Sri Lanka sees “victory soon” but casualties mount

THE Sri Lankan government claims its security forces are making gains in the military campaign against the LTTE in the north of the island, but the soldiers are suffering a loss of morale as a large number have been reports killed.

In recent weeks the Sri Lankan military claimed to have captured number of towns in Mannar district and killed scores of LTTE fighters in the battle field.

Last week the military said it had entered the northern district of Kilinochchi where the LTTE's administrative offices, including the peace secretariat are located.

Sri Lanka's army commander, Sanath Fonseka, said last month the LTTE would lose all its territory in less than a year.

According to latest claims by the Sri Lankan defence ministry 5,625 LTTE fighters have been killed by security forces since January, while 512 soldiers have died in combat within the same period.

Recent weeks have seen pitched battles despite the LTTE offering a unilateral ceasefire between July 24 and August 4 during the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit held in Colombo as goodwill gesture for the success of the conference.

Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella rejected any possibility of a ceasefire or peace talks at this stage, saying this could only happen if the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were to lay down arms unconditionally.

"Surely, definitely, positively we are moving forward and we will not turn at any point," said Rambukwella, who is also minister for foreign employment and welfare. "Nor we will accept any ceasefire, nor any peace negotiations unless they accept preconditions that have been laid down by the government," he told a weekly defence briefing.

Analysts say the military had an advantage in the latest phase of the war given its superior air power, strength of numbers and swathes of terrain captured in the island's east. But they still see no clear winner on the horizon and predict the war getting bloodier in coming weeks and months.

This was evident in the high casualties the military suffered from in recent battles.

At least 30 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 60 troopers sustained injuries on Friday August 1, when LTTE defensive formations at Mallaavi thwarted a three-pronged offensive launched from Vavunikkulam and Paalaiyadi targeting Mallaavi.

The bodies of 3 SLA soldiers were recovered by the Tigers. An SLA vehicle, one AK-LMG with rounds, one RPG launcher with shells, a mortar, eleven T-56 assault rifles were also seized.

The SLA admitted 11 SLA soldiers were killed in the fighting and that 20 wounded in the clashes that took place on Friday.

Again on August 5, SLA suffered heavy losses when it tried to break through LTTE defences at Vellaangkulam and  Paalamoaaddai front in Vavuniyaa with at least 10 SLA soldiers killed in Paalamoaddai alone.

The LTTE recovered two bodies of Sri Lanka Army soldiers, including one of an 18-year-old soldier, following intense fighting on Sunday in Vellaangkulam and seized a RPG Launcher, a T-56 assault rifle, ammunitions and accessories.

According to Sri Lankan media reports LTTE have deployed around 700 elite troops from the Charles Antony and Imran-Pandiyan brigades around Mallavi, signalling more fighting in this area in coming days.