Battle for the A-9 highway

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle for the A-9 highway
partof=the Sri Lankan civil war


caption=
date=March 27, 2000 - April 20, 2000
place=Sri Lanka
casus=
territory=
result=Tamil Tiger victory
combatant1=
combatant2= Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
commander1=Unknown
commander2=Velupillai Pirabakaran
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=203 killed, 1,067 wounded [http://www.strategypage.com/search.asp?target=d:inetpubstrategypagerootfyeoqndguidedocsarchivessril2ka.htm&search=sri+lanka+2000+january-june StrategyPage.com - Search the StrategyPage ] ]
casualties2=Disputed
casualties3=50 civilians killed
notes=

The Battle for the A-9 highway was a battle fought in March and April 2000 for the control of the Sri Lankan A-9 highway.

Background

The A-9 highway connected the Sri Lankan capitol with the northern Jafna peninsula. More impotently the Elephant Pass military base, which was the only land route for Jaffna. If the rebels were going to surround Elephant Pass they would have to take the north-south highway.

The Battle

On March 27, the LTTE attacked the north-south highway. LTTE rebels attacked a coastal army base with a combined land and amphibious assault. The navy shot up the LTTE flotilla of small boats, but the ground attack continued. Heavy fighting continued into the night.

On March 28, the LTTE offensive is closing in on a four-base government complex. By next morning those bases fall. Several SLA tanks are also captured.

By March 30, the Tigers took another government base and managed to cut the A-9 highway. By this point thousands of civilian refugees had fled the area. The air force had been hitting rebel columns caught in the open while the navy had prevented the rebels from landing reinforcements along the coast.

By April 3, the LTTE continued to hold a four kilometer stretch of the A-9 highway. However more army reinforcements were coming in by air and sea, and also air strikes and navy ships were hitting the rebels hard stalling the LTTE offensive.

On April 11, the army managed, after two weeks of heavy fighting, to retake the A-9 highway and clear all rebel positions from it.

On April 18, however, the LTTE renewed it's offensive on the A-9. And the next day they cut the A-9 highway again. By the next day all remaining SLA troops were in retreat toward the Elephant Pass military base, which was coming under heavy rebel artillery fire. Thus the operation to take the highway was a success for the Tigers and this led to a more greater success in the battle for Elephant Pass, which fell three days later.

References