HEADS ROLL IN INDIA, OVER THE MUMBAI MASSACRE

THERE is no denying it. The Indians totally screwed up when faced with the deadly and well organized attacks by terrorists in Mumbai. Already at least 183 are dead, hundreds wounded and the death toll may climb over the next few days.

Now the second scene, the blame game is on.

Shivaji Patel, the Home Security honcho has reportedly offered his resignation, as any self-respecting bureaucrat would do. MK Narayanan, who once had the gall to dictate that Sri Lanka must not acquire her defensive requirements from anyone other than India, and that India herself would decide what Sri Lanka needs, had followed suite and offered his too. Maybe that was the only way to prevent a summary dismissal, since the Indian PM is said to have accepted Narayanan's resignation without hesitation, while Patel's employment situation is not yet clear. Narayanan's departure is good news for us Sri Lankans, even though we should not be seen jubilant over this outcome.

Interrogation of the captured terrorist in India would be 'direct' as one western security person described it, meaning it would involve physical coercion and torture to obtain information swiftly from the sole surviving terrorist. The Indians should pay particular attention to identifying whether any of the terror group managed to escape and hang around to attack again later. Interestingly, western media are still describing the attckers as 'militants' while only nations which have suffered similar attrocities in the hands of such brutes are calling them what they truly are; terrorists. The average Indians deserve our sympathy and our support in learning to deal effectively with such brutes so that our region can become safer.

Initial reports from India seems to suggest these terrorists are from the Pakistani controlled Kashmiri region and quite possibly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba or LeT, even though a previously unheard of group calling themselves Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility initially. LeT is presumed to be connected to the shadowy Pakistani intelligence outfit, the ISI and this could lead to a potentially souring of relations between the two countries, unless they act like grown ups in the face of the subtle and manipulative intentions behind the overt action, obviously aimed at creating tension between the two nations.

THEY RISK THEIR LIVES FOR US..

AND CAN'T WE EVEN PROVIDE DRINKING WATER TO THEM ?

For more information on how to help our Armed services personnel;

http://www.ranavirufund.blogspot.com/

SRI LANKAN FORCES IN ACTION - RECENT BATTLE FIELD PICS

LTTE FIZZLES AND INDIA BLEEDS INCOMPETENCE

THE much spculated upon Nov 27th came and passed in Sri Lanka with hardly any fireworks from the LTTE. Many proponents of the terrorist outfit promised a spectacular display of power from the LTTE, but even the Tigers' much anticipated live telecast was interrupted by a last minute air strike by the SLAF against the last remaining broadcast tower somewhere in Killinochchi. The terror chief, now a whining pussy since meeting a real army in combat, pleaded for help from an insensitive Indian establishment and begged for support from anyone who would be ignorant enough to do so. The SLA's 57th and 58th divisions entered downtown Killinochchi and started mopping up operations with scarcely any media coverage.

In the meanwhile, November 27th brought fireworks to Mumbai. Well trained and armed terrorists struck at least 10 locations in a synchronized strike, killing over 160 and wounding hundreds. Among the dead are citizens of US, UK, Japan and Israel, some of whom were singled out for slaughter. The attacks which started around mid-day on Nov 27th continued well into Friday the 29th with the Indian commandoes still struggling to overpower a single gunman holding up a number of hostages. Perhaps overcome by a combination of fatigue, sleeplessness and running out of ammunition, the last of the attackers was killed by Indian commandos three days later.

The Indians bungled from start to finish in this sorry spectacle watched by a global audience. The attackers obviously outclassed the Indians in every aspect of the fight and left everyone feeling sorry for the average Indian, who depends on such incompetents for security. Throughout the entire episode, the level of high descipline of the attackers and the lack thereof of the Indian armed forces was obvious.

The first Indian responders arrived armed with olde worlde .303 rifles and some carrying sticks. The majority hid behind vehicles while the others stared or walked around. There was no visible command structure in existance to deal with the very credible terrorist threat even hours after the firing had started. The local anti-terror cheif was seen in hurried discussions with a number of individuals, after which he entered the Taj Mahal Hotel, to be promptly gunned down by the attackers. He and the other two senior military personnel were dead even before any cohesive counter action could commence. Much later, ordinary military was seen swarming into the hotel carrying a variety of assault weapons, AK47 and T-56 types, none of which are suitable for close quarters combat in a hostage setting.

Much later, an Mil-17 helicopter was seen hovering over the Jewish Center, in which a number of hostages were held by the attackers. The chopper hovered for at least 5-10 minutes while the commandoes rappelled down like a group of old ladies on a picnic and giving ample warning to the terrorists of their arrival. The helo was well within small arms range, was hovering for an unnecessarily long period of time and could have easily become a funeral pyre for the entire strike team, had the terrorists decided to carry out a pre-emptive strike on them. Fortunately they didn't, but the loudly announced arrival of the commando force sealed the fate of the hostages, as all of them were later found shot dead.

Given the failure to control crowds effectively, it is also quite possible that some attackers may have simply dropped their weapons and merged into the swarming crowds, to fight yet another day. If so, India's problems may not have ended yet, even while they seem to quickly assume so.

The short and long term outcomes of the Indian 9/11, as this is termed by western media, will have a profound effect in the region. The Indians were tested and were found lacking and have demonstrated a dangerous degree of incompetence in dealing with a modern day threat scenario. At this point, it appears the next attack targetting India could be a matter of time, given the glaring weaknesses in their defensive apparatus. India needs help and must listen to and learn from friends. Sri Lanka and Israel could be two formidable sources of knowledge for the Indians to learn from.

The effect of this attack on India will also have a massive impact on how they view terrorism in the region, including in Sri Lanka. The SLG's military campaign against the LTTE will now find a more staunch supporter in India, while the Tamilnadu tamil extremist base would be left without any credible excuse to support terrorism in Sri Lanka.

SLDF CONTINUES STEADY GAINS

IN one swift move the LTTE was driven off the southern perimeter.

Divisions 57 and 58 reportedly entered the Killinochchi city areas on November 27th amidst stiff resistance from the LTTE and fighting is continuing.

In the meanwhile the terrorist attacks in Mumbai are unfolding to be a major screw up by the Indian defence establishment and looks increasingly like a comedy of errors. The very apparent unprofessional and amateurish conduct of the Indian security forces are incredible to watch on live television.

MUHAMALAI - FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE FALLS TO THE SLA

LTTE CASUALTIES

by Apino


The pictures are many and some too graphic for display. But this is a time of reckoning, not only for those who are seen here dead and dismembered, but also for all of us who want this to be truly the 'Final War' which ends all wars in Sri Lanka for a very long time.

The anti-terrorism initiative against the LTTE was something that we had no control over. It had to be done, so that ordinary people could live without fear.

Nevertheless, the fighting will come to an end soon, and hopefully the remaining armed LTTE cadres would come to their senses and surrender to be rehabilitated into civillian life.

The bigger challenge facing the ordinary Sri Lankan is not devolving power to a single minority. We are fully capable of doing anything that needs to be done. Rather it is finding the right solutions and making certain that all Sri Lankans, irrespective of any differences can be equally privildged.

There are some very important potential mistakes the Sri Lankans need to be aware of, in order to avoid them. Foremost among them is NOT to reward any minority for the mayhem they've caused in Sri Lanka for over two decades. To do so would create a precedent for someone else to embark on the same violent path.

Instead it becomes more important to learn to accept everyone as fellow citizens and forge a single identity within which unity can be found and dialogue can lead to issue resolution.

NEXT PARANTHAN AND ON TO ELEPHANT PASS

NOT shown on this map; Sri Lankan Defence Forces also liberated Mankulam.