This Day in History: October 11, 1987

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On October 11, 1987, Operation Pawan is ordered by the Indian military. The operation was part of the Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan Civil War and saw troops of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) move to take control of the Sri Lankan city of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, or Tamil Tigers). The objective was to force the disarmament of the Tamil Tigers which had a strong presence in the northern provinces of Sri Lanka, including the city of Jaffna. On October 9, military action began as Indian forces raided media and communications facilities (including radio and television stations and printing presses) that were under LTTE control. On October 12, a planned heliborne assault conducted by Indian paratroopers and Sikh light infantry to capture LTTE leaders suspected of being at Jaffna University ended in disaster when the IPKF assault force came under heavy fire as the LTTE had intercepted Indian communications alerting them to the raid and set up an ambush. Two Indian commandos were killed in the fight, but heavier casualties were suffered by the Sikh infantry as 29 of the 30 soldiers were killed in the fighting.

The LTTE resistance at Jaffna University served as a preview to the level of resistance they would put up through the rest of the battle to control Jaffna. Intense sniper fire and the heavy use of mines bogged down the Indian push into the city, forcing a halt in the advance on October 15/16 in order for the IPKF to stabilize their lines and bring in reinforcements, including armor, more troops, and more helicopters. Despite the arrival of reinforcements, IPKF efforts to take the city remained slow due to the guerrilla tactics utilized by the Tamil Tigers negating the advantages of the larger Indian force as well as allowing the Tigers to blend in to the local population. After approximately two weeks of intense fighting, the IPKF successfully captured the city of Jaffna. However, LTTE resistance remained strong as the militant organization had simply withdrew from the city rather than being wiped out in the fighting. The Tamil Tigers would continue their fight until finally being defeated by the Sri Lankan government in May 2009 with the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War.

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