Stories about War & Conflict from May, 2009
Pakistan: Local Resistance Against The Taliban
CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan informs that the local tribesmen near Swat Valley are forming militias (lashkars) to prevent the Taliban influence in the region. Earlier the Talibans executed many tribal leaders to weaken the domestic resistance against them.
Sri Lanka: On The End Of The Conflict
London Lanka and Drums highlights some Sri Lankan blogs and blog posts that have written about the end of the civil war and comments: “Whatever our views, whatever our race and for differing reasons most of us would agree that this is one of the biggest single events in our...
Sri Lanka: Abuse, Disbelief And Bitterness Persist
The Sri Lankan government's civil war for over 25 years against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended a few days ago when the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was killed. The question remains that "has the dream of many Tamils of having a separate state free from discrimination died with him?". The polarized Sri Lankan Blogosphere is buzzing with a lot of analysis and counter analysis on the stories of celebrating the end of war, human rights abuse, distrust and communal hatred.
India: Aid Collection For Sri Lankan IDPs
Madhat at Blogbharati informs about an effort by some Indians to collect aid from various Indian cities to help the IDPs (internally displaced people) in Sri Lanka.
Palestine: Remembering Al Nakba
Arab-American joint blog KABOBfest marks the 61st anniversary of the creation of Israel, commonly referred to as Al Nakba (catastrophe), saying: “Israel's foundation meant the dispossession of hundreds of thousands of refugees. This created the largest, long-term refugee population in the world. But, they should not mourn Israel's creation. They...
Armenia: Eurovision Bribes
Adding to the existing controversy surrounding this year's Eurovision international song contest, In Mutatione Fortitudo says that Russian bloggers have been receiving emails from an Armenian offering payment for publishing an article accusing Azerbaijan of bribing various competition juries.
Tajikistan: Incidents at Tajik-Uzbek border
Incidents at Tajik-Uzbek border remain very dangerous for people, Musafirbek says reporting on another border accident with a gunned civilian.
Afghanistan: Taliban's War Statistics
Colla says the Taliban has issued detailed statistics for its operations in Afghanistan during the month of April, and finds that the figures they produce make interesting reading.
Afghanistan: Attacks Highlight Need for New Strategy
Joshua Foust reports on a coordinated suicide attack on government buildings in Afghanistan that took between 10 and 20 lives.
Afghanistan: Ammunition Trouble for Afghanistan
Joshua Foust reports that a U.S. Army contractor was giving the Afghan National Security Forces obsolete and faulty ammunition, and now there are yet more ammunition troubles for the Afghan forces.
Uzbekistan: ISAF Logistics, Reloaded
Peter Marton informs that Uzbek President Islam Karimov agreed to give a cargo airport in the city of Navoi for the airborne transport of NATO non-lethal supplies destined for coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan: Expats’ Routine Life
Onne Parl writes that the life of the international community in Afghanistan is ruled by security companies.
Sri Lanka: What Are We Celebrating?
Chatu at Groundviews asks some questions: “what are we celebrating? Defeating an entity we forced into existence? Are the reasons that forced a young Prabhakaran to assassinate the Mayor of Jaffna resolved? Is Sri Lanka truly united towards peace and coexistence?”
Pakistan: Relief Effort For IDPs In Karachi
Deadpan Thoughts writes about the relief efforts for Swat IDPs being carried out in Karachi. Pictures of relief collection are also posted in that article.
Pakistan: A Humanitarian Crisis
Pakistan has been hit by a severe humanitarian crisis as a result of the military onslaught against the Taliban insurgency in the Swat Valley. Over one million people have fled their homes from various areas in the Malakand division and FATA including Buner, Dir and Swat. A massive relief effort has been launched by many organizations and individuals and the Pakistani Blogosphere is also taking a leading role to seek help for the IDPs.
Palestine: Family Fun?
In the West Bank, Samuel Nichols notes: “Parents taking a Friday afternoon walk carrying their newborn is cute. Parents taking a Friday afternoon walk carrying their newborn (with an M-16 slung over the father's shoulder while intimidating Palestinian farmers) is disconcerting and scary.”
Iran: In presidential race, ex-revolutionary guard leader uses internet least
Former leader of the Revolutionary Guard in Iran, Mohsen Rezai, was among the lucky four candidates selected by the Council of Guardians to run in the presidential elections on June 12. Rezai's digital campaign is lightweight compared to that of his three rivals, but he has listed the names of bloggers who support him on his campaign website.
Sri Lanka: Concern For The IDPs
Musings from Toronto comments: “Whether the pro-LTTE diaspora's fear of the Sri Lankan Government is ludicrous or otherwise; their concern for the displaced civilians is certainly one I support.”
Jordan: The Pope's Visit to the Middle East
Jordanian Ali Dahmash assesses the Pope's visit to the Middle East in this post.
Sri Lanka: The Body Of Prabhakaran Creates Controversy
The statement by Sri Lankan government yesterday was that LTTE leader Prabhakaran was killed, and burnt beyond recognition when he was trying to flee in an ambulance. The End, Rising from the ashes notices when the body was shown on TV: “nobody from the Government had yet clarified how the...
Sri Lanka: Priorities After The War
A Voice In Colombo discusses about the two priorities Sri Lanka needs to address after the end of civil war; helping the IDPs and taking care of the injured veterans and families of the deceased.
