Mop up operations in progress in Pooneryn salient; Air Force comes to troops assistance
Task Force 1 troops having liberated Poonaryn are now engaged in mop-up operations in the Poonaryn salient, Defence sources in the filed reveal. Troops are now clearing their way towards Kalmunai Point (K-Point) along the 20 Km long narrow land stretch where the LTTE terrorists used to stationed their artillery and mortar batteries.
Meanwhile , Sri Lanka Air Force has lunched a series of air strikes in support of ground troops in the Muhamalai area. Air Force spokesperson Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara told defence.lk that MI-24 helicopters and fighter jets have engaged LTTE artillery and mortar positions in the area since 6.30 to 9.45 this morning (Nov 15).
Army Chief , Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka describing the victory to state media said that the whole stretch of A-32 road from Mannar to Poonaryn has been liberated after 20 years. He said that troops of Task Force 1 and 57 Division have cutoff the Poonaryn- Paranthan road (B-69) yesterday and marched for about 8 Km down the road to Pooneryn junction .
“Then we advanced further and captured Sangupiddy ferry that connects the road to Thanankiluppu in Jaffna”, now the army has dominated the whole west coast”, he said.
Speaking further, he said that it is the first time after 20 years that the Army has opened a land route to Jaffna.
“We have eliminated large number of terrorists during this battle, remaining terrorists are now running for their lives across the Kilali lagoon”, he said.
In addition, he said that troops of 57 Division and Task Force 1 have already started marching eastward towards A-9 road.
“At present, our forces have positioned themselves about 10 Km west of Paranthan on the A-9 road”, he said.
Poonaryn remains a hallmark of the undying courage of Sri Lanka Army soldiers as they withstood frenetic attack by the terrorists at the isolated camp in 1993. Army handed over their positions in the area to IPKF in 1987 and regained them in 1992 in Operations Valampuri 1 and 2. On 11 November 1993 , LTTE made an attempt to capture the Poonaryn camp but failed before the courage of Army soldiers. The incident was excessively misinterpreted as a great debacle by media with exaggerated army death and casualty figures. In mid 1996 , the camp was vacated by the Army as a tactical measure .
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Courtesy: Ministry of Defence
President congratulates valiant soldiers, calls LTTE to surrender
President Mahinda Rajapaksa while making the official announcement of capturing the LTTE’s last bastion of the western coast, Pooneryn, commended the valiant troops for their untiring efforts to liberate the strategically important area.
President Rajapaksa, in his capacity as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, addressing the nation through the state media also expressed his gratitude to the citizens of the country who have been standing with him at the crucial juncture and for sharing his vision to rid the country from the grip of terrorism.
The following is the full text of President Rajapaksa’s announcement:
I inform the people in this country that our heroic soldiers have been able to liberate the full stretch of the A-32 road (Mannar- Pooneryn) and the Poonaryn area this morning. Now, we can open a land route to the Jaffna Peninsula after many years; I think we can say, it was after the Second Eelam war.
At this moment, I very clearly call Prbhakaran of LTTE to immediately lay down your arms and come to the negotiation table. It is the greatest service that you can do to the people in the Wanni.
We congratulate the war heroes and express our sincere gratitude to the citizens of Sri Lanka who have given their unstinted support to our struggle.
Troops Capture Pooneryn – President Rajapaksa
LTTE loses last naval bastion in the western coast
President Mahinda Rajapaksa after being official informed by Commander of the Army, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka announced the capturing of Pooneryn ending 20 years LTTE tyranny in the area enabling the Security Forces to open a land supply route to the Jaffna Peninsula.
The area has been used as a hub for sea tiger activities in the Kilali and Muhamalai areas.
According to defense experts Pooneryn is strategically more important than Killinochchi, which only carries a symbolic value.
Troops belonging to the Army’s Task Force 1, entered and captured the LTTE’s most important stronghold Pooneryn after months of heavy fighting this morning (15th), scoring the most important strategic victory so far in the humanitarian mission to liberate the Wanni from the clutches of the terrorists, defence sources announced.
Infantrymen of the 12 Gamunu Watch (12 GW) and the 10 Gajaba Regiment (10 GR) had successfully negotiated the great marshlands south of Pooneryn last night and cut off the Pooneryn-Paranthan road (B-69) close to Nallur before dawn today, according to defence sources.
Troops then marched about 10 Km along the B-69 and entered the Pooneryn town.
According to the defence sources on the field, the terrorists had given a stiff resistance to the advancing troops but are not fast withdrawing towards ‘K-Point’.
Task Force 1 nearing Task Accomplished; terrorists fast loosing the battle of Pooneryn
The Army Task Force 1 (TF 1) is making a rapid progress in the Western Kilinochchi battlefront in terms of both ground gains and attrition caused to enemy, reveal the battlefield sources.
Troops completed mop up operations in the strategically located Devils Point area yesterday (Nov 13) and declared the area fully liberated. With this achievement prominent Sea Tiger strongholds at Kiranchi, Vallaipadu and Palavi fell to the Army. Troops having outflanked the terrorists in the Devil’s Point, cramped them into the triangular shaped projection of the mainland to the sea during last few days.
Meanwhile, the main thrust of the TF 1 directed at the Pooneryn LTTE bastion has successfully negotiated the marshlands of Pooneryn and positioned itself just 500 m behind the Pooneryn- Paranathan road (B-69) at an undisclosed location.
According to the battlefield reports, heavy clashes have occurred on the south of Malapukualm in the Nallur area last evening. Troops following the clashes found 3 bodies of slain LTTE cadres, one T-56 riffle, 4 hand grenades, one radio communication set and 2 pouches.
In the South Nivil area troops battled the terrorist during the daytime and found one T-56 riffle , one radio communication set and one hand grenade. Troops claimed heavy damages to the terrorists during the clashes. Also, a similar confrontation was reported from the Putuaddamoddai area around 6.10 PM.
In the Chempankundu area troops found a T-56 riffle, a radio communication set, and a hand grenade following a confrontation occurred in the morning hours.
The TF 1 was raised early this year to liberated the northwestern coast of the Island that runs from Mannar to Pooneryn. Accomplishment of this mission will deny the terrorist use of sea lines of communication across the Palk Strait and open a land route to the Jaffna Peninsula from the southern mainland. At present, the TF1 keeps its forward boundaries just 7 km behind Pooneryn.
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Courtesy: Ministry of Defence
Govt reiterates stand on CFA : LTTE must disarm
The Government’s firm stand on the Ceasefire Agreement is unchanged, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said adding there will not be peace negotiations with the LTTE unless it lays down arms and surrenders.
Addressing the media yesterday on the weekly security situation at the MCNS, Government Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said during the last few days certain elements behind the LTTE proposed a CFA with the LTTE. “This was the normal practice of the LTTE when they were defeated militarily and weakened. They call for peace negotiation to halt the offensive and avoid the Security Forces’ humanitarian mission to liberate uncleared areas.
Our leaders experienced this during the last three decades,” he added. “Whenever the LTTE proposes a CFA, it always ends it with destruction and a calamity to the Government, public and sovereignty of the country,” Minister Rambukwella remarked.
Minister Rambukwella reiterated that the Government categorically rejects any peace negotiation settlement with the LTTE unless the Tigers lay down arms and surrender to Security Forces. “When President Mahinda Rajapaksa took office he immediately extended an invitation for peace negotiations with the LTTE. The President called the LTTE to the negotiation table in Geneva. The CFA was abused by the LTTE in many occasions since then,” the Minister said.
Minister Rambukwella said during the CFA the Jet Liner ship carrying unarmed forces on holiday and a Navy medical team had come under LTTE fire.
A vegetable market too was bombed in Jaffna. 17 Commandos were killed in an attack, then an attempt was made to assassinate the Army Commander finally and Mavilaru sluice gate was attacked to disrupt the daily life of people who depend on farming.
Following these abuses of the CFA by the LTTE, the Government had decided to erase terrorism and liberate civilians from the LTTE clutches. “The East was liberated and the democracy had been restored. The Easterners were allowed the franchise and their political rights restored, the Minister said.
Minister Rambukwella stressed that the North will be liberated and the humanitarian mission will be continued by the Security Forces. The Government has no any intention to negotiate with the LTTE unless it lays down arms and surrender. We embarked on an humanitarian mission in the North and troops are successfully marching forward and are now in the victory of Kilinochchi.
The entire North and our brothers and sisters entrapped in the Tigers’ grip will be liberated in near future. Democracy will be restored in the North as in the East,” he added.
Courtesy : Daily News
