The End Battle
The cowardly death of the LTTE chief
:
There’s one thing you men will be able to say when you get
back home. Thirty years from now, when you’re sitting by your
fireside, with your grandson on your knee and he asks “What did you do in the
great World War Two?” you won’t have to shift him to the other knee, cough and
say, “Well, I shovelled sh*t in Louisiana” - General Patton
 A death of a criminal, who led a murderous group that caused
immense sufferings on innocent, is indeed a great relief for those who have to
live under constant threat of that group. When, this criminal is one who is
responsible for the deaths of over 75,000 people and one who threw a nation to
the verge of destruction, the news not only brings relief to the nation, but
also the individuals who brought that relief become national heroes. Their
effort becomes a legend that would be told from generation to generation.
The death of V. Prabhakaran, the megalomaniac killer who
haunted Sri Lankan citizens for 30 years is certainly a story that would never
be forgotten. Defence.lk team presents the true story of the valiant effort that
ultimately brought an end to the most implacable curse caste on Sri Lankan
citizens.
“The End Battle” is for the generations to come, so they would
know the difference between the true heroes who secured them a life without
terror and the scoundrels who sought to destroy the nation they born by
promoting terror for their own advantage.
The End Battle was fought for nearly four days starting from
16th to 19th May 2009 by Sri Lanka army 53, 58, and 59 Division troops on a neck
of land situated on the north-eastern coast of the Island. The battle resulted
in the total elimination of the Liberation Tamils of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the
most barbaric terrorist outfit known to the mankind.
The Road to Mullivaikkal
Sri Lankan armed forces undertook their noble mission of
ridding the country of terrorism in July 2006 when the LTTE closed down Mavil
Aru sluice gates, denying water for over 30,000 civilians. With in one year,
they accomplished their mission in Eastern Province and were knocking on the
doors of Wanni mono-ethnic hellhole under Prabhakaran’s tyranny.
It took another 2 years for them to reach the final
destination. It was a battle like no other. The challenges faced by the Sri
Lankan Armed Forces were immense. The way they were dealt with was unique. They
had to fight with a terrorist outfit that took 200,000 odd civilians at hostage
and held them as a human shield. They fought with extreme care to avoid civilian
casualties. It was for the benefit of those civilians more than anything else
that they were risking their lives.
Also, there was a powerful section of the international
community that did not want Sri Lanka to defeat terrorism. The agenda went
beyond boundaries of the Island, one that wanting to keep the region unstable
and non-competitive. Every armed forces personnel from private to general knew
that there was no room for trial and error. The above section of the IC was
already dancing to tune of the terrorist propaganda with great deliberation.
Like a swan separates milk from water, the soldiers had to
rescue civilians from the terrorists. They boxed in a terror group that held
almost 15000 square kilometres in the Island to 1000 square metres at the end.
They accomplished the largest hostage rescue mission the world
has ever witnessed with great success before they struck the final blow on the
terrorists. Thus, road to Mullivaikkal was not a cakewalk by any means. It was
marched with great sacrifices, fortitude and professionalism on the part of Sri
Lankan soldiers.
The Terrain
The final battle took place in an area not more than 4 square
kilometres. The battleground was a narrow stretch of land opening to the Indian
Ocean from the East and to the Nanthikadal lagoon from the West. Thus, there was
an open beachhead on the East, a dusty scrubby land in the middle and a
waterlogged stretch full of mangroves on the West.
On a large scaled map the ground can be seen lying diagonally to the North-
South axis as it is located on the northeastern coast of the Island
(see map) .
It has one main road access, the A-35 [Paranthan- Mullaittivu] that runs on the
northwest- southeast axis, slanting itself towards the lagoon bank.
Yet, anyone who stepped into the terrain where this historic
battle was fought would soon know that the description is not as simple as
above. There were plenty of manmade and natural barriers that no other
battleground of the identical size would ever have.
There were two causeways to be crossed, an open beach to be
marched on, over dozen of earth bunds to be cleared, hundreds of enemy bunkers
to be neutralized, and above all there was an human shield made out of over
75,000 civilians that had to be rescued before the final push.
Also, the terrain offered excellent hiding places for the
terrorists more than they need and possible escape routes if they had ever
managed to breach the army forward boundaries on the ground or the naval
blockades at the sea
(see pictures) .
The deployment
There were three Army Divisions and one Task Force mainly
involved in the ground battle. The 53 Division commanded by Major General Kamal
Gunrathne, the Task Force 8 commanded by Colonel G.V. Ravipriya, which was again
placed under the operational command of the 53 Division and the 58 Division
commanded by Brigadier Shavendra Silva were the main offensive elements that
fought the End Battle.
The 58 Division marched southwards along the A-35 axis
dominating the ground stretching from the road to the coastal belt whereas the
53 Division marched on the same axis, dominating the ground stretching from the
A-35 to the lagoon bank.
The 59 Division commanded by Major General Prasanna Silva,
though remained defensive at the End Battle, made a vital contribution to the
final victory. It was the 59 Division that was holding the defence line south of
Vadduvakal causeway for months until the other offensive elements swept down
from the North.
Three days before the End Battle, 59 Division troops crossed
the Vadduvakal causeway and established their defence immediately south of the
no fire zone. It was by this manoeuvre that the Army could rescue majority of
the last group of civilians held at hostage by the terrorists.
The Battle
The final battle unfolded as Sri Lankan armed forces
successfully completed the largest hostage rescue mission ever conducted by a
conventional military force. Troops started rescuing the last group of hostages
since the 16th May morning and declared the mission accomplished by the next day
morning.
Meanwhile, troops of 58 Division linked up with 59 Division
troops on the coast by the evening on the 16th. The link up marked the
liberation of the entire coastal belt in the Island from the terrorists
clutches.
Thus, the coastal belt was sealed off for the terrorists
making it impossible for them to venture in to the seas.
Then, troops of the three Divisions started boxing in the
terrorists from the North, East and South leaving only the lagoon bank on the
West open for the terrorists as bait. If the LTTE terrorists wanted to try
anything than surrendering themselves, they had no option than swallowing the
bait, which they ultimately did to their demise.
The Failed Surface Attack
The terrorists made their first attempt to escape on the 17th
morning. They launched a surface attack across the lagoon using boats around 3
AM and landed on the western bank of the lagoon. The attack was at the army
defence line at Keppularu where 53 and 59 Divisions linked with each other.
However, the attempt was soon foiled by well-prepared troops causing a heavy
toll to the terrorists.
According to the ground commanders, the aim of the terrorists
in the initial attack was to establish a foothold on the eastern bank of the
lagoon and then to open up an escape route to the Muthiyankaddu jungle. One
senior officer called the attack a desperate attempt made using an obsolete
strategy.
“We knew that the terrorists would try this option first. They
tried to breach the line at the link as they always did, but only to meet the
most prepared adversary. They wrongly analysed the planning capability of the
army and swallowed the bait”, he said.
“If they managed to establish the foothold there, they would
certainly evacuate the leadership and the others across the lagoon and disappear
into the huge Muthiyankaddu jungle. The victory over terrorist would have long
delayed if they achieved this,” he further said.
The 5 Vijayaba Infantry Regiment (5 VIR) of the 53 Division
and 19 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (19 SLLI) of the 59 Division were the battalions
that crushed the first escape attempt of the terrorists. The 5 VIR soldiers
collected over 40 bodies of slain LTTE cadres whereas another 90 odd bodies were
collected by 19 SLLI. The total terror bodies found after the attack was 148.
According, to the intelligence sources, senior LTTE military
leader Jeyam had led the attack. However, he had not come to the front as most
of the senior LTTE leaders do and was killed on the next day.
Straight to the lion’s mouth
On the 17th May morning, troops rescued the last group of
hostages held by the terrorists, bringing an end to the hostage rescue mission.
By the evening of the same day, troops were able to box in the remaining
terrorists to an area not more than 600 x 500 m
(see map)
keeping the lagoon bank on the west still open.
With the nightfall, Special Forces and infantry units of 58
Division pierced into the “box” from the southern edge, pushing the terrorists
to fall into the trap waiting for them. Only three options left for the LTTE
leadership, either to surrender, or to fight to the death as a true fighter or
to try escaping like a coward until the last moment, betraying all his closest
followers, including his not-so-loved son, Charles Anthony.
Knowing the character of the LTTE leader for a long time, the
battle-hardened commanders realized that he would try to save his life at any
cost. A snare was laid to lead him straight to their hands.
Major General Kamal Gunarathne, General Officer Commanding [GOC]
of the 53 Division was quick to identify the crucial role that his troops have
to play in the end battle. He called the entire battlefield commanders to place
their troops at red alert and briefed them how to deal with the last escape
attempt of the LTTE. All possible escape routes were blocked, ambush teams were
placed, and all counter penetration measures were taken.
Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka , was well
briefed on the situation and the battle preparations were made under his direct
guidance. By the 17th May evening the battleground was set for the final
encounter and the soldiers were waiting for the LTTE leader to make his move.
The End Battle
As anticipated, the LTTE leadership opted to escape using the
route that army was so eagerly wanted him to take. His plan was to escape with a
small group of his personal bodyguards while all other cadres die in fighting
with army, as a deception to cover his movement. He did not want to take even
his elder son, Charles Anthony with him, but freed himself from the burden by
ordering some of the most senior LTTE military leaders to take him from a
different route. Over 12 million rupees found near the location where Charles
Anthony was killed might give an explanation how those LTTE leaders were
persuaded to the task.
It was troops of 17 Gemunu Watch [GW] to have the first
contact with the terrorists. According to Lieutenant Colonel Keerthi Kottachchi
, Commanding Officer of the 17 GW, a group of terrorists disguised as civilians
had asked his troops manning the defence at the lagoon bank to let them in
around 2.30 AM on the 18th May
(see map).
“It was my troops that manned the civilian rescue point at
Karayamullivaikkal. The terrorists had come along the lagoon bank and were
hiding in a small islet that lies in front of our defence
(see pictures).
 Only a small group of them have come to our line and pleaded the officer there
to let them in saying there were lot of casualties among them”, Colonel Kottachchi said.
However, Colonel Kottachchi was well briefed of the situation
by his Task Force Commander, Colonel G.V. Ravipriya and Brigade Commander,
Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage of the possibility that the terrorists might
launch an attack disguising themselves as civilians. The 17 GW was a unit under
the command of 682 Brigade of the Task Force 8, which was also under the
operational command of the 53 Division.
“Since, all civilians were already rescued, I have given
strict instruction to not to take anyone in, until dawn. Around 3 AM, the
officer at the rescue point reported that the group who called them civilians
was becoming violent and trying to force into the line. So, I ordered him to
fire two shots into the air and take control of the situation”, he said.
With the firing of two shots, nearly 200 terrorists opened up
fire and charged into the defence. The end battle began.
“We were well prepared for the attack”, said Lieutenant
Colonel Lalantha Gamage 681 Brigade Commander. “The terrorists neutralized two
of our bunkers opening about a 100m gap in the defence. Most of the initial
intruders stepped into the beaten zone of our machine guns and died on the
lagoon bank itself. The commandos and infantrymen killed about 100 LTTE cadres
including some of the most senior leaders even before they stepped out of the
water”, he added.
The plan of the terrorists as analysed by the military
officials were to take hold of the A-35 road for some time and execute their
escape plan whatever it was
(see map).
With the attack at the 17 GW frontline, it was evident that about 100 other LTTE
cadres had infiltrated into the area shown in the map, through various location
of the lagoon bank. However, army had pre plans to deal with such an
infiltration. The terrorists were again put into a box sealed with three strong
defence lines of Army 53 and 58 Divisions.
The 53 Division held the northern and southern defence lines
across the A-35 whereas the 58 Division held the eastern line along the A-35.
Soon after the first engagement, Commandos and Special Forces under the
operational command of 53 Division were sent to reinforce the northern defence
line. With no strongholds or hideouts they earlier had, the terrorist ran in
every direction with in the box until they finally met their fate. With the
failed infiltration, LTTE lost 90% of its remaining cadre with in 24 hours.
The first terrorist group to meet their fate at the hands of
army counter penetration troops was the group comprising of Charles Anthony. The
group was gunned own by 5 GW troops before they walk 250m distance from the
point of infiltration.
A large majority of the other infiltrators who managed to step
on the ground were dealt by the 58 Division troops manning the defence line on
the coastal side of the A-35 road. Over 100 other LTTE cadres who remained
hiding in the mangroves were killed by the commandos, Special Forces and
infantry troops conducting mopping up operations.
Meanwhile, another group comprising over 100 LTTE cadres tried
to breach 58 Division defence, north of Vadduvakkal
(see map)
with the first light of the day. This group of also met the same fate at the
hands of Special Forces soldiers and infantrymen already engaged in mop up
operations in the last remaining LTTE hideout.
The ambulance that mislead media
The End Battle gave birth to number of speculations among the
media circles than any battle in the Sri Lanka’s war on terror. The government
has allowed number of media personnel in state and non-state media to cover the
progress of the battle from the battleground itself.
However, the inherent thirst of media personnel for new
information clashed with inherent chaotic situation created in the battleground
that resulted in number of unsubstantial news items. The defence.lk team was not
an exception.
The controversy that affected most on defence reportage was
about an ambulance that supposed to have hijacked by the terrorists to transport
their leader. This ended up with a huge uproar in media that the LTTE leader was
killed.
“It was an ambulance belonged to the Advanced Dressing Station
of the Air mobile brigade, a senor military official of the 53 Division said.
“It was destroyed by the terrorists may be in a failed attempt
to hi jack the vehicle. We initially received from the soldiers that there was a
burnt body lying closer to the destroyed vehicle that have a similar structure
to the LTTE leader. Later, the information was proven wrong”, he added.
The Mission Accomplishment
On the 18th May evening, troops not only crushed the desperate
attempt of the LTTE to escape but also took hold of the last remaining land
under the LTTE control. Commander of the Army, General Sarath Fonseka declared
the accomplishment of the mission by liberating the motherland from terrorism.
The next day morning (19th), His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President of Sri
Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces was to officially declare the
liberation of the country at the parliament.
Meanwhile, military commenced clearing operations to
neutralize possible enemy pockets and to collect the bodies and captured LTTE
assets. On the 18th May itself over 350 bodies of slain LTTE cadres were
collected. Intelligence officials managed to identify some 30 odd top level LTTE
cadres before the nightfall
(see the
list). However, the whereabouts of LTTE chief V. Prbhakaran, his
intelligence chief Pottu Amman and Sea Tiger chief Soosai were still a mystery.
However, the country was celebrating not only the liberation
of the country but also the death of LTTE leader, as media including state media
continued to confirm the same. However, Army refrained issuing an official
statement on the death of the LTTE leader but expressed its strong belief that
the LTTE leader may be among the dead.
In reality, the process of identifying the bodies and
collecting them was still in progress. Yet, not for a second army ignored the
possibility of that the LTTE leader may be alive. Despite relaxing the
operations, the battlefield commanders tightened the clearing operations, with
the soldiers starting to search every inch of the shrub on the ground and the
mangroves in the lagoon.
The End of the villain
The 19th May 2009 was indeed an unforgettable day for all Sri
Lankans. The President officially declared the liberation of the motherland from
clutches of terrorism. Addressing the parliament, he said that from the day
onwards the laws made in the democratically elected parliament would govern in
whole country. The country was jubilant and the celebrations were on.
Meanwhile, the day was still busy for the soldiers. The
battlefield commanders were yet to get the ultimate catch of the trap they laid.
Major General Kamal Gunarathne, Colonel G.V. Ravipriya and Lieutenant Colonel
Lalantha Gamage were preparing to launch the final phase of the master plan, the
clearing of the last remaining patch of mangroves that lies south of the
causeway at Karayamullavaikkal
(see map).
Lieutenant Colonel Gamage was confident; it was just the
previous night that he swore to his fellow officers that it was his troops that
would catch “Prabha” at the end. Those who planned the battle knew that the 681
Brigade Commander was not talking nonsense. If Prabhakaran swallowed the bait as
planned and remained live, he had nowhere to go than hiding in the mangroves
behind the 4 Vijayaba Infantry [4 VIR] frontline.
The commandos already cleared a large part of the mangroves on
the previous day evening. Knowing the possibility that LTTE leader had betrayed
majority of his followers in a deceptive attack to save his life, the second
clearing operation was launched in the remaining part of the mangroves by both
commandos and 4 VIR troops around 8.30 AM on the 19th morning
(see map).
Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage, and Lieutenant Colonel
Rohitha Aluwihare, Commanding Officer of the 4 VIR were on the frontline
expecting for a good news. Two eight man teams and one 4 man team of 4 VIR Bravo
company were in the mangroves.
The first team into the mangroves, lead by Sergeant SP
Wijesinghe, encountered heavy small arms fire as they stepped few metres in the
growth. The soldiers had to wade through thorny bushes with water up to their
chest (see
pictures).
 Sergeant Wijesinghe was quick to feel the presence of a high
profile LTTE leader in the area from the resistance he had got. The team charged
mangroves despite all difficulties and managed to collect five bodies carrying
pistols and small arms that were usually carried by VIP escorts.
The Brigade Commander and the Commanding Officer were soon
informed. One of the bodies was identified as of Vinodan, one of the most senior
bodyguards of the inner protection team of the LTTE leader. “With in seconds we
knew the importance of the finding”, Lieutenant Colonel Lalantha Gamage said.
“The matter was informed to the GOC and under his guidance,
the first team was ordered to hold the line and sent another eight man team and
a four man from the flank to support them” (see map). The second team was lead
by Sergeant TM Muthubanda.
After an hour of heavy fire fight in the mangroves the guns
were suddenly fell silent. A message came from the team leaders that there was
body bearing similar appearance to Prabhakaran found among 18 other dead LTTE
cadres. Both Lieutenant Colonel Gamage and Lieutenant Colonel Aluwihare rushed
into the mangroves and found that the villain who haunted the nation for 30
years was no more.
The Achilles’ heel
The end of the megalomaniac killer and the megalomaniac outfit
he created finally did the justice to the 19 million Sri Lankan citizens who
suffered immensely due to the madness he unleashed. Ironically, it was the same
madness and the hatred championed by Prabhakaran and his followers that became
their Achilles’ heel.
Had the insular minds of Prabhakaran and his ardent followers
abroad could perceive the reality, at least 500 LTTE cadres could have saved
their lives even at the last moment. It is quite clear that Prbhakaran kept his
last hope at the strength that he believed to be there with the pro terror
Tamils abroad. Perhaps, he might have thought that Donald Gnanakoon and the lot
had the power to send whole US army to Mullivaikkal to save him. Unfortunately,
propaganda lies of LTTE could only took few mediocre diplomats for a ride and
made them making fool of themselves by clamouring for a terrorist outfit.
On the other hand, it appears that the so-called “diaspora”
Tamils supportive of terrorism had believed that Prabhakaran processed some kind
of super natural powers and therefore his outfit would be invincible. Perhaps,
they might have believed Prabhakaran was buying time to use some secret weapon
that can whack whole Sri Lanka Army with a single blow. What they did not know
was that that Prabhakaran was a coward who spent most of the hard earned
“diaspora” monies sent to him for his own luxury.
However, the most immediate victims of this two-way deception
carried out for last 30 years were the Tamils lived in Wanni under Prabhakaran’s
tyranny. The brutal war that was fought at the expense of the Tamil youth had no
genuine interest one the part of the person who led it or the people who funded
it. The whole process was conducted out of unbridled hatred and lacked the scope
to reach anywhere near to its so claimed goal, redressing legitimate grievances
of the Tamil people.
In contrary, Sri Lankan Armed Forces fought a different war
backed by strong will of the national leadership. Every member of armed forces
and police shared the vision of their Commander in Chief that is to create a
country free of terror for the next generation. Instead of hatred they brought
the kindness on their Tamil brethren. They risked their lives to save innocent
civilians from the evil grip of LTTE terror. They braved the raining artillery
and mortar shells only with the riffles in their hands to free the civilians
held hostage by the terrorists.
Finally, it was their kindness that was understood by the
Wanni civilians and made them to seek protection with the soldiers. There was no
bloodbath, no genocide, massacre as predicted by pro terror media but an end to
terror and freedom to the Tamil nation.
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