Army Chief says during visit to Jaffna Security Forces Hqrs:

Tigers cornered

Dhaneshi YATAWARA in Jaffna

* No one can challenge Army commitment

* We have done our duty by the people of Jaffna

* Tiger’s dreams totally destroyed

The Army has successfully cornered the LTTE to a 600 square kilometres area with the present progress in operations killing almost 15,000 terrorists within the past three years, Army Commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka said.

“Today the Army is strong with 180,000 personnel where as a few years ago, we had just 116,000 people. We elevated ourselves not just with man power but with well trained, sharp and skilled professionals,” the Army Commander highlighted.

Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka was addressing the gathering during his visit to the Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters yesterday to evaluate the present progress in the Northern Front.

Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mendaka Samarasinghe received the Army Commander at the Palali Air Base on his arrival. Former Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General G.A. Chandrasiri also accompanied the Army Commander.

All Brigade Commanders, Senior Army Officers and other Army personnel attended the meeting. “The understanding and the support of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Defence Secretary provided us with immense courage to achieve these victories,” he pointed out.

He stressed that no one can challenge the commitment of the Army to eradicate terrorist threats, though some may try to underestimate the true successes achieved by the soldiers.

He specially commended the efforts of Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri in leading the Jaffna Security Forces to win the hearts and minds of the people stressing that winning the trust of ordinary civilians is a must to achieve a meaningful victory.

“We have done our duty by the people of Jaffna by clearing the A9 road. The Government is ready to develop the newly liberated areas and we have a duty to assist them.

“In future, Jaffna Security Forces will also have to dedicate themselves to the development work carried out by the Government for the people as we do in the East, Mannar and Vavuniya areas,” the Commander said.

“We were able to totally destroy the evil dreams of the LTTE,” Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka added stating it is the duty of a soldier to make the dreams of the innocent citizens a reality.

“We know that the people are with us at all times and in return it is our duty to create a terror free environment for them to live in dignity and self esteem without surrendering to evil external forces,” the Commander reiterated.

“The Army makes sure that our resources are not wasted. Even the ammunition we used to fight in 2008 were ordered and brought in during 2007. But we make sure that we do not miss the essential requirements,” he added. Thanking all Army personnel for their untiring commitment and dedication for bringing the Army to the present advanced position as professionals, he stressed the importance of upholding the prestige of the Army.

The Army Commander pointed out that if not for the nearly 80,000 new recruits the Army would not have succeeded thus far and it was important to protect all Army personnel including the new recruits in the Forces.