Wanni operation enters into fast track

LTTE fast losing their strongholds:

by Ranil Wijayapala

The situation in the Wanni is appearing to be more disastrous to the Tiger outfit during this week as their strongest positions in the Western edge of the Wanni battlefront started to fall to the Security Forces one after the other. It was not a situation expected by the LTTE leadership at all, as the Security Forces in surprise moves took all these strongholds.

But this was not an overnight victory achieved by the Security Forces. Their dedication, commitment and the sacrifices made within a period of two and a half years were the basis of all these achievements despite many political parties hell bent on crippling the military pressure on the LTTE, trying to undermine the progress achieved by the Security Forces.

Those critics were sceptical about the battlefront victories as they were more or less obsessed with the number of square kilometres captured by the troops during these operations!

The question here is not the capturing of “square kilometres” but the destruction of LTTE’s military prowess and the major defences which had been created by the LTTE under the guise of the Ceasefire Agreement for more than four years.

The speedy progress achieved by the Security Forces within past few days in the Vavuniya and Mannar fronts was due to the gallantry of the ground troops in destroying LTTE main defences one after the other.

As this edition was going to press many of the Tiger strongholds in the Mannar and Vavuniya fronts would have fallen to the Security Forces driving the Wanni liberation into a critical and decisive phase!

It was not surprising to note that the troops attached to the 573 Brigade under the Command of General Officer Commanding 57 Division, Major General Jagath Dias made the biggest hit in the Wanni battlefront killing and capturing the bodies of 25 Tiger cadres from the ‘Charles Anthony Brigade’, after surrounding it from three fronts.

It was a big morale-booster for the troops operating in the Wanni battlefront, as they were able to capture a bigger haul of weapons including one 12.7 mm gun along with the 25 bodies of the Charles Anthony Brigade cadres.

The troops attached to the three Gajaba Regiment (3GR) under the command of Major Fernando launched this attack in Cheeraddikulam, located well within the Mullaitivu district, after surrounding the Tiger base for more than three days unnoticed to the LTTE.

It was on Thursday evening they made this hit and captured Tiger bodies now being dispatched to the LTTE through the ICRC. The effect of this blow on the LTTE was so huge that the LTTE is not even talking about the incident through their radio transmissions since it would demoralize their cadres operating in the battlefront in Wanni.

The location of this Tiger base is such that it had been used by the LTTE to keep their reserve forces to be deployed for the Mannar and Vavuniya fronts in case their bases come under Security Forces attacks. So the fall of this Tiger base identified as “5-4 Base” will upset the entire operation plan of the LTTE in the Mannar and Vavuniya battlefront.

The Security Forces took this biggest hit just one day after they consolidated their positions in the Periyamadu village, located in the Mullaitivu and Mannar district border.

It was the third LTTE location fallen to the Security Forces operating in the Vavuniya front. Forces have started heading towards Mannar and Mullaitivu districts in two directions.

The surprise deployment of troops has restricted the movements of the LTTE within Wanni especially in the Mullaitivu and Mannar districts as almost all the supply routes connecting the Mullaitivu nerve centre and the North Western Coast are now being cut off by the troops operating in the 57 Division and also by the Task Force II now being deployed in the North of Mundumurippu.

The coming weeks are more decisive as the troops are now poised to liberate Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ area stretching for more than 50 square kilometres.

The troops operating in the Mannar front made speedy progress within the past few days with troops capturing key LTTE locations, which had been used by them to retain the control over Mannar.

The LTTE cadres operating in the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ area basically depended on two supply routes linking them to the North. The main supply route available to them was the Pooneryn-Vedithalthivu-Mannar road from the Western edge, which goes through Pappamoddai. The other linkage they had to the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ was through the Pappamoddai-Adampan -Uyilankulam road.

Another supply line they had in the Mannar front was the Uyilankulam- Andankulam Vedithalthivu Road, which is connected to the Mannar-Pooneryn Sanguppiddi Road from the 12th Mile Post on the A-32 road in Nedunkandal, located two Kilometres South of Vedithalthivu.

The LTTE lost the supply route through Pappamoddai-Adampan road with the fall of their strategic base in Adampan which the LTTE declared as one of their impregnable basis. The troops operating under the 58 Division however debunked the LTTE belief by taking the strategic Adampan town in a surprise move.

Then the LTTE had to depend on the Vedithalithivy-Andankulam road for their supplies to their front lines since the troops operated more biased towards the Western side of the Adampan - Pappamoddai road.

The LTTE depends on this supply route as they never thought that the troops will cross the massive open area stretching more than two and half kilometres to capture this road.

However, the troops attached to the 58 Division made use of their expert knowledge having operated in open terrain for nearly one year and crossed this massive open to capture the villages in the West of Andankulam Vedithalthivu road.

On Thursday the troops attached to the 6 Gemunu Watch under the command of Lt. Colonel Kamal Pinnawala and the troops of the 8 Gemunu Watch under the Command of Lt. Colonel Sumeda Jayasundera captured Marattikanndalkulam and another area located North West of Andankulam simultaneously crossing the massive open.

The troops dug massive trenches and made use of green polysacks bags to take cover from the LTTE when crossing this massive open area.

On Thursday they completed their mission after engaging in a fierce battle with the LTTE and capturing a stretch of about 1700 m between Chalampan and Marattikannadalkulam pushing already beaten terrorists further into northern jungles.

With the capture of this section of terrain the LTTE cadres were deprived of the sole supply route they had from the Vedithalthivu side to the Andankulam sector which was their main base in the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’ area.

At least twelve Tiger cadres were reportedly killed during this battle. As this military pressure was put on the LTTE, Lakshman, the area leader who was commanding the Tiger cadres in the Mannar front and Vidusha, the Women Military Wing leader shifted their commanding bases further towards the North as they saw no escape from the advancing troops.

As these operations were continuing the infantry troops of the 9 Gemunu Watch under the command of the Lt. Colonel. Lal Chandrasiri and the elite commandoes attached to the 2nd Commando Regiment under the Command of Lt. Colonel Jayantha Balasuriya had surrounded Andankulam town while Special Force troops were giving their support from the Northern flank.

The Commando troops sealed off the area from the Eastern edge of Andankulam from the Madhu forest reserve while 9 GW troops sealed off from the South. It was only on Friday afternoon the LTTE realized that they had been sealed off from all directions and started fleeing the location leaving behind their belongings.

According to ground troops the LTTE used to shift all their logistics as they felt the location was not secure for them. But in Andankulam they had no choice but to flee from the area in the face of advancing troops.

Troops attached to the 58 Division under the Command of Brigadier Shavendra de Silva was in the process of securing Parappakandattan, the last and biggest village at the Eastern edge of the Mannar ‘Rice Bowl’. They were due to complete their mission last evening as this edition was going to press.

Therefore, the 58 Division or the Task Force -I is now on the verge of completing the Operation, ‘Rice Bowl’ in the Mannar front so as to enter into one of the most critical stages of the operation keeping their feet on the border of Vedithalthivu.

They are now operating just three miles south from Vedithalthivu on the Mannar -Pooneryn Sanguppiddi A-32 road and some six Kilometres south of Vedithalthivu, which could be the next vital target in the Mannar front.

The task undertaken by them and all the Divisions engaged in the Wanni battle were hindered during the first four months of the year due to heavy rains lashing the Wanni front. But they brave all these challenges to fulfil their mission.

The situation is becoming more critical to the LTTE in their bid to defend Vedithalthivu, the last post for logistical supplies. Intelligence reports indicate that they are preparing to face both fronts by creating a massive defence in Pallamadu area. For the first time in the history of the North-East conflict the LTTE is now having the highest pressure on them as they have to face four battlefront in the Wanni with their dwindling numbers.

The LTTE has also put huge pressure on the civilian population entrapped in the Wanni. The number of civilians entering the cleared areas braving the Tiger guns is on the increase in the past few weeks. More than 150 civilians have crossed over to the cleared areas in Mannar during this month alone.

These civilians have arrived in the cleared areas amidst intense security measures put in place by the Tiger cadres to keep the civilian population within Wanni as they are fast losing their manpower.

The LTTE displayed its brutality towards these civilians at a number of occasions, with the most recent incident being reported from the sea off Pulipanchikal between Mullaitivu and Trincomalee.

A group of Tamil civilians on the flee from Chundikulam in Kilinochchi was surrounded by LTTE boats and had assaulted the coxswain in their bid to stop the mission. Tiger cadres had dumped Selvamohan Rathakrishnan the coxswain of the boat after assaulting him mercilessly, the fleeing civilians claimed.

But his wife and three-year old daughter had managed to flee along with the other civilians who dared to escape from the LTTE boats.

Such is the pathetic situation faced by the innocent civilians entrapped in the Wanni. Many civilians who dared to escape the tiger terror ended up in LTTE and their bunkers. That is the real way how the LTTE is forcibly deploying civilians for bunker duties against their wish and providing them weapon-training and conscripting children for military service.

But they all have to face the death against their wishes as they are entrapped between the LTTE and the Security Forces during confrontations.