SRI LANKA: AIR FORCE STRIKES TIGER BASES,

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001596 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM PREF MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: AIR FORCE STRIKES TIGER BASES, CONSOLIDATES GAINS AS CO-CHAIRS PUSH FOR TALKS REF: A. COLOMBO 1564 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. COLOMBO CE 1588 Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) On September 25-26, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) struck LTTE training camps in the northwestern district of Mannar, according to the National Security Media Center (NSMC). On September 27, Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told poloff that the SLAF had successfully struck a Sea Tiger base in northeastern Mullaitivu that afternoon. The pro-LTTE Tamilnet website claimed the strikes had hit civilian targets. Meanwhile, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres fired mortars on a Security Task Force (STF) camp in Trincomalee district on September 28, according to the NSMC. ¶2. (C) In a September 27 conversation, Brigadier Samarasinghe implied to Embassy Information Officer that the military intends to continue operations to consolidate its gains "before turning south," presumably to appease the southern nationalist parties. Sri Lanka Army Engineers operations officer Major General Mohan told poloff on September 28; "The LTTE's spirit has been broken" by the Sri Lanka military's victories since July 2006 (ref A),adding "They won't want to come to peace talks with their heads low." ¶3. (C) Ambassador Blake called on chiefs of the Air Force, Army and Navy on September 27. The Ambassador expressed the US Government's desire to help Sri Lanka defend itself in the war on terror, but stressed that we do not believe there is a military solution to the conflict and that we strongly support a negotiated settlement. Ambassador requested the chiefs to help us to help them by (a) exercising maximum restraint in not engaging in offensive military operations as the Co-Chairs try to nail down the date and venue for talks to begin; and (b) being very careful to avoid human rights violations. The Ambassador noted that recent human rights violations have garnered headlines in the US and that further violations could jeopardize exercises and other military cooperation (ref B). BLAKE