Another Wake Up Call
Liberation Tigers are alive - and kicking
IT
would have been tempting to conclude that
given the pace at
which the Sri Lankan Government
have been going at the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
over the past few months,
that the Sri Lankan armed forces had virtually
put a cap on the secessionists' military activities
and had them on the run.
But
yesterday's pre-dawn attacks
on the Anuradhapura air base
have only served to underline the fact that
the reports of the imminent military demise
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
are greatly exaggerated and continue to remain
in the realm of completely wishful thinking.
would have been tempting to conclude that
given the pace at
which the Sri Lankan Government
have been going at the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
over the past few months,
that the Sri Lankan armed forces had virtually
put a cap on the secessionists' military activities
and had them on the run.
But
yesterday's pre-dawn attacks
on the Anuradhapura air base
have only served to underline the fact that
the reports of the imminent military demise
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
are greatly exaggerated and continue to remain
in the realm of completely wishful thinking.
From the bits
and pieces of information
that are now available,
it appears that the attack bordered on being
a comprehensive one,
in the sense that there was a ground effort
and then an air effort,
and both seemed to be reasonably well co-ordinated.
Of the two,
it is the ground offensive that should really
engage our attention.
As many as twenty one members of the Black Tiger force
not one or two
which specialises in sacrificing the lives of its
members in the missions that it undertakes,
managed to infiltrate deep inside Sinhala territory,
breach the perimeter security of the base and
engage the troops in pitched battle for about
one hour and ten minutes and inflict damage
on a number of air assets.
The thing to consider is that the logistics and planning
for such an event must have gone on for a long time:
for the LTTE it is not like going on a picnic.
All of which tells us a little
on how big the failure has been on the intelligence side,
so far as the Sri Lankan armed forces are concerned.
and pieces of information
that are now available,
it appears that the attack bordered on being
a comprehensive one,
in the sense that there was a ground effort
and then an air effort,
and both seemed to be reasonably well co-ordinated.
Of the two,
it is the ground offensive that should really
engage our attention.
As many as twenty one members of the Black Tiger force
not one or two
which specialises in sacrificing the lives of its
members in the missions that it undertakes,
managed to infiltrate deep inside Sinhala territory,
breach the perimeter security of the base and
engage the troops in pitched battle for about
one hour and ten minutes and inflict damage
on a number of air assets.
The thing to consider is that the logistics and planning
for such an event must have gone on for a long time:
for the LTTE it is not like going on a picnic.
All of which tells us a little
on how big the failure has been on the intelligence side,
so far as the Sri Lankan armed forces are concerned.
To those who may be tempted to claim
that the damage inflicted
by the Tigers was more psychological than real,
the riposte is that the LTTE are still in a position
to choose their targets and display a reach that
should be unsettling to Colombo's security planners.
As well as to shy superpower
wannabes in the region.
In the little over six months that the LTTE
have unveiled an air capability,
however primitive it may appear,
and they have dominated the headlines
as well as fuelled a healthy speculation as to
how they have managed to come this far.
It is not so much about remaining undetected
in the air for about half an hour on a flight
to Anuradhapura or for a longer raiding sortie to Colombo.
It is more about how they are able
to retain the air edge,
despite the frantic efforts to bolster
the air defence system.
that the damage inflicted
by the Tigers was more psychological than real,
the riposte is that the LTTE are still in a position
to choose their targets and display a reach that
should be unsettling to Colombo's security planners.
As well as to shy superpower
wannabes in the region.
In the little over six months that the LTTE
have unveiled an air capability,
however primitive it may appear,
and they have dominated the headlines
as well as fuelled a healthy speculation as to
how they have managed to come this far.
It is not so much about remaining undetected
in the air for about half an hour on a flight
to Anuradhapura or for a longer raiding sortie to Colombo.
It is more about how they are able
to retain the air edge,
despite the frantic efforts to bolster
the air defence system.
