The LTTE was thrown out of the Eastern Province by the Security Forces on July 11 after raising the national flag on the pinnacle of the Thoppigala rock on July 11 by Commando troops marking a symbolic end to their month long military campaign to capture the LTTE's last bastion in the Eastern province.
But the mammoth task entrusted with the Security Forces to guarantee a secured life for the civilian population belonging to all three ethnic groups in the eastern province is non ending. They are now engaged in a more laborious task further exposing the real picture the LTTE operated inside this jungle terrain unearthing weapon stocks worth billions of rupees.
Unearthing weapons
The recovery of the LTTE weapons and ammunitions in huge quantities, by these heroic soldiers from the Thoppigala jungle will be an eye opener for those who tried to downplay the achievements by the Security Forces in the East describing the territory they captured as mere deserts and jungles.
Without any exaggeration of the fact, it has now been proved that Thoppigala and Narakamulla was not a mere jungle territory for the LTTE but a launching pad to destabilize the entire Eastern province, fortunately troops did not ignore this territory simply describing it as a jungle hideout of the LTTE.
Step by step the troops engaged in these search and clear operations are recovering large stocks of weapons and ammunitions from these jungle terrains further confirming their victory in the East.
First, they made a major breakthrough by recovering their deadliest weapon 12 barrel Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher from Meeyangolla in Thoppigala on July 18. However, the whereabouts of the LTTE cadres remained a mystery for the Security Forces as they could not track the fleeing Tiger cadres after the capture of Baron's Cap on July 11.
The Commando troops moved to capture Baron's Cap on July 11 also confirmed that they had observed the presence of more than 200 Tiger cadres who had arrived there from Narakamulla and had fled towards Vadamunai and Meeyangolla area at the time they captured the rock on July 11.
However, the Security Force continued to track the fleeing Tiger cadres who had escaped towards Vanni via jungle terrains in the West of Vakarai and South of Trincomalee.
But a senior LTTE cadre who escaped from the fleeing Tiger cadres and surrendered to the Sri Lanka Army Sittandi Brigade two weeks after the fall of Thoppigala made a major revelation to the Army about major weapon stocks of the LTTE.
This senior LTTE'R has revealed how they escaped from Baron's Cap area, minutes prior to the capture of the area by the Commando troops and fled towards Vadamunai loading their weapons and food stocks in ten tractors. According to this surrendered cadre all four Tiger leaders Jeyam, Nagesh, Ramesh and Keerthi were there at the time troops hoisted national flag on the top of Barons' Cap.
Taking the cover of rocky terrain close to Motagala, Meeyangolla, four leaders has decided to flee the area towards four directions regrouping the remaining cadres into four groups.
The surrendered cadre under the orders of Tiger leader Keerthi has buried many of their weapons including Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher after separating it to three parts and mortar launchers and other heavy weapons as they could not use them for fear of retaliation by the Security Forces and as they were a heavy burden on them in their task of fleeing the area.
Troops engaged in search and clear operations found this terrain where the LTTE cadres had left the ten tractors they were fleeing and unearthed the Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher from a location close to that area.
But they were never aware that Tigers had missiles and Anti Aircraft guns inside the Thoppigala jungle.
Since the LTTE had not used these guns, recently the Security Forces never suspect that LTTE was having missiles with them. The only suspicion they had was about the air-conditioned bunkers found in Narakamulla area, but their suspicion was never directed towards a missile belonging to the LTTE.
However, the surrendered Tiger cadre to Sittandi Brigade made a major revelation about the deadly weapons they had inside the jungle and could pin point the location where he had buried Anti Aircraft Gun and the SA-14 Missile, under the directive of Tiger leader Keerthi.
With this revelation troops engaged in search operation on Monday evening unearthed this deadly weapon buried safely with polythene packing to be unearthed for future use.
According to military experts the SA-14 missile had been frequently used by the LTTE to destroy aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force in late 1990s. The Observations by the Missile experts later confirmed that the anti-aircraft missile is a SA-14 GREMLIN- 9K34 Strela-3 type.
Therefore, Security Forces suspect that the air conditioned bunkers they found in Narakamulla were used to store these missiles safely as it was a heat sensitive missile.
According to experts the LTTE has used same type of Missile to destroy SLAF MI 24 aircraft in late 1990's in Kokilai.
With these recoveries along with the long list of weapons and ammunitions recovered by the troops engaged in the search and clear operations in Thoppigala one could imagine the mayhem the LTTE could have done in the East with these weapons if the Security Forces simply ignored this jungle terrain as an area without strategic importance.
Arms and explosive cache
According to Military Thoppigala and Vakarai have so far yielded one of the biggest LTTE arms and explosives caches in the Eastern military operations during the last 25 years with the recovery of Anti Aircraft Guns, MBRLs, 152 mm Artillery Guns, 120 mm artillery, mortars, heavy machine guns, anti aircraft missiles, mines and explosives were either buried or concealed in thick jungle patches by retreating LTTE cadres.
Even seven months after the capture of Vakarai from the clutches of LTTE, Security Forces still uncover large haul of weapons from Verugal and Vakarai.
This is clear evidence that the LTTE had made use of billions of dollars raised from the Tamil Diaspora spread all over the world to purchase these weapons internationally in the name of liberation of the Tamils while the innocent Tamil community suffer without any basic needs which, the LTTE could have easily given to them using these funds.
But, there is no proof to say that LTTE is using a single dollar for the wellbeing of the Tamil community instead of blaming the Sri Lankan Government for not providing enough facilities for the Tamil community, while blocking all the Government efforts to provide the best available facilities to the Tamil community.
Therefore, the efforts made by the Security Forces proves a worthy cause as it helped the Tamil community to enjoy their freedom without any hindrance by the LTTE while accessing the development drive undertaken by the Government in the East.
With these new developments, every chance to downplay the victory of the Security Forces in the East diminished as they not only capture Tiger territory but also caused major losses to them in man power and military logistics which are the main features of a successful military victory as the troops engaged in these search and clear operations also recovered the bodies of the Tiger cadres killed in confrontations with the Security Forces in various places inside the jungle.
These recoveries confirm that more than 550 Tiger cadres have been killed during the Thoppigala battle.
As troops recover more and more weapon and other military hardware form the Thoppigala jungle further confirming their victory in the East, another section of troops are now engaged in a mission to track the fleeing terrorists from the East.
The troops received information about 200 cadres, who had crossed Polonnaruwa Batticaloa main road close to Valachchenai and were heading towards the Wanni taking the covered jungle terrain in the West of Vakarai towards Sittaru jungle in South West of Trincomalee.
Since the information received late to the 23 Division in Welikanda the message was passed to 222 Brigade in Allai Kantalai to track the fleeing cadres.
However, a search operation conducted in Sittaru confirmed there was no such big strength of the LTTE cadres inside the jungle and they observed signs about 100 cadres.
However, the troops of the 9 Gemunu Watch who were deployed along the Trincomalee Habarana road were on alerts about the Tiger cadres crossing the road.
Tracking fleeing Tigers
Unaware of these developments, the fleeing Tiger cadres launched a desperate attempt to cross the Trincomalee Habarana road from Sinha Kanda area close to Thambalagamauwa in the wee hours on Wednesday attacking some Civil Defence Force personnel.
However, the confrontation ignited with reinforcements arriving there from the 9 GW battalion forcing the Tiger cadres to flee further towards the jungle along with their injured cadres.
It has been confirmed many Tiger cadres had sustained injuries during this search operation.
The fact that has to be emphasized here is that, if proper coordination was there between respective Brigades the fleeing Tiger cadres would have been easily tracked before they fled towards Kaddawan jungle.
Life style in the East is returning to normality with the Security Forces and the Police making arrangements to strengthen the security of the civilian population now being peacefully resettled in their original habitations.
It has been decided to hand over the security of the Batticaloa district entirely to the Police Special Task Force and the Police confining the Army camps more towards securing jungle terrains in the district.
With these developments, the Army will be restricted to Vakarai and Thoppigala jungle area.
To secure the Thoppigala jungle area it has been decided to shift the 232 Brigade in Sittandi to Tharavikulam area with the appointment of Lt. Colonel Jayampathi Thillekeratne the former Commanding Officer of the 8 Gemunu Watch as the Brigade Commander.
This was to make Thoppigala jungle inaccessible to the LTTE for their clandestine operations to destabilize the civilian population in the district as the final phase of the resettlement process is now taking place in the district.
Commandant of the Police Special Task Force DIG Nimal Lewke also had visited the East this week to inspect the security plan in the district and the places where STF camps should be established.
With these developments taking place in the East, the Security Forces also took steps this week to fortify their positions in the Welioya sector as they observe major build up by the LTTE in the area threatening the civilian life in the area mainly in Ethavetunuvewa close to Oddusudan area.
Therefore, it is now obvious that LTTE will definitely launch a major assault on the Security Forces defences in Weli Oya soon as they feel very insecure in the territory in the Wanni after they totally lost control over the East.
The Security Forces too is ready to face such pending threat shifting the Commando Brigade under the command of Brigadier Chargi Gallage to Weli Oya sector indicating that the Security Forces will not end to their humanitarian mission commenced from the East without fully liberating the country from the clutches of the LTTE.
(http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/08/05/fea02.asp)
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