Operation
Operation Thunder Strike, a preliminary action to further enlarge the required staging area to the east, was launched on 28 September 1995. 532 Brigade, under the command of Colonel Lucky Rajasinghe, was tasked with the capture of the Achchuweli area. They were supported by the rest of 53 Division's resources (commanded by Brigadier Janaka Perera). As 53 Division was consolidating in the Achchuweli area on the night of 31 October, the LTTE launched a major counter-attack on the division's positions. As the attack was anticipated by Brigadier Janaka Perera, it was repelled by troops of the 53 Division, which resulted in a large number of casualties for the LTTE. This was the key moment of the battle as this defeat demoralized the LTTE cadres and SL Army troops realized the vulnerability of the LTTE tactical operations, boosting their morale. Operation RIVIRESA-I was launched on 17 October 1995 with the aim of wresting control of the Valikamam area of the Jaffna peninsula. Major General (later General) Rohan Daluwatte and Brigadier (later Major General) Janaka Perera were two key military personnel who were instrumental in the leadership and success of the operation. 20,000 troops of the Sri Lanka Army were deployed at the outset of the attack, they were supported by the Sri Lanka Air Force and the Sri Lanka Navy.
The operation, commanded by Major General Rohan Daluwatte as Overall Operations Commander (OOC), involved three divisions: the 51st Division, commanded by Brigadier (Later Major General) Neil Dias; (its deputy commander was Brigadier, later Chief Of Defense Staff, Sarath Fonseka); and the 52nd Division, commanded by Brigadier P.A. Karunathilaka (its deputy commander was Brigadier, later Major General, Anton Wijendra), advanced astride the Jaffna - Point Pedro and Jaffna - Palaly Road axes respectively up to a line joining Kopay and Kondavil. This advance was met with stiff resistance from the LTTE, it took the two divisions almost a month to cover the 12-mile stretch. From this lateral line, the 53rd Division, consisting of Special Forces commanded by Brigadier Janaka Perera (Deputy Commander Colonel, later Major General, Gamini Hettiarachchi). The Division, consisting of the 534 Independent Brigade (commanded by Colonel Percy Fernando), 531 Air Mobile Brigade (commanded by Colonel Hiran Halangoda), 533 Armored Brigade (commanded by Colonel Gamini Balsooriya) and 532 Infantry Brigade (commanded by Colonel Lucky Rajasinghe), broke out and launched a narrow frontal attack that headed directly to the east of Jaffna town, capturing key crossroads along the way.
The LTTE had prepared for the attack in advance by mining all roads into the peninsula and creating defenses in depth with additional cadres from the eastern province. 531 Brigade met with stiff resistance on 18 November, but managed to maneuver the troops east to avoid the heavily mined built-up areas. On 19 November 534 Brigade stepped into the attack and fought one of the hardest battles as they moved to cut off the main road linking Jaffna from the rest of the peninsula. Brigadier Janaka Perera ordered the 532 Brigade into action without giving the LTTE an opportunity to regroup and the said brigade reached the waters of Colombuthurai on 22 November 1995, cutting off Valikamam from the Vadamarachchi and Tenamarachchi areas. However, an intense battle still had to be fought to evict the remaining cadres from Jaffna town.
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