Tuesday, February 24, 2009

INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION...?

THERE's much speculation in Sri Lanka on the prospects of foreign intervention, ostensibly to provide a life-line to the tamil tiger terrorists. Increasing and already heavy pressure on the SLG not only to conduct military operations according to international standards, while preventing loss of civillian lives. Some of the oft repeated demands are simply laughable not only for their lack of practicality in a war setting, but also for the fact that some of these very nations are guilty of horrendous deeds of their own at some point in history. As often proven in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, even the world's most sophisticated armies are incapable of conducting military operations without causing civillian casualties in heavily populated areas.

However, there is increasing prospects for foreign military involvement in the final stages of the Sri Lankan humanitarian operations. As a result of the attacks by the LTTE against forcibly held tamil civillians when they attempt to cross over into government conrtrolled areas, both India and the US have offered assistance for their evacuation. While it is debatable whether India actually is capable of delivering on such an offer, the US Pacific fleet would be easily capable of making a decisive impact on the evacuation efforts, when backed by its enormous naval and air superiority.

In any case, the closing chapter of the conventional military operations will most likely end within days, while the LTTE attempts to revert to a guerilla mode. A well trained, armed and motivated Sri Lankan defence force awaits the next stage knowing fully well that in that stage, it is just a matter of liquidating the leadership to decimate the cohesiveness and threat level of the LTTE.

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