Sri Lankan army may advance towards Elephant Pass

By Nirupama Subramanian

COLOMBO, JAN. 2.After regaining most parts of Jaffna it lost to the LTTE in May last, the Sri Lankan Army may now be setting its sights on the strategic neck of the peninsula, control over which will place it in command of the entire region.

The Army now controls all areas north of the neck, on a curved line joining Kilali, Eluthumadduval and Nagarkovil. Immediately south lies Pallai, and beyond that the strategic Elephant Pass base; both are controlled by the LTTE.

It was the LTTE's capture of Elephant Pass last April that gave it the advantage to launch a rolling offensive for the control of the peninsula, which was checked by the Army at the last minute.

Military analysts believe that the Army's next move will be to advance towards Pallai, and perhaps the LTTE thinks of that too. ``That could explain why the LTTE did not offer any resistance to the military in the last few operations. They may be concentrating on fortifying Pallai,'' said Mr. Iqbal Athas, Sri Lanka-based writer for Jane's Defense Weekly.

He said while the absence of the LTTE's resistance could be interpreted as an over-zealous observance of its unilateral ceasefire, it was more likely that its cadres were reorganising themselves for the big battle.

The LTTE has, in the past, given away real estate in order to focus its limited resources on defending the areas it considers important. ``There might be a strategy behind their recent retreats,'' he added.

A senior military official said the Army would want to exploit its successes, expanding further south towards the Elephant Pass as speculation grows that the Government might try to take back what used to be its showpiece garrison before beginning talks with the LTTE.

The question is whether the LTTE will put up a fight to keep its hold over the base in the event of the Army launching an operation, and whether it has the fighters and weaponry. For the moment, the Army's successes have increased the depth of Jaffna's security, placed the Kankesanthurai port and Palaly beyond the reach of the LTTE's long-range guns and made other military installations less vulnerable.

It is doubtful whether the LTTE can launch another offensive like the one it launched last year in the peninsula. According to Mr. Athas, the military's enhanced firepower will ensure that it will not.

Food stocks captured

AP reports:

The Army has seized a huge stockpile of rice, pulses and onions held by the rebels in northern Jaffna peninsula, a Government spokesman said today.

The soldiers also recovered 163 anti-personnel land mines, three anti-tank mines and 10 explosive devices from the militants' hide-out near a storehouse yesterday, he said. .

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : RSS claims evoke ridicule
Next     : I am ready to return at short notice, says Benazir