Rain or shine, protecting motherland is their aim

Northern battlefront troops brave inclement weather, Tiger fire in anti-terror drive:

Ranil Wijayapala

For those who are out of the scene it would have been a life time experience between life and death. But it had become a part and parcel of their daily life. Encountering the enemy at close range had become a daily routine for the troops operating on the battlefronts in the Wanni.

Their determination is to defeat the enemy's will to fight. They continue their task relentlessly to see an end to this conflict dedicating their today and future on behalf of their fellow citizens.

It was after a long journey from Colombo to Medawachchiya and then passing Kebithigollewa, Weli Oya and Janakapura we could reach the 59 Division, the latest battle front in the Wanni.

Lt. Colonel Priyanka Fernando the Commanding Officer of the 11 Gemunu Watch battalion was guiding us to the front line in the Weli Oya from their battalion headquarters in the Janakapura North.

Troops had turned a thick jungle patch into their battalion headquarters leaving the canopy to provide them a sort of protection from enemy mortar and artillery fire.

The soldiers excelled in their handy work turning the available wood into arm chairs just using the resources available around to make the place a little more comfortable one to have a break.

The thick jungle patches in the Weli Oya battle front have become a part of their life despite whatever comforts they are having at their homes just displaying their commitment to protect their Motherland. Priyanka was creeping through the jungle and telling us to strictly follow the footpath they have cleared just to reach their target.

Any mistake will end in losing our limbs or worse, our lives as the enemy has turned this thick jungle My colleague from the sister newspaper Dinamina, Prasanna Fonseka and photographer Rukmal were following the footsteps of Priyanka. Any mistake we patches in the Janakapura North into death traps setting mine fields and booby traps.

"They have set minefields and booby traps to stop us advancing to their territory, but it has become a part of our day-to-day lives," Priyanka was telling me as we were creeping through the jungle. Gradually he was lowering his voice but was explaining us how his troops advanced through this jungle patch braving all these obstacles.

We were heading towards a thick jungle patch. The broken braches and the burnt leaves of the huge Palu trees were signaling us that something extraordinary had happened there in that jungle patch. Yes it was yet another battle ground.

"We are now reaching Alpha One base of the LTTE which was used as the commanding bunker in the Janakapura North. We captured it on March 1 after a fierce battle," Priyanka whispered in my ear.

The location was ideal to have a commanding bunker that provides a clear view of the surroundings. "It was a difficult task for us to reach the Base unnoticed to the enemy but we made it after deploying our reckie teams," Priyanka explained.

There was something fishy in the air and the troops dominating this Alpha-I base after capturing it were preparing for any eventuality.

The silence there was extraordinary. They were using sign language and hearing the radio set very carefully. The sound emanating from the radio set was strange.

"They are hearing a message from a soldier engaged in a reckie mission. They had detected a Tiger point ahead of us and are murmuring into their communication equipment," once again Priyanka was explaining us while giving instructions to Company Commanders.

"A mortar pick up', suddenly a soldier gave a warning. They have sharpened their years to hear what is happening ahead of us. "Down, down" Priyanka instructed us. He was highly concerned about our safety and we all moved seeking cover.

The soldier was correct. We heard the mortar fall just hundred meters away from our location.

"It was a 60 mm mortar. They have detected our reckie team," an officer said. Suddenly there was a firing sound just 200 meters ahead of us.

Priyanka instructed officers to get back the search team while instructing gunners to open fire using the 12.5 mm gun to give them cover.

A few minutes after his instructions a set of soldiers appeared from the jungle giving us a semblance of an idea as to how close we were to the enemy line. A soldier has sustained injuries in his ankle. "It was a gunshot injury. A Tiger cadre is sniping from a tree top," a soldier told me.

They have to evacuate the injured soldier out of the jungle. The soldier was screaming in pain as he was carried by fellow soldiers. Another soldier came to his help and carried him on his shoulders.

The soldier stopped screaming. The fellow soldier had to walk more than half a kilometre keeping the injured one on his shoulders.

Then he was taken to a vehicle and rushed for medical treatment.

The Company Commanders Captain U.N.P. Jayasekera, Captain Lakshman and Captain Kavinda Withanage were preparing for another assault on the LTTE point just ahead of us.

The location was a target for retaliatory fire and we were instructed to rush back to the battalion headquarters. "That is our life on the battle front," Priyanka said. His words indicated the seriousness of their task and no additional explanations were needed since it was a 'live' experience for us.

"The rainy weather is giving us a hard time. But, weather conditions are immaterial in our efforts to advance towards Tiger territory. Our troops are well motivated and they are doing their best disregarding the difficulties they have to confront in the battle front," Lt. Colonel Priyanka remarked.

The ground had turned into a marshy land and soldiers have been infected with mosquito borne diseases. Yet they are facing the challenge of terrorism effectively to advance towards one of the most sensitive battle fields in the Wanni battle, the Mullaitivu battle front.

"Our soldiers are well motivated to take the challenge.

They are on the winning trend on the Weli Oya battle front," Brigadier Nandana Udawatta the General Officer Commanding of the 59 Division in Weli Oya says. The Weli Oya front was the latest offensive Division that joined the Wanni liberation operation and they are maintaining a 12 Kilometre front from Kokkuthuduval to Ethavetunuvewa.

"The task ahead of us is massive and we are ready to take that challenge effectively," Brigadier Udawatta says.

The 59 Division has advanced some four Kilometres into Tiger territory in the Mullaitivu district cutting off some vital supply routes to the Tiger FDLs killing more than 400 Tiger cadres.

The task before each and every soldier was vital in their contribution towards the liberation of the Wanni from the clutches of the LTTE.

Each and every soldier in the Army is dedicated to the task even under the worst circumstances. The reason is obvious. They need to see an end to this conflict before any other citizen of the country.

From one end to the other end the Wanni battle front, from Weli Oya to Mannar front through the Vavuniya battle front the same level of dedication is being displayed by these true sons of the soil.

Though our intention was to visit all the battle fronts in Wanni, the flooded jungles in the Vavuniya battle front prevented us from visiting front lines in the 57 Division. We had to confine our visit only to the 571 Brigade led by Colonel Ravipriya. "Things are worse here due to rainy weather conditions. Even my vehicle was struck in the mud and it took one and half days to take it back,"

Colonel Ravipriya explained the situation. However, he was busy planning the troop advance towards Palampiddi in their bid to cut off the LTTE supply routes to Madhu. "Our troops are achieving their task despite bad weather," Colonel Ravipriya told us while explaining the way troops took control over Keerisuddan north-east of Madhu.

Captain Devapriya attached to the 11 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment was explaining how troops had to make barges to cross waterways to reach their battalion headquarters and to reach their targets within the given time.

The 11 SLLI Commanding Officer Lt. Colonel Senaka Wijesuriya was keen to take us to the battle front bad weather marred the plan.

But flooded jungle patches gave us a clear picture of the unfolding events in the Vavuniya battle front and the condition of the vehicle provided to us was not fit for such an expedition. However, the battle front in Madhu was opened for us overcoming the same difficulties but using all-terrain Army vehicles.

The troops are now inching towards Madhu after capturing the Periyapandivirichchan and Sinnapandivirichchan.

"We are now fighting a group of terrorists who cannot even feed their own cadres," Colonel Bandara Ehelepola the 572 Brigade Commander said while explaining the way they have captured Periyapandivirichchan and Sinnapandivirichchan villages south of Madhu.

"We are sure we can reach our targets despite efforts by the Tiger outfit to tarnish our image," Colonel Ehelepola added.

It was not a dream but a realistic assessment by the ground commanders and there was not an iota of doubt that they will reach their target soon. The troops in the Mannar battle front also share the same view and determination in their fight against terrorism.

The fallow paddy lands turned into huge 'tanks' had made no barriers for them. They walk through the fallow paddy lands as if there was no water there and make their billets in flooded lands but fight the enemy disregarding all these obstacles. Their intention is to turn these fallow paddy lands into fertile paddy fields to give real meaning to the term 'Mannar Rice Bowl'.

The massive Giant tank in Murunkan has been filled to its maximum so are the other areas in Mannar. Soldiers wade through flooded water, their boots filled with muddy water. Tractors have become the sole mode of transport in the flooded land.

Lt. Colonel. Suminda Jayasundera the Commanding Officer of the 8 Gemunu Watch joined us to show the real pain and hardship experienced by the troops. We were heading towards Adampan through Manthai North. They are operating just a few hundred metres away from Adampan town.

There is no guarantee at what moment the enemy would snipe in our direction. So we had to run fast in the open areas and keep our heads low.

Though we experienced it once the troops have to face the risk round the clock. They are trapped in between the flooded water flowing through their feet and from the sniper shots of the LTTE.

Captain Ashoka Liyanage was showing me how he had selected a higher elavation just to locate his company. "But it is only for our troops to have a rest.

They have to operate with half of their body under water. There is no escape from water but we continue our battle despite all these difficulties," Captain Liyanage says. So is the story of all battalions operating in the Mannar battlefront. They have dedicated their today and future for the betterment of their Motherland risking their lives and fearlessly fighting the LTTE which had become a menace to the country.

The shining eyes of these heroic soldiers indicate that the future would be brighter. The smile in their face tells us that they can overpower all the difficulties they face. They are marching towards their victory unaffected by the temporary difficulties they have to face signifying they will reach their goal soon.