[ad#200×200]Sri Lanka Army 58 division, spearheaded by commando units, have moved into the LTTE stronghold of Pooneryn. SLA units have now entered the Pooneryn town area and several groups of LTTE cadres have fallen back further north towards Kalmunai Point (K-Point). Fighting is still going on.
THE much-awaited re-capture of POONERYN, which has in the “Eelam” War of nearly three decades, gained notoriety as the LTTE’s ‘prestigious’ killing field, was completed by heroic troops of the Task Force-I (58 Division) as the dawn fell on Saturday (15th November 2008), the Army Headquarters officially declared this morning (15).
The strategic and most successful advance of the Task Force-I troops, commanded by Brigadier Shavindra Silva covered the entire remaining stretch of some 9 km length on POONERYN-MANNAR (A-32) Highway in the last forty eight hours after the troops previously seized several coastal towns and hamlets, including NACHCHIKUDA, KIRANCHI, PALAVI and finally SEMPANKANDU, which witnessed heavy attacks against trapped and fleeing Tiger terrorists who began to pullout along the stretch of land that leads to deeper into POONERYN, unable to face the fire power of the dominating troops.
Under the able and impressive command of the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Major General Jagath Jayasuriya Commander Security Forces Headquarters WANNI (SFHQ-W), executed fighting strategies and offensives in consultation with respective ground Commanders of the Divisions, Brigades and other Units, despite a barrage of stiff LTTE resistance the troops had to face right throughout.
This most important capture of POONERYN, the LTTE’s oasis for artillery, mortar and other gun positions, would certainly record a major accomplishment in the annals of Army history and would soon enable the resumption of the ferry service across KILALY lagoon in the peninsula once the entire MANNAR-POONERYN (A-32) Highway was declared safe and opened as a main land-route for supplies.
Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka this morning called on His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapakse, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to inform him of the capture of this strategic battle field, that constitutes a landmark in the War against LTTE’s orgy of violence and fighting for separation.