ஈராக்கிய மக்களை நிராயுதபாணியாக்க உனக்கு உரிமையில்லை!
பாஸ்றாவில் உனது படுகொலைத் தாண்டவத்தை உடனே நிறுத்து!! -ENB
15 SLA killed, body recovered in Ma'nalaa'ru - LTTE[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 March 2008, 05:59 GMT]
Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Operations Command in Ma'nalaa'ru on Thursday said the Tigers confronted two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive pushes within the last two days in the region. On Wednesday, the LTTE thwarted an SLA attempt to break into LTTE territory after 2 hours confrontation at Ceylon Theatre area from 1:15 p.m. 5 SLA soldiers were killed and the Tigers recovered the dead body of one SLA soldier with arms and ammunition. On Tuesday, 10 SLA soldiers were killed in a similar confrontation that erupted when the SLA attempted to advance, the Tigers said.
One T-56 assault rifle, eighteen magazines, four-thousand rounds, four gun holsters, five helmets, two knives, four military kit bags and six water cans were seized by the Tigers after the confrontation on Wednesday.
The SLA retreated to its positions after the failed attempt to break into LTTE territory, the Tigers said, without giving details of their own casualties.
Green zone under heavy attack.
Mortars Hit Baghdad's Green Zone BAGHDAD, March 26
Insurgents early Wednesday slammed at least four rockets into the heavily-fortified Baghdad Green Zone, the seat of the Iraqi government and the US embassy.
At least four Katyusha rockets struck the Green Zone, an Iraqi security official said.
The latest assault comes just three days after insurgents fired four waves of rockets and mortars into the area, which once served as Saddam Hussein's presidential compound, injuring six people and damaging buildings.
"My window panes rattled again Wednesday morning. That told me two things: Another mortar attack was under way and the mood in the Green Zone was about to change quickly," said a witness.
The Green Zone has been a target for mortars and rockets for years. But this week has been particularly noisy and dangerous.
Several rockets struck Tuesday as part of widening attacks by forces loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Wednesday morning brought another brief salvo. A long barrage Sunday killed one US government employee as Westerners in the Green Zone celebrated the Easter holiday.
Twelve Iraqis also were killed outside the Green Zone, apparently by salvos that fell short.
Meanwhile, a US soldier was killed during a combat operation in Baghdad, the US military said Wednesday.
The soldier was killed by enemy fire during the operation on Tuesday, a military statement said without providing additional details.
The death came as US units clashed in Baghdad with militiamen amid fighting involving Sadr supporters in four Iraqi cities on Tuesday.
The latest death brings the US military's losses in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion to 4,001
Dozens killed in Iraq Shiite city of Kut: police chief
14 minutes ago
KUT, Iraq (AFP) - At least 44 people were killed in clashes Thursday between Iraqi and US forces, and Shiite militiamen in the central Iraqi city of Kut, police chief Abdul Hanin al-Amara told AFP.
"The security forces launched an operation at around midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday) to take back areas under the control of Shiite gunmen," Amara said.
"At least 40 gunmen and four policemen were killed. Around 75 people were wounded. Police have now imposed full control on these neighbourhoods."
Military tells Bush of troop strains
By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer
Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff did say senior commanders in Iraq should make more frequent assessments of security conditions, an idea that appeared aimed at increasing pressure for more rapid troop reductions.
The chiefs' concern is that U.S. forces are being worn thin, compromising the Pentagon's ability to handle crises elsewhere in the world.
In the war zone itself, two more American soldiers were killed Wednesday in separate attacks in Baghdad, raising the U.S. death toll to at least 4,003, according to an Associated Press count. Volleys of rockets also slammed into Baghdad's Green Zone for the third day this week, and the U.S. Embassy said three Americans were seriously wounded. At least eight Iraqis were killed elsewhere in the capital by rounds that apparently fell short.
Wednesday's 90-minute Pentagon session, held in a secure conference room known as "the Tank," was arranged by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to provide Bush an additional set of military views as he prepares to decide how to proceed in Iraq once his troop buildup, which began in 2007, runs its course by July.
"Armed with all that, the president must now decide the way ahead in Iraq," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell. The discussion covered not only Iraq but Afghanistan, where violence has spiked, and broader military matters, said Morrell, who briefed reporters without giving details of the discussion. Some specifics were provided by defense officials, commenting on condition of anonymity in order to speak more freely.
The Joint Chiefs are particularly concerned about Afghanistan and an increasingly active Taliban insurgency.
The United States has about 31,000 troops in Afghanistan and 156,000 in Iraq.
U.S. forces in Iraq peaked at 20 brigades last year and are to be cut to 15 brigades, with a total of about 140,000 combat and support troops, by the end of July. A key question facing Bush is whether security conditions will have improved sufficiently by then to justify more reductions.
One of the leading advocates of Bush's troop buildup last year, military historian Frederick Kagan of the American Enterprise Institute, said in an interview Wednesday that security conditions in Iraq, while better, are not good enough to justify any commitment to troop reductions beyond July.
"The military reality is that it's virtually inconceivable that it will make sense to draw down below 15 brigades this year," Kagan said.
Gates has said he would like to see the total drop to 10 brigades by the end of this year, but that now looks unlikely.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has proposed what is commonly called a "pause" to assess the impact of having withdrawn five combat brigades since December. He has argued that it would be reckless to shrink the American force so rapidly that the gains achieved over the past year are compromised or lost entirely.
Bush is expected to endorse Petraeus' approach. If, as expected, Petraeus is given until August or September to weigh the effects of the current round of reductions, then it is unlikely that the force would get much below 15 brigades by the time Bush leaves office in January.
Bush is unlikely to announce his decision until after Petraeus and the top U.S. diplomat in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker, return to Washington next month to report to Congress.
The Joint Chiefs, who do not command troops but are legally responsible for ensuring the fitness of the forces they provide to commanders, have grown increasingly concerned that the weight of five-plus years of war in Iraq could create severe, long-term problems, particularly for the Army and Marine Corps.
In their session with Bush, the chiefs laid out their concerns about the health of the U.S. force, several defense officials said. Bush was accompanied by his chief of staff, Joshua Bolten; his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, and Vice President Dick Cheney.
"The conversations today with the Joint Chiefs were much broader than just Iraq," Hadley said later. "It was a step-back look of what are the challenges we face here in the next decade."
A senior administration official said the chiefs generally are in sync with Petraeus on slowing the pace of troop reductions.
Morrell said Bush is "constantly asking the Joint Chiefs about the health of the force, about retention rates, about family life, and so that was a large part of the conversation today."
The session was led by Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He presented the consensus view of the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps on Iraq strategy.
Mullen and Gates have said repeatedly that in addition to reducing troop levels in Iraq, they want to shorten tour lengths for soldiers from 15 months to 12 months as soon as possible. A decision to do that is expected, perhaps shortly after Bush reaffirms that the number brigades in Iraq will be cut to 15 by July. The Army calculates that at that point it could drop tours to 12 months and still give units at least 12 months at home to recover, retrain and rearm before deploying again.
Morrell said a decision on shortening tour lengths would be made by Gates in consultation with Bush.
"We are not there yet," Morrell said.
Shortly after they Petraeus and Crocker reported to Congress last September Bush announced the decision to reduce the number of combat brigades from 20 to 15.
At the time, Petraeus said additional cuts would be made but that he needed to wait until this spring to recommend a timetable. Since September, violence in Iraq has ebbed and U.S. and Iraqi casualties have declined markedly, although violence has jumped in recent weeks.
The president is to give a speech Thursday in Ohio on the political and economic situation in Iraq.
Fighting continues in Basra Hundreds of people have been injured during the security crackdown in Basra [AFP]
Heavy fighting has continued between US-backed Iraqi security forces and fighters from the Mahdi Army of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr as military operations in Basra entered a third day. The clashes on Thursday came in defiance of a Friday deadline by Nuri al-Maliki for armed groups to give up their weapons or face "severe penalties". The Iraqi prime minister was in Basra personally overseeing the operation that has sparked violence across the country, leaving more than 50 people dead and another 300 injured. A fire also raged near Basra after a bomb exploded underneath an oil pipeline, Iraqi officials said. The internal sectarian conflict in Iraq
Followers of al-Sadr, meanwhile, were staging protests in Baghdad to denounce al-Maliki's Basra crackdown. In the capital's impoverished Sadr City district, demonstrators shouted: "Maliki you are a coward! Maliki is an American agent! Leave the government, Maliki! How can you strike Basra?" Protests were also planned in the southern city of Amara. Al-Sadr has threatened to launch a civil revolt if attacks against his followers are not halted. Crisis talks The Iraqi government was holding talks with aides of al-Sadr in Najaf on Thursday to try to end the crisis, Liqa Ali Yassin, a member of Sadr's 32-member parliamentary bloc, said. On Wednesday, al-Sadr had demanded that al-Maliki leave Basra and send a parliamentary delegation for talks on resolving the crisis. The violence began on Tuesday, when Iraqi troops launched operations in Basra on Tuesday to rid the city of "lawless gangs". Fighting then spread to al-Sadr's stronghold in Baghdad and other cities. Iraqi sources told Al Jazeera that about 60 civilians were killed in a US air strike on the city of southern city of Hilla, although there were conflicting reports. Iraqi security sources said that 29 people were killed. In Tikrit, at least seven civilians were reportedly killed and nine others were wounded in US air strikes that destroyed two homes. Three US employees were also seriously injured in rocket and mortar attacks on the Green Zone in Baghdad. Convoy attack Colonel Karim al-Zaidi, a police spokesman, said the convoy of Major General Abdul Jalil Khalaf, Basra's police chief, was hit by a suicide car bomber around 1am on Thursday [22:00 GMT Wednesday] as it passed through the streets of the city. He said: "Three policemen were killed in the attack," adding that Khalaf was unharmed. Residents said the streets of the oil-rich city of 1.5 million people were deserted on Thursday and that shops and businesses were shut. Before the latest fighting, Basra had become the battlefield for a turf war between the Mahdi Army and two rival Shia factions - the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) of Abdel Aziz al-Hakim and the smaller Fadhila party. The three factions are fighting to control the huge oil revenues generated in the province, which was transferred to Iraqi control by the British military in December. Sadr's powerful movement called protest rallies for Thursday "to express no confidence in the Maliki government" in the wake of the Basra assault. US military spokesman Major General Kevin Bergner told a news conference on Wednesday that 2,000 extra Iraqi security forces had been sent to Basra for the operation. He said it was aimed at improving security in the city ahead of provincial elections in October. "The prime minister's assessement is that without this operation there will not be any hopeful prospect of improving security in Basra," Bergner said. Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Baghdad, said the crackdown in Basra was meant as a show of strength by al-Maliki. He said: "I think the prime minister is trying to put his stamp in this operation. No one expected that he would go to Basra." "Al-Maliki wants to show that he is in control because in the past, he was seen as a weak, impotent leader."
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Rockets hit Baghdad Green Zone
Several people are reported to have been injured after rockets were fired into Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, as fighting between Iraqi forces and Shia fighters spread through the Iraqi capital and the south of the country.
At least 16 rockets were fired into the Green Zone late on Wednesday following a surrender ultimatum from Iraq's prime minister to fighters in the southern city of Basra loyal to populist Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Nouri Al-Maliki said fighters from al-Sadr's Mahdi Army had 72 hours to give themselves up or would face "severe penalties".
"Those who were deceived into carry weapons must deliver themselves and make a written pledge to promise they will not repeat such action within 72 hours," he said.
Al-Maliki was speaking at an army base in Basra from where he is overseeing military operations in the city.
More than 50 people have died in the last two days of heavy fighting and the Iraqi government has sent reinforcements to Basra to back up soldiers moving street by street through the most volatile parts of the city.
Elsewhere in the country at least 11 Iraqis were reported killed in a raid by a US helicopter in the central city of Hilla.
US military officials, who have been providing back-up to the Iraqi military, said they believed four Shia fighters had been killed in the raid.
Major-General Kevin Bergner, a US military spokesman said Iraqi police called for US air support after clashing with a number of "special group criminals" in Hilla, about 120km south of the capital, Baghdad.
But he added US forces were not participating in the clashes beyond playing a "liaison" role.
Another military spokesman said: "Initial reports indicate that four special group criminals were killed in the air strike."
The US uses the term "special groups" when referring to al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
The latest fighting broke out in Sadr City, a large poor area in the capital, early on Wednesday.
The Iraqi PM has given Mahdi Army fighters in Basra 72 hours to surrender [AFP]
The violence comes after Iraq's security forces launched raids on strongholds of Mahdi Army fighters on Tuesday.
As the fighting broke out, al-Sadr issued a statement calling for demonstrations across the country and threatened "civil disobedience" if attacks by US and Iraqi forces on members of his movement continued.
"We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people," a statement read by Hazam al-Aaraji, an al-Sadr representative, said.
"We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces. If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces."
Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Baghdad, said that a spokesman for al-Maliki was reporting that some fighters had surrendered following the prime minister's ultimatum.
But he added there were reports that heavy fighting was continuing in parts of Basra.
"I think the prime minister is trying to put his stamp in this operation. No one expected that he would go to Basra," our correspondent said.
"Al-Maliki wants to show that he is in control, because in the past, he was seen as a weak, impotent leader."
'Iranian influence'
The US claims that members of the so-called "special groups" are trained in Iran in the use of sophisticated weaponry, including rockets and lethal roadside bombs known as "explosively formed penetrators" that can cut through US armoured vehicles.
Amid the accusations, the military says that Iran could contribute to ending the violence in Iraq, calling on Tehran to use its influence to assist in improving security in Basra.
Bergner said: "There is no question that the government of Iran has significant influence in Basra, in the province and in southeastern Iraq in general.
"We would love to see the government of Iran fulfil its commitments to help improve security and stability [in Basra] ... and reduce the activities of those operating outside the law."
Bergner also said the operation was aimed at improving security in the Basra province ahead of provincial elections in October.
"The prime minister's assessment is that without this operation there will not be any hopeful prospect of improving security in Basra," Bergner said.
'Politically motivated'
Falah Shenshal, a member of parliament allied to al-Sadr, told Al Jazeera that al-Maliki was targeting political opponents.
"They say they target outlaw gangs, but why do they start with the areas where the sons of the Sadr movement are located?"
"This is a political battle ... for the political interests of one party [al-Maliki's Dawa party] because the local elections are coming soon.
"They are using the law for their political interests. We will ask the parliament to drop confidence from the Maliki government."
The Mahdi Army has grown frustrated with a ceasefire imposed by al-Sadr last year.
Its fighters say the ceasefire has been abused by US and Iraqi forces to make indiscriminate arrests ahead of provincial elections.
The US military says it is targeting only "rogue" members who have broken the ceasefire, and has cited the truce as a main factor in a significant drop in violence across the country.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
US gives air support to Iraqi force
Civilian casualties mount as a deadline is set by al-Maliki for fighters to lay down arms [GALLO/GETTY]
At least four Shia fighters have been killed in a US air raid in the central Iraqi city of Hilla, the military said, while mortars continued to be fired on Baghdad's Green Zone.
The raid on Wednesday is a continuation of US efforts to assist Iraqi forces in another day of clashes with fighters loyal to populist Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
A military spokesman said Iraqi police called for US air support after clashing with a number of "special group criminals" in Hilla, about 120km south of the capital, Baghdad. But according to Major-General Kevin Bergner, a military spokesman, US forces are not participating in the clashes beyond playing a "liaison" role. Another military spokesman said: "Initial reports indicate that four special group criminals were killed in the air strike."In video The internal sectarian conflict in Iraq
The US uses the term "special groups" when referring to al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia.
Armed fighters loyal to al-Sadr have been battling Iraqi troops in the southern city of Basra and in Baghdad for the past two days. The clashes have killed at least 50 people.
The latest fighting broke out in Sadr City, a large poor area in the capital, early on Wednesday. At least 16 mortars were reportedly fired into the Green Zone, home to the US embassy, on Wednesday night causing casualties.
The violence comes after Iraq's security forces launched raids on strongholds of Mahdi Army fighters on Tuesday.
As the fighting broke out, al-Sadr issued a statement calling for demonstrations across the country and threatened "civil disobedience" if attacks by US and Iraqi forces on members of his movement continued.
"We demand that religious and political leaders intervene to stop the attacks on poor people," a statement read by Hazam al-Aaraji, an al-Sadr representative, said.
Looming deadline
"We call on all Iraqis to launch protests across all the provinces. If the government does not respect these demands, the second step will be general civil disobedience in Baghdad and the Iraqi provinces."
Al-Sadr has called for 'civil disobedience'[File: GALLO/GETTY] Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, imposed a deadline for those fighting security forces in Basra to surrender.
"Those who were deceived into carry weapons must deliver themselves and make a written pledge to promise they will not repeat such action within 72 hours," he said on Wednesday. "Otherwise, they will face the most severe penalties."
Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Baghdad, said that a spokesman for al-Maliki said that some fighters had surrendered.
He said: "But we are getting reports that heavy fighting is continuing in parts of Basra."
"I think the prime minister is trying to put his stamp in this operation. No one expected that he would go to Basra."
"Al-Maliki wants to show that he is in control, because in the past, he was seen as a weak, impotent leader."
'Iranian influence'
The US claims that members of the so-called "special groups" are trained in Iran in the use of sophisticated weaponry, including rockets and lethal roadside bombs known as "explosively formed penetrators" that can cut through US armoured vehicles.
Amid the accusations, the military says that Iran could contribute to ending the violence in Iraq, calling on Tehran to use its influence to assist in improving security in Basra.
Bergner said: "There is no question that the government of Iran has significant influence in Basra, in the province and in southeastern Iraq in general. "We would love to see the government of Iran fulfil its commitments to help improve security and stability [in Basra] ... and reduce the activities of those operating outside the law."
Bergner also said the operation was aimed at improving security in the Basra province ahead of provincial elections in October. "The prime minister's assessement is that without this operation there will not be any hopeful prospect of improving security in Basra," Bergner said.
'Politically motivated' Falah Shenshal, a member of parliament allied to al-Sadr, told Al Jazeera that al-Maliki was targeting political opponents. "They say they target outlaw gangs, but why do they start with the areas where the sons of the Sadr movement are located?" "This is a political battle ... for the political interests of one party [al-Maliki's Dawa party] because the local elections are coming soon. "They are using the law for their political interests. We will ask the parliament to drop confidence from the Maliki government."
The Mahdi Army has grown frustrated with a ceasefire imposed by al-Sadr last year. Its fighters say the ceasefire has been abused by US and Iraqi forces to make indiscriminate arrests ahead of provincial elections. The US military says it is targeting only "rogue" members who have broken the ceasefire, and has cited the truce as a main factor in a significant drop in violence across the country.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
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