Tuesday, August 21, 2007

LTTE artillery attack targets Palaly Military Base

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam fired their artillery guns targeting Palaly Military Base and Kankasanthurei harbor area today morning. As much as 10 shells have fallen inside the Palaly HSZ (High Security Zone) but no damages were caused to buildings, military hardware or to the lives of security forces personnel.

It is believed that the tiger artillery fire was directed from Pooneryn where they maintain a major military base. Pooneryn base has been attacked by SLAF bombers several times in the past but the tigers have so far been able to protect most of their artillery guns and ammunition. It is believed that they use decoys (fake guns placed to mislead aerial recon) and underground hangars as basic protection methods.

Palaly military base is the largest military complex in the Northern province. The base hosts a runway which is used by SLAF to deliver supplies and facilitate transportation. Army's main military hospital was moved to Palaly military complex after the fall of Elephant Pass in 2000. Area surrounding the military complex is declared as a high security zone where civilian presence is prohibited.

34 comments:

  1. Was there any spotting aand adjustment of the arty fire, or waas it just blind firing? And what calibre weapons?

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  2. DB,
    As far as we know there was no adjustment. Seems they acted on previously collected intelligence rather than real time info.

    Shells seem to be 130mm. This however is unconfirmed.

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  3. Is this a "moral boosting" type attack or did they want to instill fear on our forces in Palaly?

    Hmmmm... I'm wondering whether any of the so called champion tigers used this period to infiltrate the HSZ...? :-|

    Or may be they used this attack to check whether their Arty falls on to the correct target/s, so that they can adjust in future attacks!
    I hope the MCNS will not provide this info. by boasting how far the Arty fell from specific important locations, within the Palaly base.

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  4. Dear DefenceNet Readers,
    Be warned!
    David Blacker once wrote a sh**y boo of "fiction" that had a SLA MI linked para unit (i.e. LRRP) that was so out of control, SLA itself had no option but to kill it's CO (i.e. Major Gen. Muthalif). He is shot by a gunmen on a motorbike while he was been driven to work in his car. The story also mentions how India pressures SL government led by a man described to have similar features as Ranil W. And the reason for this pressure: a horrendous act of terrorism by the LRRP, of course.

    This is the world Blacker lives in. Be warned!

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  5. "Or may be they used this attack to check whether their Arty falls on to the correct target/s, so that they can adjust in future attacks!"

    Where it falls today is no guarantee of where it will fall tomorrow, temperature, wind, humidity everything will play a part in that, which is why you need spotters to correct fire.

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  6. Fellas.... Could this be as a result of Gothabaya & the Forces Chiefs visit to Palaly the Day before and... large Military Exercise 2 days before ? Dammit man, they still have those 130mm buggers in those concrete shelters ! I bet the SF have some fireworks planned for them.But,is'nt it pretty evident guys... there's something around the corner ? Huh ? Cuz, the Monsoon season plays a major role in PB's plans! Grab on to your Kohones fellas.... it's gonna be Red Storm Rising !

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  7. Rajaratasurfer, there is an article in the Daily Mirror that Commander Fonseak was on his way to Palaly and that if his flight had not been delayed, then he would have arrived just as the artillery was coming down!

    Did Tiger artillery target Army chief?

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  8. Also defence net can you explain this statement in the article?

    "The SLMM added that the LTTE attack on Palaly was from the sea and not from land."

    Is this an error? Or did the LTTE manage to mount artillery guns on their boats?? Seems unlikely no?

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  9. jack,
    It's highly unlikely the attack came from the seas. As far as we know they used the guns mounted in Pooneryn base.

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  10. Jack, thanks for the explanation mate! When I said "Correct Target/s", I didn’t mean to say that the LTTE was checking to see whether their Arty falls right on the target with 100% accuracy. I'm aware that not all shells fall to the same place.

    But when we are attacking a specific target, don’t all the shells fall within at least a 50 meter radius of the target?
    I’ve heard that the MBRL fire can be directed within a 50 meter (or is it feet) radius of the target... Jack (or any other person), can you please be kind enough to explain this to me...

    Anyway, I guess we now know the reason behind the Arty attack, don't we? Damn, guess we have a traitor/s within the Army commander's entourage!

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  11. Defencenet, apologies for taking this off track, but I'm forced to respond to 'Kill's comments, as most of them are false. He's obviously not read the book. If you wish to delete both his and my comments, please feel free to do so.

    "David Blacker once wrote a sh**y boo of "fiction" "

    Since my book "A Cause Untrue" (http://www.ph-books.com/books.asp#) won the State Literary Prize 2006 for Best English Novel, was shortlisted for the Gratiaen Prize 2004, and nominated for the IMPAC-Dublin this year, I doubt it can be called "shitty" :) If you wish to make up your own mind, bu don't want to buy a copy, you can read an excerpt here:

    http://www.writeclique.net/work.php?ID=3322

    "SLA MI linked para unit (i.e. LRRP) that was so out of control,"

    No such thing. It is a Tamil paramilitary unit under the control of the DFI. Obviously Kill hasn't read the book.

    "that was so out of control, SLA itself had no option but to kill it's CO (i.e. Major Gen. Muthalif).

    Again an outright lie. The book was written in 2002 before Muthalif's killing, and all the characters are fictitious (except for some historical people). The person who is shot by the GoSL (not the Army) is a corrupt police officer. Again, if Kill had read the book, he would've known this.

    "The story also mentions how India pressures SL government led by a man described to have similar features as Ranil W. And the reason for this pressure: a horrendous act of terrorism by the LRRP, of course."

    A part lie here. The first part is correct -- Ranil was the PM at the time I was writing the book. The second paart of Kill's statement is wrong. As I said before it is a Tamil paramilitary under the control of the DFI.

    I don't want to explain further, 'cos that'll give the story away, but I can assure you that the book is not aanti-military, and in faact has been acccused of being too pro-Army and very anti-LTTE :). Again, if you want to know more, just do aa Google search aand you'll come across lots of online reviews of the book and some interviews.

    Thanks for reading. Once more Defencenet, sorry for the off-point comment, but I feel I need to set the record straight.

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  12. Probably the reason for the SLMM's comment is 'cos the fire came from across the Jaffna Lagoon.

    Puffy, it doesn't mean that there's a traitor. Word just gets aaround, radio messages are intercepted, etc.

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  13. DB, I did read the book, still have some remnents of it (pages that I haven't yet used in times of emergency wipe-offs ;)

    And its true that its anti-LTTE. In fact it was pretty ok, up until the point you started pinning the terrorism crap on the SLA factions. Thank you for brining up "awards". Now people can see you in the same light as Vimukthi Jayasundara, Sannasgala and Handagama.

    Oh btw, congrats on trying to sell a book or too (that was a nice touch). Admin, if you are going to delete anything, delete the name of the bok and his links.

    The Tamil para he's talking about was bread by the STF in his book. As I remember, ultimate plan was to send in STF to fake a shoot out where the para unit will be extracted unharmed. BTW, if you recall months before Millennium City incident, papers ran a news that claimed LTTE caders were being trained at a SLA camp with the intent of killing Ranil. UNPians calimed that this was Rathwaththe's grand scheme even after the MC incident.

    The book is claimed to be written in 2002. But the publication came after Muthalif's death. So for all I know you re-did everything after Chapter 22 before going into publication. By the way, the "corrupt police officer" gives the impression he was a kosthapal. He was the one running the para unit wasn't he?

    Blacker suffers from what is known as the UNP Patriotism.
    "UNPP" is a bit vague concept, almost an oxymoron, if you ask me. They will admit to anything as long as you don’t pin the obvious blunders of the CFA on the UNP. True, he isn't saying LRRP in the book. But anybody who read the book will know who he's trying to point the finger at (sure as hell, it's not Karuna as he seems to be indicate now). Luckily for you, nobody has read the book here (and for the love of God guys, keep it that way. You don't want to read that garbage out of sick facination).

    And thank you for posting comments as yourself this time. Apologies to DefenceNet for hijaking the threads to expose Blacker. DB, hopefully we'll meet again sometime soon.

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  14. You do have a vivid imagination, Kill. Perhaps you should try to write a book yourself. Perhaps you have, and been rejected and are now bitter. Get over it. If you want to criticise the book, write a review and publish it. Under your own name, if you have the balls, which I doubt, since even here you use silly psudonyms. Kill? Silly would have been a better one.

    "Now people can see you in the same light as Vimukthi Jayasundara, Sannasgala and Handagama. "

    I am flattered. As an ex-soldier I think all views on the war should be allowed, not just the narrow-minded propoganda that fools like you swallow.

    "Oh btw, congrats on trying to sell a book or too (that was a nice touch)"

    It was you who brought the book up in a thread about LTTE artillery attacks, so thanks for the publicity, Kill. I've found that the more a book is hated for its contents, the better it sells. My publisher thanks you too, since he gets most of the cash.

    "The Tamil para he's talking about was bread by the STF in his book."

    Again, you're mistaken or lying. Are you sure you didn't just hear the story from someone else?

    " BTW, if you recall months before Millennium City incident, papers ran a news that claimed LTTE caders were being trained at a SLA camp with the intent of killing Ranil. "

    You seem unable to decipher a plot, so I doubt you read much literature, Kill. And there's no LTTE trained by the SLA in "A Cause Untrue". It's a paramilitary unit that's fighting the LTTE.

    "The book is claimed to be written in 2002. But the publication came after Muthalif's death."

    Correct. It often takes years for a manuscript to reach production.

    "So for all I know you re-did everything after Chapter 22"

    But you don't know very much, do you? Not even the basic plot of the novel you "claim" to have read. For all we know, you could be an LTTE sympathiser hoping to run down the book, or a retard on release from Angoda. Shoud we assume these things too?

    "By the way, the "corrupt police officer" gives the impression he was a kosthapal."

    That's your impression, and I can't hellp it if you are dense. And no, he wasn't the one running the paramilitary unit. There are no 'para' units in the book, nor in the SL Army.

    "Blacker suffers from what is known as the UNP Patriotism. "

    Once more Kill is long on speculation and short on evidence -- not to mention IQ.

    "True, he isn't saying LRRP in the book. But anybody who read the book will know who he's trying to point the finger at (sure as hell, it's not Karuna as he seems to be indicate now)."

    Really? I have mentioned a Tamil paramilitary unit in the book. If you wish to assume by it that I mean the LRRPs (who are neither Tamil nor paramilitary), you obviously know very little about the SL Army. And where in my above comments have I said that I was talking about Karuna? The TMVP wasn't in existence at the time of writing. More fantasies, Kill?

    "And thank you for posting comments as yourself this time"

    I have always posted as myself on this and all other blogs I comment on, unlike you who are a coward, hiding behind a childish pseudonym. If you truly believe what you say, stand up for it like a man (if you are one).

    "DB, hopefully we'll meet again sometime soon."

    I look forward to it, although since you're too chickenshit to even use your own name, you'd probably shit yourself at the experience.

    Thanks again for the free publicity. :)

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  15. DB, yup was hoping you get you'd get some publicity. Please do share some of the money more generously with your wife this time ;)

    I sure wish I had head about the book from somebody else, rather than having to waste hours of mylife reading through it.

    Try reading the comment again and differentiate between the real world incidents I've mentioned and the bullshit you've put on the book. Seems like even you haven't read your shitty book (maybe, I'm the only one who actually did :D
    I probably gave you far too much credit by assuming you were capable of looking at real world incidents and making up a "plot" that even loosely ties around them.

    Did I say LTTE being trained in SLA camps was something from your "book". Seems you now have trouble differentiating what happened and wht you fantasized in your book (understandable considering the state you are in).

    Btw, in your "book" didn't the bismath rounds used in the hijacking were STF property?

    Oh and there's more than one reason why I call your crap on paper as shitty. Almost all of the people who die in your book die after crapping their pants. And you do a real good job of explaining how it smelled (don't deny that's in your book too, 'cos we both know what's in there).

    If you did make more than 800/= by selling that crap, please go to the nearest temple. Tie the 800/= that I spent on your a**-wipe of a book as an offering to the gods. I hate to think that at least a cent of my money ended up in your pocket.

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  16. "Please do share some of the money more generously with your wife this time"

    It's OK, Kill, I'll share it with your mum, to supplement what she gets on the road.

    "rather than having to waste hours of mylife reading through it."

    Since your whole life is a waste of time, who cares?

    "Try reading the comment again and differentiate between the real world incidents I've mentioned and the bullshit you've put on the book"

    Since your entire post is bullshit, it doesn't matter. Perhaps it escaped you that the book is fiction and maade up. You still seem to wanna compare fiction to real life. I guess with a sad life like yours, that's natural.

    So do you still post all the comments on your site as well? :)

    "Did I say LTTE being trained in SLA camps was something from your "book"."

    You said : "" BTW, if you recall months before Millennium City incident, papers ran a news that claimed LTTE caders were being trained at a SLA camp with the intent of killing Ranil. " So if its not in the book, what's your point?

    "Btw, in your "book" didn't the bismath rounds used in the hijacking were STF property? "

    Yes, and?

    Thanks for the money.

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  17. Thanks DB, there's something I'd been trying to find a way to drag out of you. Easier than I suspected. Little more of this and you'll post your CC number here next :)

    You can keep day dreaming about making more money. I'm sure the publishers themselves will prevent your next book where you were going to explain how Sarath Fonseka had arranged for Parami's death for trying to assassinate him from being published.

    Or and where's the witty remark about dying people crapping their pants. Missed that line my comment huh? I'm not going to bother with trying to explain the MC incident to you. As I have realized you are too much of a retard to comprehend it. Oh don't let that sentence distract you from responding to the crapping-in-pants comment. The last time (while pretending to be a woman) you said that "some people like" that kind of stuff. You are sick man Blacker, get some help.

    Weren't you trying to convince the world I hadn't read your a**-wipe of a "book". Want more proof? How about the live rape on BBC. Oh wait, didn't that woman crap her panties at the end of it. Ah, now how exactly did you explain how the Candian Embassy room was filled with stench of shit. Wanna share an excerpt of that you sick bastard?

    Apparently you've mixed up somebody's daughter in our little chat as well. Are we going to here from her next on this thread? Maybe when your "feminine side" re-awakens?

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  18. Get a life Kill. This is not the place to push your opinions in a childish manner. I mean, the way your posts read compared to DB's posts, I can clearly say that you are getting owned (he's winning the argument, even though I have never read his book). If you have complaints about his book then at least spend some time to make your comments sound professional instead of childish.

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  19. Hi David,
    just wondering you have any other books written?
    thanks
    Jay

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  20. "I'm sure the publishers themselves will prevent your next book where you were going to explain how Sarath Fonseka had arranged for Parami's death for trying to assassinate him from being published."

    Sorry, Kill, but I've no such plot in my next book. I guess that's from your own failed writings. I guess you really do hate generals don't you? Are you still following that guy's daughter around trying to talk to her? Must be easier now that he's retired.

    "Or and where's the witty remark about dying people crapping their pants."

    Since you seem to find wit in people dying, I refrained from responding. Also since there's not much point to your comment. Yes, people often lose control of their bowels when violently killed. Have you ever seen anyone killed, 'Kill'?

    "I'm not going to bother with trying to explain the MC incident to you. As I have realized you are too much of a retard to comprehend it."

    Try comprehending it yourself first."

    "Are we going to here from her next on this thread? Maybe when your "feminine side" re-awakens?"

    Well, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Isn't that why the general's daughter laughed at you -- thought you looked like a ponneya? Besides, what with all your multiple personalities and writing all the responses on you sad blog, you'd enjoy it.

    Jay, no that was my first novel. I'm working on a second, though.

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  21. Well I guess this is an appropriate thread to have the 'artillery' going back and forth between DB and Kill :)

    ...but I am curious DB what is this blog yu mention?

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  22. He had (or has, I dunno) a blog on which he wrote this really nasty 'review' of my book. Nobody read the review or commented, so he's pissed.

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  23. Great to hear about the possibility of a second book DB :-)
    Read the first one, interesting read... especially since its a thriller with Sri Lankan taste...

    Kill, man don't mixup real life with fiction... The book is fiction... get over it...

    DB, is ur next book a thriller as well?
    Sorry if this isn't related to the topic discussed... But Kill started it :-)

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  24. I guess you can call it a thriller, yeah.

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  25. I have seen the heavy arty fire!! between kili? & DB.whats goin on?why are u guys arguing about the contents of a book? from the way that DB has posted commnts in comparison to Kili,i really feel Kili has to grow up.Anyway,i do plan to read DB's book.

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  26. I have seen the heavy arty fire!! between kili? & DB.whats goin on?why are u guys arguing about the contents of a book? from the way that DB has posted commnts in comparison to Kili,i really feel Kili has to grow up.Anyway,i do plan to read DB's book.

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  27. Good question, Riffard :). Thing is this Kill fellow suddenly appeared and started making his juvenile comments, so I thought it only fair to give my side of it. I already told DefenceNet that he can delete all the posts about my book if he wishes to.

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  28. Hmm...just when I thought I had seen the most idiotic comments ever on Indis blog from chiller/jey/et al...along comes kill and does a number on those buggers.

    That was to be honest a hilarious exchange, I've read the book a couple of times and I came away with the impression that our Special Ops if they are anything like they are described in the book are probably the best chance we have against the LTTE.

    kill obviously doesnt understand the concept of historical fiction...poor chap, all that stupidity in one brain cell must be quite hard to deal with on a daily basis...

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  29. Fellas can ya get serious here ? This incident doesnt look good for Palaly since, since, ltte seems have extended range ammo or Forward Obsevers and next like someone mentioned they have a crude mobile gun ? Cuz,if ya look at Kalmunai Point, man it's such a narrow strip of land that's easy to spot movements ! Second , monsoon is around the corner and ltte does probing attacks to gauge response right ? I'm not doubting the SLAF but, anyone know the 2 rounds that landed on the tarmac has closed the runway ? Crap man ....this ain't good ! The tigers are too quiet too !

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  30. "anyone know the 2 rounds that landed on the tarmac has closed the runway "

    Hi RS, I doubt that those shells would have done enough damage to stop flights, probably minor cratering if anything.

    But the real danger is if they do have extended range shells, they can fire from the safety of the interior at every flight that comes in. Even if they don't hit anything they are distrupting traffic, just as they delayed and ultimately made the Army chief to cancel his planned trip.

    Still waiting for any word on these shells from defencenet, if indeed the LTTE do have them and how and when they got them!

    Cheers.

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  31. Ranil's strategy of talking to the LTTE does not work for the simple reason that you cannot talk to a person who is sqeezing your balls dry.

    The result being that the voice gets high pitched. It becomes impossible to communicate.

    Any connection to Ranil's voice being high pitched?

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  32. problem with Ranil is that he's lost the trust & confidence of both the Sinhala Buddhists and the LTTE. For different reasons.

    God only knows why he lost the confidence of the LTTE. Maybe it's the Karuna factor. Or the LTTE made a terrible miscalculation in imagining that the home made & smiling Mahinda will be easy meat.

    Ranil does not seem to be having any policy apart from grabbing power. He'll say anything, attack anybody, talk any rubbish. The most ironic fact is that he attacks all except the LTTE. Which probably helped in bringing Mahinda to power. Man is totally lost in the universe. Many light years from earth.

    Or has anybody considered the fact that he's scared of suicide bombs?

    Mahinda at least has the Sinhala Buddists, part of the Muslims & very soon some of the eastern Tamil population.

    Ranil is at a dead end. So is the UNP.

    Well not exactly. Both have the massive unaccounted for foreign and local funds.

    The question is what the hell are they doing with it, condemning Buddhist clergy & the armed forces, planning shameless treachery 24 hours?

    Speaking against the majority gets one a cast iron guarantee of staying out of power. Probably forever.

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  33. Shanthi, it's fairly easy to see why the LTTE preferred Mahinda to Ranil. Under Ranil's rule, there would've been a long drawn out peace process, which while ultimately in the interests of the LTTE on the long-term, wasn't so good short-term. The LTTE felt that their position wasn't strong enough on the ground to dictate terms at the table, and therefore unable to pull satisfactory concessions out of the Sinhalese. This in turn was making the NE population impatient and dissatisfied with the LTTE. So they thought with Mahinda on the throne, he could be goaded into retaliation before the military was fully ready. Then the LTTE could use that retaliation as an excuse to quickly capture some vital areas like Palaly/Jaffna, or even China Bay. At that point they figured the UN or the US would step in and call a halt and the LTTE would be in a far better negotiating position. Unfortunately, they underestimated the Rajapakses' patience as well as the Army's readiness. By the time the GoSL started to retaliate, the LTTE had lost the initiative. And then of course there's thaat money Mahinda's supposed to have paid Prabha to get him elected:)

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