area late Tuesday to pursue the kidnappers.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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The US and Poland have agreed a preliminary deal on plans for the controversial US defence shield, Warsaw has announced. The plan would see the US base 10 missile interceptors in Poland in exchange for help strengthening Polish defences, said PM Donald Tusk.
The scheme is highly controversial and has been opposed by Russia.
All the more reason to go ahead, and soon ...
Poland is reported to have demanded security help after Moscow threatened to target its missiles at the bases. The Polish Foreign Ministry told the PAP news agency that the deal would be signed at 1800 GMT.
The US signed a deal with the Czech Republic in July to base tracking radars there as part of the missile defence system. The US wants the sites to be in operation by about 2012.
Russia has expressed concern about the system in the past, with one official saying the deal "complicates" global security.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/14/2008 14:06 ||
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#1
Can you say, "Poland got nervous and wanted a tripwire force in place?"
#6
bigjim-ky, Czechs already signed, I would tend to think that they are extra-sensitive (and trusting Russians? Hahahahahaha!), so they did already as if in premonitory mode.
Slovaks, not sure, but it is likely they too would get an itch that needs to be scratched.
#8
DoDo, check out the Ukrainian radar thread. 2 missile warning radars become available next year.
Posted by: ed ||
08/14/2008 18:02 Comments ||
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#9
I lack the detailed knowledge of this story since it began, but seems unlikely the timing here is a coincidence. Amusingly, I heard on the radio just minutes ago (they just rip/read wire reports) the Polish version that the US had agreed to concessions to cement the deal. Perhaps, but .... uh .... not hard to see why Warsaw might, uh, have a small fire under it's butt at the moment.
It's also being reported that the deal included some sort of corrollary general commitment to Poland's security. Heh.
Of course we'll never do it, but the perfect complement to these mysterious sudden breaththroughs in former Bloc cooperation deals would be a high-profile call for revisiting the self-determination questions as they apply to the myriad potential mini-states in the Russian Federation.
#10
Russia really made the decision for the Poles. Russia now expresses surprise and anger? Hello?? What the hell did they expect? Day by day, the cost to Russia for their excellent adventure in Georgia mounts.
The Russians now control major parts of Georgia. But the price is high, and getting higher by the day. I think the Russians screwed up. Oh yeah, bigtime.
Long before Aafia Siddique was arrested in Afghanistan last month, allegedly in possession of a list of New York targets and chem-bio weapons information, she had allegedly developed a plot, however improbable or amateurish, to kill Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush and to attack the White House. Siddique plotted to use weapons that included biological agents to contaminate former president Carter's water, according to multiple federal sources.
Alleged Al Qaeda 'Mata Hari' Aafia Siddique is an MIT graduate and received a PhD from Brandeis. Her lawyer says the government's case against Siddique is a lie.
"Lies! All lies!"
Those allegations, some contained in the federal complaint filed on July 31st by the US Attorney in Manhattan, the details expanded on by sources spoken to by ABC News, paint Siddique, 36, as a committed Al Qaeda operative, and one whose capture could hold the key to identifying other operatives and supporters both in the US and overseas. But her lawyer, activist attorney Elizabeth Fink, says the entire government case against Siddique is a lie.
#4
And just a few days ago a dead muslim was found in Denver with a canister of cyanide. Perhaps AQ wants to preemptively poison a future "Worst President Ever", ala Minority Report. Though judging by Obama's cousin Raila Odinga, I would think AQ would be ululating for joy.
Posted by: ed ||
08/14/2008 9:31 Comments ||
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#5
It doesn't much matter whether or not Dr. Siddique is talking. Her thumbdrive of email exchanges and hard drive of plans and procedures is quite enough for our clever boys and girls to go on with, I'm sure. Dear Dr. S. can explain all that stuff later, after she's languished for a while with only her attorney to speak to. Apparently boredom coupled with a highly nutritious diet lacking in tryptophans is a very effective thing.
(Xinhua) -- At least 26 people were killed and 35 others wounded as sectarian clashes continued for the seventh day in Pakistan's tribal region on Wednesday.
Death toll in clashes in northwestern Kurrum tribal agency has risen to more than 100, News Network International (NNI) news agency reported. Reports said both tribes used automated weapons, artillery, mortar missiles and rockets against each other in the week-long fighting. Kurrum tribal agency had suffered sectarian violence for the past two years.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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A suicide blast in Lahore killed at least nine people and injured more than 35, targeting policemen standing guard on the eve of the Independence Day. The attack took place at the busy Dubai Chowk in the Allama Iqbal Town area at about 11:34pm, as citizens poured into the streets before midnight to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Pakistan's independence, which falls on Thursday (today). The dead include two policemen and a woman.
Jhang arrests: Intelligence sources linked the blast to the "recent arrests from Jhang", referring to the detention of members of banned militant organisations. A similar blast had taken place at the GPO Chowk after arrests were made in Sargodha, Bhakkar, Mianwali and Lahore's Shahdara area, they added.
Witnesses said a young man with a beard blew himself up near a police van that arrived at the Dubai Chowk traffic signal. They said the Shalwar Kamiz-clad suicide bomber was waiting on a footpath outside a nearby mosque. The blast was so severe that windowpanes of nearby buildings were broken.
A policeman at the scene told AFP he saw the burning body of a man, whom he believed to be a suicide bomber, lying next to a charred motorbike, while bloodied policemen were strewn around the site. Police sealed off the area to collect evidence and record witness statements, and sealed off the entry and exit points of the city. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a compensation of Rs 1 million each for the families of the martyred policemen and Rs 300,000 each for those of the civilians, Geo News reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#4
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a compensation of Rs 1 million each for the families of the martyred policemen and Rs 300,000 each for those of the civilians
He also added, "This is Pakistan bro, nobody gets blown up for free".
A clash between the Taliban and security forces on Wednesday left a security personnel injured. Militants also attacked the houses of former federal minister and Awami National Party leader Afzal Khan and Matta Nazim Abdul Jabbar. However, the militants retreated after an exchange of fire for some time. No injuries were reported.
Taliban attacked a convoy of security forces in Shah Dheri area of Kabal tehsil, injuring one of the men. The Taliban claimed to have killed two men. In Kala Kalay area of Kabal,
A civilian, Shehzada, was killed and three more people injured when a mortar shell hit a house. The injured included a six-year-old boy.
a civilian, Shehzada, was killed and three more people injured when a mortar shell hit a house. The injured included a six-year-old boy.
Army helicopters and artillery targeted Taliban positions in Bamakhela, Bodigram, Teligram and Taghwan Banr. The number of casualties could not be confirmed.
Addressing union council nazims and tribal elders in Khwazakhela, Brig Ajab Khan said the purpose of the security operation was to ensure the safety of people's lives and property. He said priority would be given to health, education and welfare projects in a package given from security forces to the people of Swat.
Talking to reporters over telephone from an undisclosed location, Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said they had caused heavy losses to the security forces. He said the purpose behind the Taliban's struggle was the implementation of shariah in Malakand and they would not budge from their "principled" stance.
Separately, Taliban freed eight men in Hangu district after negotiations with tribal elders and the local administration on Wednesday. The hostages had been kidnapped on July 25.
This article starring:
Bamakhela
Bodigram
Hangu district
Kabal tehsil
Kala Kalay
Khwazakhela
Malakand
Shah Dheri
Taghwan Banr
Teligram
Awami National Party leader Afzal Khan
Brig Ajab Khan
Matta Nazim Abdul Jabbar
MUSLIM KHAN
TTP
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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A spokesman says unknown gunmen have shot dead a leader of an outlawed Pakistani militant group in the country's volatile northwest. The attackers burst into the headquarters of the Vice and Virtue Movement in the Khyber tribal region on Wednesday morning and shot dead its leader Haji Namdar.
Namdar's spokesman Munsaf Khan says supporters of the organization captured two suspects after the shooting, but it is too early to say who is behind the attack.
They're still being skinned...
The Vice and Virtue Movement was banned in June when security forces launched an operation to curb the growing influence of Islamic militant groups in Khyber, amid concern they threatened the main northwestern Pakistan city of Peshawar.
More detail, from Pak Daily Times The head of a local vigilante organisation was shot dead on Wednesday. Amr Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar chief Haji Namdar was delivering his routine sermon for his FM radio channel from a mosque in Bar Kambarkhel when an unidentified man shot and killed him. The attacker was captured by Namdar's supporters. The executive body of the organisation named Haji Hukam Khan as the new chief of the group. Namdar was laid to rest in Karawal. Media coverage of his funeral was not allowed due to security reasons.
This article starring:
Bar Kambarkhel
Karawal
HAJI HUKAM KHAN
Amr Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar
HAJI NAMDAR
Amr Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar
MUNSAF KHAN
Amr Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munkar
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Meet the new Haji, same as the old Haji.
Probably be reading sad news about you in a coupla weeks...
Beginning to read like we are hitting their training camps -- lots of "foreigners" present
I'd guess we were trying to hit Hek on this one...
PESHAWAR - At least 20 militants including foreigners were killed when four missiles fired allegedly by the US-led allied forces from across the Afghanistan border hit Baghar Camp near Angor Adda, the border town of South Waziristan Agency, in the wee hours of Wednesday.
So far nine bodies of local militants have been recovered whereas the reports regarding the killing of foreigners couldn't be verified.
So far nine bodies of local militants have been recovered whereas the reports regarding the killing of foreigners couldn't be verified.
According to details, four missiles fired from Afghanistan hit the compound of the Baghar Camp. There are conflicting reports regarding missile attacks. Some of the tribesmen claimed that the allied forces jet fighters fired these missiles while others said it was the ground attack launched from across the border. Soon after the attack, the site was brought under siege by scores of masked militants. Except a few leading figures like Mullah Nazir and his close associates, other tribesmen were not allowed to contribute in the rescue activities. Hummmm why would local tribesmen not be allowed to help? Maybe, a HVT they don't want identified?
The tribesmen believe that during the missile attack, some 20 to 25 persons, mostly foreigners, were present in the compound, which was allegedly being used for training of militants. The identity of the killed couldn't be ascertained. The compound was badly damaged and razed to the ground. Mostly foreigners? Trainers, or maybe a security detail
It may be mentioned here that the US-led troops have been targeting the hideouts of Al-Qaeda fugitives and their like-minded colleagues throughout Waziristan since last January. Wonder if our intel folks are beginning to get really close?
I think we've been trying to get a bead on Hek since he came back from Iran.
Agencies add: Four missiles, believed to be fired by US-led forces in Afghanistan, hit the camp, security officials said, adding "There were reports about the presence of Arab, Turkmen and local militants." Lately, frequent reports of four missles here, six missles there, three missle over there. Maybe getting close, intel getting better. One can only hope.
"This is their work," he added, referring to US-led coalition forces deployed across the border in Afghanistan. In Kabul, the US military said the missiles were not fired by either NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) or the US-led coalition.
#5
Soon after the attack, the site was brought under siege by scores of masked militants.
Hague Judges; yep wearing their rustling black robes.. they are a brave bunch who venture out at night in Wazoo country digging up "evidence" against America. >:)
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/14/2008 12:52 Comments ||
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#6
2 mistakes. No follow on shots. Not hitting all the camps at the same time.
Posted by: ed ||
08/14/2008 12:56 Comments ||
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(VOI) -- A combined Iraqi army-police force on Wednesday arrested seven people wanted for "terror and criminal" cases, while a quantity of arms and ammunition were seized, all in raid operations in three different areas, in southern Basra, said the Iraqi army's spokesperson in the province. "A force from the Iraqi army-police today conducted raid operations in the areas of al-Seba, al-Fidaghiya, and al-Bahar, 70 km southern Basra, and arrested seven people wanted for terror and criminal cases," Colonel Abbass l-Temimi told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The forces seized a quantity of arms and ammunition during the operations," he added. He did not mention further details.
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08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - Security forces on Wednesday arrested three gunmen and seized a weapons cache in Ninewa, a military spokesman said. "Forces from Iraqi army 2nd division captured three gunmen on Badosh Road, west Mosul, after chasing and seizing their vehicle," Brig. Khalid Abdel Sattar, spokesman for Ninewa operations command, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
The spokesman noted "forces found a hand-made roadside bomb inside the vehicle." He did not elaborate on the details, but noted "the detainees are under investigation." Elsewhere in Mosul, the spokesman said Iraqi army forces "seized an explosives cache hidden inside an unfinished house in al-Mithaq district, south-east Mosul." He pointed out "the cache contained 32 sparks, seven kg of TNT, five batteries, and ten meters of wire. The discovery was based on confession tips from a detainee."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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(VOI) - The casualty toll from the bombing in Ninewa rose to two dead and seven wounded, a police source said on Wednesday. "The casualty toll from the car bomb attack that ripped through al-Qayra district, south Mosul, rose to two killed and seven wounded, all civilians," a Ninewa police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). Earlier, a police source said a car bomb went off in al-Qayra district, leaving a civilian killed and seven others wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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The 16-year-old aroused the suspicion of the soldiers manning the Hawara crossing, south of Nablus, Army Radio reported. Two pipe bombs and a pocket knife were found in his belongings. Israeli security forces were investigating the Palestinian, while sappers detonated the bombs in a controlled area.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Two people were killed and 21 wounded in separate bomb and shooting attacks by suspected separatist jihadis rebels operating in Thailand's Muslim-majority south, police said.
Terrorists Militants shot dead a 26-year-old man early on Wednesday in Pattani province, and as police and soldiers rushed to the scene to investigate, a bomb hidden on a nearby motorcycle exploded. Six police officers, four soldiers and nine civilians sustained minor injures in the small blast, local officials said.
In a separate attack Wednesday, a 52-year-old man was shot dead at his home in nearby Yala province, while his wife and son were also hurt in the gunfire.
Tens of thousands of displaced farmers were returning to their homes in the southern Philippines yesterday after troops took control of the area from rebels following three days of fighting, army officials said. Maj. Gen. Armando Cunanan, a military commander in Mindanao, said troops had driven out fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) from villages they had occupied in North Cotabato province on Mindanao island.
"Our troops have virtually liberated these areas," Cunanan told reporters, adding the rebels had been forced to move back to the marshlands or deeper into the mountains in adjacent Shariff Kabunsuan province. "We're sending our bomb disposal teams to make sure all the villages are safe from booby traps and land mines that were left behind by the retreating rebels."
Around 160,000 displaced farmers, clutching cooking pans and a few possession, started walking back to their homes yesterday, escorted by dozens of troops backed by armored vehicles. "About half of them have returned and we hope that the rest can go back to their homes the day after tomorrow," Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters while touring several temporary shelters in the province. "It's a problem, but not a humanitarian crisis. As we have seen, the numbers speak for themselves. We only have about 15,000 families remaining and they are slowly going back to their homes. We want to make sure their villages are safe before they return."
The United Nations had earlier said it was concerned about a brewing humanitarian crisis.
The rebels launched their attack last week after the Philippines Supreme Court halted a deal to create a new, larger homeland for Muslims that would give them more autonomy in the impoverished but resource-rich south. Muslims in the south of the largely Catholic country have been seeking some form of independence for decades in a conflict that has killed more than 120,000 people, but as details of a secretive land deal began emerging last month, Christians took the matter to court.
Mohaqher Iqbal, the MILF chief peace negotiator, said the rebels did not start the hostilities and warned the national police against filing criminal charges against one of their field commanders, Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato. "They can bring their complaint to the cease-fire committee because taking him to court might have an adverse impact on the peace process," Iqbal said, adding Kato was not a renegade MILF leader as the army and police were trying to portray him.
Despite this week's violent clash, neither side is talking about a return to all-out war. Analysts have said both sides were flexing their military muscles after yet another setback in long-running talks to end the near 40-year separatist conflict.
This article starring:
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro
Maj. Gen. Armando Cunanan
Mohaqher Iqbal
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Ustadz Ameril Ombra Kato
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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Fifteen Tamil Tiger rebels and one soldier have been killed in fresh clashes across Sri Lanka's tense northern front, the defence ministry said yesterday. The military said it smashed rebel bunkers as it pushed deeper into Tiger-controlled areas in Vavuniya, Weli Oya and Mullaittivu on Tuesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment on the ministry's statement.
Tuesday's fighting raised the number of rebels killed by troops to 5,786 since January, while 529 soldiers have died in combat during the same period, according to ministry figures.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/14/2008 00:00 ||
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DEBKAfiles Middle East sources disclose that over last weekend, Jumblatt quietly signed a defense cooperation pact with Hassan Nasrallah, affording Hizballah a strong foothold in the Lebanese Druze bastion of Mt. Chouf.
Drawing the hostile noose around northern Israel ever tighter, Lebanese president Michel Sleiman was due in Damascus Wednesday, Aug. 13, to celebrate the thaw in relations between the two countries.
#2
I don't think Wally was so much pro-Western as he was pro-Western freebies. One of the things you learn about these guys is that they are principled people, and their main principle is "gimme more".
that's a most cogent delineation of Walid's entire adult life.. <|:)
I believe that both his grand father and father were assinated.
nice neighborhood tho.. /yes that's sacasism
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/14/2008 12:38 Comments ||
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#5
assinated... hummm not sure what that woid is..
assassinated
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/14/2008 12:40 Comments ||
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#6
this whole discussion is based on an item from Debka right?
ZF - Wallys never been pro-western. hes been pro-wally. In the context of leb politics the last few years, that meant being anti syrian and anti-hezb. Unless hes given up all hope of beating Hezb, hes probably still that way.
He also has to consider the possibility of an Israeli syrian deal.
#7
The Druze are the Arab clan/tribe writ large. Its a hereditary sect that survives(ed) by keeping itself seperate. Wally is just doing his job, making sure the Druze come through this. Our long game is just a blink of an eye for someone like him.
#10
Gee, LH, unless I take that seemingly rhetorical question the wrong way, you're being sarcastic, right? The USA, going back to my father's generation, has done more for decency and freedom (as defined in the west - er, wow, seems to be pretty much as defined elsewhere, judging by behavior and words) than all the other countries put together, times 1,000. That includes taking care of the "vandal's" pensioners when their little totalitarian enterprise collapsed back in '91. Oh, and we took care of Georgia's, too. And tried to help those of their Abkhaz brethren, too. And the same on all divides of all the stupid little conflicts in that scenic region.
To rationalize Jumblatt's behavior as rational in a self-preservation sense is unobjectionable. To not recognize the moral degradation of his actions, and those of most of his neighbors and compatriots, is silly. To pretend that the US, already shouldering 99% of the world's burden of securing freedom or at least decent non-Hobbesian state behavior, is somehow similar to the contemptible jerks "leading" various Arab tribes is ignorant and morally imbecilic.
#11
P.S. - to borrow a phrase, it can only bring joy to an American heart when a Druze soldier is killed. Wait - that sounds familiar somehow .... apologies if I lifted that from the annals of any dirtbag Lebanese gang leader who resembles Marty Feldman.
#12
The West deserted the Druze, as did our leaders abandon the 2,000,000 Christians that have been cleansed since 1948, from what was once Roman Palestine.
Would everyone get a copy of the "Helsinki Accords"? There is widespread ignorance of signatory obligations re. the treatment on internal minorities. In the course from 1977 to 2008, it somehow became right to oppress same, as long as your country has the George Soros "freedom" stamp branded on rhetoric.
#1
It would be grand to announce a "genocide for genocide" decision, to whit, that if Islamists somehow manage to commit a successful act of large scale mass murder against a western nation, that a Muslim nation "most dear" to the attackers will have every Muslim within killed to a ratio of at least 10:1 for every westerner murdered. Most likely using neutron weapons.
And from that point, on those now empty lands, every mosque, artifact and Muslim sacred place will be destroyed, and that land shall become the playground and possession of the attacked western nation. And Muslims shall be forever forbidden from setting foot in that land again.
#2
That would take an insane amount of poison. Hard to stay under the radar while dumping an entire box truck full of white powder into the local reservoir.
#8
Even an ineffective attack would cause mass panic
Posted by: john frum ||
08/14/2008 10:36 Comments ||
Top||
#9
I hate to mention this, and maybe I shouldn't.
Let me just say there are no values between my sink faucet and the water supply. Only the water pressure to overcome.
#11
Gonna make it a little tricky to change that faucet. I'm guessing there's an underground shut-off valve out at the street that you don't know about.
#13
I've never seen a European use tap water for anything other than bathing or cooking. Bottled mineral water is everywhere.
I've got the "best" Pur filters on most of my sink taps, although not on the refrigerator ice maker. I think I'll call Procter & Gamble's 800-number and ask how much I should worry.
#14
Pumping contaminants up-line isn't going to get you very far. You would need a lot of flow as well as pressure because the pipes get bigger as you go up-line. And the local pipes will break under the higher pressure needed to reverse the larger flows. My guess is that you could damage your block that way, but that's about all.
#15
Sooner or later some Muslim is gonna come up with a weaponized small pox variant. He's gonna hit Israel and the Palestinians will be effected and it will spread. The Islamic world will die because they have few modern hospitals and the western world will inoculate itself before others.
And they will probably blame Israel to their dying breath.
#18
so genocide for genocide is an acceptable comment?
From Amonymoose, Yes. From you, no! BTW, supergal, supergalitz, superGalitzian...etc., or whatever you're calling yourself this troll deposit. Pick. A. Name! And then stick with it.
#19
You have to factor in sarcasm and ironic humor when reading posts here supergalitz. It may not always come off as being humor, but there are no genocidal psychos here as far as I know.
#21
Whoever did that first reply, if it was intended as ironic humor, well they shouldnt count on a career in standup comedy. Read it. I see no hint of humor or irony. It reads pretty straight.
Im not sure why you are sure there are no genocidal psychos here.
#24
SG: genocide for genocide comments are not appropriate if serious. As a moderator I will redact them.
Moose was engaged in hyperbole, a time-honored tradition here. It helps to know the players.
Speaking of knowing the players, I'm not too impressed with you so far. You're new here. Show some humility. Consider that friendly advice.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/14/2008 11:27 Comments ||
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#25
I believe strongly in the right to self defense. I also strongly believe in the right to do so by offense, attacking the enemys ability to attack you. I consider that right, even when there is risk of collateral damage to civilians.
What was proposed here is a revenge attack designed to kill civilians (many of them completely innocent. Its just the kind of thing jihadi terrorists do, and that we rightly call them barbarians for doing.
You may personally disagree with my values on this. I am asking a mod though if such advocacy is now acceptable here. In the past it has not been, ISTM.
#26
Thats me SW. I thought that was clear. I guess id better go back to my old nick.
Hyperbole, ok. Didnt read like it to me, as I state above. Also I doubt y'all would buy that excuse if he was, say, making a suggestion of bodily harm against POTUS.
#27
as info - i changed to superstitious galitizianer during the discussion of Zawahiris "death" for reasons that make sense if you know Jewish superstitions (never say things are good, it will attract the evil eye) I got lazy and didnt change it back, and then kinda liked it. Ive more than hinted at the change in several places, and even had a talk with TW about it.
#30
Ever though about combining the 2 nicks? SuperHawk has a nice ring to it.
Posted by: ed ||
08/14/2008 11:46 Comments ||
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#31
LH: thanks for the clarification. Not only did the nym change but the writing style was different.
To be clear to all: serious calls for genocide will always be redacted. Snark and hyperbole will not. The difference is clear though at times exceedingly fine.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/14/2008 11:47 Comments ||
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#32
I'll say this LH. Under your new nym, you've made some outrageous comments. Far worse than anyone else posting over the last week. You're normally screwed up, but have you been on heavy chemical addiction for the past 7 days ? Just revving up for the Dummo conglomeration ? Or is this your true self bleeding thru ? In any case, your stoopid rantings are unappreciated. Lose yurself.
31 - Really? I thought it was fairly similar. I always write differently depending on my mood, and the Georgia thing has really affected my mood, perhaps more than it should. And I suppose I write differently on Russian affairs than I do on ME affairs, not only cause my mood is different, but more because my sense of where people here are on the topics is different - IE I guess I write differently when im relatively dovish by community standards, and when Im fairly hawkish by community standards. As youve never seen my writings in forums where im a relative hawk on the ME, you havent seen much of that side.
But my reactions on the issue in this thread are not really different, and I think expressed with more or less the same humorlessness as when I talked to dot.com long ago.
Its just that there havent been as many death to mooselimbs posts lately (partly due to world events, but partly due to the mods, I think), and ive tended to avoid the threads where they typically occur.
#40
supergalitIm not sure why you are sure there are no genocidal psychos here.
crunch.. crunch.. slurp.. slurp,
I loves me dead corpses especially the babies, 12 days dead..
crunch slurp crunch slurp
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/14/2008 12:19 Comments ||
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#41
Dear liberalhawk has always had his Talmudic side. While I tend to enjoy such discussions, I can see why those not raised in the same tradition might find it a bit off-putting. I would be very interested to see a discussion where he is the right-most participant. Would you be so kind as to email me a link the next time it occurs, liberalhawk? Thanks!
Some non-genocidal psychos, here, too. And non-genocidal non-psychos, and... ;-)
#42
tw, i prefer as a general rule to keep my online personas seperate. Ive commented under this nick on a few blogs from time to time - those where I was among the hawkish leaners (not the same as rightwing, BTW) include Belgravia Dispatch, Tacitus, and The Moderate Voice. Oh, and Oxblog. I havent posted on Tacitus in a LONG time, and the TMV got way too cluttered as well as largely falling into BDS. Belgravia (a "realist") got fairly nasty after the Leb war, and also suffered from BDS. ANd then went quiet. Hes back now, attacking the white haired dude about Georgia. Im over there attacking Russia, but also citing the Chosen one, so i may not look very "right wing" in my comments.
Oxblog was about the best for pol blog out there (and very close, to my own positions - well other than Taylor Marsh, whos definitely to my "left" though generally not a BDS sufferer), and its main disadvantage vs RB was its low volume, and tendency to spend too much time on obscure qs of interest only to political science academics. Its basically dead now.
#43
On the subject of genocidal fantasies. I have one about a Tunguska event over Mecca in the middle of Ramadan. It wouldn't matter if it were a natural event or not, because Arab/Moslem conspiracy theories would go into mega-overdrive.
#44
I DONT post except very rarely to the places like Yglesias or Atrios - while theoretically more moderate than Kos or DU, I still cant stand them. They are too far to one side for me to maintain my sanity there - Little Green Footballs would an example the other way (too far right to hang out at).
There really is a deficity of centrist liberal hawkish blogs. Bull Moose was good, if limited, but its gone. TMV is a multiple person blog and one or two were liberal hawks sans BDS, but like I said, the most prolific bloggers there have very bad BDS. Winds of Change is about as rightwing as here, but Armed Liberal who was one of the group bloggers there was close to my positions. he has somewhat different concerns though - hes a bit more left on economics, more right on gun control (hence his nick) and spends alot of time on issues of little concern to me.
The logical thing would be to start my own blog, but ive resisted the temptation.
#45
phil_p - I always thought the Project Thor concept needed a major rethinking and upgrading..
Deniable "small tungsten meteors" are really a nice asset - if only used at moments worthy of such an omen and no claim of use.
#47
There have been many threads in the past several years covering the potential responses to an islamo-terrorist mass casualty event in a western nation. An overwhelming response that did not consider civilian casualties a deterrent to undertaking that response has usually been a part of the discussion. That said, Anonymoose's description does appear more clinical and exacting, thus far more morally bankrupt, than a general overwhelming response.
#48
3dc, while there has been much speculative fiction on how the Earth could stop a meteorite/comet impact, no one seems to have considered the opposite, deliberately targeting an asteroid at a place on Earth. (Excepting Footfall which had aliens doing it)
There are a lot of near Earth objects out there in space. All it would take is a fairly small nudge is the right (wrong) direction.
#49
Today we discuss the possibility that members of the superior religion, the religion of blood and death, will kill, indiscriminately, any and all Europeans who intake water. We have not outlawed the practice of this blood cult. We have not opened dialog on the pros and cons of this blood cult. Instead, we tiptoe around the forbidden words. Retreating, ever retreating from macho violence into the vanilla land of appeasment and eventually, dhimmitude.
Doesn't the State Dept want to outlaw words ? Don't universities provide foot baths and exclusive prayer rooms ? Is our culture soon to go the way of Europe ? Are we still welcoming them into America for their glorious future ?
When you can no longer say what you want to say, then pull the trigger, all is lost.
#51
In truth, my comment was more subtle than hyperbole, yet at the same time it was more the *threat* of extraordinary response, instead of the response itself: that is, the use of the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction.
To explain: I have long seriously proposed an international interpolation to the MAD theory, that so effectively prevented a worldwide thermonuclear exchange during the Cold War. The idea being that lesser powers who had become nuclear weapons capable would be *threatened* by the major powers in the following manner:
If they dared to use their nuclear weapon against their hated enemy, most likely the "country next door", *before the fact*, they would be *warned* by the major powers that to do so would result in their destruction by the major powers.
The literal extermination of every life form in their nation with neutron bombs, *after* which, their entire nation would be given as reparations to the nation they had attacked with a nuclear weapon.
This might penetrate their thick skulls that not just would their lives, and that of their entire people be over; but an even more horrifying prospect, that their "stuff" would become the property of their hated enemy. As mind numbingly stupid as it sounds, this would matter to many of them even more than their lives, or the lives of their people.
As I have said, I have proposed this idea several times, not advocating the use of nuclear weapons, but to *prevent* the use of nuclear weapons. This is NOT calling for genocide, but to *prevent* genocide.
But that being said, the article mentions the contemplation of terrorists to commit a horrific act of mass murder, if not by using nuclear weapons, then by using a different "weapon of mass destruction."
I might add that neither the US nor Russia take the use of any weapons of mass destruction lightly. Nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons are seen in much the same light, as are the means of escalation in their use, and the appropriate response.
For example, the US has long had the policy that if an enemy attacked a US airbase with chemical weapons in war, the US would be willing to retaliate with nuclear weapons. This is less a promise than a threat--do not use chemical weapons against our airfields.
Of course this is made far more difficult with the act of terrorism being made not by a nation, but by a religion, and most likely a subset of a religion. That is, the destruction of the WTC was carried out by Wahabbi terrorists from Saudi Arabia. The villain is not the nation of Saudi Arabia, but the Islamic sect of Wahabbism.
But even the destruction of the WTC and the resultant loss of life does not rise to the level of the use of WMD to commit an act of mass murder killing tens or hundreds of thousands.
It is the weapon itself as much as the act, that would almost certainly right now result in terrible retaliation, much like I described. For any nation to even permit Wahabbism in its territory at all after that would be like the Taliban sponsoring al-Qaeda. Intolerable.
We would direct the Saudis to both depose the Wahabbi regime in Saudi Arabia, or else we would, and we would kill them all with little reservation if they resisted at all. They would be stripped of all power and religious authority worldwide. And we would have no problem telling mosques that either they embrace a different sect of Islam, or they would be razed.
We would outlaw Wahabbism on a worldwide scale, with both an individual and group death penalty for its adherents who refused to publicly change their sect.
Again, we do not want to do this. It is a threat to keep terrorists from using WMDs against us.
I always objected to hyperbolic comments about turning Mecca into "a pool of glass" with a nuclear weapon. This is because fighting us, or even ordinary acts of terrorism do not rise anywhere near the level of WMD retaliation. It is out of the question.
However, we should issue fair warning to terrorists, that if they use WMDs against us, it is already our policy to retaliate with WMDs.
I also would like to add that even during the Cold War, while the Soviets reserved the use of their nuclear weapons to target military targets, the US pointedly targeted Soviet cities and civilian targets.
Therefore, the bottom line is that whenever some terrorists brag about using WMDs against us, we should be very clear that if they do, it is likely that everything they cherish will be annihilated in response.
This is not because we want to. It is a threat, pure and simple.
#52
" while the Soviets reserved the use of their nuclear weapons to target military targets, the US pointedly targeted Soviet cities and civilian targets."
Unless Im deeply mistaken, the USSR while it began to adopt a counterforce strategy against US strategic weapons, always targeted US cities. And the US, while refraining from targeting strategic weapons (as part of MAD doctrine) never refrained from targeting Soviet Military assets, and in fact always made the point that targeted cities included either military bases or economic assets important to warmaking ability.
#56
Interesting, Moose.
The support of a threat is part of the reason we went to war in Iraq. Our invasion was the or else that Saddam Hussein had ignored for so long. When, therefore, is it acceptable by the agressor to execute the or else ? This question has an answer via Putin. When everyone is sitting down at the dinner table discussing the games. The American way would be after too many warnings and saber rattling and official negotiation conclusions. We cannot negotiate with Wahabbism any more than we can trust Pakistan. Maybe Putin's right, whack the hell outta them and see who really cares to defend them.
The world is really dangerous now and on the decline. Have a great day.
#57
And we would have no problem telling mosques that either they embrace a different sect of Islam, or they would be razed.
No, I'm not willing to accept that. Taqqiyya and kitman make it impossible to believe Muzzies on most issues, and certainly not on this one. If Muslims commit an act of mass murder with WMDs, it will be time to ban the practice of Islam and either raze the mosques or turn them into museums. Forcible expulsion to Saudi combined with prior confiscation of all assets sounds like a reasonable penalty as well.
If that sounds harsh, you can bet that if such an attack with major casualties takes place, the retaliation I've proposed will look very moderate compared to a lot of the other alternatives that will be put forward afterward.
#58
In agreement with my namesake in the sense that is is Islam, it always was Islam. I would, though, seek some method... even gradual, how to eradicate Islam. Expulsions means shuffling the problem. Switching from a sect to a sect means sweeping the problem under the rug where it would, one day, gain its virulence again. I want it to be gone, at some point, utterly, no more, nada, zippo, zilch.
Disclaimer: Plese note I say Islam, not muslims--meaning people that currently adhere to that creed.
#59
Back in the early 'fifties any one of influence who did anything to enable the USSR to end the US nuclear monopoly, earned the "traitor" label. Within a couple of years that tag is attaching to each and every malfeasant in office, who indulged proliferation among the Clash enemy. Islam isn't peace; it is the worst form of slavery ever imposed on humanity. And they despise us, by divine order.
I am not a Russia expert and defer to Robert Kagan and others to paint the macro picture of what Russia's incursion into Georgia means. But there are several issues, outside of these, that need to be looked at in terms of Russia in the greater world, and our relationship to Russia, particularly in counter-terrorism and weapons proliferation issues.
What is clear is that Russia is set on selling weapons to those who want very badly to hurt us, and who buy their weapons with the stated purpose of using them for that. Everyone sells weapons, and yes, the United States plays in the game. But Russia's willingness to arm non-state actors and states that are facing international sanction is qualitatively different.
The three clearest examples are the arming Hezbollah in the summer 2006 conflict (courtesy of their favorite delivery person with almost-plausible deniability, Viktor Bout); Venezuela, which recently purchased an additional $2 billion worth of weapons from Russia, in addition to the $4.4 billion already purchased in the past four years-including two AK-47 factories; and Iran, receiving advanced missile systems.
As noted above, Chavez's pitch for purchasing the weapons was the formation of an anti-US coalition with strategic interests in Latin America. Bout was also known to be delivering, on behalf of the Russian government, weapons shipments to forces in Georgia's separatist regions, helping to pave the way for the armed incursion.
One can argue that sovereign nations can buy and sell weapons as they choose, and that is true. But Russia's willingness, and downright eagerness, to arm those who want to hurt us and have established ties to international terrorist organizations with a demonstrated willingness to attack, should give policy makers pause.
#1
Reagan knew the answer to this one. We GIVE weapons to everyone who is of a mind to cause russia trouble. And not just rusty AKs, lets give em air defense stuff and rockets too. We're all about sending trainers, why don't we be real dicks like NKor and send weapons in UNICEF containers.
#3
#2 We should have let General George Patton have his way at the end of WWII, i.e. take care of the commie ba$tards.
Posted by: JohnQC 2008-08-14 12:57
The problem with that, John, is that we'd probably still be fighting that battle. The logistics of supplying a warring army in a nation that spans twelve time zones are almost unbelievable. The amount of raw territory occupied by the then Soviet Union were astounding. We didn't (don't) have the manpower to do that and keep up the industrial base to supply such an operation. It was logistics, not firepower, that halted both Napoleon and Hitler. The same thing would have happened to the United States.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/14/2008 19:18 Comments ||
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#4
This is a parlor game, but destruction of the Soviet Union was doable by 1947. Stalin put most of his tyranny's troops in defense of Moscow, based on the pivot of his military doctrine: "central command." When the Nazis reached within 20 miles of Moscow, Stalin encircled same and forced general retreat. In 1945, crippled Russia was Moscow plus a strong military. Their air force was never strong, thus Moscow was vulnerable to nuclear destruction. I believe that act would have caused collapse. Did the US have the capacity to make sufficient N-bombs for the task? The Manhattan Project was mostly directed to creating a workable design plan. Once that was achieved, the only outstanding issue was: fission fuel. Everything else was in place. Given ample resources to direct at fuel production, there were really no obstacles to delivering a massive attack on our former ally. However, there was peace euphoria in 1945, and most people wanted the slaughter halted. And the Cold War didn't get going until the Soviet espionage cases were made public and Churchill spoke of an "Iron Curtain," in his Fulton, Missouri speech.
Lesson: we need to need to recognize our worst enemy - Islamofascism - and annihilate them on a global scale. We don't have a Cold War with that enemy; we have indulged them with a Cold Surrender.
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
SAYDEBAD, Afghanistan Not far from here, just off the highway that was once the showpiece of the United States reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, three American soldiers and their Afghan interpreter were ambushed and killed seven weeks ago. 
Long before 
(Xinhua) -- At least 26 people were killed and 35 others wounded as sectarian clashes continued for the seventh day in Pakistan's tribal region on Wednesday. 
A suicide blast in Lahore killed at least nine people and injured more than 35, targeting policemen standing guard on the eve of the Independence Day. The attack took place at the busy Dubai Chowk in the Allama Iqbal Town area at about 11:34pm, as citizens poured into the streets before midnight to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Pakistan's independence, which falls on Thursday (today). The dead include two policemen and a woman. 
A spokesman says unknown gunmen have shot dead a leader of an outlawed Pakistani militant group in the country's volatile northwest. The attackers burst into the headquarters of the Vice and Virtue Movement in the Khyber tribal region on Wednesday morning and shot dead its leader 
The head of a local vigilante organisation was shot dead on Wednesday. 
PESHAWAR - At least 20 militants including foreigners were killed when four missiles fired allegedly by the US-led allied forces from across the Afghanistan border hit 
(VOI) - The casualty toll from the bombing in Ninewa rose to two dead and seven wounded, a police source said on Wednesday. "The casualty toll from the car bomb attack that ripped through al-Qayra district, south Mosul, rose to two killed and seven wounded, all civilians," a Ninewa police source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). Earlier, a police source said a car bomb went off in al-Qayra district, leaving a civilian killed and seven others wounded.
Fifteen Tamil Tiger rebels and one soldier have been killed in fresh clashes across Sri Lanka's tense northern front, the defence ministry said yesterday. The military said it smashed rebel bunkers as it pushed deeper into Tiger-controlled areas in Vavuniya, Weli Oya and Mullaittivu on Tuesday. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment on the ministry's statement.
