List of military operations of the Sri Lankan civil war

After defeating the insurgency led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in 1971, the Sri Lanka Armed Forces were confronted with a new conflict, this time with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other Tamil militant groups. The war escalated to the point where India was asked to intervene as a peacekeeping force. This was later seen as a tactical error, as the IPKF united nationalist elements such as the JVP to politically support the LTTE in their call to evict the IPKF. The war with the LTTE halted following the signing of a ceasefire agreement in 2002 with the help of international mediation. However, renewed violence broke out in December 2005 and following the collapse of peace talks, the army was once again involved in heavy fighting in the north and east of the country, until the LTTE's defeat in 2009.

From 1980 to 2009 the army had undertaken many operations against the LTTE rebels. The major operations conducted by the army eventually lead to the recapture of Jaffna and other rebel strongholds.

Major combat operations of the Sri Lankan Army during the Sri Lankan Civil War Eelam War I (1983–1987) Operation Name Date Location Purpose/ResultVadamarachchi Operation June 1987 Vadamarachchi Partial Sri Lankan Army victory

IPKF intervention Operation Name Date Location Purpose/ResultJVP Uprising 1987–1990 Sri Lankan Government victory

Eelam War II (1990–1995) Operation Name Date Location Purpose/ResultOperation Thrividha Balaya 13 September 1990 Jaffna Sri Lankan Army victoryOperation Balavegaya I, II 14 July – 9 August 1991 Jaffna Sri Lankan Army victoryOperation Edibala (Mannar Vavuniya linking up operation)

Eelam War III (1995–2002) Operation Name Date Location Purpose/ResultOperation Riviresa 17 November - 5 December 1995 Jaffna Sri Lankan Army victoryOperation Unceasing Waves -1 1996 - 1997 Tamil Tiger victoryOperation Jayasikurui 13 May 1997 - 9 February 1999 Tamil Tiger victoryOperation Rivibala Operation Ranagosa 4 March - 12 May 1999 Sri Lankan Army victoryOperation Unceasing Waves -2 1998 - 1999 Tamil Tiger victoryOperation Unceasing Waves -3 1999 - 2000 Tamil Tiger victoryOperation Rivikirana Operation Kinihira I, II, III/IV, V/VI, VII, VIII, IX

Eelam War IV (2006–2009) Eastern Theatre Operation Name Date Location Purpose/ResultOperations in Thoppigala area 25 April - 11 July 2007 Sri Lankan Army victory

Northern Theatre Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result2008 SLA Northern offensive January 2008 - 18 May 2009 Sri Lankan Army victory

Major battles The table below lists all major battles of the Sri Lankan Civil War. The information included in the table has been pieced together from the individual battle articles.

BattleDateLocationDeathsResultSLAFLTTEIPKFCiviliansEelam War I(23 July 1983 – 29 July 1987) Kokkilai Offensive13 February 1985SLA camp, Kokkilai, Mullaitivu District414SLA victory Vadamarachchi Operation(a.k.a. Operation Liberation)26 May – 4 June 1987Vadamarachchi, Jaffna District33UnknownPartial SLA victory, Operation Poomalai Operation Poomalai4 June 1987Jaffna, Jaffna DistrictIndian intervention Battle of Nelliady5 July 1987Nelliady, Jaffna District193Both SLA & LTTE claimed victoryCeasefire(29 July – 11 October 1987)Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War(11 October 1987 – 24 March 1990) Operation Pawan11–25 October 1987Jaffna, Jaffna DistrictUnknown214LTTE victory Operation TrishulApril 1988Northern Province Operation ViraatApril 1988Northern ProvinceLTTE victory Operation CheckmateJune 1988Vadamarachi, Jaffna District IPKF victory Jaffna University Helidrop12 October 1987University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Jaffna District 36 LTTE victory and widrawal of IPKF from Sri Lanka after defeatedEelam War II(10 June 1990 – 9 January 1995) Battle of Kokavil27 June – 11 July 1990SLA camp, Kokavil, Kilinochchi District69LTTE victory Operation Sea BreezeSeptember 1990SLA camp, Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu DistrictSLA victory Operation Thrividha Balaya13 September 1990Jaffna, Jaffna DistrictSLA victory Operation Balavegaya(a.k.a. Operation Power Force)14 July – 9 August 1991Jaffna, Jaffna District202–400573(according to LTTE)SLA victory Operation SathbalaSLA victory Operation Balavegaya IISLA victory First Battle of Elephant Pass10 July – 9 August 1991SLA camp, Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District600Asia Times600SLA victory Battle of Janakapura 25 July 1993 Janakapura, Weli Oya, Mullaitivu District 44 Unknown LTTE victory Battle of Pooneryn11–14 November 1993Pooneryn, Kilinochchi District641460LTTE victoryCeasefire(9 January – 19 April 1995)Eelam War III(19 April 1995 – 22 February 2002) Battle of Mandaitivu 28 June 1995 Mandaitivu, Jaffna District ~1208–75 LTTE victory Battle of Weli Oya 28 July 1995 Weli Oya, Mullaitivu District 2330 SLA victory Operation Riviresa /Battle of Jaffna17 October – 5 December 1995Jaffna, Jaffna District500+Issue Papers, Extended Responses and Country Fact Sheets438SLA victory Battle of Mullaitivu (1996)(a.k.a. Operation Unceasing Waves)18–25 July 1996Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu District1,242332LTTE victory Operation Sath Jaya26 July – 3 October 1996Elephant Pass and Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District~500121SLA victory Battle of Pulukunawa11 December 1996Police STF camp, Pulukunawa, Ampara District4835LTTE victory Battle of Vavunathivu7 March 1997SLA camp, Vavunathivu, Batticaloa District75103LTTE victory Operation Jayasikurui13 May 1997 – 9 February 1999Sri Lanka3,5662,146TamilNet: 13.05.98 A long year on the roadLTTE victory Thandikulam–Omanthai offensive10–25 June 1997Thandikulam & Omanthai, Vavuniya District700165LTTE victory Battle of Kilinochchi (1998)(a.k.a. Operation Unceasing Waves II)27–29 September 1998Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District1900+520LTTE victory Operation Rana Gosa4 March – 12 May 1999Northern ProvinceSLA victory Oddusuddan OffensiveOctober – 2 November 1999Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu District800LTTE victory Battle for the A-9 highway27 March – 20 April 2000A-9 Highway, Kilinochchi District20331750LTTE victory Second Battle of Elephant Pass(a.k.a. Operation Unceasing Waves III)22–23 April 2000SLA camp, Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District1000+150LTTE victory Bandaranaike Airport attack24 July 2001Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Gampaha District714Successful LTTE raidCeasefire(22 February 2002 – 26 July 2006) Battle of Point Pedro (2006)12 May 2006Bay of Bengal near Point Pedro, Jaffna District1754SLN victoryEelam War IV(26 July 2006 – 18 May 2009) Battle of Jaffna11 August – 29 October 2006Jaffna Peninsula, Jaffna District1000+372(LTTE confirmed) Stalemate Battle of Sampur28 August – 4 September 2006Sampur, Trincomalee District33200SLA victory Attack on Galle Harbour18 October 2006Galle, Galle District191Disputed Battle of Thoppigala25 April – 11 July 2007Kudumbimalai, Batticaloa District4885 killed and 3 suicides SLA victory Battle of Point Pedro (2007)19 June 2007Bay of Bengal near Point Pedro, Jaffna DistrictunknownSLN victory Raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base22 October 2007SLAF Base Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura District1420Successful LTTE raid Battle of Delft25 December 2007Palk Strait near Neduntheevu (Delft) island, Jaffna District4(LTTE Claimed)Disputed Battle of Vidattaltivu16 July 2008Vidattaltivu, Mannar District1unknownSLA victory 2008–2009 Battle of Kilinochchi23 November 2008 – 2 January 2009Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi DistrictSLA victory Battle of Mullaitivu (2009)2–25 January 2009Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu DistrictSLA victory Third Battle of Elephant Pass9 January 2009Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi DistrictSLA victory Battle of Chalai2–6 February 2009Chalai, Mullaitivu District12SLA victory Battle of Aanandapuram29 March – 5 April 2009Ananthapuram, Mullaitivu District UnknownSLA victory Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu2–5 April 2009Puthukkudiyirippu, Mullaitivu DistrictUnknownSLA victoryTruce(13–15 April 2009) Final Battle of the Sri Lankan Civil War7–19 May 2009Puthukkudiyirippu, Mullaitivu DistrictSLA victoryGovernment of Sri Lanka declares victory and end of the war(19 May 2009)

References