Aerial Attacks by the SLAF on LTTE targets, 2009

March 31: The SLAF fighter jets destroyed a LTTE 130-mm artillery gun hidden in the northeast of Puthukkudiyiruppu. According to military sources, the destroyed 130-mm artillery gun was among the few heavy artillery guns available with the LTTE located inside the "No Fire Zone" to direct fire on the advancing troops and also towards the fleeing civilians.

February 20: The Sri Lanka Air Force's Kfir and Mig fighter jets neutralized LTTE camps, about four kilometres northwest of Puthukkudiyiruppu junction.

February 16: MI-24 helicopters neutralised LTTE camps in the south of Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaitivu District.

February 15: Fighter jets of the Sri Lanka Air Force bombed three LTTE suicide boats anchored near ‘Fara 3’ ship in the seas north of Mullaitivu. ‘Fara 3’ had been hijacked by the militants some time back. According to reports, two of the boats were sunk and the remaining boat caught fire in the aerial bombing.

February 14: Kfir Jets of the Sri Lanka Air Force neutralised a Sea suicide boat location in the north of Mullaitivu lagoon.

February 10: MI 24 fighter helicopters of the SLAF neutralised an LTTE camp about one kilometre south of the Puthukkudiyiruppu-Paranthan road.

February 9: The SLAF fighter jets neutralised a camouflaged Sea Tiger building in a jungle area of Wellamulla Waikkal. The entire building complex, including Sea Tiger boats and tractors, were completely destroyed, the Media Centre for National Security said. The SLAF’s Kfir and MIG-27 fighter jets also shelled a Sea Tiger facility located north of Mullaitivu lagoon.

February 7: The SLAF said its fighter jets destroyed a hideout of the Sea Tigers chief Soosai located one kilometre northeast of Puthukuduiruppu junction in the Mullaitivu District and claimed that he could either have been killed or wounded in the attack. The SLAF spokesperson Janaka Nanayakkara said 11 LTTE militants, including a very senior militant, were killed in the attack. He said the initial strike was to destroy an underground bunker and a "luxury house" of Soosai. It was followed with another on observation that the LTTE militant were making a desperate attempt to dig out the location with three earth moving vehicles.

February 5: SLAF fighter jets neutralised a senior LTTE leaders’ gathering point and a communication centre in the north and northeast of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

February 3-4: The SLAF conducted 13 air raids on LTTE camps in the Mullaitivu District between 8.00 pm on February 3 and 5.45 pm on February 4. Fighter jets and helicopters gun ships bombed several camps in the Puthukkudiyiruppu west and south on February 4. Earlier on February 3, MIG fighter jets shelled a camp at Puthukkudiyiruppu. These aerial attacks were reportedly conducted in support of the advancing 59th Division and Task Force-IV troops.

February 1: MIG-27 and Kfir jets of the SLAF jointly conducted an air raid on a LTTE radar unit and a command centre, about 1.5 kilometers north of Mullaitivu lagoon mouth.

The SLAF fighter jets targeted a LTTE camp north of Mullaitivu in the support of the 59^th Division. A second air strike targeted a LTTE camp located about three kilometres north of the Udayarkattikkulam Tank.

January 28: SLAF Kfir jets neutralised a LTTE camp, about one kilometre east of the Visuamadukulam tank.

January 23: The SLAF conducted three air attacks on LTTE camps in the Mullaitivu District. The Fighter jets first shelled the LTTE earth bund south of Mullaitivu town at around 6.30 am (SLST). About three hours after the first aerial attack, the MI-24 helicopter gun ships neutralised LTTE camp east of Visuamadukulam. Again, MI-24s bombed another LTTE camps in the northeast of Thalwatukulam. These aerial attacks were conducted in support of the troops of the 57th and 59th Divisions and the Task Force-II.

January 22: MI-24 gunship helicopters conducted three aerial attacks on LTTE camps. While the first two attacks were conducted at around 10.45 am (SLST) and 2.30 pm on a LTTE bunker line, the third raid targeted camps about 1.5 kilometers east of Visuamadukulam tank bunk.

January 21: MI-24 helicopter gunships neutralised a LTTE transit camp, about one kilometre southeast of Visuamadu in the Mullaitivu District, in support of advancing troops of the Task Force–III. Similarly, the SLAF fighter jets shelled a LTTE camp in the Piramanthalkulam area of Kilinochchi east.

January 19: The SLAF conducted triple aerial attacks on LTTE militants between 9.00-11.30am. The first attack was carried out in the south of Mullaitivu at about 9.00am giving cover to 59th Division troops confronting militants in their opposite direction. Two more simultaneous aerial attacks were launched on a LTTE camp in the south of Mullaitivu at about 11.30am and on another group of militants engaged in earth bund constructions, about two kilometres northwest of Piramanthalkulam in the same District.

January 18: MI-24 helicopters of the SLAF neutralised two LTTE camps in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts in support of advancing ground troops. The first target about four kilometres south of Mullaitivu was neutralised at around 11.00am, while a LTTE mortar launching pad, about eight kilometres northeast of the Iranamadu tank, was neutralised at around 2.00pm.

January 17: Fighter jets of the SLAF neutralised a LTTE camp south of Chundikulam.

January 16: The existing Forward Defence Line of the LTTE in the south of Mullaitivu was shelled by fighter jets of the SLAF.

The SLAF neutralised a LTTE camp, about one kilometre to the east of Dharmapuram in the Mullaitivu District.

January 15: Fighter jets of the SLAF conducted three air strikes in support of the 59th Division troops marching towards the south of Mullaitivu. The first attack was conducted at around 9.30 am followed by two more at around 11.00am and 1.30pm. Separately, fighter jets launched an attack targeting LTTE militants constructing an earth bund in the Chundikulam area and a floating barge in the sea off Chundikulam.

January 13: SLAF fighter jets and MI-24 helicopters carried out 10 successive air raids targeting key LTTE camps throughout the day, the Defence Ministry said. According to the SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara, the day-long air raids began at about 9:10am and concluded at 6:00pm. The SLAF fighter jets and MI-24 helicopters launched four air raids targeting the LTTE defence lines in Mullaitivu between 9:20 am and 11:30am in support of the ground troops of 59^th Division advancing towards Mullaitivu. Fighter jets shelled LTTE camps in Mullaitivu throughout the day. In addition, fighter jets also bombed LTTE vehicles carrying two heavy artillery guns in the Chundikulam area at about 4:00pm. The two artillery guns were completely destroyed.

January 12: The SLAF fighter jets neutralised a LTTE camp frequently visited by its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran in the Puthukkudiyiruppu jungle, said the SLAF spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara.

MI-24 gun-ships neutralised two LTTE camps in the Iranamadu Tank area of Kilinochchi District. "The sorties were in support of 57 Division and TF-3 to liberate the area," the spokesman stated. He also said fighter jets neutralised another LTTE camp north of the Mullaitivu lagoon mouth.

January 11: SLAF fighter jets destroyed a large LTTE boat in the Chundikulam lagoon. About two hours after the attack on the boat, fighter jets bombed the militants retreating from Chundikulam area. The details are awaited.

January 7: Fighter jets of the SLAF neutralised a group of LTTE militants, running away from Palali and Elephant Pass battlefields, in the Chundikulam lagoon area.

January 4: MI-24 helicopter gunships foiled an LTTE attempt to create another earth bund using their heavy earth moving equipment on January 4 by launching artillery attack towards the area.

January 4: Fighter jets and MI-24 fighter helicopters of the SLAF conducted five air attacks on LTTE camps in support of advancing ground troops. The first three attacks were conducted by the MI-24 fighter helicopters - one was at around 6.30am (SLST) on a LTTE camp, six kilometres northeast of Oddusudan, next was at around 1.20 pm on another LTTE camp about two kilometres north of Elephant Pass and the third attack was at around 2.45pm on a LTTE camp about four kilometres northeast of Kilinochchi town. Two more attacks were conducted by fighter jets at around 5.00pm on two LTTE camps in Elephant Pass and east of Paranthan simultaneously.

MI-24 helicopter gunships foiled the LTTE attempt to create another earth bund using their heavy earth moving equipment by launching artillery attack towards the area.

January 1: Kfir jets of the SLAF neutralised two LTTE camps in the west of Kilinochchi and the east of Paranthan at around 8.15am (SLST). The jets shelled another LTTE camp, about 2.5 kilometres east of Kilinochchi, a couple of hours later. Separately, MI-24 gun ships bombed one more LTTE camp, about 4.5 kilometres northwest of Mulliyavalai in the Mullaitivu District.