[From The Worker, #8, January 2003]
ONE YEAR OF QUALITATIVE MILITARY LEAP
The sending of letter by the American President G. Bush on September 12 to the Nepalese Primeminister Sher Bahadur Deuba congratulating him for fighting against terrorism on the occasion of first anniversary of 11 September bombing of twin towers of World Trade Center signifies how far-reaching military actions under the leadership of CPN (Maoist) has become! It should be noted that just three days before the much hyped September 11 annual celebration in America was to be celebrated, in Nepal, a biggest casualty was inflicted to the reactionary government within the span of 24 hours leading to death of more than 100 armed personnel and more than 75 armed personnel injured in Eastern and Western part of Nepal.
The masterstroke military strike on Sandhikharka, the district headquarter of Arghakhanchi (which is barely 350 km away from Katmandu) has left 66 security personnel dead, nearly three dozen injured. In this attack an army barrack, district head quarter, district police office, residence of chief district office were completely destroyed. The PLA also raided the branch office of the state owned Rastriya Banijya Bank with cash and movable assets worth Rs. 92 million Nepalese currency. They managed to lay hand on huge cache of arms and ammunition consisting of SLR, GPM, LMG, SMG, two-inch mortar and hand grenades. According to the estimate of government authority the total value of government property destroyed in Sandhikharka amounted to Rs. 580 million. It should be noted that a night-vision helicopter was sent but was forced to retreat due to heavy fighting; similarly Two other military helicopters were inflicted with gunshots thus forcing them to hasty retreat. This is the nearest daring attack on district head quarter from Kathmandu indicating that PLA is slowly closing near Kathmandu, the seat of fascist fratricidal, regicidal Gyanendra. What makes this military strike important and memorable is that it was done to commemorate the martyrdom of Comrade Suresh Wagle, an alternative Polit-Bureau Member of CPN(Maoist) who was killed by the reactionary force. It should be noted that the military strike on Sandhikharka was preceded by another equally successful military strike in Bhiman police post within 24 hours. Bhiman is situated about 19 km from Sindhuli district headquarter in Eastern region of Nepal, which left 49 armed personnel dead and more than three dozens injured. This is the biggest successful military strike inflicting heavy loss to the government in the eastern region so far. The additional armed force sent to reinforce the loosing battle in Bhiman got ambushed on the way killing one military man dead and two injured. Attack on Bhiman has a symbolic value for the revolutionary communists, as it is the place where Com. Azad was martyred by the reactionary government. He was the first one to raise the banner of revolt against the then Fourth Congress for not carrying People's war.
The clamping of emergency on November 26th, 2001 for the facilitation of military mobilization has made almost no difference to the fighting ability of PLA and the spread of PW throughout the Nepal. I fat all it has made a difference then it is in the scale of daily quota of killings, which is on an average of 5-7 per day. It is no secret that RNA is mostly confined to district headquarters, urban centers and roadsides, while PLA controls the rest of the countryside. Hence most the victims killed in so called "encounters" are innocent masses and political prisoners m custody.
There has not been any single military offensive launched by RNA so far, on the other hand every military offensive launched by PLA has resulted into resounding success, the loss being very minimal. Hence this indicates that they are still in defensive stage. Take the case of military strike on security forces in Mangalsen, the district headquarter of Accham, 600 kms northwest of capital on February 3, 200?, resulting into the killing of48armed policemen and 46 military men. Many were left injured. In the attack, chief district officer, National Investigation Department Director and his wife were also killed. Ten government offices in-cluding district police headquarter were burnt. PLA was able to secure SLRs, LMGs, three rocket launchers, six rockets, grenades and bullets. PLA was also successful in destroying a neighboring airport at Saphe Bazar. This attack took barely less than three months of slapping emergency and military mobilization. It should be noted that the enemy had boasted of crushing the movement within few weeks of royal army mobilization.
What is even more embarrassing for the enemy is the attack on police post in Lamahi and on army base camp in Satbaria, both falling in Dang district, in April 11, 2001. This has made a mockery of their claim that they had learnt lesson from the military attack on their well-fortified barrack and arms depot on Ghorahi, the headquarter of Dang district in November 3, 2001 which resulted in promulgation of emergency and army mobilization. The attack on both the places resulted in killing of 34 armed personnel with hundreds injured. The PLA managed to raid Rastriya Banijya Bank, destroying sub-station of Nepal Electricity Authority in Lamahi. The arms and ammunition captured consisted of ninety SLR, three LMG, three SMG, fifty nine 303 rifles, seven Magnums, 17 pistols and revolvers, eight shot guns and forty eight hand grenades from both the places.
The much hyped attack on Maoist training camp in Lisne in Rolpa by RNA was found to be a big hoax. The government was claiming that they managed to encircle and kill 350 "terrorists". However, the truth is that the PLA in Lisne camp got the wind of approaching RNA, lured them to deeper areas and was instead encircled and attacked resulting to embarrassing withdrawal by the RNA with only their undergarments covering them. In fact what RNA did not know was that in the same month another attack was waiting to take place in the same district, Rolpa, but in another spot. The successful attack on base camp of the army in Gamm Rolpa took place in April 7, 2001. Its should be noted that the army base camp in Gam had been fortified and designed according to advanced design by American military advisers. The attack left 24 military personnel dead. At the time of attack, some American military personnel were present, but they managed to save their skin be retreating hastily. The arms and ammunition captured was next to the amount captured in the first historic attack on Ghorai army barrack in Dang in November 23, 2001.
Between clamping of emergency in November 23, 2001 and up till today, innumerable smaller military actions in almost all parts of Nepal have been taking place. There has been increased number of ambushes, attacks on innumerable telephone exchanges, nearly 40 repeater stations, hundreds of village development offices and power plants. Similarly capturing and selective annihilation of arch enemies of the revolution, together with blasting of properties and houses of selective fascists and government personnel and inspectors have been carried out. Also there has been heightened surprise attacks on urban areas, specially in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. In March 2002, Gorkhapatra Corporation, a state run national newspaper office was bombed in the capital city. Around the same time a posh private run college building belonging to Mohan Bahadur Pandey, a press secretary at the royal palace was bombed too. A special task force (STF) even dared to attack army installation in the capital causing damage to historic "silkhana" which stores antiquated arms and ammunition of RNA, in March, 2002. Right at the heart of capital, the then ruling Prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's central headquarter was bombed. Another notable attack was the bomb attack on Tej and Karan Enterprises premise in Kathmandu on August 25, 2002. New cars, buses numbering 22 were destroyed. The enterprise belongs to an Indian businessman, which created quite furor in India. In Chitwan Coca-cola factory of Bottler's Nepal was blasted in April, 2001. Similarly there have been numerable attacks on helicopters, the latest one being setting ablaze a privately run Karnali Air Ways helicopter in Juba in Solukhumbu district. It should be noted that last November PLA was successful in destroying Phaplu airport tower in the same district. All these have inflicted heavy economic losses on the government. Innumerable bomb hoaxes, bombing of different municipality offices in the urban are too many to mention.
The increasing number of statements issued by the office of American Embassy in Nepal to find avaiable solution to insurgent problems in Nepal, together with increasing visits by foreign ministers, secretary of states of USA and UK, European nations and reciprocal shuttle visits by Nepalese Prime minister in these states for arms and ammunitions, together with the visits of armed advisers from different countries in some pretext or the other all shows, how internationalized Nepal's PW has become. The illegal extradition of alternative central committee member, Bamdev Chhetri and four other Nepalese journalists and several Nepalese citizens from India, and stationing of foreign military personnel in Nepal in some pretext or the other, all these show the measure of nervousness of ruling class of the world by the fast development of PW in Nepal.
Meanwhile another reverberatory military strike has taken place in Khlanga, the regional headquar- ter of Karnali region in Jumla district in western Nepal and in Takukot of Gorkha district in mid- western region in November 2002. These successful military strikes has important historic significance as they represent the first military attack after the royal coup. On November 14, just after the conclusion of historic three days bandh called by the CPN (Maoist) and organised by URPC, hundreds of PLA forces attacked on security bases consisting of army barrack, armed police base, regional police unit and district police office from all sides in Khalanga, resulting in the killing of 33 police men, 4 army men, including chief district officer and two sub-inspector policemen. The PLA force set ablaze the district administrative office, district police office, land revenue office, Jumla Airport tower, and a barrack of armed police force and regional police unit. The PLA force also seized Rs. 2.1 million in cash and valuables worth 1.7 million from the bank before setting it ablaze. They captured innumerable arms and ammunition in the whole raid. They also managed to break the district jail. It should benoted that this is the first time that the PLA is able to attack and capture the regional headquarter. In the past PLA has been successful in attacking and capturing district headquarters such as in Dunai of Dolpa, Shyangja of Shyangja, Salleri of Solukhumbu, Ghorai of Dang, Mangalsen of Accham and Sandhikharka of Arghakhanchhi district.
Similarlythe same day PLA forces attacked on police post in Takukot in Gorkha district, the ancient seat of the present king, killing 24 policemen and injuring many more. The PLA force managed to seize 37 rifles. It should be noted that this successful attack took place despite the presence of heavy concentrated armed force in this district. On December 4, a successful attack took place on Lahan in Eastern region targeting Area Police Office and the local Bank.
In recent Central Committee meeting CPN (Maoist) has affirmed to enter the phase of preparation for the strategic offensive from its previous position of strategic equilibrium. This decision by itself speaks volumes that the people's power can be of no match to any arms and ammunitions. For no missile can deter the hunger missile when it is fired by the power of MLM ideology!