Sri Lanka: The fall of Kilinochchi in pictures - is this the end of the LTTE?

Although the blog is on a short hiatus (until Jan 12 Syd time), I did say I would reopen it if there were any major developments on any of the major issues this blog has covered.

The following statement was issued by the Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and is republished without alteration.

The 57 Division and the Task Force 1 of Sri Lanka Army today (Jan 2) scored the greatest victory in their noble battle against terrorism by liberating the Kilinochchi town, the so-called administrative hub of the LTTE terrorists. Troops of 57 Division lead by Major General Jagath Dias have entered into the highly defended terrorists stronghold from the South and Southwestern boundaries while the Task Force 1 troops lead by Brigadier Shavendra Silva have marched in from the North and Northwest. Kilinochchi, though not very strategically located in terms of military maneuvers, has been given a great symbolic importance by the LTTE terrorists as their administrative "capital". In fact, the LTTE propaganda elements used to call the town as their de facto capital of the utopian state of "Eelam". However , Sri Lanka government has been running all civil administrative affairs in the area, including bank and finance, education, health, trade and welfare . The terrorist first took hold of the town in 1990 when the Army withdrew its garrisons from Kilinochchi. Then the area was liberated by the Army during operations Sathjaya I, II, and III in September 1996. The town again fell into the terrorists' hand in September 1998 and had their administrative hub there ever since. The LTTE is a ruthless terrorists outfit that has been engaged in a bloody terrorist campaign against the citizens of Sri Lanka since 1983. Lead by a psychopathic chief , the outfit has been trying to establish an ethnically pure Tamil state on the Sri Lankan soil. The LTTE is also the first terrorist outfit to use suicide bombers, and to develop naval and aerial fighting capability. The outfit is listed in the UN list of shame for using child soldiers and banned in many countries in the world.

Is this the end of the LTTE? Or does the suicide blast in front of the Air Force camp, Slave Island that killed two people, mark the beginning of a new and desperate phase?

Published by Mike Hitchen, Mike Hitchen Consulting
Putting principles before profits
This blog will be on holiday from Dec 15 2008 -Jan 12 2009!