Sri Lanka's military seized the entire western coast of the country on Saturday, gaining control over the key strategic area of Pooneryn. This stronghold has been under the control of Tamil Tiger rebels since 1993 and the capture of the city means that for the first time in more than a decade government forces have in their grasp a land route all the way to a ferry that can easily bring supplies to the northern city of Jaffna. It will also put troops in a position to strike the rebel capital of Kilinochchi from three sides, as well as blocking trade routes from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, which Sri Lankan authorities have long considered a source of arms and support for the rebels. Keep up to date with the latest developments and sharpest perspectives in a world of strife and struggle.
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The toD verdict: The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 to create an independent state for the country's minority Tamils, who have been historically marginalised in predominantly Sinhalese Sri Lanka. Over 70,000 people have been killed in twenty five years of fighting.
The government has said that securing a land route to the northern peninsula is a key victory against Tamil Tiger separatists, and the government position was further strengthened on Monday with the capture of two more strategic towns, one of which lies 30km (20 miles) south of Kilinochchi, the de facto Tamil Tiger capital. To mark the triumph, the government declared a week of celebrations starting Monday to pay tribute to the armed forces.
However, it remains to be seen if this government victory will mark the beginning of the end of what has proven to be the world's longest-lasting civil war. In a speech broadcast on television, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said, "My clear message [to the Tigers] is to lay down their arms and come forward for discussions with us forthwith." Rajapaksa's election as president rested on a tough and uncompromising military stance against the rebels and a promise - after he withdrew in January from a ceasefire established in 2001 - to wipe them out by the end of 2008. Now in a tremendous position of strength, the government will be unwilling to halt its offensive and risk political compromise; Sri Lankan forces will most likely press on and attempt to reach a military - not political - conclusion to the civil war.
Karzai will go to any length to protect Mullah Omar
The Afghan president Hamid Karzai had announced his readiness to meet the Taliban chief Mullah Omar, saying that he will go to "any length" to protect the fugitive leader in exchange for peace. Karzai, who has for years pushed for peace talks with the Taliban, announced his decision on Sunday to offer the group's leaders protection, even at the expense of displeasing Afghanistan's international partners. Omar is wanted by the US and has a $10 million reward on his head. A Taliban spokesperson responded on Monday that the group were considering this offer, though past talks have been ruled out as long as foreign troops remain on Afghan soil. These announcements came on the same weekend as the death of a British soldier, when his heavily-armoured Warrior vehicle hit a roadside bomb, and a suicide attack in the east of the country on Friday which killed 21 and injured at least 74 others.
Meanwhile, across the border in Pakistan, violence continued as ten militants and two tribal elders were killed in clashes in Gutkai and Bandarae areas of Bajaur and six militants and two civilians were killed by security forces' shelling in Mamond and Nawagai tehsils on Sunday.
Rebels agree to peace efforts in DRC
Talks that took place on Sunday between Laurent Nkunda and the UN special envoy and former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, resulted in an agreement by the Congolese rebel leader to support a ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also agreed to contribute to a mission monitoring violations and open a humanitarian corridor for people displaced by months of heavy fighting in North Kivu province. Nkunda said, "Today is a great day for us because we were losing many men and now we have a message of peace. We should work with this mission."
However, while talks were taking place, the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUC, reported exchanges of fire between Nkunda's National Congress for the Defence of the People and government troops near the village of Ndeko. At least 100 people have been killed since fighting broke out in September, despite the presence of about 17,000 UN troops - the largest UN peacekeeping force in the world.
ETA military chief arrested
The military chief of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), the militant independence movement "Basque Homeland and Freedom", was arrested early on Monday in the French Pyrenees. Miguel de Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina, who goes by the pseudonym "Txeroki", is believed to have murdered two Spanish police officers in France last December and was one of the most wanted members of the terrorist organisation. He was also linked to the Madrid airport bomb attack in December 2006 that killed two people and came in the middle of a permanent ETA ceasefire, leading to an end to communications between the Zapatero government and the organisation. "Txeroki" was reputedly part of the extremist wing that was hostile to dialogue with Madrid.
ETA's violent campaign has spanned four decades and killed over 800 people. There are currently around 600 ETA convicts or suspects in Spanish jails and 150 others in French jails. The latest arrest was the result of the cooperation between the French and Spanish police, and French president Nicolas Sarkozy said the arrest of one of Europe's most hunted men "demonstrates the excellent collaboration between France and Spain in the struggle against Basque terrorism."
Gaza ceasefire ‘shattered'
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that the five month truce between Israel and Palestine had been "shattered" after 13 days of violence. His comment came shortly after four Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli airstrike east of Gaza City, on the same day as an Israeli cabinet meeting was held to discuss the ceasefire which has become increasingly fragile in the past two weeks. Olmert went on to say that "the responsibility for the shattering of the calm and the creation of a situation of prolonged and repeated violence in the south of the country is entirely on Hamas and the other terror groups in Gaza... There is no one who can criticise the Israeli government."
Israel has come under criticism for its 10-day blockade of a crossing to Gaza which would reportedly deny 20,000 Palestinians of food parcels on Monday. Oxfam International has called on the world to force Israel to end the closure. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is due to end in a month but even now it seems to exist only in name, and it remains to be seen how long this will last.
Three police officers killed in alleged Shining Path attack
An ambush on a police patrol in a drug-smuggling zone in southern Peru was reportedly carried out by Shining Path rebels. The attack, which occurred on Sunday and killed three police officers and injured one, took place on a well-known drug trading route in Ayacucho province. Drug traffickers in Peru frequently pay members of the Shining Path for protection, and officials suggest that the latest attack was in retaliation for police seizures of drugs. The rebel movement terrorised Peru during the 1980s and 1990s and, though long thought defeated, carried out its deadliest attack in over a decade last month when members ambushed a military convoy, leaving 19 dead. The drugs trade is a major reason for the group's increasing power base.
