Tigers dig for tough fight in Mullaitivu

Troops Capture LTTE mortar launching pad
By Ranga Jayasuriya

The LTTE is digging deep for a protracted battle in the jungles of Mullaitivu, a terrain once thought to be impregnable. The 59 Division operating ahead of their original defence lines in Janakapura and Ethawetunu wewa continued to inch further into the Tiger hinterland triggering fierce battles north of Janakapura, last week, but, military officials anticipate a heavier resistance as troops move past Thanimurukku. From there onwards lies a vast paddy field, a flat open terrain where approaching troops and armour are visible to a distance.
The LTTE, understandably, anticipated the military onslaught into the Tiger hinterland; yet, it apparently believed that the military advance to come from the coastal road running northwards from Kokkuthuduwai parallel to the North Eastern coast. Heavy defenses had been built in the area to ward off any military advance.
War is based on deception, so said Sun Tzu in the world’s oldest military treatis on the ‘Art of War’.
In the Weli Oya front, the Sri Lankan Army pretended to advance from the Kokkuthuduwai front, yet, its real advance came from a stretch of 12 km land bordering the jungle from Ethawetunuwewa to Janakapura. The troops attached to the 59 Division had advanced approximately 8 km from their ordinary defence lines.
Military officials expect bitter battles to flare up as the troops advanced past Thannimurukku. To advance further, troops will have to cross the vast paddy field where the Tigers would likely offer stiff resistance. This open terrain is believed to be 3 km in width and 10 km in length. On Friday, sporadic clashes broke up north of Janakapura and Kiriebbanwewa and troops captured a bunker north of Janakapura. Last week, troops captured an LTTE mortar launching pad.

Assemble

Mullaitivu is an area where there is a large concentration of LTTE cadres. The LTTE could assemble a few thousand cadres at short notice without much difficulty. The LTTE’s battle tested “defence in-depth” strategy is well suited to this terrain, where the tigers could fight to delay, rather than to prevent the advance and wage a counter- attack when the operation loses momentum due to its protracted nature. This strategy has been used throughout operation Jayasikuru, during which troops who were advancing along the A9 highway to open a road link between the Jaffna peninsula and Vavuniya, was faced with ferocious counter- attacks deep inside enemy territory.
As far as the Weli Oya front is concerned, the LTTE strategy appears to be the same. However, any further advance of troops through the Andankulam jungles would risk the LTTE’s jungle bases. Thus the land, the LTTE could yield to the forces to entice them deeper into its hinterland is limited. Hence, bitter battles are likely to flare up as troop’s inch further into the LTTE’s once impregnable 1-4 base.
The 1-4 bases, a cluster of two dozen camps are located in an area of 20 square kilometers in the jungles of Andankulam. This sprawling base had its name as there were 14 camps in the area during the late eighties when Tigers shifted to jungle bases in the face of military operations waged by the Indian Peace Keeping Force.
The Munagam Base which was captured early this month is considered to be a peripheral base of the 1-4 bases.
In the Mannar front, the 57 Division is advancing westwards of Periyamadu tank, moving towards Palamadu. Troops of the 57 Division last week captured Periyamadu tank and laid siege to the abandoned Periyamadu village. A military official said troops were coming across a large number of booby traps placed by retreating Tiger cadres.
The 57 Division is expected to move further towards Palamadu, located approximately 10 km from Periyamadu. The capture of Palamadu would encircle Vedithalthivu, which is home to a major sea Tiger launching pad. Vedithalthivu is located 2 km from Palamadu.
The cut off of the supply route would leave Vedithalthivu to be replenished solely from the sea. The resultant admin nightmare by the cut off of the supply route would prompt the Tigers to abandon the base, opined a military official.
The induction of the 57 Division towards Palamadu is prompted by stiff resistance faced by the 58 Division in the north of Adampan. Earlier, the 58 Division captured the Adampan town after several weeks of stand off. This Division was expected to advance further northwards towards Palamadu; however, the Tigers have put up stiff resistance to troops advancing in the open terrain north of Adampan.

Dramatic transformation

It is fair to say that the SLA had undergone dramatic transformation during the past three years. Not only where manpower was concerned - five new divisions were formed during this period- and weaponry, even mobility of the forces has been improved. This indeed had given room for greater manoeuverability. In the battle front, troops have taken the initiative, forcing the LTTE to defend itself from multiple fronts. This is a stark contrast from the past, where smaller, but highly mobile LTTE cadres took the initiative in many instances.
Recent military successes are largely attributed to this dramatic transformation. However, it is naive to write off the LTTE. Are we to believe that the battle for Mullaitivu would be short and swift? However, all signs point to the contrary.

Intelligence apparatus warned of Tiger attack

More arrests, more shocking details

The state intelligence arm-the State Intelligence Service warned of an LTTE plot to attack a convergence of police and military personnel a day before the deadly suicide blast in Thekkawatta police complex in Vavuniya. The warning came just a day before the terror- attack which killed 12 police officers and injured 23 others.

Terror attacks

The SIS warned of possible terror attacks, naming three places where the security forces personnel are generally gathered including the ill- fated Thekkawatta police complex, LAKBIMAnEWS learnt.
“The LTTE would attack soft targets where service personnel converge, in an effort to inflict heavy casualties and divert attention from the Wanni front”, the warning stated. This was not the first occasion when an LTTE plot to this effect was revealed. Earlier, one of the two LTTE cadres arrested in Kandy — one of whom committed suicide swallowing cyanide — revealed that they planned to attack a gathering of security forces personnel.
However, on that fateful Monday, a lone suicide bomber riding a motorcycle caused mayhem amidst waiting policemen and school children in Vavuniya. Policemen were waiting to be taken to their duty positions.
Following the bombing however, there was swift action from the police. It was akin to shutting the stable gates after the horse has bolted.
A day after the blast, police arrested four men including two mechanics who were believed to have fitted the bomb to the motorcycle.
Two men were picked from a garage in the town. Acting on their tip off, police arrested another person who has allegedly assisted the two suspects in fitting the bomb. The owner of the cycle ridden by the suicide bomber was a Sinhalese in Maho who has sold it about three months ago to a person in Vavuniya. He was running a vehicle sale business and the suicide attacker had purchased the motorbike bearing registered no NW MG 6883 from the said dealer for 80,000 rupees. The suicide attacker had posed off as a Muslim from Veppakulam, Vavuniya.
If the attack shattered the uneasy calm that prevailed in Vavuniya, which despite heavy fighting in the northern front and was largely immune to large scale bomb blasts, more shocking details are to come later in the week.
Police have now warned the public of an explosive laden motorcycle bearing Registered No WP UD 2643 and Engine No 07D08M02589. The motorcycle had been brought to Colombo from Vavuniya for another suicide mission in the city, police has announced.

Terror plots

While military operations in the northern front reaches its decisive phase with fighting having erupted at the gates of the LTTE’s once impregnable 1-4 base, the country is facing an ever increasing threat of terror attacks. Several arrests have been made last week and more shocking details of terror plots have been revealed. The arrest of the two LTTE suspects in a house in Wattala, thanks to the watchful eyes of the landlord, a JVP provincial counsellor is narrated elsewhere in these pages.
On Thursday, police arrested two youth who were transporting a large cache of gelignite sticks at the Pandulagama police-army checkpoint. The explosive sticks, weighing 60 kg had been concealed among coconuts and salt packets. The vehicle was heading towards Vavuniya when it was stopped and the driver and the cleaner were handed over to the Nochchiyagama police.
Among other developments, last week, two policemen were shot dead by an unidentified gunman at Kalmunakudi.
The deceased who were on duty were heading to the Kalmunai court when they the gunman spread them with bullets.
In another development, the Media Centre for National Security reported that the intelligence leader of Trincomalee South known as Thangun was killed by troops in Neelepola. A 9mm. Pistol and two magazines were also recovered.

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