Sri Lanka: Shifting Strategy: Taking war to the doorstep
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Friday, 02 November 2007 |
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are clearly shifting their military strategy to include areas outside of the traditional North-East war zone in an effort to take Sri Lanka's war to the Sinhala majority's doorstep, analysts say.
Traditionally, Sri Lanka's civil war has been based in the North-East province. Control of various towns and cities have changed hands several folds during the 25years of conflict between the Tamils and Sinhalese.
Now, as a new phase of war begins, the LTTE are clearly not keen on the same old real-estate war in the North-East, analysts say.
They say this is mainly due to lessons learnt during the last phase of war during the beginning of the millennium.
During this period the LTTE overran a number of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camps and captured major bases such as the Elephant Pass complex causing heavy casualties to the Sri Lankan military.
Analysts say that these achievements alone were not enough to force the Sri Lankan government into seeking peace with the Tamils. Instead the military launched counter offensives to re-capture lost areas.
However, analysts say, one devastating attack on the Katunayake Airbase right in the heart of Sinhala land, changed the cause of events and brought the Sri Lankan government to peace talks.
Speaking to SiberNews political analyst Jeyaraj says: "LTTE knows that only attacks on military and economic centres right in the heart of the Sinhala region would bring any political solution.
"If LTTE captures Jaffna, the military would go for Kilinochchi. If LTTE captures Trincomalee, the military would go for Mulaiteevu. This is what has happened over the past 25 years, and now clearly the LTTE wants to change the pattern.
"After the LTTE attacked Kattunayake they came for peace talks. The hope it seems is that the selected targeting of centres of military and economic importance would finally force the Sri Lankan government to accept the Tamil people's right to self determination."
October witnessed three such attacks in Hambantota and Anuradhapura respectively.
Analysts say that if recent behaviour is anything to go by, Galle or Kandy rather than Jaffna or Trincomalee are going to be the districts where the next big battles are going to be fought in.
SiberNews
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