Striped Icarus’ airstrip
An accelerated project the LTTE has launched to build a clandestine airstrip capable of taking heavy aircraft in Mullaitivu has raised many an eyebrow in defence circles. LTTE cadres, as we reported yesterday, are said to be carrying out construction work like beavers with the help of heavy machinery day and night, paying scant regard to their vulnerability to airstrikes. Why are the Tigers in a mighty hurry to build such an airstrip at this juncture?
There are several possibilities. The LTTE is trapped in the Wanni with its sea and land supply routes being severed effectively. The on-going military onslaughts to clear the A-32 land route on the North-western seaboard and to block the LTTE’s access to the sea on the North-eastern littoral are a frightening proposition for Prabhakaran, who is also facing a military thrust targeting the soft underbelly of his Kilinochchi bastion. The army is poised to launch an offensive on the Muhamalai front anytime. Therefore, it may be argued that the LTTE may be trying to have an aerial escape route open for its leaders, should push come to shove.
It may also be that the LTTE is expecting an emergency consignment of military material to be delivered by a huge cargo carrier for the final battle in Kilinochchi. The possibility of a rescue operation with help from an external source cannot also be ruled out. It could also be that the LTTE has in its possession larger planes than the ones it has unveiled and it is planning to take them out as the last resort for some unknown mission. The runway project could even be a ploy to distract the SLAF from other targets or to lure it into a trap.
Read more,
http://www.island.lk/2008/08/16/editorial.html
There are several possibilities. The LTTE is trapped in the Wanni with its sea and land supply routes being severed effectively. The on-going military onslaughts to clear the A-32 land route on the North-western seaboard and to block the LTTE’s access to the sea on the North-eastern littoral are a frightening proposition for Prabhakaran, who is also facing a military thrust targeting the soft underbelly of his Kilinochchi bastion. The army is poised to launch an offensive on the Muhamalai front anytime. Therefore, it may be argued that the LTTE may be trying to have an aerial escape route open for its leaders, should push come to shove.
It may also be that the LTTE is expecting an emergency consignment of military material to be delivered by a huge cargo carrier for the final battle in Kilinochchi. The possibility of a rescue operation with help from an external source cannot also be ruled out. It could also be that the LTTE has in its possession larger planes than the ones it has unveiled and it is planning to take them out as the last resort for some unknown mission. The runway project could even be a ploy to distract the SLAF from other targets or to lure it into a trap.
Read more,
http://www.island.lk/2008/08/16/editorial.html
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