LTTE forcibly keeps civilians as human shield

Downfall imminent ; More strongholds fall:

Tigers in propaganda campaign to halt Forces? advance :

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Many International Non-Governmental organisations including ICRC and Amnesty International expressed their concern about the civilian population now entrapped in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts as the battlefront is becoming increasingly intense with troops advancing further into Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts, the areas destined for the final battle of the LTTE.

The ICRC and the Amnesty International are extremely worried about the civilians displaced within the uncleared areas as they are lacking the basic needs and living without any shelter or enough food. The AI in its statement issued on August 14, blamed both the Government and the LTTE for endangering the lives of the innocent civilians forcibly kept by the LTTE in Wanni.

At the same time AI has been fair enough to mention that those civilians have been kept by the LTTE enforcing a strict pass system barring civilians to flee from these areas along with their families. They are also keeping at least one member of a family to make sure that those who are leaving will return to Wanni.

The objective of the LTTE is to keep the civilians under their detention and to conscript them to strengthen their deteriorating manpower while large number of their cadres are getting killed in the face of the Security Forces advance into the uncleared areas.

The ICRC also has stated that it has become increasingly difficult for the aid workers to operate within uncleared areas due to the intense fighting between the Security Forces and the LTTE.

It is obvious that once the terrain is increasingly becoming restricted to civilians, they will definitely get affected by the ongoing battles between the Security Forces and the LTTE.

What is emphasised through these messages is that the time is ripe for the civilians to flee from the Wanni battle ground for safer places. The Government has already expressed its willingness to receive those civilians from Omanthai entry point with arrangements being made to provide shelter and food for them.

Army Commander, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka in an interview with this correspondent at several occasions emphasised the fact that the Security Forces are always ready to receive the civilians fleeing from the Wanni.

The Security Forces and the Government machinery explicitly demonstrated their ability to handle the exodus of civilians fleeing from Tiger territory when intense battles erupted in the East especially during the Vakarai operation.

Troops captured an increasingly sensitive fortress of the LTTE, where 30,000 civilians were kept for months as a human shield, without a single civilian casualty during the Vakarai operation.

Those NGOs who are critical of the military operations should be conscious of the fact that the responsibility to send the innocent civilians into safer places in Wanni rests with the LTTE.

The AI in its statement has also been critical of the Government and the Security Forces for detaining civilians in Government welfare centres imposing extreme restrictions on their movements.

What has to be emphasised here is that the Security Forces too are engaged in a battle to defeat the most ruthless terror outfit of the world.

Therefore, they should be extremely careful not to create a situation in Government controlled areas where the LTTE agents could cause mayham.

As the situation is extremely disadvantageous to the LTTE they will make maximum effort to send in their suicide cadres to cause disaster in the government held areas. Such scenario would definitely put both Security Forces and the civilians in an embarrassing situation.

Therefore, keeping those displaced civilians under constant surveillance has become an essential factor for the Security Forces at least for a brief period. International experts on terrorism have also warned that the LTTE has the capability to continue as a terror outfit even after their numbers are reduced to hundred or below.

According to reports, an exodus of civilians can be expected very soon considering the rapid progress showed by the Security Forces during the past few weeks. They have already entered the Kilinochchi the most vital district for the LTTE in their Eelam war.

Reports coming from Wanni indicate that the LTTE is trying its best to face the imminent defeat preying the civilians to tarnish the image of the Security Forces at the final battle. The Security Forces gained control of the vital grounds in the Kilinochchi district this week with the 58 Division under the command of Brigadier Shavendra Silva advanced further northwards on the Mannar Pooneryn A-32 road with the capture of Mulangavil, the second most important town in the Kilinochchi district after Kilinochchi.

The troops attached to the 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Battalion under the command of Lt. Colonel Senaka Wijesuriya and 6 Gemunu Watch Battalion under the command of Lt. Colonel Kamal Pinnawala advanced into this widely spread township along the A-32 road after Vellankulam and after passing the Mannar Kilinochchi district boundary.

The 11 SLII troops advanced into Mulangavil from the West of A-32 road while the 6 GW troops advanced from the East of A-32 road. Prior to capturing this territory the 583 Brigade under the command of Lt. Colonel Suraj Banshajaya captured Kalekuda jetty, which was used by the LTTE to launch their small craft into the sea.

Capture of Mulangavil was a great shock to the LTTE as they lost one of the large cemetaries where their heroes were burried. What is most important was that the real situation faced by the LTTE was divulged with the capture of this cemetery as there were more than 500 graves dug only within last two months. That shows how the LTTE is fast losing their cadres in the face of the Security Forces advance into the uncleared territory. The bitter truth behind the LTTE organisation is now exposed to the outside world step by step with the troops capturing those so-called impregnable Tiger strongholds one after the other.

Apart from the Mahaveer cemetery, the LTTE also had its National Stadium where they celebrated annual Maha Veer celebration with the participation of their senior leaders.

The capture of Mulangavil also marks the loss of one of their vital administrative bases in the North Western coast. Well-built LTTE offices have been found within the vicinity of Mulangavil. Being a fertile land Mulangavil has also been used by the LTTE to cultivate vegetables needed to feed their cadres.

But it was not from the voluntary contribution of the civilians living there in the Kilinochchi district but getting them to work in those cultivations against their wish. Therefore, the capture of Mulangavil has greatly affected the LTTE in many ways.

With the capture of this territory the troops are further closing in to the Tiger stronghold in Kilinochchi. Though the Western flank of the 58 Division advances along the Maannar-Pooneryn road, the Eastern flank of the 58 Division has further moved towards the Kilinochchi centre with only 18 kilo meters left over to reach the Kilinochchi town.

Apart from this, the troops are also now poised to advance further northwards on the Mannar Pooneryn road towards Pooneryn hugging the edge of Nachchikudah which has been defended by the LTTE by creating a massive earth bund from the south, west and also from the North and the East completely covering the area.

Once Nachchikuda is captured the LTTE is losing almost all the Sea Tiger bases along the Western coast except for Pooneryn which is now being controlled by the Security Forces through long range artillery and MBRLs.

By this time the LTTE has realised the fact that there is no use of making any attempt to defend the North Western coast and seemingly decided to withdraw their cadres further interior into the Kilinochchi district in an attempt to prepare for its final battle.

Meanwhile, troops attached to the 57 Division under the command of Major General Jagath Dias also marked an important milestone after clearing an obstacle in their effort to capture Thunukkai in the Western flank of the Mullaitivu district.

Troops attached to 572 Brigade under the command of Lt. Colonel Senerath Bandara captured Kalvilan village located South West of Thunukkai bringing the Security Forces FDLs two Kilo metres south of Thunukkai.

It was after few days of the battle; the troops attached to 7 and 8 Sri Lanka Light Infantry battalions moved into this small village, but with lot of tactical importance for the LTTE to stop the troop advance into Thunukkai.

The LTTE had kept their artillery and mortar position in this village to keep Thunukkai out of reach from the Security Forces but was unable to hold it in face of the pitched battles erupted in the village on Wednesday.

However the troops are yet to overcome the massive open terrain surrounding the Thunukkai and Mallavi stretching for more than 70 square kilometres in their bid to gain full control of these prestigious towns.

The Security Forces will follow an alternative mechanism to capture this terrain without sticking only to this ground as they have the full advantage of the ground at this stage of war.

The Task Force II now operating in the West of A-9 road is due to make a breakthrough in their front as they are closing to Palamoddai town.

Meanwhile, troops attached to the 59 Division under the command of Brigadier Nandana Udawatta are also heading towards more and more militarily sensitive land in the Mullaitivu jungle with the capture of many satalite bases comes under the 1-4 Base complex of the LTTE.

Troops were poised to capture Jeevan Base which is identified as Kamal Base located in the North of Kokkuthuduvai. Jeevan Base is comparatively a bigger base where the LTTE could train nearly 100 cadres at once. The 14 Vijayabha Infantry battalion troops have already destroyed bunker lines and trenches of this massive base by Saturday night in their bid to capture full Base.

Therefore, the battles in the North are becoming more and more sensitive in the coming weeks bringing the Eelam war into one of its most important mile stone in its history which will see the end of it marking definite military defeat for the LTTE..

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Prabhakaran physically and mentally down

Having learnt that the Government troops have been hitting hard on the Tiger strongholds in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has reportedly fallen ill. His health condition is fast deteriorating, according to intelligence sources. The reports said Prabhakaran; an acute diabetic was suffering from some incurable wounds in his hand.

Despite his poor health, the battle in Wanni has compelled him to come out from his underground bunkers, as most of his senior subordinates were dead. At this turning point, Prabhakaran has to summon his cadres to Kilinochchi, use all tactics including the human shield to face a do or die battle.

According to sources the wounded Tiger leader was limping to a secret venue to discuss his plan for the final battle. Feeble Prabhakaran had failed to keep his head straight, sources said. Prabhakaran is more likely use a sea or air route to run away Wanni in the event Government troops launched an onslaught on his hideout in Kilinochchi very soon.