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Serial blasts in Sri Lanka on Easter: 156 killed, including 35 foreigners

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  • #31
    Originally posted by Double Edge View Post
    In the age of IS, its just inspiration. A larger political goal. There was an attack on a Gurudwara in the US few years ago. I'm more inclined to call that a hate crime as there was no network involved. No larger collective goal. Difference!

    NZ shooter was self funded. The people he interacted with were online worldwide with similar beliefs. A lot of symbolism and referring to something that happened as early as 700 AD. The guy writes a manifesto just like Brevik. Clear political goals and he wants the world to know about it. And then he decided enough talk and action was required and went about it and filmed it.

    We've had lone wolf attacks like this by IS in Europe. You wouldn't call one guy attacking a soldier with a meat cleaver in London a hate crime yet MO, motivations are not different. Attacks on Charlie Hebdo. Threatening cartoonists. All the same thing. They act independently but with a larger purpose.

    The results were more dramatic in NZ. Just because the death count is higher does not change any thing.

    What i'm doing here is ignoring ethnicity & religion and looking at motivations & actions

    And what replies have those moderate muslims given you to the bolded bit ?

    Modi isn't disliked by just Muslims, the south does not want him or Bengal. The Boras seem more accommodating but keep in mind the BJP has won in constituencies that had sizable muslim populations too so the picture is mixed here. I remember reading articles in 2014 with muslims in Gujarat preferring him in the spot light as he'd have less chance of causing any mischief than if he was in background. That it was safer with him in office than out just because of the glare. And what most won't admit is communal tensions are down. That there are no major incidents to speak of in his term as PM anywhere in the country. Even terrorism has stayed low in keeping with the trend from UPA2. You'd think they'd be a pickup with Modi in office but it has remained confined to Kashmir.

    We know these groups thrive where there is weak governance. Afghanistan with Taliban is a prime example. When the French moved into Mali with the African union is another example.

    In Sri Lanka they went complete Mongol on the LTTE. Sri Lanka got sanctioned as a result. HR violations through the roof. But they ended the LTTE. Exactly what the Paks have to do to sort out their problem.

    Sri Lanka knows how to fight terrorists. But the govt as it exists today isn't competent to maintain its monopoly on violence. There is a break down in communications between various wings.

    When he was working with Imran he is acting like a pawn. But you're saying more. In his talks you are suggesting he's just doing PR. Talk i heard was from 2011 at a think tank. These guys would be smarter than to get some PR fellow to spin them some stories the Pak mil wants them to believe

    How many Indian muslims went to fight in Afghanistan. How many go to Kashmir. How many joined IS as a proportion of the total. I'll throw you a complimentary question. Why aren't more doing it from India.

    They aren't radicalised.
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    Reality check. I'd take her out for coffee any place she wants to go. Oh, and I should also thank Pakistan for changing and shaping the views of millions of Hindus in India. You did great Pakistan. More power of extremism to your Army and ISI.
    Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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    • #32
      Sri Lanka may ban burqa following Easter Sunday terror attack: report

      Sri Lanka Serial blasts: To join the dots, NIA wants to send team to Colombo

      I have a feeling, there is LeT written all over this attack.

      Sri Lanka asks for resignations of top security officials

      Over 350 killed. This is so very bad. A report I read says mothers with babies in their hands were blown away. Terrible.

      Alerts sent to Sri Lanka after probe in Coimbatore ISIS case was completed by NIA
      Last edited by Oracle; 24 Apr 19,, 16:10.
      Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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      • #33
        Blood brothers: The wealthy family behind Sri Lanka's suicide attacks

        Another blast reported - Blast in town east of Sri Lankan capital, no casualties
        Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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        • #34
          How Many Blasts Before Liberals Finally Say ‘Islamist Terror’?
          Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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          • #35
            Hah, everyone who tweeted about Christchurch referred to it as a terror attack. Particularly the Indians

            In Christchurch, the condemnation from liberals is clear and specific – "white supremacy", "Islamophobia", "hate-filled extremism", “fascism”.

            But in Colombo, while the condemnation is there, but it is vague and platitudinous – "stand united", "Easter worshippers", "terrorism", "saddened".
            No the word terror was also used to describe Chirstchurch

            Strictly speaking, the word "islamist" can be problematic as it means many things. The MB were an islamist political party in Egypt but not terrorist. Still its become the convention because we lack any other way to describe it. To used a word like "islamic" is still worse as it implies official sanction which of course isn't there

            Listen to Husain Haqqani he uses the additional qualifier 'radical' islamist or extremist

            But terror is terror no matter who wages it. Same with extremists.

            Hala mentions this journal from Hudson

            Current Trends in Islamist Ideology
            Last edited by Double Edge; 26 Apr 19,, 07:07.

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            • #36
              Exclusive: ‘Will seek Pakistan help to trace terrorists if needed’: Sri Lanka PM
              Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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              • #37
                A summary of Sri Lanka Pakistan relations since independence

                Sri Lanka's Faustian bargain with Pakistan: Exit LTTE, enter ISI | Business Today | Apr 22 2019

                Madhura Seneviratne of Australia's government owned Special Broadcasting Service reveals Pakistan's motives: "Using Sri Lanka as a staging post, the ISI's primary and apparent objective is to encircle India from all sides. It wanted to use the island nation to access south India, both in terms of finding terror networks as well as for recruitment of cadres."
                This is why South India has been relatively terror free, the bastards couldn't get any inroads. Kerela however has had IS contact so we will have to see how they manage.

                The ISI penetration of Sri Lanka presents a huge threat for India. In 2013, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two Sri Lankan Muslims, Mohammed Sakir Hussain and Suleman Hussain, and an Indian Tamil, Thameen Ansari, on charges of spying. All three confessed that their handlers were agents posted at the Pakistani High Commission in Colombo. In 2014, the NIA arrested a third Sri Lankan national named Arun Selvarajan in Chennai for spying on behalf of the ISI. Selvarajan's arrest indicates that Pakistan has been able to make inroads into peninsular India.

                The ISI's Sri Lankan bureau has collected information on a large number of strategic assets in Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring states. Sri Lankan Muslims were able to easily blend into the local population and do the recce work for the Pakistanis. According to Manoharan, the ISI has already obtained data on critical assets including the Kalapakkam nuclear plant, NSG hub in Chennai, Coast Guard installations on the eastern coast, Officers Training Academy in Chennai, and the ports of Nagapattinam, Chennai, Ennore, Vizag and Kochi. "Going by the confessions of the arrestees, information gathering was meant for planning a terror attack," he says. "The first ever terror attack in Chennai in May (2014) was not unconnected to the larger ISI plot."
                Clearly, despite the collapse of Sri Lanka's once vibrant economy due to the civil war, the Sinhala elites have learnt nothing. It was their Apartheid-like policies aimed at the Tamils that resulted in the rise of the LTTE. Now, their carte blanche to the ISI could spawn more Islamic terror groups like the National Thowheeth Jamaath which could send the country into another cycle of violence.
                Checkmating the ISI

                India must accept a large part of the blame for the mess in Sri Lanka. Firstly, by refusing to carve out an independent Tamil Eelam, New Delhi failed to protect the interests of the Sri Lankan Tamils. At the very least, it should have ensured an autonomous Tamil area in the North and East. For, if India could provide special status to J&K then why not provide the same to Sri Lankan Tamils who are more loyal to India than the Kashmiris.

                Secondly, if India was prepared to sell out the Sri Lankan Tamils for larger strategic reasons, then it should have got a good value for the deal. Instead, it stood by as both Pakistan and China stepped into the vacuum created by the LTTE's downfall and India's exit. In fact, General Fonseka has gone on record that his country turned to China and Pakistan for military purchases only after New Delhi refused to supply weapons to it.

                One way to retrieve the situation is to conduct a massive counter intelligence sweep that will dismantle the ISI network in Sri Lanka. India's advantage is that it still commands goodwill among the island's Tamils who can be relied upon to identify the jehadis. Also, Sri Lanka's cosiness with Pakistan can't be allowed to become a security threat for India. Just as the US won't allow the Russians to meddle in Mexico, India shouldn't permit Islamabad to buy influence in Colombo. First up, the islanders must be told they have to find alternate sources for their weapons and ammunition.

                The Sinhala leadership must be reminded that while Sri Lanka is literally in India's backyard, it is thousands of miles from Pakistan. Colombo cannot fight local fires with water from distant shores.
                Last edited by Double Edge; 28 Apr 19,, 10:31.

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                • #38
                  Ghastly Sri Lanka tragedy and strategic interests of big powers

                  Can someone please verify the accusations and assumptions in the article.
                  Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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                  • #39
                    Originally posted by Oracle View Post
                    Ghastly Sri Lanka tragedy and strategic interests of big powers

                    Can someone please verify the accusations and assumptions in the article.
                    Saeed Naqvi is a tough guy to handle. Knows a lot and can be tricky to untangle. I remember him saying the Americans were in Syria back in 2012. He learnt this on his trips to Syria at the time. Meaning lethal assistance which they denied at the time. I didn't post his op-ed here because the usual give proof thing begins. Well, in 2014, an upset troung started a thread here with exactly that.

                    Operation Desert Storm was launched in February 1992 to teach Saddam Hussain a lesson for his transgression into Kuwait. Desert Storm is a landmark: it was to cover this event that the global media was born. For the first time in history, a war was brought live into people's homes.
                    I suppose he is referring to CNN that did get its start with the first gulf war. But that war certainly was not the first war that was brought into people's homes. The war that did that was the Vietnam war. And as Marshal McLuhan said the war might have been won on the battlefield but it was lost in America's living rooms. Americans learnt from that experience and in 2003, the embedded journalist was created. This allowed for media management that was missing in the Vietnam era which the enemy could exploit.

                    For the West it was a celebration of triumph over another system. For Iraq and the Muslim world it was yet another defeat, humiliation, helplessness. Coverage of one event on global television had divided the world into two hostile camps - a triumphant West and a defeated, demoralized Muslim world.
                    Kuwaitis were certainly celebrating as was the rest of the Gulf. Iraqis would be demoralized and Pals. Yasser made the dumbest mistake of supporting Saddam in this war. The result is Pals in Kuwait were all considered enemies and made to leave for no fault of theirs. All throughout the 80's the Gulf supported Saddam against Iran. So it was an act of complete treachery when he decided that Kuwait actually belonged to Iraq. It probably did but the Brits lopped off that bit which was called Kuwait so they could use it as a military base in the future. The point being the west at that time was not going to allow borders to be redrawn. At that time they were also careful not to overthrow any Arab leaders either. So just push Saddam back into Iraq and no further.

                    This chasm widened a hundred fold with the two Intefadas, the four-year-long Bosnian war, 9/11, air strikes and occupation of Afghanistan, the bogus search for weapons of mass destruction leading to the occupation of Iraq, destruction of Mesopotamia and so on.
                    There is a lot in that there that has been commingled but if he mentions intifada then he is using the Pals as leading source of discontent. How he combines, Pals, Bosnians, Afghans & Iraq into one i don't know. But if one wanted to craft a narrative of muslim discontent with the world its a good start. If one aspires to create a shared grievance and call for action, against. It's common to use this shared grievance as if there was some unity in the arab world and it features often but we've seen when national interests are in play they have zero compunctions in stabbing brother states if expedient. Then they go full tilt tribal on the other.

                    As a reaction, Jehadi terror began to evolve as a target against which nations could forge coalitions. Then, as an afterthought, terror groups also began to be seen as assets to be let loose on enemies. This latter game became transparent during the Syrian conflict. Countries like Saudi Arabia began to play a lead role in inducting, breeding, arming Jehadis of the most ferocious variety against President Bashar al Assad, casting him as a "brutal Shia" (therefore heathen) who had to be replaced. The US, Israel, Qatar, Turkey, all joined the expedition. The US, began to train and equip militant groups. President Obama's Defence Secretary Ashton Carter was virtually in tears at being grilled by the Congress as well as the media. In one instance at least (there were others) he had to wind up a $500 million project on live TV because the Jehadists trained by the Americans had walked away, with the heavy equipment and presumably joined some other group.
                    The Syria project led by the Saudis. Pretty much like Afghanistan in the 80s.

                    The sudden establishment of the Islamic State in Mosul remains an uninvestigated mystery. When the IS charged towards Baghdad wielding the latest arms mounted on Humvees straight from the showroom, my sources in Najaf were convinced of their American sponsorship. Every Arab Ambassador in New Delhi at least (except the GCC) was quite candid: this is an American project. They seemed to make sense because candidate Trump himself told Jake Tapper of the CNN that the Obama-Hillary Clinton team had "spent millions in creating terror groups in Syria". In an interview with the New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in August 2015, Obama admitted to the uses of the ISIS. Asked why he did not bomb the IS when it first reared its head, Obama said: "We did not just start taking a bunch of air strikes all across Iraq because that would have taken the pressure off Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al Maliki." In other words, ISIS was an American asset at that juncture. Maliki, an aggressive Shia, had refused to sign the Status of Forces agreement with the US preparatory to their departure from Iraq. The pressure worked. Maliki was replaced.
                    Check the previous para, do you see any mention of IS ? no, its not there. But it appears here and the impression is made that the Americans are behind the rise of IS. Well, when the Americans left Iraq in 2010 with no SOFA, the makeup of Iraqi forces was half shia and half sunni. They left Iraq in a position to adequately defend itself. But over the next couple of years Maliki turned his forces into a personal shia militia with the help of Iran. Out of work sunnis had to find work. They joined IS. That was in Iraq.

                    The Saudis were funding groups in Syria to topple Assad. At some point there is cross pollination between these two. I don't think the Americans or the Saudis set out to create IS as IS considers both as enemies. Still the arabs think IS was created by the Americans or as Naqvi suggests here were considered an asset.

                    Later, Friedman advises President Trump in one of his columns not to waste his time fighting the IS. He wants "Trump to be Trump - utterly cynical and unpredictable."

                    Friedman adds: "Trump should let ISIS be Assad's, Iran's, Hezbullah's and Russia's headache."
                    Trump said the same thing about Afghanistan at the beginning of the year.

                    At the opposite ideological end of the spectrum is that great chronicler of West Asia, Robert Fisk. In a different context, he writes, Trump does not realize that "Israel bombs only the Syrian army, the Shia Hezbullah in Syria but has never ever the IS. In fact the Israelis have given medical aid to fighters from Jabhat al Nusra which is part of Al Qaeda which attacked the US on 9/11." By Fisk's testimony, IS is an Israeli asset too.
                    Yes they have assisted jabhat al nusra. But they aren't IS. And IS never really got close enough to bother Israel anyway. Whether that means Israel & IS are in the same side is not clear and quite frankly i doubt it.

                    At a conference on regional issues in New Delhi, Morgulov Igor Vladimirovich, Russia's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, startled the gathering. Since the war in Syria has wound down, the Islamic State is as spare today as the Afghan Mujahideen were in 1989. Vladimirovich's allegation caused raised eyebrows.

                    "ISIS fighters are being flown to Northern Afghanistan."

                    "Since the Afghan air space is under the control of the US and the Afghan government, who is responsible for this transfer of the IS?" he asked. An allegation of much greater global resonance was by Iran's Supreme leader, Ayatullah Ali Khamenei. In the course of his Friday address on January 30, 2018, he said: "The US transfer of terrorists to Afghanistan is aimed at creating a justification for its continuing stay in the region."
                    For a long time people have been saying the Americans want to stay in Afghanistan as it allows them access to three different countries. Well, guess what, they don't need Afghanistan for that as Pakistan can do that already.

                    Xinxiang, the Caucasus are all vulnerable to IS blackmail, as are other, smaller countries. But remember, IS is also seen by some powers as an asset. A ghastly tragedy can shake a nation. That is precisely when powerful intelligence agencies move in with help, advice which, over a period of time, becomes the kind of deep penetration which begins to navigate policy.
                    Naqvi is going with the views he hears from Arabs & Russians.
                    Last edited by Double Edge; 28 Apr 19,, 17:49.

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                    • #40
                      ^ Good, this is the reason why I posted this article here. In no particular order, here is my summary and logic.

                      #1. Sunni-Shia feud is as old as Islam itself. Sunnis have been butchering Shias more than the opposite. And if Naqvi believes Saddam would get away threatening America, he is a biased journalist. Ofcourse oil was another factor, but the underlying thing is - one doesn't get into a confrontation with a shark, when in water. I have heard this logic so many times, it has started to look more like propaganda for terror recruits now.

                      #2. Muslim grievances. Huh! A muslim in India becomes radicalized for what? How America treats muslim countries? Is this even a sound logic? I am a Hindu, but one won't see me continuously lambasting Muslims for their treatment of Hindus in our immediate neighbourhood, a.k.a Bangladesh and Pakistan. I am also not in favour of Hindus or Muslims migrating to the NE. Borders were drawn. People had a choice. They took it. Coming back to Muslim grievances - without any significant innovation to their credit, they cannot survive the onslaught the the future would bring. And without any hi-tech industry, they would forever remain client states. When a country is a client state, it gets used. The House of Sauds and the middle-east as a whole have oil, what does muslims countries in the sub-continent have? Just terrorists, which they use as a tool to further their FP. It's not working anymore, atleast in the subcontinent. Lately, I've been witnessing a lot of so called secular moderate muslims writing biased to wrong opinions to justify the cause of Islamic terrorism. They call it muslim grievances worldwide, and they give examples of countries that are 1000s of miles away. How the F does it matter? It does not, so grow the F up, and stop seeing everything through the lens of political Islam.

                      #3. Who told the Paks to get used? Their Generals smelled billions and sold out their country. America would not have occupied Afghanistan, had there been no 9/11. What about the ISI chief then, who transferred $200K to attackers of 9/11? Muslim world needs to take blame, a lot for what is happening in the word right now. It takes two hands to clap, and Pakistan had the heavy hand for which they raked in billions.

                      #4. The Colonel said it years back that the creation of ISIS was the sacking of Iraqi Army professionals (Generals etc) who suddenly found themselves without a job. The Shia led government sacked experienced sunni military men of Iraq. Naqvi can give any color to issues he wants, I trust professional on this board.

                      #5. Naqvi's assets are who from the Arab & Russian world? Muslim grievances are propaganda. Fault lies with the muslim world. And I don't see any corrective action being taken. It's a slippery slope for them, once oil runs out. And sooner or later, it will.

                      #6. ISIS being flown to Northern Afghanistan? Has he heard about Kunduz airlift? Pakistan is a country that lives on spiritual tourism? What the F is he smoking? Every muslim intellectual in India finds issues with the country, but no one points any finger towards Pakistan. These are snakes in the guise of secular liberals.

                      #7. There are very few, literally few, can be counted, real secular muslims. I wonder the reason that muslim communities around the world produce such few gentleman.

                      #8. His last para -
                      That is precisely when powerful intelligence agencies move in with help, advice which, over a period of time, becomes the kind of deep penetration which begins to navigate policy.
                      Seems he is pissed off that Indian agencies has warned of LeT penetration into the east coast of Lanka as well as about this attack. Lanka paid once with blood and lives (LTTE) because Sri Lankans curry flavoured with the Paks (1971). And the Paks gifted them sleeper cells and terrorists. A lot of misinformation is being spread in the media about how China/Pak helped Lanka to crush LTTE. Without India's help, crushing LTTE would not have been possible. Naqvi can rant all he wants, but he knows shit all. The other Indian ocean littoral country that we should be really worried about is Maldives. People in 100s have been recruited and sent for terrorist training in Pakistan. Malaysia too, but it's not our headache.

                      #9. This attack was not in retaliation for the Christchurch attacks. An attack of this magnitude takes months to prepare, even years. Planning, networks, people (terrorist) management, logistics, execution. This was not local, but an international collaboration. Truth will come out in the coming days, and I know who the culprits are.
                      Last edited by Oracle; 28 Apr 19,, 17:02.
                      Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by Double Edge View Post
                        A summary of Sri Lanka Pakistan relations since independence

                        Sri Lanka's Faustian bargain with Pakistan: Exit LTTE, enter ISI | Business Today | Apr 22 2019


                        This is why South India has been relatively terror free, the bastards couldn't get any inroads. Kerela however has had IS contact so we will have to see how they manage.
                        When it comes to Nat'Sec, the centre takes over. So, irrespective of who's in power in whatever state in the south, radicalism would be wiped out. I am more concerned with lone-wolf attacks perpetrated with active state support from Pakistan and giving it a local color, to stir up communal riots in India. Pakistan Army/ISI is trying this for decades, and often they have been successful (1993/1984 riots, to name a few). Consider this, EC in Bangalore comprises of tens of companies and atleast 1 Lac+ employees, guarded by CISF. If 10 terrorists (much like 26/11) armed with AKs, grenades can get inside, the damage they could do to the Indian psyche would be immeasurable. That kind of attack would call for a final war. Pakistan still thinks it can get away with its terrorist policies, that world powers would intervene, but that's a mistake that has been proved time and again. But Pakistan is suicidal, so India should not expect anything.

                        I agree with the tone of the article. Perhaps, the author didn't notice that India has for long given up its cards when it comes to waging covert war in the neighbourhood. This has got to do with flip-flop foreign policy w.r.t Nat'Sec, which in other words is correcting the previous regimes mistakes. Oneupmanship.

                        As also appeasing Pakistan, for what was long considered, thanks to ISI's propaganda that if India takes 1 step, Pak would take 2 steps for peace. Now we now what kind of fool successive Indian Governments have been. The whole narrative w.r.t Pakistan was misplaced. India didn't listen to Sardar Patel or its hawkish patrons in the intelligence agencies, but acted on gut feeling aided by the psychological war unleashed by Pakistan, as well as India's own leftist cabal (journalists, professors, historians etc). FP is not made on gut feeling, but cold hard facts. I call it Nehruvian policy failure. This -
                        India must accept a large part of the blame for the mess in Sri Lanka. Firstly, by refusing to carve out an independent Tamil Eelam, New Delhi failed to protect the interests of the Sri Lankan Tamils. At the very least, it should have ensured an autonomous Tamil area in the North and East. For, if India could provide special status to J&K then why not provide the same to Sri Lankan Tamils who are more loyal to India than the Kashmiris.
                        , if done earlier would have been very correct, today people would flag it as sounding more like Tamil bias. It's also wrong to compare Kashmiris with Sri Lankan Tamils, who are foreign when national interests are concerned. Sri Lanka can choose any master they want, but in the IOR, there are 2 masters (US, India), and their interests are converging. Likewise, Kashmir has only 1 master, India, and Kashmir includes PoK & GB.

                        Sri Lanka's bromance with Pakistan, I guess is, due to the fact that they have this huge neighbour north of their country (India), as also a significant Tamil population. They might not have said it explicitly, but Sri Lanka's historical actions suggest that they are insecure. Sri Lanka should understand that Pakistan in NO way can help Sri Lanka, and fingering India would have repercussions. Having said that, India is the only country that have come to Sri Lanka's aid when nobody wanted to. Sri Lanka knows that, as also they know India's military might. Cheap tactics have to end, and I hope the message has been presented loud and clear to the tiny island.
                        Last edited by Oracle; 29 Apr 19,, 04:35.
                        Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          NIA conducts raids in Kerala, questions 3 suspects over ISIS links

                          One shattered by the other: Two super-rich families ended up on opposite sides of Sri Lanka attacks

                          Father, two brothers of Sri Lanka suicide bombings mastermind killed in gun battle

                          To solve this terrorism problem to an extent, whole Sri Lanka needs to be locked down. Then start CASO.

                          Sri Lanka bans all kinds of face coverings that may conceal people’s identities

                          Sri Lanka ‘reaches out’ for NSG help

                          Sri Lanka on alert for attacks by terrorists disguised in uniforms

                          NIA arrests Palakkad resident for planning suicide attack in Kerala
                          Last edited by Oracle; 30 Apr 19,, 05:17.
                          Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka Urges the Government to Crackdown on Islamists as If 'on a War Footing' | TIME | Apr 29 2019

                            (COLOMBO, Sri Lanka) — The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka said Monday that the government should crack down on Islamic extremists with more vigor “as if on war footing” in the aftermath of the Easter bombings.

                            Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, said the church may not be able to stop people from taking the law into their own hands unless the government conducts a more thorough investigation and does more to prevent further attacks.

                            The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the Easter attacks, which killed more than 250 people, and investigators are looking into the extent of the extremist group’s direct involvement with the local radicalized Muslims who carried out the suicide bombings.

                            The cardinal said he is not satisfied with how the government has conducted its investigations so far. “All the security forces should be involved and function as if on war footing,” Ranjith told reporters.

                            “I want to state that we may not be able to keep people under control in the absence of a stronger security program,” he said. “We can’t forever give them false promises and keep them calm.” He urged the government “to implement a proper program in order that the people don’t take the law into their own hands.”

                            Ranjith, however, said the church assures Muslims that it will not allow any revenge attacks against them.

                            He also said church services would be held this coming Sunday after necessary precautions are taken. The number of Masses will be reduced at every church, with police and parish committees entrusted with the task of looking out for strangers.

                            Churches were shut across the nation on Sunday, a week after the bombings, for fear of an attack by Islamic State group-linked militants. Sri Lanka’s Catholics celebrated Mass in their homes as Ranjith presided over a televised service.

                            The closing of the churches came after local officials and the U.S. Embassy in Colombo warned that more militants remained on the loose with explosives.

                            Even though all of the island nation’s schools are to reopen May 6, Ranjith said Catholic schools could be kept closed after that date if the church is not satisfied with security.

                            Meanwhile, the government has banned all kinds of face coverings that may conceal people’s identities. The emergency law, which took effect Monday, prevents Muslim women from veiling their faces.

                            The decision came after the Cabinet had proposed laws on face veils at a recent meeting. It had deferred the matter until talks with Islamic clerics could be held, on the advice of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

                            The Easter attacks were carried out by seven suicide bombers who blew themselves up targeting three churches and three luxury hotels. Two other suicide bombers died triggering blasts, one to avoid capture by the police and another at an inn where he was staying.

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              US envoy to Sri Lanka says threat is real as security forces maintain high alert

                              American dad forced to choose which child to save in Sri Lanka, but both die

                              'Both died in my hands:' Australian-Sri Lankan lost his wife and only child in Easter attack

                              I can't even imagine the horror these guys went through. Very sad. RIP.

                              Sri Lanka mastermind’s call data trail leads to Tamil Nadu, Kerala

                              He learnt religion from wrong people, happy he’s dead: Lanka bomber’s sister

                              Family knows everything. Drinking is considered somewhat of a taboo here, but I like my drink. So I sneak out, buy a bottle, come back, go to the roof, and drink. And I do all of these very discreetly. Absolutely no sound. I cook my own dinner, so I don't come face to face with my parents. But my mother somehow comes to know about it. So, family knows everything. If a person's kids are getting radicalized, their parents/relatives would be the first to notice that change. It doesn't matter any F, now, that those as*h**** have killed 100s. Clearly she is lying.

                              Sri Lanka mistook Indian alert as bid to create rift with Islamabad

                              These tiny islands in the IOR should be handled with a stick, and only a stick.
                              Last edited by Oracle; 01 May 19,, 04:28.
                              Politicians are elected to serve...far too many don't see it that way - Albany Rifles! || Loyalty to country always. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it - Mark Twain! || I am a far left millennial!

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                              • #45
                                James Dorsey is always interesting

                                Want to curb violent attacks? Curb civilisationalism | Mideast soccer blog | May 01 2019

                                By James M. Dorsey

                                A podcast version of this story is available on Soundcloud, Itunes, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Spreaker, Pocket Casts and Tumblr

                                Decades of Saudi global funding of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism is perceived to have created breeding grounds for radicalism in Muslim communities even if it was largely not directly responsible for the rise of jihadism.

                                The same is true for civilisationalism of which jihadism is just one expression as are intolerant, supremacist expressions of Evangelism, Hinduism and Buddhism.

                                Civilisationalism, wittingly or unwittingly, plays with the fire of processes of radicalization that may or may not lead to political violence, a fixture of human history.

                                Given that societies’ moral and ethical backbone invariably is rooted in values promoted by religion, religion often provides a convenient civilizationalist framework for the justification of violence. Religion, however, is seldom, if ever, the driver.

                                Recent attacks on mosques in New Zealand, churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, synagogues in the United States and numerous other incidents across the globe demonstrate that civilizationalist ideologies that promote supremacy and exclusivism and dehumanize the other resonate with the most vulnerable groups in society.

                                Perpetrators of violence, irrespective of social background or economic class, tend to be people who are on the lookout. More often than not they are susceptible to charismatic figures, struggle to deal with personal problems or seek to fill a void in their lives.

                                They can be loners or products of a group that increasingly isolates them from society and/or convinces them of an imaginary threat posed by one segment of society.

                                What acts of political violence, recent and longer ago, demonstrate is that the fire civilisationalists play with more often than not erupts at home rather than on the other side of the globe.

                                The fire fuels the politics of fear on which civilisationalists thrive, distorts inter-communal relations, hijacks public debate, and disrupts development of inclusive policies that would significantly reduce the risk of violence.

                                A recent study of Saudi foreign fighters, the second largest contingent to join the Islamic State in Syria, showed that civilisationalism was their main driver. Products of an education system that long promoted a Sunni Muslim ultra-conservative brand of Islam that was exclusivist and supremacist, particularly towards Shiites, many of them were driven by sectarian concerns.

                                Those concerns stemmed from the decision of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a member of a sect deemed heretical by ultra-conservatives to project his brutal suppression of anti-government protests as a struggle against Sunni militants and the support he enjoyed from predominantly Shiite Iran and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shiite militia.

                                Anthropologist Scott Atran and journalist Jason Burke note that the phenomenon of foreign fighters joining struggles far from home does not contradict the fact that most recent and less recent acts of political violence were carried out either by homegrown loners or militants.

                                Some were instigated by recruiters who were nonetheless dependent on locals susceptible to their civilizationalist ideology.

                                Civilisationalism’s witting or unwitting appeal to vulnerable individuals is mirrored in the perpetrators of non-political incidents such as mass shootings who often are troubled males groping with personal problems and/or demons.

                                The fact that civilizational and political violence draw from the same pool that produces troubled mass shooters calls into question efforts to prevent incidents that almost exclusively focus either on civilizationalist notions that marginalize groups through stereotyping and other techniques, or criminalization and security measures.

                                What the communality of the pool highlights is that violence, political or not, is as much a security and law enforcement issue as it is one of public health and social service. It calls for mechanisms that provide early warnings, stop individuals from going off the deep end, and offer them the assistance they need to deal with their personal problems, grievances and voids.

                                Two separate incidents in October 2014 prove the point.

                                On first glance, Jaylen Fryberg, a popular freshman, who opened fire on classmates during lunch at a high school near Seattle, appeared to be a happy student. He was a well-liked athlete who shortly before he went on his shooting spree had been named his school’s freshman homecoming prince.

                                Mr. Fryberg, who shot himself during the incident, no longer is able to explain what prompted him to shoot fellow students and put an end to his own life. But the subsequent police investigation suggested that he was angry at being rebuffed by a girl that chose his cousin rather than him.

                                By contrast, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a 32-year old convert to Islam, who killed a guard at Ottawa’s National Monument and then stormed the Canadian parliament, had all the trappings of a troubled down-and-out individual.

                                Canadian media reported that Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau had a history of mental illness and a criminal record that included drug possession, theft, and issuing threats. He was addicted to crack cocaine and spent the last weeks of his life in a homeless shelter.

                                The Globe and Mail quoted a friend of his, Dave Bathurst, as being told by Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau that the devil was after him. “I think he must have been mentally ill,” Mr. Bathurst said.

                                The cases of Messrs. Fryberg and Zehaf-Bibeau raise the question of what the difference is between a school shooting and a politically motivated terrorist attack in terms of how societies can pre-empt violence.

                                The cases suggest that community engagement as well as social psychological and psychiatric services may be as important as security and law enforcement.
                                Both Mr. Fryberg and Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau had issued cries for help in their own ways.

                                Writing on Twitter, Mr. Fryberg warned the woman who had rejected him that “your gonna piss me off… And then some (expletive) gonna go down and I don’t think you’ll like it.” Several days later, he tweeted “It breaks me… It actually does… I know it seems like I’m sweating it off… But I’m not… And I never will be able to.”

                                Mr. Bathurst, like Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau, a convert to Islam, was perhaps the one person Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau appeared to confide in. He described how he felt being persecuted by the devil.

                                Mr. Zehaf-Bibeau’s sense of alienation was deepened when the mosque that he and Mr. Bathurst attended asked him to no longer come to prayer because of his erratic behaviour.

                                Messrs. Fryberg and Zehaf-Bibeau’s communalities point, on the one hand, to a need for policies and tools that allow society to step in before individuals like them resort to violence.

                                On the other hand, they highlight the threat posed by civilizationalist ideology, irrespective of its religious, national or civilizational packaging.

                                Both cases, together with the attacks in New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the United States suggest that the rise of civilisationalists, be it to the highest office in the land or as increasingly acceptable social and political groups, raise the spectre of a world in which violence becomes the new normal.

                                Dr. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture.
                                If you want to understand what he means by civilizationalism, read his earlier post on the subject. His explanation is compelling to understand what drives various right wing movements around the world.
                                Last edited by Double Edge; 02 May 19,, 11:37.

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