Battle of Janakapura
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| Battle of Janakapura | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Sri Lankan civil war | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Military of Sri Lanka |
 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Lt. Gen. Cecil Waidyaratne Brig. Parry Liyanage |
Velupillai Prabhakaran | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
24 soldiers killed 9 civilians killed 31 wounded 20 missing | Unknown | ||||||
The Battle of Janakapura, was a battle between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) and the Sri Lanka Army during the Sri Lankan Civil War for control of the military camp at Janakapura in Weli Oya in northern Sri Lanka on 25 July 1993.
The LTTE launched a surprise attack, on the government controlled area of Weli Oya, aimed at overrunning army detachment at Janakapura with its main camp in Janakapura and three other satellite camps in the area. The detachment consisted of approx. 150 military personnel and came under the 6th "Weli Oya" Brigade under the command of Brigadier Parry Liyanage.[1]
Attack
A force of 250 to 500 LTTE cadres attacked the Janakapura army camp at midnight on 25 July 1993, following several diversionary attacks on other army detachments at Kokkutoduwai and Kovil Point. At the time of the attack 75 soldiers had been deployed on an ambush patrol outside the camp in two groups. Facing superior numbers, these two patrols avoided engaging the attacking force of the LTTE. The LTTE was able to overrun the camp after attacking it with RPGs. After capturing the camp the LTTE secured weapons, ammunition, equipment, and used army bulldozers to flatten the camp.[1]
Killing of civilians and prisoners
LTTE cadres also attacked the village adjoining the camp killing 9 civilians including women and children by means of shooting, knifing and grenades as a warning to the Sinhalese population in Weli Oya. LTTE also appears to have executed military personnel they had captured in the attack and later exhibited 18 bodies.[1] The LTTE killed the captured signals officer of the camp, Captain Wijenayake with a mammoty and took his eyes out, which was witnessed by a signaler who was also taken prisoner and later interrogated with torture by the LTTE to gain classified radio signal codes used by the Sri Lanka Signals Corps. He was held as a prisoner for five years.[2]