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List of military operations of the Sri Lankan civil war

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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

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Eelam War I (1983–1987)

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Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result
Vadamarachchi Operation June 1987 Vadamarachchi Partial Sri Lankan Army victory
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result
JVP Uprising 1987–1990 Sri Lankan Government victory

Eelam War II (1990–1995)

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Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result
Operation Thrividha Balaya 13 September 1990 Jaffna
Operation Balavegaya I, II 14 July – 9 August 1991 Jaffna
Operation Edibala (Mannar Vavuniya linking up operation)

Eelam War III (1995–2002)

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Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result
Operation Riviresa
Operation Jayasikurui
Operation Rivibala
Operation Ranagosa
Operation Rivikirana
Operation Kinihira I, II, III/IV, V/VI, VII, VIII, IX

Eelam War IV (2006–2009)

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Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result
Operations in Thoppigala area
Operation Name Date Location Purpose/Result
2008 SLA Northern offensive

Major battles

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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.

Battle Date Location Deaths Result
SLAF LTTE IPKF Civilians
Eelam War I
(23 July 1983 – 29 July 1987)
Kokkilai Offensive 13 February 1985 SLA camp, Kokkilai, Mullaitivu District 4 14 SLA victory
Vadamarachchi Operation
(a.k.a. Operation Liberation)
26 May – 4 June 1987 Vadamarachchi, Jaffna District 33 631 Partial SLA victory,
Operation Poomalai
Operation Poomalai 4 June 1987 Jaffna, Jaffna District Indian intervention
Battle of Nelliady 5 July 1987 Nelliady, Jaffna District 19 3 Both SLA & LTTE claimed victory
Ceasefire
(29 July – 11 October 1987)
Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War
(11 October 1987 – 24 March 1990)
Operation Pawan 11–25 October 1987 Jaffna, Jaffna District Unknown 214 LTTE victory
Operation Trishul April 1988 Northern Province
Operation Viraat April 1988 Northern Province LTTE victory
Operation Checkmate June 1988 Vadamarachi, Jaffna District IPKF victory
Jaffna University Helidrop 12 October 1988 University of Jaffna, Jaffna, Jaffna District 36 LTTE victory and widrawal of IPKF from Sri Lanka after defeated
Eelam War II
(10 June 1990 – 9 January 1995)
Battle of Kokavil 27 June – 11 July 1990 SLA camp, Kokavil, Kilinochchi District 69 LTTE victory
Operation Sea Breeze September 1990 SLA camp, Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu District SLA victory
Operation Thrividha Balaya 13 September 1990 Jaffna, Jaffna District SLA victory
Operation Balavegaya
(a.k.a. Operation Power Force)
14 July – 9 August 1991 Jaffna, Jaffna District 202–400 621(according to LTTE) SLA victory
Operation Sathbala SLA victory
Operation Balavegaya II SLA victory
First Battle of Elephant Pass 10 July – 9 August 1991 SLA camp, Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District 202–400 573–1,000 SLA victory
Battle of Janakapura 25 July 1993 Janakapura, Weli Oya, Mullaitivu District 44 Unknown LTTE victory
Battle of Pooneryn 11–14 November 1993 Pooneryn, Kilinochchi District 441 469 LTTE victory
Ceasefire
(9 January – 19 April 1995)
Eelam War III
(19 April 1995 – 22 February 2002)
Battle of Mandaitivu 28 June 1995 Mandaitivu, Jaffna District ~120 8–75 LTTE victory
Battle of Weli Oya 28 July 1995 Weli Oya, Mullaitivu District 2 330 SLA victory
Operation Riviresa /
Battle of Jaffna
17 October – 5 December 1995 Jaffna, Jaffna District 500 2,000 SLA victory
Battle of Mullaitivu (1996)
(a.k.a. Operation Unceasing Waves)
18–25 July 1996 Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu District 1,242 332 LTTE victory
Operation Sath Jaya 26 July – 3 October 1996 Elephant Pass and Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District ~500 121 SLA victory
Battle of Pulukunawa 11 December 1996 Police STF camp, Pulukunawa, Ampara District 48 35 LTTE victory
Battle of Vavunathivu 7 March 1997 SLA camp, Vavunathivu, Batticaloa District 75 103 LTTE victory
Operation Jayasikurui 13 May 1997 – 9 February 1999 Sri Lanka 1,350 3,614 LTTE victory
Thandikulam–Omanthai offensive 10–25 June 1997 Thandikulam & Omanthai, Vavuniya District 700 165 LTTE victory
Battle of Kilinochchi (1998)
(a.k.a. Operation Unceasing Waves II)
27–29 September 1998 Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District 443 520 LTTE victory
Operation Rana Gosa 4 March – 12 May 1999 Northern Province SLA victory
Oddusuddan Offensive October – 2 November 1999 Oddusuddan, Mullaitivu District 800 LTTE victory
Battle for the A-9 highway 27 March – 20 April 2000 A-9 Highway, Kilinochchi District 203 317 50 LTTE victory
Second Battle of Elephant Pass
(a.k.a. Operation Unceasing Waves III)
22–23 April 2000 SLA camp, Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District 204 150 LTTE victory
Bandaranaike Airport attack 24 July 2001 Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, Gampaha District 7 14 Successful LTTE raid
Ceasefire
(22 February 2002 – 26 July 2006)
Battle of Point Pedro (2006) 12 May 2006 Bay of Bengal near Point Pedro, Jaffna District 17 54 SLN victory
Eelam War IV
(26 July 2006 – 18 May 2009)
Battle of Jaffna 11 August – 29 October 2006 Jaffna Peninsula, Jaffna District 300–500 372(LTTE confirmed) Stalemate
Battle of Sampur 28 August – 4 September 2006 Sampur, Trincomalee District 33 200 SLA victory
Attack on Galle Harbour 18 October 2006 Galle, Galle District 1 9 1 SLN victory
Battle of Thoppigala 25 April – 11 July 2007 Kudumbimalai, Batticaloa District 48 85 killed and 3 suicides SLA victory
Battle of Point Pedro (2007) 19 June 2007 Bay of Bengal near Point Pedro, Jaffna District 40 SLN victory
Raid on Anuradhapura Air Force Base 22 October 2007 SLAF Base Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura District 14 20 Successful LTTE raid
Battle of Delft 25 December 2007 Palk Strait near Neduntheevu (Delft) island, Jaffna District 4–40 Disputed
Battle of Vidattaltivu 16 July 2008 Vidattaltivu, Mannar District 1 51 SLA victory
2008–2009 Battle of Kilinochchi 23 November 2008 – 2 January 2009 Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi District SLA victory
Battle of Mullaitivu (2009) 2–25 January 2009 Mullaitivu, Mullaitivu District SLA victory
Third Battle of Elephant Pass 9 January 2009 Elephant Pass, Kilinochchi District SLA victory
Battle of Chalai 2–6 February 2009 Chalai, Mullaitivu District 12 SLA victory
Battle of Aanandapuram 29 March – 5 April 2009 Ananthapuram, Mullaitivu District 623 SLA victory
Battle of Puthukkudiyirippu 2–5 April 2009 Puthukkudiyirippu, Mullaitivu District 420 SLA victory
Truce
(13–15 April 2009)
Final Battle of the Sri Lankan Civil War 7–19 May 2009 Puthukkudiyirippu, Mullaitivu District SLA victory
Government of Sri Lanka declares victory and end of the war
(19 May 2009)