Battle of Thoppigala
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Thoppigala was a battle between the Sri Lanka Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) fought during a period of the first half of 2007 over control of the LTTE-dominated peak of Thoppigala (also known as Baron's Cap), located 40 km northwest of Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka
.
(IPKF) was active in the country during the period of 1987–1990, they had carried out operations in the Thoppigala area to find LTTE cadres hiding there. However, General A.S. Kalkat, the then commander of the IPKF, later said that they had made no attempt to capture the area since it had been of no military significance to them.
During 1993, the Sri Lankan military conducted operations in the East to evict the LTTE from the region. Military bases were established in and around Thoppigala during these operations.
With the start of Eelam War IV
, the Sri Lankan military started a campaign to capture the Eastern Province
from the LTTE. The Sri Lanka Army captured
the town of Sampur
and surrounding areas on 3 September 2006, followed by the capture of Vakarai on 19 January 2007. The Police Special Task Force
launched an operation code named "Definite Victory
, through which the Sri Lankan military captured several LTTE bases. The LTTE was eventually restricted to the Thoppigala area, which had become its last stronghold in the Eastern Province, by 11 April 2007. One of the largest LTTE bases in the eastern province was located in the Thoppigala area.
attack on Batticaloa
targeting two helicopters carrying foreign diplomat
s. The ambassadors of the United States
, Italy
and Germany
were injured in this incident. The LTTE later announced that they were not aware of the diplomats arriving at Batticaloa, and accused the government of not informing them. The LTTE also accused that the Sri Lankan military had used the targeted location to launch provocative artillery attacks earlier on the same day. In response to this, a government spokesman said that "Everyone knew that foreign diplomats were visiting the area today". The Sri Lanka Air Force later bombed the Thoppigala area, which the military said was used to organize the attacks.
Thoppigala was isolated and cut off from reinforcements after the Sri Lanka Army captured several LTTE bases around it. The army captured the Unnachchi tank, LTTE bases at Vavunathivu and Kohombagasthalawa, 33 kilometres (20.5 mi) of the A5 road and the road leading to Thoppigala by 11 April 2007.
The Sri Lanka Army announced that they had launched a military operation to capture Thoppigala on 14 April 2007. LRRP
units from the Army Commando Regiment
were used extensively in this operation, making it the first operation in the civil war
where such deep penetration units were used in a large scale. Four eight member teams from the Zulu Company of the 3 Commando Regiment were deployed to eliminate LTTE leaders and disrupt supplies and communications.
The SLA estimated around 1,000 LTTE cadres were fighting in the area in a network of trenches and tunnels.
During the period of 8–9 June 2007, Sri Lankan army captured 4 LTTE military bases at Ibbanvila, Akkarathivu (Egodadoova), Mawadi-ode (Mahavaedi-oda), and Veppanveli (Kohomba-vaella) in Pankudavaella North, and Naarakmulla, South of the Thoppigala area. During the confrontation, around 30 LTTE cadres and 1 SLA personnel died. The SLA captured 6 Multi Purpose Machine Guns (MPMG), 21 T-56 assault riffles, 4 Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers, and a large quantity of Anti Personnel (AP) mines and Ammunitions.
On 19 June 2007, 3 LTTE satellite camps East of Narakkamulla in the Thoppigala area were completely destroyed by the SLA. As per military sources around 25-30 LTTE were killed and a large quantity of anti-personnel mines (APM's) and other military quipment were captured.
The fierce battle North of Narakamulla, in the Thoppigala area on 6 July 2007 morning, killed 6 Sri Lankan army personnel including an officer called Colonel Samantha Ranathunga, and injured 7, due to heavy mortar fire by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan military retaliated with artillery and aerial bombardment to control the situation.
After 13 years, the Sri Lankan military captured the final strong hold of LTTE in the East, Thoppigala (Baron's Cap), on the morning of 11 July 2007, nearly after a year of military action. According to the country's military history, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), with around 20,000 soldiers attacked this area in the year 1988 but failed to capture the area (at that time LTTE was led by Colonel Karuna). In 1994 the SLA withdrew their military bases from this area.
with focusing on the aim of capturing the Northern Province after the Eastern Province was captured.
Demining
operations were carried out with the aid of foreign governments and Non-governmental organization
s, and are currently in their final phases.
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE) fought during a period of the first half of 2007 over control of the LTTE-dominated peak of Thoppigala (also known as Baron's Cap), located 40 km northwest of Batticaloa, in eastern Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Background
Thoppigala, also known as Baron's Cap and Kudumbimalai, is a large rock standing at 1753 feet (534.3 m) above sea level. The rock is surrounded by thick jungle and rocky terrain, and has a number of natural caves. When the Indian Peace Keeping ForceIndian Peace Keeping Force
Indian Peace Keeping Force was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990...
(IPKF) was active in the country during the period of 1987–1990, they had carried out operations in the Thoppigala area to find LTTE cadres hiding there. However, General A.S. Kalkat, the then commander of the IPKF, later said that they had made no attempt to capture the area since it had been of no military significance to them.
During 1993, the Sri Lankan military conducted operations in the East to evict the LTTE from the region. Military bases were established in and around Thoppigala during these operations.
With the start of Eelam War IV
Eelam War IV
Eelam War IV is the name given to the fourth phase of armed conflict between the Sri Lankan military and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which is currently proscribed as a terrorist organisation by 32 countries . Renewed hostilities began on the July 26, 2006 when Sri Lanka Air...
, the Sri Lankan military started a campaign to capture the Eastern Province
Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The Eastern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but they didn't have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was...
from the LTTE. The Sri Lanka Army captured
Battle of Sampur
The Battle of Sampur was a battle fought in 2006 for the town of Sampur.-Background:Since the resumption of violence, concerns were mounting among the military establishment that the strategically crucial Sri Lanka Navy base in Trinconmalee was under grave threat from LTTE gun positions located in...
the town of Sampur
Sampur
Sampur is a rural locality in Sampursky District of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located on the Tsna River.Sampur was founded in 1732 by two retired soldiers, Stepan Pavlovich Pronin and Ivan Osipovich Dementyev, who were each granted ten desyatinas of land for service excellence. Sampur was first...
and surrounding areas on 3 September 2006, followed by the capture of Vakarai on 19 January 2007. The Police Special Task Force
Special Task Force
The Special Task Force is an elite special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Police Service specializing in Counter-Terrorist and Counter-Insurgency operations. It was formed in 1983 not as a military force but rather as a highly specialised police unit...
launched an operation code named "Definite Victory
Operation Definite Victory
Operation Definite Victory was a military operation launched by Sri Lankan Special Task Force commandos on January 4, 2007 to evict LTTE rebels from the Kanchikudichcharu and Thoppigala regions of the Ampara District of Sri Lanka...
, through which the Sri Lankan military captured several LTTE bases. The LTTE was eventually restricted to the Thoppigala area, which had become its last stronghold in the Eastern Province, by 11 April 2007. One of the largest LTTE bases in the eastern province was located in the Thoppigala area.
Preparations
On 27 February 2007, the LTTE launched an artilleryArtillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
attack on Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
targeting two helicopters carrying foreign diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
s. The ambassadors of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
were injured in this incident. The LTTE later announced that they were not aware of the diplomats arriving at Batticaloa, and accused the government of not informing them. The LTTE also accused that the Sri Lankan military had used the targeted location to launch provocative artillery attacks earlier on the same day. In response to this, a government spokesman said that "Everyone knew that foreign diplomats were visiting the area today". The Sri Lanka Air Force later bombed the Thoppigala area, which the military said was used to organize the attacks.
Thoppigala was isolated and cut off from reinforcements after the Sri Lanka Army captured several LTTE bases around it. The army captured the Unnachchi tank, LTTE bases at Vavunathivu and Kohombagasthalawa, 33 kilometres (20.5 mi) of the A5 road and the road leading to Thoppigala by 11 April 2007.
The Sri Lanka Army announced that they had launched a military operation to capture Thoppigala on 14 April 2007. LRRP
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Sri Lanka)
The Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol is a covert operation unit of the Sri Lanka Army. This unit is also known as the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army and also as the Mahasohon Brigade...
units from the Army Commando Regiment
Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment
The Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment is an elite special operations unit which is a Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. Within one of the four Army Commando Regiments there is a 140-man counter-terrorist unit that provides the primary Counter-terrorism response for Sri Lanka...
were used extensively in this operation, making it the first operation in the civil war
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
where such deep penetration units were used in a large scale. Four eight member teams from the Zulu Company of the 3 Commando Regiment were deployed to eliminate LTTE leaders and disrupt supplies and communications.
The SLA estimated around 1,000 LTTE cadres were fighting in the area in a network of trenches and tunnels.
During the period of 8–9 June 2007, Sri Lankan army captured 4 LTTE military bases at Ibbanvila, Akkarathivu (Egodadoova), Mawadi-ode (Mahavaedi-oda), and Veppanveli (Kohomba-vaella) in Pankudavaella North, and Naarakmulla, South of the Thoppigala area. During the confrontation, around 30 LTTE cadres and 1 SLA personnel died. The SLA captured 6 Multi Purpose Machine Guns (MPMG), 21 T-56 assault riffles, 4 Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers, and a large quantity of Anti Personnel (AP) mines and Ammunitions.
On 19 June 2007, 3 LTTE satellite camps East of Narakkamulla in the Thoppigala area were completely destroyed by the SLA. As per military sources around 25-30 LTTE were killed and a large quantity of anti-personnel mines (APM's) and other military quipment were captured.
Battle
Fierce fighting erupted between the LTTE and the SLA at the final forward defence line (FDL) of LTTE, at their Beirut complex in Narakamulla, Thoppigala area between 22–24 June 2007. The FDL was fortified with 6 bunker lines and 3 minor camps. The LTTE did not vacate their positions due to SLA's heavy barrage of artillery and tank gun fire. Finally, around 50 SLA commando's infiltrated the LTTE bunkers and killed 30 of them. Three LTTE cadres committed suicide. This series of events turned the tide of the battle of Thoppogala against the LTTE.The fierce battle North of Narakamulla, in the Thoppigala area on 6 July 2007 morning, killed 6 Sri Lankan army personnel including an officer called Colonel Samantha Ranathunga, and injured 7, due to heavy mortar fire by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan military retaliated with artillery and aerial bombardment to control the situation.
After 13 years, the Sri Lankan military captured the final strong hold of LTTE in the East, Thoppigala (Baron's Cap), on the morning of 11 July 2007, nearly after a year of military action. According to the country's military history, the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), with around 20,000 soldiers attacked this area in the year 1988 but failed to capture the area (at that time LTTE was led by Colonel Karuna). In 1994 the SLA withdrew their military bases from this area.
Aftermath
The entire Eastern Province was captured by the Sri Lankan military following the capture of Thoppigala. The military launched a campaignNorthern Theater of Eelam War IV
The Northern Theater of Eelam War IV refers to the fighting that took place in the northern province of Sri Lanka between July 2006 and May 18, 2009.-Beginning of the war:...
with focusing on the aim of capturing the Northern Province after the Eastern Province was captured.
Demining
Demining
Demining or mine clearance is the process of removing either land mines, or naval mines, from an area, while minesweeping describes the act of detecting of mines. There are two distinct types of mine detection and removal: military and humanitarian.Minesweepers use many tools in order to accomplish...
operations were carried out with the aid of foreign governments and Non-governmental organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s, and are currently in their final phases.