Tigers crush new Sri Lankan push in Vanni

Over 113 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and 326 wounded in the space of four days last week, as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) stepped their resistance against the Sri Lankan military offensive in Vanni.

The fierce resistance, in which a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) regiment was badly mauled, prompted analysts to suggest that the LTTE is permitting the Sri Lankan military to advance in certain areas and putting up stiff resistance at others.

After a brief lull in the Vanni battle front, on Saturday August 30, the Sri Lankan military again attempted to break through LTTE Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) and move towards Aalangkulam in Thunukkaay division.

LTTE fighters confronted the SLA advance from 9:40 a.m. till 4:00 p.m on Saturday and seized 7 T-56 automatic rifles and recovered 3 dead bodies of SLA soldiers after heavy fighting.

According LTTE field officials 20 SLA soldiers were killed and more than 32 wounded in the clashes.

Following the failure of this attempted the SLA opened a new fronts in Naachchikkudaa in Mannaar district and Vannearikkulam which resulted in heavy casualties to the Sri Lankan military.

45 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and more than 51 wounded in Naachchikkudaa when the LTTE confronted the SLA in a stiff fighting throughout Monday night.

On Tuesday, 40 more SLA soldiers were killed and 50 wounded in another front, when LTTE fighters confronted the SLA units that simultaneously attempted to advance from 8th, 9th and 10th Mile Posts, located between Vannearikkulam and Akkaraayan.

19 bodies, 12 from Vannearikkulam and 7 from Naachchikkudaa, were handed over to the ICRC by the Tigers on Wednesday, September 4. Arrangements were under way to hand over the remaining 10 bodies, on Thursday, according to the LTTE officials.

LTTE defensive formations also seized large number of arms, ammunition and military accessories in the two-days fighting south and west in Kiinochchi district in Vanni.

Seven Light Machine Guns (LMGs), four RPG launchers, more than 25 AK assault rifles, hundreds of LMG rounds, more than 120,000 of 7.62 mm rounds, more than 60 RPG shells, two Light Anti-Tank Weapons (LAWs), around 80 hand grenades and 15 Claymore mines were among the arms being stockpiled by the Tigers, according to the reporters who were allowed to photograph the collection.

Magazines with rounds, booby traps, and military accessories such as bullet-proof jackets, kit bags, helmets and holsters were among the seized items after the clashes in Vannearikkulam and Naachchikkudaa fronts.

A day after the debacle in Vannearikkulam and Naachchikkudaa fronts , the SLA again attempted to move from another front with no success.

LTTE on Wednesday repulsed a ground movement by the SLA at Paalamoaddai into LTTE territory. The Tigers claimed that eight SLA soldiers were killed and more than 14 wounded in their counter-attack.

The SLA had launched the movement, backed by heavy artillery fire, at 7:00 a.m. and fighting went on for 12 hours before the Sri Lankan forces were forced to withdraw, according to LTTE officials.

The fighting in Vanni has intensified as the Tigers, who avoided stiff confrontations against the advancing SLA for a while, stepped up defensive engagement on Monday.

The high toll was not anticipated by the top brass of the SLA, which deployed elite Special Forces (SF) with high-powered rockets and explosives during the offensive push at Vannearikkulam on Monday.

The SLA hierarchy has instructed the field commanders to submit an in depth evaluation of the debacle at Vannearikkulam.

A retired brigadier general, Vipul Boteju, commenting on the current situation told AFP: "They will have to rely more on infantry … We are getting to the stage of close-quarter fighting and that is when we can expect more casualties."

According to press reports, the SLA soldiers were equipped with anti-tank rockets, high explosive anti-tank RPGs and were instructed to use extensive explosive and fire power.

However, the Tigers managed to engage in close fighting, causing heavy casualties.

LTTE laid booby traps have also caused high number of amputations and deaths among the SLA soldiers.

Despite military hospitals in south getting full of SLA soldiers with serious injuries, the Rajapakse administration is intent on continuing the war, the sources further added.

On Thursday, the Sri Lankan Naval Commander, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, in an interview to the state owned Daily News, claimed that his navy played a vital role in denying the LTTE of their supplies and noted: "if we cannot win this war at this stage, we will never win this war."

Sri Lanka has poured a record 1.5 billion dollars into the war effort this year in a bid to secure a military victory over the LTTE.

In an interview to AFP this week, Gothabaya Rajapakse, the Defence secretary and younger brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, who in the past has given many deadlines for capturing Kilinochchi and wiping out the LTTE, said the military campaign against the LTTE was "on track" but this time refused to give a time frame for capturing Kilinochchi.

"The ground terrain in the north is quite different... it's foolish to give a time frame as to when the operations will end. It depends on the LTTE's breaking point," Rajapakse said.