Military campaign in East enters decisive stage

*SLAF acquires ‘night strike capability’

Military action in the East has entered a decisive stage with the army stepping up pressure on LTTE units operating in the Thoppigala jungles. A senior military official yesterday said that troops were in the process of clearing Thoppigala, considered the last major LTTE stronghold in the eastern theatre of operations.

Fielding questions, he emphasized that there was no time frame for the conclusion of the offensive aimed at neutralizing, what he described as, depleted enemy units. "They are struggling in the face of mounting pressure and unbelievably high rate of desertion," he said, asserting that the enemy would not be able to resist the action spearheaded by Special Forces and Commandos.

Army Headquarters has committed sizeable forces to overwhelm the LTTE. The LTTE is likely to pull out cadres leaving a small group to mount hit and run attacks in Thoppigala.

The official expressed the belief that the LTTE would not sacrifice its heavy guns currently deployed in the Thoppigala area. "They have at least one multi-barrel rocket launcher [MBRL] and three or four 120 mm mortars," he said. They would try to pull them through a jungle route to the Vanni, he said, adding that the possibility of the LTTE having two six barrelled MBRLs could not be ruled out.

The assault on Thoppigala was launched against the backdrop of a series of military operations in the East over the past nine months which brought almost all civilian centres held by the LTTE, at the time of signing of the Oslo-arranged CFA, under government control. The military said that clearing of areas south of the Chenkalady-Maha Oya road paved the way for the assault on Thoppigala.

To facilitate the ongoing offensive action, the elite Special Task Force (STF) would continue to police areas regained by troops. Senior police and military officials emphasised that they had effectively neutralised the LTTE’s capability to mount a major offensive in the East.

Meanwhile, the SLAF has acquired a night strike capability. This would be of pivotal importance, a senior security official said, adding that both Israeli-built Kfirs and Ukrainian MIGs are equipped to carry out bombing missions in the night.