Battle of Pooneryn Efficiently Accomplished

(November 15, Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka Guardian) THE phenomenon of the rapid and complete capture of the strategically significant POONERYN by the Sri Lanka Army, precisely after 15 years of LTTE domination, marks the entire liberation of the western coast running from the southern SILAVATHURAI, MANNAR to the northern most POONERYN lagoon.

The POONERYN lagoon in the extreme northwest of the KILINOCHCHI District during the span of all ‘Ealam’ Wars has remained ferociously notorious as a result of the string of military debacles, confrontations, LTTE loses and various conflicts after this strategic base, then a defence of the government troops, fell to the enemy, exactly 15 years ago on November 11, 1993 following massive LTTE attacks directed on the troops.

The complete control of the MANNAR-POONERYN (A-32) Highway stretching up to the POONERYN in this way enables the Army shortly to bag even the POONERYN-PARANTHAN cross-road that lies, about 6 Km to the north of KILINOCHCHI town center and about 14 Km to the south of famous bottle-neck, ELEPHANT PASS.

All three fighting Divisions in WANNI (57,58 (Task Force I) and 59) with supportive Task Force-III troops are firmly determined to further breakthrough LTTE defences and continue their advancing military thrust against the terrorists. Raising of the Task Force-I on July 2, 2007 on an initiative given by the Army Commander himself, particularly to trigger striking and sophisticated assaults against the enemy, provided further teeth to the offensive troops which subsequently received marching orders targeting Tiger hubs on September 23, 2007.

On that ill-fated day, a predawn LTTE attack codenamed ‘Operation Thavalai’ (fog) unleashed on the then existed POONERYN Defence Complex of Army & Naval troops, using both land and the lagoon simultaneously for the attack on November 11, 1993, took the Security Forces by surprise since the enemy had by then managed meticulously to infiltrate the defences of both Army and Navy troops at that point of time before the terrorists overrun Army gun positions and armoured positions that were used to observe and attack Tiger movements in the area.

LTTE’s strongman late Thamil Selvam, who was their former second in Command to the Tiger forces, ordered his armed men to continue the attack on the POONERYN Defence Complex but Thamil Selvam was suddenly made disabled when a shrapnel of a retaliatory Army rocket hit his leg wounding him badly.

Tiger terrorists however undeterred by Thamil Selvam’s injury stepped up their thrust forward in the Defence Complex continuously for about thirty six hours with enthusiasm and the support given by their anti air craft fire which in turn prevented any air support forthcoming for the support of the Army on POONERYN Defence Complex.

Irrespective of the concerted efforts of brave Army soldiers and elite Naval Commanders the troops had to withdraw, being unable to provide defence fortifications to the larger part of the Defence Complex.

It is also worth recalling how the Army Second Lieutenant K.W.T NISSANKA who was then a platoon Commander sacrificed his own life enabling his own troops to move away some of his wounded soldiers for treatments. As the enemy was circling, he removed the pins on two grenades and ran towards the enemy and made the grenades explode killing him and the attacking Tigers instantly.

Though a large part of the Defence Complex base remained overrun, several pockets of brave soldiers in peripheral units by dawn the next day (November 12, 1993) were still holding out in bunkers along the shore covering the retreat of their fellow soldiers. In addition to the loss of military hardware, arms and ammunitions, etc at least two hundred soldiers were captured alive or went missing or executed afterwards by the LTTE.

Another two hundred and forty-one soldiers including four officers were confirmed killed in the fighting it self. The devastating 1993 fight in POONERYN killed at least 469 Tiger terrorists. The valiant platoon Commander was posthumously awarded the PARAMA WEERA VIBHUSHANAYA, the highest gallantry award of the Sri Lanka Army.

Since the fall of the POONERYN Defence Complex Tamil Tiger terrorists converted it to be their bastion to disrupt the Army and Naval supplies to the JAFFNA peninsula while using other coastal littorals to conduct their smuggling operations and artillery/mortar fire attacks on the troops serving JAFFNA peninsula since its geographical location overlooks JAFFNA-KILALY lagoon and proves it to be the nemesis for clandestine Tiger terrorists. The then Defence Complex was a major hindrance for Tamil Tiger communication between WANNI and the JAFFNA peninsula. This land mass in POONERYN also provided a sound base for dreaded Sea Tiger operations that had been conducted intermittently aiming the JAFFNA peninsula.

The fall of POONERYN which is regarded a fatal blow to LTTE supremo PRABHAKARAN himself here after provides the Army as well as the Navy manifold advantages as the humanitarian military operations in the WANNI are speedily gathering momentum after valiant troops pierced the LTTE earth bund and forged ahead, forcing the panic-stricken terrorists to dismantle their long range artillery guns from POONERYN and carry elsewhere.

Possibility for the reopening of the A-32 Main Supply Route, Linking JAFFNA mainland with POONERYN, Loss of the entire western coast to the LTTE and its Sea Tiger operations, Severing of LTTE supplies of logistics via Sea routes, ability to re-establish Sri Lanka Navy observation post, Possible blockade of passage of Tamil refugees to TAMIL NADU, Deprivation for firing of the LTTE’s long range guns against vital security establishments and a host of other strategic advantageous are thus provided to the Security Forces and the Police in the entire northern region following this rare and remarkable military achievement.

Analysts defined the POONERYN capture as a devastating and a humiliating personal blow to the Tiger supremo, PRABHAKARAN who reaches fifty four years in a couple of days and dreams to commemorate their up coming ‘Maveerar’ day which is generally heralded with a blood bath in the few of years. - Sri Lanka Guardian