59th division wiped out; 6 divisions stalled; "Operation Kiss of Death" in planning

Recent inside reports from the Sri Lankan military indicate that the 59th division has been completely disabled by the ongoing front line confrontations with the LTTE. Already the government tried to reinforce them with a commando regiment, but that quickly failed, with most of them being lost in combat operations over the last week. As an emergency measure, the 53rd division had been split in half, with one half being merged into the 59th division in an attempt to boost the numbers at the front lines. That too has proven to be unsustainable, as the numbers of soldiers being killed in combat continues to go up.

The government has been frantically trying to stop the 59 division from officially being written off, so they have resorted to all sorts of mergers and reinforcement attempts from other divisions. This has only proven to delay the problem they are facing, as they have still been unable to dent the LTTE front lines south of PTK.

The latest plan, which is a last resort effort to keep the facts surrounding the fate of the 59th division concealed, is to create a new "Task Force 8" which will replace the 59 division troops stationed on the east coast in Mullaitivu. Those troops in Mullaitivu are ugently needed at the South of PTK, as the 59th division stationed there has already been wiped out. Only the splitoff from the 53rd division has kept the frontline from falling.

A second regiment from Mannar has been brought to the frontlines and merged under the name of 59th division. The fact is they are only the 59th division on paper, as the entire 59th division no longer exists. In their place is a combination of the split from 53rd division, the newly sent Mannar regiment, and the remnants from Mulaittivu (who have avoided combat for the last two weeks).

We have also received reports that officers are hesitant to enter the combat in the area south of PTK, and as a result the Sri Lankan military generals have been "promoting" these officers before sending them into battle as a way to entice them into combat. This has never been done before and indicates the delicate position the Sri Lankan army is in at present. By promoting the officers BEFORE entering combat, it ensures their families will receive a higher pension if they die in combat. This seems to be the only way to get these officers to agree to enter the frontlines, as the counter attacks have been so ferocious.

At this very moment, the Sri Lankan military is frantically trying to put together another division to reinforce the lines south of PTK before the 53rd division gives way. Our reports from the Vanni indicate that the LTTE is working to break down the 53rd division and remants of the 59th division, both of which are already at half their original size despite reinforcements, and then over run the forward defence lines to outflank Task Forces 2, 3, and 4. Once these Task Forces have been outflanked, the LTTE would launch severe assaults from the front and back of the Task Forces, with the intention of completely wiping all three of them out. With the LTTE having penetrated behind their lines, there would be no opportunity to retreat. From the front the LTTE would launch endless waves of attacks, smashing these Task Forces from three sides. The name of the operation is reported to be "Operation Kiss of Death".

Elsewhere on the battle front it is found that a total of 6 divisions have completely stalled in their forward movement. As reported in a previous collumn, the 55th division in Chalai is unable to cross the natural water inlet in the North. Elsewhere, Taskforces 2, 3 and 4 have been unable to touch the A-35 highway. They have all been held around 2 kilometers south of the A35 road (for an entire month now). The 59th and 53rd divisions have faced the brunt of the attacks, and have been bogged down south of PTK, unable to move the frontlines any closer to the city. The entire 59th division has been wiped out, and is only being maintained on paper by infusion of new regiments from Mannar.

As mentioned in last week's collumn, the LTTE have allowed the Sri Lankan military to "reclaim" their former frontlines south of PTK, which the LTTE had over run on February 1st. The LTTE does not wish to over stretch their supply lines, and as such have no intention to hold any of the positions they over run. The plan is to strike and then draw the enemy back into the forest, where they have difficulty resupplying. So far this tactic has resulted in an entire division being decimated. If the Sri Lankan army is not able to find a solution to this problem, it is only a matter of time before the reinforcements of 59th division and the remaining 53rd division get over ran. If that happens, then all three Task Forces will be doomed and the entire operation will be called off.

What is happening at present is the Sri Lankan army continues to send reinforcements from other cities, in an attempt to keep the LTTE "boxed in", but everytime they do this they are thinning out their defenses away from the battle zone. If there is a break anywhere in the lines surrounding the LTTE, then the entire operation is a failure, because it allows free movement for the LTTE. As a result the government is forced to sacrifice everything they have to hold the lines, which is leading to a very dangerous situation in other areas of the island. The increase in attacks in the east is a small sign of this. It is only a matter of time before a major attack occurs in these weakened areas.