Operation Yal Devi
Template:Campaignbox Eelam War II
Template:Campaignbox Sri Lankan Civil War
Operation Yal Devi was a combined military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces in the Jaffna Peninsula aimed at destroying boat landing points and allied facilities used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the area Kilali. It was named after the Yal Devi that was destroyed by the LTTE.[1]
With the failure of the LTTE to capture the strategic Elephant Pass in the First Battle of Elephant Pass, they used the fishing village of Kilali as a transport hub linking their area of control in the Jaffna Peninsula with their area of control in the Mullaitivu District across the Kokkilai Lagoon. It became a revenue source for the LTTE, which provided boat services to civilians. The LTTE had several bases in the Kilali area, and the military felt it could be a launching pad for an attack on Elephant Pass. The attack was launched on 28 September 1993; the task force, consisting of six infantry battalions under three brigade commanders, broke out of the LTTE lines around Elephant Pass with fire support from two Sabre squadrons of T-55 main battle tanks and artillery support; following a diversionary attack from a task force moving out of Palaly. Pitch battles broke out on 29 September as the LTTE launched a major counteroffensive, taking out two T-55 main battle tanks with RPGs and the squadron commander, Captain Nanayakkara reported MIA. The brigade commander Colonel Sarath Fonseka was wounded in the chest by shrapnel. On 30 September, the task force had forced its way to Kilali and destroyed LTTE infrastructure in the area. SLAF reconnaissance aircraft had monitored over 300 LTTE boats withdrawing from Kilali the day before. In the days that followed, the task force returned to Elephant Pass. The outcome of the battle was disputed, with the military claiming it had met its operational objective of destroying LTTE boat landing points and allied facilities in Kilali, while the LTTE claimed to have forced the military to return to its starting point with heavy losses. The military claimed to have killed 350 LTTE cadres while losing 108. They claimed it had lost only 96.[2][1][3][4][5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Inside story of female Tigers". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ "The Sunday Times Military Column". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
- ↑ "Operation 'Yal Devi' in retrospect" (PDF). The Island. 7 November 1993.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Operation 'Yal Devi' a limited operation" (PDF). The Island. 8 October 1993.
- ↑ Munasinghe, Sarath (2000). A soldier's version: An account of the on-going conflict and the origin of terrorism in Sri Lanka by. Market Information Systems. Search this book on
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