Battle of Mullaitivu (1996)

Battle of Mullaitivu
முல்லைத்தீவுச் சமர்
මුලතිව් සටන
Part of Eelam War III and the Sri Lankan Civil War
Date18–25 July 1996
Location
Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka
09°15′N 80°49′E / 9.250°N 80.817°E / 9.250; 80.817
Result LTTE victory
(see Aftermath section)
Belligerents
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam  Sri Lanka
Commanders and leaders
V. Prabhakaran
Colonel Balraj[1][2]
Colonel Soosai[3][4]		 Anuruddha Ratwatte
Rohan Daluwatte
A. F. Lafir †
T. R. A. Aliba (MIA)
Raj Vijayasiri (WIA)
Units involved
Charles Anthony Brigade[5],
Jeyanthan Brigade[6]		 Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment,
Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment,
Special Forces Regiment,
Commando Regiment,
Sri Lanka Light Infantry,
Gemunu Watch
Strength
~2,000 1,407 (Mullaitivu garrison)[7]~1000 (Relief force)[8]
Casualties and losses
315 dead, including 11 Sea Black Tigers (LTTE claimed)[9] 1,498 dead[10][9][11]
Mullaitivu Military Base is located in Northern Province
Mullaitivu Military Base
Mullaitivu Military Base
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Location of base in Northern Province, Sri Lanka

The Battle of Mullaitivu (Tamil: முல்லைத்தீவுச் சமர், romanized: Mullaittīvup Pōr; Sinhala: මුලතිව් සටන Mulativ Saṭana), also known as the First Battle of Mullaitivu and codenamed Operation Unceasing Waves-1 (Tamil: ஓயாத அலைகள்-1 நடவடிக்கை, romanized: Ōyāta Alaikaḷ-1 Naṭavaṭikkai), was a battle between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) and the Sri Lankan military during the Sri Lankan Civil War for control of the military base in Mullaitivu in north-eastern Sri Lanka.

The base which contained an understrength infantry brigade was overrun by the LTTE on 18 July 1996, in the days that followed, a combined operation undertaken by all three armed forces failed to rescue the brigade as it had been completely destroyed by the time the relief force reached what was left of the installations of the 25 "Mullaitivu" Brigade, the Sri Lankan military abandoned the town of Mullaitivu, and control of much of Mullaitivu District, to the LTTE on 25 July 1996. Around 1,500 Sri Lankan troops were killed or unaccounted for (MIA) and large amounts of military equipment captured by the LTTE. 315 LTTE cadres were also killed.

  1. ^ "LTTE top ranker dies". BBC Sinhala. London, U.K. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ Kumaaran, Satheesan (25 May 2008). "Death of Balraj and its implications". The Sunday Times. Colombo, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Mapping Militant Organizations: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam". Center for International Security and Cooperation. Stanford, U.S.A.: Stanford University. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Sri Lanka: the bloody end of battle". The Guardian. London, U.K. 17 May 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  5. ^ "TamilNet".
  6. ^ "TamilNet".
  7. ^ "The Sunday Times Situation Report".
  8. ^ "Features | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers".
  9. ^ a b "TamilNet".
  10. ^ sundaytimes.lk/961013/sitrep.html
  11. ^ Sivaram, S. D. (15 August 1996). "Mullaitivu: A Shattering Blow War Strategy" (PDF). Tamil Times. Vol. XV, no. 8. Sutton, U.K. pp. 11–12. ISSN 0266-4488. Retrieved 3 September 2011.