Sri Lanka’s victory over rebels may inform counter-insurgency worldwide

By Munza Mushtaq, in Colombo, Sri Lanka

The destruction of a ruthless armed seperatist organisation in a small south Asian nation may provide lessons to counter-insurgency units fighting terrorists and rebel groups around the world. Sri Lanka citizens rejoiced this week at the end of its quarter century long war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - dubbed as the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit.

In a final brutal battle in the northeast of the island, the group was wiped out from its very root with the killing of the organisation’s leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and his son and heir-apparent Charles Anthony on Monday. This also marks the conclusion of an era of massive destruction since 1983 which killed more than 100,000, injured scores more and destroyed vast amounts of valuable property across the country.

Almost two years back, it appeared as if defeating the LTTE, which was instrumental in introducing suicide bombing to the world and helped train members of international terror organisations including Al Qaeda was a dream. But the sometimes ruthless leadership of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has successfully steered his military to victory over the rebels.

Rajapaksa’s approach was simple, fight with terrorists like terrorists – giving them no quarter.

His government’s defence spokesman – who tellingly in an information age has the rank of minister – Keheliya Rambukwella has gone on record saying: “We were a conventional army fighting with a guerrilla, and in some form our army was converted to a guerrilla to meet fight the LTTE.”

It fought the rebels with every means at its disposal, operating multiple fronts rather that in the past when the Sri Lankan troops carried out operations focusing on one location putting all resources in a single area.  And the government used combined sea, air and ground forces against the LTTE, which was catastrophic to the group, in that it lost large numbers of their cadre base, especially through air force air strikes.
Rajapaksa stubbornness was also an aid to military success as he refused to bow to foreign pressure for ceasefires and backed his military to the hilt.

And regional assistance from countries less worried about human rights than the west was valuable, with the backing of some powerful nations such as China who provided Sri Lanka with modern and high tech arms and ammunition, the security forces were able to slowly yet steadily wipe out the LTTE. Despite having its own massive arms depots increasingly suffered from a manpower shortage.

The war’s finale has been anything but pleasant with continuous international concern pouring in over the destruction caused to civilians caught in the cross-fire between government troops and the rebels. The Sri Lankan government has openly cold shouldered the western world’s concern, focusing on the armed struggle. If its victory leads to peace and an eradication of terrorism, then these tough tactics could be forgiven by many – and other governments worldwide facing their own terror problems may well take note.

ENDS