Clashes continue in Northern front

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have been engaged in fierce firefights in the no-man's-land ahead of the Vavuniya-Mannar defense line for the past week. Nearly 20 LTTE cadres have been killed in these battles. SLA units involved in these limited offensives too received casualties mostly due to enemy artillery fire.

Special Infantry (SI) formations of the 57th division moved ahead of their bunker line into the LTTE controlled territory to carry out several successful strikes on rebel positions on the 15th. First of these strikes was launched on a target in Mullikulama area. LTTE pulled back to defensive positions after a fierce battle. SLA troopers recovered 7 bodies of LTTE cadres killed in the battle. These were later handed over to the International Red Cross.

Another such attack took place near Vilathikulam in which the army killed four more LTTE cadres. SLA have been increasing pressure on tiger positions in and around Vilathikulam during the recent times, possibly indicating the initial step of a major offensive into Wanni. Capture of Vilathikulam will be critical to a future Wanni offensive as it can play a vital role as part of a MSR (Main Supply Route) to the besieged Jaffna region.

Meanwhile the death toll of the Yala LTTE attack has now risen to 7. 6 soldiers were killed in the LTTE raid and another one was killed when the tractor that was sent to transport the bodies of fallen soldiers was hit by a claymore mine. Whereabouts of the LTTE cadres who carried out the attack is still unknown.

LTTE raid targets Thalgasmankada SLA mini camp

A mini camp of the Sri lanka army (SLA) near Thalgasmankada (south of Panama) came under a LTTE attack at around 6pm today (15th). Unconfirmed reports suggest that at least 2 soldiers have been killed in action and another one was wounded. LTTE casualties are unknown as of yet. A vehicle belonging to the wildlife department has also been damaged by LTTE fire.

It's suspected that LTTE cadres who took refuge in jungles after the fall of Thoppigala carried out the attack. Additional troops that were rushed in when the attack began, have now reached the camp premises and have taken complete control of it.

SLN Inshore Patrol Craft sunk near Jaffna seas

5 SLN personnel were killed and a Navy Inshore Patrol Vessel (IPV) was sunk
in a sea battle which took place near Passayoor (Near Gurunagar Jetty)
yesterday. Sea Tigers, the sea going arm of the LTTE, was behind the attack.
It is now known that the sea tigers were able to capture weapons mounted on
the disabled IPV.

The battle erupted when 3 SLN vessels patrolling Gununagar area came under
23mm cannon fire from two sea tiger craft. These were disguised as fishing
vessels and was hidden among a cluster of fishing boats. After the initial
attack, 5 more sea tiger attack craft launched from Pooneryn sea tiger base
arrived at the scene to take on the three SLN vessels. Once of these boats
was a suicide craft and it rammed against one SLN IPV killing 3 SLN
personnel on board and disabling the IPV itself. Meanwhile Sri Lanka
Artillery stationed in Gurunagar area fired at the incoming sea tiger
vessels. One artillery round hit one of the incoming sea tiger craft,
destroying it completely. It is believed that 3 tigers on board the vessel
was killed in the incident.

SLN warships destroy LTTE arms vessel in international waters

Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) delivered yet another blow to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) clandestine arms network when it successfully intercepted a LTTE cargo vessel in international waters 1700km away from Colombo. We can confirm that the destroyed ship, known as "Matushima", is the same ship that fled when Navy intercepted 3 other LTTE vessels last month.

Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) SLNS Suranimala, SLNS Sayura and SLNS Sagara formed the core of a special naval task force that sailed to the deep seas off Dondra Point to hunt down the LTTE vessel after an early intelligence tip off. Supply vessels A520 and A521 were also engaged in the operation. LTTE vessel was identified at 5.30am today (7th) and was completely destroyed by 9.30 am after it drew 76mm, 37mm and 30mm cannon fire from SLN warships.

This ship is supposed to be the last of LTTE's fleet of cargo vessels. However this claim cannot be verified. LTTE is known to fill up its inventories in utmost secrecy. Most LTTE agents that operate their arms network are still at large. That being said there is no doubt that the Sri Lanka Navy, with its limited resources and small OPV fleet, has delivered another deadly blow to the terror movement with the destruction of the 7th arms vessel during an year.

SLAF targets LTTE safe house in bombing raid

SLAF bombers carried out a bombing raid on a LTTE safe house in Vishwamadu yesterday at around 6.30 in the morning. This safe house is known to have been the meeting place of top tiger leaders. Fighter jet pilots have confirmed that the targeted location was successfully hit but we are unable to confirm if any LTTE leaders were killed in the incident. Possible targets include LTTE's elite Charley Anthony brigade commander Amithab, LTTE intelligence wing leader Pottu Amman and LTTE IT division head Charles Anthony (son of Velupillei Prabhakaran). Ground based intelligence sources have still not confirmed the status of the attack and LTTE communication interception has proved to be difficult with the base maintaining radio silence ever since the bombing raid.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka Army has increased the number of small scale operations on LTTE defense lines in Kilali, Muhamalai, Nagarkovil and Thampanai. The purpose of these small scale offensives is to destroy as much LTTE assets on the frontline as possible. However no major operations have been launched so far by the SLA into the LTTE controlled Wanni heartland. The operations near Nagarkovil, Mahamalai and Kilali are undertaken by soldiers of the 55th division. Operations near Mannar/Vavuniya defense lines are undertaken by soldiers of the newly created 57th division , Special Forces units and army commandos. Capturing ground has never been an objective of these small scale operations so far. Instead, the SLA is targeting LTTE's military assets on the frontline and the morale of its cadres deployed in FDL bunkers.

Heavy fighting near Kilali, Mannar FDLs

Heavy fighting erupted between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ahead of forward defense lines in Kilali and Mannar, yesterday(24th) and today(25th).

Fighting in Kilali was triggered when the LTTE attempted to infiltrate SLA controlled territory in a pre dawn offensive. SLA soldiers deployed in the forward defense lines detected the LTTE advance while it was crossing the no-man's-land and were able to stage a surprise counterattack. LTTE cadres, knowing that they were at a disadvantage, tried to return to their bunker line. However they received casualties while fleeing and at least 8 of their bunkers in FDL caught fire due to small arms fire from SLA soldiers and from artillery fire directed at their FDL from artillery bases in the region. Dead bodies of two LTTE cadres have been recovered by the army and another 10-15 bodies could be observed scattered in the no-man's-land ahead of FDLs. Two SLA personnel were killed and 30 others were wounded in the incident. Most SLA casualties were due to LTTE artillery fire.

Meanwhile SLA launched a small scale offensive in the Mannar region today morning which was immediately met with heavy resistance. Soldiers of the 57th division advanced more than half a kilometer into LTTE controlled territory amidst heavy artillery and small arms fire. Two soldiers were killed and another 14 have been wounded so far in the offensive. LTTE casualty figures are not available as of yet. Pro rebel media were quick to categorize the offensive as "a major military thrust to capture Wanni" but DefenceNet can confirm that this claim is entirely false. The goal of the offensive was to re adjust the forward defense line which was breached in recent clashes.

LTTE's Vishwamadu base hit hard

Sri lanka air force (SLAF) fighter jets carried out consecutive air strikes on LTTE's Vishwamadhu base yesterday (21st) and today (22nd). Initial bombing run was performed at 12.15pm yesterday and the base was hit again by SLAF bombers today at around 7.00 am. The second air strike targeted the LTTE cadres who were engaged in recovering usable items from areas targeted in the first raid. As with most air strikes, LTTE casualty details cannot be confirmed as of now.

Vishwamadhu base was frequently used by LTTE's Imran regiment. Several of their ammunition and fuel dumps were said to be located inside the base premises. UAV footage shows secondary explosions after the initial bombing run which suggest that at least one of the ammo or fuel dumps was hit.

Imran-Pandiyan is regarded as one of the most powerful fighting formations within the LTTE. This unit, along with Charles Anthony brigade, has not been used in any major battle since the 2002 CFA. The tigers seem to be keeping their two most experienced brigades in reserve. LTTE is most likely to use these brigades to defend Wanni from a possible army invasion but the possibility of these units being deployed in a major LTTE offensive to recapture Jaffna peninsula cannot be overruled either.

You can see images of Imran regiment here (Released by LTTE photography unit).

SLAF raid targets LTTE ammo dump: Puthukuduirippu

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets carried out a bombing sortie today morning targeting a suspected LTTE ammo storage located in the Mullaithiv district. The raid involved Kfir multi role fighters and Mig27 ground attack aircraft.

Suspected warehouse was located in the Puthukuduirippu area which is a core part of LTTE operations.The target had been monitored by military intelligence for a long time and was the target of multiple aerial surveillance missions. Judging by the secondary explosions which occurred after the initial bombing run, it is assumed that the ammo dump was successfully destroyed. However this is yet to be confirmed by ground intelligence and enemy communications intercepts.

"Blue Water Navy"

Sri Lanka Navy's (SLN) latest mission to thwart LTTE arms smuggling will no doubt be recorded as one of the most successful Naval missions of all time. This is not only because the mission caused the destruction of 3 large LTTE vessels in less than 24 hours but also because it demonstrated SLN warship fleet's ability to engage in deep sea missions.

  Image: SLNS Sayura Offshore Patrol vessel

Naval intelligence had previously collected information about 4 LTTE arms vessels which were bound to Sri Lanka. Their destinations were Mullaithiv, Challei, Alampil and Chundikual beaches. However the tigers had devised a new plan to avoid detection. The large vessels full of weapons were never to be beached. They were to stay in deep seas acting as floating warehouses while LTTE cadres used smaller craft such as fishing trawlers to smuggle the weapons in to their territory. This method not only reduced risk of detection but it also acted as a damage control mechanism; If a trawler was hit, only a small portion of the cargo would be destroyed. The rest would be safe in the main vessel. Unfortunately for the tigers, locations of the floating warehouses were picked up by naval intelligence.

Following the intel warning, SLN command dispatched four warships to investigate the targets. These were SLNS (Sri Lanka Navy Ship) Sayura, SLNS Samudura, SLNS Suranimala and SLNS Shakthi. One highly trained Special Boat Squadron (SBS) attack team was on board each of the four ships. Their mission was to board the enemy vessels and take control if the sea tigers surrendered.  Two supply ships (A520 and A521) were sent to resupply the warships if needed.

Although the intel information was correct, it took 10 days to find the first LTTE vessel. The detection was made in international waters 1200Km away from Colombo. LTTE's 50 meter long Manyoshi vessel was surrounded by two SLN warships. However the vessel opened fire on SLN ships using 5.0mm (commonly known as "five zero") weapons and tried to flee when they were asked to identify themselves. Manyoshi was sunk on 10th of September at 10.30 am local time.

The second ship too was detected in the same area several hours later. 50 meter long Sishin was discovered by the other two SLN warships. It too tried to flee and was sunk in the battle on 10th of September at 5.30pm.

3rd LTTE arms vessel was discovered 80km off the location where the second vessel was sunk. By this time, the two warships that destroyed Manyoshi had joined the rest. LTTE's 70 meter long Koshia arms vessel was now surrounded by four SLN warships. By this time, naval intelligence picked up a message to Koshiya from Wanni command. Message sender was Chelian; LTTE's new sea tiger leader. LTTE cadres on board the Koshiya were instructed to fire at SLN warships using 3 heavy 120mm mortars on board the ship. After firing several rounds, sea tigers reported back to their leader that it was impossible to get a clear target because of the rough seas. They were then ordered by Chelian to commit suicide and avoid capture. Koshiya too was sunk when it was hit by 76mm, 37mm, 30mm 25mm and 23mm cannon fire from SLN warships.

If the LTTE had the chance to upload the cargo on these ships, it would have been devastating for the army. On board were a large amount of 120, 122mm, 130mm and 152mm artillery shells, a fast attack craft of unknown type, a bulletproof vehicle, engine and spare parts for 3 light planes and a large collection of various weapons and ammunition including even torpedoes.

Meanwhile military intelligence has confirmed that a 4th LTTE arms ship bound to Mullaithiv had fled  after the destruction of the first 3 ships.

Did LTTE receive early information on Army's Silawathura offensive?

Few days ago, the Sri Lanka Army launched a medium scale offensive to capture Silawathurei area; a known sea tiger launching pad and a major LTTE supply hub. The operation was a top secret one and was well planned. It went according to plan except for one little unexpected twist; the heavy resistance which was expected from the LTTE was almost non existent. When the army's crack troops paradropped from Mi-17 helicopters, there were no tigers left to defend their turf. They had either fled into the jungles or had mixed in with the civilians. Did LTTE plan their retreat early? Did they receive early intel on a top secret military offensive? These are questions to which we may never know the answers.

When Special Forces reached the Silawathura sea tiger base premises, it had already been abandoned by the tigers. Only around 12 tigers were killed in the entire offensive. However the military was able to recover war related hardware from the base premises:

• 25 Fiber Glass boats
• 1 small boat loaded with explosives (possibly suicide craft)
• 29 boat engines
• 110  40mm mortar rounds
• 269 81mm mortar round
• 5000 assault rifle ammunition
• 1 suicide jacket

But was this all the LTTE had in Silawathura? We don't think so. They maintained a major sea tiger base and had some valuable military hardware stationed there. The base was commanded by "Nambi" and it was defended by nearly 200 LTTE cadres (approximately 80 sea units and 120 land units). Previous military intelligence reports suggested that LTTE had the following military hardware stationed in the base:

• 10 small sea tiger attack craft
• 5 sea tiger craft fitted with 14.5mm cannons
• 2 sea tiger craft fitted with 23mm cannons
• 2 supply vessels fitted with 14.5mm cannons
• 3 explosive laden suicide boats

One might think that the army had recovered all these boats after reading the previous paragraph. Army actually did find 25 Fibre Glass boats in the base but they were not attack craft. They seemed more likely to be fishing boats which the LTTE used as supply gatherers. What happened to the attack craft, weapons and ammunition storage? Did the LTTE move them to a safer location before the army advance? If so, where was the leak? These questions will no doubt trouble army's veteran commanders who planned and lead the Silawathura offensive.