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<span>The battle</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-The_battle-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle The battle subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-The_battle-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Probing_the_LTTE_bunker_lines" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Probing_the_LTTE_bunker_lines"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Probing the LTTE bunker lines</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Probing_the_LTTE_bunker_lines-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Breaking_the_LTTE_defence_line" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Breaking_the_LTTE_defence_line"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Breaking the LTTE defence line</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Breaking_the_LTTE_defence_line-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_west_coast_falls_and_Kilinochchi_is_surrounded" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_west_coast_falls_and_Kilinochchi_is_surrounded"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.3</span> <span>The west coast falls and Kilinochchi is surrounded</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_west_coast_falls_and_Kilinochchi_is_surrounded-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Battle_for_Kilinochchi" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Battle_for_Kilinochchi"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.4</span> <span>Battle for Kilinochchi</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Battle_for_Kilinochchi-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Fall_of_Elephant_Pass_and_Mullaittivu" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a 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.mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV</a></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r963460841">@media all and (min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .desktop-float-right{box-sizing:border-box;float:right;clear:right}}.mw-parser-output .infobox.vevent .status>p:first-child{margin:0}</style><table class="infobox vevent" style="width:25.5em;border-spacing:2px;"><tbody><tr><th class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">2008–2009 SLA Northern offensive</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="background-color:#DCDCDC;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;">Part of the <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Sri Lankan civil war">Sri Lankan Civil War</a>, <a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV" title="Eelam War IV">Eelam War IV</a>, <a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV</a></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><table style="width:100%;margin:0;padding:0;border:0;display:inline-table"><tbody><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Date</th><td>January 2008 – May 18, 2009</td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Location</th><td><div class="location"><a href="/wiki/Northern_Province,_Sri_Lanka" title="Northern Province, Sri Lanka">Northern Province</a></div></td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Result</th><td class="status"> Decisive SLA victory</td></tr><tr><th style="padding-right:1em">Territorial<br />changes</th><td> The LTTE loses all of its territory, which is retaken by government forces</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Belligerents</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/18px-Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png" decoding="async" width="18" height="26" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/27px-Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/36px-Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="600" data-file-height="851" /></a></span> <a href="/wiki/Military_of_Sri_Lanka" class="mw-redirect" title="Military of Sri Lanka">Military of Sri Lanka</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg/23px-Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg/35px-Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg/45px-Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam">Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam</a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Commanders and leaders</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/General" class="mw-redirect" title="General">Gen.</a> <a href="/wiki/Sarath_Fonseka" title="Sarath Fonseka">Sarath Fonseka</a>:<br />Major General <a href="/wiki/Jagath_Jayasuriya" title="Jagath Jayasuriya">Jagath Jayasuriya</a><br />Major General G. A. Chandrasiri <br />Major General <a href="/wiki/Shavendra_Silva" title="Shavendra Silva">Shavendra Silva</a> <br />Major General <a href="/wiki/Jagath_Dias" title="Jagath Dias">Jagath Dias</a><br />Major General <a href="/wiki/Nandana_Udawatta" title="Nandana Udawatta">Nandana Udawatta</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> <a href="/wiki/Velupillai_Prabhakaran" title="Velupillai Prabhakaran">Velupillai Prabhakaran</a> <a href="/wiki/Killed_in_action" title="Killed in action"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman','Old English Text MT',serif"><b>†</b></span></a></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Units involved</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> <a href="/wiki/53_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="53 Division (Sri Lanka)">53 Division</a><br /><a href="/wiki/55_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="55 Division (Sri Lanka)">55 Division</a><br /><a href="/wiki/56_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="56 Division (Sri Lanka)">56 Division</a><br /><a href="/wiki/57_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="57 Division (Sri Lanka)">57 Division</a><br /><a href="/wiki/58_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="58 Division (Sri Lanka)">58 Division</a><br /><a href="/wiki/59_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="59 Division (Sri Lanka)">59 Division</a><br /><a href="/wiki/61_Division_(Sri_Lanka)" title="61 Division (Sri Lanka)">61 Division</a></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> Unknown</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Strength</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> 200,000</td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> 7,000–17,000<sup id="cite_ref-mildev2007_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mildev2007-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;font-size:110%;">Casualties and losses</th></tr><tr><td style="width:50%;border-right:1px dotted #aaa;"> 3,500+ killed,<br />16,000 wounded<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated2_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated2-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td><td style="width:50%;padding-left:0.25em"> 2,200+ killed in 2008 (LTTE claim)<sup id="cite_ref-news.yahoo.com_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-news.yahoo.com-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br />4,073 killed in 2008 (SLA claim)<sup id="cite_ref-us.rediff.com_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-us.rediff.com-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br />2,515 killed in 2009 (SLA claim)<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated4_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated4-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align:center;border-top:1px dotted #aaa;"> 396 civilians killed January–September 2008<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated3_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated3-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br />20,000–40,000 civilians killed January 2009 – May 2009<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-times_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-times-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-bbc290509_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bbc290509-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-aljazeera_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-aljazeera-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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Victory</i></a> <dl><dd><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Vakarai" title="Eastern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Vakarai</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Thoppigala" title="Battle of Thoppigala">Thoppigala</a></dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dt><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV</a></dt> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Jaffna_(2006)" title="Battle of Jaffna (2006)">Jaffna</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Silavathurai" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Silavathurai</a></dd> <dd><a class="mw-selflink selflink">2008-2009 offensive</a> <dl><dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Welioya" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Welioya</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Vavuniya" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Vavuniya</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kallarawa" title="Battle of Kallarawa">Kallarawa</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Madhu" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Madhu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Adampan" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Adampan</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Vidattaltivu" title="Battle of Vidattaltivu">Vidattaltivu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/2008%E2%80%932009_Battle_of_Kilinochchi" class="mw-redirect" title="2008–2009 Battle of Kilinochchi">Kilinochchi</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Paranthan" title="Battle of Paranthan">Paranthan</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mullaitivu_(2009)" title="Battle of Mullaitivu (2009)">Mullaitivu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Chalai" title="Battle of Chalai">Chalai</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Puthukkudiyirippu" title="Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu">Puthukkudiyirippu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Vellamullivaikkal&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Vellamullivaikkal (page does not exist)">Vellamullivaikkal</a></dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dt>Other</dt> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Point_Pedro_(2006)" title="Battle of Point Pedro (2006)">1st Point Pedro</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Attack_on_Galle_Harbour" title="Attack on Galle Harbour">Galle</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Point_Pedro_(2007)" title="Battle of Point Pedro (2007)">2nd Point Pedro</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV#LTTE_air_strikes" title="Eelam War IV">Palali raid</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV#LTTE_air_strikes" title="Eelam War IV">Colombo raids</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Raid_on_Anuradhapura_Air_Force_Base" title="Raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base">Anuradhapura</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Delft" title="Battle of Delft">Delft</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_off_the_coast_of_Jaffna" title="Battle off the coast of Jaffna">Coast of Jaffna</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Navy_anti_arms_smuggling_operations" title="Sri Lanka Navy anti arms smuggling operations">Naval anti arms smuggling operations</a></dd></dl> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Sri_Lankan_civil_war" style="margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;margin-left:1em;;padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War" title="Template:Campaignbox Sri Lankan Civil War"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Sri Lankan Civil War"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Sri Lankan Civil War"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Sri_Lankan_civil_war" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Sri Lankan civil war"><span class="wrap">Sri Lankan civil war</span></a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <dl><dt>Main topics</dt></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_I" title="Eelam War I">Eelam War I</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_intervention_in_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war">Indian intervention</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_II" title="Eelam War II">Eelam War II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_III" title="Eelam War III">Eelam War III</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV" title="Eelam War IV">Eelam War IV</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_military_operations_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="List of military operations of the Sri Lankan civil war">Battles and operations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE" title="List of attacks attributed to the LTTE">Bombings and terrorist attacks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_Sri_Lankan_government_forces" class="mw-redirect" title="List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces">Other military attacks</a></li></ul> <hr /> <dl><dt>Mass graves</dt></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Chemmani_mass_graves_investigation" title="Chemmani mass graves investigation">Chemmani</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Duraiappa_stadium_mass_grave" title="Duraiappa stadium mass grave">Duraiappa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mirusuvil_massacre" title="Mirusuvil massacre">Mirusuvil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sooriyakanda_mass_grave" title="Sooriyakanda mass grave">Sooriyakanda</a></li></ul> <hr /> <dl><dt>Massacres</dt></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Black_July" title="Black July">Black July</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1984_Kokkilai_massacre_(LTTE)" title="1984 Kokkilai massacre (LTTE)">Kokkilai massacre</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1985_Valvettiturai_massacre" title="1985 Valvettiturai massacre">1985 Valvettiturai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kumudini_boat_massacre" title="Kumudini boat massacre">Kumudini</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Akkaraipattu_massacre" title="Akkaraipattu massacre">Akkaraipattu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prawn_farm_massacre" title="Prawn farm massacre">Prawn farm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_University_massacre" title="Eastern University massacre">Eastern University</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1990_Batticaloa_massacre" title="1990 Batticaloa massacre">1990 Batticaloa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1990_massacre_of_Sri_Lankan_Police_officers" title="1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers">Massacre of policemen</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1991_Kokkadichcholai_massacre" title="1991 Kokkadichcholai massacre">1991 Kokkadichcholai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Air_Lanka_Flight_512" title="Air Lanka Flight 512">Air Lanka Flight 512</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaffna_lagoon_massacre" title="Jaffna lagoon massacre">Jaffna lagoon</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aluth_Oya_massacre" title="Aluth Oya massacre">Aluth Oya massacre</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Navaly_church_bombing" title="Navaly church bombing">Navaly</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nagerkovil_school_bombing" class="mw-redirect" title="Nagerkovil school bombing">Nagerkovil</a>-<a href="/wiki/Allaipiddy_massacre" title="Allaipiddy massacre">Allaipiddy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vankalai_massacre" title="Vankalai massacre">Vankalai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Central_Bus_Station_bombing" class="mw-redirect" title="Central Bus Station bombing">Central Bus Station bombing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2006_Trincomalee_massacre_of_NGO_workers" title="2006 Trincomalee massacre of NGO workers">Muttur</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kent_and_Dollar_Farm_massacres" title="Kent and Dollar Farm massacres">Kent and Dollar Farm</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anuradhapura_massacre" title="Anuradhapura massacre">Anuradhapura</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aranthalawa_Massacre" class="mw-redirect" title="Aranthalawa Massacre">Aranthalawa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kattankudy_mosque_massacre" title="Kattankudy mosque massacre">Kattankudi mosque</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Palliyagodella_massacre" title="Palliyagodella massacre">Palliyagodella</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lionair_Flight_602" title="Lionair Flight 602">Lionair Flight 602</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kallarawa_massacre" title="Kallarawa massacre">Kallarawa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/October_1995_Eastern_Sri_Lanka_massacres" title="October 1995 Eastern Sri Lanka massacres">October 1995</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Gonagala_massacre" title="Gonagala massacre">Gonagala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kebithigollewa_massacre" title="Kebithigollewa massacre">Kebithigollewa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaffna_hospital_massacre" title="Jaffna hospital massacre">Jaffna Hospital</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Central_Bank_bombing" class="mw-redirect" title="Central Bank bombing">Central Bank bombing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dehiwala_train_bombing" class="mw-redirect" title="Dehiwala train bombing">Dehiwala train bombing</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1989_Valvettiturai_massacre" title="1989 Valvettiturai massacre">1989 Valvettiturai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2006_Digampathana_bombing" class="mw-redirect" title="2006 Digampathana bombing">Habarana massacre</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_I" title="Template:Campaignbox Eelam War I"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_I" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Eelam War I"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_I" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Eelam War I"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Eelam_War_I" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_I" title="Eelam War I">Eelam War I</a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Kokkilai_offensive" title="Kokkilai offensive">Kokkilai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vadamarachchi_Operation" title="Vadamarachchi Operation">Vadamarachchi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Poomalai" title="Operation Poomalai">Operation Poomalai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Nelliady" title="Battle of Nelliady">Nelliady</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Indian_Peace_Keeping_Force" title="Template:Campaignbox Indian Peace Keeping Force"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Indian_Peace_Keeping_Force" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Indian Peace Keeping Force"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Indian_Peace_Keeping_Force" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Indian Peace Keeping Force"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Indian_intervention_in_theSri_Lankan_civil_war" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Indian_intervention_in_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war">Indian intervention in the<br />Sri Lankan civil war</a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Poomalai" title="Operation Poomalai">Poomalai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Pawan" title="Operation Pawan">Pawan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Trishul" title="Operation Trishul">Trishul</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Viraat" title="Operation Viraat">Viraat</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Checkmate_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Operation Checkmate (Sri Lanka)">Checkmate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaffna_University_Helidrop" title="Jaffna University Helidrop">Jaffna University Helidrop</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_II" title="Template:Campaignbox Eelam War II"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_II" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Eelam War II"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_II" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Eelam War II"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Eelam_War_II" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_II" title="Eelam War II">Eelam War II</a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kokavil" title="Battle of Kokavil">Kokavil</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Sea_Breeze_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Operation Sea Breeze (Sri Lanka)">Sea Breeze</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Thrividha_Balaya" title="Operation Thrividha Balaya">Thrividha Balaya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Battle_of_Elephant_Pass" title="First Battle of Elephant Pass">Elephant Pass</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Balavegaya" title="Operation Balavegaya">Balavegaya</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Operation_Sathbala&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Operation Sathbala (page does not exist)">Sathbala</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Operation_Balavegaya_II&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Operation Balavegaya II (page does not exist)">Balavegaya II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Janakapura" title="Battle of Janakapura">Janakapura</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Pooneryn" title="Battle of Pooneryn">Pooneryn</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_III" title="Template:Campaignbox Eelam War III"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_III" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Eelam War III"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_III" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Eelam War III"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Eelam_War_III" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_III" title="Eelam War III">Eelam War III</a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bombing_of_SLNS_Sooraya_and_SLNS_Ranasuru" title="Bombing of SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru">Sooraya and Ranasuru</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Weli_Oya_(1995)" title="Battle of Weli Oya (1995)">Weli Oya (1995)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Jaffna_(1995)" title="Battle of Jaffna (1995)">Jaffna (1995)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Riviresa" title="Operation Riviresa">Riviresa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mullaitivu_(1996)" title="Battle of Mullaitivu (1996)">Mullaitivu (1996)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Sath_Jaya" title="Operation Sath Jaya">Sath Jaya</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Operation_Edibala&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Operation Edibala (page does not exist)">Edibala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Pulukunawa" title="Battle of Pulukunawa">Pulukunawa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Vavunathivu" title="Battle of Vavunathivu">Vavunathivu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Jayasikurui" title="Operation Jayasikurui">Jayasikurui</a> (<a href="/wiki/Thandikulam%E2%80%93Omanthai_offensive" title="Thandikulam–Omanthai offensive">Thandikulam–Omanthai</a>, <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kanakarayankulam_(1997)" title="Battle of Kanakarayankulam (1997)">Battle of Kanakarayankulam (1997)</a>)</li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Operation_Rivi_bala&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Operation Rivi bala (page does not exist)">Rivi bala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1998_Battle_of_Kilinochchi" class="mw-redirect" title="1998 Battle of Kilinochchi">Kilinochchi (1998)</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Rana_Gosa" title="Operation Rana Gosa">Rana Gosa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oddusuddan_offensive_(1999)" title="Oddusuddan offensive (1999)">Oddusuddan</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Operation_Kinihira&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Operation Kinihira (page does not exist)">Kinihira</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_for_the_A-9_highway" title="Battle for the A-9 highway">A-9 highway</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Elephant_Pass" title="Second Battle of Elephant Pass">2nd Elephant Pass</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Operation_Rivikirana&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Operation Rivikirana (page does not exist)">Rivikirana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bandaranaike_Airport_attack" title="Bandaranaike Airport attack">Bandaranaike</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-vertical mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0;margin:0;float:right;clear:right;width:25em;margin-bottom:0.5em;"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#C3D6EF;color:inherit;"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_IV" title="Template:Campaignbox Eelam War IV"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:inherit">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_IV" title="Template talk:Campaignbox Eelam War IV"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:inherit">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox_Eelam_War_IV" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Campaignbox Eelam War IV"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:inherit">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Eelam_War_IV" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><span style="line-height:1.6em"><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV" title="Eelam War IV">Eelam War IV</a></span></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <dl><dt><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Eastern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Eastern Theatre of Eelam War IV</a></dt> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Sampur" title="Battle of Sampur">Sampur</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/SLA_December_2006_offensive" title="SLA December 2006 offensive">December 2006</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Operation_Definite_Victory" title="Operation Definite Victory"><i>Definite Victory</i></a> <dl><dd><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Vakarai" title="Eastern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Vakarai</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Thoppigala" title="Battle of Thoppigala">Thoppigala</a></dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dt><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV</a></dt> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Jaffna_(2006)" title="Battle of Jaffna (2006)">Jaffna</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Silavathurai" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Silavathurai</a></dd> <dd><a class="mw-selflink selflink">2008-2009 offensive</a> <dl><dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Welioya" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Welioya</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Vavuniya" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Vavuniya</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kallarawa" title="Battle of Kallarawa">Kallarawa</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Madhu" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Madhu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV#Battle_of_Adampan" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Adampan</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Vidattaltivu" title="Battle of Vidattaltivu">Vidattaltivu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/2008%E2%80%932009_Battle_of_Kilinochchi" class="mw-redirect" title="2008–2009 Battle of Kilinochchi">Kilinochchi</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Paranthan" title="Battle of Paranthan">Paranthan</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mullaitivu_(2009)" title="Battle of Mullaitivu (2009)">Mullaitivu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Chalai" title="Battle of Chalai">Chalai</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Puthukkudiyirippu" title="Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu">Puthukkudiyirippu</a></dd> <dd><a href="/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Vellamullivaikkal&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Battle of Vellamullivaikkal (page does not exist)">Vellamullivaikkal</a></dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dt>Other</dt> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Point_Pedro_(2006)" title="Battle of Point Pedro (2006)">1st Point Pedro</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Attack_on_Galle_Harbour" title="Attack on Galle Harbour">Galle</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Point_Pedro_(2007)" title="Battle of Point Pedro (2007)">2nd Point Pedro</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV#LTTE_air_strikes" title="Eelam War IV">Palali raid</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV#LTTE_air_strikes" title="Eelam War IV">Colombo raids</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Raid_on_Anuradhapura_Air_Force_Base" title="Raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base">Anuradhapura</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Delft" title="Battle of Delft">Delft</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Battle_off_the_coast_of_Jaffna" title="Battle off the coast of Jaffna">Coast of Jaffna</a></dd> <dd><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Navy_anti_arms_smuggling_operations" title="Sri Lanka Navy anti arms smuggling operations">Naval anti arms smuggling operations</a></dd></dl> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <p>The <b>2008–2009 SLA Northern offensive</b> was an armed conflict in the <a href="/wiki/Northern_Province,_Sri_Lanka" title="Northern Province, Sri Lanka">northern Province</a> of Sri Lanka between the <a href="/wiki/Military_of_Sri_Lanka" class="mw-redirect" title="Military of Sri Lanka">military of Sri Lanka</a> and the separatist <a href="/wiki/Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam">Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam</a> (LTTE). The battle began with a <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Army" title="Sri Lanka Army">Sri Lanka Army</a> (SLA) offensive attempting to break through the LTTE defence lines in the north of the island, aiming to conclude the country's <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Sri Lankan civil war">25-year-old civil war</a> by military victory. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Background">Background</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Following the defeat of the LTTE in the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Province,_Sri_Lanka" title="Eastern Province, Sri Lanka">Eastern Province</a> of Sri Lanka and their retreat to the north in July 2007, the <a href="/wiki/Military_of_Sri_Lanka" class="mw-redirect" title="Military of Sri Lanka">Sri Lankan military</a> set its sights on the separatist-held territory in the north. On January 2, 2008, the government of Sri Lanka unilaterally withdrew from the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), originally signed on February 22, 2002, with the Tamil Tigers. According to <a href="/wiki/Keheliya_Rambukwella" title="Keheliya Rambukwella">Keheliya Rambukwella</a>, a spokesman for the government on defence issues, the "<a href="/wiki/Government_of_Sri_Lanka" title="Government of Sri Lanka">Government of Sri Lanka</a> decided to officially withdraw from the Ceasefire Agreement since it is futile to continue with the Ceasefire with no indication that LTTE is willing to enter the peace path."<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This set the stage for the <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Army" title="Sri Lanka Army">Army</a>'s attack on the Forward Defence Lines (FDL) in the island's north. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="The_battle">The battle</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: The battle"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Probing_the_LTTE_bunker_lines">Probing the LTTE bunker lines</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Probing the LTTE bunker lines"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The SLA adopted new operational tactics for the battle opening several battle fronts across LTTE-controlled areas in Vanni. The target of the battle was the <a href="/wiki/Elephant_Pass" title="Elephant Pass">Elephant Pass</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Muhamalai, <a href="/wiki/Nagarcoil_Forward_Defence_Line" title="Nagarcoil Forward Defence Line">Nagarcoil</a> and Kilali Forward Defence Lines, the three main FDLs in Jaffna district, were hit at the same time along with the FDLs in Vavuniya and Mannar districts. Over the next weeks, Army units were sent towards LTTE bunker lines in an attempt to the positions. By the end of February, although the SLA managed to destroy at least 250 LTTE bunkers, it was only able to advance a few kilometres into LTTE controlled territory. However, the SLA were still slowly advancing on the A-9 highway which directly leads toward Elephant Pass. The SLA issued several calls to the LTTE to surrender before the Army's advances. </p><p>On February 20, SLA forces staged its most intense attack on the LTTE bunker lines.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In heavy fighting 92 rebels and three soldiers were killed according to the government. Another 20 soldiers were wounded and five bunkers were destroyed. More intense fighting also flared up on March 5. Major engagements all along the de facto border separating territory held by the LTTE occurred and on March 8, SLA troops, backed by helicopter gunships, pushed across the front lines using tanks, mortars and artillery. Eighty four rebels and 11 soldiers were killed during the close-quarters combat over those three days and nine rebel bunkers were destroyed and another four captured. </p><p>On March 22, a floating mine or a suicide attack off the northern coast of Sri Lanka killed 10 Sri Lankan seamen. None of their bodies were recovered. </p><p>By early April government soldiers were battling tropical illnesses brought on by heavy rains. About 500 troops affected by <a href="/wiki/Dengue_fever" title="Dengue fever">dengue fever</a> and the mosquito-borne <a href="/wiki/Chikungunya" title="Chikungunya">chikungunya</a> virus were being treated at hospitals. Also, their offensive operations against LTTE frontlines stalled. </p><p>Mid-April offensive operations against the LTTE continued and dozens of LTTE bunker positions were overrun. </p><p>Two days after the failed offensive a bomb exploded on a crowded bus in the capital Colombo, killing 24 passengers. </p><p>On May 16, a suicide bomber attacked a police bus in the Sri Lankan capital killing 10 people, including eight policemen. By this point an estimated 360 rebels and 41 soldiers had been killed in the month of May according to military sources.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On May 17, the military said it had captured Palampiddi town from the LTTE in Mannar district. A military spokesman said capturing Palampiddi was strategically important because it would block the rebels' supply route between the northern Vavuniya and Mannar districts.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>During the rest of May and throughout June heavy fighting continued in which heavy SLA air strikes resulted in the destruction of an LTTE complex in the jungle. </p> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Mannar_district.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Mannar_district.svg/200px-Mannar_district.svg.png" decoding="async" width="200" height="259" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Mannar_district.svg/300px-Mannar_district.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Mannar_district.svg/400px-Mannar_district.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="612" data-file-height="792" /></a><figcaption>Mannar District.</figcaption></figure> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Vidattaltivu" title="Battle of Vidattaltivu">Battle of Vidattaltivu</a></div> <p>On July 16, <a href="/wiki/Military_of_Sri_Lanka" class="mw-redirect" title="Military of Sri Lanka">Sri Lankan military</a> claimed to have captured a major coastal town, <a href="/wiki/Vidattaltivu" title="Vidattaltivu">Vidattaltivu</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Sri_Lanka_captures_rebel_naval_base_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sri_Lanka_captures_rebel_naval_base-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> in the <a href="/wiki/Mannar_District" title="Mannar District">Mannar District</a> of northwest <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka" title="Sri Lanka">Sri Lanka</a> from the <a href="/wiki/Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam">Tamil tigers</a>. According to <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a> correspondents, Vidattaltivu was an LTTE naval base and a hub for <a href="/wiki/Smuggling" title="Smuggling">smuggling</a> supplies from India across the <a href="/wiki/Palk_Strait" title="Palk Strait">Palk Strait</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Vidattaltivu is the biggest town situated on Sri Lanka's North-Western coast (<a href="/wiki/Jaffna" title="Jaffna">Jaffna</a> lies on the north coast) and was a major base of the <a href="/wiki/Sea_Tigers" title="Sea Tigers">Sea Tigers</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Sri_Lanka:_Vidattaltivu_Liberated;_terrorists_suffer_fatal_blow_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sri_Lanka:_Vidattaltivu_Liberated;_terrorists_suffer_fatal_blow-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Sri Lanka Army 58 Division and Commando Brigade took over the town in an attack; it was the first time that the Sri Lankan military was able to capture the town since the <a href="/wiki/Indian_Peacekeeping_Force" class="mw-redirect" title="Indian Peacekeeping Force">Indian Peacekeeping Force</a> left Sri Lanka in 1990.<sup id="cite_ref-Sri_Lanka_military_captures_key_northern_town_-_govt_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sri_Lanka_military_captures_key_northern_town_-_govt-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Sri_Lankan_troops_capture_rebel_base_in_north_28-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sri_Lankan_troops_capture_rebel_base_in_north-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The commandos of Sri Lanka's Army initially faced resistance from 60 LTTE cadres. But the LTTE soon started a withdrawal towards <a href="/w/index.php?title=Iluppakkadavai&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Iluppakkadavai (page does not exist)">Iluppakkadavai</a> as it came under heavy artillery and rocket fire. Later, the Sri Lankan military claimed over 30 LTTE cadres had been killed for the loss of just one soldier. Sri Lankan troops approaching from the east of Vidattaltivu cut off the <a href="/wiki/Mannar,_Sri_Lanka" title="Mannar, Sri Lanka">Mannar</a>-<a href="/w/index.php?title=Poonaryn&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Poonaryn (page does not exist)">Poonaryn</a> Road. Finally, the troops marched into the town and captured it after 21 years.<sup id="cite_ref-Strategic_Sea_Tiger_base_captured_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Strategic_Sea_Tiger_base_captured-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Following the capture of the town, the Sri Lankan air force attacked withdrawing Tamil Tigers.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> According to the <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Air_Force" title="Sri Lanka Air Force">Air Force of Sri Lanka</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mi-24" class="mw-redirect" title="Mi-24">Mi-24</a> helicopter gunships sank two LTTE boats 4 km north of Vidattaltivu around 1:00 PM local time.<sup id="cite_ref-Air_Force_pounds_withdrawing_terrorists_-_North_of_Vidattaltivu_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Air_Force_pounds_withdrawing_terrorists_-_North_of_Vidattaltivu-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Breaking_the_LTTE_defence_line">Breaking the LTTE defence line</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Breaking the LTTE defence line"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>On September 2, SLA forces managed to break through LTTE defences and captured the town of Mallavi which was regarded as a "nerve centre" for the Tamil Tigers. Some 20 SLA soldiers and more than 100 Tigers were killed during the battle for the town.<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The same day, the LTTE conducted a counter-attack against advancing SLA troops to regain their lost bunker lines. The Army claimed to have killed 52 and wounded 65 Tiger fighters. As for the SLA casualties suffered during the counter-attack the military said that they had seven soldiers killed, seven missing and 50 wounded while the LTTE claimed to have killed 75 soldiers and wounded 100.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>After the taking of Mallavi the SLA started an advance on the rebels' de facto capital of <a href="/wiki/Kilinochchi" title="Kilinochchi">Kilinochchi</a>. </p><p>On September 9, LTTE suicide fighters, known as Black Tigers, conducted a raid on a military base in Vavuniya in coordination with two LTTE bomber planes and a Tiger artillery barrage, which totalled 70 shells. The raid left 25 people dead: 12 soldiers, 11 Tigers, one policeman and one civilian.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Since early September, heavy fighting had been raging for the town of Nachchikuda, both on land and sea. At least 29 soldiers were killed during that battle along with 100 to 200 Tigers in the month of September, according to the military. Dozens more died in October and the sea port, which was a vital base for the LTTE's Sea Tigers, finally fell on October 30.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By October 12, the SLA had come within 2 kilometres from the outskirts of Kilinochchi. The LTTE were preparing to defend the city with a string of concrete bunkers and trenches in a heavily mined jungle surrounding the town. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_west_coast_falls_and_Kilinochchi_is_surrounded">The west coast falls and Kilinochchi is surrounded</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: The west coast falls and Kilinochchi is surrounded"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Between October 18 and October 20, heavy fighting raged on the outskirts of Kilinochchi, with SLA troops attempting to break through LTTE bunker lines. During these two days 36 SLA soldiers were killed and 48 were wounded in contrast to 12 Tamil Tiger fighters killed.<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This resulted in the deaths of some soldiers and the sickening of others. The military was not able to break through the remaining LTTE bunker lines situated before the city, due to heavy rain. Furthermore, most of the Sri Lankan army soldiers were needed to secure rebel territory taken in the previous two months after the LTTE's retreat to the north. With SLA forces stretched, that territory was coming under hit-and-run attacks by the rebels. Even the Sri Lankan Air Force was not able to dislodge the rebels from their positions on the roads into Kilinochchi. The city had, by this point, been evacuated of all civilians and the LTTE were preparing bunker positions within the town. Earlier in the month the SLA had stated they would take the rebel capital within days; however more than two weeks later operation maps at press briefings showed they were still 10 to 15 kilometres from the town, in contrast with their previous statements of being only two kilometres from Kilinochchi.<sup id="cite_ref-thetimes.co.za_38-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-thetimes.co.za-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>By mid-November SLA forces had managed to clear the entire west coast of LTTE cadres. By November 17, the SLA had captured three more strategic towns: Mankulam, Pannikankulam and Pooneryn. Mankulam and Pooneryn had been in LTTE hands for the previous nine years.<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> 54 soldiers were killed and another 350 wounded in the battle for Pooneryn, which fell after SLA forces advanced on the Pooneryn-Paranthan road. At the same time an offensive was conducted on the Muhamalai front. There, the SLA were attempting to break through the LTTE forward defence lines. Half a dozen attacks were repulsed by the LTTE leaving hundreds of casualties among government forces. In three days between November 16 and November 19, 200 SLA soldiers were reported to have been killed and another 700 wounded in battles across the north of the country. Some opposition lawmakers put the number at 250 killed. A Sri Lankan military source said the SLA Command in Jaffna had lost contact with two battalions.<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, despite this, the SLA managed to break through the first line of the LTTE's defence on the Muhamalai front on November 20, which gave the SLA another 800 yards. This left the LTTE with two more lines of defence at Muhamalai.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Battle_for_Kilinochchi">Battle for Kilinochchi</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Battle for Kilinochchi"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Kilinochchi_(2008%E2%80%932009)" title="Battle of Kilinochchi (2008–2009)">Battle of Kilinochchi (2008–2009)</a></div> <p>In December, three unsuccessful SLA offensives were conducted in an attempt to take the capital of the Tigers, Kilinochchi. In early January, however, the town was taken by the SLA. </p><p>On December 10, an offensive was blunted with the deaths of 89 SLA soldiers according to a LTTE affiliated website, versus SLA reported deaths of 20 soldiers and 27 Tigers.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_43-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On December 16, a multi-front offensive was launched by the SLA against Kilinochchi. That offensive too was defeated by the Tigers. According to the Tigers the SLA lost two battalions of troops, 170 soldiers dead and 420 wounded.<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The SLA denied this and claimed to have had only 25 soldiers killed, 18 missing (LTTE pictures released after the battle confirmed at least 27 bodies of soldiers in their hands)<sup id="cite_ref-45" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-45"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and 160 wounded while they killed 120 Tigers. In any case, it was a critical victory for the Tigers at a time when they were being squeezed into the last pockets of territory they were holding. Such stiff resistance was not expected from the LTTE so late in the battle. This was mainly because the LTTE now deployed their best Special Forces members against the SLA's might, which had been held back earlier.<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On December 20, an LTTE counter-offensive was mounted by the Tigers as SLA forces were preparing an attempt to attack and capture the village of <a href="/wiki/Iranamadu" title="Iranamadu">Iranamadu</a>, just south of the city. In the fighting that ensued the Tigers claimed to have killed 60 and wounded 150 SLA soldiers and pushed them back by two kilometres. The military again reported lower numbers of dead, 28 killed and missing.<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On January 2, 2009, the Sri Lankan army troops entered the town of Kilinochchi from two sides. The intensity of fighting after the army entered the town remained unknown as both army and LTTE had banned independent reporters from the areas.<sup id="cite_ref-Sri_Lankan_forces_take_over_last_LTTE_bastion_49-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Sri_Lankan_forces_take_over_last_LTTE_bastion-49"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Sri Lankan Army met with only minimal resistance once it entered the town, as the Tigers had withdrawn and taken hiding positions in nearby <a href="/wiki/Jungle" title="Jungle">jungles</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It had been more than 10 years since the government had previously entered the town.<sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Later, the military officially announced it had taken control of the town and were performing mopping-up operations.<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Fall_of_Elephant_Pass_and_Mullaittivu">Fall of Elephant Pass and Mullaittivu</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Fall of Elephant Pass and Mullaittivu"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mullaitivu_(2009)" title="Battle of Mullaitivu (2009)">Battle of Mullaitivu (2009)</a></div> <p>On January 9, 2009, the LTTE's defence line in the Jaffna peninsula collapsed and SLA units from the north captured the strategic Elephant Pass base, which had been under LTTE control for almost nine years. LTTE fighters provided only minimal resistance to the advancing troops and instead retreated toward Mullaittivu in the northeast of the island, the last major town held by the LTTE, to where LTTE forces from Kilinochchi had already retreated. </p><p>On January 25, SLA troops crossed a lagoon and entered Mullaittivu before encountering heavy resistance from the LTTE. After several hours of fighting the military captured the last Tamil Tiger stronghold.<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, even with the fall of Mullaittivu, heavy fighting continued in the north-eastern jungles, with artillery bombardments killing another 160 civilians between January 25 and January 27.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Human_Rights_Watch" title="Human Rights Watch">Human Rights Watch</a> alleges that Sri Lankan Army artillery strikes against a hospital in Mullaitivu killed 67 people and wounded another 87;<sup id="cite_ref-HRW09m_55-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-HRW09m-55"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> an article for <i><a href="/wiki/The_Guardian" title="The Guardian">The Guardian</a></i> contends that the artillery strikes targeting a government-designated safe zone adjacent to the hospital killed 378 people and injured 1,212.<sup id="cite_ref-guardmull_56-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-guardmull-56"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="LTTE's_last_stand"><span id="LTTE.27s_last_stand"></span>LTTE's last stand</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: LTTE's last stand"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Chalai" title="Battle of Chalai">Battle of Chalai</a> and <a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Puthukkudiyirippu" title="Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu">Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu</a></div> <p>By early February 2009, LTTE-controlled territory was reduced to 200 square kilometres. In a battle between February 2 and February 6, SLA forces captured the last <a href="/wiki/Sea_Tigers" title="Sea Tigers">Sea Tigers</a> base at Chalai, north of Mullaittivu. 12 Sea Tigers were killed, including 4 top Sea Tiger commanders. By early March 2009, SLA forces surrounded the last LTTE-held town, <a href="/wiki/Puthukkudiyiruppu_(Mullaitivu)" title="Puthukkudiyiruppu (Mullaitivu)">Puthukkudiyiruppu</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There they encountered heavy resistance from the final remnants of the LTTE, which stalled the SLA offensive yet again. Between March 5 and 8, heavy fighting raged as LTTE fighters conducted wave attacks against SLA lines in an attempt to break through. The SLA responded with heavy artillery shelling that left hundreds of civilian casualties. During those three days 250 rebels were killed according to SLA sources. Pro-LTTE website Tamilnet reported that at least 100 soldiers and 300 civilians were also killed.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_43-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-43"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On March 10, Black Tiger commandos reportedly attacked SLA artillery positions in Thearaavil, 18 km from Puthukkudiyiruppu junction. They, in a joint operation with LTTE's Col. Kiddu Artillery formation, destroyed six SLA artillery weapons platforms. The LTTE reported that they killed more than 50 soldiers while losing only three commandos.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Between March 14 and March 17, heavy battles raged and it seemed that the LTTE had finally managed to halt the advance of the SLA after a year of fighting, just when less than 28 square kilometres were left under the Tiger control. The fighting left 604 SLA soldiers dead according to the LTTE. Black Tiger commandos were also involved in the fighting.<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Despite this momentary victory the Tigers were still sustaining heavy casualties. By March 21, the LTTE's strength was down to only 1,500 fighters.<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>After the military advances were halted the SLA stopped using massive ground attacks on LTTE frontlines and concentrated on heavy artillery attacks on their positions. These attacks were leaving hundreds of civilian casualties and creating a humanitarian disaster. Between March 18 and March 26, SLA artillery and air strikes left more than 420 civilians killed and more than 660 wounded inside the government-declared safe zone.<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-63"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-64" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-64"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On March 24, the LTTE attempted to break out through the SLA defences north of Iranapalai; however they were stopped by intense fire from SLA infantry and armoured units. The same day the military continued its advance, a week after the start of the heavy artillery and air attacks. Members of 53 Division and Task Force-8 seized control over a section of the LTTE-built earth bund ditch across the A-35 main road, west of the <a href="/wiki/Nanthi_Kadal" class="mw-redirect" title="Nanthi Kadal">Nanthikadal lagoon</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-65" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-65"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-66"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>66<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Between April 1 and April 5, SLA forces killed 525 rebels and captured Puthukkudiriruppu. Now, the only uncleared territory for the SLA was the no-fire zone, where the remaining 500 LTTE fighters were mingled with the civilian refugees.<sup id="cite_ref-67" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-67"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>67<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The LTTE managed to hold out against the military for another month, but by mid-May the end was near. By the first two weeks of May tens of thousands of refugees poured out of rebel-held territory after the military made holes in the LTTE's defences. In these final stages of the war, between May 7 and May 14, around 1,000 civilians were killed in the fighting. By May 15, all civilians had been evacuated from the no-fire zone and the military stated the war would be over in 48 hours. In those last 48 hours of fighting the LTTE conducted massive suicide bomb attacks on advancing troops and were in general not surrendering but dying in battle. Early on May 16, the SLA forces coming in from the north linked up with the forces coming in from the south on the coastline, effectively cutting off the Tigers from the sea. Now they were boxed in and surrounded by the SLA on a territory only 1.92 square kilometres in size, with their back against the <a href="/wiki/Nanthi_Kadal" class="mw-redirect" title="Nanthi Kadal">Nanthikadal lagoon</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-68" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-68"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>68<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Defeat_of_the_LTTE">Defeat of the LTTE</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Defeat of the LTTE"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/End_of_the_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War" class="mw-redirect" title="End of the Sri Lankan Civil War">End of the Sri Lankan Civil War</a></div> <p>President <a href="/wiki/Mahinda_Rajapaksa" title="Mahinda Rajapaksa">Mahinda Rajapaksa</a> declared military victory over the tigers on May 16, 2009 after 26 years of conflict.<sup id="cite_ref-69" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-69"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>69<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> On the same day for the first time in their long struggle against the Sri Lankan government, the rebels were offering to lay down their weapons in return for a guarantee of safety.<sup id="cite_ref-70" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-70"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>70<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Sri Lanka's disaster relief and human-rights minister <a href="/wiki/Mahinda_Samarasinghe" title="Mahinda Samarasinghe">Mahinda Samarasinghe</a> stated 'The military phase is over. The LTTE has been militarily defeated. Now the biggest hostage rescue operation in the world has come to a conclusion; the figure I have here is since 20 April, 179,000 hostages have been rescued.'<sup id="cite_ref-71" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-71"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>71<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On May 17, rebel official <a href="/wiki/Selvarasa_Pathmanathan" title="Selvarasa Pathmanathan">Selvarasa Pathmanathan</a> conceded defeat saying in an <a href="/wiki/Email" title="Email">email</a> statement <i>"This battle has reached its bitter end"</i>. Earlier in the day, a group of about 70 Tamil Tigers tried to cross the lagoon to the other side in six boats and escape, but they were all killed by the SLA. Also, SLA special forces rescued seven POW's (three soldiers and four sailors). The four sailors had been in captivity since November 2006. </p><p>Late in the evening, SLA special forces conducted a raid in which they killed Charles Anthony, the eldest son of the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, <a href="/wiki/Balasingham_Nadesan" title="Balasingham Nadesan">Balasingham Nadesan</a>, the leader of the political wing of the LTTE, <a href="/wiki/Pulidevan" title="Pulidevan">Seevaratnam Puleedevan</a>, head of the LTTE's peace secretariat, and Ramesh, a top military leader. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Death_of_LTTE_leadership">Death of LTTE leadership</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Death of LTTE leadership"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/White_Flag_incident" title="White Flag incident">White Flag incident</a></div> <p>On May 18, the Sri Lanka Army forces confirmed that Prabhakaran was killed in the morning of that day. According to the UK Telegraph, Prabhakaran was "...killed in a rocket-propelled grenade attack as he tried to escape the war zone with his closest aides. <a href="/wiki/Soosai" title="Soosai">Soosai</a>, the leader of his "<a href="/wiki/Sea_Tigers" title="Sea Tigers">Sea Tigers</a>" navy, and <a href="/wiki/Pottu_Amman_(Tamil_militant)" title="Pottu Amman (Tamil militant)">Pottu Amman</a>, his intelligence chief were also killed in the attack."<sup id="cite_ref-72" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-72"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>72<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The LTTE confirmed Prabhakaran's death on May 24.<sup id="cite_ref-73" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-73"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Foreign_Tamils_cease_fire_call">Foreign Tamils cease fire call</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Foreign Tamils cease fire call"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Tamil people in India, as well as the worldwide <a href="/wiki/Tamil_diaspora" title="Tamil diaspora">Tamil diaspora</a>, had repeatedly called for a cease-fire: rallies had taken place in many major western cities such as <a href="/wiki/Toronto" title="Toronto">Toronto</a>, <a href="/wiki/London" title="London">London</a>, <a href="/wiki/Washington,_D.C." title="Washington, D.C.">Washington</a>, <a href="/wiki/Montreal" title="Montreal">Montreal</a>, <a href="/wiki/Paris" title="Paris">Paris</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Berlin" title="Berlin">Berlin</a>.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (October 2023)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Casualties">Casualties</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Casualties"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/United_Nations" title="United Nations">UN</a> estimated in May 2009, that 7,000 <a href="/wiki/Civilians" class="mw-redirect" title="Civilians">civilians</a> had been <a href="/wiki/Death" title="Death">killed</a> and another 16,700 had been <a href="/wiki/Wound" title="Wound">wounded</a> between January 20 and May 7, 2009, and another 1,000 were killed in heavy artillery bombardments by the SLA forces in the last week of fighting. Both the Sri Lankan Army and the LTTE were blamed for the civilian deaths.<sup id="cite_ref-74" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-74"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>74<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another 396 civilians were killed between January and September 2008.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated3_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated3-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><a href="/wiki/The_Times" title="The Times">The Times</a> newspaper reported that as many as 20,000 civilians had been killed in the Safe Zone.<sup id="cite_ref-times_11-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-times-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some of the deaths were caused by the Tamil Tigers but most were as a result of shelling by the Sri Lankan military. The UN had previously estimated that 6,500 civilians had been killed in the three months to the middle of April, meaning that the death toll soared to 1,000 each day in the final two weeks of the war.<sup id="cite_ref-aljazeera_16-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-aljazeera-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The UN says it has no confirmed estimates of civilian casualties and the Sri Lankan government has denied the <i>Times'</i> allegations.<sup id="cite_ref-bbc290509_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-bbc290509-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Guardian newspaper, quoting another U.N. official, called the Times' figure as a "dangerous extrapolation". The Guardian also questioned the many underlying assumptions of the Times's figure.<sup id="cite_ref-75" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-75"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>75<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The SLA stated that, by January 6, 2009, they had killed up to 4,073 LTTE militants in the previous fourteen months, most of them in the north.<sup id="cite_ref-us.rediff.com_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-us.rediff.com-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In contrast the LTTE said they had lost 2,200 fighters during 2008.<sup id="cite_ref-news.yahoo.com_5-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-news.yahoo.com-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another 2,515 LTTE militants were reported to have been killed between January and May 2009.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated4_7-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated4-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The SLA also reported at the end of October they suffered 1,270 soldiers killed in the whole country, only around a dozen were not killed in the north.<sup id="cite_ref-thetimes.co.za_38-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-thetimes.co.za-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-tamileelamnews.com_76-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-tamileelamnews.com-76"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>76<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Following the implementation of the new government policy in October to not reveal military casualties the only sources on the numbers of SLA dead were the ones from pro–LTTE sources.<sup id="cite_ref-77" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-77"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>77<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> There were also several sporadic reports by the SLA to counteract the reports by the Tigers in the propaganda war. According to reports of the pro–LTTE website <a href="/wiki/Tamilnet" class="mw-redirect" title="Tamilnet">Tamilnet</a> and those several military reports, a conservative estimate had been made that hundreds of SLA soldiers had been killed since then.<sup id="cite_ref-78" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-78"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>78<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> However, in mid-January 2009, the military confirmed that 3,700 soldiers had been killed in the previous three years of fighting and another 16,000 were wounded in the recent offensive.<sup id="cite_ref-79" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-79"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>79<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> With 1,325 confirmed dead in 2006 and 2007, that would make a total of 2,375 killed in 2008, with less than a hundred not killed in the north. Also, more than 1,200 soldiers were estimated to had died in 2009.<sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated1_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated2_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated2-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-autogenerated4_7-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-autogenerated4-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Casualty_numbers_manipulation">Casualty numbers manipulation</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Casualty numbers manipulation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Casualty figures provided by both sides differ wildly and cannot be independently verified. On numerous occasions it was established that the government was covering up its own casualty figures, as on March 5, when Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva stated to the <a href="/wiki/Parliament_of_Sri_Lanka" title="Parliament of Sri Lanka">Parliament</a> that 104 soldiers and policemen had been killed in February, while the Defence Ministry reported only 63 government soldiers killed during that month and 107 soldiers since the start of the year.<sup id="cite_ref-80" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-80"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>80<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Initially the SLA stated that 185 soldiers had been killed or gone missing during the failed offensive in the Jaffna peninsula in April, but later some military sources cited a lesser number of 49 soldiers killed. In June, parliamentary oversight prompted the release of official figures. The figures showed that 120 soldiers had been killed and 945 wounded during April, which was in contrast with military statements citing 90 killed. Also the release showed that 138 soldiers had been killed and 540 wounded in May, while the military claimed 92 killed.<sup id="cite_ref-mildev2007_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-mildev2007-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake confirmed that during the month of September, 200 soldiers had been killed and another 997 wounded. This was in contrast to the claims of the Defence Ministry that only 96 soldiers had been killed during that month.<sup id="cite_ref-81" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-81"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>81<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Finally, after months of attempts by the military to conceal the true casualty figures, on the request of Parliament, on October 20, it was revealed that 1,099 soldiers had been killed along with 396 civilians in the first nine months of the year. Some 7,000 soldiers had also been wounded.<sup id="cite_ref-thetimes.co.za_38-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-thetimes.co.za-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Following this revelation the government implemented a new policy of not revealing any more day-to-day numbers of soldiers killed in the conflict. </p><p>Also, it had come into question how much the government was inflating the LTTE's losses, because at the start of the year the government stated there were only 3,000 militants left, but by mid-June they reported to have killed over 5,000 militants and wounded 3,000, which would mean that the whole of the LTTE had already been destroyed.<sup id="cite_ref-82" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-82"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>82<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-83" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-83"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>83<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>A three-member United Nations panel which collected evidence for over 10 months said that "the panel's determination of credible allegations reveals a very different version of the final stages of the war than that maintained to this day by the government."<sup id="cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The panel also called on the Secretary General of UN to immediately set up "an independent international mechanism" for investigating "credible" allegations that both Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tigers committed serious human rights violations and war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the months before the decades-old civil war ended in 2009.<sup id="cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The panel said that 40,000 people had been killed in the war, of whom tens of thousands died in the war's last five months. According to the panel, most civilian casualties in the final phases of the war were caused by government shelling that could amount to "war crimes."<sup id="cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The panel furthermore stated that "the government systematically shelled hospitals on all fronts," and "deprived people in conflict zone of humanitarian aid in the form of food and medical supplies, particularly surgical supplies." The panel documented LTTE use of civilians as human shields.<sup id="cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>U.N. Secretary General <a href="/wiki/Ban_Ki-moon" title="Ban Ki-moon">Ban Ki-moon</a> stated that the U.N. would not launch an investigation without the agreement of the Sri Lankan government and U.N. member states.<sup id="cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Human Rights Watch stated that such an investigation was being blocked by the Russian and Chinese governments, while the American ambassador to the UN requested that the Sri Lankan government address the panel's report constructively, in order to further the peace process.<sup id="cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Sri_Lankan_Civil_War_battles" class="mw-redirect" title="List of Sri Lankan Civil War battles">List of Sri Lankan Civil War battles</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/War_crimes_during_the_final_stages_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="War crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war">War crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=2008%E2%80%932009_Sri_Lankan_Army_Northern_offensive&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-mildev2007-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-mildev2007_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-mildev2007_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090111092629/http://acd.iiss.org/armedconflict/MainPages/dsp_ConflictWeapons.asp?ConflictID=174&YearID=961#2007">"Military developments 2007"</a>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">29 May</span> 2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Paper%3A+20%2C000+killed+in+Sri+Lanka+conflict&rft.date=2009-05-29&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F2009%2FWORLD%2Fasiapcf%2F05%2F29%2Fsrilanka.death.toll%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-aljazeera-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-aljazeera_16-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-aljazeera_16-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/05/200952964049285757.html">"Sri Lanka fighting 'killed 20,000'<span class="cs1-kern-right"></span>"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Al_Jazeera_English" title="Al Jazeera English">Al Jazeera</a>. 29 May 2009. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090529191051/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/05/200952964049285757.html">Archived</a> from the original on 29 May 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">29 May</span> 2009</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Reuters&rft.atitle=Over+20%2C000+died+in+S.Lanka+rebels%27+defeat-paper&rft.date=2009-05-29&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2FasiaCrisis%2FidUSLT386941&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080509092552/http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/shrilanka/timeline/index.html">"Sri Lanka Timeline - Year 2008"</a>. South Asia Terrorism Portal. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-05-20</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Sri+Lanka+Timeline+-+Year+2008&rft.pub=South+Asia+Terrorism+Portal&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.satp.org%2Fsatporgtp%2Fcountries%2Fshrilanka%2Ftimeline%2Findex.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRamachandran2008" class="citation news cs1">Ramachandran, Sudha (2008-01-05). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080513222324/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/JA05Df03.html">"Sri Lanka takes off the gloves"</a>. Asia Times Online. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-07-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Sri+Lanka+takes+off+the+gloves&rft.date=2008-01-05&rft.aulast=Ramachandran&rft.aufirst=Sudha&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.atimes.com%2Fatimes%2FSouth_Asia%2FJA05Df03.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_news" title="Template:Cite news">cite news</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: unfit URL (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_unfit_URL" title="Category:CS1 maint: unfit URL">link</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://lrrp.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/tigers-prepare-to-face-army%E2%80%99s-mechanised-infantry/">"Tigers prepare to face Army's mechanised infantry"</a>. 2008-03-28. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091215115349/http://lrrp.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/tigers-prepare-to-face-army%E2%80%99s-mechanised-infantry/">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-12-15<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-07-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Tigers+prepare+to+face+Army%27s+mechanised+infantry&rft.date=2008-03-28&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Flrrp.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F03%2F28%2Ftigers-prepare-to-face-army%25E2%2580%2599s-mechanised-infantry%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080219211835/http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2008/2/24888.html">"SLA blocked in three fronts in Mannaar- LTTE"</a>. Lanka Newspapers. 2008-02-19. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-07-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=SLA+blocked+in+three+fronts+in+Mannaar-+LTTE&rft.date=2008-02-19&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lankanewspapers.com%2Fnews%2F2008%2F2%2F24888.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSCOL275984">"Suspected suicide blast kills 10 in Sri Lanka"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Reuters" title="Reuters">Reuters</a></i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220314061650/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSCOL275984">Archived</a> from the original on 2022-03-14<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-03-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Reuters&rft.atitle=Suspected+suicide+blast+kills+10+in+Sri+Lanka&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Farticle%2FidUSCOL275984&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-23">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSCOL275805/">"Sri Lankan troops capture rebel position, 16 killed"</a>. <i>Reuters</i>. 17 May 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-07-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Sri+Lanka+captures+rebel+naval+base&rft.date=2008-07-16&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fukpress.google.com%2Farticle%2FALeqM5jL5wcyootBtsr463v5Oe9LkNryrg&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7508829.stm">"Tamil Tiger sea base 'captured'<span class="cs1-kern-right"></span>"</a>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=LTTE+releases+photos+of+SLA+debacle&rft.place=Vavuniya&rft.pub=TamilEelamNews&rft.date=2008-12-18&rft.aulast=Ratnam&rft.aufirst=Charles&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamileelamnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpublish%2Ftns_10643.shtml&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-46"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-46">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSabapathy2008" class="citation web cs1">Sabapathy, David (2008-12-17). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_10637.shtml">"(Update-2) Sri Lanka loses two battalions troops in the latest battles"</a>. COLOMBO: TamilEelamNews. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090119130931/http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_10637.shtml">Archived</a> from the original on 19 January 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%28Update-2%29+Sri+Lanka+loses+two+battalions+troops+in+the+latest+battles&rft.place=COLOMBO&rft.pub=TamilEelamNews&rft.date=2008-12-17&rft.aulast=Sabapathy&rft.aufirst=David&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamileelamnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpublish%2Ftns_10637.shtml&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27793">"Tigers recover 12 SLA bodies after preemptive strike, 60 killed, 150 wounded"</a>. TamilNet. 2008-12-20. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090115202106/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27793">Archived</a> from the original on 15 January 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Tigers+recover+12+SLA+bodies+after+preemptive+strike%2C+60+killed%2C+150+wounded&rft.pub=TamilNet&rft.date=2008-12-20&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D27793&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFDPA2008" class="citation web cs1">DPA (2008-12-21). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.today/20120903233238/http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/247257,12-soldiers-killed-16-missingin-sri-lanka-combat.html">"12 soldiers killed, 16 missingin Sri Lanka combat"</a>. <i>India World</i>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-02</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Sri+Lankan+forces+take+over+last+LTTE+bastion&rft.date=2009-01-02&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fibnlive.in.com%2Fnews%2Fsri-lankan-forces-take-over-last-ltte-bastion%2F81793-2.html%3Ffrom%3Drssfeed&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.deseret.com/2009/1/2/20294296/sri-lanka-says-troops-have-captured-rebel-capital">"Sri Lanka says troops have captured rebel capital"</a>. <i>Deseret News</i>. The Associated Press. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-11-28</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Deseret+News&rft.atitle=Sri+Lanka+says+troops+have+captured+rebel+capital&rft.date=2009-01-02&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deseret.com%2F2009%2F1%2F2%2F20294296%2Fsri-lanka-says-troops-have-captured-rebel-capital&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.proquest.com/docview/1030544502">"Rebel Capital Under Attack In Sri Lanka"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-11-28</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=Rebel+Capital+Under+Attack+In+Sri+Lanka&rft.date=2009-01-02&rft.issn=0362-4331&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F1030544502&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7807908.stm">"Sri Lankan troops seize rebel HQ"</a>. <i>BBC News</i>. 2009-01-02. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090107113259/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7807908.stm">Archived</a> from the original on 7 January 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=BBC+News&rft.atitle=Sri+Lankan+troops+seize+rebel+HQ&rft.date=2009-01-02&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Fsouth_asia%2F7807908.stm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/25/sril.lanka.tamil.tigers/index.html">"Sri Lanka army chief: Troops have taken key rebel stronghold - CNN.com"</a>. <i>CNN</i>. 2009-01-25. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100420200312/http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/01/25/sril.lanka.tamil.tigers/index.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2010-04-20<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-03-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Hundreds+of+dead+civilians+piling+up+in+Sri+Lanka+war+%7C+World+News+%7C+Hindustan+Times&rft.date=2009-01-29&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hindustantimes.com%2Fworld%2Fhundreds-of-dead-civilians-piling-up-in-sri-lanka-war%2Fstory-kJ3Hj3nWExN2yShr1nSmOP.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-HRW09m-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-HRW09m_55-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBBC_Monitoring_South_Asia2009" class="citation news cs1">BBC Monitoring South Asia (12 May 2009). "Human Rights Watch condemns Sri Lankan army shell attacks". BBC.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Human+Rights+Watch+condemns+Sri+Lankan+army+shell+attacks&rft.date=2009-05-12&rft.au=BBC+Monitoring+South+Asia&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-guardmull-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-guardmull_56-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFGethin_Chamberlain2009" class="citation news cs1">Gethin Chamberlain (11 May 2009). 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">4 August</span> 2010</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Hindu&rft.atitle=LTTE%27s+last+stronghold+likely+to+fall&rft.date=2009-02-25&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hindu.com%2F2009%2F02%2F25%2Fstories%2F2009022560752000.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-58">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTamilNet" class="citation web cs1">TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28685">"TamilNet: 11.03.09 Tigers blast 6 Sri Lankan artillery positions in Vanni"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090603132822/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28685">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-06-03<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-03-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=TamilNet%3A+11.03.09+Tigers+blast+6+Sri+Lankan+artillery+positions+in+Vanni&rft.au=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D28685&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTamilNet" class="citation web cs1">TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28749">"TamilNet"</a>. <i>www.tamilnet.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090320035441/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28749">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-03-20<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-03-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.tamilnet.com&rft.atitle=TamilNet&rft.au=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D28749&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRamesh2009" class="citation news cs1">Ramesh, Randeep (2009-03-21). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/21/tamil-tigers-sri-lanka-karuna">"Tamil Tigers 'finished', says former leader"</a>. <i>The Guardian</i>. London. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130906074610/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/21/tamil-tigers-sri-lanka-karuna">Archived</a> from the original on 2013-09-06<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2010-04-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Guardian&rft.atitle=Tamil+Tigers+%27finished%27%2C+says+former+leader&rft.date=2009-03-21&rft.aulast=Ramesh&rft.aufirst=Randeep&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2009%2Fmar%2F21%2Ftamil-tigers-sri-lanka-karuna&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-61">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTamilNet" class="citation web cs1">TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28788">"TamilNet"</a>. <i>www.tamilnet.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090324104802/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28788">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-03-24<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-03-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.tamilnet.com&rft.atitle=TamilNet&rft.au=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D28788&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-62"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-62">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTamilNet" class="citation web cs1">TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28810">"TamilNet"</a>. <i>www.tamilnet.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090328085451/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28810">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-03-28<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-03-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.tamilnet.com&rft.atitle=TamilNet&rft.au=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D28810&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-63"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-63">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTamilNet" class="citation web cs1">TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28820">"TamilNet"</a>. <i>www.tamilnet.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090326030813/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28820">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-03-26<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-03-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.tamilnet.com&rft.atitle=TamilNet&rft.au=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D28820&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-64"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-64">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTamilNet" class="citation web cs1">TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28838">"TamilNet"</a>. <i>www.tamilnet.com</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090328093332/http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28838">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-03-28<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-03-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.tamilnet.com&rft.atitle=TamilNet&rft.au=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fart.html%3Fcatid%3D13%26artid%3D28838&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-65"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-65">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090328091911/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090325_05">"LTTE offensive repulsed: Terrorists take heavy beating- Mullaittivu"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)">Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)</a> / <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Armed_Forces" title="Sri Lanka Armed Forces">Sri Lanka Armed Forces</a>. 2009-03-25. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090325_05">the original</a> on 28 March 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-05-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=LTTE+offensive+repulsed%3A+Terrorists+take+heavy+beating-+Mullaittivu&rft.pub=Ministry+of+Defence+%28Sri+Lanka%29+%2F+Sri+Lanka+Armed+Forces&rft.date=2009-03-25&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defence.lk%2Fnew.asp%3Ffname%3D20090325_05&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-66"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-66">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090328094953/http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090325_09">"53 Div, TF -8 troops close-in-on last LTTE foothold: seize section of earth bund at Puthukudiyirippu"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Ministry_of_Defence_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)">Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka)</a> / <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Armed_Forces" title="Sri Lanka Armed Forces">Sri Lanka Armed Forces</a>. 2009-03-25. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20090325_09">the original</a> on 28 March 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-05-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=53+Div%2C+TF+-8+troops+close-in-on+last+LTTE+foothold%3A+seize+section+of+earth+bund+at+Puthukudiyirippu&rft.pub=Ministry+of+Defence+%28Sri+Lanka%29+%2F+Sri+Lanka+Armed+Forces&rft.date=2009-03-25&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.defence.lk%2Fnew.asp%3Ffname%3D20090325_09&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-67"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-67">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110609205319/http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=4/7/2009#1">"Terrorism Update"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/detailed_news.asp?date1=4/7/2009#1">the original</a> on 2011-06-09<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-05-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Terrorism+Update&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.satp.org%2Fsatporgtp%2Fdetailed_news.asp%3Fdate1%3D4%2F7%2F2009%231&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-68"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-68">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Sri-Lanka-Army-Captures-Tamil-Tiger-Coastline-Rebels-Will-Be-Defeated-In-48-Hrs/Article/200905315282905?f=rss">Sri Lanka Army Captures Tamil Tiger Coastline: Rebels 'Will Be Defeated In 48 Hrs' | World News | Sky News</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090517094326/http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Sri-Lanka-Army-Captures-Tamil-Tiger-Coastline-Rebels-Will-Be-Defeated-In-48-Hrs/Article/200905315282905?f=rss">Archived</a> May 17, 2009, at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-69"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-69">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8053542.stm">Sri Lanka army 'defeats rebels'</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090523142300/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8053542.stm">Archived</a> 2009-05-23 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a>, 2009-05-16</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-70"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-70">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6301821.ece">Fears of mass suicide as Tamil Tigers face final defeat</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090519195308/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6301821.ece">Archived</a> 2009-05-19 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a>, <a href="/wiki/The_Times" title="The Times">The Times</a>, 2009-05-17</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-71"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-71">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-17-voa11.cfm">Sri Lanka Rebels Concede Defeat</a>, <a href="/wiki/Voice_of_America" title="Voice of America">Voice of America</a>, 2009-05-17. Accessed 2009-05-29. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090520082139/http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-17-voa11.cfm">Archived</a> 2009-06-02.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-72"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-72">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNelson2009" class="citation news cs1">Nelson, Dean (2009-05-18). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/5343129/Sri-Lanka-Tamil-Tiger-leader-Velupillai-Prabhakaran-and-his-lieutenants-eliminated.html">"Sri Lanka: Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his lieutenants 'eliminated'<span class="cs1-kern-right"></span>"</a>. <i>The Daily Telegraph</i>. London. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090521123625/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/5343129/Sri-Lanka-Tamil-Tiger-leader-Velupillai-Prabhakaran-and-his-lieutenants-eliminated.html">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-05-21<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2010-04-22</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Daily+Telegraph&rft.atitle=Sri+Lanka%3A+Tamil+Tiger+leader+Velupillai+Prabhakaran+and+his+lieutenants+%27eliminated%27&rft.date=2009-05-18&rft.aulast=Nelson&rft.aufirst=Dean&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworldnews%2Fasia%2Fsrilanka%2F5343129%2FSri-Lanka-Tamil-Tiger-leader-Velupillai-Prabhakaran-and-his-lieutenants-eliminated.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-73"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-73">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8066129.stm">"Tamil Tigers admit leader is dead"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/BBC_News" title="BBC News">BBC News</a></i>. 2009-05-24. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090525011643/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8066129.stm">Archived</a> from the original on 2009-05-25<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-05-30</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=BBC+News&rft.atitle=Tamil+Tigers+admit+leader+is+dead&rft.date=2009-05-24&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F2%2Fhi%2Fsouth_asia%2F8066129.stm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-74"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-74">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/15/un-envoy-heads-sri-lanka-civilians-flee-war/">"Chattanooga Times Free Press | U.N. envoy heads to Sri Lanka; civilians flee war"</a>. 2009-05-15. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110930222910/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2009/may/15/un-envoy-heads-sri-lanka-civilians-flee-war/">Archived</a> from the original on 2011-09-30<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-05-29</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Chattanooga+Times+Free+Press+%26%23124%3B+U.N.+envoy+heads+to+Sri+Lanka%3B+civilians+flee+war&rft.date=2009-05-15&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesfreepress.com%2Fnews%2F2009%2Fmay%2F15%2Fun-envoy-heads-sri-lanka-civilians-flee-war%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-75"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-75">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFChamberlain2009" class="citation news cs1">Chamberlain, Gethin (2009-05-29). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/may/29/sri-lanka-casualties-united-nations">"Sri Lanka death toll 'unacceptably high', says UN | World news | guardian.co.uk"</a>. <i>Guardian</i>. London. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090612005441/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/29/sri-lanka-casualties-united-nations">Archived</a> from the original on 12 June 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-05-30</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Guardian&rft.atitle=Sri+Lanka+death+toll+%27unacceptably+high%27%2C+says+UN+%26%23124%3B+World+news+%26%23124%3B+guardian.co.uk&rft.date=2009-05-29&rft.aulast=Chamberlain&rft.aufirst=Gethin&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2009%2Fmay%2F29%2Fsri-lanka-casualties-united-nations&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-tamileelamnews.com-76"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-tamileelamnews.com_76-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_10360.shtml">"171 SF Killed and 1122 Injured in October - Sri Lanka's PM"</a>. Colombo: TamilEelamNews. 2008-11-04. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081209015540/http://www.tamileelamnews.com/news/publish/tns_10360.shtml">Archived</a> from the original on 2008-12-09<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=171+SF+Killed+and+1122+Injured+in+October+-+Sri+Lanka%27s+PM&rft.place=Colombo&rft.pub=TamilEelamNews&rft.date=2008-11-04&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamileelamnews.com%2Fnews%2Fpublish%2Ftns_10360.shtml&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-77"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-77">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJayasinghe2008" class="citation news cs1">Jayasinghe, Amal (16 December 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?p=sa&an=AFPR000020081216e4cg005yt&drn=drn:archive.newsarticle.AFPR000020081216e4cg005yt&cat=a&ep=ASE">"Heavy fighting kills 145 in Sri Lanka: military"</a>. <a href="/wiki/Agence_France-Presse" title="Agence France-Presse">Agence France-Presse</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-11-28</span></span> – via Dow Jones Factiva. <q>aj/dwa SriLanka-unrest</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Heavy+fighting+kills+145+in+Sri+Lanka%3A+military&rft.date=2008-12-16&rft.aulast=Jayasinghe&rft.aufirst=Amal&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fglobal.factiva.com%2Fredir%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fp%3Dsa%26an%3DAFPR000020081216e4cg005yt%26drn%3Ddrn%3Aarchive.newsarticle.AFPR000020081216e4cg005yt%26cat%3Da%26ep%3DASE&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-78"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-78">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.tamilnet.com/search.html?string=soldiers+killed">"3,000 Sri Lankan troops killed in three months, Army to double – newspapers"</a>. TamilNet. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120927044152/http://www.tamilnet.com/search.html?string=soldiers+killed">Archived</a> from the original on 2012-09-27<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=3%2C000+Sri+Lankan+troops+killed+in+three+months%2C+Army+to+double+%E2%80%93+newspapers&rft.pub=TamilNet&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamilnet.com%2Fsearch.html%3Fstring%3Dsoldiers%2Bkilled&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-79"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-79">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJayasinghe2009" class="citation news cs1">Jayasinghe, Amal (18 January 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?p=sa&an=AFPR000020090118e51i005vp&drn=drn:archive.newsarticle.AFPR000020090118e51i005vp&cat=a&ep=ASE">"Tamil Tigers surrounded, rebel chief may have fled: Sri Lanka army"</a>. Agence France-Presse<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2023-11-28</span></span> – via Dow Jones Factiva. <q>aj/sas/mtp SriLanka-unrest-fighting</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Tamil+Tigers+surrounded%2C+rebel+chief+may+have+fled%3A+Sri+Lanka+army&rft.date=2009-01-18&rft.aulast=Jayasinghe&rft.aufirst=Amal&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fglobal.factiva.com%2Fredir%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fp%3Dsa%26an%3DAFPR000020090118e51i005vp%26drn%3Ddrn%3Aarchive.newsarticle.AFPR000020090118e51i005vp%26cat%3Da%26ep%3DASE&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-80"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-80">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080310014809/http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080305/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunrest_080305143127">"Sri Lanka admits bigger war losses"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Yahoo!_News" class="mw-redirect" title="Yahoo! News">Yahoo! News</a></i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080305/wl_sthasia_afp/srilankaunrest_080305143127">the original</a> on 2008-03-10<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2008-03-06</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Yahoo%21+News&rft.atitle=Sri+Lanka+admits+bigger+war+losses&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.yahoo.com%2Fs%2Fafp%2F20080305%2Fwl_sthasia_afp%2Fsrilankaunrest_080305143127&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://lrrp.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/sri-lanka-admits-bigger-war-losses/">Alt URL</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110718102102/http://lrrp.wordpress.com/2008/03/06/sri-lanka-admits-bigger-war-losses/">Archived</a> 2011-07-18 at the <a href="/wiki/Wayback_Machine" title="Wayback Machine">Wayback Machine</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-81"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-81">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20081211032307/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/07/content_10161099.htm">"200 soldiers killed, 997 injured in September in Sri Lanka"</a>. COLOMBO: Xinhua. 2008-10-07. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-10/07/content_10161099.htm">the original</a> on 11 December 2008<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=200+soldiers+killed%2C+997+injured+in+September+in+Sri+Lanka&rft.place=COLOMBO&rft.pub=Xinhua&rft.date=2008-10-07&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.xinhuanet.com%2Fenglish%2F2008-10%2F07%2Fcontent_10161099.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-82"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-82">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110606180955/http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080313/r_t_ians_wl_asia/twl-31-killed-in-fighting-in-northern-sr-d5d6288_1.html">"31 killed in fighting in northern Sri Lanka -"</a>. Yahoo News. DPA. 2008-03-13. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://in.news.yahoo.com/indiaabroad/20080313/r_t_ians_wl_asia/twl-31-killed-in-fighting-in-northern-sr-d5d6288_1.html">the original</a> on June 6, 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-01-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=31+killed+in+fighting+in+northern+Sri+Lanka+-&rft.date=2008-03-13&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fin.news.yahoo.com%2Findiaabroad%2F20080313%2Fr_t_ians_wl_asia%2Ftwl-31-killed-in-fighting-in-northern-sr-d5d6288_1.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-83"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-83">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.lankabusinessonline.com/sri-lanka-says-47-combatants-killed-in-fresh-fighting/">"Sri Lanka says 47 combatants killed in fresh fighting – Lanka Business Online"</a>. 7 March 2008. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20220503122739/https://www.lankabusinessonline.com/sri-lanka-says-47-combatants-killed-in-fresh-fighting/">Archived</a> from the original on 2022-05-03<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-03-14</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Sri+Lanka+says+47+combatants+killed+in+fresh+fighting+%E2%80%93+Lanka+Business+Online&rft.date=2008-03-07&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lankabusinessonline.com%2Fsri-lanka-says-47-combatants-killed-in-fresh-fighting%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-lankawarcrimes-84"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-lankawarcrimes_84-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSharma2011" class="citation news cs1">Sharma, Betwa (26 April 2011). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rediff.com/news/report/un-calls-for-war-crimes-inquiry-in-sri-lanka/20110426.htm">"Sri Lankan Army, LTTE likely committed war crimes: UN"</a>. <i>PTI</i>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110828213231/http://www.rediff.com/news/report/un-calls-for-war-crimes-inquiry-in-sri-lanka/20110426.htm">Archived</a> from the original on 28 August 2011<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 January</span> 2012</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=PTI&rft.atitle=Sri+Lankan+Army%2C+LTTE+likely+committed+war+crimes%3A+UN&rft.date=2011-04-26&rft.aulast=Sharma&rft.aufirst=Betwa&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rediff.com%2Fnews%2Freport%2Fun-calls-for-war-crimes-inquiry-in-sri-lanka%2F20110426.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A2008%E2%80%932009+Sri+Lankan+Army+Northern+offensive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Sri_Lankan_civil_war_(1983–2009)" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible mw-collapsed navbox-inner" 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war">Sri Lankan civil war</a> (1983–2009)</div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%"><a href="/wiki/Origins_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Origins of the Sri Lankan civil war">Origins</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Tamil_nationalism" title="Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism">Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sinhalese_Buddhist_nationalism" title="Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism">Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sinhala_Only_Act" title="Sinhala Only Act">Sinhala Only Act</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1956_anti-Tamil_pogrom" title="1956 anti-Tamil pogrom">1956</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1958_anti-Tamil_pogrom" title="1958 anti-Tamil pogrom">1958</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vaddukoddai_Resolution" title="Vaddukoddai Resolution">Vaddukoddai Resolution</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1977_anti-Tamil_pogrom" title="1977 anti-Tamil pogrom">1977</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1981_anti-Tamil_pogrom" title="1981 anti-Tamil pogrom">1981</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Burning_of_Jaffna_Library" class="mw-redirect" title="Burning of Jaffna Library">Burning of Jaffna Library</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Black_July" title="Black July">Black July</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Combatants</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:left;"><span data-sort-value="Sri Lanka"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka" title="Sri Lanka">Sri Lanka</a></span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Army" title="Sri Lanka Army">Army</a> (<a href="/wiki/Long_Range_Reconnaissance_Patrol_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Sri Lanka)">LRRP</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Navy" title="Sri Lanka Navy">Navy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Air_Force" title="Sri Lanka Air Force">Air Force</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Police_Service" class="mw-redirect" title="Sri Lanka Police Service">Police</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Special_Task_Force_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Special Task Force (Sri Lanka)">Special Task Force</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Civil_Security_Force" title="Sri Lanka Civil Security Force">Home Guards</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_on_civilians_attributed_to_Sri_Lankan_government_forces" title="List of attacks on civilians attributed to Sri Lankan government forces">Attacks on civilians</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_people_assassinated_by_Sri_Lankan_government_forces" class="mw-redirect" title="List of people assassinated by Sri Lankan government forces">Assassinations</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:left;"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg/23px-Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg/35px-Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg/45px-Tamil_Eelam_Flag.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam">LTTE</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Divisions_of_the_Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="Divisions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam">Divisions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Air_Tigers" title="Air Tigers">Air Tigers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sea_Tigers" title="Sea Tigers">Sea Tigers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Black_Tigers" title="Black Tigers">Black Tigers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE" title="List of attacks attributed to the LTTE">Attacks</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE,_1970s" title="List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 1970s">in the 1970s</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE,_1980s" title="List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 1980s">1980s</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE,_1990s" title="List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 1990s">1990s</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_attacks_attributed_to_the_LTTE,_2000s" title="List of attacks attributed to the LTTE, 2000s">2000s</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_people_assassinated_by_the_Liberation_Tigers_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="List of people assassinated by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam">Assassinations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Suicide_bombings_in_Sri_Lanka" title="Suicide bombings in Sri Lanka">Suicide bombings</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:left;"><span class="flagicon"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_placeholder.svg/23px-Flag_placeholder.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_placeholder.svg/35px-Flag_placeholder.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_placeholder.svg/45px-Flag_placeholder.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="24" data-file-height="16" /></span></span></span> <a href="/wiki/Sri_Lankan_Tamil_militant_groups" title="Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups">Other militants</a> <span class="nobold"><span style="font-size:85%;">(<a href="/wiki/List_of_Sri_Lankan_Tamil_militant_groups" title="List of Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups">list</a>)</span></span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_National_Democratic_Liberation_Front" title="Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front">ENDLF</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_National_Liberation_Front" title="Eelam National Liberation Front">ENLF</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_People%27s_Revolutionary_Liberation_Front" title="Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front">EPRLF</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_Revolutionary_Organisation_of_Students" title="Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students">EROS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Organisation_of_Tamil_Eelam" title="People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam">PLOTE</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tamil_Eelam_Liberation_Organization" title="Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization">TELO</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:left;"><span data-sort-value="India"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/23px-Flag_of_India.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="15" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/35px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/45px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="900" data-file-height="600" /></span></span> </span><a href="/wiki/India" title="India">India</a></span></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Indian_Peace_Keeping_Force" title="Indian Peace Keeping Force">Indian Peace Keeping Force</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;text-align:left;"><span class="flagicon"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/Sri_Lanka" title="Sri Lanka"><img alt="Sri Lanka" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png" decoding="async" width="23" height="12" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="600" /></a></span></span> Paramilitary groups</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_People%27s_Democratic_Party" title="Eelam People's Democratic Party">EPDP</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tamil_Makkal_Viduthalai_Pulikal" title="Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal">TMVP</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Phases</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_I" title="Eelam War I">Eelam War I</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indian_intervention_in_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war">Indian intervention</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_II" title="Eelam War II">Eelam War II</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_III" title="Eelam War III">III</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Eelam_War_IV" title="Eelam War IV">IV</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Eastern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Eastern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Eastern</a> / <a href="/wiki/Northern_Theatre_of_Eelam_War_IV" title="Northern Theatre of Eelam War IV">Northern theatres</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Major <a href="/wiki/List_of_military_operations_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="List of military operations of the Sri Lankan civil war">battles</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Kokkilai_offensive" title="Kokkilai offensive">Kokkilai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vadamarachchi_Operation" title="Vadamarachchi Operation">Vadamarachchi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Poomalai" title="Operation Poomalai">Poomalai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Pawan" title="Operation Pawan">Pawan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jaffna_University_Helidrop" title="Jaffna University Helidrop">Jaffna University Helidrop</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Balavegaya" title="Operation Balavegaya">Balavegaya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/First_Battle_of_Elephant_Pass" title="First Battle of Elephant Pass">1st Elephant Pass</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Pooneryn" title="Battle of Pooneryn">Pooneryn</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Riviresa" title="Operation Riviresa">Riviresa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mullaitivu_(1996)" title="Battle of Mullaitivu (1996)">1st Mullaitivu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Weli_Oya_(1995)" title="Battle of Weli Oya (1995)">Weli Oya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Sath_Jaya" title="Operation Sath Jaya">Sath Jaya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1997_Vavunathivu_Offensive" class="mw-redirect" title="1997 Vavunathivu Offensive">Vavunathivu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Operation_Jayasikurui" title="Operation Jayasikurui">Jayasikurui</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thandikulam%E2%80%93Omanthai_offensive" title="Thandikulam–Omanthai offensive">Thandikulam–Omanthai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1998_Battle_of_Kilinochchi" class="mw-redirect" title="1998 Battle of Kilinochchi">1st Kilinochchi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oddusuddan_offensive_(1999)" title="Oddusuddan offensive (1999)">Oddusuddan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_for_the_A-9_highway" title="Battle for the A-9 highway">A-9 highway</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Elephant_Pass" title="Second Battle of Elephant Pass">2nd Elephant Pass</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bandaranaike_Airport_attack" title="Bandaranaike Airport attack">Bandaranaike Airport attack</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Point_Pedro_(2006)" title="Battle of Point Pedro (2006)">Point Pedro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Jaffna_(2006)" title="Battle of Jaffna (2006)">Jaffna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Thoppigala" title="Battle of Thoppigala">Thoppigala</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Vidattaltivu" title="Battle of Vidattaltivu">Vidattaltivu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2008%E2%80%932009_Battle_of_Kilinochchi" class="mw-redirect" title="2008–2009 Battle of Kilinochchi">2nd Kilinochchi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Mullaitivu_(2009)" title="Battle of Mullaitivu (2009)">2nd Mullaitivu</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Battle_of_Puthukkudiyirippu" title="Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu">Puthukkudiyirippu</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Major events</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Air_Lanka_Flight_512" title="Air Lanka Flight 512">Air Lanka Flight 512</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indo-Sri_Lanka_Accord" title="Indo-Sri Lanka Accord">Indo-Sri Lanka Accord</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Expulsion_of_Muslims_from_the_Northern_province_by_LTTE" class="mw-redirect" title="Expulsion of Muslims from the Northern province by LTTE">Expulsions from Northern province</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Assassination_of_Lalith_Athulathmudali" title="Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali">Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Assassination_of_Rajiv_Gandhi" title="Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi">Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Assassination_of_Ranasinghe_Premadasa" title="Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa">Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1998_Temple_of_the_Tooth_attack" title="1998 Temple of the Tooth attack">Temple of the Tooth attack</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lionair_Flight_602" title="Lionair Flight 602">Lionair Flight 602</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Bandaranaike_Airport_attack" title="Bandaranaike Airport attack">Bandaranaike Airport attack</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Expulsion_of_non-resident_Tamils_from_Colombo" title="Expulsion of non-resident Tamils from Colombo">Expulsions from Colombo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2009_suicide_air_raid_on_Colombo" title="2009 suicide air raid on Colombo">2009 suicide air raid on Colombo</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Leaders</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Sri Lanka</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Military</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;padding-left:0.5em;padding-right:0.5em;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Commander_of_the_Army_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)">Army</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Tissa_Weeratunga" title="Tissa Weeratunga">Tissa Weeratunga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nalin_Seneviratne" title="Nalin Seneviratne">Nalin Seneviratne</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hamilton_Wanasinghe" title="Hamilton Wanasinghe">Hamilton Wanasinghe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cecil_Waidyaratne" title="Cecil Waidyaratne">Cecil Waidyaratne</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/G._H._De_Silva" class="mw-redirect" title="G. H. De Silva">G. H. De Silva</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rohan_Daluwatte" title="Rohan Daluwatte">Rohan Daluwatte</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Srilal_Weerasooriya" title="Srilal Weerasooriya">Srilal Weerasooriya</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/L._P._Balagalle" class="mw-redirect" title="L. P. Balagalle">L. P. Balagalle</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shantha_Kottegoda" title="Shantha Kottegoda">Shantha Kottegoda</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sarath_Fonseka" title="Sarath Fonseka">Sarath Fonseka</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;padding-left:0.5em;padding-right:0.5em;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Commander_of_the_Navy_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)">Navy</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Asoka_de_Silva_(Admiral)" class="mw-redirect" title="Asoka de Silva (Admiral)">Asoka de Silva</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/H._A._Silva" title="H. A. Silva">H. A. Silva</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Clancy_Fernando" title="Clancy Fernando">Clancy Fernando</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/D._A._M._R._Samarasekara" title="D. A. M. R. Samarasekara">D. A. M. R. Samarasekara</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/H._C._A._C._Thisera" title="H. C. A. C. Thisera">H. C. A. C. Thisera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Daya_Sandagiri" title="Daya Sandagiri">Daya Sandagiri</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wasantha_Karannagoda" title="Wasantha Karannagoda">Wasantha Karannagoda</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;padding-left:0.5em;padding-right:0.5em;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/Commander_of_the_Air_Force_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Commander of the Air Force (Sri Lanka)">Air Force</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Dick_Perera" title="Dick Perera">Dick Perera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Andibuduge_Fernando" class="mw-redirect" title="Andibuduge Fernando">Andibuduge Fernando</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Makalandage_Gunawardena" class="mw-redirect" title="Makalandage Gunawardena">Makalandage Gunawardena</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Oliver_Ranasinghe" title="Oliver Ranasinghe">Oliver Ranasinghe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jayalath_Weerakkody" title="Jayalath Weerakkody">Jayalath Weerakkody</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Donald_Perera" title="Donald Perera">Donald Perera</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Roshan_Goonetileke" title="Roshan Goonetileke">Roshan Goonetileke</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Civilian</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/J._R._Jayewardene" title="J. R. Jayewardene">J. R. Jayewardene</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ranasinghe_Premadasa" title="Ranasinghe Premadasa">Ranasinghe Premadasa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dingiri_Banda_Wijetunga" title="Dingiri Banda Wijetunga">Dingiri Banda Wijetunga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Chandrika_Kumaratunga" title="Chandrika Kumaratunga">Chandrika Kumaratunga</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mahinda_Rajapaksa" title="Mahinda Rajapaksa">Mahinda Rajapaksa</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">LTTE</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;"><a href="/wiki/List_of_commanders_of_the_LTTE" title="List of commanders of the LTTE">Militant</a></th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Velupillai_Prabhakaran" title="Velupillai Prabhakaran">Velupillai Prabhakaran</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pottu_Amman_(Tamil_militant)" title="Pottu Amman (Tamil militant)">Pottu Amman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Thillaiyampalam_Sivanesan" class="mw-redirect" title="Thillaiyampalam Sivanesan">Soosai</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vinayagamoorthy_Muralitharan" class="mw-redirect" title="Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan">Karuna Amman</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Political</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Selvarasa_Pathmanathan" title="Selvarasa Pathmanathan">Selvarasa Pathmanathan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Anton_Balasingham" title="Anton Balasingham">Anton Balasingham</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/S._P._Thamilselvan" title="S. P. Thamilselvan">S. P. Thamilselvan</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">India</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Military</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Harkirat_Singh_(general)" title="Harkirat Singh (general)">Harkirat Singh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Ashok_K._Mehta" title="Ashok K. Mehta">Ashok K. Mehta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kulwant_Singh_(general)" title="Kulwant Singh (general)">Kulwant Singh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Depinder_Singh" title="Depinder Singh">Depinder Singh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dalvir_Singh" title="Dalvir Singh">Dalvir Singh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Krishnaswamy_Sundarji" title="Krishnaswamy Sundarji">Krishnaswamy Sundarji</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%;font-weight:normal;">Civilian</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/R._Venkataraman" class="mw-redirect" title="R. Venkataraman">R. Venkataraman</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rajiv_Gandhi" title="Rajiv Gandhi">Rajiv Gandhi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/V._P._Singh" title="V. P. Singh">V. P. Singh</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jyotindra_Nath_Dixit" title="Jyotindra Nath Dixit">Jyotindra Nath Dixit</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/J._Jayalalithaa" title="J. Jayalalithaa">J. Jayalalithaa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/M._Karunanidhi" title="M. Karunanidhi">M. Karunanidhi</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vaiko" title="Vaiko">Vaiko</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Aftermath</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Tamil_genocide" title="Tamil genocide">Genocide</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_films_about_the_Tamil_genocide" title="List of films about the Tamil genocide">Films</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2015_Northern_Province_Council_resolution_on_genocide_of_Tamils" title="2015 Northern Province Council resolution on genocide of Tamils">NPC resolution</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lessons_Learnt_and_Reconciliation_Commission" title="Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission">LLRC</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Reactions_to_the_end_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Reactions to the end of the Sri Lankan civil war">Reactions</a> (<a href="/wiki/Protests_against_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Protests against the Sri Lankan civil war">Protests</a>)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Remembrance_Day_(Sri_Lanka)" title="Remembrance Day (Sri Lanka)">Remembrance Day</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Report_of_the_Secretary-General%27s_Panel_of_Experts_on_Accountability_in_Sri_Lanka" title="Report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka">UN Panel on Accountability</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/War_crimes_during_the_final_stages_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="War crimes during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war">War crimes</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Allegations_of_chemical_weapons_use_in_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" class="mw-redirect" title="Allegations of chemical weapons use in the Sri Lankan civil war">Chemical weapons</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Related topics</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="Casualties of the Sri Lankan civil war">Casualties</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_assassinations_of_the_Sri_Lankan_civil_war" title="List of assassinations of the Sri Lankan civil war">Assassinations</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_massacres_in_Sri_Lanka" title="List of massacres in Sri Lanka">Massacres</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Militant_use_of_children_in_Sri_Lanka" class="mw-redirect" title="Militant use of children in Sri Lanka">Child soldiers</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Enforced_disappearances_in_Sri_Lanka" title="Enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka">Disappearances</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Office_on_Missing_Persons" title="Office on Missing Persons">Office on Missing Persons</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Human_rights_in_Sri_Lanka" title="Human rights in Sri Lanka">Human 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