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| Eelam War II | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSri Lankan Civil War | |||||||
 Improvised armoredbulldozer of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam used inFirst Battle of Elephant Pass. Today, it is one of the Sri Lankan Civil War memorials. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Sri Lanka |  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Chandrika Kumaratunga(1994–1995) Lt GenDenzil Kobbekaduwa(1989–92) Maj GenVijaya Wimalaratne(1989–92) Rea AdmH. R. Amaraweera(1989–92)Rea AdmMohan Jayamaha(1989–92) | Velupillai Prabhakaran | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Unknown | |||||||
Eelam War II refers to the second phase of the armed conflict between theSri Lankan military and theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, lasting from June 1990 to 1995. The war erupted after the breakdown of peace talks between the LTTE and the government of PresidentRanasinghe Premadasa, during which mutual distrust and provocations escalated tensions.
The Eelam War II, saw the LTTE shifting toconventional warfare tactics with the deployment of large groups of soldiers to first attack isolatedSri Lanka Army detachments of platoon or company strength in theNorthern Province such asKokavil in June and July 1990 where it overran the detachment;Mullaitivu September 1990 which was relieved byOperation Sea Breeze the first amphibious operation launched by the Sri Lankan military; while it kept the army garrison at theJaffna Fort besieged until it was broken byOperation Thrividha Balaya in September 1990. A major change in LTTE tactics came in theFirst Battle of Elephant Pass in which the LTTE besieged the army garrison of a full battalion strength at the strategicElephant Pass from 10 July to 9 August 1991 until a relief force that had been led from the sea underOperation Balavegaya broke the siege. Casualties were high and the LTTE had deployed a large force of 5,000 cadres to lay siege to the army base and stop the relief force. LTTE continued to engage the army in small skirmishes and ambushes. The army also launched several limited operations with the aim of drawing out and killing LTTE carders. In August 1992, the military lost several of its senior leaders in alandmine explosion Araly point which killed Major GeneralDenzil Kobbekaduwa and BrigadierVijaya Wimalaratne, both charismatic field commanders, followed by the assassination of the head of the navy Vice AdmiralClancy Fernando in Colombo by a suicide bomber. In 1993, Sri Lankan PresidentRanasinghe Premadasa wasassassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber onMay Day and LTTE was able to launch two major attacks on army detachments in theBattle of Janakapura and theBattle of Pooneryn, which resulted in major loss of life and equipment for the army.[1][2]
In June 1990, the LTTE eastern cadres, led by then-LTTE Eastern commanderKaruna Amman, killed 774 police officers stationed in the Eastern province, after they had surrendered to the LTTE.
On 15 October 1992, theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched an attack on the Muslim village of Palliyagodella inSri Lanka'sPolonnaruwa District.[3][4][5][6] Approximately 200–300 LTTE cadres, including female fighters and child soldiers, assaulted the village in the early hours, killing between 109 and 285 civilians. The massacre was reportedly in retaliation for the villagers' cooperation with government forces, including their participation in theHome Guard and resistance to LTTE extortion. Despite prior requests for protection, the villagers were inadequately armed with shotguns provided by the military, which proved ineffective against the LTTE's assault.[7] The attackers used grenades, machetes, and firearms, targeting mosques and homes, resulting in the deaths of men, women, and children, including pregnant women.[3] The massacre ceased only with the arrival of army helicopters.[3][4][5][6] This atrocity stood as one of the most severe attacks on Muslim civilians duringSri Lanka's civil conflict.
The 1990 Batticaloa massacre, also known as the Sathurukondan massacre, was amassacre of at least 184 Tamil refugees from three villages in theBatticaloa District by theSri Lankan Army on September 9, 1990.[8][9][10][11][12] According to theSpecial Presidential Commission of inquiry appointed by thePeople's Alliance government, 5 infants, 42 children under the age of ten, 85 women and 28 old persons were among the 184 villagers who were murdered. Three captains of the Sri Lankan Army were identified as the culprits.[10][13]
On June 12, 1991, following a LTTE landmine attack on theSri Lankan Army, 152 Tamil civilians were massacred by members of the Sri Lankan Army in the villageKokkadichcholai near the eastern province town ofBatticaloa.[14][15] Locals also reported that six Tamil women were raped, including two sisters.[16][17][18]
