Prabakaran Is Presumably Fighting His Last battle In Conventional warfare.
by Col.R.Hariharan
The battle being waged by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to defend Mullathivu in the face of the Sri Lanka security forces’ onslaught may well be the last conventional military operation by Tamil insurgent leader Velupillai Prabakaran in the two-year-long “Eelam War IV.” Mullathivu is the LTTE’s last bastion, what is left from an original domain of nearly nine districts it had ruled for over a decade. The security forces are building up a four to six division-strong force for what they promise to be the closing call on the LTTE.
After the fall of Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass successively during the early part of January, the LTTE lost control of the Kandy-Jaffna A9 road, and with it lost the ability to have an impact on the lives of most of the people of the Northern Province. The LTTE had dominated the road, considered to be the lifeline for Jaffna, a city that had once flourished as a thriving business hub next only to Colombo. After driving out the LTTE from the A9, the security forces were focussing on three aspects — consolidating their hold on the highway by eliminating LTTE defences east of it, opening the axes of offensive to Mullathivu, and getting ready for a final offensive on Mullathivu.
During the first half of the month, the security forces eliminated the line of LTTE defences along the old Kandy-Jaffna road running parallel to the A9 to its east. With the clearing of the defences aligned from Iranamadu in the south to Vaddakachi and Dharmapuram in the north, the forces marginalised the LTTE’s capability to interfere with the A9. So the forces may well keep up the promise to open the road within a month for civilian traffic, thus providing much needed relief to Jaffna’s beleaguered citizens. Though the LTTE had stoutly defended its strong points such as Iranamadu and Dharmapuram, its intention was probably only to delay the start of the offensive on Mullathivu.
During these operations, the forces captured the LTTE’s main airstrip east of the Iranamadu tank on January 15. This was an important airstrip used by the tiny LTTE air wing for its plucky operations that caused more psychological impact than operational damage. It was built in a clearing of heavy undergrowth, cleverly using the old Kandy-Jaffna road passing through the area. The 1.5-km long and 40-metre wide airstrip was central to a complex of two smaller airstrips located to the north and south of the Iranamadu tank. These were captured in earlier months. Five days earlier, the security forces had captured another battle-ready airstrip west of Mullathivu.
The six LTTE airstrips that have been captured so far go to show the enormous effort the insurgents had put into developing their air capability. Undoubtedly, the ceasefire period during the peace process was put to build up the ground infrastructure for air operations. These are a testimony not only to the LTTE’s technical capability but its relentless effort to build military capability regardless of peace parleys. Significantly, none of the two light aircraft used by it earlier for raids have been found. Presumably they were dismantled and mothballed in hideouts as the operational conditions and the active air and ground surveillance would have made it difficult to fly them out of harm’s way.
Mullathivu town, which is the focal point of the current offensive, is located on a narrow strip on the eastern coast of the Northern Province, flanked by the sea on the east and the Nanthikadal lagoon on the west. Its defence perimeter is made up of a complex of LTTE positions strung up as a crescent along the western edge of the lagoon starting from Puthukkudiyiruppu in the north to Tanniyuttu on the Mankulam-Mullathivu A34 road.
The security forces’ battle plans are built on three broad fronts. 55 Division coming from Jaffna along the northwest has blocked the escape routes through Chundikulam, a key Sea Tiger base. From the same direction, 58 Division is advancing along the A35 road fighting a series of delaying positions. From the west, 57 Division is playing a containing role with the LTTE cadres boxed in the jungles between Iranamadu tank and Mullathivu. The main offensive is being built up from the south with three task forces — which are formations smaller than divisions — and 59 Division. The task forces are combing the jungles while 59 Division is poised for the assault.
With such a large force confronting them, the LTTE cadres defending Mullathivu are facing a situation that is not dissimilar to what they faced during their defence of Kilinochchi, which crumbled after the government forces broke through the perimeter defences. Mullathivu might face the same fate with the final assault going through as a walk-in into a ghost town.
Humanitarian agencies have warned of an impending human tragedy with about 3.5 lakh civilians trapped in the battle zone, and the LTTE is being accused of using them as a cover. However, civilians have started flowing into the area controlled by the security forces in their hundreds, indicating that the LTTE is no more able to exercise tight control over them.
Thus, what is possibly Prabakaran’s last battle is likely to leave him in a position similar to what he was in 1987 — mauled badly and trying to cut his losses and live to fight another day. And, as earlier, the security forces are at his heels to catch or kill him, although the army commander, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka, says the Tiger chief might have fled the island for a safer refuge. After losing the precious lives 24,000 of his followers in nearly three decades of war, Prabakaran is still where he was to pursue his dream of a Tamil Eelam. (courtesy: The Hindu)
(Colonel (retd) R. Hariharan served as head of intelligence with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka during 1987-1990. E-mail: colhari@yahoo.com )
17 Comments
COL.HARIHARAN. YOU HAVE MENTION IN YOUR ARTICLE THAT Prabakaran Is Presumably Fighting His Last battle In Conventional warfare.
NOT PRESUMABLY HE IS FIGHTING LAST BATTELE WITH SRI LANKA ARMED FORCE ONE AN ONLY GUTTY FORCE IN THE WORLD.
The writer of this article - Col Hariharan will know a lot more - I suppose.
But the storey is that some Indian Forces are working with the SL army! Armaments given by India has also been put to full use. Besides the continuous aerial bombing of the LTTE and killing of civilians including infants in the area is the most disturbing stories to hear.
Do you agree that the LTTE without any weaponry and equipment has kept the many thousands of SL army at bay, for so long?
Having been caught up in the North during the Indian offensive, I am fully aware of the immense attrocities and aerial bombings carried out by the Indian forces. Having gone for five days, I got stuck in Jaffna for five weeks! But the news paper stories were quite to the contrary, of the actual incidents, includng the Jaffna hospital massacre by the Indian forces.
What a great tragedy. More than 15 years of satyagrahas and political discussions by the Tamils during the fifties and sixties did not achieve any thing, but only got beaten up repeatedly by the sinhalese. Many agreements were torn up by the sinhala governments, once in power. This resulted in the formation of LTTE, PLOT, TELO and so on.
This is Karma - every one will have their day, which ever way one looks at it!
Dear Col. Hariharan,
your article is once again partial. But that doesnt matter any more.
You said in your article:
"Thus, what is possibly Prabakaran’s last battle is likely to leave him in a position similar to what he was in 1987 — mauled badly and trying to cut his losses and live to fight another day."
Well, he has still given you Indians a great show, hasnt he? As I can remember many Tamils were killed by your IPKF in that time.
Any word aboout that? Why should you? You are talking about peace. But you are hiding also the truth. Instead of blaming the LTTE, you should blame IPKF horror troops first.
But this image is the better one, I guess. Keep it up.
Who harmed the industrious, educated, prosperous Tamil community - particularly of the North-East Province - most? The Sinhala political system and the almost mono-ethnic army, police and the
forces? Tamil militancy with its failed strategies or its predecessors the Tamil moderate political leadership? India's own machinations? or the calculations of Fate? -
This will be a continuing argument among most Tamils and some
academic Sinhalese and others for a long time. Meanwhile, an entire
generation of Tamils suffered immensely - nearly half of the population to involuntarily leave (evicted brutally, if you like?) overseas.
The cruel and insensitive charge of "economic refugees all now
living comfortably in the diaspora and never to return" is refuted by a blogger elsewhere who expresses the view of many in the diaspora I have spoken to in the past many years - "we will come -
even under conditions of much lesser prospects for us individually - to revel in the sweet smells and sounds of our land bequeathed to us by the hands of our forefathers. We will come to kneel and pray in our ancient and beloved places of worship. We will come to embrace once more our brothers, sisters, kith, kin and our people"
It will only be t a polity deaf, dumb and blind - that has caused most of the suffering and eviction to these cultured people - that will be indifferent to this reality. When those conditions are created
for the Tamil-speaking people to return to their homes in the North East to live in peace, dignity and free from the fear of attack on their persons and their properties; when they can map out their own socio-political destiny - is the time when we can
truly say Peace has arrived in Sri Lanka. It is perhaps good for the Sinhalese to remember the latest Statement of senior Parliamentarian and Statesman R. Sampanthan MP (reviled unjustly and cruelly as Tiger proxy) where he underlines the word "internal"
self-determination of the Tamil-Speaking people of Sri Lanka. Our Sinhala friends must know at least at this late stage Tamils still want to live in an undivided Sri Lanka. It is upto the Sinhalese poltical leadership (more the real holders of politicl power - the Buddhist heirarchy) to work out the structures and accceptable propositions for this new reality.
ISS
If you study the current battle formations surrounding the LTTE areas, it is clearly evident that Sri Lankan army is looking to get rid of LTTE from the jungles, and then strike the LTTE heartland in Mullatheive. It is clearly different from the earlier wars where the army captured the towns first, and LTTE then reorganized in the jungles striked back. After all in couple of months or may be even sooner Sri Lankan army will sorround the Mullatheive Town and LTTE will have no where to go, but surrender or risk the lives of thousands of civilians.
"Prabakaran Is Presumably Fighting His Last battle In Conventional warfare"
Yes Colonel Hariharan, Indeed you are right. He doesn't need to fight any more because SLA's all seven divisions will be wiped out very soon. God bless Tamil Eelam.
Hei ISS,
it seems like you'll never return to your mother land! If your dream is about to be fulfilled it will be by the Sri lankan forces not by LTTE. The so call "THOSE CONDITIONS" of yours never get birth of it own, so sweet dreams and don't dare warm up for return here, because nobody will wait for you then.
.
So what?
What are they (the 250,000 sinhalese army) going to do next? Attack Tamilnadu!!
I won't be surprised, less problem for North Indians.
:-)
Dear Col. Hariharan, your article seems to outline may things which happened in the Tamil struggle but fail to state the atrocities caused by the IPKF in Sri Lanka. You being responsible for the intelligence would have certainly knew about ALL the Tamil civilians killed (at least 6,000 of them), Tamil women raped and properties robbed by the IPKF. Since all Tamil civilians in the Tamil areas at that time knew about it I am sure you are aware of at least 50% of it. But your pride and particularly your pension you draw from the Government will not allow you to write about it.
So there goes impartial writing...In addition please also remind to people in this web at that time in 1987, IPKF had 140,000 troops just in the North and East. In the South 120,000 Sri Lankan troops and still they couldn't contain the Struggle.
V Prabaharan (VP) may be fighting his last battle in order to save his own skin however, everytime he is cornored there will be someone somewhere to help him to bounce back. When VP was cornored in Alampil area by IPKF, it was Rajiv Ganthi who saved him from death or Humiliation or near death. It was President Premadasa who protected him from IPKF by throwing them out of Sri Lanka.
All interested parties needed VP's service in Sri Lanka. He happily provided them with excellent result for which Tamils paid dearly. This is a price the Tamils have to pay for VP's diplomacy.
It was India which created the LTTE, it now feels the need to finish them off. I suspect if requested India will consider Prabaharan's safe "Passage to India". He would be given a place to live and indulge his favourite pass time. There is no love lost between LTTE and India. The price India would extract from VP is Pottuamman's head on a plate. VP will oblige as he believes in "self preservation".
Indian Army did not start fighting against LTTE. LTTE is the one who started fighting with IPKF. then do not blame IPKF. When you fight with bigger and better man powered Army you should expect normal civilian will be affected. If LTTE do not know how to protect Tamil civilians then they should not have started fighting against IPKF. LTTE fell to J.R ploy and started fighting with our neighbour. Then why did they joined with Sri Lankan Army who are our primary enemy to fight against IPKF. Ok you have killed around 1800 IPKF then why did LTTE killed Rajiv? Now you are paying for it. ("urudan pakaikin verudan kedum.") means If you fight with your neighbours, you will be finished. now LTTE did not have any place to go. LTTE should look back what they did against Telo, Plote and others . Kiddu shot telo members and set fire with tires in Tinnavelee. What singalese did to us in 1958, 1977, 1983, LTTE did to our brothers for what? Think if you are real human being. Telo members parents were cursing against LTTE at the time. Now it is happening to LTTE.What a world. Whats goes around comes around.
I fully agree with Col.Hariharan. Thanks for gentlemen like him we're able ti militarily crush LTTE and able to liberate tamils from the tigers clutches. We salute the yeomen service provided to our sinhala nation by people from kerala and the northern indian region. Our two nations destiny are tied together and leading us on a single path to victory over our common enemy, the nationless tamils all over the world.
May The Triple Gem Bless you!
Battle may be nearing but solutions never be found once Ltte is gone
i agrre with Geetal that the forces are not just going for mullativutown but little by little tightning the noose and surrounding the ltte. when you see the map in the army website www.army.lk this is quite evident.the tiger controlled parts have shrunk to unbeleivable levels. even reverting back to guerilla warfare is going to be difficult. the only hope for the ltte is to look for the weakest point in the army where the most inexperinced troops are and break out and counter attack.for this they should have sufficient manpower. they must be regretting the amount of tamil youths in other groups that they killed and the loss of eastern cadres.also they must be regretting that in post 1983 when tamil youth from tamilnadu wanted to join the training camps in india they refused them by tactfully telling it would be more satisfying to achieve eelam themselves.here is a small minority fighting among themselves, fighting with india and telling tamilnadu youth are not needed.where did they originally come from?.tamils are tamils regardless of wherever they are in the world.this is the great strengh of the muslims. they are so united. from all over the world they are coming to fight in iraq and afghanistan.the only superpower in the world has had enogh. ltte can learn a lesson from this that unity is strengh.the fact that they have fought for 25 years whithout unity is a testament to their tenacity, courage and determination,but the main point is eelam has not been achieved.
Hari Haran, I am sure that you are aware that during the last Indo Pakistan war, Pakistan could not fly their fighter planes direct from West Pakistan to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The flying range of those planes was 750 miles and Sri Lanka Government permitted the planes to land in Katunayake Air Port and promptly refuelled. As a pay back, now the Pakistan is doing helping the Sri Lanka’s program of ethnic cleansing. As far as India is concern I don’t understand why India should get into bed its enemy to kill innocent people who have direct link to South Indian people.
India is digging its own grave as next Indo Pakistan war, Pakistani and Chinese planes and missiles will be coming from Katunayake, Werawela and Hambantota Harbour targeting all strategic locations in South India. As you aware India has placed most of its strategic industries in South India to be far away from Pakistan and China because of India’s stupidity the enemies have come much closer.
Dirty and disgraceful North Indian dominated government is doomed to fail on their barbaric, inhuman and unsophisticated policies.
India will never be successful when they practice mockery and uncivilized policies. India is committing War Crimes in Kashmir and helping the Sri Lankan government on War Crimes. India can boast but the world has witnessed Indian govermnment's inability, incompetence and mockery when 10 Muslims went on carnage in Bombay recently.
India is making a grave mistake in supporting the Sinhala Apartheid regime in Sri lanka. India will learn from history that they made mockery decisions but it will be too late for any correction.
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