December 31, 2007:
The army believes it
has a winning strategy, and could crush the LTTE within six months. The armed
forces are using the army, navy and air force in a coordinated fashion to
weaken and destroy the LTTE. The navy blockade has stopped most ammo and
weapons shipments to the rebels. The air force bombs rebel bases as quickly as
they can be found (and intel work is getting better) while the army has
developed new tactics that prevent LTTE infantry attacks from doing much
damage, while using numerical superiority, and lots more ammunition, to push
back the LTTE, and inflict several dozen casualties a day. This kind of
pressure has been very bad for LTTE morale, and the army believes that the LTTE
will collapse within the year, simply because they will have no more fighting
strength.
December 30, 2007: A major source of continued
unrest in the east is the corruption that crippled the relief effort after the
tidal wave hit two years ago. That event killed over 100,000 people along the
east coast, and left a million homeless. Over $3 billion in aid was promised by
foreign donors, but most of it never arrived, and most of what did was stolen
by LTTE or government officials. Only about ten percent of the homeless got aid
in rebuilding. The Tamils along the east coast are not happy about this.
December 28, 2007: The army captured an LTTE cache of 1,350
landmines. This was a big victory, because these mines have become a major
weapon for the rebels, who now spend most of their time on the defensive.
December 27, 2007: The air force bombed
another coastal village being used as a LTTE naval base. The LTTE uses
camouflage and other deceptions to hide the activities of its "navy," but the
government's military intelligence is getting better, and when a new LTTE base
is identified, it is usually bombed shortly thereafter.
December 26, 2007: Off the north coast, the navy intercepted a
major LTTE supply convoy. In the ensuing battle, eleven LTTE boats were sunk, as
well as one navy vessel.
December 24, 2007: After a weekend of fighting, troops captured
two LTTE checkpoints and a base. The fighting caused over a hundred casualties,
most of them LTTE. The relative lack of artillery or mortar fire from the LTTE
was a major disadvantage for the rebels. The navy blockade has cut supplies of
ammo for the rebels, and this is curbing their ability to shoot back.