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SLN To Acquire Fleet Of Heavy Fast Attack Craft For The 1st Time
Saturday, 6 January 2007 - 7:54 PM SL Time | | |
COLOMBO: The military campaign in the East is now in a decisive phase with the Air Force going flat out against Sea Tigers as part of its strategy to protect the Trincomalee-Jaffna sea supply route. The military believes that the LTTE would try to disrupt the sea route to pressure the Jaffna-based security forces. `We are taking pre-emptive action,` an official said adding that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), operating over the LTTE-held territory, had been successful in pinpointing targets.
Israeli-built Kfirs attacked an identified target at Chilawatte, north of Nayaru lagoon Friday morning as senior military officials asserted that the Sea Tigers could not withstand the increased pressure. According to them another primary objective was to wipe out the enemy`s capability to carry out mid-sea arms transfers.
They said that annihilation of Sea Tigers crucial in the military`s overall strategy to defeat the LTTE.
`There has been some strategic thinking. We are determined to knock off their offensive capability,` a senior official said. The military had adopted a two-pronged strategy which envisaged a relentless attack on Sea Tigers and a plan to bolster the firepower of the navy. An official acknowledged that this would not be an easy task. The government recently authorised the navy to acquire a fleet of Heavy Fast Attack Craft. Their induction would greatly improve the navy`s capability, an authoritative official said. The proposed acquisition was crucial in giving the navy a clear edge over Sea Tigers. The navy had not hitherto operated Heavy Fast Attack Craft.
Sea Tigers made several bids to disrupt sea supply route to Jaffna last year.
The military said that a decisive edge could be gained by crippling Sea Tigers.
RELATED ARTICLE FROM TRUMPETNET
SLN cancels ship transport, clashes erupt in the seas off Nagarkovil
[TamilNet, Saturday, 06 January 2007, 12:43 GMT]
A Sri Lanka military ship scheduled to transport civilians and military personnel to Trincomalee from KKS Harbour Saturday has cancelled the trip as clashes erupted in the seas off Nagarkovil in Vadamaradchi East Saturday evening around 3:45 p.m. Around 350 civilians who were transported to KKS High Security Zone from Jaffna were sent back.
Gunshots and heavy rocket fire was heard in the seas off Nagarkovil.
Sri Lanka Navy uses transports civilians and military personnel from KKS to Trincomalee.
The A9 landroute from Jaffna Peninsula remains closed since August
NOTE: The Pic is not related to the fleet to be acquired by SLN!
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Source(s)
Rapa/SAMN/Trumpetnet |
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