53 Division bears brunt of war

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 August 2006, 12:10 GMT]
Amid continuing heavy fighting in the northern Jaffna peninsula, hundreds of wounded Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers have been brought to hospitals in and around Colombo, with hundreds more awaiting transfer from Anuradhapura, medical sources in the capital said Saturday. While the government officially says 106 soldiers have been killed in a week of fighting, defence sources in Colombo said Friday the bodies of more than 400 soldiers had been brought to the south. They said the majority of the casualties have been borne by the SLA’s elite 53 Division.



365 wounded SLA soldiers helicoptered out of Jaffna during the past week have been distributed amongst Ragama, Sri Jayawardenepura and the Army hospital in Colombo, sources said.

Another 300 soldiers are warded at Anuradaphura hospital awaiting transfer to Colombo, the sources also said.

In the week of heavy artillery exchanges and fierce gun battles, Sri Lanka says it has killed 700 Tamil Tigers and lost 106 soldiers and sailors.

LTTE spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told reporters Saturday that 88 LTTE cadres had been killed so far. He further said confrontations were taking place near Forward Defence Line positions.

Speaking to reporters Friday last week, when the night fighting started, the LTTE military spokesman said the Tigers were conducting operations to blunt a major SLA offensive against LTTE-held Elephant Pass.



The government of President Mahinda Rajapakse says it is winning the war, which erupted on July 21 when Sri Lankan troops launched an offensive against the Liberation Tigers’ positions in the Maavil Aru region of Trincomalee.

The fighting spread a week ago to the Jaffna peninsula when the LTTE repelled an SLA offensive against the Elephant Pass area and then overran SLA positions in the Muhamalai area.

Sri Lanka also insists it has thrown the LTTE back and is in control.

Military sources in Colombo told TamilNet Friday that the SLA’s elite 53 Division had borne the brunt of the casualties in the past week in repeated onslaughts against the LTTE in southern Jaffna.

The US-trained 53 Division has now been pulled back for a while to either save the elite division from losses or to refresh the division, informed military sources said.

Meanwhile, Jaffna civil society sources said residents in the Thenmaradchchi sector, where much of the fighting has taken place, have been warned not to leave.

Residents of some villages were warned the fate that befell Chavacachcheri (which was destroyed by multi-barrel rockets) during heavy fighting 2000 would recur if the SLA was compelled to withdraw.

In contrast, villagers around Varani, the SLA 52-4 brigade headquarters, were told Wednesday to vacate their homes as the base’s perimeter is being expanded by 2 km.