Anaiyiravu – Paranthan Battle
The battle on the Anaiyiravu-Paranthan military bases is an important one that can be mentioned in the list of LTTE’s war achievements. This battle included the heroic events of our freedom fighters, who infiltrated to the heart of the base, took control of its lifeline artillery bases and brigade headquarters, used them from the enemy’s artillery positions to launch an attack against him, and finally destroyed the large arsenals and nine artillery positions, killing hundreds of soldiers.
Regarded as one of the heroic deeds of the Sinhalese race, Chandrika government, the defense of the entire military zone was essential to the continued capture of Jaffna. It is the root of Sri Lanka’s war strategy. The fall to the LTTE, which had the only land route connecting Jaffna with the mainland, would have shattered not only the Sinhalese conquest of Jaffna but also its war strategy. That is why Sinhala forces turned it into a massive military zone after the occupation of Jaffna. The military spread military zones in Kilinochchi, Paranthan, Anayiravu that included tens of thousands of soldiers, and had Jaffna as its rear force, which had an army of more than 30,000.
According to its importance, it also had sophisticated weapons.
Such a strong military zone gained further prominence in 1997. With the areas captured by Operation “Satjaya”, the Sinhalese Army prepared for a massive offensive based on Aniyiruvu to further expand the military zone and open the land route to the Jaffna Peninsula. And the frontline troops were assembled, and the high-powered weapons needed for the advance were gathered in large quantities. Then Anaiyiravu was waiting for the final orders.
In this situation, our national leader, who implements decisions that will surprise everyone, decided to make a surprise attack on the joint platform of Anaiyiravu – Paranthan. He had drawn up a plan of attack which included elements of breaking down the battle formations of the Sinhalese forces and carrying out successive operations according to the field conditions.
The national leader assigned the complicated task to the Charles Antony Special Forces for the Anaiyaravu-Paranthan Inter-Action Plan. Breaking through the ramparts of the landing base and entering the main base, Charles Antony Special Forces were to take control of the first-rate artillery positions and the brigade headquarters. This included the motor blocks located at the foot of the bridge. At the same time, the task of capturing the front guard line of Chinna Uppala camp was also entrusted with our brigade. The operation of the Charles Antony Special Forces will give life to the plan of the Anayiravu-Panthan Inter-Action Battle.
On 09.01.1997, our battalion fighters were moving towards their target which covered a large area of land surrounded by sea water. It was the longest and most complicated move in our military history. The fighters completed their moves without any problems as everyone wanted and waited for the final order. It was just after midnight when the order to start fighting flew over the telecommunication device from Commander Balraj, who led the battle.
The teams of our Charles Antony Special Forces, which started the fight with storm speed, broke through the enemy’s first-class defenses. Those who entered the airfields displayed their high efficiency in order to capture them before the enemy could do anything. The enemy, dejected by the swift attack, fled leaving his men and armories intact. Stabilized, cleaned, and draped for heavy use, eight trucks stood securely. Entering the artillery position, our team led by Major Karmukilan started using them against the enemy. A team of our battalion was given special training to operate the artillery.
Meanwhile, our other team led by Lt. Col. Ragavan, who entered to capture the site which includes Puliyadi Brigade headquarters and motor positions, also completed it in a fast manner. Our other team, which had to capture the leading positions, was facing difficulties and could not achieve the expected victory.
Anaiyiravu – Paranthan military bases were trembling. The army headquarters, which was ready to give orders for its grand invasion in the next few days, lost contact with its bases and was left with no idea what was happening there. Sri Lanka’s political and military leadership was stunned by this shock treatment of the LTTE. What was going to happen next struck them.
All the major victories entrusted to Charles Antony Special Forces had been achieved as planned. The first and foremost objective of the battle was accomplished. Difficulties in the field gave the enemy a discouragement to continue the operation. It was already our plan not to continue fighting at such times. All the guns, explosives and storehouses captured by our team were destroyed.
The Anayiravu Ground was rocked by huge explosions. The detonation of the explosive bolts filled the platform with a flood of light. After completing a successful disorganization operation against the enemy, the freedom fighters returned to the base. It is noteworthy that Newton’s Team led by Lt. Col. Ragavan had captured an enemy artillery position in the battle and recovered two 120mm cannons from there.
At the end of battle, the enemy’s army, which had roared with war preparations, froze in silence. The enemy abandoned his plan of invasion from the Anayiravu. In the history of our struggle, everyone is talking about the valuable achievements made by the Charles Antony Special Forces in this battle.
Aanaiyiravu – Paranhan Oodarupusamar
1 Comment