- List of military operations of the Sri Lankan Civil War
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Main article: Sri Lankan Civil War
After successfully defeating the insurgency led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in 1971, the Sri Lanka Armed Forces were confronted with a new conflict, this time with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other Tamil militant groups. The war escalated to the point where India was asked to intervene as a peacekeeping force. This was later seen as a tactical error, as the IPKF united nationalist elements such as the JVP to politically support the LTTE in their call to evict the IPKF. The war with the LTTE was halted following the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 2002 with the help of international mediation. However, renewed violence broke out in December 2005 and following the collapse of peace talks, the army has been involved in the heavy fighting that has resumed in the north and east of the country.
Since 1980 the army has undertaken many operations against the LTTE rebels. The major operations conducted by the army eventually lead to the capture of Jaffna and other rebel strongholds.
Contents
Major combat operations of the Sri Lankan Army
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result 1971 JVP Insurrection 1971–1972 Eelam War I (1976-1987)
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result Vadamarachchi Operation IPKF intervention
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result JVP Uprising 1987–1990 Eelam War II (1990-1995)
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result Operation Sea Breeze Operation Thrividha Balaya Operation Balavegaya I, II Eelam War III (1995-2002)
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result Operation Riviresa Operation Jayasikurui Operation Rivibala Operation Ranagosa Operation Rivikirana Operation Kinihira I, II, III/IV, V/VI, VII, VIII ,IX Eelam War IV (2006-2009)
Eastern Theater
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result Operations in Thoppigala area Northern Theater
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result 2008 SLA Northern offensive Major Battles
The table below lists all the major battles of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The information included in the table has been pieced together from the individual battle articles.
Battle Date Location Deaths Result Sri
Lankan
MilitaryTamil
Tigers
(LTTE)IPKF Civilians Eelam War I
23 July 1983 –
29 July 1987Kokkilai Offensive 13 February 1985 SLA camp, Kokkilai, Mullaitivu District 4-100 16 LTTE victory Vadamarachchi Operation
(aka Operation Liberation)26 May 1987 - June 1987 Vadamarachchi, Jaffna District 689 631 Partial SLA victory,
Operation PoomalaiOperation Poomalai 4 June 1987 Jaffna, Jaffna District Indian intervention Cease Fire
29 July 1987 - October 1987Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War
October 1987 - 24 March 1990Operation Pawan 11 October 1987 –
25 October 1987Jaffna, Jaffna District ? 214 IPKF victory Operation Trishul April 1988 Northern Province Operation Viraat April 1988 Northern Province IPKF victory Operation Checkmate June 1988 Vadamarachi, Northern Province IPKF victory Jaffna University Helidrop 12 October 1988 Jaffna, Jaffna District LTTE victory Eelam War II
10 June 1990 –
9 January 1995Battle of Kokavil 27 June 1990 –
11 July 1990SLA camp, Kokavil, Kilinochchi District 69 LTTE victory Operation Sea Breeze SLA victory Operation Thrividha Balaya SLA victory Operation Balavegaya
(aka Operation Power Force)14 July 1991 –
9 August 1991Jaffna, Jaffna District 202-400 573-1,000+ SLA victory Operation Sathbala SLA victory Operation Balavegaya II SLA victory Welioya 2 330 SLA victory Battle of Elephant Pass (1st) 10 July 1991 –
9 August 1991SLA camp, Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District 202-400 573-1,000 SLA victory Battle of Pooneryn 11 November 1993 –
12 November 1993Pooneryn (Poonakari), Kilinochchi District 441 469 Both SLA & LTTE claimed the victory Cease Fire
9 January 1995 –
19 April 1995Eelam War III
19 April 1995 - December 2001Operation Riviresa (Sun Rays) /
Battle of Jaffna17 October 1995 –
5 December 1995Jaffna, Jaffna District 500 2,000 SLA victory Battle of Mullaitivu (1st)
(aka Operation Unceasing Waves)18 July 1996 –
25 July 1996Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu District 1,242 332 LTTE victory Operation Sath Jaya 26 July 1996 –
3 October 1996Elephant Pass and Kilinochchi ≈ 500 121 SLA victory Vavunathivu Offensive 7 March 1997 SLA camp, Vavunathivu, Batticaloa District 75 103 LTTE victory Operation Jayasikurui 13 May 1997 - 1999 Sri Lanka 1,350 3,614 LTTE victory * Thandikulam–Omanthai offensive 10 June 1997 –
25 June 1997Thandikulam & Omanthai, Vavuniya District 700 165 LTTE victory Battle of Kilinochchi (1st)
(aka Operation Unceasing Waves II)27 September 1998 –
29 September 1998Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District 443 520 LTTE victory Oddusuddan Offensive October 1999 –
2 November 1999Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu District 800 LTTE victory Battle for the A-9 highway 27 March 2000 –
20 April 2000A-9 Highway, Kilinochchi District 203 317 50 LTTE victory Battle of Elephant Pass (2nd)
(aka Operation Unceasing Waves III)22 April 2000 –
23 April 2000SLA camp, Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District 204 150 LTTE victory Bandaranaike Airport attack 24 July 2001 Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Gampaha District 7 14 Successful LTTE raid Cease Fire
December 2001 - 26 July 2006Battle of Point Pedro 12 May 2006 Bay of Bengal near Point Pedro, Jaffna District 17 54 SLN victory Eelam War IV
26 July 2006 –
18 May 2009Battle of Jaffna 11 August 2006 –
29 October 2006Jaffna Peninsula, Jaffna District 300 700-1,000 Stalemate Battle of Sampur 28 August 2006 –
4 September 2006Sampoor (Sampur), Trincomalee District 33 200 SLA victory Attack on Galle Harbour 18 October 2006 Galle, Galle District 1 9 1 SLN victory Battle of Thoppigala 25 April 2007 –
11 July 2007Kudumbimalai (Thoppikkal), Batticaloa District 48 700-800 SLA victory Battle of Point Pedro 19 June 2007 Bay of Bengal near Point Pedro, Jaffna District 40 SLN victory Raid on Anuradhapura AFB 22 October 2007 SLAF Base, Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura District 14 20 Successful LTTE raid Battle of Delft 25 December 2007 Palk Strait near Neduntheevu (Delft) island, Jaffna District 4-40 Disputed Battle of Vidattaltivu 16 July 2008 Vidattaltivu, Mannar District 1 51 SLA victory Battle of Kilinochchi (2nd) 23 November 2008 –
2 January 2009Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District SLA victory Battle of Mullaitivu (2nd) 2 January 2009 –
25 January 2009Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu District SLA victory Battle of Elephant Pass (3rd) 9 January 2009 Elephant Pass SLA victory Battle of Chalai 2 February 2009 –
6 February 2009Chalai, Mullaitivu District 12 SLA victory Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu Puthukkudiyirippu, Mullaitivu District SLA victory Truce
13 April 2009 –
15 April 2009Final Battle of the Sri Lankan Civil War Puthukkudiyirippu, Mullaitivu District SLA victory GOSL declares victory and end of the war
19 May 2009Categories:- Military operations involving Sri Lanka
- Battles of the Sri Lankan Civil War
- Sri Lankan Civil War
- Lists of battles
- Military of Sri Lanka
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
- Sri Lanka-related lists
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