Detail Of Terrorism Update

Times of India reports that 39 security force (SF) personnel including unspecified number of Greyhounds commandos from Andhra Pradesh were killed on June 29 in an attack carried out by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres on a 64-member joint Andhra Pradesh-Orissa police party in the Chitrakonda reservoir of Malkangiri district, close to the Andhra Pradesh border. The SF personnel were returning after conducting combing operations in the Sileru area, after getting information that the Maoists were holding a conclave there. Maoists reportedly fired rockets targeting the boat in which the SF personnel were travelling. The boat capsized drowning some SF personnel. Others who swam ashore were reportedly ambushed by the Maoists.

The 58 Division of the Sri Lanka Army operating on the Mannar front on June 29 successfully completed operation ‘Rice Bowl’ after capturing over 120 square kilometres, including 105 square kilometres of the most fertile land in the country. General Officer Commanding of the 58 Division Brigadier Shavendra de Silva told Daily News that the troops attached to 58 Division completed this almost nine month long operation to secure the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ killing 2,058 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militants and inflicting injuries on 1,208. “The Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ is one of the most fertile lands in the country which produced the biggest paddy harvest in 1991,” the Brigadier added. With the capture of this entire ‘Rice Bowl’, troops have reached four kilometres South of Vedithalthivu, the biggest Sea Tiger (sea wing of the LTTE) base on the North Western coast.  

According to Brigadier de Silva the completion of Operation ‘Rice Bowl’ also marked the liberation of 153 irrigation systems including tanks, canals and waterways fed by the 23 square kilometre Giant Tank. The troops have been able to liberate populated areas in the Mannar district with the liberation of more than 20 civilian habitations. They include Manthai, Manthotam, Adampan Pallikuli, Karukkandalkulam, Vellankulam, Vaddakkandal, Alankulam, Andankulam, Parappakandattan, Tenvadaiyan, Minnukulam, Uyilankulam and Oddupalan. “Troops of the 58 Division had to cross massive open areas across fallow paddy lands to capture some of the strategically important military bases like Andankulam and Parappakandattan,” the Brigadier explained. It also marked the liberation of the Vellankulam - Andankulam road connecting to the Mannar Pooneryn A-32 road at the 12^th mile post and the Vellankulam - Adampan - Pappamoddai road used as the main supply routes to the LTTE operating in the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’. The soldiers attached to the 58 Division are further advancing towards the North after the successful completion of Operation Rice Bowl. 

Meanwhile, the troops captured another LTTE base in Parappakandattan, four-km north of Giant Tank in the Mannar district, reports The Hindu. Several tombs militants were also found in the general area of Alkaddiveli. “These areas were under LTTE clutches for more than two decades and it clearly shows the inability of LTTE terrorists to face security forces who are continuously marching towards LTTE strongholds in multi-pronged offensive launched to liberate the Wanni.”  

At least 20 LTTE militants were killed more than 40 others injured as clashes erupted between the two sides in the Andankulam, north of Janakapura and Kiriibbanwewa areas of Vavuniya district on June 27, Sri Lanka Army reported. One soldier was also killed while two more sustained injuries in the confrontations. 

Another soldier was killed and one more got injured in a LTTE-triggered remote controlled claymore mine explosion in the Manthikai area of Jaffna district.  

Also, the troops during a search operation recovered the dead body of one LTTE militant along with one T-56 weapon, 37 anti personnel mines (APMs) and two improvised explosive devices from the Janakapura area in Vavuniya district.  

At least 17 LTTE militants were injured in confrontations with the security forces (SFs) at Echarakkai, Andankulam, Chapman and Uluvaneri. 

Elsewhere, the troops captured one LTTE camp at Oddupalan injuring eight militants. One soldier was also injured in LTTE fire. Nine more militants were injured as the troops captured another LTTE camp at Pappamoddai.  

Four soldiers sustained injuries in LTTE fire and explosions of APMs at Periyamadu in the Uluvaneri area.  

Separately, the troops observed an LTTE movement in the Ethawatunuwewa area and opened fire towards them forcing them to flee the area. During the subsequent search operation, the troops recovered one Rocket Propeller Gun and one pouch. 

Meanwhile, Police on June 29 recovered 20 rounds of T-56 ammunition and a hand grenade from a vehicle belonging to the Jaffna branch of the Human Rights Commission (HRC). Confirming the incident, Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera told Daily News that the cache was found inside the vehicle while it was undergoing repairs inside a garage. He added that the driver of the vehicle along with the garage owner and two mechanics employed at the garage were taken into custody for questioning.

At least seven persons, including two security force personnel, were killed in the Swat district of NWFP on June 29, Daily Times reported. Two soldiers who were on a routine patrol were killed when a bomb planted by suspected pro-Taliban militants exploded on a roadside, a local military spokesman told AFP. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, however, denied that his group had any involvement in the attack. Unidentified attackers in different areas of Swat killed another five people, including a tribal elder, police said.  

Separately, a bomb blast on June 29 in the Darya Khan Market of Mingora city damaged about 25 shops. Mingora Police Station Inspector Muhammad Jan Khan said that no causality had been reported.  

Elsewhere in the province, unidentified militants abducted nine officials of the water management department in the Hanu district on June 29. The Water Management Project Hangu Deputy Director Masood Rehman, along with eight staff members, was abducted when he was returning to Hangu.

At least six persons were killed and 35 others, including two policemen, were injured in an explosion at a weekly crowded marketplace in Kumarikata village, about 70 kilometres west of Guwahati city, on June 29, according to IANS. "The market was teeming with people when the explosion took place, killing six people on the spot and wounding about 35 more," an unnamed police officer said. "The condition of at least 15 of them are stated to be critical," he added. Police accused the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for the blast. Meanwhile, Shillong Times reports that 75 persons were injured in the explosion. The report also adds that police personnel recovered another bomb planted in the market.

A joint team of police and the Assam Rifles shot dead two suspected Peoples Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) cadres at Langmeithet village in the Thoubal district on June 28-night, according to Telegraph. Two AK series rifles and 52 bullets were recovered from the possession of the slain militants. 

Elsewhere in the same district, two suspected militants, including a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cadre, Laishram Nanaocha alias Pamheiba, were shot dead by the district police commandos at Ukhongsang Mayai Leikai under Yairipok police station, reports Imphal Free Press. One 9-mm pistol and one Chinese made hand grenade were recovered from them.  

Further, two suspected cadre of the Military Council faction of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) were shot dead by a team of Imphal East district police commandos during an encounter at the foothills of Tinsid Amurok on June 29-afternoon. One 9-mm pistol with one live round, a hand grenade and a motorcycle were recovered from the slain militants.  

Meanwhile, the Police arrested one People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) cadre, Mohmed Nazir Ahamed alias Rajen, from Sora Bazaar in the Thoubal on June 28 according to Telegraph. He was responsible for collecting money from those driving vehicles on the Imphal-Moreh road.

Three militants and two soldiers were killed in a 48-hour-long gun-battle between the two sides at Kachpathir Mamar, Daily Excelsior reported. Three AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.  

Separately, security forces neutralized a hideout of the militants at Hattan Seri Ghai forest in the Rajouri district and recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition, including two rifles, 10 magazines, 300 rounds, 14 Pika rounds, 78 pistol rounds, 12 hand grenades, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 20 detonators, two remote controls of IED, one kg explosive, eight diaries, one code sheet and pencil cells. However, no one was arrested.

Two National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants, Sharat Malsum, and Chanrai Reang, were shot dead by a joint team of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) during a counter-insurgency operation at Vishnuprasadpara village under Ampi police station in the South Tripura district on June 29-morning, reports Telegraph.

A regional leader of the Biplobi Communist Party (BCP) was killed on June 28 during an encounter between police and BCP cadres at Houspur village in the Kushtia district, reports Daily Star. The killed extremist was identified as Anwar Hossain Selim of Katdah area. Two policemen were also injured in the encounter. A shutter gun and 22 rounds of bullet were recovered from the encounter site. Police sources said that the killed extremist is an accused in at least 15 cases including murder.

Unidentified persons damaged the Sui-Och gas pipeline in the Chathar area of Dera Murad Jamali (headquarters of Nasirabad district) affecting gas supply to the Och power plant, Daily Times reported. The men had planted explosives under the pipeline supplying gas from the Sui town of Dera Bugti to the Och power plant in Nasirabad district, damaging a three feet segment of the 26-inch-diameter pipeline.  

Meanwhile, police seized 650 kilograms of high explosives from a vehicle in the Killi Darwishabad area of provincial capital Quetta after a clash with suspected militants, Dawn reported.

Mizoram police recovered arms comprising 17 AK 47 and 56 rifles from a truck at Buichali village, 30 kilometres west of capital Aizawl, on June 28-afternoon, reports Telegraph. The Superintendent of Police of Special Branch of Aizawl district, K. Rozina, on June 29 said the truck was on its way to Cachar district in Assam from Champai district in Mizoram. The truck was captured and its driver and cleaner were detained for further interrogation. Sources said the arms were purchased at Chiang Mai, an arms market along the Thailand-Myanmar border. Sources suspected that the arms were meant for the Assam-based Black Widow (BW), by adding that the outfit is now using a large quantity of cash, collected in the last few months through extortion, to buy modern weapons from different places. The militant group is currently reported to be in Kathmandu to explore the possibility of buying arms from Nepal to south Assam. “We have held back our operation against the DHD (J) as it had given us indications about further extending the truce. The government is looking into the nitty-gritty of responding to its ceasefire offer. But the haul has forced us to take a fresh look at the situation,” a source in the home department said.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Taliban announced on June 29 that they had ended all peace agreements with the Government, according to Daily Times. TTP spokesman Maulana Omar told Geo News that his organisation had decided to end the dialogue. Similarly, the Taliban spokesman in Swat in the NWFP, Muslim Khan, told Daily Times that his organisation would no longer hold negotiations with the Government. A militant for the Darra Adam Khel region, meanwhile, told AFP that unrest in the FATA could now spread to the rest of the country.  

According to Dawn, a shura (utive council) of the TTP on June 29 endorsed Baitullah Mehsud’s announcement about suspending all peace agreements and negotiations with the Government in FATA and the NWFP. Maulana Omar told Dawn that the shura at a meeting held at an unspecified location endorsed Mehsud’s announcement that all agreements reached with the provincial and federal Governments would stand suspended and talks would be discontinued. Citing reasons for suspending the peace deals, the spokesman said that despite agreements the Government had launched operations against Taliban in Swat, Khyber Agency, Jandola and Darra Adamkhel.

Soldiers backed by armoured vehicles retook control of Bara town in the Khyber Agency of the FATA on June 29, and prepared to advance to other areas in the district, including the Tirah Valley, Daily Times reported. An unnamed official said that the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) chief Mangal Bagh had moved to the remote Tirah Valley before the launch of the military operations, Reuters reported. The second day of the NWFP Government’s operations ended without any resistance, as the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) troops continued their advance into the tribal region near Peshawar, capital of the NWFP. In Bara, Bagh had directed his supporters against fighting Government forces. “We’re peaceful and giving way to the security forces we are not going to fight,” said Mangal Bagh’s 16-year-old son Tayeb. The 5,000-troop contingent of FC soldiers that launched the operation on June 28 was supplemented with a fresh deployment of 400 troops and 20 vehicles on June 29. 

Local official Muhammad Siddiq Khan said the FC had also encountered no resistance as it moved into areas outside Bara, AP reported. Muhammad Ilyas, a bodyguard of Mangal Bagh, confirmed that the LI cadres had been strictly directed against fighting Government troops by “amir sahib”. During the operation’s second day, security forces razed several buildings, including the Mehboob Markaz, the Tayab, Misri and Gud Malang centres and a private jail. A security official told AFP that soldiers also blew up a building belonging to the Taliban-linked group Ansarul Islam (AI). However, FATA Additional Secretary Habibullah Khan declined to comment on the target of the operation. “This operation is not against a particular individual or group,” he told reporters.

Foreign elements hailing from Central Asian Republics (CAR) are disturbing peace in the FATA, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on June 29, according to Daily Times. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Gilani said that the foreign militants from CAR are behind the current unrest and spike in violence in the FATA. Dismissing foreign pressure and involvement in the crackdown on militants in the FATA, he said that this is a provincial matter and the federal Government acts on the invitation and advice of the province. The prime minister also said that the NWFP Government had concluded a peace agreement with tribal chiefs but they violated the agreement by hanging people publicly, kidnapping members of minority and by setting girls’ schools on fire. “No government can afford a parallel government and we will never compromise the country’s sovereignty, dignity and self-respect,” Gilani said. He stated that the Government was adopting a three-pronged strategy to counter militancy in the FATA: political dialogue, development in the region and use of force as a last resort.

President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed no interest in easing off his military''s offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Daily News reported. "There are calls for a cease-fire when the terrorists face defeat. I will not allow anyone to curtail the forward march of the troops," Rajapakse said on June 29.  

Meanwhile, The Hindu reports that amid claims of major advances into the LTTE- controlled territory in the Mannar district in the north, the Sri Lankan military on June 29 reported influx of civilians from LTTE-held areas into the government-controlled side. In a statement in Colombo, the Defence Ministry said, “It is observed that Tamil civilians fleeing LTTE-held areas continuously reaching towards security forces seeing protection for their lives as they are living under severe life risk in LTTE areas. As the troops captured almost all the terror strongholds in Mannar front, an escalation of civilian movement towards government-controlled areas can be observed”.