Madhu falls to Security Forces without single bullet being fired:

Friday’s explosion a cover to crushing defeats

The Security Forces and the LTTE fought fiercely to take the upper hand in the ongoing battles in the Wanni and in the North hitting banner headlines in the media in a more competitive manner.

Though Security Forces strictly confined its battle into the Northern battlefront securing victories against the Tiger outfit even under difficult circumstances, the LTTE once again exhibited its inability to tolerate its defeats shifting the theatre of war to the South.

The LTTE once again killed more than two dozens of innocent civilians, who were on their way back home after a heavy day’s work in a jam-packed bus, which started its journey from Piliyandala heading towards Kahapola on Friday evening and injuring several dozens more civilians including school children returning home after tuition classes.

Initial investigations confirmed that the bomb had been placed on the parcel rack of the bus three seats behind the driver’s seat.

Fall of Madhu

The incident took place at a time the Southern populace was witnessing vicissitudes in the battlefronts. The troops accomplished one of its highest achievements in the Wanni battlefront taking the sacred Madhu Church under the Security Forces fold without firing a single bullet within this holly land.

The troops also challenged the Forward Defence Line (FDL) of the LTTE in Jaffna ahead of Security Forces defences in Muhamalai and Kilali.

But it was under different circumstances the Security Forces achieved these victories. It was after hundreds of soldiers sacrificing their lives and nearly 300 sustaining injuries the troops were able to push back the Tiger defences in Jaffna further towards the south of Jaffna peninsula.

Securing control over the Madhu Church area took place under a completely different scenario without a firing a single bullet against the LTTE within this holy land.

Consequently the LTTE in its usual pattern created yet another blood bath in the South to achieve multiple objectives.

First, it was aimed at covering up its humiliating defeat in the Jaffna battlefront losing one of its most valued Defence Lines, which stood as a huge wall against the Security Forces advance into Kilinochchi district and the Madhu Church area which they wanted under their control forever.

Second, the LTTE used this incident to change the mind set of the southern populace at a time they were witnessing nearly hundred soldiers losing their lives in the battlefront while witnessing the hospitals filled with hundreds of wounded soldiers.

Therefore it was an opportunity for the LTTE to give yet another shock to the southern population to provoke them to raise their voice against the Government’s military strategy to defeat the LTTE.

Unleashing terror

Once again it was yet another attempt by the Tiger outfit to convince that they are still capable of unleashing terror acts in the South despite their humiliating defeats in the North.

The LTTE also expected to exert pressure on the Government, both politically and internationally to give up its military strategy against the Tiger outfit especially aiming at the forthcoming Eastern Provincial Council elections.

Therefore, citizens of this country will be able to observe what would be the repercussions of a series of events unfolding in the Northern battlefront in the coming weeks.

But the whole events unfolded within this week can be seen as a part of a competition between the military strategies of the Security Forces and the LTTE.

It was on Tuesday morning that Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka flew to Palaly Security Forces Headquarters to observe the ground situation there in the Jaffna peninsula after one Armed Personnel Carrier was hit by Tiger fire in the Muhamali FDL Monday afternoon.

It is learnt that the Army Commander’s visit to Jaffna was intended to brief the field commanders about future plans for the Jaffna peninsula.

It was just 14 hours after the Army Commander’s visit to Palaly the Security Forces decided to advance from Muhamalai and Kilaly from the North and South of the A-9 road amidst intelligence reports that Tigers were mobilising their cadres into the FDL.

The troops of the 55 Division under the command of Brigadier Kamal Gunaratne and the 53 Division, the prime offensive Division of the Sri Lanka Army under the command of Brigadier Samantha Sooriyabandara were given the task of advancing into the Tiger FDL. It was around 2 am in the morning that they were given the task to break into first Defence Line of the LTTE.

The troops of the 55 Division advanced from Muhamalai to Kadolana while troops of the 53 Division advanced from Kilali to Muhamalai.

Their advance into the Tiger FDL was hindered by booby-traps of the Tigers. By the first light of day the troops were able to reach the first line of the Tiger FDL and capture it pushing back the cadres dominating the first line. In this assault more than 50 per cent of the Tiger cadres were reportedly killed as confirmed by the intercepted radio transmissions.

However, there was no strong resistance from the LTTE towards the advancing troops. It was due to booby-traps and anti-personnel (AP) mines the advance of the troops of the 53 Division to the Tiger FDL was delayed. The delay on the part of the 53 Division became an advantageous point to the troops.

According to ground sources, troops went ahead of the first line of the LTTE and captured their second line too amidst severe resistance from the LTTE. The Tiger cadres holding the second line too had withdrawn from the line.

The ground troops were supported by the artillery, mortar and Multi Barrel Rocket launcher fire on the Tiger positions and by the close air cover by the MI 24 gunship helicopters.

It was around 10 am in the morning that the Tiger resistance increased with heavy fighting breaking out in the Tiger FDLs. The number of artillery and mortar rounds falling into the Tiger second line increased by 11.30 a.m. as troops detected 82 Tiger artillery and mortar locations in their mortar detector radars.

The Security Forces too launched rains of artillery and mortar rounds into the Tiger locations to prevent reinforcements arriving into the Tiger FDLs from the South of the Jaffna peninsula. The air raids on two Tiger artillery gun positions silenced them in the Soranpattu area south of Muhamalai.

The troops dominating the second line of the LTTE by this time faced severe resistance as the LTTE had registered artillery and mortar on their heads.

It was around 12.30 in the afternoon that the field commanders decided to withdraw the troops from the second line of the LTTE and position them close to the first Tiger defence line as dominating either of the Tiger FDLs was detrimental for the troops as the LTTE had registered artillery in to their defences very accurately.

New FDL

The decision came as troops faced a difficult situation as they could not create a supply link to the second line due to heavy volume of artillery and mortar falling on to the territory. During this withdrawal a number of soldiers went missing. However, by 1 p.m. on Wednesday the troops were able to position a new defence line.

As dozens of soldiers wounded in the battle were flown to Colombo, the rumours started to spread all over the country about the heavy casualty rate and about the death toll. Even the Security Forces could not give a correct figure as they could not make an exact casualty figure by that time.

It was in the late evening that the Army Headquarters released that 43 soldiers were killed and 161 wounded soldiers were admitted to hospitals. Another 33 were reported missing during the battle.

The pro-LTTE TamilNet announced that the LTTE had collected 20 bodies of soldiers from the battlefront and announced a list of weapons captured by the LTTE, but it did not included heavy weapons.

But the LTTE admitted the fact that the troops were dominating their first defence line stretching nearly eight kilometres from Kilaly to Kadolana.

The intercepted radio transmission of the LTTE confirmed that they too had suffered heavily during the battle and declared 81 names of dead Tiger cadres. But it was confirmed that nearly 150 Tiger cadres were perished during the battle and a large number of wounded cadres are now being treated at the Kilinochchi hospital.

Wrong figures by media

Two days after the incident the Army Headquarters confirmed that 82 soldiers including five officers were killed during the battle and that 31 out of the 33 reported missing were also confirmed killed during the battle. Yet two more soldiers are still missing. Therefore, the huge figures speculated by some media has become invalid now.

The troops are still holding the captured territory of the LTTE despite speculations that they had withdrawn to their original defence line.

The fact behind this battle was that there had been miscalculations about the Tiger capabilities and about the assessment of the ground ahead of the Security Forces Defences in Muhamalai.

If the troops conducted search operations ahead of the Security Forces defence of the Muhamalai and Kilali defences the advancing troops would not have faced such a large number of booby-traps of the LTTE. The troops would have achieved the full objective of the operation if they were able to flush out the Tiger cadres from their second line too.

If troops were able to achieve that task the future operations in Jaffna, to march towards Kilinochchi via Elephant Pass will be an easy task before the Security Forces as the LTTE has no major defences after their second defence line.

Though troops are short of their objective they are now determined to hold the ground and further establish their defences. Despite the relatively high death toll and the casualty figures, the troops are determined to go ahead with their plans in the Jaffna theatre to enter into a decisive and crucial face of the Northern battle very soon.

Troops employ special tactics to capture Madhu

When Security Forces were engaged in a fierce battle in the Northern front, well-trained small groups from the 572 Brigade in the Vavuniya front were in surveillances around the Madhu Church area.

The 572 Brigade Commander Lt. Colonel. Senerath Bandara had given instructions to these small teams not to make any move against the LTTE even if they get a chance to assault them. The only weapon they could use in their self-defence was the hand grenade which can be used within a 30 metres radius.

The small teams were deployed into the Church area on April 20. Three small groups deployed from three directions were observing what was going on inside the Madhu Church. By that time the troops of the 572 Brigade had cut off the supply routes to the Church from Palampiddi side from the North, Parappakandal road from the West and Madhu Road from the South.

The incidents taking place on the Palampiddi road and Parappakandal road gave the Tiger cadres a feeling that they have been surrounded by the Security Forces.

The small teams deployed by the 7 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment, 7 Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment and 10 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment operating under the 572 Brigade were making these surveillances due to their desire to capture Madhu Church area without firing a single bullet.

The small teams observed that only 10 to 15 Tiger cadres were operating within the Church premises by Tuesday afternoon. All the other Tiger cadres had left the Church premises by that time. For the first time it appeared that the LTTE had no proper leadership.

On Wednesday night the small teams observed that the remaining Tiger cadres too were leaving the Church along with their belongings. But troops strictly followed the instructions given to them. Then they confirmed that the Church was no longer dominated by the LTTE. The message was dispatched to the 572 Brigade Commander Lt. Colonel Senerath Bandara.

It was amidst the South heavily discussing the Jaffna situation that two platoons of the 7 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment under the command of Lt. Colonel Ranjith Abeyratne were instructed to move into the Church premises.

It was around 1 p.m. on Thursday that the Delta Company under Officer Commanding (OC) Major Wasantha Bandara, and Charlie Company under Officer Commanding Captain Dhammika Ratnayake entered the Church premises.

They observed that the Tigers had abandoned the Church with troops of the 7 Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment under the command of Lt. Colonel Kithsiri Liyanage cutting off supplies to the church from the south along the main Madhu Road while 10 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment cutting off the supplies from the Palampiddi side (North) while Special Forces troops confronting the fleeing Tiger cadres in the area.

That was how the Security Forces following an arduous task fully liberated the Madhu church area from the clutches of the LTTE without firing a single bullet within the church precincts. The LTTE had to withdraw from the area in the face of a military strategy adopted by the Army to capture the area without firing a single shot.

With 57 Division in the Vavuniya battlefront reaching its target successfully, the LTTE cadres will have to shift further towards North if they are to protect their strongholds in the Wanni as the battle in the Wanni is expected to enter a more decisive phase in the coming months.