Someone alerted again Gara newspaper that there were bombs placed in Ávila, Valladolid, León, Santillana, Ciudad Real, Alicante y Málaga.

Six of them have exploded already.

Today is the "Día de la Constitución" or the day in which we celebrate the approbal of our Constitution of 1978, thus, the day in which our current democratic regime started. It is a national holiday and people usually go on vacation (because also the 8th is a holiday).

ETA wants to demonstrate its strenght by placing these bombs in all these places.

What it really demonstrates is tha:

1. ETA has not enough explosives due to recent police operations (the bombs have less than a kilo of explosive).

2. ETA has not the infrastructure to easily kill their objectives.

3. ETA knows that their actions are unpopular both inside and outside Spain due to current international situation.

ETA is almost defeated by now, no matter they use these small bombs to try to cause panic and terror (which is not being caused) as a means to spread its propaganda.

Fernando

Update: A child and another person have been slightly injured by the bomb in Santillana del Mar. Of the seven bombs, six have exploded (except the one in Valladolid).

Update: The seventh bomb has exploded. No victims reported. The bomb in Santillana del Mar caused slight injuries to a girl and a woman.

Fernando -

Let us all hope and pray your analysis is correct!

Pls take a look at the other post reference this subject - I don't want to post the same question in two threads -

Hi All,

Fernando, I understand and agree with your assessment of the ETA's status, but have to disagree with your analysis of the their future.

If you consider the fact that the ETA has now carried out *two* events, or better put, *11* independant bomb placement and execution procedures, then they are having a pretty successful run! ( i may not have those numbers right. i am adding up the gas station bombings in Madrid, with today's 6 bombs)

My point is that they are not 'running' away from the law, they have only become *bolder,* even though their leadership has been taken apart. That is the genius of the terror organization structure. Some of the top guys get whacked, and new ones roll in to fill in the void.

Also, it is likely that if the ETA cannot procure their own explosives that they will try to procure them from another source, e.i., other terror groups in Spain; like Al-whoever. They have the money and the resources, don't doubt it.

Anyway, that's my 2 centimos.

andrew

You are right megia, but let me point out some things:

1) Police says the bombs where placed by two separated groups (one of two and one of three persons). One placed the bombs of Madrid and the north, and the other the bombs of the south.

2) Each bomb was composed of 200 grams of a common explosive.

Of course they were successful. But it really has no merit to prepare 11 small bombs and place them in non-vigilated places.

More than 30 terrorists have fall after ETA's leaders capture two months ago.

It is not easy for them to recruit new terrorists becuase: they have to train them, and with each new terrorist there is a chance of a new secret agent infiltered.

The rythm in which ETA leaders are captured is steadily increasing, while the strikes at their financiation ways have limited the money they have. In the operation against ETA leaders the police discovered more than a ton of explosives and dozens of fire arms and detonators. And what is more important: lot of documentation and information.

Believe me: they can kill, and will kill if they are able to do so. If they are not killing 40 persons a year is because they really can't.

They will continue to regenerate and will try to kill and make a show of their strenght.

But in the end, the terrorists that placed these bombs and every ETA terrorist will know their ultimate end: the jail.

Fernando

1- False, it's pretty easy to buy explosives in the international market, and ETA's depots have been found with tons of its, so it doesn't seem probable that they are short of them, they are using small amounts because now they are not trying to kill anybody but to show they are in the fight, and they are organized and qualified for this chronometered operations.

2 - This is not only false but also al lie on your part, for you know perfectly well that ETA never tries to kill civilians not related to it's fight, and that's why they warned of the bombs, as usual, in the same place.

3 - ETA always knew their methods are impopular for those who don't know the opression of the Basque country, and it never bother them.

It's people like you that generate false expectatives, like with the unilateral truce by ETA, and then deceive people because they don't come true and blame ETA. Please, don't malke promises that have no fundament, and will only give hope to soome, to learn sourly afterwards it was only imprudent propaganda phrases.

Until there is negotiation nothing will be ended, and the group will soon be as strong as ever with their finance system reinstaurated and new explosives bought or stolen.

That's the reason for which they have killed 400 "civilians", isn't it? Well, we don't want to kill innocents... but who cares if some get killed.

Say what you want and ask for negotiation. In the meantime, we have had two years without assasinations thanks to the current policy, and more than 35 of your recipe with 800 assasinations (with at least three negotiation attemps which resulted in more killings).

Fernando

I said "civilians for short", but, since you use the smallest indefinition to try to rebate me, I'll be more explicit:

ETA doesn't try to kill those NOT INCLUDED in these groups:

- Policemen
- Profesional officers or sub-officers of the Spanish Army or NAvy.
- Politicians who oppose Basque Country independence.
- Reporters or owners of newspapers who oppose Basque Country independence.
- Businessmen who don't pay the "Revolutionary Tax".

This are the main ETA targets, and those not automatically in, because they are soldiers or politicians know they are targets because they have usually been warned by ETA.

This leaves about a 98 or 99% of the spanish population as "non-target" of ETA, and the few (percentually) that have been injured or killed have been so by accidental explosion of a bomb at a wrong time, or as a collateral damage of a bombing of a military van or sth like that.

What I mean is that, if ETA had wanted to kill civilians not involved, we wouldn't be speaking of 800 but of 80.000. But their bases (their supporters) would no longer support them with massive indiscriminated innocent bombings, that's why they don't.

No doubt that dictatorial systems have more facilities for public order through the thorough elimination of all rights of privacy and liberty rights, like PP franquoist did, but it won't solve the problem and also restricted our legal situation to Burundi or Congo level. NO guarantees of democracy or Justice.

Ignacio -

1. The supposed "revolutionary tax" is 100% illegal -in reality the correct term for this "tax" is EXTORTION - and extortion by fear, threats, etc.

2. Reporters are earning a living as are you and I - theier job is to report the news - not to make editorial comments ....

Sorry Ignacio, but that last post needs some clearer thinking of which I know full well you are capable of ...

To be more precise Ignacio: those you mention are specific targets of ETA's terrorists, but they don't mind if someone else is catched in the bomb blast.

Poor excuses for cruel assasins.

Fernando

The following is a link from BBC re the Spanish press coverage on ETA's actions - in English

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4075473.stm

Yes - the exerpts are quotes and not in full context - but check the variety and political stance of the papers as well as their locations