Timor News Update : the arrogant West is digging its own gravePosted byUser: Ruak MuakFrom: 202.161.157.11 On: October 10, 1999 at 01:53:28 Cosgrove warns Timor border prowlers The Australian military commander in East Timor Major-General Peter Cosgrove has issued his toughest warning yet to armed infiltrators crossing over on spying missions from Indonesian West Timor. His message today directed at suspected Indonesian special forces doing nightly reconnoitring of Australian troop positions around west Balibo is - continue to do so at your own peril. "It would be the easiest thing in the world to mount an aggressive military operation to stop that," General Cosgrove said. "We are being very strict with our application of rules of engagement which is to give those sorts of armed folk some benefit - some opportunity to return to where they came from alive rather than shooting them out of hand." Troops from the second battalion Royal Australian Regiment have been monitoring night forays by suspected Atambua-based Kopassus commandos crossing into East Timor to spy on defensive positions held by Australian military personnel who are part of the international force in East Timor (InterFET). The diggers have targeted the intruders with their special night sights but have avoided opening fire despite the infiltrators being well armed and involved in illegal and provocative operations. "They should not think they are unobserved and they should not think they are not vulnerable to a sanction if they were to take an aggressive action. I won't characterise them as being from any particular force except to say they are armed, they are in East Timor, they are in places where TNI (Indonesian military) said they have no troops so therefore they are within my mandate," General Cosgrove said. While General Cosgrove for diplomatic reasons declined to identify the intruders, other senior Australian officers are in no doubt about their identity based on their weapons, uniform, webbing equipment and patrolling technique. Australian troops have spear-headed a major operation to secure East Timor's western border region from Batugade, a border town on the north-west coast, to Suai in the south-west. More than 1000 Australian soldiers are deployed in the north-west corner of East Timor to deal with any counter-strike by militia based in West Timor armed and supported by the Indonesian military. Hard-line pro-Jakarta militia leaders based in Atambua like Mr Eurico Guterres and Mr Joao Tavarres continue to threaten an imminent invasion but military analysts have described their threats as hot air, saying the militias have lost the initiative. General Cosgrove said he had begun encouraging discussions on the vexing issue of disarmament with Mr Taur Matan Ruak, the field commander of the pro-independence guerrilla force, Falintil. An open hand would be extended to pro-Jakarta militia groups to do the same, he said. "Here is a golden opportunity. This is to get in on the ground for negotiations. This is something the militia ought to seize," he said. General Cosgrove said InterFET strength now stood at about 6500 soldiers out of a total force of 7500. Today a senior US marine corps officer, Brigadier-General Peter Castellaw, promised vital support from the large helicopter assault ship, USS Belleau Wood, now anchored off Dili. General Castellaw, who is a friend of General Cosgrove's, said four C-53 Sea Stallion heavy-lift helicopters would be placed at the disposal of InterFET to assist with air transport
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