Detail Of Terrorism Update

Five cadres of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were killed and three Non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) officials were injured in a claymore mine explosion in the uncleared area (area not under Government control) of Silavathura in the Mannar district on July 20, reports Daily News. According to military sources the blast occurred while the LTTE cadres were traveling in a vehicle with NGO markings. Another NGO vehicle that was following the first too was caught up in the blast injuring three NGO officials.  

A civilian, Nadarasa Ravenndran Kumar, was shot dead by LTTE cadres in the Chunnakam area of Jaffna district.  Elsewhere, another civilian, identified as Krishnapillai Sri Krishnan, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Kopai area. 

A day earlier, unidentified assailants shot dead a civilian, Nagamani Nadeeshwaran, in the Kotahena area of Colombo district. On the same day, another civilian, identified as Gunarajadeva, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Thorankadu area of Trincomalee district. 

Three more civilians were killed in separate incidents, according to pro-LTTE website Tamil Net. A sympathizer of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), Selvar Yogan, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Valigamam East area of Jaffna district on July 20.

Elsewhere, a civilian was allegedly killed when Sri Lankan Army (SLA) personnel opened fire indiscriminately after two unknown assailants hurled a hand grenade targeting the SLA sentry located near St. Patricks College junction in the Gurunagar area. 

In a similar incident, SLA personnel allegedly killed a civilian, Sindathurai Christy Anton, at Uyilankulam in the Mannar town, after a grenade attack on their checkpost.

Two civilians were shot and injured by unidentified assailants in the Kopai area of Jaffna district on July 19. 

Further, one soldier was injured in a LTTE grenade attack in the Urumpirai area of the same district. LTTE cadres also lobbed a grenade towards troops in the Mattikilya area of Trincomalee district. A day earlier, LTTE cadres hurled a grenade towards two houses belonging to civilians in the Kattaparichchan area. However, no casualties were reported in these incidents.  

On July 19, naval troops observed the movement of a flotilla of 19 LTTE suicide crafts in the sea off Mullaittivu between Mullaittivu shipwreck and the Black Point.

Meanwhile, LTTE cadres reportedly detained eleven tractors and eight lorries of civilians against ransom money in the Kirichchikulam area of Batticaloa district on July 18.  

Troops recovered two claymore mines from the Welioya area of Moneragala district on July 19. Galkiriyagama Police in the Anuradhapura district recovered a hand grenade from the Balaluwewa area.

According to Daily Excelsior, army personnel killed a ‘battalion commander’ of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) in an encounter at Kanjikullah in Kulgam area on July 19. The terrorist has been identified as Mohammad Saleem Bhat alias Junaid. In another incident, on July 20, troops of Rashtriya Rifles raided a civilian house at Sursunoo village in Kulgam and killed four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists. The house was completely destroyed during the attack.  

In a separate incident, a student was slaughtered in full public view after being abducted by LeT terrorists at Vehil Nowgam in the Shopian-Kulgam area of South Kashmir. Terrorists suspected the youth to be an army informer, a charge which was denied by the security force (SF) sources.  

Dead body of a civilian, killed by terrorists was recovered in upper reaches of Gulabgarh in the Mahore area. According to police sources, the civilian was abducted from his residence on the intervening night of July 9 and 10 and killed in captivity. 

Separately, two LeT terrorists were arrested from Shumshan Ghat in Karan Nagar area in capital Srinagar and two grenades were recovered from them.  

Meanwhile, an encounter between security forces and a group of terrorists has ensued in a forest area near Manari Nullah at Arnas in Reasi police district on July 20. Exchange of fire was continuing till the time of filing of the report.

An ‘area commander’ of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was arrested on July 20 at Latehar with three guns and ammunition from his possession. Superintendent of Police Ravikant Dhan informed that the Maoist, Nageshwar Oraon had been involved in the July 17 encounter with the police in the district.

The government and the Maoist talks team have agreed to defer the ‘summit talks’ between the seven-party alliance and the Maoist leaders which was scheduled for July 21 at least for a week. Member of Maoist talks team, Dina Nath Sharma said they were fully prepared for the summit but the seven-party alliance asked more time to prepare for the meeting. The coordinator of the Maoist talks team, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, meanwhile, opposed the contents of the letter government sent to the United Nations seeking the world body’s assistance in “decommissioning” the Maoists’ arms before an election to a constituent assembly. “We are not ready to be decommissioned unless the political issues are settled,” Mahara said.  

Meanwhile, the Maoist affiliated All Nepal Federation of Trade Unions (ANFTU) have categorized all the industries in three groups and have fixed minimum monthly wage of laborers according to the company they are employed in. "We have classified entire industries as A, B and C, based on their level of investment, net profit, taxes paid to the government, type of industry and number of employees," Shalik Ram Jamarkattel, president of All Nepal Federation of Trade Unions (ANFTU) said. Shalik announced that companies falling in category 'A' - that include all multinational companies - should fix minimum wage at Rs 10,000 per month. Companies falling under category 'B', which mainly represent industries established with domestic investment, should provide minimum monthly wage of Rs 7,000.  Likewise, companies of category 'C' should give at least Rs 5,000 per month to its employees. According to the Maoist classification, financially sick industries fall in category 'C'.

Nagaland Post has reported that the Nagaland police arrested ten People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) cadres from Dimapur town on July 19. 

Meanwhile, the Nagaland police arrested a gang of nine persons from different parts of Dimapur town on July 20 and seized one AK-47 rifle, two .32 pistols, one US made gas gun and several incriminating documents from their possessions.

A team of Manipur police arrested one Islamic National Front (INF) cadre, Mohammad Zakariya, during a search operation at Chassad Avenue in the Imphal East district on July 19.  

Separately, a People’s United Liberation Front (PULF) cadre, Mohammad Abo alias Sarifkhan, was arrested from New Checkon in the heart of Imphal city. 

Elsewhere, a suspected People’s Liberation Army (PLA) cadre, Kangbam Naoba alias Sadat, was arrested from New Bazar in Churachandpur town. 

Security force (SF) personnel belonging to the Assam Rifles recovered three Chinese mortar bombs and four lathode bombs from Moreh town in the Chandel district on July 20. 

While, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF) produced two persons, Wahengbam Holendro and Yumnam Noren, before media persons at an unspecified place in the Bishnupur district on July 20 for extorting money in the name of the outfit.

Security force (SF) personnel arrested three Lashkar-e-Jangvi (LeJ) cadres, Abdullah, Sajid and Mohammed Akram, from Khuzdar in the Balochistan province on July 20. 

Separately, Daily Times quoting official sources reports that three of Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti’s aides, Mohammad Iqbal Bugti, Lal Bugti and Thaya Bugti, have surrendered to the authorities at an unspecified place in the Dera Bugti district. 

SFs belonging to the Frontier Corps recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition including 90 landmines, 51 shells of 40 mm rockets, a Russian rifle along with 89,000 rounds, 180 hand grenades, 180,000 Kalashnikov rounds, 1,000 metres of detonator wire, 201 shells of 81 mm mortar, two boxes of fuses and 10 batteries of surface-to-air missiles from Toba Nokani in the Dera Bugti district. 

Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf said that the tribal rebels in Balochistan are being supplied arms by foreign elements and are getting their weapons from Afghanistan. He also said that the leaders of the Bugti and Marri tribes are subjugating their own people to generate money to finance their private wars with the government, reports Daily Times.

Daily Times quoting official sources reports that 32 tribesmen who were arrested for their suspected links with militants in North Waziristan have been set free on an unspecified place on July 20.

Troops of the Red Horn Division stationed at Dhubri neutralised a fake currency racket besides arresting two United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) linkmen and recovered one pistol and some live ammunition from Dingdinga village under Tamarhat police station limits in the Kokrajhar district on July 18. 

Security force (SF) personnel arrested a Muslim cleric, Imamuddin Ahmed, suspected to have links with Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from Dibrugarh town on July 18 with one kg of cocaine. 

Sentinel reports that the Union Government on July 20 had asked the ULFA to clarify its stand on three of their demands - release of jailed ULFA leaders, whereabouts of its cadres who had gone missing during the Bhutan operations and the Union Government’s assurance on discussion on sovereignty. While, the Union Government has reportedly hinted that if their clarification is found satisfactory, direct talks with the outfit might start by August.

The Swedish delegation led by diplomat, Anders Oljelund, will meet the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Kilinochchi on July 21, today, to persuade the outfit leadership to drop their demand for the withdrawal of European Union (EU) members from the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. As reported earlier, the outfit-opposed Sweden, Finland and Denmark working as peace monitors after the 25-member EU proscribed LTTE as a terrorist group in May, 2006.  

Meanwhile, the Government spokesperson, Keheliya Rambukwella, stated, "The EU is trying to persuade the LTTE not to insist on their demand that the EU member states should quit the monitoring team… Our stand is clear that the EU member states should remain in the monitoring team."  

The LTTE is entrenched in Canada and uses a Toronto-based "front organization" called the World Tamil Movement (WTM) to raise money for arms, says a summary of an ongoing Royal Canadian Mountain Police (RCMP) investigation. The RCMP 58-page document released on July 19 referred the WTM as "the Canadian arm" of the LTTE.

The Sessions court in Gaibandha on July 20 rejected Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (AHAB) chief Asadullah-Al-Galib's bail petition in connection with Takier Bazar and Mohimaganj bomb blast cases. Fifteen people were injured as four powerful bombs exploded at Takier Bazar targeting an open stage drama under Palashbari sub-district on the night of December 25, 2004. Similarly, two powerful bomb explosions had taken place on the rooftop of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) office at Mohimaganj under Gobindaganj sub-district on the night of February 10, 2005, leaving three people injured.