Thoppigala bastion now a cul-de-sac for LTTE

DIRE STRAITS: The ongoing military operations in the East has placed the LTTE in the most miserable situation they ever faced in the history of the three decades long North-East conflict.

But it seems they had never given up their effort to inflict damage on the Security Forces, in a desperate bid to boost the morale of LTTE cadres fighting an isolated battle in the Thoppigala jungles.

The number of LTTE cadres who surrendered to the Security Forces during the past few weeks reveals the current position of the LTTE which is fighting the final battle in the Eastern theatre without a proper direction from the LTTE leadership.

The Tiger cadres left behind in the Thoppigala jungle on Tuesday midnight made a desperate attempt to overrun several Army detachments along the Batticaloa-Polonnaruwa road having crossed the lagoon in Chenkaladi.

The Army camps in Siththandi, Chenkaladi, Mavadivembu and Kumburumulla came under artillery, mortar and multi barrel attacks of the LTTE.

While launching rains of artillery and mortar on these Army camps the Tigers sent two explosives-laden vehicles via the Black bridge in Chenkaladi and the Red Bridge.

There was a huge explosion in the area as the two vehicles caught artillery and mortar fire of the Security Forces.

According to the Army, columns of Tiger cadres had moved to launch a physical assault on the Mavadivembu Army camp around 3 am but failed in their effort as the Security Forces were aware that Tigers were preparing for such an attack.

The Security Forces at the Mavadivembu camp retaliated the Tiger fire and launched a massive assault on the

 Tiger cadres who tried to infiltrate the camp after removing the barbed wire fences.

The LTTE too had shifted their artillery and mortar guns closer to the area to launch a massive assault and overrun the camps.

But the troops were prepared for such an attack as the Tiger cadres who surrendered to the Security Forces in Chenkaladi and Valachchenai area had given information that they were preparing for an attack on Army camps.

But the Security Forces were not aware from which direction the assault would come. However, they were of the opinion that Tigers would find a weak point to infiltrate into the area.

After a long battle the Security Forces were able to flush out the Tiger cadres back to the Thoppigala area killing more than 20 cadre.

A subsequent search operation carried out in the area the Security Forces found eight bodies of the Tiger cadres including that of a female cadre and a large haul of weapons left behind by the fleeing Tiger cadres. The intercepted radio transmissions revealed the names of 18 LTTE cadres killed in the battle and 40 injured cadres.

Four Security Forces personnel were killed and 17 others sustained injured during the battle.

What the Tiger leaders in Thoppigala wanted to show through this attack was that they were capable of overrunning the Army camp and thereby tell the entire world that they still control some parts of the East despite claims to the country by the Security Forces.

But the stars were not in favour of the LTTE this time too even after the bad days they faced in the sea earlier in the week losing two of their arms shipments.

A close analysis of the Tiger attempt clearly shows that the LTTE has no option other than leaving the Thoppigala jungles as they are already trapped in the area without any logistics support from the Wanni leadership.

The bad news that hit the Tiger hierarchy on Sunday about the destruction of two LTTE ships carrying arms would have also been one major factor for the LTTE to make a desperate attempt to launch such an attack.

It might be an effort to clear a path for the trapped Wanni cadres in the Thoppigala jungles to flee to Wanni after developing a breach head by overrunning one of these camps. If they could overrun one of these camps at least for a few hours all Tiger cadres trapped in the area could have fled the area by sea.

Therefore, Security Forces should be more alert on the situation as Tigers would make efforts either to flee again to the Kanchikudichchuaru jungles or to the Wanni as they are now sure there is no liberation for them if they trapped in the Thoppigala jungles.

The Security Forces have been now entrusted with the task of flushing out the Tiger threats from the entire Eastern province as there is an acute need to resettle more than 100,000 displaced civilians from Thoppigala and west of Batticaloa.