Sri Lanka: Rebels Mobilize Foreign Aid Workers

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September27, 2008:  An Italian employee of a UN sponsored NGO in LTTE territory, reported to the UN that he has quit to fight for the LTTE. The government was not surprised at this, and has complained to the UN for years that many of the NGOs in LTTE territory were basically working for the LTTE, and helping obtain food and other aid for the LTTE.

So far this year, 6,900 LTTE fighters and 680 security forces have been killed. There are several hundred casualties a week, and the army is now four kilometers from Kilinochchi, the LTTE "capital." The army is also fighting its way up the coast, where the LTTE still manages to get a few boat loads of supplies in each week. But even with that, there is a severe shortage of fuel, ammunition and everything else in LTTE territory. While the army has, for several months, said it would crush the LTTE by the end of the year, it now appears that the rebels will not be able last more than another few weeks. After that, LTTE diehards are expected to continue guerilla warfare and terrorist operations for as long as they can.

September 26, 2008: Police found an LTTE bomb making cache 40 kilometers north of the capital. Among the items found were 330 pounds of military (plastic) explosives, detonators and two suicide jackets.

September 25, 2008: The air force bombed an LTTE radar station, It's not clear what kind of radar (ground, air or naval) it was. The air force has a lot more targets as the LTTE controlled territory shrinks, and more refugees come out (who can be questioned about what is where back there).

September 24, 2008: The army discovered a group of about 35 LTTE rebels operating in a national park near the southern coast. There was one clash, and now more troops are being brought in to find and kill or capture the rebels. This group is probably a remnant of the thousands of LTTE gunmen who used to control eastern Sri Lanka until last year.

September 22, 2008: In the capital, an estimated 100,000 Tamil refugees (from LTTE controlled territory) are registering with the police. This unpopular order is another attempt to track down LTTE terrorists before attacks can be carried out. The capital has a population of 650,000, and nearly all the terrorists encountered are Tamil. Weapons and bomb making materials continue to be found in Tamil neighborhoods. The police believe many of these Tamil refugees still support the LTTE and their terrorism tactics.

 

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