Army eyes Vedithalthivu

It was a military-religious affair. Yesterday, ranks and files of the Sri Lanka Army converged at the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to receive blessings. The Commander of the Army, Security Forces commanders and other Senior officers, each representing their respective units placed the flags of the Army Headquarters, Volunteer Force Headquarters, Security Forces Headquarters Divisions, Brigades, Regiments, Battalions and Army training schools before the sacred Bodhi tree, paying obeisance to the religion.

The Maha Sangha chanted Seth pirith and spread jasmine flowers over the flags. The Sri Lanka Army was observing an age-old ritual of the armed forces of Sri Lanka, seeking customary and symbolic blessings of the historic Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi.
The SLA was paying obeisance at a critical time, when the fighting has taken a turn for the worse.

Hundred km northwards from the sacred town of Anuradapura, troops are fighting bitter battles with the Tigers in the jungles west of Omanthai and East of Madhu.
They have muffled the Tigers roar and forced the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fight a defensive war on all fronts of the Wanni.

Mettle

The Sri Lankan forces have proved their mettle. Their valour is distinguished and their sacrifice unparalleled, yet the Northward push is not going to be a cake walk. Tiger cadres are known to resist any military attempt to push into the Wanni through out their secessionist campaign. The LTTE fought tooth and nail, when the troops launched Operation Jayasikuru to open a land link between the Jaffna peninsula and the South.

Yet, the troops have proved successful in their recent operations. Most important, is that specialized small team operations have cut down casualty figures. However, bitter battles lie ahead. Right now, the security forces and the Tigers are spiking ahead of the monsoon.

Their immediate objective is to inflict maximum casualties on the Tigers, thereby draining the enemy’s manpower. Troops have forced the Tigers to defend themselves on all fronts. In the Wanni, soldiers are moving towards Vedithalthivu, an area dubbed as the “green bowl”. Vedithalthivu resembles a “green bowl in the map, due to the surrounding greenery and water ponds, which is in sharp contrast to the Wanni. Tigers have camped in the area and resisting the security forces advance. But, suffice it is to say that the Special Forces and Commando teams have cracked the Tiger defences in certain areas of Vedithalthivu.

Infantry troops operate in small troops, breaking away from their defence localities on the Omanthai- Mannar borders and conduct swift and overwhelming attacks on the Tiger positions.

Defence line on fire

Draw a straight line from Omanthai to Mannar. Fighting is concentrated in and around the line. One military official quipped that the Tiger defence line was literally on fire. He was referring to the use of overwhelming force against the LTTE.
In certain areas, troops operate deep in the Tiger territory, pushing the Tigers further into the Wanni. One military source said “troops operated well ahead of Pokkaravanni” Bitter battles are being waged in Thampanai and Periathampanai, Mullikulam and Vilathikulam.

The worst fighting since the LTTE counter- offensive in the first week of June took place on Wednesday and Thursday, last week in Vilathikulam.
Troops of the Six Vijayaba Infantry Regiment (VIR) advancing to capture a strategically important junction in Vilatikulam came under stiff resistance.
An officer, a captain who commanded a company and his buddy went missing amidst a heavy barrage of mortar fire.

Three soldiers were killed in the fighting and 25 were wounded. Of them 22 have been classified as P3 or minor injuries dubbed walking wounds. One soldier suffered P 1 injuries and two others suffering injuries have been classified as P 2 injuries. Troops, who advanced from several directions, surrounded the Tigers, killing sixteen cadres on Thursday.

Nine Tiger cadres were killed in the West of Omanthai in two separate incidents. Referring to intercepted Tiger communication, the Army said, the Tigers have named twelve of the cadres who had been killed on Wednesday.
Troops ambushed a tractor transporting LTTE cadres, killing five in Vilathikulam. Two other cadres were killed in a subsequent gun battle.
However, these figures cannot be independently verified.
The Tigers are forced to defend themselves on all fronts, which is a nightmarish scenario for the LTTE in the context of its depleting man power. Last week, we quoted intelligence reports which revealed a massive shift of the guerrillas from the Northern front to the Wanni in order to wade off the security force’s Wanni push.
According to intelligence sources, the Northern front is now manned by only 1800 cadres.

As the guns turned on the Wanni front, troops continued with limited operations ahead of their northern defence lines.
On Sunday night, under the cover of darkness, a small group of troops belonging to 1 Gemunu Watch (GW) sneaked into Tiger territory, ahead of security forces defence line in Nagar Kovil. Armed to the teeth, they tiptoed through a gap between two Tiger bunkers. Their target: a bunker line identified as a strong point of the enemy. Well versed with special infantry operations, they crept through the darkness and took the Tigers by total surprise, attacking them from the rear. Overwhelming fire power, over powered the Tiger cadres in their well fortified bunkers. It was a swift and lightening blow.

Destroyed

In a matter of minutes, troops had destroyed several bunkers; a military official said eight bunkers were destroyed. The Army said at least 10 LTTE cadres were killed and twenty injured. These figures of LTTE casualties could not be verified independently. Having taken the Tigers by surprise, troops rushed back to their positions. By then the Tigers were aware of the presence of the soldiers. As they were crossing ‘No Man’s land’, a barrage of mortar fire rained on them.
In the absence of a cover, troops were easily visible. Two soldiers were killed in the mortar attack and seven others were injured.
In another incident, a small team of infantry troops broke away from their forward defence positions in Kilali and sneaked to the guerrilla territory in the early hours of Wednesday.

They exploded a Bangalore torpedo, killing two Tiger cadres. The explosion, however, alerted the guerrillas of their presence in the enemy territory. Troops retreated returning fire as the alert Tiger cadres reacted, supported by a heavy barrage of mortars.
Two soldiers succumbed later to injures on admission to the Palali military hospital. LTTE infiltration into the Jaffna peninsula continues despite heavy security measures to deter LTTE activities in the peninsula.

Major haul of explosives

On Thursday afternoon, troops recovered a suicide jacket, T 56 assault rifle and a communication set buried in an abandoned land in Thirunaweli, Jaffna.
Earlier on Wednesday, troops unearthed a major haul of explosives and ammunition in West of Walikamam, Jaffna.

Troops recovered four suicide jackets, two claymore mines four remote control devices, two T 56 assault rifles, eight magazines, five hundred rounds of ammunition, ten hand grenades, one area map, three radio sets, twenty four detonators, thirty claymore mine batteries and two army uniforms.
According to intelligence reports, about twenty under cover Tiger cadres are operating in the Jaffna peninsula.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern front, the Navy has confirmed the death of sea Tiger leader Nishanthan, who led the sea Tigers to the sea battle off Pulmudai on September 27It was believed that Nishanthan perished in the sea clash in which the Navy said it killed at least 18 Tiger cadres. His death was confirmed after SBS commandoes recovered the body of the slain guerrilla floating in the sea. Immediately after, the top Tiger leader went missing; the Navy has noticed a larger number of fishing boats from Sali Sambalthivu area dominating the sea. A naval officer said the sea Tigers could have assigned the local fishermen to comb the sea to find clues about the fate of Nishanthan.

On September 30, the sailors were alerted by local fishermen of the presence of the body of a Tiger cadre. The body was later handed over to Police.

(http://www.lakbimanews.lk/defence.htm)