Tissa incidents: Cow slaughter behind the scene?

Forces spring light surprise in Muhamalai

Muhamalai limited operation a overall success to the SF despite casualties Ranminitenna creates complex scenario in security in Tissamaharama.

The incidents in Ranminitenna and Muhamalai were the key focus of the public this week despite the presentation of the third Budget of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration on Wednesday.

The achievements made by the Security Forces in Muhamalai was not highlighted as the main focus of the media was on the casualty figures on Security Forces side. There were many controversial reports over the number of deaths and figures.

But the Security Forces in Palali confirmed that only 11 soldiers were killed in the operation and 62 were injured in the retaliatory attack by the LTTE. The casualty figure does not include minor casualties who returned to the battlefield after short treatment at the Palali Military hospital. But a number of soldiers succumbed to their injuries after admission to hospitals.

The serious casualties were flown to Colombo National Hospital and to the Sri Jayaewardhanapura General Hospitals. Many of them sustained injuries on their return to the base after destroying the Tiger bunker lines.

Despite the heavy casualty rate the Security Forces could inflict heavy damages to the LTTE killing 64 of their cadres and inflicting serious injuries to several others. Sources from Wanni said that all LTTE casualties had been brought to Kilinochchi in Journey buses.

The limited operations in Muhamalai was planned by the Security Forces considering many factors. The main factor was the attempts made by the Tiger cadres to infiltrate the Security Forces defences in Muhamalai.

Since the distance between the FDLs and the LTTE in the Muhamalai vary from 200 metres to 600 metres at different locations the threat on the FDL on the Security Forces too differ from one place to another.

Considering these factors the locations close to the Kandy-Jaffna A-9 highway was selected for this limited operation since there were indications that LTTE was preparing for a major offensive targeting the Muhamalai defences in their bid to capture Jaffna. The limited operation was planned as a preemptive measure and was to be launched as a surprise attack targeting LTTE bunker lines. The prevailing North East monsoon rains have also been taken into consideration when this limited operation was launched in the early hours of Wednesday to destroy the Tiger bunker line as a surprise move.

There was no use of heavy battle tanks since the prevailing weather conditions have made it difficult to use battle tanks for this type of operations.

The infantrymen attached to the 5 Gemunu Watch, 1 Vijayabha Regiment and 6 Gemunu Regiment of the Air Mobile Brigade of the 53 Division were given orders in the early hours at 3.30 am to take to the ground surprising the LTTE.

First Light attack

The troops deployed along the Muhamalai FDLs attached to the 4 Sri Lanka Light Infantry, 7 Vijayabha Infantry Regiment, 4 Gemunu Watch and 1 Sri Lanka Light Infantry were also given instructions to support the troops of the Air Mobile Brigade to take the Tiger bunker lines at first light.

Reckie teams have already assessed the situation in the first bunker line of the LTTE, which was originally the second line maintained by the LTTE prior to the capture of the LTTE first line by the troops in September 9, 2006.

Therefore, troops were given instructions to clear a path using Bangalore Torpedoes, which is an explosive-filled pipes which can clear the mine fields after inserting them in into the ground and exploding the mines. Apart from this, troops have also been educated on the death traps of the LTTE as they have dug trenches eight feet deep to attack the Security Forces once they get into these trenches.

Troops were prepared to face these barriers in their bid to take the Tiger bunker lines at first light on Wednesday. At 5.30 am the troops of the Air Mobile Brigade broke into the Tiger defences taking their bunker lines by surprise on the two sides of the Jaffna - Kandy highway around Muhamalai.

They took around five kilometres ahead of the Jaffna FDLs which is around a 11 Kilometres stretch across the neck of the Jaffna peninsula in Kilali, Muhamalai and Nager Kovil sectors.

The sector in the Nager Kovil was selected since it could be the main target of the LTTE in an attempt to capture Jaffna, especially in November and especially in the aftermath of the death of Tiger Political Wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan.

The infantry battalions located to defend the Muhamalai, Kilali and Nagarkovil FDLs also assisted the troops of the Air Mobile Brigade to provide a wide battlefront for the LTTE.

They first destroyed the galvanised sheet fence constructed covering the bunker lines and took the Tiger positions in a surprise move avoiding eight feet deep trenches which were placed to trap the troops.

Instead of jumping into these trenches the troops filled the trenches and took the Tiger positions, creating bunkers by filling polysacks with sand. The Tiger attempt was to launch major artillery and mortar attack on these trenches once troops jump into these trenches. As troops took over Tiger bunker lines, there were desperate calls from the Tiger cadres for reinforcements and supplies from Palai, Iyakachchi, Chempiyanpattu and Soranampattu areas, further south of Jaffna peninsula. Heavy volumes of Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers were directed at the vehicles bringing reinforcements to the site from Iyakachchi, Chempiyanpattu and Palai. The troops who took control over the bunkers destroyed them by using charges taken with them. After holding the Bunker lines for nearly two hours they commenced returning to the FDLs of the Security Forces amidst the retaliatory fire of the LTTE. Security Forces confirmed that troops, in some instance had gone one kilometre away from their original FDL to destroy these bunker lines, considered to be the first line of the LTTE.

The troops despite the number of casualties, achieved their objective of destroying the Tiger defences before the monsoonal rains come down in the coming months.

Exposed

By past experience of the Security Forces especially in August, 2006 in which the LTTE made a desperate attempt to take the Security Forces defences in their bid to capture Jaffna peninsula, the existence of such strong bunker lines in the Muhamalai FDL will definitely put the LTTE in strong position.

Security Forces have observed that it is extremely difficult to destroy these bunkers using artillery and mortar fire and the only option available is to move physically towards these bunkers and destroy them. In these endeavours, the troops have to face stiff resistance from the LTTE.

Naturally they have to face heavy casualty rates in the face of the retaliatory attacks and also due to mine fields since LTTE used to lay heavy mine fields as they are not capable of facing the Security Forces directly in the battlefronts, due to severe manpower shortage they are experiencing at present.

With the destruction of this bunker line it takes a long time for the LTTE to easily reconstruct these bunker lines especially due to bad weather conditions prevailing in the area with stiff resistance from the Security Forces as their defences are exposed to the Security Forces after this limited operation.

Therefore, the limited offensive operation by the Security Forces on Wednesday was a continuation of their military action against the LTTE to destabilize their military capability and just one step towards achieving objectives of the overall security plan of the Security Forces.

This achievement can be highlighted considering high possibilities on the part of the LTTE to launch sudden attacks on the Security Forces especially in the month of November during which period the LTTE remember their dead cadres celebrate and the birthday of the Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and also the death of Tiger Political Wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan in an air raid.

Like Muhamalai incident, the incidents that are unfolding in Ranminitenna, Tissmaharama has also become a controversial topic among the public. Incidents taking place in Ranminitenna and Tissamaharama areas still remain a mystery to the Police and the Security Forces as not a single suspect relating to these incidents has been arrested so far.

Circumstances have compelled the public, the Security Forces and the Police to believe that LTTE is behind the killings. The attack on Thalgasmankada Army detachment inside the Yala National Park on October 15, the subsequent claymore attacks on a tractor to fetch the injured soldiers and the subsequent attacks on Naval troops at Yalawila, Palawewa were the basis to believe that LTTE was behind these killings. The killing of three farmers W. K. Hemananda of Lucasgoda, Tissamaharama, N. H. Jinadasa of Ranminitenna Tissamaharama and K. K. Piyasena of Yodhakandiya, Tissamaharama on November 05 still remain a mystery to the Police. But the style of execution of the three people and one farmer escaping from the scene raise doubts whether the Tiger cadres who had infiltrated into the Yala National Park had committed these murders since it was the usual pattern of execution by the LTTE.

The anti-personnel mines found from the scene however, indicate that this has not been committed by a criminal group. But there are many possibilities to believe that these anti personnel mines would have been placed to mislead the investigators.

Cattle thieves?

The killing of R. M. Abeywardena of Weerahela Tissamaharama and J. H. Padmasiri of Devunderagedara, Weerawila on October 8 appears to be more complex in nature.

With these murders there are many attempts to give political flavour to these incidents highlighting sensitivity of the security situation in the area. The strange factor is that the elite commandos and the special trained troops who carried out search operations in Yala had found no clue about the existence of Tiger cadres.

Therefore, there are fair reasons to believe that these groups are mingling with the civilians and carry out these primitive level criminal activities to either to terrify the civilians living there in Tissamaharama area in the Hambantota district. The Police investigations are also now directed towards whether these incidents have resulted due to an ongoing dispute between cattle farmers and those who slaughtering cattle for meat.

Therefore there is a wide range of possibilities that should be subjected to Police investigations.

The other factor that should be focused is whether the LTTE is using a hidden hand to terrorize and confuse the Security Forces and the Police as they capable of buying people as accomplices their targets in the South.

The Sinhalese youth who had undergone weapon training in Kilinochchi was the latest example available with the Security Forces. Taking all these facts into account Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake on Friday told Parliament that a Joint Operation Headquarters will be set up in Tissamaharama to coordinate security operations in the area.

He also announced that a systematic search operation will also be conducted in Tissamaharama area especially in the jungle patches to nab the elements responsible for this situation.

The main focus of the security searches in the district should be aimed to dispel the confused situation in the district since such situation will definitely help the LTTE to carry out their terror operations and also to paralyse the military operations in the North.

Therefore, early completion of such search operations and arresting the elements behind these scenes will definitely help improving the security in the district and also in the country.

But the public assistance for the Security Forces and the Police is a must to bring normality to the area.