This press message was released by the Government of the State of Indrala.
MUSLIM UPRISING ON INDRALA BECOMES SERIOUS:
QOMBAI, Indrala - Four soldiers and three pro-government militiamen were killed in an ambush by Muslim separatist rebels in the central region of Luratha, the military said.
Eight soldiers and three militiamen were also wounded in the attack near the town of Bashar, near Qombai, the military said.
The casualties were being airlifted to the nearest military base, and troop reinforcements had been sent to the area to hunt the Islamic Liberation Army of Indrala (ILAI) rebels who carried out the attack, the military said.
The ambush came four days after government forces, using heavy artillery and air support, dislodged ILAI rebels from some 22 villages they had occupied last week.
More than 200 houses were burned by the rebels and numerous farm animals and equipment stolen when the ILAI occupied the area, leaving unexploded bombs behind as they fled, the military said.
About 160,000 people were displaced from their homes, and the fighting left nearly 30 ILAI rebels, six civilians and two soldiers dead....
_____
They are members of the Islamic Liberation Army of Indrala [ILAI], the largest Muslim rebel group on Indrala, and their field commander, known by his radio codename "the Black Panther", explained what they were fighting for.
"What we want is to achieve freedom and independence for Indrala's Muslims. We would rather die fighting for an independent homeland than continue living under this oppressive system," he said.
"The Indralan Muslims feel that the Kigami [Indrala's capital] government is not doing much for the benefit of the Islamic People. So that even now, the Muslims still consider Kigami as a foreign government, a foreign colonial government," he said.
For years the ILAI operated openly across large swathes of Central Indrala. The group set up checkpoints and even shadow governments in a number of towns and villages.
The government in Kigami is not willing to give in with the rebels: "The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist ILAI is almost impossible and I have given up hope of this", President Hortal said. "But we shall crush this rebellion, and offcourse we will welcome every foreign aid and military assistance. The Muslim uprising in our country could be a trigger event for the whole world, and a real danger for international peace and security".
Signed,
the Government of the State of Indrala
