Desperate Tigers trigger ground and air raids

By Animesh Roul

(October, 24, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Guardian)As many as 20 LTTE rebels and around seven Sri Lankan security personnel were reportedly killed in a renewed Tiger-triggered offensive at the Anuradhapura military base in the north-central Sri Lanka on October 22. LTTE’s land force (Black Tiger team comprising both men and women) unleashed the attack under the cover of darkness and with additional support from their own Tamil Eelam air force (TAF). One report suggests that at least seven Sri Lankan air force (SLAF) personnel have been killed and 15 others injured in the pre dawn raid on that airbase. Tigers have managed to inflict some damage to the SLAF by destroying couple of helicopter and fixed wing airplane. [As per LTTE sources , a MI-24 gunship, four helicopters [ two MI-24 gunships, one MI-17, one PT6, one Bell 212, a CTH 748] and a reconnaissance aircraft of SLAF have been destroyed.

The October 22 air and ground raid (code named 'Operation Ella'lan') came after three successful air raids by TAF since late March this year. And this is the first time LTTE rebels have combined effectively both air and ground attack. Although TAF is believed to have a very primitive capability but it has added enough fire power to LTTE’s guerilla- warfare tactics so far.

March 26: TAF attacked Sri Lankan air force base at Katunayake in which three government soldiers killed and 17 others injured.

April 24: Again the TAF inflicted damage to a Sri Lankan army engineering unit in the Palali military complex leaving six soldiers dead and a dozen others wounded.

April 26: TAF attack on Katunayake air base failed.

April 29: TAF bombers successfully targeted two oil storage facilities in Kolonnawa and Muththuraajawala.

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