Full extent of LTTE Puthukudirippu attack

The full extent of an LTTE plan and series of coordinated attacks at Puthukudirippu has come to light. The attack, which started as an infiltration on January 31st, went on till the Independence Day on 4th February. The objective of the LTTE was to push the Army back to Oddusudan. We have now fully pieced together the exact extent of the various attacks that took place during this period, particularly from the 2nd to the 4th of February.

On 31st January, a small 30-man LTTE team belly-crawled through a muddy lagoon in the Nanthi Kandal lagoon undetected by 59 Division sentries. The muddy lagoon was almost impassable and was hence largely unmanned. LTTE teams, well versed in the area having operated in the area themselves, took maximum advantage of their knowledge of the terrain.

The team infiltrated the SLA dominated area a few kilometers. Fortunately for them and rather unfortunately for the army, 3 bus loads of unsuspecting soldiers on leave who had just received their pay, were boarding the buses unarmed. The Tigers waited for the buses to move and blasted several powerful claymore mines while firing RPG-7s at the buses killing around 60 soldiers.

In another separate series of attacks, Tiger suicide bombers disguised as civilians approached the 59 Division FDL manned by 7 Gemunu Watch. The FDL was nothing but a series of checkpoints along the Puthukudirippu-Oddusudan road and former LTTE trench lines manned by small SLA teams. The suicide bombers detonated their lorry bombs killing the sentries instantly and immediately afterwards, wave after wave of Tigers started attacking 7 GW and the reinforcements from TF-4.

At the same time, trucks mounted with 30mm canons forced their way along the road towards TF-4 dominated areas. The Tiger plan was to recapture Mulaitivu and raise the Eelam flag on 4th of February in defiance of the government's elaborate Independence Day celebrations on the same day.

But the Tigers' expectation of a complete military reversal never took place. 7 GW soldiers fought to the very end, with one soldier launching a suicide attack using a couple of Claymore mines strapped on to himself. The 59, which has only 3 committed Brigades, was immediately reinforced by the 57, which had 2 Brigades in the reserve. Additionally, the 57 Division Commander Maj. Gen. Jagath Chula Dias, perhaps the most respected Commander alongside Prasanna Silva, took over the reigns. The 53 Division was also brought in, which was placed in reserve since the recapture of Elephant Pass.

The fiercest attack came in waves particularly on the night of the 3rd. Tigers managed to capture 2 T-55 battle tanks, but were unable to take them away, so they destroyed it with RPGs. But by 2nd February, the 3 Special Forces, which was in reserve throughout the Vanni Humanitarian Operation, swung into action.

Special Forces teams infiltrated the area and launched deadly attacks while assisting normal infantry troops to hold the line from falling beyond 3kms from the original FDL. Over 1,000 LTTE cadres bore down upon them, but the unit held itself and all other units together as usual in heroic fashion.

The CO of the deployed Special Forces teams, a Major, led the counter-attack from the very front. An experienced SF captain and several other soldiers sacrificed their lives in the process. This was how the rest of the country was able to celebrate Independence Day 2009 with their head held high.