Battle of Nelliady

Battle of Nelliady
Part of Eelam War I and the Sri Lankan Civil War
Date5 July 1987
Location9°48′12.20″N 80°12′10.70″E / 9.8033889°N 80.2029722°E / 9.8033889; 80.2029722
Result LTTE tactical victory
SLA strategic victory
Belligerents
 Sri Lanka Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Commanders and leaders
Gen Cyril Ranatunga V. Prabhakaran
Units involved
Gemunu Watch,
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
Black Tigers
Strength
~150 troops ~50 militants
Casualties and losses
19 killed
31 wounded[1]
1 killed
2 suicide bombers detonated
Nelliady Central College is located in Northern Province
Nelliady Central College
Nelliady Central College

The Battle of Nelliady took place during the early stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It occurred on 5 July 1987, when a force of 50 LTTE militants assaulted the Sri Lanka Army Camp located in the Nelliady Central College in the town of Nelliady in the Jaffna District in northern Sri Lanka. The attack was the bloodiest battle for the Sri Lankan forces since the Vadamarachchi Operation in June 1987, which cleared the area of Nelliady of LTTE militants. The attack on Nelliady army camp resulted in the Sri Lankan forces suffering 19 killed and 31 wounded, while LTTE executed its first suicide bombing which was carried out by Captain Miller.[1][2][3]

  1. ^ a b Humanitarian Operation Factual Analysis July 2006 – May 2009 (PDF). Ministry Of Defence Democratic Socialist Republic Of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  2. ^ Chandraprema, C. A. (2012). Gota's War. Colombo: Piyasiri Printing Systems. pp. 215–216.
  3. ^ "June '93 peace moves preceded stunning battlefield defeats". Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2021.