Tigers desperately seeking help - Strategy Page

COLOMBO: Recent losses have resulted in the LTTE openly appealing to the government of Tamil Nadu for help in their war. Despite the popularity of the LTTE cause in Tamil Nadu, the LTTE terror tactics have backfired. The Tamil Nadu Government has turned on the LTTE over the last decade, and this LTTE appeal will fail, the respected military website Strategy Page said.

It said: “The fighting continues to go against the LTTE. The Government reports that over 4,800 LTTE fighters have died so far this year.

The LTTE are using their dwindling cadre (hard core members) to insure that poorly trained (and motivated) conscripts (often teenagers) fight to the death, or at least don’t run away as soon as the army opens fire.

Meanwhile, army long range patrols inside LTTE territory report declining morale among the civilian population, and a dwindling supply of weapons and ammunition (that is, little target practice for new recruits, which is a major factor in the low army casualties.) Army commanders are now openly talking of crushing the LTTE by the end of the year.

In southern India, police have, so far this year, arrested 40 Tamils (18 from Sri Lanka, the test Indians) for smuggling military equipment to the LTTE.