Hesperia
Mr. Capitalism
الوطن
THE NATION - Since 1952
THE NATION - Since 1952
Eleven Die in Army Operation in North Qirwan
Refugees Flee Region - Army Suffers Two Dead - Rebels Vow "Retaliation, Escalation"
AL RA'IS, West Qirwan Province. The Diwan of the Interior announced today that eleven had died in the latest stage of the operation against rebel forces in North Qirwan Province. Two soldiers are amongst those reported dead, while the remainder are rebels. Over forty people were wounded in the fighting.
The Royal Hajri Armed Forces have been involved in a protracted struggle with Islamist rebels on the island of Qirwan, in the North of the Sultanate of Hajr, since the 1970s. Several rebel groups have been waging a violent struggle against government authority, claiming they are politically, culturally, and economically oppressed by the State. Their aim is autonomy and independence for Qirwan. In the past, the Sultanate has accused Kediri and Wazistan of aiding the rebels.
Tens of thousands of refugees have fled the mountainous and jungle-covered North Qirwan Province, where the rebellion has been centered since the Royal Hajri Army drove the rebels out of the cities and lowlands of the southern half of the island in the nineties. Thousands more have followed them since the military began a counterterrorism campaign in the province in 2004.
The Interior Diwan spokesperson was quoted as saying that the current operation "is aimed at cleansing the area of rebel cells, finding weapons caches, and creating a safe corridor for civilians to exit the area" in the East of the Province.
The rebels, meanwhile, by word of one of their leaders and main spokesperson, `Abd ul-Fattah, have promised "swift retaliation" and have warned that the recent operations by the Armed Forces "will result in massive escalation", referring to the spate of bombings which has terrorized cities across Qirwan and the South of the Sultanate in recent years.
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