Tigers dethroned from Thoppigala

Army takes last Tiger stronghold to complete rout of the LTTE from the East

For anyone travelling down the Batticaloa-Polonnaruwa, A11 highway, the Thoppigala peak is visible in the distant horizon, a few kilometres after Welikanda and nearly up to Valachchenai. For many years, however, that was as close anyone, other than the LTTE, could get to this illusive rock, which is more of symbolic value than of strategic military importance.
What Elephant Pass (EPS) was to the Sri Lankan military, Thoppigala was to the Tigers, an impregnable fortress. Just as the Sri Lankan military grappled with the fall of EPS in 2001, this week, the LTTE had to fathom the reality that they no longer were the kings of the Thoppigala jungles.

The much-talked of Thoppigala peak or, the Baron’s Cap, as it was called by the British, is surrounded by vast stretches of jungle with rocky outcrops. This complex mountain range, with its thick jungles, had provided cover for the LTTE, for many years.
Rough terrain, jungle cover and an intricate network of roads carved out in the area, had ensured that the region was virtually impregnable and near impossible to hold by the security forces.
The significance of Thoppigala was further enhanced with the outbreak of violence in the East, last July. Since the launching of military operations to capture Mavil Aru in July 2006, a majority of the eastern LTTE cadres retreated into this jungle hideout, while a few others escaped to the Wanni by sea and overland.

With the fall of Vakarai in January and the clearing of the A5 highway by April this year, the LTTE cadres left in the east, had no choice but to fall back to their fortified positions in Thoppigala. Here, there was a sense of security for the Tigers, since they were well entrenched and the terrain well suited for guerrilla warfare.
However, with the capture of Vakarai and the region east of the A5 highway, the LTTE cadres were well and truly trapped within the Thoppigala jungles, with their supply route to the Wanni cut off and access to the sea denied.
The Thoppigala region, dotted with rocky outcrops and vast areas of open shrub land, posed a serious challenge to the advancing security forces, when they launched their operation to capture the LTTE’s last stronghold in the east.
“The open areas deprived the forces the element of surprise, while the rocky outcrops offered excellent observation posts for the enemy,” said a senior commanding officer involved in the operation. The army launched its three-pronged final assault on Thoppigala on April 12.

In order to deny the Tigers of the strategic high ground, the Commando Regiment was tasked with capturing several key rocky outcrops in the area. With the army taking control of Kottiyagala, Dombageliyadde and Narakamulla, the LTTE was virtually entrapped in Thoppigala, with their main supply routes cut off.

The Commandos captured Kottiyagala peak on June 17 which deprived the Tigers from observing the forces’ movements in the valley below. In the final push towards Thoppigala, the army captured an area of approximately 1,100 square kilometres.
During the last days of the operation, the advancing troops came under heavy mortar fire. The Tigers even used a small multi-barrel rocket launcher to thwart the advancing forces. In addition to the elite units of the Gemunu Watch, the Gajaba and Sinha Regiment infantry units were deployed to the newly captured areas, to reinforce these positions.

It is reported that recruits undergoing training at the Special Forces Training School in Maduruoya were also deployed to engage the fleeing LTTE cadres, in addition to the armoured corps, artillery and engineer corps.
On July 10, the Commandos’ final push on Thoppigala was thwarted. However, the next day, the elite troops reached Baron’s Cap, marking the end of major ground operations in the east.

The military claims that 444 LTTE cadres were killed in the operation, of which 58 bodies were handed over to the ICRC, while ground troops reported seeing over 200 dead LTTE cadres.
Even though the whole of the Eastern Province is now under the control of the security forces, the LTTE is still expected to mark its presence with small-scale hit-and-run attacks. Several LTTE cadres, mainly young recruits, have surrendered to the security forces, while others have mingled with the civilians.
With military operations in the north imminent, it is to be seen whether history will repeat itself, where troop requirements in the north provided an opportunity for the Tigers to re-infiltrate the east, once it was cleared.