Over 70 LTTE cadres are confirmed killed and another 50 wounded in action when the Sri Lanka Army led a coordinated attack on a series of LTTE bunkers in the general area North of Giant's Tank in Uthayadi, Kathankulam and North West of Adampan.
The Sri Lanka Army lost 12 soldiers while 34 others were wounded in action. The LTTE claims it lost only three and killed 30 SLA. Since attack was preplanned and engaged by the SLA, LTTE figures are not even logically possible. The Army estimates it has killed close to 2000 cadres in fighting this year alone.
The situation in Madhu has raised great interest over the last few weeks as the Army originally planned to capture the 4 km2 area of the Madhu church before the New Year. The plans have since then been changed and the Army is now engaged in a maneuver known as Skirting and Isolation in military terms, which means the cutting off of a particular area to drain out enemy troops gradually without endangering persons or material contained in a particular space in a potential crossfire.
The move has also been influenced by administrative and logistical problems due to incessant rains. The further the Army moves the more difficult it becomes to travel on freshly bulldozed and muddied roads.
The logistics, including removal of casualties, supply of ordinance, reinforcements etc have become difficult. The incessant rains have also shifted mines and booby traps. A large number of men from several forward operating battalions, including their COs are down with a viral fever.
Meanwhile Lt. Colonel Jagath Ratnayake, the CO of 4 GR (Battalion Commander 4 Gemunu Watch) was injured at Muhamalai while performing what is called a Line Instruction. Ratnayake was recently promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel after a series of successful operations as a Major. He was hit on the stomach in what was considered at the time to be a sniper fire and what is now thought to be a regular daytime fire. He is now recovering.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Fighting intensifies as rain disrupt logistics
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18 comments:
I wish you all at DefenceWire and all constructive bloggers a very Happy New Year. I am pretty sure this year will turn out to be great.
I am happy to see the dramatic transition of the SLA. It wasn't long ago that missions were conducted according to auspicious times, and astrological considerations were the guiding light for any operation. Not to mention giving fancy names and deadlines for starting and completing operations. In fact an operation on a new year was unheard of, it was unthinkable.
The course of battle must be decided on what is prudent and what fits the overall war objective. The whole Madu area operation is done very well, because it hides your true intention and not to mention puts the terrorists in two states of mind, defence or retreat. This opens of many possibilities for the SF to work at which I believe they are.
Few words on SafeWorld letter of 'Clarification',clearly the whole letter and gist of it is to protect SafeWorld from any legal liability. But in fact if the GOSL wants (and should) will have a strong legal case against SafeWorld and BBC (because now BBC have to come up with their 'Credible' source !!). If they are not guilty of libel then they are guilty of incompetence and severe lack of credibility. One thing that all people must understand about the nature of INGO/NGOs in their own home countries is that INGO / NGOs are business by themselves which are funded by various government and private donations not necessarily fully funded by governments (of course he who pay the piper calls the tune!). Since their success is not measured by profit. They are measured by the level of (perceived) credibility which is accrued by their supposed activities of saving the world and what not. If this perception is disturbed by a law suite they are out on the street. Sadly they are under qualified to be gainfully employed in any other legitimate industry. So they are very careful in maintaining their image. Because end of the day that’s all they have to sell.
Thanks DW for the news.
A small error,
"supply of ordinance" should change to "supply of ordnance" (on "i").
So why wasnt the officer wearing body armour?
tt,
"So why wasnt the officer wearing body armour?"
He was. That's why he's still alive. But wearing body armour doesn't mean you escape completely unhurt.
Garrett,
I fully agree with you on both comments. Actually, I clicked on the comments column hoping to write something similar...
But you have done a better job!
If I may add more...
Last week when I heard that our forces were planning on capturing Madu before the new year, I was wondering whether our beloved Lt.Gen. was under political pressure or something...
Operations should be planned according to the ground conditions and certainly not to please the people in the south. I'm sorry to say this, but most Sinhalese would have been happier if we captured Madu before the new year, ignoring
the deaths and injuries our forces would have suffered! This is nothing but lack of intelligence in our people in the south!
Please, let the professionals do their job!
As for the SaferWorld INGO issue,
DefenceWire, your article, though short, was so damn bold and it just nailed the coffin for those bloody NGOs/INGOs. Actually, it should have been the GoSL that should be issuing statements like that cos then it becomes more serious. But unfortunately,
without our beloved Late Foreign Minister, we can't expect any such action, specially from the Foreign
Ministry. Bogollagma is simply a disaster and I dont understand why MR is still keeping him as the FM...
He is a joker and is doing more damage to the country than any good!
As pointed out by Garrett, it's high time the GoSL takes legal action against few of these bloody NGO/INGos and show them who the Boss is...
I simply dont understand what these sudda fellows are trying to gain by helping a terrorist outfit...?
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Well Puffy the simple answer to your querry
"I simply dont understand what these sudda fellows are trying to gain by helping a terrorist outfit...?"
is ....MONEY...
How ? Does LTTE give them directly ? Nope . It is the system that gives them the money and LOTS of IT!! The study of NGOs / INGOs and their destruction of the very causes they are supposed to save is a PhD thesis topic in itself. In hundred years from now INGO/NGOs trade will be ranked along aside illegal Arms trade and Drug trade. It will be part of the 20th and 21st centuries greatest failures, will join the lost causes like the League of Nations and UN.
Let me explain. The suddas love to do good deeds with the least amount of inconvenience. So what do these good hearted but short sighted people do? They give to their charities/community service organizations which aligns with there personal beliefs and prejudices (aka AI , Red Cross , UNICEF etc). Remember there are thousands NGOs out there that pander to the same personal beliefs and prejudices and ALL of them want the BIGGEST slice of the pie. So how do they get people to give them the most ? by selling human interest stories . Stories like this eg.
There is this boy lost in the jungles of SL both parents are dead. Killed by insurgents who are nevertheless very nice (since they produce boys and girls with dead parents) but cruelly treated by their very own government. This government is very bad cus they are ignoring the suffering of this child (because the government is more interested in going after the criminals who made this child an orphan in the first place). We took this child under our wing we gave him $2 worth of food. We need to give him more please DONATE as MUCH AS POSSIBLE ($1000 or more) so we can feed him for the rest of his life (not to mention pay my salary of $100,000 for caring for the little bastard).
Suddas who give money NEVER verifies these types of stories and INGOs and NGOs knows this VERY WELL. So how would this kind hearted but Naïf of a Sudda know the truth ? By chance some how it gets leaked into a newspaper (through a litigation process of course) that he or she reads. Only then will the penny drop that they been fed horse shit by the shovel.
So why doesn’t these things get published? Why the cover up? Well here is the real dirty part of the business. Do you know that Bill Gates charity foundation has to give at least $300 million a year (give or take a couple of million. I am not that accurate with the figures)? Do you know what happens to top civil servants and Politicians of European Union and USA go after they retire? Not to elderly homes. They take up director positions of very very lucrative INGOs/ NGOs and they know how to squeeze money out of these mega charity foundations. Also they know how to keep a lid on things by making sure people don’t litigate. INGO’s and NGOs may be NON PROFIT but the people who work, works for money and very good money mind you. What do they do? Give stellar acting performances for the masses who donate so they can feel damn good at Christmas.
Of course there are exceptions, some INGOs/NGOs do good honest work but sadly that’s it. They are only exceptions not the norm.
I am only scratching the surface. The INGO/NGO cess pool is pretty deep. The politics of INGOs and NGOs are a whole different chapter.
Hey lkdood whats with the link fetish ? Are you one short of a dozen by any chance? Or did I ask a Rhetorical question there ?
Hey lkdood whats with the link fetish ? Are you one short of a dozen by any chance? Or did I ask a Rhetorical question there ?
---
Huh ??
"In hundred years from now INGO/NGOs trade will be ranked along aside illegal Arms trade and Drug trade"
Really?
NGOs indeed do have several negatives ,and many of them are in it for pelf than service. But this brushstroke of yours is too broad.
It is my understanding that NGOs did the lions share of Post-Tsunami reconstruction in Sri Lanka and elsewhere,the Govt simply did not have the means.As also every major natural or manmade disasters.
Even as we speak, scores of NGOs are working tirelessly and quietly to feed ,shelter, educate and treat millions of Sri Lankans which the Govt of Sri Lanka cannot provide, or will not provide.
Sri Lanka ,in my opinion, simply cannot maintain its present socioeconomic conditions without NGOs like UNICEF/Red Cross/MSF/DANIDA etc.
So is it not a case of being ungrateful to these workers, some of whom have paid for their services with their lives to Government and possibly rebel bullets?
DefencWire any truth in the following bottomline article.
Anuradhapura Air Force base attack fiasco
Missing key was deadly
A committee appointed to probe the land and air attack on the Anuradhapura Air Force base on October 22 by the LTTE has revealed that the soldiers could not arm themselves to counter-attack immediately because they could not locate the key to the armoury.
The investigation has revealed that the key to the armoury was found only 20 minutes after the LTTE commenced attacks on the Air Force base.
The committee comprised Navy Chief Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, Major General M.A.M. Peiris, Rear Admiral J.S. Kolambage, Air Vice Marshal Arundhavanathan, Major General B.S. Fernando and Commander K.A.S. Fernando.
The investigation revealed that the LTTE cadres penetrated into the Air Force base and started attacking the camp during the tea break and that when the Tigers started to attack the camp with their weapons, the counter air missiles at the Air Force base could not be activated.
http://www.thebottomline.lk/2008/04/16/B32.htm
Sri Lankan Air Force bombs rebel targets
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Hmmm.. risking bullets you say? Well all the INGOs that I had dealing with all lived in luxury houses had chauffeur driven cars and maids . Their children go to international schools. Loves going out and have fun in the sun suitably in a five star hotels (four star if they had no choice). On top of that they had bonus allowance for working in a high risk country. Sun bathing and frolicking in Unawatuna , Bentota and Wadduwa can be risky . oh and they love the "rebels" . Job security you know. Risking bullets I don't know but they have risked few mosquito bites.
garrett,
one swallow does not a summer make.
Read this rhetoric for balance:
Hmmm.. risking bullets you say? Well all the SL Defence Officers that I had dealing with all lived in luxury houses had chauffeur driven cars and maids . Their children go to international schools. Loves going out and have fun in the sun suitably in a five star hotels (four star if they had no choice). On top of that they had bonus allowance for serving in a high risk part of the country. Boozing and frolicking in Unawatuna , Bentota and Wadduwa can be risky . oh and they love the "rebels" . Job security you know--longer the rebels exist the more arms are needed and thus more commissions. Risking bullets I don't know but they have risked few mosquito bites.
Garrett,
Thanks for your lengthy reply on the INGO/NGO issue...
Well, I should have known better, money talks!
When we have our own people betraying the country for money, what would stop these bloody suddas from doing it... pathetic!
But like I pointed out earlier, we should somehow find a way to fight these INGO/NGOs when they cross the line!
Just because they do some genuine charity work, like assisting the people during the Tsunami, it does not give them a free hand to challenge the activities of a sovereign state.
Did any of these bloody INGO/NGOs raise their voice when the LTTE carried out the suicide attack targetting JF? What about the human rights of those athletes who
were killed and injured? Did BBC include this barbaric act in its "Have Your Say"? It was quite a big story, right? I read somewhere that this suicide attack was the next most inhumane and barbaric attack after the Munich attack. So what stopped all these people from reporting it?
All I can say is this is all part of a big conspiracy to topple the MR government and there by save the LTTE!
The LTTE is fighting 2 wars against the GoSL, the Military war and the Propaganda war. But unfortunately, the GoSL is countering only the Military war.
If we are to completely destroy the LTTE, we should succeed in both... the LTTE surely knows the importance of this issue and thats why they killed our late Foreign
Minister and all other intellectuals.
The "SaferWorld" screw up could be a great starting point for this... This will teach all these bloody INGO/NGOs a good lesson if we manage to kick them where it hurts the most.
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