OUR OPTIONS ON THE A9

SO far the SLA has kept its operations out of the lower end of the A9 highway and the Omanthai entry/exit point is where civillians from the LTTE controlled areas cross over into govt controlled areas. There are SLDF and LTTE controlled check points within a short distance of each other and civillians undergo considerable difficulty at each.

If the objective of keeping the A9 out of battle plans is to facilitate free civillian movement, in particular an escape route for the civillians, allowing an LTTE check point defeats that purpose and only serves the enemy, who manipulates civillians and uses the road for war logistical purposes. The SLA should re-think this situation and liquidate any LTTE presence expeditiously.

Taking out any LTTE presence would make it a more attractive escape route for the civillians and force the LTTE heirarchy to continue to commit manpower to try and control civillian movement. Each of the escaping civillians make it one less human shield for the terrorist group, now facing annihilation by the determined Sri Lankan forces.

As this point provides a low-cost pressure tactic for the SLDF, military strategists should consider assaults on any LTTE presence on the A9 at least from now on.

In yet another interesting reporting, our one and only Iqbal Athas of the Sunday Times (08092008) says "...This week troops broke through a bund that the guerrillas had constructed at two different points. The locations cannot be disclosed for obvious reasons.."

Since it is very likely that the LTTE already knows of the SLDF getting thru its defences, the presumed enemy in this case would be the general public and the readership. The Sunday Times seriously needs to consider implementing a sanity check on what he writes. To assume intellecual inferiority of an audience is a fatal mistake for anyone to make and Athas has already made too many.