Troops maul from all directions
Tigers limp on all fours :
by Ranil WIJAYAPALA
The
Security Forces are on the offensive to capture Kilinochchi and
Mullaitivu to put an end to the ongoing conflict as the LTTE has been
pushed back in a do or die battle to defend that territory where fierce
fighting erupted within this week. So the battles that erupted in
Akkarayankulam, Vannerikulam and Nachchikuda this week have witnessed
the LTTE entering into its final battle in Kilinochchi.
The LTTE is now fighting its final battle in the outskirts of
Kilinochchi, the administrative hub of the organisation.
Reports indicate that the LTTE had taken all their long range
artillery located in Pooneryn to the centre of Kilinochchi to direct the
maximum fire power against the advancing troops.
Simultaneously they were pumping hundreds of well trained cadres
operating in the Muhamalai front into Nachchikuda and Akkarayankulam to
thwart the attempts of the troops to capture some tactically important
stretch of earth bund under their control on Monday afternoon that
happened to be the first day of the month September.


A monument erected in honour of the war heroes of the Forces and
the Police who had served in Jaffna was unveiled by the Army
Commander, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka yesterday at the Jaffna
Security Forces Headquarters in Palali. Jaffna Security Forces
Commander Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri and Division and Brigade
Commanders participated along with the DIG (Jaffna) W.S.U.
Fernando and the Commanding Officer of the Palali Air Force
Base, Wing Commander A.J. Amarasinghe. |
The spirit of the LTTE’s fighting strength was deployed in
Nachchikuda, Vannerikulam and Akkarayankulam fronts during these
confrontations in which both the Security Forces and the LTTE sustained
damages in equal terms, according to initial reports.
The offensive was first started by the 58 Division from the
northernmost front now operating well within the Kilinochchi district.
Their initial attempt was to capture a significant portion of the
massive earth bund which runs from Nachchikuda to Akkarayan so as to
clear their path further northwards either towards Kilinochchi or
Pooneryn.
It was around 1.30 pm on Monday, September 1, battalions of the 58
Division went ahead from their defences to launch their offensive.
Initially they were successful in capturing, the defence lines of the
LTTE from various places amidst stiff resistance from the LTTE.
The troops attached to the 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry battalion, 8
Gemunu Watch launched this limited operation to capture a stretch of the
defence line in the south of Nachchikuda. Maximum Tiger fire power was
used against the troops while inducting waves of cadres into the front
pumping them from the Northern front.
According to ground sources all top level military cadres like
Theepan, Bhanu and Lakshman were on their communication sets
continuously pushing their cadres to thwart the advancing troops. The
Tiger outfit had the chance of using their maximum firepower taking the
cover behind the massive human shield in Kilinochchi to push back the
troops from the areas they were holding.
At this critical situation the Security Forces also faced a difficult
task as they were not in a position to effectively counter the LTTE
firepower due to the entrapped civilians behind whom the LTTE had taken
cover.
As the battle continued for hours the two battalions of the 571
Brigade under the command of Colonel G.V. Ravipriya also inducted their
troops from Akkarayankulam area to ease the pressure on the troops in
Nachchikuda and Vannerikulam. However, they too faced stiff resistance
from the LTTE in Akkarayan area with their strong firepower.
There had been several LTTE counter-attacks aiming at re-capturing
the areas held by the troops. In Nachchikuda the battle continued for
more than 12 hours till 3.30 a.m. on Tuesday and with the number of
casualties increasing troops were withdrawn to their original positions.
Ten soldiers went missing in the Nachchikuda front and over 30 soldiers
sustained injuries while three others get killed in the confrontations.
Biggest damages were reported from the troops operating in Akkarayan
as two officers and 19 soldiers went missing from the 4 Sinha Regiment
battalion. Thirteen others were also reportedly killed at this front
with another 60 odd soldiers sustaining injuries due to large number of
counter attacks directed by the LTTE.
The LTTE also had suffered heavily with over 40 of their cadres
reportedly killed in the Nachchikuda front alone and dozens of cadres in
the Akkarayankulam front whilst hundreds sustaining injuries.
However, this time they had the advantage of recovering 32 odd bodies
after these confrontations as a proof of their victory. The LTTE
propaganda machinery was busy with displaying these bodies over their
websites as this was the first occasion they had been able to capture
such a large number of bodies of the troops during the past two years
long operations.
But the LTTE itself knows very well the size of the damage they
suffered during this confrontation and the repercussions of losing such
a large number of well-trained cadres on the morale of its combatants.
Even after this massive battle, the LTTE continuously launched counter
attacks on the Security Forces holding some tactically important
locations of their massive earth bund from various locations in the West
and East of Vannerikulam.
During these battles LTTE also suffered heavy loses with over
hundreds of their cadres getting killed within the first four days of
the fighting. Despite losing a comparatively large number of troops,
this time the fighting strength of the troops remains intact as the
battalions which had suffered casualties have been strengthened with
additional troops. The troops are now in a position to hold some
tactically important areas in the East and West of Vannerikulam against
the enemy attacks.
The LTTE, after a long period may have given a morale boost to their
cadres displaying the bodies of the valiant troops before they were
handed over to the Security Forces at the Omanthai entry exit point,
through the ICRC.
The unfortunate situation is that the LTTE could not hide its
savagery as they had disfigured the captured bodies of the troops before
they were handed over to the ICRC.
However, no one can expect any human approval from the LTTE which is
even ready to prey on the lives of their own Tamil community to defend
themselves from the advancing troops.
The LTTE has reasons to deploy its maximum strength in Nachchikuda
and Akkarayan as they are aware of the fact that the loss of Nachchikuda
is the prelude to Pooneryn, the tactically important location they have
kept under their control in order to take Jaffna peninsula within their
artillery range.
The most important reason as to when the LTTE is now defending
Nachchikuda to the hilt is that they are going to lose the control of
the only available supply route from West to East once they lose
Nachchikuda. LTTE movements along this route, which links Kilinochchi
and the A-32 road via Jeyapuram, Vannerikkulam and North Akkarayankulam
from North of Nachchikuda have already been restricted with the 58
troops capturing some sections of this road from various locations.
With the capture of this route the LTTE is losing its vital link with
the Kilinochchi, isolating the Tiger cadres in Nachchikuda unless they
find a new route to Kilinochchi from northern direction. That is the
main reason why they are defending Nachchikuda so strongly countering
the troops attempts to capture it.
At the same time they want to stop the troops from opening a land
route to Jaffna via Mannar Pooneryn road after the capture of
Nachchikuda and later Ponneryn.
Such a move will never be tolerated by the LTTE as the opening of a
land route will definitely put the troops in the Jaffna peninsula in a
much advantageous position as they can depend on sea, air and land
supplies in the case of any emergency situation arising in Jaffna
peninsula.
Apart from the advantages on military side, the LTTE is more
concerned about the civilian factor, as such a move will help the Jaffna
population to reach the South via a land route. That will definitely not
be in the interest of the LTTE.
That was why they are making such an effort to thwart the efforts of
the troops to advance into Kilinochchi and Pooneryn even sacrificing
thousands of their cadres.
However, the pertinent question is whether the LTTE can sustain such
losses for a long period as they have already lost a considerable number
of their cadres during the two-year long battles in the North and the
East.
What was emphasised by the Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka
soon after the temporary losses by the troops in Akkarayan and
Nachchikuda is that there is no hurry on the part of the Security Forces
to capture either Kilinochchi or Pooneryn. The Security Forces have
enough time to go for their target of liberating the entire Wanni and
the North.
The Army Commander has reportedly emphasized these facts after
summoning all the Division Commanders in Wanni, Director of Military
Intelligence and Special Forces Brigade Commander in the aftermath of
the Akkarayan and Nachchikuda incidents, on Wednesday evening.
The need is to achieve the victory with minimum casualties on the
part of the Security Forces. Therefore, their intention is to cause
maximum killings on the LTTE without giving priority to capture land
areas. Then they can reach Kilinochchi without much resistance inside
Kilinochchi town, in the manner they captured townships like Thunukkai
and Mallavi.
With the victories in Thunukkai and the latest in Mallawi the troops
attached to the 57 Division are now advancing further closer to
Kilinochchi town from various directions.
The 10 Sri Lanka Light Infantry battalion captured Murikkandi village
on Thursday which is located in the South of Akkarayankulam.
Meanwhile the troops attached to the 7 Sri Lanka Light Infantry
battalion under the command of Lt.Colonel Ranjith Abeyratne is now
advancing towards Kokavil on the Thunukkai-Kokavil Road and towards
Kilinochchi from another direction.
Therefore, the A-9 road which had not yet been touched by the
Security Forces so far is within the reach of the Security Forces from
various directions from Kokavil, Mankulam and North of Omanthai. They
can move into Mankulam town at any moment and take control of the areas
North of Omanthai upto Mankulam.
Such a move will help civilians now entrapped in Kilinochchi and
Mullaitivu districts to move out of the battle-torn area to the safer
areas in Vavuniya as requested by the Government. The Government made
this announcement this Monday asking the civilians to leave for the
Government controlled areas considering their safety.
The United Nations office in Colombo also endorsed the moves by the
Government to facilitate the civilians movements towards Government
controlled areas and insisted the LTTE to ensure the free movement of
the civilians entrapped in Wanni.
The International Organisations which are deeply concerned about the
plight of the civilians entrapped in Wanni have been working to exert
pressure on the LTTE to allow the civilians to move to safer areas as
they wish as it is certain that the LTTE would make use of them as human
shields against the fire power of the Security Forces.
It is only through such a move the LTTE can sustain itself in
Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. But it is not clear whether the LTTE would
be able at least to provide the basic needs of the civilian population
without any assistance from the Government and the INGOs. The only way
to provide them with basic needs is to take them out from Mullaitivu and
Kilinochchi districts as the situation is becoming extremely volatile as
fierce battles are expected to erupt in the coming weeks as well. |