There is much argument about how so many top tigers could get killed in a single battle and why so many top commanders got caught up in one location. Apparently the tiger leaders were holed up in Aanandapuram along the Puthukkudiyiruppu -Puthumaathalan road busily planning a major counter-attack on the armed forces using all their reserve forces.What happened however was that the 58, 53 divisions and task force 8 mounted an unexpectedly successful military operation that yielded quick success.
After gathering information from UAV’s The 58 proceeding south by southeast from northern Puthukkudiyiruppu and the 53 & TF 8 proceeding north by north-east from Southern Puthukkudiyiruupu advanced rapidly and linked up at Pachaipullumottai junction along the Puthukudiyiruppu road behind LTTE positions in the night of the 31 st march. Since then the LTTE cadres engaged in preparing for the major assault were cut off.
Realising that top tigers were stranded in east of the Puthukudiyiruppu built up area,The 4th, 6th,8th, 12th,14th and 20th Gajabahu battalions, 5th Vijayabahu,9th Gemunu Watch, 11th and 20th SL Light Infantry along with 1 special forces and 2 commando got into action. Meanwhile a footpath from Ambalavanpokkanai to Pachaipullumottai used as an emergency supply route by the LTTE was also interdicted.
Thus more than a 650 tiger cadres and leaders were encircled in a 2 sq km area consisting of coconut plantations and palmyrah groves. But before the carders are fully encircled by SLA, a sizable number of cadres led by “Col” Bhanu succeeded in penetrating the cordon and escaping to safety. But Bhanu himself was injured.
The rest of the tigers under the overall command of Theepan tried hard to break through the defenses, but perish in the attempt. In a three day siege the tigers were deprived of food, water and medical supplies. Massive aerial bombardment and artillery shelling was also done. Appeals were made in Tamil through amplifiers to the tigers to surrender but few heeded the call. The tigers in the courageous tradition of the LTTE fought on against overwhelming odds preferring to die fighting. It was all over on Sunday April 5th and On Monday around 525 bodies had been recovered and around 60 identified.
Military analysts however were sceptical of such allegations as the debacle seemed to be a classical example of a successful outflanking manouevre. The Puthukudiyiruppu debacle was preceded by another incident which proved to be a major loss to the LTTE. The special commander of the Charles Anthony infantry division Amuthab and its commander Gobinth were killed on March 31st in the fighting in and around Iranapalai east. The loss of these brave fighters who always led from the front had a demoralising effect on cadres. This loss of morale is attributed to be cause of weakened tiger defences leading to rapid breaching, linking and encircling by the armed forces. Apart from this development, senior commander Sornam has sustained serious injuries while another leader Lawrence has received minor injuries in separate confrontations.
Also, Charles Anthony, the eldest son of LTTE chief sustained minor injuries in the fighting against the 55 division in the coast adjacent to Chalai lagon The Puthukudiyiruppu debacle also resulted in the LTTE losing many weapons including three 130 mm artillery, five 81 mm mortars, 4 -12. 7mm anti-aircraft guns, and a 30 mm Peddle gun. This piece of equipment has proved very lethal in previous rounds of fighting.
According to military analysts this setback appears to be the major turning point in the defiant last stand being put up by the LTTE. The armed forces had been expecting a major counter-offensive from the LTTE for quite a while now Ironically , the tables were turned and the expected offensive was pre-empted and thwartedIn the process the LTTE has been dealt a massive setback from which it may never recover.
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