KKS suicide attack- 2nd update

Navy says only minor damages have been caused to the Merchant Vessel Nimalawa while MV Ruhuna was completely unharmed. All Sea Tiger cadres who engaged in the attack were killed. No casualties are reported to the Sri Lanka Navy personnel on board the vessels who engaged in a successful counterattack using MPMGs and LMGs.

Search operations are ongoing to locate remains of the Tigers and their equipment. The Navy has also managed to capture one suicide boat while the other two were blasted. It is believed that the suicide boats had been lying in waiting near KKS following the easing of fishing restrictions.

The attack has taken place in the outer harbour area at KKS. All telephone connections in the Jaffna Peninsula was obstructed immediately after the attack. More details will follow as soon as normal connections are restored.

LTTE suicide attack on government chartered vessel

The LTTE today damaged Sri Lanka Government chartered vessel Nimalawa off the coast of Kankesanthurai, Jaffna early this morning. Three suicide boats had engaged in the mission, according to available information. Please await further details.

Casualties to both sides as fighting shifts gears

Sources confirmed to us today that the casualties to the Army in Saturday's attack to dismantle the Akkarayan LTTE bund and trenchline was well over 100. Army deaths were 30 while LTTE deaths were monitored to be around 38 with 70 LTTE cadres injured. Total injuries to the Army was around 80. The Tigers used CS gas again on Saturday in the eastern flank.

In the meantime, the Nachchikuda Sea Tiger base is being gradually withdrawn by the Tigers. Small groups have started withdrawing along with equipment via the sea. Some land routes are also being exploited by the Tigers. The Army is unable to cut-off all escape routes by land due to obvious reasons. The LTTE withdrawal is towards Pooneryn.

Fighting in the Jaffna Peninsula has also taken a dramatic turn. Army discovered that Tigers were quietly abandoning their FDL to reinforce depleting units in Kilinochchi. This situation is being exploited to the maximum by SLA small attack teams.

A very successful operation was launched last week at Kilali. Five 8-man teams from the 53 Division entered the LTTE's 1st Forward Defence Line at Kilali last Tuesday night. They found a large stretch of the FDL completely abandoned. This is completely normal as the Tigers withdraw at night and reinforce the FDL again in the morning. But on that particular day, things were unusually quiet in the LTTE FDL. The troops engaged the 2nd FDL with RPGs and LMGs to get the Tigers to fight. But LTTE cadres were nowhere to be found.

Instead of withdrawing, the 5 8-man teams remained in the FDL. By 15th morning, a few scouts were observe closer to the 2nd FDL and by the same evening, Army radio intercepts heard Theepan and Lawrence talking to their fighters in code. The Tigers were planning an attack to annihilate the 8-man Teams.

By 15th evening, the fight was on and the attackers were coming in waves towards the LTTE FDL now occupied by troops. The five 8-man teams, 3 of whom were in the trench and two others on the flanks, engaged the Tigers cutting them down as they appeared. Soldiers counted 20 Tigers killed and suspect that over 80 were injured.

Five soldiers sacrificed their lived in the operation. The dead and the injured LTTE cadres were dragged away by the Tigers who were in full retreat. 6 bodies left behind were seized by the Army. The Tigers had underestimated the determination and patience of the SLA platoon.

This attack perhaps exemplifies the morale and determination of the troops. Though young in years, the officers and men currently serving in the front lines are mastering the game. These no doubt are ominous signs for the LTTE.

The race to Kilinochchi begins

Heavy fighting erupted in Akkarayankulam as the 57 Division launched a massive attack to dismantle the trenchline and bunt at Akkarayankulam today. Casualties to the LTTE is yet unknown. The line was breached from the western and eastern flanks forcing the Tigers to abandon the line and move to its center.

Troops have now bypassed the line and positioned themselves to the rear of the bund. With this lightening strike, the earth bund has lost all its significance as a defensive measure designed to delay troop movement towards Kilinochchi Town.

For the Army, the attack demonstrates a new urgency to capture Kilinochchi before the rainy season continues into November. Kokavil and Akkarayan are renowned for their susceptibility to flooding during the northwestern monsoon season. Kokavil is especially vulnerable due to its low-lying terrain. The tank at Akkarayan and the nearby ravines are also susceptible to overflowing during the monsoon. Experienced soldiers who have fought in this terrain, like Maj. Gen Chula Dias for example, should know this terrain by heart.

The 57 Division's thrust to capture Kilinochchi must and probably will go into high gear from now onwards. The Army must not get bogged down in Kokavil for the entire duration of the Monsoon. The Tigers on the other hand would want the Army's advance in these areas to be delayed as much as possible, through both military and political tactics. But the LTTE's military capabilities are crumbling as we speak.

The LTTE is now showing signs of abandoning the Nachchikuda Sea Tiger base by sea. The 58 Division surrounded the base in a U-shape after tactical maneuvers to the east and then to the west, cutting off the A32 road. Tigers had escaped towards Nochchikudah in Pooneryn on a few previous occasions already.

Sources told this site that Tigers may have withdrawn its more experienced fighters from the base already. Although exact troop strength inside the besieged base is unclear, the SLA is expecting some resistance to overrunning the base. Sri Lanka Navy's arrow boats and SBS units have been deployed to cut-off any further major escapes from Nachchikuda.

58 Division's laborious operations to dismantle the Nachchikuda-Akkarayan trench is paying rich dividends. Although weeks were spent strategizing the dismantling process, the fall of Vannerikulam was soon followed by the capture of Manniyakkulam, a Ground of Tactical Importance (GTI).

This GTI was also the access route to reinforce Nachchikuda from Kilinochchi via Kokavil. Immediately after its capture, the A32 was also cut-off by the Army. The junction at Maniyakkulam has a direct route leading to Valaipadu and the jungle areas surrounding it. These areas must be infiltrated and captured by the 58 before reaching Pooneryn.

Mysterious attacks in Vanni

A motion has begun in the Vanni to limit LTTE and other movements. Exact details of these activities cannot be revealed as the Army may deny them for purposes of safeguarding its overall plan of action. One objective of these Special Operations is to limit movements of LTTE leaders and the the rapid mobilization of LTTE cadres from theater to theater.

Unspecified actions have been planned and are currently being taken simultaneously, in all parts of the uncleared area in the Vanni, as part of an overall strategy to destabilize the enemy. This is in addition to aerial attacks and LRRP operations, both by the Special Forces and the Commando regiment. Plans are also afoot to put pressure on the LTTE to expedite the release of civilians or to declare Demilitarized Zones. Although we are unable to disclose what they are, close observations would reveal the nature of these activities.

Meanwhile the Nachchikuda-Vannerikulam LTTE trenchline, which was holding back the 58 Division for weeks now, is failing.

LTTE defences in Vannerikulam have collapsed completely and the Tigers have started abandoning the fight gradually, in the western coast. A few LTTE units have remained in Nachchikuda though the village has been flanked from the east. Withdrawing cadres are now being absorbed into the LTTE defences at Iranamadu.

The level of resistance offered to the 58 Division in Pooneryn in general, is observed to be dwindling. This could be more out of necessity than due to a strategy by the Tigers. The LTTE's demonstrated need has been to prolong the SLA's siege on Kilinochchi by inducting more fighters into trenches being newly constructed.

Field Commanders whom we spoke to mentioned that the gradual vacation of Pooneryn is a huge gamble for the LTTE considering the 58 Divisions clear intentions to capture Pooneryn. This Division is a highly mobile offensive division spearheaded by 2 Commando Regiment.

Their understanding is that if the 58 managed to reach Pooneryn, Paranthan would become untenable. Considering the fact that the 57 has laid siege to Kilinochchi from Iranamadu, and Akkarayan, Paranthan is now the back-door to Kilinochchi. It is also the door to Elaphantpass.

Ex-SLA serving in PMCs

A few Sri Lankan ex-servicemen have engaged in what some hastily call mercenary duties as part of Private Military Companies (PMCs). This is a growing trend following successful counter terrorism, counter insurgency and close protection experiences and successes of the Sri Lanka Army in recent times.

One of the first SLA officers to take up a contract with a PMC was Brigadier Peiris from Commando Regiment. Brig. Peiris was a very senior officer in the military, even senior than the present Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka.

Having passed-out from Intake 1 of the Officer Cadet course from the SLMA, Brigadier Peiris soon became an authority on close protection otherwise known as VIP/VVIP Protection. Brigadier Peiris' brother also served in the Army until his untimely death.

Since then a number of officers and men from the Army have take up PMC contracts overseas from Cambodia to Iraq. We have identified around 15 ex-Special Forces who have been in and out of Iraq in recent times alone.

Many of the Officers were junior officers in the Special Forces and Commando Regiments, majority being retired soldiers but also retired Corporals and even Sergeants. Many were fairly young having served 12, 15 and sometimes 20 years or more in the Army. Having joined the Army as young as 18, many of these men know only one thing-- to fight.

They were fairly happy with the benefits they received with each man receiving something equivalent to $2,000-2,500 on average as salary per month. They are hired on a contract-basis and are provided with insurance coverage. Contrary to media coverage of these regions many claimed that their tasks were not all that precarious.

Majority of their duties included protection of private installations and convoys. A number of officers and men from the Engineering Corp have also received assignments in international de-mining operations including the removal of Unexploded Ordnance (UXOs).

Senior Special Forces officers whom we spoke to claimed that the deployment of ex-servicemen was not, in anyway, a hindrance to the Army's reputation. None of these operatives are considered SLA any more and have to engage in these activities as civilians and at their own risk.
It is true that these individuals have obtained training and critical exposure to certain battlefield environments having served in the SLA but the Army no longer has a binding agreement with any of these individuals nor do they towards the Army.

Many of the services these individuals provide cannot be considered as directly assisting the United States or its allies in Iraq. They are now part of a legitimate business to provide security to those who require such and the Sri Lanka Army has no qualms with that.

Q&A with DefenceWire

Some of you have been asking us some questions with regard to India and the acquisition of new weapons. We hope to provide you with some answers. Please note that information deemed highly sensitive by us have been omitted.

India and Tamil Nadu

According to our sources, which are primarily from the defence sector, Indian Central Government has instructed the government of Sri Lanka to achieve its targeted objectives before the 15th Lok Sabha Elections in India next year. The elections will be held in April-May 2009.

The Sri Lankan government and its armed forces are preparing to reach a decisive stage in the war by that time. Its objective would be to capture Kilinochchi and Pooneryn and corner the Tigers into Mullaitivu. Once this threshold is reached, the ruling party in India would engage Tamil Nadu politics and openly issue warnings to Sri Lanka to increase safeguards for Tamil minority rights. The Sri Lanka government will then oblige.

Currently, if you observe Indian politics, Jayalalitha Jeyaram and her counterparts have only issued isolated statements on the issue and have not adopted an anti Sri Lanka government stance as a sustained policy. She even boycotted a large demonstration organized by the Communist Party recently.

The ruling part in India and Jayalalitha Jeyaram will become vociferous as the election draws near to attract Tamil votes, especially if the Tamil question in Sri Lanka becomes a powerful issue in Tamil Nadu. But the Indian government will maintain its non-interventionist policy in Sri Lanka. It is also apprehensive of Sri Lanka's growing alliance with Pakistan and China.

In fact, a Sri Lankan military delegation returned from Pakistan with a load of weapons for the war barely two weeks ago. Pakistan and China, the other two nuclear superpowers in the region, define the LTTE as a terrorist organization. Pakistan is urging Sri Lanka to become the first state in the region and perhaps even in the world to crush terrorism since that country is also facing a terrorist problem.

New Arms: MIG 29s

NO MIG-29S HAVE BEEN BOUGHT BY SRI LANKA. The bill was too expensive, in the range of $500 million, which is too much for the economy. In any case, the F-7s have demonstrated adequate air superiority and the Kfirs and Mig-27s have done more than their share in reducing LTTE infrastructure to rubble. If any investment is to be made, it will be made on servicing and further improving the aircrafts we already have, including the workhorse of the military-- the MI24/35.

Sri Lankan Ex-Military as Mercenaries

Please await a detailed analysis on the issue in the coming weeks.

Thank you,
DW Team