Bandaranaike Airport attack
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The Bandaranaike Airport attack was an assault by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Bandaranaike International Airport, on July 24, 2001. The attack was one of the boldest the LTTE has mounted during its war with the Sri Lankan government, and had a profound impact on the country's military, economy, and airline industry.
| Sri Lankan civil war |
|---|
| Jaffna - Navaly -Nagerkovil - Unceasing Waves - Rana Gosa - Bandaranaike - Allaipiddy - Trincomalee - Mannar Related Indian operations |
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[edit] Background
Reports said that the LTTE timed the attack to coincide with the rioting of Black July in 1983, in which thousands of Tamils were killed by Sinhalese mobs. This is considered the start of Sri Lanka's war. The rebels had warned on July 2 that they would resume attacks unless the military stopped bombing rebel positions in the north and east of the country.
[edit] The assault
Around 3:30 am on July 24, 14 members of the LTTE Black Tiger suicide squad infiltrated Katunayake air base, located about 35km (22 mi) north of Colombo. After destroying electricity transformers to plunge the base in darkness, they cut through the barbed wire surrounding the base to begin their assault. Using rocket propelled grenades, anti-tank weapons, and assault rifles, the militants attacked the air force planes. They were not able to attack the aircraft in the hangars but did destroy eight military aircraft on the tarmac: three Nanchang K-8 trainer aircraft, one Mil Mi-17 helicopter, one Mil Mi-24 helicopter, two IAI Kfir fighter jets, and a MiG-27. Five K-8s and one MiG-27 were also damaged. Some of the LTTE members climbed to the top of the air base's control tower to survey the scene to use as a vantage point. [1]
Eight Tigers and three air force officers died in the battle at the air base. The six remaining LTTE members then crossed the runway to nearby Bandaranaike Airport. Using their weapons, they began blowing up any civilian aircraft they could find, which were all empty. One Airbus A340 was destroyed by an explosive charge; an A330 was destroyed by a rocket fired from the control tower. In addition, two A320s and an A-330 were damaged in the assault. [2]
The attack was over by 8:30 am. All 14 guerrillas were killed, along with six Sri Lankan air force personnel and one soldier killed by friendly fire. 12 soldiers were injured, along with three Sri Lankan civilians and a Russian engineer. [3] No foreign tourists were harmed during the attack.
The two Airbuses destroyed constituted two of SriLankan Airlines' 12 aircraft. The three other damaged aircraft meant that a third of the Airlines' planes were out of commission.
[edit] Effects
Bandaranaike Airport was closed for 14 hours during and after the attack. Flights were diverted to India during the assault due to the threat of attack. The cost of replacing the military aircraft was estimated at $350 million USD, half of the Sri Lankan military budget. The attack caused a slowdown in the economy of Sri Lanka, to about 2.5%. Tourism also plummeted, dropping 15.5% at the end of the year. This was exacerbated by the September 11 attacks. [4]
[edit] References
- ^ Intelligence failures exposed by Tamil Tiger airport attack. Jane's Intelligence Review (2001). Retrieved on June 3, 2006.
- ^ LTTE Attack Paralyzes Sri Lanka's International Airport. The Institute for Counter-Terrorism (2001). Retrieved on June 3, 2006.
- ^ Intelligence failures exposed by Tamil Tiger airport attack. Jane's Intelligence Review (2001). Retrieved on June 3, 2006.
- ^ Growth In Sri Lanka To Rise In 2002. Asian Development Bank (2001). Retrieved on June 3, 2006.
