Military intelligence has revealed that the LTTE's main objective has now changed to capturing a Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher before Jaffna battle. MBRL rocket fire had caused severe damages to LTTE formations in Jaffna last August and it was one of the reasons the army did not lose any of the FDLs back then.
Meanwhile, it has now been confirmed that LTTE units clad in army uniform took part in Vavuniya battle. These units spoke in Sinhala and even managed to lure an army attack group into a trap. Group leader was shot dead but the soldiers managed to return to base later. The captured army Buffel too fell into a trap set by 'Sinhala speaking tigers'. When the Buffel went to battlefield to retrieve casualties, one of the disguised tigers had told the driver that there were more wounded soldiers left, in Singhalese. When the driver drove deeper into LTTE held areas as per instructions by the tigers, it was hit by an RPG and was captured by the tigers.( Special Forces of SLA later recovered the vehicle.)
A day after the main LTTE offensive was ended, army's Special Forces units staged a devastating counterattack on newly captured LTTE positions. This took the tigers by surprise and caused them to flee from most captured areas. LTTE had captured 3 SLA mortar positions (with launchers) in the battle. However, tigers had fled leaving behind the captured launchers (with no harm done to them) when SF attacked and secured the mortar positions.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka Air Force had flown 8 bombing sorties in Vavuniya area since the battle. MiG27 ground attack aircraft pounded LTTE artillery positions and newly raised LTTE defenses with greater accuracy. In fact it was the aerial raids which caused most of LTTE casualties.
It was falsely reported in pro LTTE media that nearly 7 artillery batteries were destroyed due to a ' commando style raid' by LTTE on SLA artillery base at Pompaimadu. DefenceNet learns that this claim is entirely false. The only artillery battery damaged in this battle was hit by LTTE long range fire. LTTE's ground troops never reached Pompaimadu base to carry out a commando raid. They were stopped (and later routed) near the Forward Defense Lines by soldiers of the 57th division.
THANK YOU DEFENCENET =)
ReplyDeleteDefenceNet, thanks for this clarification...it is heartening to see that you are now getting information that cuts through the false claims made by the LTTE carcass-maggots. Too many of our SL patriots believe what they see and hear vis-a-vis LTTE's so called "victories" against our brave SLDF boys/gals.
ReplyDeleteThere was one SL patriot here I saw today who asked "where did the LTTE get this new looking Buffle?"....can you believe it? It did not occur to this well intended patriot that the LTTE scum need not capture a Buffle, but all they have to do is get a picuture of one from an archive pic file or download one from a website and put out a news item saying that "LTTE has captured a SLA Buffle!" In this day of digital imaging, it's that simple!
LTTE agents are master fraudsters/deceivers. After all, they have carried out every conceivable fraud (credit card counterfeits, debit card counterfeits, loan fraud, mortgage fraud, counterfeit currency, counterfeit passports/IDs for profit, etc. etc.) in the West to raise funds for the LTTE and for them to download a picture an digitally master it for propaganda purposes is a cinch and this must be borne in mind by all SL patriots.
PrettyKfir aka OaO Asithri
I hear Killinocchi environs are now targeted specifically and SLA apparently has good info on a network of tunnels there. Soon the PrettyKfirs/Foxy MiGs will make sure those tunnels will "compound collapse" I am told.
ReplyDeleteAha, the day of reckoning is here I see...LTTE today is like a mangy wounded, sores infected, rabid puppy lurking under a culvert...for whom, death is bliss! And, death SLDF shall deliver with all due dispatch!
PrettyKfir aka OaO Asithri
is prabarkaran even in sri lanka? do we know what to hit in killinochchi? what about those LGBs, do we have enough? is a saddam type capture of vp a possibility? can we bribe insiders to give up the bastard? have we gotten close in the past?
ReplyDeletei guess these are the sorts of questions novices like myself think about. but in essence you'd be hoping the MI guys would also be thinking along these lines. there's no better way to end all this talk of separatism than to have this bastard in a colombo morgue with every international journalist and his dog there. i wish i live to see that day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like Sinhala speaking terrorists now in picture. May be Ltte are into last few before getting wiped out.
ReplyDeleteAny progress in Thoppigala battle? How far away from re-capturing?
Dont need to be sinhala speaking terrorists.how many words of sinhala does it take to convey a simple message in the heat of a battle?
ReplyDeleteSuely with accent not a too much of a issue me to work out who's real Sinhala and who's not (At least offten the case).
ReplyDeleteI can immagine it's not too easy to work out in battle ground.
But sounds like these LTTE got really closed to our camps by talking in good Sinhala.
Wonder these happened to be some of the Sinhala LTTE paide terrors.
Cheers Defencenet for the update.
ReplyDeleteI have listened to the VOT Sinhala broadcasts on the net and although the reader had a very slight accent under battle conditions it will pass easily as if it was a sri lankan soldier.
I am assuming we have got several units of MBRLs deployed on our fronts but my worry is that SLDF may feel confident that each of them is defended pretty well but when the LTTE attacks it will be a complete surprise and concentrate its forces on just that unit. Past confrontations have shown that the SLDF is not that good at destroying its own hardware when it is withdrawing.
A MBRL unit will be more devastating in the hands of the LTTE than we ever could because they are aware of the exact locations of our key military installations and they have always had the upper hand with ground intelligence on the movement of SLDF.
Its good that the SF have recaptured the lost areas. However I was quite disturbed by two events that occured recently.
ReplyDeleteFirst would be the SLA not accepting the 11 bodies from the ICRC which were given by the LTTE. There was alot of comments that this is LTTE propaganda. Now there is 2 possibilities, they can be bodies of SLA or some people killed by the LTTE etc.
Now some people explained that these guys did not have their identification. The attack occured at night. Although they are in the front line, they might not wear the tag when sleeping or bathing. Secondly it might be that they have their heads dismembered ect which resulted in they losing their ID tags.
However even if this was not the case, they should have accepted the bodies and proven so. This would make the LTTE look bad. This was a battle where the SLA was not involved in a major offensive and where they did not as declared have many losses. Hence they have ample time to do the verification. The LTTE has used this for propaganda and it makes the SLA look bad.
Secondly the Tamil Lodgers were asked to leave to the North/East. Well they are going to think the LTTE are their only saviours as even the SLA will not protect them. Someone said that even Chandrika did not react this way when she was attacked. I personelly think Karuna and Gang are the ones who needs to be deported to the east as they are loitering in Colombo.
Lastly, recapturing the lost areas is not the job of the SF. This is not part of an offensive or strategic objective like capturing a bridge ect. The military brass used the SF to counter the LTTE propoganda. This has 2 side effects. One it makes the need to be overtly dependent on the SF. Secondly it makes it look that only the SF and not regular infantry are capable of such operations.
If the Buffel was damaged then it was no use to the army recovering it. Its only useful for canibalisation for spares (good for that sense only for the LTTE also) and the engineers or somebody else can recover it.
DefenceNet, someone contacted a officer at the Batticloa station and he had said there was no such attack. he further said the train had derailed at that point because someone had removed the tracks.
ReplyDeletewho is telling the truth here?
Capturing ground not a good idea till east is fully secure.will cause troops to be spread too thin.easy to overcome and create optimum casualties like encounters in the past.
ReplyDeleteJiffy
ReplyDeletethanks for your kind comments.I dont think we will catch vp..I am sure he will die a gallent death like the most recent hindi movie produced in bollywood
we dont want to kill him. because if we do the tamil children will be copying his beard and moustache for generations to come.Do we really need to warp their sense of style after what they have gone through/
ReplyDeleteYou've got a really good point their navindran the SLA have been relying heavily on the SF guys to get the job done. I mean using special forces to advance your forward defence line is crazy considering the training and investment in terms of money and time to train these guys as elites.
ReplyDeleteWhen the times comes for another LTTE attack there are more than likely to be attacking regular infantry units of the SLA and their levels of morale is questionable considering the SF forces guys have been doing all the work!
Furthermore, the extensive use of the SF forces will allow the tigers to formulate counter-strategies to contain their offensives. It goes without saying that the element of battle fatigue may begin to arise if this goes on for too long and in this early stage of the campaign it may seriously hinder the SLA's attacking capability.
i am sure the army commander Hon gen fonseka knows what he is doing..
ReplyDeletemay the triple gem bless him and guard his life
"There was one SL patriot here I saw today who asked "where did the LTTE get this new looking Buffle?"....can you believe it? It did not occur to this well intended patriot that the LTTE scum need not capture a Buffle, but all they have to do is get a picuture of one from an archive pic file or download one from a website and put out a news item saying that "LTTE has captured a SLA Buffle!" In this day of digital imaging, it's that simple!"
ReplyDeleteAsithri, there is no doubt that the LTTE had two Buffels, the only quesiton is whose were they, in their video on Pathivu it clearly shows the second one being towed by what looks to be an older model.
Thanks defencenet for clarification... it's not easy to get correct info as we can read different stories for same news
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDefenceNet, this is not my Blog, but please bear with me for publishing the latest from the war front as I feel members here deserve an "upper"...
ReplyDelete---------------------------------
Army closing in to Thoppigala captures four LTTE camps- East
SL army troops during last 24 hours overran four LTTE camps in Pankudaweli North, and Naarakmulla South, Military sources said.
Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Smarasinghe said, that four LTTE camps at, Ibbanvila, Akkarathivu, Mawadi-ode, and Veppanveli have been captured by SL Army troops.
"Over 30 LTTE cadres were killed during the battle, and the troops have found eight dead bodies so far", Brigadier Smarasinghe said. He added that if the situation permits bodies would be handed over to the ICRC this evening.
Military sources form the east said, three of the LTTE cadres committed suicide when the army charged ahead. Same sources said many more LTTE bodies have been seen lying in the ground but yet to be collected.
One soldier was killed and 17 other sustained injuries during the battle. The injured were rushed to the hospitals.
The army during the subsequent search has so far found 06 Multi Purpose Machine Guns (MPMG), 21 T-56 assault riffles, 04 Rocket Propeller Grenade (RPG) launchers, and a large quantity of Anti Personnel (AP) mines and Ammunitions.
Clearing operations are still continuing.
-----------------------------
Well, well, what have we here? Looks like a well and truly WHACKING! I can see Thoppigala being renamed the "Koti Kannath-tha" (LTTE cemetary) in the future! LMSSAO!
asithri,
ReplyDeletein your previous comment, you were talking about the Buffel (not MBRL) am i correct?
What LTTE captured (for one day; must hav ebeen fun while it lasted ) was a mine protected APC aka Buffel, not a Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher
I doubt LTTE goons have even seen a MBRL for real let alone capturing one.
Awesome news about the Thoppigala offensive. I guess the Army higher command knew what they were doing when they decide to open two fronts in the North and East at the same time. It really doesn't matter whether we cleared the East by April or September or whenever, the final result is all that counts.
ReplyDeleteI also thinks it's sad the government didn't have the guts to stick to their guns about the lodge occupants issue. All those who protested the move should know that if more bombs go off in Colombo, they will have played an indirect role in helping the LTTE kill innocent civilians.
AT last some good and real news is emerging and its a good sign.As navindran said, the extensive usage of the SF must be reduced but the victories need to be appriciated. The nation defence article highlights the effor that the soldiers of the artilery regiment did to prevent more destruction needs much more appriciation too. I met a friend who is a copral retruned from kankasanthurei and he confirmed that the casualties of the last week's massive attack is less than 40 and he said that the guys who came with him in the same ship had talked really harsh about the casualty figures given by the UNP ministers and the cat and mouse game that they play in colombo in the heat of the battle.
ReplyDeleteThe army should have accpeted the bodies and they they should have proved the fraud that the LTTE has done. Rejecting the bodies has allowed LTTE gobels to use the corpse for their cheap propaganda campaigns.
As fas as the Buffel capture is concerned, I guess its much to do with propaganda in the side of the army.Lets hope that the army engineers would be able to make it serviceable ASAP.
Given the fact that LTTE used singhala speaking tigers to misguide the army, we need to take lessons from the history of war. In the 2nd world war,when the germany was in front of the doors of defeat, they launched a massive counter attack named "Battle of Bulge" and they used German special troops disguised as US GIs speaking very good english in american style, inside the american controlled territory to confuse and misdirect troops. This took the GIs by surprise and took some days to recover the heavy losses. When general Pattons 6th army joined the battle, they took some precautionary messures and soon the culprits were wiped out.
The move to use SF to recapture the area and the gun positions was important because of several factors. LTTE used some of thier elite units for the assualt and they were using non conventional tactics that were not used eairlier. The ability of the SF to capture the lost ground, Buffel and the lost weapons show that still they are far superior to the so called elite units of the LTTE.
as for the logde occupants issue i think the govt did the right thing.What is needed is extra vigilance among the civilians.I get this feeling that the UNP know who these terrorists are and are using them to discredit govt.what is going on in parliament these days is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteJack my man...
ReplyDeleteyou say "no doubt" re. LTTE having two Buffel APCs and I say to you do not be so hasty. I may be wrong, but somehow I don't think you went to Vavuniya to witness this Buffel being towed!
The mastery of LTTE con artists is such that to doctor a footage of Buffels in motion (ether from a military parade or even from a manufacturer site) and superimpose it elsewhere to convince a "capture" is child's play.
It is well known that LTTE has invested in this area heavily with the state of the art digital/laser equipment as production of false documents is a key imperative for any terrorist group to assure its cadres' mobility through borders/checkpoints.
Now if that same technology they have invested in heavily also produces counterfeit credit/debit cards, currency notes, false identifications such as drivers licenses, passports, national ID cards, etc. etc. to carry out fraud and make a "profit" and additionally used the same technology to doctors/manufacture "news" for propaganda purposes, then that investment would be returning a triple-fold benefit and this is exactly what the LTTE have achieved.
After all, these are the LTTE con artists who have digitally mastered the production of counterfeiting currency notes and passports of even those western countries that boast having the "highest security features" in them!
The dead give-away of this scam was that the brand new looking Buffel allegedly captured by the LTTE had the number plates with only 4 digits after the two Sinhela letters, whereas actual SLA Buffels currently have number plates with 5 digits. Evidently, the number plate shown on this "captured" Buffel had the number plate belonging to an army ambulance!
All the digital mastery was good at producing doctored pics and video, but a minor error from a human (i.e. selecting a wrong number-plate for digitally imbedding on a new Buffel downloaded/copied from elsewhere) gave the whole scam away!
p.s. I know the usage of "human" in the above para is debatable; these terrorist scum are not "human" we all know.
----------------------------------
Lightening Struck Tower: Thanks for pointing out the mix up I had over Buffel vs. MBRL…my bad. See what too much Cognac in one night can do to you! Cheers!
"I doubt LTTE goons have even seen a MBRL for real let alone capturing one. "
ReplyDeleteHi lightining, well from what I understand the LTTE already posses smaller MBRL units, in fact they were used in a failed attack in the east, if you recall when they attacked a string of bases and attempted a truck bombing of one.
"It is well known that LTTE has invested in this area heavily with the state of the art digital/laser equipment as production of false documents is a key imperative for any terrorist group to assure its cadres' mobility through borders/checkpoints.
ReplyDelete"
Hi Asthiri, yes I am sure they have, just not sure they used it in this case. If anything I think they may have just towed along one of their own units.
But they captured a bunch of buffels before so it seems likely this was legit as the buffel doing the towing looks like an older model, and the one being towed looks like the newer ones. Also given that it was being towed seems to add credence to the story that it was disabled by an RPG but not severly damaged otherwise.
Anyway like I said before I highly doubt one buffel means a lot to eiter side.
Hey Jack my man...
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Whether the LTTE scummies captured a single Buffel or not is not an issue. For God's sake, we have lost two MBTs to them in the past and I think one of those MBTs is still in their possession (the other was destroyed by SLAF I believe) and a MBT is a more grave loss than a single Buffel.
Anyway, the feverish pitch the LTTE scummies are scurrying about now I hear is to try and capture one or two of our MBRLs! Those MBRL babies fire 40, 122mm rockets in 20 secs and they are simply awesome! One SLDF guy once told me in Sampoor when the LTTE tried to overrun a SLA line, the SLA used the MBRLs and sure enough, the MBRLs did the "job" and when SLA came to the areas where the rockets were targeted, they found LTTE dead bodies strewn everywhere...he said it was like picking cockroaches after insecticide spray! This is why the LTTE scummies are hell-bent on capturing a MBRL!
It is true LTTE has a “pickup-truck mounted” crude version of MBRL consisting of I believe either 12 or 16 tubes with much smaller caliber rockets. These they used in the East with some results, but they are no match for the 40-tube RM70 versions we possess.
May be the SLA strategy should be to bait the scummies with a disabled, dummy RM70 and do a load of “cherry-picking” when they take the bait and go for it! LMSSAO!!!
OaO Asithri
jack,
ReplyDeleteYes they do have 6/12 barrel MBRL batteries which are nothing compared to RM-70 MBRL's the army has. In fact LTTE MBRLs look like Nebelwerfer rocker batteries from World War two era.
can someone pls tell me the range of the MBRL..
ReplyDeleteSrilankan,
ReplyDeletepls have a look
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RM-70
http://trans.voila.fr/ano?anourl=http%3A//www.armyrecognition.com/europe/Tchecoslovaquie/vehicule_artillerie/RM-70/RM-70_Tchecoslovaquie_description.htm&anolg=65544
ReplyDeleteAccording to this article, the minimum range is 11kms
thanks MBRL
ReplyDeleteBoth sides take heavy losses in fighting on two fronts
ReplyDeleteGrim details of last week’s bloody battle in the general area west of Omanthai emerged as four soldiers who had been earlier declared missing in action reached the army lines on Thursday night. They were among 28 soldiers reported missing after the LTTE struck on the night of June 2. Although 24 personnel are unaccounted for, 18 of them are believed to have been killed according to a well informed source.
MBRL, only 4 english speaking germans were ever caught. Iguess the rest slipped away. There were american born germans serving the weimarch against american forces and they could have easily slipped back.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the guy in KKS, seems to be more well informed of activities in Vavuniya ect then a ex general in the UNP is highly doubtful. Don't shoot the messenger.
Lastly to use special forces to counter the LTTE elite units, you are implying that they are better then regular infantry. I guess there is alot of political pressure to recover lost areas.
Alot of emphasis is put on MBRLs in the discussions. I guess they are good before and offensive starts. However whn close quater fighting like in Muhumalai, they are useless. Often those are a rifleman battle.
"Grim details of last week’s bloody battle in the general area west of Omanthai emerged as four soldiers who had been earlier declared missing in action reached the army lines on Thursday night."
ReplyDeletewhen God made the sinhalese He made 'em hard as nails and as crafty as foxes. i would love to hear what these comrades have to say. in the meantime bravo and welcome back!
An article on the thoppigala battle
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sundaytimes.lk/070610/News/news4.html
Navindran, I get your point mate.. but the casualties bought by the UNP goons are not real that u have to accept. The total casualty figure is around 60(MAX) and its no way near the amount published by the UNP. Its clear mate... They have spread a lie to gain political advantage. Its the plain truth.
ReplyDeleteI see few similarities of the battle of the bulge and the last weeks attack where LTTE used tactics of deception to misguide troops.
ReplyDeletePls have a look
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Greif
AS we all know some politicians want this war to last for ever.They know that the moment the war is finished the govt will start investigating their malpractices.IS there a special law by which traitors can be prosecuted , all their assets ceased and them sent to batalande?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6109
ReplyDeleteThoppigala capture is done without Karuna’s help
Looks like I Karuna is out as I was expecting. Karuna would probabily be killed soon or asked to leave Sri Lanka. This is because Pilliyan does not want someone attacking him from the back which would make him fail in his mission to liberate thoppigala.
If Pilliyan suceeds in his fight, I guess Karuna will be a gift to Pilliyan for whatever he wants to do.
MBRL, The battle of the Bulge was a last ditch German attempt to break the British and American forces and ask for a armistice for Germany. Its the 101st Airbone the head it out.
ReplyDeleteThere is an excellent HBO series called the Band of Brothers directed by Tom Hanks. It gives a clear detail of how bastonge was held before the 3rd Army under Patton relieved the segie.
Navindran
ReplyDelete"Looks like I Karuna is out as I was expecting. Karuna would probabily be killed soon or asked to leave Sri Lanka. This is because Pilliyan does not want someone attacking him from the back which would make him fail in his mission to liberate thoppigala."
Karuna and Pilliyan should be protected . either Pilliyan / Karuna cannot servived without each other help for long term . and East is cleared TMVP should go for elections and Karuna should come to politics . Pilliyan can concentrate on North . at the end Pilliyan should also come to politics . until that both of them must be protected . they are the future leaders of the east .
There are so many comments here that it's haard to sort through, but let me respond to a few.
ReplyDeleteSomeone suggested that the SLA should accept the unID'd bodies regardless, and that some of the KIA may not have been wearing their dogtags while sleeping, bathing, etc. The Army won't acccept bodies it cannot ID -- it's an MoD policy. Soldiers wear their dogtags all the time, no matter what. However, many recently passed-out soldiers haven't been issued dogtags or IDs. Even seven months after I finished training, and while based at EPS, I was yet to receive dogtaags. I don't know if things are still the same.
About using SF to retake lost positions. This might sound like using unconventional troops in a conventional role, but it's not. This isn't a case of frontal assault on a Tiger position. Very often, in these situs, everything is very confused and the fighting is between small units as areas are consolidated. So to use the SF to cut off and recapture positions is a ranger-type role.
Finally, just because all the news is about the SF doesn't mean it's true. The media has realised the place the SF has got for itself in the heats of the population, and so know that any article with SF in the headline will be read. Also, many infantry units now are almost indistinguishable from spec ops units in dress (at least to the layman), ie bandanas, special camouflage, etc.
Anyone notice that there's very little news about the Commandos? They are just as good as the SF and are being used in equal proportions to the SF. They just don't get much coverage because all people wanna hear about are the SF and LRRP units.
I am in agreement with tigerkiller.The worst case scenario for the LTTE+some others is for both karuna and pilliyan to survive.The question is why so much information about karuna and pilliyan all of a sudden and supposed threats made by him in certain papers ?.Consider this in conjuction with some comments made in parliament about the IDs of some defense persons being revealed to the public.IT is agreed that he has to change his ways to siut a democracy. sorry im digressing here but this had to be said.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that some people have made it their mission in life to topple the govt when finally after 30 yrs it is trying seriously to bring some semblance of peace?.About karuna why is the british embassador so keen about a memeber of srilankan society he wouldnt waste his time to even glance at during peacetime?.IS he betting on the diaspora vote who may consider Col karuna a problem
ReplyDeletei apologise about this digression and uncharacteristic outburst
ReplyDeleteI am very interested to know the exact difference between the SF and COmmandos. The facts that I am aware are given here.
ReplyDelete1.Commandos have the chance of obtaining the marron cap.
2.Commandos are a seperate regiment and thier recruitement is seperatly done but for SF, the very best soldiers from the existing regiments are enrolled.
3.Commandos are given VIP protection training and hostage saving kind of missions with air marshal's capability training plus close quarter battle (CQB) training.
4.SF has mastered the art of counter terrorism and overrunnig enemy lines using extensive firepower or without notice to make attackes behind enemy lines.
5.SF teams usally work in 4 or 8 men teams having a snipers, heavy fire support guys in terms of RPG and LMGs and explossive experts with claymores.
6.Commandos are more conventional but SF is much more unconventional in terms of thier tactics.
Is there any more that I missed? Is this information correct. I might be wrong because I collected these info from wikipedia and etc.. If am wrong pls correct me.
How about air mobile units? Do both SF and Commandos have air mobile units or only SF?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore the dress sense of SF seems to be somewhat queer. Different soldiers wear different type of outfits and also different styles of wearing it. Some even wear the pants above the navel. What story does this say?
MBRL, some answers:
ReplyDelete1.Commandos have the chance of obtaining the marron cap.
Yes, the Commando beret is maroon, while the SF one is black.
2.Commandos are a seperate regiment and thier recruitement is seperatly done but for SF, the very best soldiers from the existing regiments are enrolled.
Initially both SF and Commandos recruited from within the Army, taking volunteers from other units. While this is still done, today, most Commando and SF troops are directly recruited from civilian life.
3.Commandos are given VIP protection training and hostage saving kind of missions with air marshal's capability training plus close quarter battle (CQB) training.
VIP training was initially given to individual commandos because high-ranking officers and politicians wanted the best soldiers on their BG teams. Once upon a time the Commandos and STF were the best in the country, and so were often detached to the PMSD and PSD.
The Commandos also were tasked with the hostage-rescue role (and still are) in addition to frontline duties, and so received CQB training.
4.SF has mastered the art of counter terrorism and overrunnig enemy lines using extensive firepower or without notice to make attackes behind enemy lines.
This commando/ranger-type role was initially unique to the Commandos. The original Commando tasking was as a deep-recce, commando, and HR unit. The original SF role was as a guerrilla force, trained to operate behind enemy lines in large numbers (like Chindits in WW2), train anti-LTTE civilian groups, and conduct strategic recce and sabotage missions. These remain the taskings for the two units, but both are sometimes used in the ranger/commando "strike" role as has been seen in Vakarai and Thoppigala.
5.SF teams usally work in 4 or 8 men teams having a snipers, heavy fire support guys in terms of RPG and LMGs and explossive experts with claymores.
Both the Commandos and SF have the 4-man patrol as the basic operational element which makes up the 16-man troop or patrol group which in turn makes up a roughly 50-man element called a group by the Commandos and a squadron by the SF. Both units employ their own snipers, demolitions experts, etc. Each unit also has its own int grou/squadron and training group/squadron.
6.Commandos are more conventional but SF is much more unconventional in terms of thier tactics.
Both units are unconventional warfare units, as is the STF. Both the Commondos and STF received initial SAS training, and so are modelled a bit more closely to the Brit unit in make-up and role. The SF was more influenced by Israeli thinking. Though this isn't always clearly noticeable.
Kiri, both the Airmobile Brigade is made up of infantry battalions and other detached units (arty, SF, Commandos, etc) which receive special airmobile training before rotating through the brigade.
ReplyDeleteIf you mean airborne units, the Army has no dedicated airborne units. Individual officers and ORs go through the para course. Obviously, the SF & Commandos have more jump-qualified troops than other units, but neither is an airborne unit, and the majority are straight legs.
What's the story behind their attire?
ReplyDeleteKaruna and Pilliyan will never see eye to eye. One has to leave and Karuna would look the most likely. I do not understand the fascination with these guys. Now that the area is cleared. Let UNP, SLFP etc (even TNA) fied canidates and win the elections democratically.
ReplyDeleteThe assumption is that easterns like Karuna Pilliyan or the TVMP. They are still considered LTTE regardless of how they are now. The east is a multi ethnic province. Karuna/Pilliyan murdered/raped/abducted all the ethnic groups in the east have nobodies welcome.
Who were in the east and commandered it when the LTTE held the area before the breakup. These numbskulls did all the horendous things and now you want them to lead the east. SRI LANKA is a democracy and let not only the easterners decide their fate and not me,you or the army.
About Karuna/pilliyan-why is it only certain papers have comments on them?.They are criminals no doubt.However i have a bad feeling that there are a lot of people who like to see karuna/pilliyan done away with simply because they have first hand info about those people.Besides why is this fellow chilcoot so interested karuna?-As far as chilcot is concerned he is just another "black faced man who should be working in a petrol station".these people are not interested if karuna/pilliyan murdered millions.Their interest is self interest.
ReplyDeleteWhatever karunas past deeds he has all the makings of a national hero.Why did he leave the LTTE,his military engagement history during the past 30 yrs,Why is he such a thorn in the ltte side?.If not for him the people of the east will continue to be violated to this day.He is not a stupid man and he knows that helping the army to conquer east will bring democracy to east someday and he may not be elected by the people of the east and at some point he may have to face charges.He still wants the people of the east to have all the benefits and facilites like the rest of SL..why?
ReplyDeleteI think the ltte know that Col karuna has info about many of their money transactions and crooked dealings...
ReplyDeleteThis LTTe thing has nothing to do with the grievances of the tamil people.what this has to do with is finding a way to make a few velvettiturai tamils obscenely rich living lives of luxury in the west while hindu kids die. The longer this ltte (B***S***)can be maintained the more money for a few families overseas through donations etc.
ReplyDeleteOn the Karuna/Pillian issue, the Security forces are probably caught in two minds about what to do.
ReplyDeleteIn view of the East, Pillian's ground intelligence and knowledge of the terrain helped the security forces a great deal to rapidly clear the LTTE from their previous strongholds. Although the security forces have largely cleared the east of the LTTE the help of Pillian is still required to prevent any future LTTE infiltration back to the east to destabilise the Government's rehabilitation work.
In view of Karuna the security forces have access to someone who has led key confrontations against the security forces on behalf of the LTTE and on numerous occasions have emerged victorious. Furthermore, he will be an asset for the security forces if they should decide to open the Nothern theatre of battle as he was involved in the capture of Elephant Pass previously and he will have a unique knowledge of the terrain in the Northern province. However it is important to bear in mind that most of the security forces personnel especially the STF members dislike working with Karuna as he was involved in the massacre of a large number of STF troopers in the east (I can't remember the exact figure or the date, may be someone on the blog could help me).
In conclusion, thinking of the battles to come, I think it is prudent to keep both Pillian and Karuna at hand. They may not necessarily be part of the TMVP or we may see the emergence of a splinter organisation yet again but I feel they are both required if the security forces are to overcome the latest round of hostilities.
Kanishka many thanks for your comments.I cannot even begin to understand how the STF feel. My heart felt condolences go out to those STF members families.In war sadly it is a question of kill or get killed. I am not making any excuses for karunas brutality-was it Velus orders to massacre large numbers of STF?.But after everything that has happened it takes a lot of bravery to change sides-GOSL being the weak side at that time.The exact events are a blur to me and i would like a kind person more knowledgable than me to fill in the blanks.In those dark dark days the worst factor the STF had to deal with were politicians who were more interested in buying apple farms in Australia.Todays news on itn makes me happy.This is why commented previously that these LTTE goons still think of the STF "in that light".My they must have been surprised when the STF counter attacked in the recent battle.
ReplyDeleteA point here is that after killing so many STF troops he is still willing to fight with them.In other words he is placing his own life at risk because he does not know if a STF trooper will kill him because of his past.probably he does notlead from the front.
ReplyDeleteHowever no EXCUSES for those Apple FARM b*****ds who betrayed our secret service to the LTTE.
ReplyDeleteKanishka,
ReplyDeleteKaruna was involved in the massacare of 400 policement(NOT STF I repeat not STF)who surrendered with weapons. They were given the order to surrender by the government during the last stages of the peace talks at that time. According to a news paper report that I read recently, LTTE had announced to handover the weapons and giveup in order to ensure a safe passage for the policemen. But after the capture they were blindfolder and killed using sub machine gun fire. The year is 1987 I guess.Pls add any information to this in case of an error in the facts.
Thanks MBRL
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSorry MBRL. Yeah the year was 1990 and most articles go on to say that police officers in the east were massacred after they surrendered. I assumed that a large proportion of these were STF as they were operating extensively in the region during that period.
ReplyDeleteAnyway the point that I was trying to get at was that Karuna had already betrayed once and what is there to stop him doing it again?
How about sucessive govts betraying karuna which resulted in the LTTE massacreing lots of his cadres.?As i understand it the LTTE killed 100's of his cadres.
ReplyDeleteHow were the police killed my submachine gun fire.Was it a single shot to the head each?
ReplyDeleteSrilankan said...
ReplyDelete"How were the police killed my submachine gun fire.Was it a single shot to the head each?"
I don't know mate, guess you should ask Karuna that!
was it not in the papers then?
ReplyDeleteI feel so sad for those police families. I just hope the people can forgive...But this is going to take a long time..if it ever happens
ReplyDeletei dont vote. But what i see now looks like the right thing.this all started because JR sent his police chief to rescue this b88888d velu
ReplyDeletedefencenet..what do u think about the karuna factor?
ReplyDeleteDefencenet... have ya seen the Al gazeera Tony Birtley report/video on the SL Navy and sea tigers today ? Can ya link it up here ?
ReplyDeleteTks mate !
"he will be an asset for the security forces if they should decide to open the Nothern theatre of battle as he was involved in the capture of Elephant Pass previously and he will have a unique knowledge of the terrain in the Northern province. "
ReplyDeleteHi Kanshika,
Not sure this really matters, after all the SLA too held that area for many years and I am sure there are commanders who know the terrain just as well.
I think Karuna's true use has been in intel gathering via moles within the LTTE etc.
HI Jack but can the SLA commanders speak tamil considering their new anti terrorist tactics?
ReplyDeleteAgian I see a veneration of Karuna/Pilliyan. Some people say that Karuna killed 600 policeman, its okay because he is on our side now. Thats ridicolous. Its like telling Karuna was a little baby and Prabha guided his hand to pull the trigger. If not Karuna did not even know how to hold a gun.
ReplyDeleteHe was the commander of the east for the LTTE. DO you really think he was looking for a democaratic position or that without the gun, he will be a leader. He killed muslims with impunity. I do not think Prabha is a saint but who do you think would have wanted the muslims killed.
He was and his men were bought over with money. He wants to free the east but he threatens journalist, members of parliment and kidnaps rich people.
Do you think Karuna really cares about democracy. Somebody says that Karuna can prevent infiltrations in the east. The LTTE has probabily brought back few hundred to the east recently. What has Karuna done to stem the flow. There are measures that need to be taken and you do need Karuna persay to do it.
David Blacker served in EPS before. Hence now that he is out of the army, do you think the army is helpless and needs him back. Karuna is an easterner. How often do you think he spent in the north.
Its like being born and raised in Colombo. After going to kandy and leaving the place for several years, do you think you remember everything. Do you think things would not have changed. Do you think since the SLA withdrew and Karuna defected, all the defences of the LTTE are still at the same.
He does not even know about how many planes the LTTE has. This is the extent that Prabha has trusted him.
His game is near an end. Its obvious. First the split between Karuna and Pilliyan knowing that Karuna was weaker was engineered to weaken the group. Secondly Asian Tribune's and other media support of anti Karuna propaganda/news reflects the drive.
Karuna is a criminal and as they say the lepoard does not change its spots. He behaves like he is in the LTTE. He murders, robs, recruits underage kids,threatens anyone who opposes him. I see he has only a very short time. If he leaves SL he will still live.
A Bomb blast near Orugodawatthe..
ReplyDeleteNo casualities. Target Transformer.
Bomb exploded in Orugodawatta but no damages it semms
ReplyDeleteDefence Dep. confirm that there were no damages
ReplyDeletehttp://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070612_03
Navindran, as I told you before, your hatred for Karuna is affecting your common sense. All your comments about him being a terrorist, murderer, etc., maybe true, and some of the comments seen here about him being a national hero maybe silly, but the fact remains that he has his uses. And in war you use the weapons you have. To do otherwise is foolishness. He may not know how many plaanes the LTTE has, but that's just one component, and there are many other things he does know.
ReplyDeleteI'm flattered and amused by your comparison of me to Karuna, but I assure you that's not a valid analogy:)
Karuna is a dangerous animal.
ReplyDeleteHe is sowing the seeds of further discord by preying on the muslims in the East.
GoSL will have a real problem when Karuna demands his pound of flesh. If you think he is making his services available out of altruism you are greatly mistaken.
David, I was trying to split the propganda and the reality for some of the bloggers. The SLA/politicians love Karuna because he has value in showing that not all tamils are for the LTTE. However there are much more respectable people like the Andragrasee.
ReplyDeleteSecondly they would like to show that easterners are not with the northerners. Its like SLFP getting defections from the UNP and saying well the UNP has no support etc. Its a short term gain.
Thirdly some people talk like there is a Tamil EElam and that only people like Karuna can be used as its "foreign to SLA soldiers". Thats the reason I brought your name up. You have served in the elephant pass sector and so have many others. Many people have served and have could military knowledge of the area.
There is the LRRP, UAV and other instruments to learn the terrain. No Aruguments that there is an advantage if you know the terrain first hand but that need not be a major handicap.
Jack, ALL weapons are dangerous if not used properly. The recent events (Karuna vs Pilliyan) have shown how expendable individuals are to the GoSL. I'm sure Karuna got the message too.
ReplyDeleteNavindran, how ever much experience a soldier might have in the NE, it's no comparison to the experience brought to the table by someone like Karuna. Surely I don't need to explain the advaantages of having Tamils on your side if you're fighting Tamils. It's a tested and proven tactic of war to use indigenous personnel against an indigenous enemy. I have neither the time nor the space to give you a history lesson on counter-revolutionary warfare. I'm sure you can educate yourself.
And Karuna isn't just valuable because he's a Tamil; he's valuable because he's one of the best officers the Tigers ever produced, his record has been consistently good against the GoSL. That's the difference between him and men like Devananda & Anandasangaree. He knows how to beat the Tigers, and from recent events in the east, it looks like it worked.
I've told you before (and I'm getting tired of reppeating the mantra because you just don't seem to get it), this isn't about Karuna or Pilliyan or anyone else. It's about breaking the LTTE stranglehold on the NE Tamils and at best replacing it with a GoSL-controlled hold, or at the least, create a chaos that the LTTE cannot control.
UAVs? You sound like an American. Air power and recce is not enough. The Israelis just learned that bitter lesson in Lebanon by trying to fight it the American way.
Navindran, I understand your point of view.
ReplyDeleteIn my earlier posts what I tried to get at was the fact that Karuna and Pillian both have their short-term uses. I think it is up to the security forces to stipulate how they operate, in terms of stopping of child recruitment and harassment of the Muslim population.
I understand that the short term political advantages may eventually become a hindrance in the future for the Sri Lankan state as the TMVP led by Karuna may demand autonomy for the East.
The SLDF is a conventional defensive force of a democratic state. When you are involved in counter insurgency warfare the conventional army is always at a disadvantage despite greater numbers and better equipment (look at the US army in Iraq). Despite his methods, Karuna is a skilled leader in asymmetric warfare and this is what the SLA NEEDS!
You can have UAVs but would you have them flying around aimlessly in LTTE controlled areas? Where would you get reliable intelligence about weapons dumps, new bases and location of possible aircraft landing sites?
The LRRP are a great asset in the SLA but how would they know where to set up the ambushes to target key LTTE members?
It is an inescapable fact that Karuna is an important factor in the ongoing military operations. After thinking things out the split in the TMVP may not be a bad thing. Now there are two factions that are completely dependent on the Sri Lanka governement for support.
Defencenet,
ReplyDeleteI hope this help...
Would you like to comment.?
Terror Alert
June 12, 2007: The government has alerted the population to look for LTTE terrorists, as more terror attacks are expected. The LTTE military forces are in a shambles, and all indications are that the LTTE is trying to mobilize a major terror campaign. But so far, that has failed, largely because so many Tamils are willing to report on terrorist activity. Meanwhile, the military operations proceed slowly, the government not wanting to incur heavy casualties by moving quickly against fortified LTTE positions.
June 11, 2007: LTTE terrorists attempted to destroy an electricity transmission tower in the capital with a bomb, but failed because the bomb was too weak. In the east, the army continued to find large LTTE ammo dumps, and chased remaining LTTE fighters through the forests.
June 10, 2007: The discovery of large quantities of LTTE explosives, and capture of documents has caused the government to issue an alert to be on the lookout for a truck carrying at least half a ton of explosives, and trying to get close to a government building. Meanwhile, in the north, sailors found a LTTE mortar position, killed or drove off the LTTE gunmen and captured over 600 82mm shells and anti-tank mines.
June 9, 2007: When the government learned of the police evictions of Tamils from the capital, the police were ordered to stop such illegal actions, and those expelled were told they could come back.
In the east, the army captured four more LTTE camps, and killed 33 LTTE gunmen. Two soldiers were killed.
June 7, 2007: In the capital, police began forcing Tamils to leave and move to Tamil areas in the east and north. This was in response to more Tamil terrorist attacks, and belief that the terrorists were supported by the more than 200,000 Tamils who live in the capital. About 400 Tamils were moved back to the villages they had recently fled, to avoid the fighting with the LTTE.
June 6, 2007: LTTE spies have been caught, mingling with civilians to get near army artillery positions with GPS receivers and radios, and then to let LTTE artillery know the exact positions of the army ammo storage, as well as the guns.
Aye to keep Karuna and Pilliyan or whoever that kicks some smuggler boy posteriors.
ReplyDeleteThey may be able to even redeem themselves to quite a level by offering such services.
If in the very long run the crimes they have committed catches up with them, well, then can't help it.
About Karuna killing 400 police men.. Was this 400 I remember it as close to 700..
ReplyDeleteI have a vague impression that Karuna denied this. In an tv interview or in some article, probably in Asian Tribune.
He also denied killing some of our soldiers when they had overrun a base when the army had run out of ammunition or something. He said that the vanni cadres were the ones who executed the soldiers.
These need to be verified however. I am not trying to whitwash Karuna. But may be he was one of the more honourable of the LTTE as the situations permitted.
Al Jazeera video on SLN.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFp0bjSgwe4
By the way, do they have aquired the 30mm guns for these FACs. To counter the threat of these suicide boats, isn't it a good idea to enable rapid firing cannon systems that are controlled by radar. Since the cost of such systems is massive can they be produced in SL.
(I have seen a documentory where these type of guns installed in a ship firing at an object thrown to the sky. First the guns locked thier gunsight to the target and then starts firing. This enabled the gun to move with the object's movements and pinpoint the fire at it.)
If you guys have more information abt these types of weapons pls post it here.
David, Do you mean the tamils are indegeneous and not the sinhalese. I thought the North East is part of Sri Lanka. Your arguments seem to define the place as tamil eelam. In your book you also mentioned the formation of eelam and the use of the LRRP for destabilising tactics.
ReplyDeleteI stick with my arguments. By the end of the year only Piliyan will lead TVMP.
Navindran, please don't misquote me or attempt to attach your agenda to my arguments. I have treated you with respect as a fellow commentator, aand I suggest you do the same.
ReplyDeleteThe Northeast IS a part of SL, and the Tamils of the NE are indigenous to that area. Perhaps you have misunderstood the term indigenous population as opposed to citizens. If so, check it out. For instaance, the Veddhas are indigenous to the area east of the Central Highlands; they are also citizens of SL. Kandyans are indigenous to Kandy; but they are still citizens of SL. I hope you grasp the distinction between indigenous and national status now.
"In your book you also mentioned the formation of eelam and the use of the LRRP for destabilising tactics."
No, I do not mention the formation of Eelam (have you read the book?). I mention certain contingency plans by the military to be used IF Eelam is granted.
"I stick with my arguments. By the end of the year only Piliyan will lead TVMP."
And as I said before, it doesn't matter really who leads the TMVP, or even if it continues to exist. What matters is a Tamil military opposition to the LTTE and the inability of the LTTE to retain the East.
David, I do have a great deal of respect for you. However I do not agree with calling people indegenious. Yes the North east predominates with Tamils as so do other areas with the respective population. I prefer a bit of political correctness. An example is that the Native Americans are indegenoues to the United States.I guess my remarks follows the anger behind the irrational logic of the forced exodus of the tamils from colombo.
ReplyDeleteAs far as destabilising tactics concerns they have not always been sucessful. As the Indian RAW does work in Pakistan so does the ISI in India. The country do not collapse. Likewise it was a blessing for Singapore to be seperated from Malaysia.
As this does not entail a militay debate, I would stop it here and apologise for any misgivings.
Navindran, if you don't like the word indigenous, use another one, I don't really care. The word is the most suitable to describe the people that populate an area in relation to people that populate neighbouring areas which are not divided by international borders. You could call them natives or whatever you like.
ReplyDelete"As far as destabilising tactics concerns they have not always been sucessful."
True, but they have not always been unsuccessful either. Comparing the ISI and RAW strategies in India and Pakistan with GoSL strategies in the NE is an incorrect analogy. Both India and Pakistan are large countries which are mostly unaffected by happenings in Jammu & Kashmir. A better example would be the ISI destabilisation of Afghanistan via the Taliban, and India's destabilisation of the former East Pakistan via the Mukta Bahini.