Battle of Weli Oya (1995)

The LTTE launched a surprise attack, on the government controlled area of Weli Oya, aimed at overrunning four army camps (Kokkilai, Kokkuthuduvai, Jayasinghapura and Janakapura) in the area including the Weli Oya Brigade headquarters. Troops posted to these camps were mostly reservists from volunteer regiments, national guardsmen with artillery and engineering units. The army units came under the command of Brigadier Janaka Perera, Brigade Commander of the 6th "Weli Oya" Brigade, who had prepared the defense of the camps, having gain warning of a possible attack from the military intelligence.^[1][3]

On the morning of 28 July 1995, LTTE units which included veterans from their attack on Pooneryn armed with weapons captured from the army at Pooneryn; attacked from both land and from seaward amphibious landings. Within five hours the attack had withered with the LTTE suffering over 300 carders killed, including its leaders.^[2] The US State Department stated that some of the dead bodies of LTTE caders recovered by the army were found to be as young as 14 years of age.^[4] The army units which had put a stiff defense had sustained 2 killed and many wounded. The attackers failed to penetrate the defense lines or knock out artillery gun placements as it had planned with the use of female suicide bombers. SLAF provided air support, knocking out LTTE transports, while the Sri Lanka Navy deployed Dvora-class fast patrol boats off the coast of Weli Oya disrupting LTTE movements at sea.^[2]