Troops forged ahead this week, gaining more territory, including an earth bund, despite stiff resistance by the guerrillas who are cornered and desperately trying to cling on to their dwindling terrain.
Pitched battles were reported to have broken out this week in Kariyamullivaikkal and Vellamullivaikal in the southern tip of the no-fire zone which was on Friday reduced to an area of two kilometres in length and 1.5 kilometres in width or a total of 2.5 square kilometres.
Troops of the 58 Division from the east of the A 35 Road and the 53 Division along a stretch flanked by the same highway and the Nanthikadal lagoon are advancing on the remaining LTTE-controlled locality.
The two divisions had linked up two weeks ago at a point that connects the Pooneryn-Paranthan Road and the Puthumatallan-Mullaithivu Road. Pitched battles were reported to have erupted with the LTTE deploying waves of suicide bombers to check the troops’ advance.
However, the troops managed to overcome LTTE resistance and advanced further, gaining more terrain.
At this decisive stage of the war, the guerrillas are using the bleak desert-like terrain which is heavily mined in Kariyamullivaikkal and Vellamullivaikkal to their fullest advantage in a desperate bid to prevent the advancing troops from gaining more territory.
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| One of the explosives laden LTTE suicide boats captured by the Navy after a sea battle yesterday morning |
One of the major challenges the troops have to face is the harsh condition of the terrain.
The troops previously had to engage the enemy in open terrain with very little cover. This made them vulnerable to LTTE sniper attacks. In the previous stage, only a few troops had fallen victim to Tiger snipers during the day.
In the new terrain, because of the heat during the day and the midday sand storms, the troops have been compelled to carry out their operations in the night.
As a result of these constraints, day-time operations made little progress and the division commanders have now taken a decision to engage the guerillas after sunset.
Military officials believe that the troops would have been able to overcome these problems in their bid to capture the last remaining LTTE enclave, if artillery, mortar and main battle tanks had been used.
According to military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara, the Army has stopped the use of heavy-calibre guns in keeping with a government policy, because it could cause harm to the some 20,000 civilians, who were being used as human shields by the LTTE.
On Thursday troops attached to the 58 and 53 divisions made another breakthrough by capturing an LTTE earth bund in Kariyamullivaikkal. The battle to capture the earth bund erupted on Wednesday and went on till the following day.
The LTTE was reported to have mounted heavy weapons on an armour-plated vehicle and had begun to pound troop positions, prompting the Army to deploy specialized tactical teams who eventually surrounded the LTTE positions and neutralized the enemy attacks.
Meanwhile, troops of the 4th Vijayaba Infantry Regiment, the 17th Gemunu Watch, and the 6th Gajaba Regiment -- under the Air Mobile Brigade attached to the 53 Division -- advanced along the northern bank of the Nanthikadal lagoon and confronted Tiger guerrillas.
While this was taking place, troops of 7th Sinha Regiment, 6th Gemunu Watch, 9th Vijayaba Infantry Regiment, 10th Gajaba Regiment, 12th Gemunu Watch and the 11th Sri Lanka Light Infantry attached to the 58 Division neutralized LTTE strategic positions and managed to capture the 200-metre-long earth bund which was heavily mined.
Intercepted LTTE communications indicated that despite repeated requests by Tiger commanders deployed at this battlefront, reinforcement had not been sent by the guerrilla leadership when the earth bund was being overrun by the troops.
Soon after their defeat at the bund, defeat, the guerrillas began to clear the nearby areas by cutting and setting fire to shrubs and trees, so that they could have a clearer visibility. The LTTE leadership has now ordered the remaining cadres to dress like civilians to avoid detection by the troops.
On Tuesday, the troops who were carrying out a clearing operation stumbled upon a cylindrical metal structure in Irattavaikkal situated in the earlier-declared no-fire zone.
The structure, 360-feet in length and 25 feet in width, was reinforced by several layers of metal to make it virtually bomb and bullet proof..
In the front of the structure an engine was in place, while there was an opening which had a doorway which was on the rear of the structure, deep inside. The structure was set on iron rails, which resembled a railway carriage.
Troops had also uncovered a 300 ft-long and 30-ft deep water-filled canal that led to the sea. It has been dug with the intention of making the structure float its way directly into the sea at any given time. The canal has been tightly plastered with iron sheets on both sides.
A few rotor blades that had been kept dismantled and hidden by the LTTE were also found by the troops.
There have been many schools of thought regarding this structure. According to one theory, it was to be used as an under sea escape route.
Another says that it was to be used as a semi-submersible vehicle which will take a large number of Tiger cadres to a particular point at sea.
Yet others say, it is not a submarine but something similar. It cannot travel a long distance and was designed to avoid naval radars.
A senior Navy officer told The Sunday Times that some believe the naval radar beam, once it hit the structure, would only reflect a weak signal on the radar.
Earlier in January, army’s Task Force III troops who were carrying out clearing operations in Udayarkattukulam stumbled upon a semi-submersible underwater vehicle.
At present the Navy has been keeping vigil on the LTTE’s last remaining stronghold in the southern tip of the no-fire zone. The navy has intensified its operations around the coast of Kariyamullivaikkal and Vellamullivaikkal as it has received intelligence that the cornered LTTE leaders might escape from the coastal areas of the no-fire zone.
The Sunday Times learns that the LTTE has mounted heavy guns on the wreckage of the Jordanian merchant vessel, FARAH III which was captured by the guerrillas in December 2006.. The ship is said to be about one nautical mile off the coast of Vellamullivaikal.
Last Sunday around twelve sailors of the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS) that had been patrolling off the Vellamullivaikal coast had observed a few people on FARAH III.
The sailors who went to inspect the unusual movements were fired upon by Tiger guerrillas using heavy guns. The RABS boat was partially damaged and two sailors died in the incident.
Naval surveillance in this area has now been intensified. The Navy has now made plans to completely cripple Sea Tiger capability off the Vellamullivaikal area. |
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