Easter Sunday attack in Sri Lanka by ISIS & who else?
By Shenali D Waduge
On 21st April 2019 Sri Lanka experienced 9 multiple terror attacks killing over 250 innocent people. The actions & reactions of the government is leaving citizens seriously anxious. The frightful prospect of a government neglecting the national sovereignty & security of its citizens is now beginning to sink in. Also linked is a clearly visible foreign intrusion which the government is rolling red carpets for even before arrival making many to wonder whether 21 April was part of a plot & plan for their entry. It is therefore important to look at the geopolitical aspect of what happened on Easter Sunday & ask who really planned the attacks, who executed it, why & who now benefits by the attacks and what Sri Lanka can do to set things rights. Whatever foreign involvement it is without a doubt the fault of the Sri Lankan Govt who not only had intel warnings but had appeals and requests for action against Islamic extremists by the Sri Lankan Muslim community itself. All of which had been ignored or not taken seriously.
Was this team of killers really planning for Easter or was it pre-advanced for some sudden change of plan? Are these men on their own or do they have external handlers, if so who are they? Did they get training to carry out their killings if so where & by whom? Why did educated & well to do men who had everything in life wish to take lives of innocent people – how strong is this brainwashing making it all the more dangerous as to how illiterate’s can be drawn to do the same in future. Are there political and others assisting with or without knowledge of ultimate plan to kill? If so, are they being investigated and arrested & more importantly charged? Can Sri Lankan authorities go all out to nullify the menace without keeping it as a beggars wound for political survival?
Why Easter? Is it aligned with the historical Christian-Islam rivalry that has a record of millions of deaths by both religions covering Crusades, Inquisition, Colonial invasions etc? It also enabled immediate international attention. Attacks on churches naturally got quicker & powerful international response than attacking Buddhist temples or Hindu kovils. While these killers are no real friends of Muslims too (though they are Muslims) it has kickstarted an international hate campaign against Muslims which will be aligned to another campaign against the hate-campaigners probably by the same parties handling the two camps. There are hidden hands to all these campaigns!
Why churches & why kill praying people? 14 May 1985 LTTE attacked Sacred Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura killing 146 Buddhist worshippers including Buddhist monks while meditating. 2 June 1987, 33 student Buddhist monks were slaughtered one after the other in Aranthalawa. 3 August 1990 LTTE attacked Kattankudy mosque killing 147 Muslims praying. It is no secret that the Catholic church sided with LTTE. Reasons for LTTE attacking Muslims & Sinhalese was to ethnically cleanse them from North & parts of East.
Why hotels? Some 35 foreigners died – many of these were regular visitors and had funded construction of even hospitals as their love for Sri Lanka was so great. Some have lost their children too. Targeting foreigners & hotels was purposely to hit at our economy & tourism and drive out tourists but why (like Bali bombing), what do Islamic terrorists gain from this or is it their handlers who benefit by negating a booming industry? Tourists from India & China are the highest.
What we should know by now
- a) LINKS: All of the Islamic terrorist groups have some link, funding, training & support to foreign intelligence agencies, their governments & their satellite states. While the UN has no common definition for a terrorist/organization, countries have their own lists of banned terrorist groups. These powerful links contract these groups to carry out political assassinations, election campaigning, election intimidation etc. Just as terrorists are linked – intel agencies are also linked often carrying out objectives without even the knowledge of their governments. LTTE-Islamic terrorist connections also emerging.
- b) TERRORISTS / NARCOTICS & UNDERWORLD: Terrorist groups are linked to some form of international illegal racket from which they generate phenomenal illegal income. Illegal drug smuggling, human smuggling, underworld mafia who thrive on extortion, other illegal businesses, generate money used to bribe or buy over anyone from politicians, businessmen to individuals. The recent arrests of drug kingpins, raids & confiscation of drugs are all inter-connected. The entities may function independent of each other but their godfathers monitor their movements! Increase patrols by Navy in areas where illegal entry is possible and strengthen checking in port/airport by customs on rogue businessmen with a record of undeclaring goods or undervaluing what they bring.
- c) EXTREMISTS: Divide & Rule worked superbly during colonial rule & the same template continues. Filter people into groups (ethnicity, religion, caste, political party, colour of skin etc) divide each group into extreme/moderates, create others group to react to these extremes. Fund all groups covertly & pit them against each other from time to time deploying various tactics that are made to trigger people’s nerves & set into motion a gradual hate/anger psychosis. Keep negative sentiment at a controllable level & use when time is right. The manner a handful of Muslims from covering their head with their saree in the 1960s suddenly began wearing a black silk garment covering body from head to toe increased while simultaneously building opposition to it. Similar new cultures introduced & demanded as religious rights were factors that built animosities. Muslims must now remove these as compromise to return to living cordially with all communities.
- d) HYPOCRISY: Countries create terrorists, transport them to countries where their policy goals need their deployment, get them to spread terror, present global scenario that countries cannot handle ‘Islamic terrorists’ using media they control they justify their troop presence. Ironically, the very Islamic terrorists that they create end up being used and killed while these terrorists also end up killing the troops the countries deploy to kill the terrorists. Mary’s lambs are these Islamic terrorists sure to follow Mary wherever Mary goes – they become sacrificial lambs too! what a complicated scenario! So have Mary’s lamb chosen Sri Lanka? Is this the reason for the spate of bombings and is Christian & touristS targeted to justify international presence & interference. Coincidentally, wherever the Islamic terrorists are US-UK-NATO will enter and often for a long haul stay. Quite frightening scenario for Sri Lanka in view of the surprising wave of Islamic terror too true to even believe!
So what we have to understand is that no terrorist organization can function without the tacit approval and blessings of some powerful nation(s). Terrorists are fighting with more sophisticated weaponry than some governments can afford (we saw this with LTTE). Terrorists do not manufacture arms, they buy their arms from countries that manufacture them so countries that manufacture arms & ammunition sell to both countries fighting the terrorists & to the terrorists fighting the countries. The countries that send troops to kill the terrorists also end up dying from the very guns their governments have sold to the terrorists they created. You think the UN does not know this?
“War on Terror” is just a sham
9/11 launched the global war on terror with 51 powerful nations invading & occupying a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. Osama & Al Qaeda was ousted in 2001 & replaced by US-NATO. It’s now 18 years and no signs of US-NATO leaving Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the source of more than 90% of world’s opium supply and opium is grown in areas under US-NATO control & not Taliban control! Heroin industry makes $1.5 trillion annually. Michael Chossudovsky says for US State Dept, CIA & Pentagon this is a multibillion dollar trade & comes third to oil & arms trade all of which US now controls. Countries even pay Taliban not to attack them while Taliban collects tax for selling opium. Heroin is transported with diplomatic immunity on diplomatic flights! A joint report by Pentagon, US Geological Survey (USGS) and USAID says Afghanistan possesses “previously unknown” and untapped mineral reserves, estimated authoritatively to be of the order of one trillion dollars (New York Times, ISIS earns over US$1 million from oil smuggling. U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan – NYTimes.com, June 14, 2010). The US war on terror is a tax burden on the American tax payer but very lucrative for all the US arms manufacturers, construction and other US-UK-European firms who are sharing all the spoils of reconstructing what their governments purposely destroyed.
There was no Al Qaeda or ISIS during Saddam’s reign but he was ousted promising Iraq liberation. Iraq became a fighting ground for ISIS-US control and Iraqis ended up losers. Libya was the most developed country in North Africa, its citizens enjoyed many freebies under its leader Gaddafi but imported ‘rebels’ and hired media projected the notion that the Libyans wanted Gaddafi out and then it was a case of ‘we came, we saw and he died’ (Hillary Clinton) Today, Libya is a hell hole. Libyans are grieving over the country they lost & the leader who was sodomized & killed. Kosovo independence came by funding Kosovo Liberation Army whose leader became the leader of newly independent Kosovo and in exchange for independence came a massive NATO base in Kosovo. There are 193 countries. Some 165,000 American Special Operations forces are deployed in 149 countries in 2017 alone.
ISIS is ousted in Middle East but replaced by US-UK-NATO isn’t that convenient!
In 2009 Sri Lanka ended LTTE and commenced a massive development program. In 2011 US announced ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy not surprisingly ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s also declared a caliphate. In 2013 China announced a global development program Belt & Road Initiative. In September 2014 Sri Lanka & China sign Port-City Project same time that Ayman al-Zawahiri declares jihad in Indian subcontinent.
Strangely, there are 200m Muslims in India but only 80 cases of ISIS-related investigations. It was the Indian intelligence that alerted Sri Lanka on the attacks, where even giving names of the killers too. What is strange here is that according to Observer Research Foundation it was foreign intelligence that informed India on pro-ISIS activities on Facebook!
The current happenings cannot be dislodged from the US-India backed regime change that took place in 2015 to oust Rajapakse & install a puppet & a pawn to power to escalate the geopolitical objectives politically via Sri Lanka’s leadership. The go-away China chorus in 2015 by the PM backfired & Sri Lanka’s PM had to eventually crawl back to China and offer Hambantota Port as equity swop plus pay enormous compensation for closure of the Port City. Nevertheless, using the leverage from 2012,2013,2014 UNHRC Resolutions, the West was quick to insist on internal system changes that would weaken the country, its national security plus pave way for even a new constitution. India at the other end was pushing its agenda up North and in Central Sri Lanka.
India & West & China’s power struggle is making Sri Lankans vulnerable at home because of a weak government unable to handle either while giving in to all without a proper national policy. It was a matter of time that some form of destabilizing element would surface. All of these Islamic militants are locals whether they have had internal training or influence it is immaterial. Laws must be applied and every person linked must be charged. The very terrorism act that the West wanted annulled is what Sri Lanka has to turn to. When we have had 30 years of terrorism, foreigners have also died why is it that the West wants their intelligence in Sri Lanka for just one act of terror? Is this linked to the status of forces agreement that is said to be secretly signed that allows US troops in Sri Lanka where Sri Lankan laws are not applicable to them? A lot of people are in the dark at what is being signed by the government as if Sri Lanka is their personal property. These approvals hidden from the citizens do not carry any weightage and should be annulled by a future government.
We do not wish to have any pivot, diplomatic or terrorist for the same reason of making Sri Lanka into a client state. We do not wish our beautiful island to be the ground for any hostilities between countries and we certainly do not wish to be victim of other people’s hostilities. We have traditional friends and no one can ask us to stop our friendship with these countries. China’s relationship with Sri Lanka is a long and cherished one. Our relationships with others will be the same if only they learnt not to extend one hand of friendship but try to stab us with the other.
